Ranked #42

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Watching Higurshi is like locking a group of happy people in a test chamber, only coming back to find they've hacked each other into a bloody mess. Its horrific, its shocking, and yet a part of you, cannot help but wonder, how did it happen?

The curiosity takes over... and so you repeat the experiment, knowing full well that those cute looking teenagers you just sent are going to end up as bloody pulps. But hey, at least each time they die, you're one step closer to figuring out why they died, it's all good.

Higurashi essentially places you in the role of the scientist. It divides itself into several arcs, each of which begin exactly the same. A teenager moves into a remote countryside village, and befriends a group of sweet fangirls that could have come out right from a harem rom/com. Then, explicably, thing go wrong... very wrong.

The pacing is excellent, the suspence pulpable. You know terrible things are going to happen, but you don't know exactly what. Higurashi would appeal to two types of people. The maglomanics who cackle madly in seeing a happy community descend into the depth of oblivion, and the curious scientist who watched each arc with intense interest... for they want to know exact *why* everything goes wrong (though they can also cackle madly just a little).

The true draw of Higurashi is the mystery. The series will leave you guessing, postulating all manner of reasons why the sweetest girl in the class is now butchering every child in sight with a giant cleaver. Each experiment you run (arc you see) reveals a few more clues, and you formulate a new theory, only to find it shattered by another totally unexpected horror in the very same arc. The beauty of Higurashi is that a mystery of such grand scale, every detail is meticulous, and while every bloody event seems random at first, they all eventually fall into place

Not only are the characters are memorable, and filled with interesting secrets, and unlike school days, they're actually also extreme likeable. This is no small achievements, given that they're portrayed doing everything from ripping nails of off each other to nailing 9 year girls on a cross.

Higurashi is really the pinnacle of a dark mystery. You'll start off the mad scientist, watching those innocents in the test chamber with morbid curiosity. Yet, slowly, that morbid curiosity will be transformed into sympathy, and as you fall in love these victims, that initial curiosity will into turn a genuine desire to figure out whats going on so that they can be saved.

***

As always, I welcome feedback!
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Higurashi epitomizes how you should never judge something by its cover. At first glance, it looks like a simple, generic harem series or a lame, cliched romance. This anime, however, is nothing short of genius. The whole setting, atmosphere, and mood are incredibly well executed. The plot may seem simple at first, a new kid moving to a strange, new town and meeting new friends. Beneath the exterior appearance of this seemingly tame series, however, lies a dark story of murder, violence, and mystery.

Story: I can confidently say that the story/plot is the strongest aspect of this series. I congratulate the original game designer who created this series. The execution of the plot is genius. This series mainly consists of arcs. Although these arcs seem disjointed at first, it is all part of the plot and is actually an important part of solving the mystery of the Hinamizawa murders. However, this is not a simple, generic murder mystery where the solutions are force fed to the viewers; it is up to them to decide between what is true and what is not. This way, it makes the viewers think and interact with the story, and this is what I love most about Higurashi.

Art/Animation: If there is one reason why I did not give this series a 10, then it is because of the art and animation. The art itself is not too bad, but the animation... How do I start? It can be extremely inconsistent at time with all those emo face contortions, sometimes out of sync, and was probably animated with a relatively low budget. Thank goodness the director of season 2 learned from those mistakes, and the animation greatly improved in Kai. One good thing I have to say is that the background and setting is very well done.

Sound: The voice acting in this series is amazing. With a series filled with psychotic laughter, blood-curling screams, and in some cases, extremely cute voices, the voice actors/actresses are extremely versatile. The Opening is one of my favorite openings of all time. It sets up the mood extremely well and sent shivers down my spine when I first saw it. There could not have been a better fitting opening. The ending, a slow rather mellow piece, suffers from horrible Engrish. I do love the piano part in the end though. Finally, the background music set the mood nicely, but can get repetitive at times. I did like the sounds of the cicadas; it gave a feeling of impending doom.

