Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

The previous season of Higurashi was a delicate balance of cutesy underage school girls doing cutesy underage school girl things and violent, brutal murder and torture. The plot was masterfully convoluted and needed a lot more explanation than it was given. Thus, the second season, which I like to think of as both the explanatory as well as the happier season. The violence is toned down with only one scene of gore and a lot more scenes of character drama. So basically, those of you who got into Higurashi for the loli murderers will feel a bit let down by how focused on hope this season is. For anyone who can look past that, they will get to enjoy a rather entertaining and dramatic tromp through the Hinamizawa of June, 1983. Without spoiling too much, the young shrine maiden Rika has been constantly reliving the same few weeks for nearly one thousand years and has seen so many different outcomes that she just wants to get to one where she and her friends survive. While last season focused on a variety of the characters, this season focuses more on Rika than anyone else; though there is also Rika’s constant companion Hanyuu. Together they attempt to find a future where Rika doesn’t die and she gets to live with all of her friends. The first half of the series is only kind of entertaining. It’s full of happy-go-lucky school-time moments that tend to be really boring. And especially after the fast paced ending of season one, it’s a very different and off-putting pace. It takes quite a while before the plot gets interesting and the drama really kicks into high gear. With a much more involving and deep plot than the first season lets on, Higurashi actually has a pretty kick-ass story. Like the last season, the characters are really not wherein the series shines, much more so the plot is what will draw you in. That’s not to say that the characters are bad by any stretch of the imagination. While Shion was my favorite character of last season, I really did enjoy tagging along with Rika. She’s not one of those characters you can invest yourself in, but she’s fun nonetheless. Especially her interactions with her friend Satoko and her companion Hanyuu. She doesn’t develop too much through the course of the anime, but nonetheless she is pretty awesome. She takes death like it’s nothing and doesn’t mind protecting her friends no matter the cost. Satoko is the cuter one. Despite Rika having her little “nee-pah” thing, Satoko has the fang and her love for her brother. Everything about her radiates cute and adorable. Sure she’s a little sadistic, what with her traps and all that, but overall I liked her. I was happy when she was happy. And Hanyuu…she’s just there. She’s cute and that’s about all she’s good at. Why nobody asks about her horns is something I wondered throughout, but that’s just a minor complaint. Also, the bad guy is pretty cool. While not the best bad guy you’ll ever see, he/she is definitely pretty sadistic. I can’t get too much into the plot of Higurashi without spoiling a lot, which makes it hard to delve deep into the anime. And I described all of the characters in my previous review. The cons of the anime can mostly be found in the poor animation and the first half’s slow pace. But otherwise, there’s not a lot to complain about. Good characters, a very rich plot, and drama throughout. It’s not at all like the first season, but it is definitely better in many respects. If you enjoyed the first season, I’d at least watch this season to understand the plot, though you may be drawn in even further by said plot than you were first season. Taken as a whole (and by whole, I mean minus the OVA and the third season that has nothing to do with this), Higurashi is a very good drama series with some neat ideas and very disturbing violence. Edge-of-your-seat drama really doesn’t get much better than this series. Though, of course, you must fight through some dry sections to get to that drama.

I am very impressed with how this anime ended. The second season is definitely worth watching because it answers all of the questions that you may have had during the first season. Also, we get to know why certain characters behaved the way they did. Last episodes had great tension and kept me interested. I liked the ending a lot,because comparing to the sort of dark atmosphere throughout both seasons, ending was very suitable and made everything come to a good end. So the story was great for all of the reasons above. I also want to mention that characters were developed very well in this season and we got to see their emotions much more deeper. Can not ignore the fact that music and sound in general were on point! Opening theme is outstanding and all of the seiyus did an amazing job.

