Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak

In case you are wondering whether or not you should watch the OVA: Go for it!

It has the same basic "vibe" as the original two seasons - the only difference being that the secret behind it all is already known to the watcher.

However, I don't think that's too bad of a thing: It's the Hinamizawa we all know and love, just going down a different path leading to its inevitable destruction.

Also, we get to see a blood-sprinkled Rena in action with her cleaver knife, Keeichi-Kun using Satoshi's bat, and overall just a whole lot of insanity.

All in all, it's something like a short version of ... Higurashi that lets you reconnect with everything important.

After two seasons of the complete Higurashi story, we got nothing but short OVAs filled with silly comedy and shameless fanservice, and only one interesting yet pointless sequel; Dice Killing Chapter, we finally got the fifth anime instalment of the Higurashi franchise. Surprisingly, it is a serious side story that takes place in the second season, though the exact timeline was not specified. It's not a pointless sequel like Dice Killing Chapter, because it has little plot exposition like any other alternate world in the two seasons, but the new information you get is very little and trivial for someone who has already seen Kai.

It's ... an alternate timeline where you see an outbreak in action and the mystery surrounding Hinamizawa is revealed internationally in the news, but the OVA failed to focus on the media frenzy and instead focused on the violent outbreak within Hinamizawa; because who cares about political conspiracies or diplomatic relations caused by the outbreak in Higurashi? Who cares about the mystery and inter-organizational conflict within the 'Tokyo' organisation? Allocate the majority of the screentime to depicting the violent outbreak in action and people being brutally murdered, and that's more like it. Wrong.

Animation
Despite the fact that the OVA was released in 2013, it was never released on Bluray, so we are stuck with the crappy 480p DVD resolution. However, it's definitely better than the shoddy early BDs of the first two seasons, if you truly care about the visual quality and details, get the SD Blu-ray discs for seasons 1 and 2.

The animation is slightly improved in terms of fluidity; this is Studio Deen's final Higurashi title, and they clearly put their best effort for the series in terms of animation here, and I believe it deserves this treatment for an action gore heavy OVA episode. I also like the fact that they kept the same old artstyle and character designs from 2006, which was good and suitable for the genre and setting, and I am sure nostalgia fans will enjoy it.

Sound
While there was no animated opening or ending, which was unnecessary, the credit song (You: Visionen im Spiegel) was really beautifully done for a big good-bye of the Higurashi anime series; yes, a good-bye because this is the last watchable Higurashi title up to now; I dropped the series after only a few episodes of Gou, and I recommend you do the same after this OVA. All of the other soundtracks are the same as in previous titles, so it will feel like you're watching a missing episode of Kai; the music was fitting for the atmosphere, which is a big plus.

Story
The premise itself was intriguing, because, unlike most other chapters which had similar structure, Outbreak plays out a 'what if' scenario in which almost everyone in Hinamizawa goes insane, and the reason for the villagers' violent actions was justified by the unethical lockdown, not just the spread of a virus. However, there is no plot progression because the events are crammed into a prequel, and it doesn't work as a flashback because it's just another usual time reset, there is no theme exploration, nor was there any retrospectively interesting information, it would have been better to experience this chapter before Kai, but it was meant to be watched after Kai because it spoils some of it. So, to those who have already seen Kai, it appears to be nothing more than a storyless mindless action OVA with an excuse plot that adds nothing to the overall story.

'My father was murdered not long ago; let us murder those bastards for harming my friends.'

While there is death on-screen for gore and shock purpose, the script fails to create impact for characters who are supposed to be important to the protagonist; Higurashi was appealing because of its mystery rather than its action, which is why the fight scene in the final episode of the first season was embarrassing to watch, and now we have this OVA, which feels more like a low-budget B film action survival horror than a psychological horror mystery. The action itself was hilariously bad and unbelievable, akin to a battle between two school kids wielding a bat and cleaver murdering a hundred adult hunters wielding firearms. What is this, a battle shonen?

