Ep 11. Credit Roll of Fools

In HYOUKA season 1 episode 11, titled "Credit Roll of Fools," the school festival is finally over and everyone is back to their normal routine. Eru Chitanda and Houtarou Oreki are walking down the hallway when they bump into Satoshi Fukube, who invites them to his class' culture festival. They agree to go and are greeted by a peculiar exhibit created by Satoshi and his friend, Mayaka Ibara.

The exhibit is called "Fool's Parade" and it's a collection of parody illustrations based on anime and manga characters. Houtarou quickly recognizes the creator of the illustrations as Tomoe Oreki, his older sister. He's surprised by her work because it's completely different from the realistic drawing style he's used to seeing from her. In fact, Tomoe's illustrations have a whimsical and carefree feel to them that's more fitting for a child than an adult.

As they examine the illustrations, Eru and Houtarou overhear a group of girls criticizing the exhibit. The girls think that the illustrations are immature and unoriginal. Mayaka, who overheard their comments as well, is visibly hurt and angry. Satoshi tries to calm her down and suggests that they go grab some snacks.

At the snack bar, Houtarou and Eru run into another group of students who are talking about the festival. They mention that they just saw a really great exhibit that they think will win best in show. The exhibit is called "Credit Roll" and it's an interactive game that involves rolling a ball around a course that's set up on a table. The ball's movements are controlled by a camera that's attached to the ceiling. The catch is that the table is full of obstacles like ramps, holes, and walls, so it's not easy to get the ball to the end.

Houtarou is intrigued by the game and wants to check it out. When they arrive at the exhibit, they're surprised to find that Mayaka and Satoshi are running it. Mayaka explains that they created the game from scratch and that it was a lot of work. Houtarou plays the game and is impressed by how well it's designed. As he's playing, he notices that the ending credits are rolling on the computer screen. He realizes that the game is a metaphor for life and that the obstacles and challenges are like the ones we encounter in our own lives.

After Houtarou finishes playing, he and Eru are about to leave when they hear someone screaming. They run back to the exhibit and see that Mayaka is upset and crying. She explains that the group of girls who had criticized their "Fool's Parade" exhibit had also been to "Credit Roll" and had destroyed it. The girls had spilled juice on the table, thrown the balls around, and vandalized the computer. Mayaka is heartbroken because she and Satoshi had worked so hard on the game and because it was something they were proud of.

Houtarou realizes that the girls who vandalized the exhibit were the same ones who had criticized "Fool's Parade." He suggests that they call the festival committee and report the incident, but Satoshi disagrees. He believes that causing trouble won't solve anything and that they should just focus on creating something better next year. Mayaka agrees and says that she's learned from the experience and that it will make her stronger.

As the episode ends, Houtarou and Eru walk home together. Eru comments on how the festival has ended and how fast time flies. Houtarou agrees and thinks about how the events of the day have made him realize that life is full of obstacles and challenges, but that we have to keep rolling through them.