Note: I have not played the visual novel game so I won't be comparing the anime to the visual novel in this. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai starts off from where Higurashi no naku koro ni left off from, so essentially, it's really important for you to watch the second season after you've watched the first one. The first one consisted of four question arcs and two answer arcs. The second season has two answer arcs as well as some additional ones in both seasons. These answer arcs answer the unanswered questions of the question arcs. As you go deeper in this anime, each question arc and the corresponding answer arc enlightens the viewer about the situations and the overall big mystery behind things. So when you watch the anime, you might want to know which answer arcs corresponds to which question arc to make things easier. Story: 9/10 I'm not much of a horror fan, but I absolutely love mystery, so I generally loved the series because of it's unique way of storytelling in question arcs and answer arcs. It's very smooth in the way it can change the point of views in each arc. My main problem when it comes to a lot of the anime that I have watched, is that the overall big mystery surrounding things aren't answered. Thankfully, Higurashi isn't like that and most of the answers are answered. The first season seems to be more horror and supernatural. The second half of season 2 doesn't show much horror at all, and people who really liked this about the series might even be disappointed. It could get confusing because it may seem like the question arcs have nothing to do with each other, but they are significant and if you watch the series, you'll know what I mean. Art: 8/10 The art is slightly different in season two, but I preferred the art in the first season. The second season seems to look a little more "clannad-type" with the wider faces. But I think there was a change to the art because the anime in the second season took a more "positive energy" change compared to how dark the first season was. When I first saw the series, I was like, "What the hell, the art looks cute but the plot seems so dark." After you see the angry expressions of a cute character like Ryuuga Rena, I realized how wrong I was. The way the expressions are illustrated is amazing, it actually gave me the creeps when I saw it. When you see a character snap like that, especially a cute character, it has more affect on the viewer. Sound: 7/10 I'm not familiar with voice actors, but everyone seemed to do fine to me. Because I don't know any Japanese at all, and every language has a different way of speaking, it's hard for me to differentiate what is good voice acting and what is not. The music seemed pretty good to me and I liked the opening song for both seasons. The ending song was also good. I didn't really like the first season's ending song though, but that's just me. The background music was good too, especially the parts where they showed the murders or the depressing parts of the anime. It had a good eerie affect to it. Character: 10/10 There's a lot of character development throughout the series. Each character has a past and their own story, and act differently because of it. The story didn't just focus on one character, everyone got a chance to shine, and through this, the circumstances of the characters are shown. In the second season though, the characters change, and of course, the change is brought on by Keiichi. They become more positive and make better decisions because of their better understanding of things. They become more considerate of each other, and you can see teamwork growing throughout the series. Enjoyment: 9/10 The serious parts were more entertaining to me then the parts where everyone are carrying out their club activities. Those were the parts where I was mostly was just sitting and thinking "Hurry up, let's get to the main part" But I also loved the mystery part to the story. To me, and I'm sure many of you (unless you're one of those that read the last page of a book first) suspense is what makes a mystery so enjoyable. Sadly, if you watch the preview at the end of each episode in the second season, there's a certain episode that pretty much gives away who the culprit is. That completely ruined the story for me, so I'm strongly stressing this part for those of you who like the suspense. DON'T WATCH THE PREVIEWS OF THE ANIME. Maybe I was being stupid but I haven't heard of an anime where they reveal the culprit like that and I watched it unknowingly. Overall: 9/10 This is definitely should be a must watch anime. I'm not a fan of anime that are long (this might not seem so long to some of you, but to me it was since there are two seasons) but I gave this a go and I'm glad I did. It's certainly really enjoyable and will have you at the edge of your seat wanting for more.

Warning possible Spoilers After having a very interesting and pretty damn messed up first season we are left with a lot of questions so hopefully season 2 would be able to fill in the gaps which it does and ends the story fantastically. The story continues with our group of characters from Hinamizawa who are trying to break the cycle of death in this village while also trying to find the true mastermind behind these evil scheme's. Going into season 2 what I was hoping to get was all of the answer's because season 1 will leave you confused with some idea of whats going on and luckily season 2 completely fills in the dots, we learn a lot of things like the curse of Oyashiro is actually some kind of Virus that turns people into paranoiac maniac's and the people who kept dying after the cotton drifting festival were the ones behind everyone dying in the village in some of the arcs. We find out that the village of Hinamizawa is really a quarantined place because all of the residents have a disease or parasite that is pretty much seen as the curse of Oyashiro and the government set up a special research facility so they can study the effects of the virus and find a cure for it. The second season really shifts from being a gorey, horror like show to being a mysterious action type thriller because even though there are still anthology arcs in this series they are a lot longer as our group of characters do start to put the pieces together and actually fight back true it takes them a couple of attempts, but they get there in the end and this is what I like a lot about the second season because instead of being another season where the kids kill each other again we actually get to see a better relationship between the characters and that the life they are living is so much bigger than what they think. I really liked the ending too because after seeing these characters die so often you feel glad that they actually got a happy ending plus they seemed like good and fun people so in a way they deserved the victory they got. There is actually some development between the main roster of characters because during the first season we usually saw them kill each other along with bits of comedy showing their friendship, but this season really builds upon that as we see them work together to defeat an enemy that has been killing them so many times and the way they defeat the bad guys was absolutely amazing makes me think if these kids join the army the enemy would be fu*ked. Aside from fighting bad guys there was a point where we see these friends come together to protect one of their own because at some point Satoko's uncle comes home and starts abusing her, but unlike in season 1 where Keiichi kills him they actually use every ounce of their power to make the government see what's going on and manage to save her which shows in this season that teamwork, determination and patience are more effective than just quickly killing someone. Another thing is that during the first season we thought that Keiichi is the MC, but season 2 actually reveals that the true MC is actually Rika which was actually a surprising twist and does make sense since she along with Hanyuu have been turning back time so they can repeat the same timespan so they can break the cycle and she is the queen carrier of the virus itself meaning that she keeps everyone in the village under control and they'll lose control if they leave her presence which is why she also ends up mysteriously dying sometimes in a gruesome fashion, you also get to see the development in her character as she has experienced this timespan of events so many times that she has lost hope until she eventually starts getting closer to the answer where she gets her determination back. There are some characters who had minor roles in the first season actually become much bigger characters thanks to the reveal of their true nature along with a new character to help turn the tables. Hanyuu is the new character that is introduced this season, she is actually a deity and is possibly the real Oyashiro, but she is actually much kinder and cuter than you think since she resembles a young girl about Rika's age and tends to make weird noises when she feels nervous or uncomfortable, despite this she believes that Rika and the others can break the cycle so they can finally live a peaceful life. Kyousuke Irie is the villages local doctor, but really he is actually a scientist who is studying the effect of the virus so he can find a cure, but unlike most of the others on the project he actually cares about the villagers and the kids and eventually helps them defeat the enemy. Jirou Tomitake is a photographer who frequently visits Hinamizawa and actually ends up being one of the victims during the cotton drifting festival, but it is revealed he is actually a bodyguard who works for the same organisation that Irie does until he decides to switch sides and help the kids defeat the organisation. Miyo Takano is a nurse at the local clinic with Doctor Irie and ends up being another victim during the cotton drifting festival, but it is revealed she is actually the mastermind behind everything and the reason she does this is to prove her grandfathers research is actually real, but everyone thought it was nonsense so she is out for revenge to prove it that the virus is real and she'll even go so far to kill everyone in the village to make sure it is proven real, apparently she also had a horrible childhood since her parents died in a bus accident and she was sent to live at an orphanage where she and the other kids were treated poorly until she attempted to escape which is when she realised what her true destiny was and she was eventually adopted by her grandfather. The artstyle in this season does feel more cleaned up compared to the first because in the first season it was actually quite difficult to see the characters eye colours yet in this season they definitely stand out more plus the design of the characters looks better too just by looking at the female characters is a clear giveaway. There isn't really any horror in this season since it has become more of a mystery thriller true people still die, but not in a terrifying way more like a mysterious way so pretty much it has become one big mystery which it is really and there is even a good amount of action too especially in the final arc where our group of characters prepare for the final battle which was actually pretty damn good, it was very clever guerrilla style warfare and it shows that these kids have amazing teamwork and shouldn't be messed with. I also like how it delves a lot into the whole Oyashiro curse and making it some kind of virus which makes sense how it became a curse in the first place and why this village is secluded from the rest of the country because of this. Overall this was a fantastic end to a mysterious story that was at first terrifying, but really gripping as the more answers came to light the more the mystery was starting to make sense so I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good mystery/horror fest.