Character
There is no character development and no introduction of new characters. I was hoping to learn more about the 'big bad,' Nomura. They could have shown or hinted at how she intended to spread the virus and profit from it, or why she had personal conflict with Tokyo members like Koizumi, and where the hell is Takano, and what happened to Satoshi? Rather than showing me Rena murdering villagers, educate me on the Tokyo organisation. Instead of using Satoko as a damsel in distress plot device for mindless action, show me how Nomura started the outbreak without killing Rika.

Value
While Higurashi is not an action-heavy series in general, nor does it focus on gore, some fans enjoyed it for its violent scenes and eccentricity. For those who enjoyed the aforementioned elements, this OVA could serve as blood fanservice. It's also a good thing that Studio Deen didn't leave viewers with a bad taste in their mouths with their awful Kira instalment. This work also balances the bad comedy and ecchi that occurred after Kai; even though it has ridiculous action scenes and a bad plot, this OVA has zero comedy and ecchi; the story includes serious elements such as murder, abduction, hazardous virus lockdown, and crazy brutal religion sacrifice rituals, so this OVA reminds you that Higurashi can become serious when it wishes to.

Enjoyment
Again, the premise of the outbreak and the lockdown was interesting; I liked the military elements and the opening scene in which helicopters, military trucks, and armed soldiers roam Hinamizawa. You also get to see the heroes' dark side, not because of a virus, but because they have to make life decisions that result in the deaths of many people. Unlike the implausible Kai conclusion, which shows that no damage or death occurs despite the outbreak of a lethal firearms war, this one demonstrates that it is impossible to save everyone in war.

*This review originally posted at AniList on 2022/03/12*

So, what are the essences of Higurashi?

- Mystery
- Friendship
- Suspense
- Thriller
- Horror
- Lots of gore
... - Psychology

What did producers say while deciding to make Outbreak? "Hey, guys! Let's make a Higurashi story that is filled with action!!!!" probably.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak is an apocalypse movie. Somehow an experiment goes wrong, then the Hinamizawa Syndrome happens globally, and, of course, it starts in Hinamizawa first. And we watch how Keichii, Mion, and Rena try to escape from Hinamizawa while saving Satoko from the infected villagers who blame outsiders (Rena and Keichii's families) and Satoko for this virus. Villagers kidnap Satoko for sacrificing her to Oyashiro-sama and try to kill Rena and Keichii's families to stop the virus. How do they do this? Of course, with action!

Rena takes her hatchet, Keichii grabs Satoshii's bat, and they beat the shit out of 20+ villagers for saving Satoko with banger action music in the background! Just kidding, this OVA doesn't have any banger music. And I couldn't know if it had one because you can't hear the music as its volume is too low. Action scenes are boring, and the subpar animations make things even worse.

It's just your Higurashi characters in boring action. There's no mystery, no suspense, no horror, no lots of gore, no lots of gore, no psychological themes, and also no Shion. The only thing this OVA executed right was the friendship between the main cast, and even it's not anything above mediocre. Mion almost sacrifices herself to save Rena, and Keichii & Rena throw themselves into the middle of danger to rescue Satoko. Oh, how can I forget! Also, Rika makes a pseudo-deep speech in front of her friends through the end because Higurashi isn't Higurashi if Rika starts to talk like an adult and her friends don't suspect anything!

I watched every Higurashi title in the anime medium except for Ura☆Higu, and this Outbreak OVA was the worst one out of all, without leaving room to doubt. Yes, it's even worse than Gou and Sotsu. Although having a terrible script, even those two captured the essence of Higurashi until a point. So, if you watched all TV seasons of Higurashi and want more of it, don't watch this OVA—it isn't worth it. I recommend you to watch Nekogoroshi-hen. It's not anything stellar, but at least I can look at it and say, "Yes! This story is Higurashi." But this OVA is just a pile of garbage filled with terrible action. I have no idea why they did something like this back in the 2010s. It could be an understandable project if they were making something like a gacha game about this OVA, but that's not the case, as far as I know. The only thing that comes to my mind is that they wanted to milk Higurashi even more, so someone said, "Let's make a spin-off story!" and Outbreak came to life. However, I can't understand how someone thought a Higurashi story that has nothing to do about Higurashi except for Hinamizawa and the characters would sell. Maybe I'm the stupid one here, and OVA made them a good profit by selling well. The only thing I know is it's awful.