Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

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.

i don't often write a review but after seeing so many good ones about this anime i feel compelled to throw in my 2 cents. id like to note that iv managed over half of this before dropping it. and it took a few more sittings than id like to get to that point due to the compulsive need to turn it off

ill start with the positive

the best part of this for me was the sound, i feel out of everything its the area that most excels.

the art/animation work throughout what i managed to watch was quite good, that being said quite ... is where i will leave it. everything felt well drawn but generic with little to really define any character or place. its very average and does not stand out from the crowd in essence.

characters, i found myself torn. i wanted to like them, i tried to like them and for a episode or two i did. but along the way that initial liking went away to form a deep hatred for the ones in question, and its ot the good hatred what you usually feel for bad guys it was one of annoyance like a nagging in the ear mid migraine, to the point if i was the main character the series would be 4 episodes long as id likely roll them off the cliff 4 times in a row and be done with there arrogance. though this does not go for all of the characters there are a few normal ones normal being don't drive you up the wall and in those cases i rate them much higher.

on the story side it once again falls to a mediocre standard and you pretty much get it all sussed out from the word go, or for me at least. i clearly recall saying x and y are trouble and z gonna get it in the neck multiple times. its predictable.in essence you watching a game of cluedo that you already know the answers to.

i felt unable to see where it was going or what it was meant to be. a mystery anime? with little mystery. a horror? there was no suspense or scare. its definitely not a rom com. so what is it. its indecisive, a anime that felt like it was going some where but then the writer muddled up his papers or just though im out of ideas lets remix the fire few chapters a bunch of time and see what happens.

in short the only reason i see this being liked is there's a lot of gore. but if you want gore id just go recommend elfen lied or gore and mystery try another. there's been better and will be better

sound 7/10
art 7/10
characters 3/10
story 3/10
enjoyment 3/10
overall 3/10 (maybe 4 if im feeling generous)

Well a friend had recommended this anime to me since I love dark themes and horror. I decided to give it a try since he seemed to really like it. However.. I really started to get bored after a couple of episodes. I tried to give it a chance and force myself to watch more but it just got... really.. boring. I only had about 5 episodes left to finish but I didn't bother anymore.

It's basically about a closeknit town with a lot of secrets. Everyone seems normal, and yet they all have something to hide and act suspicious when the ... main character tries to get answers (he's new to the town). It seems to be connected to the Dam operation that was to take place in the town a long while back, which never happened because all the workers and people involved were murdered.

Let's just say.. it's very repetitive. After the first couple of episodes, you'll basically be bombarded with the same story and characters over and over and it can be a bit confusing. It wasn't even scary and it was like.. you'll know what's coming.

What I mean by that is.. basically the series is divided into several episodes as having their own stand-alone story. However, these stories use somewhat, similar plot and characters to re-tell a seemingly new story. Think of it as watching different horror stories with the same setting, characters and such. The story and characters are not linear but the setting is.

Maybe I didn't have enough patience -shrugs-.. Perhaps there was a big twist in the end that may have made up for all the bore before it.. If you don't mind watching similar plots multiple times over then you may be able to endure this. If you make it to ep8-13 and still feel hooked as you felt in the beginning then you're good to go.

I didn't enjoy this, but maybe you will.

My first exposure to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, like probably quite a few people, was the sight of a little girl taking a butcher knife as long as her arm, bracing it against the wall, and stabbing herself repeatedly in the temple until she lost consciousness. The girl who was watching her laughing hysterically. Honestly, that's Higurashi no Naku Koro ni in a nutshell; a dizzying but brilliantly choreographed foxtrot through hell on earth.

Higurashi's strongest element is without a doubt its story. Like putting together a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, it takes a lot of concentration and patience before the picture even becomes remotely clear. ... This is bound to frustrate some viewers, but those who stick with it long enough are richly rewarded. Another unfortunate bit of this is that the picture doesn't begin to clear up until the tail end of this first season, but that should only serve to spur viewers toward the second season in a flash.

What this series does offer up in terms of plot is a convoluted style all it's own. Every arc starts the same, the beginning of June and our six main characters are the best of friends. At the end of every arc, one of them has gone insane and many characters, if not everyone, is dead. Then it's back to the happy start. Yet Higurashi overcomes this flaw by presenting every arc from a different POV and uncovering new information from this narrative style. The progression is slow, but only serves to stew the suspense. In short, the many flaws are not actually flaws. The story is essentially perfect.

This terrifying yarn is told from the perspective of the same six kids, all of which have a connection to the events that continuously take place. Rather than develop the characters, the anime serves to bring out existing aspects of them gradually. For instance, Satoko in the first arc is grossly different from Satoko in the third arc. The difference is the character hasn't changed, but the circumstances have and therefore we learn something new about her. Often the character revelations are disturbing and serve to deepen or raise even more mysteries, and enrich the complexity of the plot.

The soundtrack is not so much as a soundtrack, but ambient sound. The most apparent is the ominous chirping of the cicadas at pivotal moments, an effect which never loses its impact. The OP is sufficiently creepy and the ED, especially the lyrics, tell much of the atmosphere the anime tries to provide. Sound really shines though in the performances. Mai Nakahara and Satsuki Yukino especially raise the bar for terrifying vocal performances.