I don't usually write reviews, however I found that after watching season two of Higurashi, I simply had to. Before reading the review I CANNOT stress enough how much it needs to be watched with Season 1. This season builds upon season 1 and adds to it. I found that the character development in this season was formidable, the characters we grew to love (and possible dislike) from season 1 really showed more layers to themselves. Especially Rika chan was made to be seen in a completely different light, In terms of story this is where I have to take my hat off to the creator. The story moved form a psychological thriller/horror to a beautifully developed and explained physiological mystery. The season made a great job of explaining everything without dumbing it down. There were certain 'OMFG NOW I GET IT' moments which they didn't spell out to you. In doing so it made it a truly beautiful enigma you unfolded at your' own pace. Art and music remained pretty much the same from season, although I found the use of music effects to be much effective than season 1. Overall it's an anime that took a completely different path to what I expected from season 1, and for this I think it made a formidable comeback to the disappointments I had in the last arc of season 1.

If you are reading this review, I am presuming that you have already finished the first series, so I'll be dealing on spoilers from season 1. As I mentioned in my review of the first series, after meandering a bit too long in what seemed like disconnected, iterating plots with seemingly random variations, the series plays its ace: The revelation that a significant part of the events portrayed are presented as seen through the eyes of increasingly neurotic and paranoid people, to the point of sometimes being outright hallucinations. A brilliant case of "unreliable director", if you will. The chief effect of that revelation is to bring into focus the events that—disregarding variation and apparent cause—repeat themselves in each or most of the plot lines, as they become a rule to discern fact from hallucination. With the series' last (and unsurprising) revelation that one of the characters is jumping back in time a la Groundhog's Day, Higurashi goes all of a sudden from mediocre gory horror to enthralling mystery that you feel encouraged to solve. I was expecting Kai to go along the lines of the previous series, a succession of irrelevant, unrelated timelines where you would be able to glean some nuggets of truth from the information previously gained. However, where series one was abstruse, Kai was straightforward, happening in a mostly linear continuity. Where series one raised so many questions that you could only hope to be asking the /right/ questions, Kai dispenses answers and fills apparent plot holes with generosity. That is not to say that it is heavy handed or overly expository. It manages to artfully leave clues and outright answers just laying around for attentive viewers to pick up and make sense of. Another big triumph of Kai is the character development, which had been almost completely stagnant in series one. Finally "our heroes" become real people that we can care for and cheer on as they start making use of their agency, as opposed to being the mere puppets that we cynically got to watch murdering and being murdered over and over. Finally, it needs to be mentioned, production values were raised across the board with greatly improved character design and animation. It is a pity that series one was so flawed. Kai is so good that I actually went and raised the score I had initially given it first, but, similarly, I'm giving Kai a lower score than it deserves, because it cannot be enjoyed separately from that big mess. Nevertheless, both together are something that I definitely recommend.

