Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

June 1983 marks the fateful event in the quiet village of Hinamizawa. Can this predestined event be broken? When the doors of Higurashi naku koro ni closed, we are left with so many loop holes and questions that are left un answered. 1. Who is this Oyashiro-sama? 2. Why is there someone dying and disappearing every year at the night of the Watanagashi festival? Is this really a curse or someone else's doing? Higurashi naku koro ni kai, the second season explains most of the events in the first season. Unlike the first season, this is told mostly in the perspective of the shrine maiden Rika. Viewers will again get to see the different angles of the incidents once again and how it seems to keep repeating itself for many years. Rika, who now lives for the thousandth time in Hinamizawa, wishes for a miracle to happen in order to change the fate of not only the village but also her friends. But when she was about to give up all hope and succumb to fate, Maebara Keiichi and her friends try to help her out. But will it be enough to bend the will of destiny? There's only one way to find out. This series sends us a message that we have different doors ahead of us each leading to a different outcome and it's up to us to decide which one to take. All in all, this thought provoking series gives a satisfying closure to this well-planned mystery thriller story. The only question remaining is that will you be able to break through your fate?

Just as good as the first season. Thrilling, suspenceful, funny, inspiring, everything a good horror anime needs. I would give this anime the same description as the first season, except as I mentioned in the first seasons' review, this season is much less scary. This season makes everything in the first season make sense, and it makes it all the more exciting to see how everything is put together. I found that in this season it was very easy to relate to the characters' emotions, and it shows the moral of the anime, which happens to be a very strong and meaningfull one. Both seasons of this show seem very different to one another in some ways, but after you put it all together, it's almost like a puzzle who's pieces fit perfectly. Though it's scary at times, I'de say that it's really worth it to try and get used to it, as I too was really freaked out by the sort of stuff in this anime, but after I got used to it, it became one of my all time ultimate favorite animes, and if I ever got the chance, I would definately watch it all again.

It’s about time I watched Higurashi Kai. I tried watching this on three separate occasions in the span of six years. I’ve been a huge Higurashi fan for a long time now, but I’ve always had trouble getting into this one. After the third attempt I accepted the fact that Higurashi Kai’s first episode kinda sucks. The first episode is a boring slog to get through with the constant talking, and it has this strange white filter that makes the visuals difficult to see. Which reminds me of another anime I don’t like very much, Boogiepop Phantom. Characters will talk for long, long periods of time with nothing interesting going on in these dark areas, where you can hardly see anything, and you’re expected to pay attention the entire time while details are being spoon-fed to you. This is Higurashi Kai’s first episode in a nutshell. Luckily, the rest of the show isn’t as bad as the first episode, but Higurashi Kai still has plenty of exposition dumps. Episode one is just the worst contender. Higurashi Kai is the sequel to Higurashi. No shit. This season of Higurashi explains more of the supernatural angle of the previous season. I am grateful that this season exists. The first season of Higurashi doesn’t have a proper conclusion and leaves more questions than answers. At the same time, Higurashi Kai, in my eyes at least, fails at being a proper continuation of the story. I enjoyed some of the first-half, but it didn’t quite feel like Higurashi to me. I like how the show reanimates one of the previous arcs of the original show and gave it a more positive ending. I got it! The perfect description for Higurashi Kai! “It felt less like a horror and more like a longwinded drama where people just happen to get killed.” That’s perfect. Keep that in mind when watching this show. The second-half is the point where I stopped caring about the story, entirely. Rika talks for eons in this show! It’s like watching a talk show where Rika is the only host and she never stops talking. There’s so much exposition. That’s not what Higurashi is known for. If the show wanted to explain something to you, it would do it in the creepiest way possible. And the characters wouldn’t drown you in dialogue. Exposition is okay. It’s important to inform your audience about what’s going on, but talking for such long periods of time will only bore them. Shows like the Monogatari series get past that issue with stunning visuals and engaging conversations. Higurashi Kai greatly fails at doing that. And some people accuse the original Higurashi of just being mindless violence or shock value. What a horrible opinion. The show is about characters losing their minds and becoming extremely paranoid. The show starts off introducing it’s characters, and everything is normal until the Cotton Drifting Festival. Then characters will slowly go insane and start brutally killing each other. Once that happens, the timeline resets and everything goes back to normal, starting with a new arc. I’m paraphrasing a bit to keep this review somewhat short. There’s usually a specific reason why the characters go crazy in each arc. Time resetting and any other supernatural event is explained in Higurashi Kai. Unfortunately, it does a pretty boring job at explaining these things to you. And finally, the arc lengths. Arcs in Higurashi Kai drag out for way too long. In the original show, all of the arcs were always four to five episodes long. The perfect amount to tell a proper story. In Higurashi Kai, arcs can range from seven to eleven episodes long! I’m guessing that they didn’t want to use the same formula as before, but it doesn’t work well here. None of the arcs need to be that long. And the gore is also toned down in this season. Probably the biggest appeal of Higurashi, and it’s toned down compared to the original. Pretty sad. This season was awfully lame. I’m glad it exists, but I would never watch it again. It does have a halfway decent conclusion, so I’ll give it that. Most of this season was painful to get through. I’m sticking with the original show, from now on. If you're a Higurashi fan and you haven't seen Kai, I would recommend watching it once just to get it out of the way. My scores: Story: 4/10 Art: 6/10 Sound: 6/10 Character: 4/10 (Not including Rika, it's a 5/10) Enjoyment: 3/10 Overall: 4/10