Characters: After the initial shock of their mental instability, the cast of characters are extremely well written and developed. Sure, none of the main cast of characters is emotionally and mentally stable; it does not take away from their personality and interaction. One of the best things about this series is that there is no throw away characters that only appear once, does something, and leaves. Every character serves a purpose in the mystery and plot, either directly and indirectly.

Enjoyment: As I have said earlier, I love how Higurashi is not a passive anime where I can just sit in front of the computer and shut off my brain. Then again, I love psychological anime. Higurashi was the first series that forced me to watch raws because I could not wait for the subs.

Overall an excellent show. This would definitely be a 10 if not for its mediocre animation. Final rating: 9/10
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This show is suspenseful, dramatic, creepy, confusing (in a good way), and it's got some good horror.

The storyline follows a small group of friends who live in a village called Hinamizawa. Not all seems be like it should be here, though...

The characters are pretty interesting, to say the least, and they're pretty well "built up". It's pretty obvious that they're a bit crazy at some point, depending on which story arc you're watching.

The story is pretty good, because it leaves you guessing all the time, and even though it may seem a bit confusing at first, don't be discouraged; you start to understand as you watch more of it.

The animation is pretty cool, but also kind of lame, especially their facial expressions at times. It's a pretty mediocre result, really.

All in all, this is a really good show, but it has its flaws. As long as you can tolerate some confusion and bloody murdering, you're gonna like this show.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)
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Although i do not usually find myself watching much anime of this kind, with it's violence and gore, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (as well as the subsequent second season) has had me hooked from the very beginning.

So, where do i begin? Right from the very first the story has you thrown, the opening few sequences quell your thirst as you watch the first of many entangled mysteries, involving the initial main character Keiichi Maebara play out a horrific opening few minutes.

All of the main characters remain likeable, this despite the stories and events that unfold. Unlike much other anime, where the story unravels gently as the episodes flow, Higurashi cleverly (and at times annoyingly) allows you to observe whats is essentially the same story many times over, each time with differing events and consequences. These seem at first unrelated however as the series goes on we find the stories cleverly intertwining themselves.

The story itself in the first series is composed mainly of the 4 question arcs, each of which takes the viewer down the same path and ultimately the same end, each time a different character becomes embroiled in tragedy, with a big climax ensuing as each arc ends. There are also the first 2 answer arcs, which allow the viewer to see some of the reasons behind the stories and events, but never revealing enough for complete understanding.

How is the music you ask? The musical accompaniment is excellent and captures the emotions of all the key points throughout the series, as i write this i am in fact listening to Higurashi soundtrack music. The opening intro (name same as series itself) becomes very quickly catchy, and whilst the end theme 'Why, or why not?' is not my cup of tea, it is a very appropriate song.

If there is one 'flaw' in the series it is some of the background art, which seems a little bit under detailed at times, however this never has or never will spoil my vast enjoyment of this series (and indeed of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, the second season). The ending episode is also a masterpiece of storytelling, yet it still withholds much of the answers from it's viewers, leaving you wanting yet more.

Overall the series is excellent and well worth a watch, even if the excess violence isn't your cup of tea it is used very well to tie in with the storylines, not just senselessly thrown in for effect.

Not quite my favorite anime (Ranma 1/2 will forever have my heart on that one) but certainly my favorite watch this summer, highly recommended.

SephSora

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Do note that I am reviewing this season of Higurashi ONLY, and that I am not including the events of Kai into this review.

Okay, so, I'm not one for watching any show or movie that falls under the gore or horror genres. Many of my friends enjoy horror and gore, and since I hadn't really seen any before, I was reluctant to start this. This anime was kinda a stumble upon, and from this anime, I started to watch anime on a more regular basis. When I started watching Higurashi, it was awfully confusing, and it was nowhere near what I had expected in what looked like to be a rather simple plot. I could understand why some people may have dropped it, but when I continued watching on, I found it rather rewarding and enjoyable. Just a note that there are a lot of laughing screaming girls around...