*Contains Season 1 spoilers* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is one of those shows that exceeds its predecessor. The story of this sequel to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is what I like to call the answer series, meaning this show answers about every question you have after watching the first season. The overall story is now centered around Rika who was the person who has been experiencing these time loops with Hanyu, the true spirit of Oyashiro. Rika has relieved the same events over and over again trying to find a way for her and her friends to stay alive after June 14th*. After different decisions are made by her friends she notices some enormous differences in the previous timelines she has seen hoping this will end her hellacious time loops. This show also gives the viewer the person responsible for the Hinamizawa murders the past five years. It is someone that even I would have never guessed it to be, and their backstory is just incredible. The show surprisingly has okay comedy. (Spoilers) For example where the group is meeting with Mion and Shion Sonozaki's family to discuss how to get Satoko back from her abusive uncle, Keiichi states that Mion and Shion's father looks like a Yakuza leader to which one of them replies that he actually is one. Once again the opening to Higurashi is pretty badass. The characters in the second season are more fleshed out making them even more relatable and showing how strong their friendship has become. Also there are the minor characters who play a huge role to the story like Mion and Shion's grandmother. There was only one pet peeve I have in anime and that is when there is more to an episode after the ending credits have finished showing. I don't mind if it's for comedic relief , but when it has to do with the main story it it really ticks me off. And this show only has I think one episode that has it. However, if the show continues during the end credits then I have no problem with it what so ever. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai not only exceeds its predecessor, but it also answers the questions that were left unanswered in the first season. But by far the best part of this show is its ironic ending. There were only one major problem I had with the show. Overall Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is a great anime and a perfect sequel season. *Please correct me if I got the date wrong.

This sequel is good, but not good enough to stand by itself. The first Higurashi was better to keep the horror anime feel, however the sequel does shed some light into the situation and leave us with the feeling of resolution. But it needs to be said that the last half of the anime it gets confusing, and some solutions come just too easy without any explanation. And there is a character introduced in this one that plays a crucial part that is not mentioned anywhere in the first Higurashi and this character is pretty much a plot device. All in all is enjoyable and gives you a sense of closure but a it is a let down from the first one.

For those who judge by first impressions,what do you make of a guy battering 2 girls to death and then killing himself by nailing up his own throat? HELL YEAH,I FOUND A MASTERPIECE!! When i started with Higurashi no naku koro ni i was genuinely hooked.Right from the very first scene it offered everything to be expected from a pshychological mystery,along with a few light hearted touches.The whole aura of suspence holds onto the very last to keep your grey matter on the move.To be true it isn't horror enough to be unwatchable at nights but who cares,as you are being offered a supreme plot with decent animation and sound along with nail biting suspence all the way through.The initial 4 episodes of the first season make you go 'WOW',the next 10 have you utter 'WELL...' and the final 10 nearly make you 'WTH!'Every person watching the series would have reasonably considered dropping it halfway through season 1 but if they did,they would've missed something really great.As the name suggests,Higurashi no naku 2 attempts to give solutions for the events of the 1st season.After completing season 1 half heartedy,i had little hope to find anything substantial and i expected it to be some clumsy and circumlocuted attempt to justify the complexity of the first,but it turned out to be quite the oppisite.Rare do we find something as logical as this series is,it practically drips logic.Everything that was unexplainable in the first season makes perfect sense after you watch this one.A little taste of the supernatural and everything falls into place amicably.The animation isn't something you call a feast to the eye but it serves it's purpose nonetheless.The cry of the cicadas create a perfect atmosphere for the plot to develop and the characters are sufficiently nurtured for the series to end with a positive note.It is a highly recommended watch for the pschology lovers and those who crave for mystery. Have you ever tried an icecream cone?Creamy at the top but a little drab at the bottom.Now turn it upside down;that's how Higurashi is.The deeper you dig,the better you get.

If you watched Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and are thinking about watching Higurashi no Naku koro ni Kai, you definitely should. The series is really incomplete without watching both of them. I loved this series so much. The story was really amazing. The only problem with it was that the art wasn't that great. Mostly because the heights of the characters kept changing a lot. XD But it's easy to get over that.

I suggest before you watch this series if you decide to, watch Higurashi no Naku Koro ni first. It's the first series. This is season 2. Anyways- the first season ws gory, but this season is less gory and more actual plot. It explains most of the confusion of season 1, so if you didn't understand season 1, make sure to definatly watch season 2. There's also a new main character, Hanyuu, so you have another insane loli to look forward to. Anyways, Rika is now the main focus. Trying to save all of her friends from being doomed to a tragedy. It's really good, and I suggest it. The style looks abit different from season 1 though.... Thanks for reading!