"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai", when compared to many other animes of the genre, it stands out from the crowd and pulls off something truly unique in a gruesome yet satisfying way. If you haven't seen "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni", do not watch Kai yet. With that being said, let's begin the review. This is my first review, so feedback is appreciated. This review is absolutely 100% spoiler free, so you can read it without being spooked. Also, this was written on my Wii U gamepad, so please excuse my mistakes. Story - 10/10 The story of Higurashi is certainly a unique one when compared to other anime. It is split into different scenarios, or arcs. There are the question arcs and the answer arcs. It takes place in Hinamizawa, a small village in Japan. It is June, 1987, and revolves around 6 (including Shion) schoolfriends, and their daily fun. At least, that is what the show wants the audience to believe. On first sight, one would believe that it is a peaceful town, and the 6 friends are just having lighthearted fun. That is not the case at all. The history of the town is soon learned by the protagonist, and each character is involved in it in some way. Every year, on the night of the cotton drifting festival, one person will die, and one goes missing. This cycle repeats forever, and usually involves many characters dying. This is the very basic plot of the first season. In Kai, it shows Rika Furuude's endless struggle of trying to defy fate and stop the endless June of terror. Art - 8/10 The art and animation of the show is nothing special, it is average. Although, in Kai, it seems the animation was improved marginally from the first season, but again, it is still nothing special, and doesn't stand out that much from other animes of the genre. Sound - 10/10 The fucking sound. Holy shit. The soundtrack has to be one of the best OSTs I personally have ever heard, each song fits the mood amazingly well. And then there's the OP. Jesus fucking christ on a stick is the OP of Kai phenomenal. It very easily and amazingly shows Rika's struggle, and puts you into a false sense of security at the beginning of the opening, demonstrating very well what the show is capable of. The ED is great, too. Characters - 10/10 The characters are done very fucking well. One second Rena will be laughing with everyone, and the next second she will be slaughtering everyone without hesitation. This, again brings us back to the false sense of security I was talking about. The characters seem so out of place in the show upon first glance, but after watching the show, you can really realise how well they were executed. So noice. Overall - tenouttaten I'm sure many will disagree with me on this rating, but this show took me on a fucking swood journey that I never wanted to end. thx guise 4 tha review r8 5 stars also my dog has cancer so pls gif the spaghetti

This is the second season to Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, which you should watch first because it's completely amazing, unlike this. As much as I love (and I do mean love) Higurashi, I'm sorry guys, but I just can't blindly give this 9 or 10 just because it follows an incredibly awesome animé, in fact, I think I can't give it a good score specifically because of that. The season starts out pretty good, but gradually deteriorates and gets just downright terrible at the end. The second season of Higurashi had a lot of issues, a few of which: - The introduction of Hanyuu was, to the point she served, little more than plot manipulation. She didn't feel like a real character at all so much as something they randomly stuck in there to look cute and explain certain aspects of the plot. She could have been much better, but they just chose not to have her be that way. - Pacing issues. Certain things get too many episodes, while other things feel rushed. - For how mysterious and screw-with-your-mind the first season is, many truths are revealed far too easily and far too quickly. It almost felt like the author just sort of plopped down the hand of God (no pun intended) and said "Alright, here's what needs to be explained now". For how beautifully and slowly Higurashi unfurled, this was a real disappointment. - The last arc. Completely unrealistic and contrived. Nothing more I can say other than I think there's only 1 thing that can redeem this "ending", and, if the rumors I've heard about the 3rd season are true, then I might need to retract this statement. (Let's just say it may be genius for the same reasons I currently think it's stupid.) So, should you watch it? Hell, if you've come this far, might as well. I can't guarantee you'll love it, but at least you'll get some answers.

"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone." -Rod Serling "Paranoia Strikes Deep" - Buffalo Springfield I love this anime so much it hurts. It nails every aspect of paranoia that I loathe and forces me to contemplate and relish the decisions I've made in life. I am going to leave out specific characters or story lines as I want to keep this as general and cerebral as possible. I have never seen an anime do what Higurashi has on so many levels. It dives straight into this mentality of paranoia which most of the main characters in the show will eventually succumb to. Next is the subtle and not so subtle references and scenes of mob mentality. I always loved to compare Higurashi to an old American series by the name of The Twilight Zone (1965)! That's right I'm going old school. There's a great episode by the name of "The Monsters are Due on Maplestreet". Now, I won't give away the ending of the episode as it indirectly relates too well to the origins of Hinamizawa Syndrome. The Twilight Zone also explored the ultra paranoid, especially given the era (Cold War). I Highly recommend to anyone who sees this review to check out the episode before watching Higurashi. The imagination of the creators had amazing views on that kind of mentality before creating the series. Oh, I forgot to mention the ultraviolence and gore. Not only does it score high points for Paranoia and Mob Mentality, but the sheer terror and shock levels as well. Higurashi is not just another Psychological/Horror anime... It's the standard for me when rating other anime, before or after the show's original airing, in the same category. Can it hold a candle to Higurashi? It is possibly the best adaptation of a Horror Turn based Video Game?! Maybe I'm going overboard, but every time I re-watch it I look for new reactions from the characters who by the way get small arcs exploring and embellishing their paranoia and mania. (The Question and Answer Arcs) Only in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai do we see the entire story fully circle round in a spectacular finale! While shows like Serial Experiments Lain, another masterpiece, explore what does and doesn't constitute reality, Higurashi takes envy, hatred, love, betrayal, and every other sin of ours you can think of and delivers a performance you won't soon forget. The first series can be confusing at times, but remember that it was based on a game and there are more question than answer arcs so bear with the confusion as all your answers to the first series will be answered in this one. I'm going to end it there. I have so much more to say about the show, but let's leave that for the discussion boards where spoilers aren't as big a deal...Mmmk?