It's kinda hard to explain the plot without giving too much away. To say it rather simply, a young boy called Maebara Keiichi and his family move to what seems to be a relaxed and quiet little village called Hinamizawa. After a few days, he becomes known around the village, and rather easily makes friends at his school. One day, he accidentally finds out about a series of murders and disappearances that take place around the village every June during the celebration of The Shrine God. These murders are believed to be a "curse" that falls upon one, when they have angered the Shrine God. The question remains open to you, as to whether the murders and disappearances are caused by human means, or whether it is supernatural. The answers are revealed to you slowly, and the truth may be a little startling.

The story was mainly confusing, as I did not, at first, understand the concept of "arcs". After a while, it became clear that this was more than a simple "who dunnit?" mystery. Each arc presented us with both questions and answers without going so far as to driving our brains into overdrive. The first half of the series told the story from Keiichi's point of view. The unknowns surrounding both him and the audience give us a feeling that we are in the same position as him, and that in order to uncover the truth, we have to decide ourselves what is fact or fiction, who is deceiving us and who are the people we can believe. The second half of Higurashi presented to us many answers. It revealed to us some answers, and the truth that may make you get the feeling that bugs are crawling beneath your skin... Certainly a strong plot, and a rather interesting way of presenting it, it did lack the suspense and tension that are produced by other anime. The plot stays firm, and does not veer off into something else. Everything is related someway or another.

Now, personally, I don't really think you can call this "horror" though. The plot was very complex but the animation is rather horrible and of very low standard. It is very inconsistent and the position of facial features seem to vary every few episodes, giving a feel that this was a rather low budget anime. Don't get me wrong, the character design is fairly interesting, although a lot of the time, the facial expressions, the character's movements and "camera angles" did not match the expressions of what was being said (most notably, the ladder scene early in the series). Thankfully though, the animation is compensated by an excellent soundtrack and outstanding voice acting. The soundtrack is simply beautiful! It matches the tone and mood of each scene almost perfectly. The opening and closing themes were also excellent (despite the closings bad engrish), although there was room for improvement in the opening, but I think I'd be asking too much for an already very good opening. Exceptional performances by the voice actors, especially from Hoshi Souichirou playing Keiichi and Yukino Satsuki voicing both Mion and Shion. Rena's voice seems to fluctuate a lot, and varies every so often.

Okay, so the animation is fairly terrible, and the plot at the start was a little confusing, although after watching it for the season, the complexity of the plot becomes clearer and what is revealed to be an interesting story, which I found very much enjoyable. Interesting and complex characters, high quality soundtrack and outstanding performances from the voice actors makes me give this anime an overall 8.5 out of 10. For those who have watched this, if you haven't already, I would strongly suggest you watch Higurashi no naku koro ni Kai. Kai has many more answers to the series, and ties the whole thing together, although contains much less blood than this season. read more

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni~ I remember when I first heard of it, all I could think about was how long the shows' name was, and exactly how I was going to remember it. After watching the first four episodes, the title was practically burned into my memory. By the time I finished the series, it had become a personaly favorite of mine. It is definitely one of the best psychological/horror anime I have seen.

*If you do not like violent anime, you may want to stay away from this one. There is a lot of gruesome scenes. Don't let the cute faces fool you*

The character development, the way they accurately portray each characters' fall into paranoia and madness, is brilliant and highly entertaining. The characters are awesome, each one with their own unique personality. The art/animation was alright. The music fit the mood greatly, and the OP is awesome.

One thing people seem to have trouble with is the way the show is arranged. They complain about being confused because of how the show resets after each story arc. It's alright if you are confused, because you're supposed to keep asking yourself . . . what exactly is going on in Hinamizawa? O.o The mystery is part of what makes this series so great

The sequel, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, will give you all the answers you seek. Also, once you finish the sequel, be on the lookout for the third season. It's suppose to come out later this year ^_^ read more

5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Cute and Bloody

On the surface, Higurashi seems like a cute and moe anime that’s chockfull of loli girls forming their own harem for the main character Keichi. It’s not. Seriously, a small village separated from the rest of the world has “murder” written all over it.

