Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

Introduction

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni means “When the Cicadas Cry”. It was adapted from the sound novel game, Higurashi When They Cry, which was originally released for the PC. It is divided into 4 question arcs and 4 answer arcs, which answer to why things happen in the 4 question arcs. However, in the anime, there is an additional arc that bridges the seasons together; Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai. The 9 arcs are spread across the 2 seasons, with 4 question arcs and 2 answer arcs in Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, and the remaining 2 answer arcs, as well as the arc that bridges the 2, in Kai.

Overview

So what is this anime about? Without giving out spoilers, this anime is about a guy named Maebara Keiichi, who has moved from the city to the peaceful town of Hinamizawa. He hangs out with a group, which consist of 4 other girls. He studies in a school that has only 1 teacher and a principal. Children of all ages study in the same classroom. Life for him starts to go wrong when it comes to the Watanagashi Festival (Cotton Drifting Festival). There, he starts to discover the truth behind the chain of mysterious murders that happen yearly during the Watanagashi Festival that is commonly associated with Oyashiro-sama’s Curse. Oyashiro-sama is the god that looks over Hinamizawa. It is stated that Hinamizawans cannot leave Hinamizawa, and leaving will effectively cause the person to be cursed. Hinamizawa is located near a town called Okinomiya.

The arcs all possess recurring characters, and they all start before the Watanagashi Festival, with the exception of the bridging arc, Yakusamashi-hen.

The 4 question arcs are Onikakushi, Watanagashi, Tatarigoroshi, and Himatsubushi.

The 4 answer arcs are Meakashi, Tsumihoroboshi, Minagoroshi, and Matsuribayashi.

Story

Plot-wise, I have to say it is pretty well done. I was captivated by the motives behind the murders occurring in the respective arcs, as well as what the characters are going through. In Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, things took place at a relatively fast pace, and there was not much room in terms of character development. That may be a letdown as it does not allow much establishment of emotional attachment to characters due to the fact that they die so easily. In Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai, however, the story was rather well-paced, and allowed us to see the lives led by the Hinamizawans, shedding more light to the backstory and gradually revealing the true murderer. Intriguing to no end, this anime has disturbing scenes involving torture and violent deaths, making you to hope to see a happy ending after seeing them suffering tragically time after time. There is a great deal of mystery and horror mixed in it, and of course, having tragic results.

Score: 4/5

Sound

The opening songs of the 2 seasons are amongst the numerous songs stuck in my head after watching the show. However, it may just be me.

The sound effects are relatively good, with blood splattering sounds. The voice-acting is quite well done too, and I do not feel weird that some characters have the voices they possess. They are in sync with the weird and crazy characters in the anime.

Score: 3.5/5

Details

It is not too shabby, but could be done better. During fight scenes or murder scenes, the characters are sometimes drawn in such a way that they lack much detail. They would look more like scribbles and outlines of characters. Noticeable lack of details that come to mind are the arms and the hands when fighting. Otherwise it is normally drawn quite well, and I have no complaints there.

Gore-wise, the anime definitely delivers, and details such as a protruding ribcage from an open abdominal wound are not neglected.

Score: 3.5/5

Verdict

Overall I really enjoyed the show. There were times when I found it too gruesome, but I continued watching anyway. The plot is both intriguing and captivating. I am left wanting for more after Kai, which you can resort to Rei, which is an extra side-story.

Overall Score: 8/10

(editted, thanks Yi Ru with the editting!)