I have complained about the lack of resolution in the prior season of Higurashi. Boy, i should have shut my mouth back then. Higurashi Kai is the 'answer arc' to the original Higurashi, the direct continuation which actually delivered great and fulfilling answers to what was merely speculated in the prior arcs. Those who have watched Higurashi are blasted with the fact that time apparently resets while a grand evil scheme is happening within those looping days. To why, how, we were not given a damn thing but lots and lots of cookie crumbs has been flaunted at our faces and we just had to patch em up for the prime cookie and what a damn fine cookie it is. With the prior season's' twists and turns already bent my expectations to a screw, I was so not prepared to learn that we had a decoy protagonist all this time. It was fricking marvelous to learn that i've been bamboozled creatively. Kai gave us backgrounds to the characters and made it so that we get to the minds of each character in play in the Hinamizawa phenomenon and we get to see in the eyes of both the protagonist and the antagonists. The pacing was great and made me want to go from episode to episode just to watch what happens next. Writing was already good before but Kai cranked that up further with its engaging plot and how the mystery is being shed light bit by bit all the while culminating in one of the best final arcs of any anime. Art remains the same, does it job but not really remarkable. The action scenes remain janky but its shock factor bits remain well-executed nonetheless. With how the story progressed, gore is actually toned down and i cannot tell you it was for the worse. For what its worth, Kai actually got better in its storytelling in exchange for gore and i would not have it otherwise. Sound remains good. Its OP remains evocative, though not as memorable of the first. ED is kinda forgettable but it might be because i skip it immediately so that i get to the next episode faster. Japanese voice acting was fine, prominently Rika, Rena, and Hanyu though i find Satoko's voice somewhat odd. While i sing the highest praises of Higurashi, i did feel that that there's something amiss that prevented it from getting a perfect score in my eyes. I do feel that it was because of its final seconds where a completely headscratching scene played out and left me with a WTF look. Likewise, i did feel some plot armor was deployed for some reason. Nonetheless, Higurashi Kai is probably one of the best follow-up seasons in anime ever and completed the series in a high note. It has a satisfying conclusion, a brilliant use of a call-back, and a story that is a total rollercoaster of blood, sweat and tears...literally. It was a sin to keep myself from watching Higurashi in years past. A decade old but with a timeless tale of friendship, trust, and psychopathic shenanigans. This is a classic and shall remain a classic in my eyes.

English Review: Thanks to studio Deen they finally realized their mistakes and fixed the animation in season 2.People are complaining about the animation in first season. They done it this time. In this continuation of highly popular horror anime, the string are connected. I repeat everything was solved perfect.They managed to fill the plot hole with good reveal and complete the story of visual novel.I think this is the best revelation of anime history. Studio Deen decreased a lot of blood this time making cringy situation was less than season 1. They know the formula of good horror.Mystery and suspense finally played a key role.The soundtrack was amazing.I was shocked of how they give the answer to the problems in S1. The soundtrack is amazing. The new character is cute. She really changed the plot of the story. I will give a little bit of spoiler as possible. In the end all that matters is mystery solved and everyone get a fair ending.Every character realized their mistakes and the villain was introduced.I love this anime. We don’t find anime like this again.cough*cough Umineko yeah same premise but the adaptation suck.So I think this is the best Ryushiki07 can deliver. Review Indonesia: Pada saat menonton Higurashi anda akan merasakan bahwa anime ini sangat kompleks dan penuh emosi.Kita melihat banyak horor dan darah di season 1 tapi di season 2 semuanya berubah.Kita dihadapkan pada misteri yang bertumpuk dan gw merasa hal itu tidak mungkin diselesaikan tanpa ada plot hole(hal yang mengganjal pada cerita).Tapi studio Deen berhasil melakukannya.Semua karakter bekerja sama dan sedikit demi sedikit semua misteri berhasil terkuak.Mulai dari kakak yang menghilang di season 1,perulangan pada suatu cerita,dan tokoh penjahatnya.Gw juga merasa kalau terjadi perkembangan karakter yang pesat dari para tokoh.Kerjasama tim dan penyadaran dari masing-masing orang.Formula dari anime ini banyak diterapkan di anime zaman now.Dengan misteri dan cerita yang menarik,serta darah yang berkurang,anime ini cocok untuk ditonton penggemar cerita misteri.