Who knew cutesy characters and blood would make a psychotic anime that’s absolutely fun to watch? I’ve always liked cute anime and violent anime but I never thought I’d find one that incorporates both. Whoever made this into an anime knows me too well. It’s even funny sometimes, and I love watching anime that makes me laugh. It also makes me think and come up with conclusions, another aspect I like about it. Combining all four elements I mentioned is no easy feat, and yet this anime was able to accomplish it.

I like how the characters have split personalities. For the first episodes of each arc, they’re all happy, cheerful and cute, then all of a sudden, they become psychos. That’s when I think “So this is when the real fun starts”. My favorite character would have to be Rika Furude. She’s so cute and innocent looking, but you can’t help wonder if that’s just a façade. I’m still confused about her. She and the other girls are sort of like angels with dirty faces (or plain old schizos).

However, as for the voice actors, seiyu Mai Nakahara will have to be my favorite. In the series I’ve watched, she always played the upbeat and cheerful girl, but by playing Rena you get to hear her voice in a different way. I love how the girls’ voices change from happy to psychotic in a heartbeat.

The animation is sort of a mixed bag. As a whole, everything looks great, specially the backgrounds. However, the character designs need some work. It’s just too inconsistent, and there are times when the characters end up looking deformed and pretzel-like. I like the choice of color though – it’s a fine mix of pastel hues and vibrant colors.

The BGM was good, but the sound effects were even better. The sound effects were very convincing, and it heightens the tension and feel of those especially violent scenes. Hearing the sound of bodies being mutilated was enough to send chills down my spine. I liked the OP very much, I have heard nothing like it before, but I like the Engrish ED too. It’s mellow but creepy.

This isn’t really a spoiler, but more of an explanation on how the storyline operates. Basically, Higurashi is divided into arcs, the longest arc had 6 episodes and the shortest had 2 episodes. In the first season, there are 4 question arcs, which pose a situation that’s left unsolved, and there are 2 answer arcs (the other 2 will be featured in the second season), which will explain the question arcs. The 4 question and answer arcs are distinct from each other, with some constants (Rika is still the Miko, Keichi is still a transfer student, etc). I think they made the series that way because that was how the video game was.

If you’re not into anime that will potentially have you scratching your head, then this isn’t for you, but I urge everyone who reads this review to give Higurashi a try, because in all honesty it is one of the best series I’ve seen in my life. read more

If Alfred Hitchcock made an anime, it would be something like this. It's a story about a group of kids, and the evil secrets that lies underneath the surface of their small town. Every year during a festival a mysterious murder accurs. at the same time someone else goes missing without a trace.

This story is actually made of several completely seperate but loosely related story arcs. At the begining of each things are almost exactly the same each time. They all start right before the festival begins and follows through the mysterious killings and to the conclusion of what acctually happened. And it's always the same person who gets killed and the same person who goes missing. The diffences come in the hows and whys (Kind of like the end of the movie 'Clue' "This is how it could have happened...") . The past events and explainations for the deaths are completely different everytime. And in the end you are left wondering what really happened.

It's a pyschological thriller, and overall a very twisted anime. It will have you shaking your head asking yourself, "What the.....?" and running in fear of any girl under the age of ten. So needless to say I highly recommend it.
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Innocent Sunrise

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni [Higurashi] is a monstrous franchise that has spawned manga, anime, novels, films and drama CDs, but its roots began humbly enough as a dojin soft sound novel made by a small group of guys by the name of 07th Expansion. The small town of Hinamizawa, a sunny town in rural Japan, was born on that summer afternoon. Wild birds dot the vast landscape, and soft waves of veridian grass wash across the landscape. It's a small place, the local school only having one classroom with about fifteen students. Here we meet the young Keichii Maebara, a newcomer to the town. Here he spends time innocently enough, playing card games with his friends Rena, Satoko, Rika and Class President Mion. The sunny days idly roll by as the friends joke about without a care, a luxury offered to those not yet immersed in busy adulthood. These days of youthful joy seem like they will never end.