1st of all: The Story I still don't understand somethings...I mean, Kai explained a lot, but many of the secrets of the series still unknown (at least for those who still watching Umineko no Naku Koro ni). But that's the good of the Anime! Stay hours thinking how Rika knows something or what was those guys who takes Rika to the temple and them kills her...damn, that makes me see every episode of all the seasons of this anime! Of course it's a marketing affair, but It worked! (Not like Lost that have about 7 Seasons and it piss me off...) So, if you want a little of Mistery and then Aswers, See Kai 1st. But If you one of LOVE the Lost-Way-Of-Life(Don't understand a shit), see the 1st season and then Kai. 2nd: The Art In Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, the art problems where corrected (I remember when, in the 1st Episode of the 1st Season, Keiichi got his eyes bigger than his head lol) and Its much better than the 1st season...though, Its a little Cliche I think, not an Inovating drawing. 3rd: Sound The sound its a good point...I really get into the Situation with the Soundtrack. They use it good...I mean, when you got Mistery, they make you fall into a Mistery Soundtrack that gives me creeps. Its really good. And I'm not saying about the Intro...(Thats if fuckin beautiful!!!) 4th:Character I still thinking that the creator of Higurashi its an Sadistic... He makes you love and BE the Characters and then he KILLs them in a brutal way. Thats what I call sadism. ashusauhashusuha Anyway, I love Rika...really love her. The Characters are really carismatic. 5th: Enjoyment How can I say? I just watch EVERYTHING that is related of Higurashi and you still ask me about the Enjoyment?lol go and watch! It will be in your soul forever... Conclusion: Just one word: WATCH!

I have not yet seen such a beautiful but creepy anime at the same time, Higurashi has been like a blessing, it does everything prefect and it's sequel it's no different, the main story or plot keeps messing with your head until you actually figure out what's happening in this world, the gore might be somewhat unnecessary but doesn't keep it from being awesome, the characters are easy to relate to and each one has their own story, you'll find the unanswered questions from the prequel and much more... Higurashi IS THE BEST ANIME I've seen. If you haven't yet seen this Masterpiece you better do it now, you'll regret not doing it, assure you won't be disappointed.

when cicada's cry is a fantastic anime for people who are so keen to understand the dark ,mystery and nuances lying within the subplot. I meant to say I enjoy the genre of horror in which there is no jump scares. Story: To understand the story you have to watch it very carefully this is some real rick and Morty kind of shit. In the first episode you seem to understand several subtleties that were laid out in 2006 anime. I mean even today there is very large amount of audience that are fan of this genre. If you are really fan of great story and fan of kawaii culture and truly appreciates the honour of subtleties of really berserk gore scenes and dark visuals that seems to elucidates the true meaning of Japanese horror. It is made very clear up until the very last episode that audience seems to grapple the edge of their seats in the hope that everything is going to be fine. besides really scaring the audience the anime seems to truly really captures the audience puzzling about what is going to happen. People are truly master of bringing the true art of self interest. Besides truly scaring the audience the anime seems to position the audience into the position of the real character. It is a great anime I recommend you to watch it

2nd review goes to this month's horror winner, When they cry!. For fairness, I'll be basing this on both seasons, since it really doesn't feel right to separate them. As much as I'd like to review this per arc, like I did with Yosuga no Sora, I wouldn't be able to do so without spoiling pretty much the whole anime. And this is one anime that really doesn't deserve to be spoiled. So I'll be reviewing it conventionally. I'll try to keep it brief this time around, as I get the feeling that every little word I might let out regarding the show could potentially ruin or spoil its surprises (even what I'm saying now, lol). Let us commence. Story: 10/10 It's brilliant, 'nuff said. Seriously though, plot twist after plot twist, as you delve deeper into the mystery, you'll find yourself hooked. The story ties in extremely well with the lore of the village, explored through different PoVs, one per character arc. And that's all I'm saying. To truly understand its brilliance, you have to watch it. Art: 8/10 It's nothing special really, but quite decent. The real reason it scores so high though is because it isn't fitting at all. And that's the point. Bright colours, cute character designs and all give you the illusion of a 'safe, fun anime', a sense of false security which will quickly become replaced by something far more dreadful. Sound: 7/10 This show's weakest point, at least for me. It's there when it counts and provides extra scare to some of its creepier moments, but other than that, nothing too memorable. The openings for both seasons though were pretty awesome and very fitting for their respective seasons. Character: 9/10 The main characters appear like a 'bland happy bunch of schoolmates'. And that's exactly what they are. This is a boon however. Them being 'normal students' makes what is to come all the more terrifying. It isn't so much what their personality is like, rather how they each react to the situation at hand. Besides, each of them does hide more depth to their character, which will be used to drive the plot in the first arcs. It isn't really important 'how they are', rather 'what they do'. And it's a marvel to watch. Enjoyment: 10/10 This makes up for its lack of gore (although there are some disturbing scenes) with something far more terrifying: paranoia. The intricate mystery, the building suspense, it all leads to an experience which will leave you frightened, perhaps even horrified, but wanting more. Psychological horror at its finest. Overall: 9/10 A must watch for horror fans, and why not, anime viewers in general. So what are you waiting for? Don't just go watch it. Experience it. Live the fear. Dive through the building tension. Persevere in the hopes of finally unravelling the mystery behind Hinamizawa. Most importantly though, enjoy it.