First off, Higurashi isn't nearly as bloody as its hype would claim. Granted, yes this series can get extremely bloody at times, but, honestly, it isn't nearly as bad as other shows, like elfen lied. STORY 10: I love the story of this show, some mystery shows, it's easy to guess the mystery, but this show makes the task extremely more difficult than the average show. The story goes in directions where, if not for a SOLID story, it could become extremely dumb. ART 8: Yes, the art isn't Attack on Titan, Kara no Kyoukai level, but with the creepy vibe this show may give off at times, the art, for some odd reason, makes it even creepier, and with the in depth facial features at the EXTRA creepy times, the art just fits. I won't dive into everything but I love ALL the characters, you care for most, if not all, of the characters, there's even a semi romance built in this show, that is excellent because it doesn't take any from the show. Overall, I love this show, it amazing. What kept me from watching this show for sooooo long was the idea of watching an overly bloody show, but that's not what this is, it's an extremely well made mystery, and if there's a show that most resembles this show, surprisingly it's the other masterpiece series STEINS; GATE

Well Higurashi was surely a anime that would make the viewer go on a roller coaster of emotions. Higurashi season 1 was like the 'questions' for the entire series and finally season 2 was the 'answers'. Putting the two seasons together is really what makes this anime special. I don't want this review to be super long because I already made a review for season 1 without watching season 2. So basically this time around, everything bad I said about this anime in my first review, is the opposite of what I think now. It was the questions in season 1 that left me totally hungry for more and full of complaints, but in this season, everything was wrapped up and finished off a great anime. This anime was truly a big puzzle but once put together, it was beautiful.

A todos los que vieron esta serie, les haré una review en habla hispana, porque estoy algo quemado despues de terminar esta serie (la haré de las dos temporadas, porque no tengo ganas de calentarme la cabeza). Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, es un anime del que habia oido hablar mucho, pero ni sabía de su temática ni sus críticas, pero por un amigo decidí verla. Allá vamos: -Argumento: Le he puesto un 9, porque a pesar de que es un planteamiento que ya he visto en muchos sitios, le saca mucho jugo al argumento, se recalca mucho el "efecto mariposa" (una pequeña acción puede desencadenar un evento de mayor relevancia en el futuro). Sin embargo, la estructura de arcos es en Koro Ni un poco confusa, pero cuando entiendes el argumento, se comprende que no hay una manera mejor de hacerlo. Y entonces es cuando puede crear adicción... Koro ni Kai, por otra parte, es más absorbente en ese sentido porque ya entiendes la historia y se resuelven muchas preguntas que quedaban en la primera temporada. -Diseño: Un 8, porque a pesar de que el dibujo es bastante bonito, tiene unas cagadas de QUALITY impresionantes (léase ojos bizcos/descolocados, cuerpos desproporcionados, personajes que levitan...) pero por suerte no son demasiado grandes.Por suerte. -Sonido: Bien, bastante de acuerdo; sabiendo que es un anime de misterio, le queda bastante bien. Koro Ni tiene mejor banda sonora, sin embargo, que la segunda temporada (el ED de Koro ni Kai no me gusta en absoluto...). Los seiyuus son correctos en su papel (algunos mejor que otros, pero en general bien). -Personajes: Aunque algunos son bastante planos (como por ejemplo Keiichi, que quieras que no, en todos los arcos salvo el primero, siempre acaba haciendo lo mismo y pensando de la misma manera), otros reciben mucho más protagonismo, cosa que está bien, para tratar de descentrar al espectador y aumentar más el suspense, como Rika o Satoko. En particular Rika es un personaje que me ha gustado mucho, todo tengo que decirlo: su cambio en la forma de pensar es bastante lógico... -Disfrute: Un 8, aunque tengo que puntualizar que las dos temporadas son animes que no conviene ver muchos episodios en mucho tiempo, al final algunos arcos largos se te acaban atragantando. -En general: un 6. La gente que haya leido el análisis entero dirá: ¿por qué le pone un 6 a pesar de las notas que le ha puesto al resto de apartados? Para no hacer spoilers, diré que al terminar el episodio 23 de Koro ni Kai, pensaba ponerle un 9 (a la segunda temporada, la segunda tiene un 7 en mi lista). En los últimos 10 minutos del ultimo capitulo le he bajado 3 puntos de lo falso que me ha parecido el final. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (+Kai) es uno de los pocos animes que he tenido el placer de ver, y que a pesar de haberme gustado, me veo en la obligacion de calificar mal.

I'll be including stuff from the first season in this review, but I'll try my best to limit spoilers. From face-value, Higurashi looks like any innocent slice of life. Hell, I thought that the first time I started watching it. But the shockers came - oh they came with a force that will have you wondering if maybe you shouldn't leave your bedroom door open before you go to bed. The story in the first season, although horrifying, initially confused me. It always had a sense of, "Oh my freaking God! What the hell am I watching?!" to, "... Wait, didn't they die a very gruesome death in the last episode?" I'm not kidding. Most of the first season, I wondered why the series kept telling different stories. I always felt like I was missing the bigger picture. I never put much thought into anime. Usually, I just sit back and enjoy the ride. But Higurashi is so unique, you really can't help but entertain notions. "Maybe they're in different universes? And if so, what the hell is the point if we don't even come to a coherent conclusion?" Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is an absolute gem. It reveals, with shocking twists and turns, what's really going on the little village. Through it all, Rika truly shines as her own character. Initially, I just thought she was a bubbly little girl who had weird lapses of seriousness. Boy was I wrong. She is a very deep, well-developed individual. You come to understand her struggle and pain, and you feel a sense of pity for her situation. It had become so bad that she chose to remain monotonous, surrendering to fate. But when Keiichi showed her that fate isn't determined for us, that we CAN fight it - that's all it took for a glimmer of hope to blossom, for her AND us (Which, in my opinion, is very important). That's another thing. All the characters are unique. What's awesome about them is that their uniqueness can change any time. Confused, huh? Think it's a little too vague? Just watch the show and you'll get what I mean. The story is very original from my standpoint. It's really something I've never seen before, which is a huge plus. I absolutely fell in love with this show and its characters. I was hesitant to watch this season, but I'm super glad that I did! Higurashi is one of the most well-executed anime out there. This season left me with a sense of happiness; a sense of it wasn't all for nothing for them. After so much suffering, it wasn't all in vain. I'd recommend it to those who are looking for something dark and thought provoking.