Tomorrow is the Watanagashi festival where the townsfolk let small balls of cotton swell with the misfortune of their lives and float down the river, erasing them from the tiny reality of Hinamizawa. The group of friends spend the day continuing their games, horsing around till the sun has finally set and the stars and moon paint themselves across the sky. Tomorrow will just be another day to celebrate.

A woman was found, her corpse burned, while another man had clawed on his own throat till he bled to death. The night of Watanagashi is anointed with their deaths. It's just a coincidence, right? Keichii finds out that this is the fifth set of murders that has occurred on the darkness of the town’s only festival. It can't just be... coincidence. Hinamizawa holds many secrets within the vile folds of its history – too many.

Higurashi’s plot left me guessing. Until the last few episodes, I never really knew what was going on. The story is dark and twisted, filled with blood, guts, death, insanity and despair. The innocence of the first few minutes of the show is quickly thrown away for an ominous atmosphere, which left me disoriented, but gave the story that much more impact.

The plot of Higurashi is structured into seemingly separate story arcs, each representing a separate story. Characters are reused and those that died in previous arcs come back for another round of horror and misfortune. At first, this structure makes a bright, flashing LED “WTF” sign go off in your head, but trust me, by Episode 26, it all comes together.

The characters gave the same feeling as the plot, apparently naïve and childlike at first. They appear to be two-dimensional clichés from any other slice-of-life anime, but as each arc develops, each character is given personality. Higurashi has some of the most memorable characters I’ve had the pleasure of seeing animated, as each tragedy adds layers of depth to each student.

Production

The production was aimed for effect, not eye candy. The characters are of the super deformed variety: huge heads, large glassy eyes, barely visible noses and shoebox shoulders. Usually, I dislike this sort of design, but in Higurashi it works. The large eyes properly reflect the disturbances in the character’s souls, adding to the disturbing atmosphere, not detracting. The cuteness of the models against the backdrop of the gore makes terrifying scenes all the more unsettling.

The town of Hinamizawa itself is deliciously ironic. The art directors did a wonderful turning cheery settings into ominous stages for the next scene. The background itself isn’t anything special to look at, but it gets the job done.

The cinematography was excellent. I’ve heard Higurashi called disgusting, but most of the gruesome scenes are composed with cutaways and indirect shots. Episodes of brutality become that much more intense when all you can see is a silhouette, and all you can hear is the clank of a baseball bat shattering a skull.

The sounds of Higurashi were disappointing. The music did its job humbly without stealing much of my attention. My real complaint lies with the voice acting. Keichii and Rena’s voices have an annoying timbre that grated at my senses. Souichirou Hoshi work generally pleases me, but when delivering Keichii’s lines, his acting felt somewhat uninspired. The rest of the seiyuu do a plausible job, but nothing stood out as amazing.

Watchability and Enjoyment

Higurashi will be a hit or miss for the masses. If you can't sink your teeth into the morbid violence, you’ll instantly be turned off. But if such a thing tickles the fancy of the little voice hidden in the corner of your head (the one that asks you to buy a chainsaw and play lumberjack in a crowded train station), then Higurashi will keep you hooked. The mystery is addicting, every arc answering a few questions, but adding another set of riddles to be answered. I enjoyed Higurashi a great deal. I looked forward to each episode, shivering with sadistic anticipation to find out the many ways to skin a cheery, well-mannered anime schoolgirl. I mean, eating entrails is awesome! Did I tell you that this show is not for everyone…?

Themes

Higurashi poses an interesting question: how much can you take till your moral fibers snap, your iron rusts and crumbles and the tendrils of your sanity can no longer hold onto the edges of reality. Higurashi is an experiment of sorts: in what ways can you contort the mind without breaking anything? The answer: not many.

Sometimes, there is no hope. There is no light at the end of the tunnel; it just gets even darker. Higurashi is about annihilation, not just of the body, but the metaphorical death of identity, belief and ideals. Certain problems can’t be solved, and certain battles can’t be won. The piece serves to show that the hero can’t always win; sometimes he is trapped, waiting for the system to eventually turn him to ashes.