The weakest link of the anime though is, with a single glance, the art. Higurashi's animation is not only inconsistent but painfully cartoonish. It works best during the scenes in which characters are freaking out, providing many memorable facial distortions, yet it is otherwise painfully bland and simplistic. Often there is no pronounced style and characters' bodily strutctures and appearances will change for no given reason. The end of the final episode is sufficient proof that animation was not meant to be a factor for this show, and it's really what keeps it from being the best anime it could be.

Though my first peek of the series scared the crap out of me, it only served to make me more interested in it as it progressed and I heard more about it. I enjoyed this series immensely, more than I ever expected to. This being the first half of the series, expect to be in complete disarray for the majority but there's enough here to pay attention to that once things start clearing up, you'll be desperate to recall all you can to put the pieces together, which is where the second season picks up. It serves it's purpose of terrifying and succeeds in being far deeper and more complex than a slasher tale.

Overall, I give Higurashi no Naku Koro ni a 9 out of 10.

Higurashi is a happy-go-lucky show about a bunch of kids.
With that in mind, watch it.
The tags are lying. It isn't horror at-

Had you going.
This show would do a wonderful job at deceiving you if not for that intro tacked right onto the first episode. If not for that, you'd think you were watching a cute, slice-of-life anime.
The whole show is a puzzle for you to solve. Why is everybody dying? What drives a perfectly normal teenager to go Freddy Krueger on two of his best friends?
At times, the underlying problem of Higurashi seems supernatural, at times psychological. Right until the end of the first season, ... you'll wonder about this show, and more than likely, you'll be wrong.
My advice is not to overlook Kai. While it may be a whole nother ballgame, it will provide some much-needed clarity.

Story- The anime opens up on Keiichi Maebara, an average enough kid- except you just saw him hack up two people with a baseball bat.
The two people, you find out, are Keichi's friends, Mion Sonozaki and Rena Ryuguu. For the first episode, you might wonder when you'll get to see that baseball bat again.
It's coming. And soon.

Art- The art is decent. I've heard people knock on it, but I thought it was really quite refreshing. The show deceives you by taking a lighthearted character design and shifting and mutating it into a slasher movie.

Sound- I don't watch an anime if it doesn't have an intro theme that doesn't immediately hook me, and Higurashi's has almost become the standard for that judgment.
It's beautiful. It's wicked and mysterious. It's mythical.
It's exactly like the show itself.
Beyond that, the soundtrack works with the show rather well, rather than detracting from it. When you want suspense, the show's soundtrack plays suspense... and it does it damn well. The soundtrack also plays cute, and mysterious, and... well, you'll just have to hear for yourself.

Character- This show is very plot-driven. As such, the characters are hard to follow and to sympathize with at first, because you're never sure whether to run away from them or to hug them. That's why you hold onto characters like Rika Furude, who carry the show's cuteness on their shoulders, and you try to understand the other characters all the while.

Enjoyment- At first, watching this show was a chore. I think I might have seem the first episode, then I shoved it aside, thinking "Eh. My friend's crazy for recommending this."
Then I picked it up again, and I couldn't stop watching. I wanted to know what was going on.
And so I kept watching, and in no time at all I had finished with the first season. Then I went onto Kai, and then Reii, and I bulldozed through those.
Hopefully, you will too.

Overall- For all of the above reasons, I'd strongly recommend Higurashi. The show requires a fair amount of patience, but if you keep watching, you simply won't be able to stop.
Well, the key to continuing is to knowing that there is a rhyme or reason for what you're watching.

"Since everything is so fun all the time, it's scary to think how it might fall apart one day" - Keiichi Maebara


Preface:

At the recommendation of a friend, I started watching Higurashi, no expectations, no preconceived notions. Four episodes in, I was extremely surprised at what I'd found. This was the first psychological horror themed anime TV series I'd seen, and has really piqued my interest for more in the future. I want to use the idiom that Higurashi is like a trainwreck: some desperately grim and dark event that you just can't look away from. However, unlike a trainwreck, Higurashi keeps you glued to the ... screen in grim fascination and awe of how the twisted depths of humanity can be so sympathetic, and yet so repulsive at the same time.


Overview:

Higurashi begins in the sleepy mountain village of Hinamizawa, far removed from the hustle of city life... a place where time moves more slowly, and nobody meets a stranger. Keiichi Maebara is a transfer student from Tokyo, and his life is about to change in a series of dramatic and traumatic events.


Animation and Artwork: 7

Higurashi is a little bit of a tossup here. On one hand, the series is quickly approaching 10 years old and looks a tad dated when put up against anime of the last 4 years, but at the same time, the slight roughness of the animation and characters gives an air of camp that fits the 1983 rural Japanese mountains setting despite the low budget, and I liked that.

The contorted faces, the chibi frog look, the dazzling moe bits, and the brutal blood and gore all have a place here, and it looks good for the most part. There are a few moments where characters lose some fidelity, some out of sync mouths, and a few areas where the key frames were few and far between, but otherwise it's good enough.


Sound: 9

The OP, eponymously titled, is appropriately haunting and creepy, complete with visuals to match. The ED "Why, Or Why Not" by Hiroyuki Oshima matches as well. I enjoyed both songs and listened to them in every episode.

I don't normally get into the sub or dub argument, but I think it's worth mentioning in this case. The English dub (I watched two episodes of it) was inferior to the sub. The dual personality intensity of Yukari Tamura as Rika was not captured well, and many of the other voices just sounded really forced and flat. The menacing, venomous voices and unhinged frantic rantings that pepper the show were more impactful and creepy in Japanese.