Anime: Higurashi no Naku koro ni Kai Title: Losing faith in this series. About the Anime: It is the year 1983; and in the village of Hinamizawa, on the night of the cotton drifting festival and in the days following it, a series of deaths occurs. The only hope for the village and its inhabitants is the shrine maiden Furude Rika who, with the help of her invisible partner Hanyuu, is able to travel back in time and alter the events that led to disaster. Unfortunately, regardless of what changes are made, each voyage ultimately ends with the death of Rika and many of her friends. But when Rika’s friends start remembering things that happened to them in previous worlds and take steps to avoid the same outcomes, Rika realizes that their chances of survival have never been better. Can she really challenge and defeat fate itself? Story 4/10: Imagine everything Higurashi no Naku Koro ni was not, and you've got Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. While Higurashi Kai certainly ties up a number of much needed loose strings causing incoherency issues within the first season, it ultimately degrades the series into meaningless tripe. It seems that the first season followed the original games/manga to the tee, but the second takes on extremely, and I emphasize extremely, watered down adaptations of the original storyline's ending. There is no gore or horror present save for perhaps one or two very light scenes, and the violence is toned down substantially as well, as most of what's present is almost comical in nature. Needless to say, I was immensely disappointed with Higurashi Kai, as it ended exactly like most anime intended for young children rather than an honorable, intellectual dramatic masterpiece. Save for perhaps one or two minor incidents, all the duplicitous aspects of the main cast of characters' personalities vanish, and it becomes a real chore to convince yourself you're watching the same show. The final two "answer" arcs also happen to be twice the length of the prior six arcs in season one, and are subsequently packed full of filler-esque material which really causes the series to drag in many places - completely opposite of the first season, where constant angst and tension kept you on the edge of your seat and constantly looking over your shoulder while you watched. Ending and conclusion aside, the sole purpose of Higurashi Kai is to provide the viewer with the story behind everything that occurs in the first season, and on that note it succeeds. Rika takes a much more central role in the second season, explaining many of her mysterious talents such as her vast score of knowledge and her prophetic capabilities; which, in essence, explains who Oyashiro-sama is and what his curse entails with rather great detail. Again, though, the enormous, anti-climactic ending dwarfs the importance of such revelations, as it sucks the very life out of the drama they were supposed to be explaining. While it provides closure, this closure is quite poor, and as such I have a hard time swallowing the series as a whole. Animation 6/10: As far as color vibrancy goes, Higurashi Kai got a substantial boost in quality, but that's about the only noticeable difference in quality. I made a point not to increase the animation score, though, since the total lack of dramatic emphasis took away the first season's exemplary use of facial expressions to convey morbid atmospheres. The additions really didn't do much for me, especially with the huge abundance of stills in most of Higurashi Kai's action scenes. Sound 7/10: Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of Higurashi Kai is its second, absolutely superb opening theme. Aside from that, though, the musical score remains virtually identical as the first season, and the voice actors again do a great job, though their roles are made less intensive. Characters 6/10: I was really quite flustered with how the characters panned out. For obviously having severe paranoia issues, Keiichi seems perfectly normal for most of Higurashi Kai, a far cry from the neurotic xenophobe who has quite a difficult time distinguishing reality between the varying Himizawa worlds in the first season; Rena's random, sporadic violent tendencies disappear entirely, and I hardly see her lift a finger during the first half of the series; Shion displays one instance of her blood thirst, but it's tamed rather quickly and her character immediately seems to revert after with no future signs; the list goes on. The characters simply didn't carry the same feel, and that really gave me pause when trying to rationalize them in the context of the second season. In the first season each of the characters suffered from very fragile and delicate personality problems, and the fact that these problems cease to exist in the latter arcs is simply baffling. Overall 5.2/10: Unfortunately, because of how Higurashi's first season pans out, Higurashi Kai is a must watch to understand the progression of the story. Perhaps I'm overreacting a bit to how much I disliked Higurashi Kai, as I did enjoy the first fourteen episodes, but the last arc was simply atrocious. All in all a settling sequel to the first season, but don't expect to have your brain played with in any sinister fashion - you'll just end up utterly disappointed. ~WhiteBakemono