Higurashi is an interesting mystery horror story. It is composed of a first half that raises all questions, and a second half that answers all of said questions. That is, on paper only. Sadly, aside from the concept, absolutely everything falls flat for several reasons. STORY Higurashi is one of those series with childish/innocent vibes while they're actually creepy and mature, like Made in Abyss, Madoka Magika, and many others. But while the other series of this kind make a good job at handling the mix between childish mood and creepy stories, Higurashi absolutely fails at that. I can give a few examples of things where the mood went wrong: - Sometimes, a nice scene has a creepy music which doesn't fit the light mood the series clearly wants to set at this point. - On the contrary, childish stuff happens during creepy moments, which totally breaks the horrific mood. Bad jokes put at bad moments, basically. - the enemies are ridiculous: they all make evil laughs, and they are even making like "fun bad guys", like Team Rocket in Pokemon. While I have absolutely nothing about the mix between childish and horror/thriller (I loved Madoka Magika), the mood in Higurashi is all over the place! That said, some horrific scenes are definitely disturbing. Whenever it involves torture stuff, the show isn't shy and becomes really gruesome. The same for psychological damages inflicted to the characters. On the other hand, whenever it tries to be fun and childish, it just utterly fails. Most jokes fall flat (either due to bad timing, or bad execution, or sometimes the joke itself is just a bad idea that simply can't be funny however you do it). The Slice of Life part of this show is truly HORRENDOUS. It's not all bad though. I really loved the concept, and that's actually the one main reason I decided to watch all of this series. The first season is good at setting mysteries, and the fact that there's barely any explanations forces the viewer into trying to put the pieces together by themselves. It was a really interesting experience. It often changes the point of view (sometimes we follow one character, sometimes we follow another), this was really well done! The second season also does a fair job at answering the questions the series raise. While it is more linear than the first season, the mystery it unfolds is really interesting. ... That said, it sadly does NOT answer all the questions. I didn't read the VN so maybe it's because it's an anime adaptation, but there was still a lot of unanswered questions even among important things. That's a shame for a mystery story. ART The anime is old, so I may be too harsh, but... it's really bad. Sometimes the lip syncing is awful, sometimes the shadows are still whereas the surface they're reflected on moves, sometimes the characters' motions are weird, ... Even for a 2006 show, I felt it was quite bad. Season 2 felt better to my eyes though. There's less obvious mistakes, and there's a lot of gorgeous images. SOUND I often hear the OST is great, but honestly? I only heard one interesting track (the main theme, luckily). The rest is poorly composed. Not all of it is bad, but there's no memorable themes, nothing really stands out. I do have a weak spot for the psychedelic 1st opening, and the refrain of the second opening. But even those aren't really good music, I just like their vibes. As for the seiyuus, they're great. CHARACTER This is the most interesting point, because that's where we can clearly see what went wrong with this show. While they have a bunch of interesting characters with interesting stories, most of the cast is useless in the grand scheme of things. As a result, most of their stories don't matter as well, which ultimately makes it feel like most of the show didn't need to happen... But the main problem of these characters is their binary behaviour. All of these characters can go insane, and that's what makes the show interesting. HOWEVER, whenever a character goes insane, it always happens almost instantly. Like, it goes from "good" to "bad", the shifting is done awfully. There are exceptions, but overall, the character development is way too abrupt, hence it doesn't feel believable. Sometimes the irrational side of things is justified ; but even then, it should feel more believable than that. Aside from that, I do like the characters. Satoko and Rika are adorable, Rena and Mion are awesome, but Shion is definitely my favourite. As for the rest, they didn't grow on me. They often come and go randomly, which makes them more like "guest stars" in the show: sometimes they do something useful, then they disappear for a while until the next time we need them. Another issue is how stupid the characters can be. Sometimes, bad guys have a gun but don't use it when they clearly could. Sometimes, the characters have completely non-believable behaviours. I already mentionned the evil laughs, but there are many others : - sometimes, the characters give information when they clearly shouldn't (or on the contrary, DON'T give information when they should). - sometimes, the make obviously bad decisions, which ultimately leads to a bad situation. For example, at some point, the teacher (who is basically the only adult in the school) decides to LEAVE THE SCHOOL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY without warning anyone. What could go wrong, right? Well, watch the show, you'll know what I mean... Overall, all these issues can be summed up in one word: DIRECTION. On one hand, the author wanted a childish-like story. On the other hand, it wanted horror. But the author failed to juggle with those two sides of the story, which ultimately results in a stupid show full of stupid characters making stupid decisions. ENJOYMENT You guessed it, I really didn't like Higurashi. Worse, I was disappointed. Because the concept is really interesting. Because I did like the characters and their stories. Honestly, there IS some interesting stuff. But everything just falls flat due to how stupid everything is... Anywy, Higurashi is definitely not a show I would recommend.