Characters: 8

Right from the beginning, you know something is just "not" right with these characters. With every passing scene, a little more of the volatility and darkness of these girls (and guys) that look like they came straight from Haremtown by way of Moe Street reveals itself.

Unlike ecchi harems, there's not any nudity to be found here, and the girls don't exist to fall in love with Keiichi. Each character isn't there to check a box or fulfill some idiotic fantasy- they are all interesting and mysterious in their own right. They are all competent on their own, and have their own tragic or just plain ugly backstories that make them who they are. At some point throughout the series, I found all the characters to be sympathetic in some way, and at other times absolutely detestable. It goes back to how the separate narrative threads are arranged with the limited perspective (described below).

Characters often spout dialogue lines that are foreshadowing the horrors to come, such as the opening quote, which is perhaps the biggest understatement in the entire show. The dialogue is a little cheesy at times, but the protagonists are all kids, so I'll give it a pass.

Story: 9 (Eye Opening arc: 10/10) {Time Wasting arc: 10/10, extremely helpful for answering questions}

Higurashi is a slow burn of a story. You're presented with all these disconnected pieces of a puzzle, and somebody kept about a third of them. It really plays well into the general air of mystery and the sense of foreboding. There are a few Déjà vu moments that really tie up seemingly disparate plot threads well, and serve to push the narrative forward, but keep you questioning what else can possibly go wrong.
The plot itself is split up into 6 arcs which, while watching them, seem to stand alone; but slowly link together as the show progresses. The typical progression is almost comedic slice of life for the first short section, which sounds (and watches) really strangely for a horror/mystery show, but it darkens quickly and reaches a climax with enough revelations and crazy moments to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty viewer. Higurashi would be a good example of a show to dissuade those of the school of "anime is for children" thought.

Higurashi avoids many of the typical horror pitfalls with the jump scares and stupid characters locked in a house with a murderer on the loose!! It's too smart for that. The characters have heads on their shoulders, and it's obvious that they aren't crazy just because the plot demands a killer. Everyone has their motivations, a backstory, and a part to play in the plot. Each character essentially gets an arc that focuses solely on them, which allows us to really get in their heads, which really puts what we've already seen in perspective, as we're mostly limited to what the main character of the arc is seeing and thinking. It also changes our perspective on several characters throughout: some characters' motivations don't make any sense until we're seeing the story unfold through their eyes, and the revelatory moments are really incredible, and make you question what you've seen.

There's an expo dump in the middle of the show, the aforementioned Time Wasting arc that really refreshes the sense of purpose in the show and ties up some loose ends that didn't make much sense previously. Higurashi is one of those shows that makes you feel lied to the whole time: that you can't take what you're seeing and hearing at face value, which for me, enriched the experience of sorting out what the truths were. All is revealed in due time, and in many ways I didn't expect.


Enjoyment: 10

Man, I might 'beat this one to death' by the time I get to the end of this review, but the violence/blood/gore in this show were awesome. I cringed, I sat on my hands, I grit my teeth, and I even felt sick at one point. That's moving, folks. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and felt every stab, every bludgeoning, every nail. There were a couple of times I felt 'torn' on who I should sympathize with, or feel bad for; but at the same time I wanted to root for brutality, because sometimes they deserved it.

Overall: 9

In finishing, Higurashi was a thrill ride of mystery, horror, and pain. There's not much to complain about here... if violence, intrigue, and hurt aren't your thing, you probably weren't reading a review for Higurashi in the first place.

tl;dr
+ "There will be... BLOODBATH!" -Nightmare (Soul Calibur)
+ Deranged, unpredictable characters
+ Plot twists and turns to continually shock and surprise

+\- Rough animation at times

- Occasional unrealistic responses to threats/danger

Recommend?
Yes, Higurashi is definitely a watcher. Awesome blood and gore, twisting and turning story, and insane characters keep you engaged and horrified til your heart's content.

"I think moving to Hinamizawa made me realize how happy I was." Oh, if only, Keiichi.

To describe Higurashi in a word would be easy. It's bland.

Here you have bland, male MC moving to a new town only to be thrown face-first into a harem full of girls! But wait!!!! Nothing is as it seems!

Where could you possibly you go wrong?
Everywhere, that's the answer you're looking for.

Story: 5/10
Let's start from the top. When it comes to the horror genre, Higurashi has a fairly standard premise: boy moves to idyllic little town, and all hell breaks loose. Unfortunately, the execution of this premise is decidedly sub-par. Higurashi has a solid start, the first arc builds on itself and engages the watcher. Then... ... Nothing. A bunch of people die, everyone goes crazy, move on to the next arc. That's right. There are no answers. This anime provides no answers. Instead it becomes a shameless attempt at self-promotion. Hey, kids, ya wanna know what happens NEXT? Too bad, you'll have to watch the second season, here have some fanservice to hold you over until then. A good mystery should be able to be solved by the observer, not by spoonfeeding the observer the answers and that's exactly what Higurashi does. It presents an unsolvable mystery and then proceeds to spoonfeed you the answers... In the next season.

Art: 2/10
It's an eyesore. The only thing that saved it from a one is that the art in the Visual Novel was actually worse. Distorted proportions, lazy animations, ugly and bland colour schemes, you name it, this anime has it.

Sound: 7/10
The actual anime soundtrack is highly forgettable, but the OP and ED themes are very well done and fit the mood that the anime tries to create well. The Japanese voice work was nice, and the English dub was okay as well. Save for Rena who's voice will make sure you mute your television.