After watching both seasons of Higurashi, I personally liked the first season better than this, because I felt Kai was almost too.. fluffy and emotional. However, both seasons of this anime were great. I will warn anyone wishing to watch this, however I'm sure if you watch Kai you have seen the first one, that there is a fair amount of gore, blood, and violence in this anime. Don't watch it if you're sensitive to those things. Looking back at the first season, nothing seemed to make sense. However, in Kai, the events that happen in Hinamizawa slowly start to come together and make sense, a little at a time. And once the puzzle is complete and all answers have been given, I can promise you will not be disappointed. As in the first season, the artwork is not the most amazing I've seen. However, it is fairly well-done. The music and other sounds in this season of Higurashi are like the first seasons; same voice actors, same background music, etc. The only things to have changed are the opening and ending themes, which don't add as much to the creepiness as the first season's themes did, but they help to shed light on one of the main protagonists (Rika) after analyzing it. Higurashi is an anime that I feel was meant to be analyzed. It may not have a lot of obvious symbolism within it, but it definitely shows what can happen to people when belief turns into obsession, which turns into fear. Fear can drive people to do crazy things, as Higurashi makes painfully obvious. Kai, however, is a bit lighter on the violence, as it mainly only answers the first season brought to light. Also in this season, Rika's personality seems to be a bit more serious, distant, and matured. Hanyuu, a new supporting/main character, is also introduced, and helps to solve the mystery of Hinamizawa. Alone, Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni KAI is not as amazing as its predecessor. Together, they make a great series for people, of a mature audience, mind you, to enjoy and rewatch again to analyze the symbolism and other things present in Higurashi.

Absolutely goated anime. (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ As someone who usually avoids subs, the fact that I was fully invested in kai, (wich saddly doesn't have a dub) says a lot. I couldn't look away for a second. If you enjoyed the chaotic horror mystery of the first season, kai will blow your mind. Where the first season leaves the viewer lost in a fog of unexplained time loops, fragmented memories, and characters suddenly spiraling into madness, kai steps in as the missing piece of the puzzle. It all just begins to make sense. The first season leans heavily into supernatural horror, making the viewer believe something not from this world, might be at play. But in kai, that fear shifts. The horror becomes more psychological. You stop fearing a curse, and start fearing people. Which is honestly even scarier. One of the most surprising and rewarding aspects of kai is the change in perspective. It subtly reveals who the true main character is, and it’s someone you might not have expected. Kai isn’t just a continuation, it’s a revelation. It’s what gives the entire series its meaning and emotional weight. Some arcs are slower and more dialogue-heavy, but that’s where the show really flexes its depth. It’s not about shock value anymore, it’s about revealing character's intentions, causes, and consequences. The viewer gets to feel why things happened, not just see that they did. Kai is a must watch for everyone who enjoyed the first season. It elevates the story from being JUST a horror mystery to a cohesive and emotionally impactful narrative. It’s smart, haunting, and at times,, surprisingly hopeful. If you made it through the madness of season one, Kai will give it all the meaning you may have thought you needed.

When the first season of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni ended, viewers were left with more questions than answers about the dark mysteries plaguing the village of Hinamizawa. Thankfully, the 2007 sequel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai picks up right where the psychological horror left off, providing a riveting and unrelentingly bleak continuation that cements Higurashi as one of the most disturbingly effective thrillers in anime. From the moment Kai begins, it's clear the writers have no intention of letting up on the suffocating sense of dread and escalating brutality that made the first season so gripping. New arcs like Meakashi-hen start off lulling you into a false sense of security with their seemingly innocent premises, only to violently shatter that calm with some of the most disturbing, unflinching scenes of violence and depravity you'll ever see in animation. The pacing is calculated perfection, slowly ratcheting up the tensions until the terror becomes an unbearable fever pitch. What really sets Kai apart though is its masterful descent into psychological horror through the gradual unraveling of the core cast of characters. Watching once innocent, quirky figures like Shion, Rena, and even Rika slowly lose their grip on reality and transform into unhinged, tragic shells of their former selves is nothing short of riveting, making for captivating but deeply uncomfortable viewing. Kai gleefully takes these protagonists to their absolute breaking points, exploring just how fragile the human psyche can be when under the pressures of overwhelming fear, anxiety, and relentless delirium. Not every arc quite lives up to the heights of the series' best chapters. Tsumihoroboshi-hen in particular feels like a bit of a slog compared to more explosive arcs. But even the relatively weaker installments contain a looming, unsettling feeling of thick atmospheric dread that hangs over every moment. And when Kai is firing on all cylinders like in the mind-bendingly effective Minagoroshi-hen, it delivers some of the most disturbingly memorable horror scenes and bleak psychological deconstructions you'll ever see. What started as an intriguing but relatively straightforward supernatural mystery has morphed into one of the most gripping, psychologically complex, and unrelentingly intense thrillers in anime thanks to Kai's contributions. With its escalating brutality, unrelenting sense of paranoia, and gradual breakdown of its beloved character ensemble, it's a genuinely unsettling and haunting viewing experience in the best way possible. Brace yourself for a descent into utter madness.

In this season we get three arcs, the remaining "Answer Arc" that we did not got in the first season and two other Answer Arcs that will unveil the rest of the mysteries left in the 1st season. This title has transitioned into a Thriller, leaving behind most of the blood and gore from the first season. Don't get me wrong, there are still frightening and intense scenes, but now they are used to add to the Suspense, it is not as graphic as before. The MC role has changed from Keiichi to Rika, who is a more interesting character. The Supernatural still plays a major part in the story, which mix perfectly with the mystery, and help to explain some situations. The 3-arc structure follows the basics of a Hitchcockian Suspense, there is a promise made by the MC, there is a time limit to fulfill that promise, and there is a set of constrains. The storytelling follows these religiously, and the main reason why it transitions so good, pacing is phenomenal. The director takes advantage of the Chibi/Moe character design fantastically, also from the Hitchcockian school, face close-ups, you can read the mind of the characters just by watching their eyes, and their facial expressions. The Music/Score is also masterfully implemented. We are also unveiled who the main antagonist is, and it is so unexpected that it blew my mind, we also get a bunch of background from this character that makes us understand the motives to the point that I was empathetic. I have absolutely zero issues with this season, none, its a perfectly executed Thriller.