The depth of the show is immense, not only focusing on human interaction, but the psyche. Higurashi is ambitious in this regard, surprising considering it all began a doujin sound novel.

Closing Thoughts

With an interesting mystery, deep characters and a twisted atmosphere, Higurashi is a unique show worth the watch. While some of the sound production could have been improved, it’s only a minor gripe. The story can more than compensate for the small flaws. So turn off the lights, grab your favorite plushie and hold it close because Higurashi no Naku Kori Ni will grab you by the neck and won't let go till the cicadas cry. read more

Ah, Higurashi. Possibly the most horrifying, thought-provoking anime I've ever seen. I'll admit, it was the scene where Rika had committed suicide during her fight with Shion that I had first seen, which haunted me until I was so curious about the story itself and just how far the show/series would go, violence-wise. However, I've come to learn that the violence and blood that coats this show and gives it its trademark is only a layer above one of the deepest, if not the deepest, intricate plotlines I could have possibly come across.
The title itself, "Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni" can be read in several ways.
"Higurashi" can mean "They" or "Cicadas."
"Naku" means "to Cry," which, parallelling its meaning in English, can be read as either "To cry because you're sad," or "to scream."
In other words, "When They Cry" or "When Cicadas Cry."

Story:
I couldn't have honestly imagined a better plot (tying the story to Kai). At first, the show appears to be an average anime series, nothing too exciting, but Higurashi has, from the start, collected a series of sinister undertones that have lead up to the horrifying unraveling it actually is. The story itself is a simple murder mystery, cloaked by superstition, rumors, and character-forced opinions that allow the viewer to, even at the end of Kai, take their own assumption as to just how everything worked out.
Maebara Keiichi's arc, the first arc and my personal favorite, allows the perfect amount of character development to keep the audience watching, and also creates a shocking adrenaline rush that addicts the viewer and plays through the entire story.
The title of the series, with it's parallel "cry" can also be used to evoke the fact that the series contains a groundbreaking amount of horror, but also tears and emotional rifts that touch the characters in seperate ways.

Art:
The art, though good with effects, is nothing out of the ordinary, which might be part of what allows it to be, at first, miscontrued as an "average" series. Despite the fact the the art makes a complete revolution in Higurashi Kai and is much better in Kai, Koro Ni still remains my favorite series of the two, probably because the first arc always seemed the scariest to me.

Sound:
Sound was done perfectly, no complaints. The voice actors/actresses had the perfect tones, and the opening and ending themes were amazing, although I am partial to the opening theme. I do have to admit that the ending theme was a bit worse than it could have been, being sung in English by somebody native to Japanese (I think), but the sound effects and perfect eerie balance of cicadas throughout the show made up for it. Besides, the song itself is quite nice, it was more the pronunciation that reflected what could have been better. Another nice touch is the fact that the "You cannot escape" chanting from the opening theme can be heard quite clearly if Higurashi Kai's opening theme is played backwards. It's simple things like that that allow Higurashi to scare anybody, no matter how many times it's watched.

Character:
Although the characters seem average, the twisted mindsets that begins to encompass them easily help the horror of the series to shine through, and allow the viewer a backseat view to just how these kids reason with the heinous crimes they commit.
However, in my review, the series received a 9 for character, mainly because, as emotional and heartbreaking as Satoko's arc was, the trauma seemed to come out of thin air. True, the bipolar nature that Hinamizawa holds over the characters IS why Rena Ryuugu is my favorite, but at least, with Rena, there were hints, times when she'd go silent, a trigger like "Oyashiro-sama." With Satoko and her playful nature, throughout the entire first two arcs, I had no idea she would even have anything at all to do with the series's ending.

Enjoyment:
10 out of 10, no questions. My favorite series, by far beating the former ruler of the list, FLCL. Higurashi covers a multitude of genres, characters, emotions, and ways to murder. ;D Once you get past the blood cover, you won't be disappointed at ALL.

Overall:
10 out of 10. I couldn't ask for anything better. read more