Character: 5/10
This is where the anime really falls flat. The characters have literally all been done before. To death.
Bland, supposedly smart protagonist with no personality? Check
Yandere girl? You're in luck! There are several!
Forgettable side characters? Check.
Creepy children?
Tomboy who secretly wants to be more feminine? Check!
Inconsistencies in characters between the arcs? Check and double check.
Implied twincest?
And in the characters lie one of Higurashi's biggest problems: it's inconsistency. Characters may be sympathetic one arc and inexplicably unlikable the next. Personalities change on a dime with little-to-no explanation (which can apparently be rectified by simply slapping the yandere label on them). It's hard to like any characters because their personalities are just so inconsistent.

Enjoyment: 5/10
Interesting for the first one or two arcs. Gets bland and stale after that. Just really repetitive and becomes a bore to watch. Not the mention the art makes you want to gouge your eyes out.

Overall: 5/10
Another (heh) mediocre entry into the horror/mystery genre. Bland, stale, and far too long for it's own good. Also fails to deliver any scares (and, seriously, isn't that the whole point of horror?).

Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni is the first season of the famous Higurashi (When They Cry) series. The main story is about- Actually no, what is special about Higurashi is that the main story is revealed in the second season.

People start watching Higurashi only knowing about a guy, Maebara Keiichi, who moves to Hinamizawa and creepy stuff is supposed to happen next. So until you get to the 2nd season I would totally suggest you not to pay very much attention in the show, but enjoy it instead. It will be gore, lots of blood and numerous crime scenes. That's what Higurashi is all about. ... If you're into that, just go for it without second thought. But if you're not a fan of animes which include violence and deaths, you're definitely in the wrong path.

Also, another feature Higurashi has, is to make you totally confused. One of its specials, actually. But don't worry, if you do as I said and just enjoy the show up to the last episodes, then Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kaku (2nd season) is going to answer to all your questions.

So now i shall continue to my rating.

-Story: 9-
Multiple ways of deaths, a lot of creepy behaviours, sources of mystery and of course gore. All that, while at the same time the viewer trys to find out what's going on. Sounds pretty cool, right? :P

-Art: 9- -Sound: 9-
I found the expressions of the characters the most creepy part of the show. Seriously, when I first checked Higurashi out, I thought: "Some friends/classmates spending time together and having fun, what's wrong with that?"
When I decided to try it out, even from the first minute (especially when I got to the opening, which is an AMAZING song) my mind was blown out.
Who could imagine that such ordinary faces for an anime would be actually the most creepy and violent ones I've ever seen. Big eyes. Loud laughter. Powerful voice. They all look and behave like that when they turn into their 'creepy side'. That was the most decent about the show which was accompanied with excellent backround music, which I gave it a 9. Epic success.

-Character: 8-
I mentioned above what I liked about the characters, still not all of them acted like that, not all of them turned into 'mad' ones. Some of them were very week, not understandable to even childish at times. That is according to my opinion, 'cause at the same time someone may relate to a character I didn't even like, so that depends on tastes most. But all of them had a story behind them, a past. Well, I might learned some things from that. And not only me, but every viewer. Trying to overcome your fears, yourself, your mistakes. Trying harder and harder in order to please or thank someone, fighting for someone or even dying for someone. The creators sure would have liked the characters to pass those messages about life to the viewers, and there are many messages like that, referring to family, love, relatioships between people, and many more as well. All I have to say is that they definitely managed to do it.

-Enjoyment: 9-
I really enjoyed Higurashi and I'm definitely watching it again in the future. It's a really unique anime while it can cause you a mindblown but in a really decent way. I don't know how it does it, but what i know for sure is, that makes me enjoy it and consider it as one of the best animes I have ever watched.

-Overall: 9-
Well, the truth is that this anime is worth a 10 BUT. I dont think the perfect anime exists and I also believe that each every one has it's own beauty, its own "perfection".

So, I will bring my review to its end by saying that Higurashi is an amazing, creepy, gore, mystery and psychological (and horror/thriller as well) anime, giving you the chills by its characters (the most of them), but relaxing you by its art and making you puzzled by its twists and special plot. You should totally give it a chance.



*Note 1: Do not drop it if it scares you, you'll miss the whole action and *advice* watch it on day
*Note 2: Same goes for if you get confused. You'll never manage to find out the main story of the anime, even if you go to the 2nd season you won't understand anything

It's a really good anime, so if you intend to start it, please don't drop it for any reason!
I am sure you are going to enjoy it, as I did!

A tail of horror and suspense, of intellectual constructs and supernatural phenomenon, of friendship and family, of conspiracies and deities, of murder and self preservation. "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" has it all. In 26 episodes and 6 stand-alone arcs it manages to squeeze in all this in vicious, gory detail. While at he same time, dedicates much of the anime to character development and story telling.

Story: 10/10
...And what a story it is! As afore mentioned the story is told in stand-alone arcs, that is, they don't seem to be all that related to one another, and one could exist without the others. Then at ... the end, the writers manage to find a way to wrap all of this up, the story arcs that seemed too distant to be part of the same show finally make sense, and that in and of itself is rather gruesome as well. But that wasn't enough to satiate the bloodthirsty appetite of these writers. On top of the gore they had to include psychological complications in the cast that sends shivers down your spine, combining the gore and the mental breakdowns they managed to create a gruesome tale envied by the likes of Frankenstein (reference to the original book).
But gore isn't all this anime has to offer, plot twists, despite being limited by it's stand-alone arc style, stand on par with (or at least near) "Baccano!" and "Durarara!!"