Story: Higurashi became quite a goddamn mess because Ryukishi07 tried to incorporate too many new ideas into his series without the proper execution or build-up. First of all, it loves being really dark and edgy, but at the same time, it doesn't know when to fucking give it a rest; it has an annoying penchant for dragging out the torture of its characters, as if more suffering and pain = higher quality of writing. As a result, the story sometimes becomes too edgy and takes itself way too seriously to be enjoyable. Whatever comic relief the writer shoehorned in is usually unfunny, sometimes cringy, or even downright annoying. Don't get me wrong, it's completely fine - cool, even - to be edgy. Some of my favorite series are extremely edgy. The problem with Higurashi is that it just doesn't know how to have fun. Sometimes I feel as if it just loves to torture and create a pity party for its characters for the sake of it. In contrast, look at something like Umineko: it rolls around in the puddle of blood, shit, and guts that it creates, smears brains all over its face, and chases after the reader with its bloody hands like a little kid playing tag. It downright invites the reader to laugh at the atrocity along with it. Despite doing these edgy things, at its very core, it understands extremely well what compassion is; it knows how to pull its characters up by the hand. It knows how to be a complete monster without alienating or boring its audience with the same shtick over and over. Furthermore, Higurashi has made me suspend my disbelief one too many times . For instance, during many chase scenes, the characters just suddenly stop and start talking to each other, forgetting how to run until the enemy catches up with them. The time loop mechanic, along with Hanyuu, are shoehorned into the story with no context to try and explain away the resetting story arcs. While the writer, Ryukishi07, does explain this mechanic in a way that makes perfect sense in Umineko, it came completely out of the left field in Higurashi. And here, you see, is where Higurashi suddenly makes a leap into fantasy territory when for the entire first half it has been trying so hard to come across as a mystery. This mechanic will always feel off because it's been introduced so late into the story. Also, a major suspension of disbelief and one of the biggest gripes I have with the story concerns a certain character's actions. If they have been in a time loop for hundreds and hundreds of years, shouldn't they have tried anything and everything under the goddamn sun? Why haven't they ever tried to explore the option of talking to their friends about it, if it works so well to break through this tragic fate? Did they just hold back for a few hundred years because the plot demands it? As a result, all of their struggles and suffering after the multi-verse reveal just seem artificial and unrealistic somehow. At some point, I became completely detached from the story, apathetic towards whatever happens to these characters who I feel have been overstaying their welcome in this drawn-out story. At the end of the day, it feels as if Higurashi tried too many ideas without the proper writing prowess to back these ideas up. As a result, it fumbles the fuck out of the plot, pulling aliens, diseases, and organizations out of thin air and cooking up unbelievably cartoonish villains to mastermind a very forced and drawn-out tragedy that's edgy just for the sake of being edgy. Art: At least the characters' facial proportions don't look like those of deformed polio victims like in the 1st season. Sound: The opening is ok but not as good as the 1st season. The voice acting and sound design are mediocre at best and fucking annoying at worst i.e Keiichi's voice. Character: I don't even care anymore tbh Enjoyment: Ehhhhh It was just ok. Overall: 6/10 Satoko did nothing wrong. TLDR forget Higurashi go play the Umineko sound novel it's lit af tbh lmao it's amazing how much the writer improves after writing one mediocre series.

Kai is an improvement over the first season, but not by much. The story is much more focused. We aren't switching between multiple, mostly unrelated arcs. The one detour we get provides needed backstory and context for our antagonist and their motivations. That's about it for improvements story-wise; the main cast is still bland and underdeveloped, the SoL moments are uninteresting and out of place at times, and ending was ridiculous. The combination of the main cast's unreasonably powerful combat capabilities and the antagonists incompetence made the last several episodes hard to take seriously. I didn't notice significant differences as far as the animation goes, still not a fan of the art style. The voice acting is solid. None of the music stood out to me, but I thought it was fine. Can't say I really enjoyed any parts of this season. I spent the first half annoyed with Rika's inaction, and the second half baffled at how awful the antagonists were. A bad experience from start to finish.