Higurashi definitely had a lot of potential. It started out strong the beginning (including first season), with suspenseful mystery, horror, and character development all being deftly woven together. The main problem I have with Higurashi is the ending of season 2. After slowly unraveling the mystery in a masterful display of storytelling, the anime fails to deliver a satisfying end, a powerful conclusion to the climax. But first let's talk about what Higurashi does well. 1) The use of different arcs and timelines really adds depth to the mystery. It is also done well so that the audience is able to understand the different motivations and backstory of each character within the arcs which leads to more character development and holistic view of the plot itself. 2) The dynamics of Keichii's group of friends also help to make the audience more invested in the characters themselves. The characters themselves allow us to feel emotions such as sorrow, happiness, pity, and adoration all the while being encased within the theme of horror. 3) The plot itself is interesting and well thought out. Can't say the same for most mystery/horror genres. However, the ending was a major disappointment which made me drop what could have been an 8-9 anime to a low 7. This is because 1) Plausibility. Suspense of disbelief is critical to most anime of the horror genre, but it is the sudden change in realistic tendencies this show exhibits that makes it not only unbelievable but also fake. The ending is supplemented by a bunch of lucky coincidences (such as a certain person suddenly showing up), the town suddenly all decides to believe Rika's story even though they never did in the past, and MOST of all, the way Keiichi's group of students was able to take out a whole squad of highly trained elite guards is simply preposterous. The anime put a lot of thought into making things seem reasonable in S1 and beginning of S2 so I don't understand why that needed to change at the very end. 2) Killing. Higurashi spends 1.5 seasons making the viewers absolutely despise certain characters such as the Yanmainu and Takano. In the previous episodes they had no problem showing gruesome depictions of the Yanmainu and Takano killing children and massacring innocent. But all of a sudden towards the ending when the tables flip, none of our good protagonists are allowed to kill the evil hit squad or antagonist. I think the best example of this is when Kasai and Shion are literally holding AK-47s and shooting at a group of unarmed Yamainu yet NO ONE DIES. Or when Kasai decides to spare a bunch of Yamainu and simply knock them out even though he knows they will regain consciousness and try to kill the children. Or when Asakawa has a golden opportunity to kill the ringleader of the Yamainu but decides to purposefully miss his punch and allow him to escape instead. This doesn't make a lot of sense to me ESPECIALLY when the author was perfectly fine showing the gore and killings of innocents in the previous episodes... To maintain consistency, I think a) Lots if not all of the evil Yanmainu hit squad should have been killed b) Takano should not have had a happy ending. Consistency is the key. The show itself is not consistent in terms of what should be possible and shouldn't and also fails to be consistent when it comes to 'death' which made the ending exceptionally cringe-worthy -an unfortunate outcome given how promising the anime started out.

If you enjoyed the style of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, but was left in utter shock by the end, the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is simply for you. For myself, i had left the original series for a few months before eventually proceeding to watch this one. Thankfully i did. No spoilers Story This version is done in the same style as the original except with an ending that actually makes sense. The plot is incredibly unique in a way that consistently leaves the viewer trying to guess what happens next. The story starts out with an opening episode, followed by a 4 episode arc. The real story begins to occur after this initial set up, so dont be deterred thinking its the same thing over and over again. It also includes a background of a few of the characters which is extremely helpful in understanding the story at a later point. 9/10 Art Nothing high quality here. Its a basic animation with a constant reminder that this is not real life. At times, the artwork almost seems way too plain and i find that it lacks the graphic details and perspective artwork to portray certain scenes in the best possible way. 7/10 Character The character development is one of the reasons which makes the second season so much better than the first. Most of the characters have already been introduced in the first season and a basic development has already been established. Kai has a strong focus on Furude Rika, who now becomes the main character of the anime. 8/10 Overall the anime has come a long way since the first season. The story which left viewers pondering finally comes to a full conclusion. The story is profound, the character development is great, and i rushed through the whole 24 episodes in just under 3 days. Needless to say i fully enjoyed it 9/10