Art: 9/10
The screen effects are beyond it's years, this anime manages to pull of stunning visuals not found in anime around 2006 outside of the budget monsters (Inuyasha and such). The blood is realistic, though some wounds, like a slit throat, are not shown. It's strange as they will show entrails, but not a bashed-in skull. Still the art style and the non excessive amount of blood gives the violence a very realistic sort of feeling.
Now character art is where my complaint lies. Rika and Satako's designs seem appropriate, and despite myself, I find them rather cute. Rena's personality argues her design, so no problems there. However Keiichi, Shion, and Mion's designs are way out of line in my opinion. It seems the art was dedicated a bit too much towards the blood and not enough on designs for the main cast. However, the story just dragged me right past that by the second episode and the art no longer bothered me.

Sound: 10/10
Being children one and all the voices of the cast are all very similar in Japanese. In English, however, the voices differ quit e bit, so I personally prefer the dubbed. That said the characters personalities and designs are all quite different so the voices aren't a nuisance in Japanese either. The opening is beautifully choreographed, with an eerie chill that will send shivers up and down your spine. The ending is symbolic, but the song seems strangely misplaced, likely to try and attract viewers, but no points lost there. The soundtrack suits this anime perfectly, interrupted periodically by the call of a nocturnal cicada (higurashi), or a crow seeking out blood.

Character: 10/10
The characters are beautifully developed throughout the series, all of them. Even those who get less screen time, the main six (Keiichi, Mion, Shion, Rena, Rika, and Satako), while shrouded in mystery, all have well established personalities, pasts, and are all likable. This show will twist and turn you sensibilities as it portrays it's characters as serial murders one minute and pitiful victims the next. Or perhaps at the same time, the viewer is left to fend for him/herself as any predictability is slowly stripped from his/her hands.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Truly not intended for anyone who can't take some rather messy details or frighteningly unstable psychology. But I believe anyone would be able to enjoy it, just mentally prepare yourself before hand. With just enough lighthearted comedy in the mix to keep the flavor of this show changing, you'll be anything but bored.

You're not gonna have time to sit on the edge of your seat, I suggest you take a comfortable position now because once you start you face will be glued to the screen. I suggest you periodically make sure you've remembered to breathe.

Oh dear god this was so incredibly terrible I actually couldn't even make myself watch it to the end. The first arc was cool and well done. Second was kind of freaky, to the point that it stopped being scary, and just felt kind of ridiculous.

Everything after that was downright awful. All of the characters are such incredible pushovers, they don't make the slightest attempt to help themselves at all. And really, why do they decide to show Keiichi's backstory sometime randomly in the middle like they're trying to make him look good, only to jump back into the story of him being the biggest ... ******* moron I've ever seen?

But what really did it was episode 17, where I gave up and finally dropped the show. What kind of person walks around carrying a ***** gun, but has no intention of ever defending themselves? Seriously, I can only put up with characters being so mind numbingly pathetic for so long before I throw my hands up and say **** it all!

Those are hours of my life I'll never get back.

Edit: Since I hate not finishing a story, I skimmed the last couple episodes and the last arc was alright, even if the ending made no sense.

i am new to watching anime but when i asked a friend of mine what to watch, he told me this was one of the best shows.

this was AWFUL. i cant stress just how terrible this series was. i couldnt even make it past the first disc. the story drags on and i still dont know what heppened at all. guy goes nuts and starts killing the crazy girls with him????? ummmmm, how about no!

dont waste your time if your new to anime. this is not the kind of thing you want to be watching.

For years I thought that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and it's sequel, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai were among the best Anime I had ever seen. This is in fact the general consensus, that Higurashi is an amazing Anime and it has garnered much praise over the last few years.

I'm here to tell everyone that I, and everyone else, could not have been more wrong about the Higurashi series. When you look at it on it's own, you may see a wonderful story full of drama, comedy, suspense and mystery, but in actuality, you are only seeing a small portion of the ... story.

You see, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is adapted from a Visual Novel, and for years the English speaking Anime community didn't have any way to read it, since it wasn't translated, so they knew of the Anime (and perhaps the Manga), but had never read the VN. But now the VN is completely translated and can be read by anyone, and it should be read, because after I completed the VN, I realized just how bad the Anime adaptation really is.

To put it simply, the Anime adaptations of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and it's sequel, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, are a travesty. Roughly 1/4 of the entire story from EACH arc are cut completely, and there are numerous other changes and cuts from what they DID manage to include in the Anime adaptation.

This adaptation is virtually devoid of the superb character development and storytelling present in the VN, not to mention cutting vital clues that prevent the mystery from being solved. In fact, some people don't even realize that Higurashi is a mystery at all, most people think that it's a suspense or horror series, a series about "lolis killing people", when in fact it is a mystery meant to be solved, as well as an emotional drama that the Anime completely fails to capture.

In fact, I would almost say that the Anime of Higurashi isn't an adaptation at all, but a joke that DEEN created to make fun of the original material and showcase their own inability to create a proper adaptation. Some parts of the series don't even feel like the same story because so much is changed and cut, and though you may not notice these issues when watching the Anime by itself, by reading the VN it is made clear just how little DEEN actually cared about this series.