*WARNING THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!* Video Review Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVsGvTb5F8E Heist #01: Higurashi – When They Cry: Kai [Season 2] Story-line: - C – 7 In terms of the story-line behind Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, I was informed that this season contained the answer arc portion to all the mysteries surrounding the season one adaptation. The mysteries consisted of the mysterious deaths, the outbreak in Hinamizawa, and the person who was behind it all, and yes, that is exactly what we received. Now the problems, I have with this season of Higurashi would be its take on the horror & gore scenes, and its structure. Everything regarding the answers given for the outbreak, Rika’s powers, and the mysterious deaths, I can get behind to some degree, but these three categories kill the story for the show a little bit. And I will kindly explain my reasons why, starting with its take with the horror and gore. In season one, we were shown to have scenes where the characters would undergo some type of mental struggle which would cause them to commit deadly acts of violence on others. Heck, we even seen an older woman endlessly stab a young child, for her sins. However, the problems I found in the horror and gore in Higurashi Kai is that it seems a bit fluffy and nonexistent to be a sequel for Higurashi. I admit we do receive scenes where the characters are abused, or beaten, but it seems that in certain moments, we receive a fade out or other type of transition to get back on track with the explanation of the story. Another example of where the horror and gore seem to take a nose dive could be seen in episode four where; Example – Episode 04: a policeman is killed by a member of the Yamainu and it gets covered by some type of Red Screen which is seemingly supposed to symbolize the blood shed from this man. And I found that to be quite bothersome. There are other moments where the deaths to seem to follow this format, but I wouldn’t count it as censorship in the slightest since the series still has its crazed moments through facial expressions, abusive moments with Satoko, and certain scenes consisting of the gore, but it feels as if the series was trying to erase the darkness that it once had to focus on answering the questions from season one. With regards to the Anime’s structure, I found the issues to lie within certain episodes, preferably episode 14 which is the start of the festival Accompanying Arc of the series. Now in episode fourteen we receive the history behind Miyo’s backstory and how she became the woman she is now. However, I didn’t find it to be an enjoyable experience since the episode kept shifting to her adult and child form within the first ten to so minutes. One bit, we get her suffering as a child, and then the next she’s accepting some type of encouragement from someone, and it seemed pretty odd. Thankfully, it stopped near the end of the episode, but it seemed off to me at the time. Another instance where the Anime’s structure seemed to be off can be seen in episode twelve Example 2 – Episode 12: where Rika decides to spill the beans behind the outbreak and history of Hinamizawa. The scene does become tense as she explains her points to her friends, which makes the episode not too much of a drag, but the amount of information dropped in one episode could be overwhelming to some individuals. Other than that, I didn’t find the whole supernatural premise behind Rika’s powers to seem that outlandish considering how there seemed to be some set-up of this in the prior arc, but I did feel as though some of the horror and gore elements, structure, and small chances of hope were quite bothersome after witnessing the amount of suspicion and realism, left behind in season one. Alright now normally Mecha would crank out the gamepad for the character portion, but I believe we’ll just let the menu of Z do that for us, folks. “Fades Out White” Characters: - B – 8 After having these characters go through the detective’s analysis machine in Higurashi season one, let’s see how they stack up in season two, but this time, I will be grouping them together. So let’s start with Keiichi Maebara and Rika Furude. Keiichi/Rika – As you all know Keiichi was the boy next door type of character who received plenty of screen time in the last season of the Anime. We got to learn a bit more about his character in terms of his internal/external conflicts with the girls during the Spirited Away Arc and his life as a teenager in the city before moving into Hinamizawa. However, how does he stack up in season two? In this season I feel that Keiichi gathered a strong sense of unintentional character development, being that he developed as a character, but doesn’t know he did, due to it being a different world form of his character as explained through Rika’s dialog in episode six of the Anime. A couple of examples of this unintentional development can be seen during Example Keiichi – Massacre Arc –Episodes 07 – 13: the Massacre arc in episodes seven through thirteen. He shows this development by giving Mion the doll and tells her he views her as a girlish type of woman, which in the prior arcs he felt she was a bit boyish. Rika even states that Keiichi has learned to accept Mion’s girlish feelings toward his character by doing this. Another moment would include this example where Keiichi stands in front of Shion to prevent her from killing Satoko’s uncle, which shows that he believes that killing him would not be the best solution. And this provides more evidence that he has grown as a character. Although there are some instances where Keiichi seems to be a random stock character, if we take into account that this is the series’ second season and group this with season one that would make him a strong dynamic or round character, in which these examples prove that even though he may fall victim to pessimism that he has knowledge now of what not to do. RIKA – Now in terms of Rika Furude’s character, she obtains the amount of screen time that she desperately needed in season one. Since she is now our “main” protagonist of the series, she is expected to have the toughest challenges and best growth out of all of the characters in terms of her role in the plot, and quite frankly, she does receive this. As we start to learn more about Rika’s character in terms of her origin, powers, and goal to defeat fate, I felt that her mysterious stock character role changed to being that of a more realistic human being. Although human beings don’t have god-like powers like Rika’s character, what I’m referring to is her emotions throughout the run of the series and how they tend to change. For example, if we take a look at Rika’s character during the beginning of the series she can seem a bit annoying and boring to some since we get the rinse and repeat scenario of her feeling optimistic about one small change in the world, and when something flips it up, she converts back to pessimism which I find to be a humanistic part of her character since human emotions do tend to converge from happy to sad most of the time. However, her true ounce of character growth can be seen during this example in the Example Rika – Massacre Arc – Episode 10/11 – Massacre arc near episode ten or eleven when she realizes that thinking about waiting for another miracle to happen would be pointless to some degree, and that taking an effort to save Satoko and not being a useless spectator would be the best option to finding this peaceful world she’s been seeking. Although, like Keiichi, she does end up slipping and falling to the ounces of despair, and desperation, she is able to realize that fate can be changed through her words with Keiichi. This may be the reason why I grouped these two together since Keiichi is the foil to her character during this arc, and gives Rika the idea of standing against fate, which is one of Rika’s biggest challenges she ends up defea…