The sequel to Higurashi. Less killing and more speeches? Does it work out? In the end, yes. It's just a lot of pain to get to there. Kai continues the story of Higurashi, but instead of showing more arcs of everyone going insane and murdering each other, it concentrates more on solving why the mysterious events in Higurashi happen and put an end to them. Minus the first one, the arcs are much longer than they were, and the story has Rika as the main character instead of Keiichi. The story? I don't know. You see, for me, Higurashi Kai has the worst arc of the show, hands down. The Massacre arc, the second arc after the 4 episode first one (which is probably my second-least favorite) is just terrible. Every episode is compromised of over 5 minutes of the same, dull speeches on how, by working together, you can overcome fate and create a miracle! Not to mention the fact that it's so slowly paced. The show more or less just waltz around not getting anything really accomplished for half of the arc. Fortunately, the final arc picks up the pace. While what happens in it is extremely stupid, it is well-executed enough that I can look beyond that. The background given to the show is very interesting. However, on the whole, does Kai provide a good ending for the show? Oh no. There's still so many things that have yet to be explained (such as the whole first arc of the series makes little sense still), and there's also several plot holes too. While they are easy to ignore and you might not even notice them if you don't think, if you do realize them, then it really lowers the quality of the show a bit. Also, the last like, 2 minutes of this make no sense whatsoever, but it doesn't really affect the plot, so it's rather easy to ignore. The characters. Hm... Kai concentrates more on Rika, which is fine and all, she's a good character. However, the other main characters? They don't get much. You see, in normal mood the cast of Higurashi is vaguely pleasant and all, but none really stand out. It's when they go into crazy mood where they become the awesome characters they are, and they never really have a chance to go into crazy mood. They don't really even do much besides give speeches and offer some abilities to help save the day in the end. Rika does do a decent enough job pulling along the show by herself ot make up for it, but it's still a disappointment. The animation? It is better than the original (not like that's tough to do, though). Everyone actually manages to stay on model for the majority of the show. Well, minus the time they forgot to draw Mion's arm, but still. It's still obviously a low-budget show, just not obviously low-budget. The animation can get rather nice when it wants to, which is typically about once an episode. It's still pretty bad, but not as bad. The music is the same as last season. Two great opening and endings, great voice actors, and a background track that doesn't stand out, but still adds to the mood. This is a must-watch if you saw the original Higurashi season. While the first was better, Kai is not only necessary to understand the plot, but does some notable stuff on its own too. Do not watch this without viewing the original Higurashi though. You will be completely lost. I give Higurashi Kai 7 stars and say that you should watch it.

Alright, M2's second ever review! I'll assume that most of you are familiar with Higurashi already, for convenience's (and spoiler's) sake. Being a long-time Higurashi fan, I'll be an authority to encounter if you want to know about the story. We'll begin with the characters. For those of you who've watched the series, don't worry, the characters you all know and love are still here. And you get to watch them show more and more of their talents. In Higurashi no naku koro ni, you're introduced to the major characters: Keiichi, Mion, Shion, Rika, Satoko, and Rena(She scares me sometimes( ._.)). You should go in actually knowing the characters, because you notice just how much they change. You would never have guessed how each character reacts to their new situations, or what they act around normally. But, you don't just experience the old characters develop, you also meet a new friend with a unique past, Hanyuu. She eventually becomes one of the most important characters throughout the series regardless of being a new face (with leeches attached to it...). Finally, some of the minor characters, such as Irie and Takano, gain extremely big roles, monumentally important roles, far beyond what anyone would expect. For those of you familiar with Higurashi no naku koro ni's art, you'll find that the artwork is almost exactly the same. You would find that the artists haven't failed at depicting the righteous and fatal insanity we've grown to love in their eyes and features, and you won't be disappointed by the new characters' designs. As for the sounds, Kai's OP, "Naraku no Hana", by Eiko Shimamiya, the same vocalist who did the first season's opening, does not fail to provide a similar, but even more beautiful with it's dramatic changes and symbolic, with it's lack of the mysterious chants in the background, and instead a cry out to "run away" from the fate which we've all grown accustomed to Higurashi presenting us. The sad calls and violent lyrics of "Taishou A", the ED call out to us to bring forth call forth to share the sadness we once felt for our beloved characters' deaths, regardless of their insanity, and the tears we're sure to have fall down our face while watching. Ah, the story. It can be summed up simply as the answers to almost all of our questions from season one. I won't go into too much detail, but we find out what's really going on. Questions such as "Didn't everybody just die?", "Why the hell is this happening?", and "What's going on here?!" are answered. We also discover the series' true antagonist, as well as the beautiful will to struggle against the endless cycles of death that we've watched over and over again. We finally can leave this experience with a sense of closure, a sense that this was fitting, overall, given the series of Higurashi. The story consists of multiple arcs, which, if I went into any detail with, would end up being spoilers, considering I can't keep my mouth shut when it comes to Kai. Overall, this was a tear-jerking finale to the blood-ridden episodes I spent my freshman days relishing, a kind of resolution and answer to all of my questions within the series, and finally, something that appeals to deep moral and philosophical issues, such as "good" and "evil", as well as inducing a kind of an understanding of why people perform things that would be considered morally wrong. My Grade for Higurashi Kai: 99.9999999....% This is definitely worth watching, even if you have to sit through so much bloodshed first in order to watch it.