Putting the hackjob of a story adaptation aside for a moment, let's talk about the other aspects of the series. The original VNs had a spectacular soundtrack, especially Kai's, but DEEN decided to just remove ALL of the VN music and replace it with much worse music, often opting to just keep things silent half the time anyway. In fact, the ONLY good part about the Anime, and by association, the only bad part about the VN, is the character design and animation.

If you have watched the Higurashi Anime, you have never experienced Higurashi. You essentially wasted your time watching it because you missed huge chunks of story and character development, and if for some reason that doesn't bother you, then you are an idiot and should go back to watching your Naruto crap where you can turn off your brain and not care or notice that the story is shit.

If it bothers you that you've never truly experienced Higurashi, or you've never actually watched the Anime in the first place, I strongly urge you to read the Visual Novel, and forget that the Anime even exists.

Oh and by the way, the Umineko no Naku Koro ni Anime is shit too, that doesn't exist either, read the VN.

Higurashi No Nau Koro Ni is one of the best horror anime out there if you are looking for horror, blood, and murder. Almost everything about it can be seen by its genre (as in you can tel why it got the tags it has).
So i'll make this short and sweet; Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni is a horror anime but at the same time very adorable.

Story: The story, at first, is very confusing to get with, but after a few episodes you will catch on with it. I thought the story of it was reall great the whole way through and made me look ... forward to every next episode I watched. The plot goes alog really well with the characters, and (once you get it) can be reasonable with everything. If you are looking for a good horror anime with a good story going with it, then i think you should watch Higurashi.

Art: I'll make this short and sweet. The art of this anime is very good and at times can be really life like. For me the art was seriously realistic throughout the whole story and was really great to watch. It rocks.

Sound: The sound, like the story, goes along great with everything. The sould can really get you into the mood of the anime. Since this is a horror anime it would have a creepy kind of sound right, well when it gets into the mood it can get that way.

Characters: Don't get me started about the characters. They go along really greatly with the plot. I have to say when I was watching it I loved all the characters and how they played along with the plot and stuff. If you watch it make sure to check ut the characters also.

Overall: Overall Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni is a really great horror anime to watch. I think if any horror anime lover would wanna watch it, I think that you would really enjoy it all. So if you watch it have fun. Hope you like it as much as I did.

Higurashi, an anime with such a difference, at the beggining i wondered how this could be a horror anime until the watanagashi when the "curse" was fulfilled again with the first death, then when Ooishi told Keiichi about Rena in the past it was making such a statement and the rice balls with needles in was like a big surprise

Story the story is amazing and well thought out, the fact it was revolved around the watanagashi and as you find out at the end keiichi remembres it all, the fact it seemed so unviolent at the start really let it go through into the horror ... with more suprise,and the character development was amazingly great 10/10

art the artist for higurashi makes the girls look very cute and the background were very good, better than any other anime i have seen, its great art and the death scenes like keiichi his throut open were very amazingly well animated, so for the art 9/10

sound the only thing which brings the sound down is the repetition of cicadas, apart from that it is very very good 8/10

character all the characters are well developed, with Satako you think of her as not that nice, then you find out about her life and you cant help loving her for it, the characters are made to look very cute and the development for them is amazing, like the introduction o0f Shion, so for character 10/10

enjoyment honestly i have enjoyed watching this more than anything and once hooked, you watch them again and this means for great viewiing

10/10

overall score=10/10

People often say that Horror and anime don't mix and that the genre never really works in such a medium. But Higurashi begs to differ, and it became the most common counter argument against that particular statement. And rightfully so.

This is a spoiler free review (none beyond episode 4 anyway) and it covers both seasons.

*Story*

The story takes place in Hinamizawa, a small town (based on a real life location) where a teenage boy named Maebara Keichi just moved in with his family. And he spends his days playing fun games with his friends. However, it doesn't take long for him to realize that ... something is not quite right with this town (understatement of the century).

Back when I first watched it, this premise seemed very simple to me... and it is. So I thought I was in for a basic mystery/horror anime. Needless to say, Higurashi is not exactly what I expected...

What really impressed me about the story is how skillfully and carefully crafted it is. The first season is separated in to several arcs and each one starts out more or less the same but they eventually take different routes and contain very different developments, turns and conclusions. Each arc is also portrayed from a different character's perspective and leaves you to figure out how one arc is related to the other (if at all). At one point it will throw in a twist that will change the direction the viewer takes to find the answer, that is until it throws another twist on top of it that makes the previous one nothing but a red herring. This is an excellent way of keeping the viewer busy and keeping up the tension while simultaneously keeping him entirely in the dark. This also makes the story complex and is useful in making the viewer's head explode in the process (what the hell is going on!)

Though I must say that it also misleads you in to thinking the answer is one thing, when the fact remains that it's something you had no way of figuring out in the first place. So this might hurt the mystery aspect of the story, since it's a mystery that is nearly impossible for the viewer to solve before the answers are revealed in the second season. On the bright side however, the answer is in plain sight the whole time with brilliant foreshadowing right from the first few episodes. It's just hidden inside a great deal of insanity so the viewer won't be able to see it clearly. This also makes Higurashi more rewatchable and once you rewatch it, you'll know exactly what to look for (OMG! I didn't notice that the first time around!)

Some people are turned off by the first season because of its repetition and the fact that the first half of each arc is basically just slice of life/comedy, but I didn't mind it much in this particular case, since even some of the comedy bits were essential parts of the narrative and it was also a good opportunity to flesh out the characters (not to mention it makes for good build up). So I thought it was handled very well for the most part.

In the second season the series becomes more of a thriller with an overarching storyline in which the questions are answered. This does mean that it loses part of its charm of being a creepy horror anime, where the viewer plays a game of connect the irrelevant dots. But at the same time, it more than makes up for that by halting its repetitive nature and having more of a steady pace that keeps the viewer craving for more. In addition, things do get wrapped up in a manner that will likely leave you satisfied in the end, but don't expect too much realism out of it since the ending does come off as a little... well, forced.

Overall the story isn't exactly Shakespeare, nor does it have any realism or attempt to make sense, since It unfolds very conveniently for the most part and it keeps the viewer in the dark for very long (which is generally not a good thing). The strength it has is mainly in its many details and the unusual presentation that eventually reveals an interesting big picture that was actually in plain sight the entire time. Which is pretty freakin awesome.

*Characters*

Higurashi is not a harem, but the main cast does consist of harem Archetypes which is to be expected from a visual novel adaptation, I guess (I don't play VNs). You have a complete moeblob (Omoch Kairi!) 2 lolis, a tomboy and her more ladylike twin sister. Oh, and you also have some adults as well.

And of course there's the male "lead" Keichi who despite not being the usual harem lead and is surrounded mainly by harem archetypes, somehow ended up being the least memorable character. I don't know how that happened, it's not like he's a blank slate, he's just overshadowed by the presence of harem characters that happened to be very well done.

They all have some sort of dark past that eventually emerges and they are given a lot of focus. Some of the characters' dark interiors are hinted in the comedic moments as well, which is also very interesting to see. Especially when rewatching.
And their chemistry together is some of the best I've ever seen with such characters, it's fun to simply watch them play cards or something. This makes the intense moments all the more powerful because you actually care about the characters involved.

All they're backgrounds are very rich and they each have certain roles in this small town. They each have some kind of background that is relevant to the plot in one way or another and this is explored pretty deeply until the their backgrounds basically become part of the forefront in the narrative. So this is quite impressive.

The characters do develop eventually, but it's nothing that noteworthy (for most of them anyway) since the characterization here is very unrealistic and over the top. They're all mentally unstable and there's a pretty good reason for it, but the timing of their insanity doesn't seem to make sense, it just sort of comes and goes when it's convenient.

And although some characters are more important than others, when it comes to the plot from a point on, the others still play certain roles, and it does the best in making you feel like their existence isn't just for pandering purposes. And it does that quite successfully.

Overall, the characters aren't the most unique, nor are they very realistic. But they are very memorable, well above average for their kind, an essential part of the story and a ton of fun to watch.

*Art*

The character designs are pretty simplistic and generic, and the animation is passable but at many points looks pretty clunky. It also has somewhat bright colors so it can be all the more shocking when the massacre comes along. But I think it fits with the (both goofy and creepy) tone of the show and it makes everything look weirder and gritty. I don't think this show would've worked if it had fancy animation with fluid movement.

The backgrounds are actually very nice, since they're based on real locations. It's actually pretty scary to see how closely they resemble the real thing.
I also liked that the gore wasn't as graphic as you'd expect and it leaves a lot to your imagination. Which adds to the creepiness.

The directing is great for the most part, which is why Higurashi is a success in horror. But it does repeat a few of the effects a little too often, like having the camera close up on a character's expression at a fast pace during an intense moment. And at times the characters lips don't sync properly to the point where it almost looks deliberate (what's up with that?). It was still pretty cool though.

*Sound*

I would argue that the opening song is still one of the best in anime. It is both creepy as hell and the lyrics are very nice. The same goes for the opening of the second season as well which is just as creepy. The ending songs do fit the atmosphere, but the amount of Engrish is kind of a turn off for me. The soundtrack in general is excellent, though no particular tune stuck with me since it seems to have too much variety or it's either too quiet for me to remember.

I don't speak Japanese, but it's pretty obvious that the voice acting gets very over the top at times. It was still handled well and most notably, there are some very memorable crazy laughs that will give you nightmares. Don't expect the most subtle performance out of it though.

The sound effects are noticeably good and sound extremely creepy as well. They take up a good chunk of the cinematics.

*Enjoyment*

It's been a few years since I've watched it, but I enjoyed every second of it. I even liked the slice of life parts, surprisingly.

*Overall* 8/10

All in all, Higurashi is smart enough to appeal to the intellectual crowd, gory enough to appeal to the gore fans and has more than enough cute girls to appeal to the moe fandom.
I also think it's a modern classic that excels in terms of atmosphere and will be remembered for doing horror anime right.

I don't usually watch horror anime. This was the first one I tried and it was very enjoyable. It had it's fair share of violence and gore, but it also had an undeniable creepiness to the story. The anticipation of the horror to come was creepy enough and when it actually arrived it made my heart nearly beat out of my chest. After the first few episodes I was definitely roped in and couldn't wait to watch the next.

The Story: The story mainly focuses on the mysterious deaths that always seem to occur during the time of Watanagashi Festival. There are three question arcs and ... three answer arcs. Each question arc has a different murderer and victim. The Watanagashi Festival and the dam construction project are the only consistancies between them, along with the main characters.

Art: I've avoided watching this series for a long time because I'm picky when it comes to animation and this one certainly lacks detail. The background has barely any detail and the character designs are okay at best. But in a series like this, the art isn't of much importance, plenty of blood though.

Sound: The voice acting was amazing in Higurashi. There are many times when the creepiness is all in the hands of the voice actors and they did a fine job. At times, their voices would make me jump out of my skin with terror and at other times, their sweet innocent voices would make me believe whatever they had to say. The opening and ending songs had just enough creepiness to be perfect for this show.

Character: The characters were very original and cute. They were so well rounded it was easy to believe the character was adorable even after they murdered someone in the previous arc. Each character developes beautifully throughout the series and it's interesting to see the different ways they interact with each other going from arc to arc.

Enjoyment: Much to my surprise I really enjoyed Higurashi. The way it's broken down into arcs with different scenarios made it nearly impossible for me to hold off watching the next episode. Although, with all the build up to the end of an arc, it makes you want more, only to have to start off at the beginning of the next arc. Which made the first few episodes of the new arc a bit boring.

Overall I say that this is definitely anime that most should check out, even if you're not much into horror.

The concept of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is one that seems interesting: we are able to watch a small town murder as a mysterious festival approaches in multiple timelines, each one with variations in events that bring us closer and closer to really understanding what happened. This premise seems to suggest it would be interesting to anybody who enjoys horror, psychological, or detective anime, allowing the watcher to appreciate the nuances of a scenario from a variety of perspectives.

Ideally, anyways. Higurashi is a messy anime because although the premise is very good, the art is boring, the individual stories that make up the anime ... as a whole are mildly unnerving (at first) or ridiculous (later), and the characters are generic not in the sense they are traditional anime archetypes, but in the sense they literally have no personalities beyond what the plot itself demands. The premise, strong as it may be, is doing all the work here.

There is nothing interesting to say about the art beyond that it is extraordinarily bland. It doesn't look particularly bad, it doesn't look particularly good, it's just sort of there.

The characters provide the structure for Higurashi. By rearranging them, their pasts, their relationships to each other, or the actions they take in a given arc, the narrative is shifted. As the building blocks for much of the story present in Higurashi, one would expect them to have fairly distinct personalities. Unfortunately, most are so generic it would be difficult to even describe them in any meaningful way. Higurashi falls into the trap of assuming giving somebody a tragic past serves to characterize them; this is particularly untrue here, where the "past" seems to be a tool that can be changed depending on what arc of Higurashi's storyline we're in. The characters seem to spend 90 percent of their time having no personality characteristics whatsoever and the other 10 percent murdering people with shovels.

However, it is really the story that fails Higurashi. But while the story shows promise in the beginning, as it reveals more of itself it suggests that what is actually going on in Higurashi is far less interesting than we had been to led to believe. It is "satisfying" in the sense that we now understand what had happened, but it's deeply unsatisfying in the sense that it makes you wonder if you would have watched the anime had you known already. I will try to avoid spoilers here, but there is a satisfying eerieness to Higurashi at first as revelations come and characters go from good to bad for unknown reasons. The problem comes when we see the results of those revelations and the eventual explanations for them. The tone of the series does not match the explanation created for the premise of the series, and the explanation itself seems silly in the light of earlier episodes.

Overall, I would say this anime is slightly above average because of the strength of its premise, but the ultimate lack of substance in the story and the characters severely detracts from its watchability.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When they cry) could have been another boring slice of life school harem anime about Keiichi Maebara who moves to a little village of Hinamizawa in the summer of 1983. Since the town is so small the school is populated by only a handful of students with ages that range from elementary to high school. Like any harem Keiichi Maebara is surrounded by girls. We have loli Satoko Houjou and Rika Furude, best friends since literally forever. Shy timid Rena RyuuguuMion who is very kind and loves cute things.
Then there is Mion + Shion ... Sonozaki who are sisters.

Surrounded by all these girls in this new school, Keiichi Maebara enjoys his youngth making friends and having fun. Or he trys to until learns about murders and disappearance that have happened in the recent years. His new friends don't dare discuss anything with him and only hint at local legends about the villages gods Oyashiro.

Terrified but curious Keiichi Maebara digs deeper into the villages past only to uncover horrors he should have not gotten himself into, or so he thought.

One of the biggest things Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When they cry) that I personally enjoyed was character development. We are introduced to them as normal students, and then after they have been established we get to explore their true self and their hidden pasts.
Another big thing is how the show does not exclude any of the main characters as just fillers. Everyone feels important and we get to uncovering the secrets of quiet little village of Hinamizawa threw not just Keiichi Maebara's point of view.

The story is easy to follow because it has good flow, slowing down and speeding up at right times to make sure the viewer doesn't fall behind and get confused.

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.

Well, as you can see, I gave everything a rating of 10. That's because it is an absolutely great anime. The characters are amazing, the story is amazing, the art is amazing, the sound is amazing, and I loved it. My absolute favorite character is Rena Ryuugu, who can go from cute to insane at any time. My 2nd favorite is Satoko Houjou, who is strong(I'm not saying why, because it might be a spoiler), she's cute, and just awesome. And then I love Rika as well, but I didn't really like her until the 2nd season, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. I haven't ... finished the 2nd season, but let's just say her personality sort of changes. And I like her changed personality better. Once I finish season 2, I'll review it, BTW. My favorite arcs are the Eye opening arc, which is mainly about Shion Sonozaki, and the Atonement arc, which is mainly about Rena. I love the ending theme, "Why or why not", which is sung in english, actually. I also love the opening theme, which is just called "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni". Just to let you know, I do not reccomend the dub. The dub is awful. I reccomed the subbed version. Anyways, I really love this series, and I totally reccomend it.