First, let it be noted that there is no gore what so ever in the OVA; something that Higurashi is infamous for. However, if you were only watching Higurashi for its gore, then you were watching it for the wrong reasons, because it's not a show about mindless blood and gore. Higurashi is and has always been about the journey of the characters,the struggles they have had to go through, and their friendship. People who understand that will enjoy SOME of this OVA, but certainly nobody will enjoy all of it.
The majority of the hate that this OVA receives comes from people who saw the first episode and then simply refused to continue, and understandably so. Episode 1 of Higurashi Kira is complete and utter garbage that NOBODY should ever have to sit through. They turn the awesome characters of the Higurashi series into mindless vessels for SHAMELESS fan-service that serves no purpose to the true plot, has no side-plot of its own, and is just physically painful for a Higurashi fans to watch. Whatever you do, DON'T watch episode 1.
Episode 2 is better then episode 1, but that's not saying much. It's a goofy, over the top, and downright silly parody of the magical girl genre with the Higurashi characters. If you really liked some of the more light-hearted moments of the series and wouldn't mind seeing another full episode dedicated to the writers and animators dicking around, then I suppose this one could be worth your time. It's still not what anybody wanted or expected out of a Higurashi OVA though.
Episode 3 is where the OVA starts to redeem itself, with a very solid episode about the romantic/sexual tension in the club that has been present throughout the series, mostly between Mion and Keiichi, but Rena and Shion are involved as well. While I really do not like what they did with Shion in this episode, it is still worth watching as it's a nice change of pace to see the club members experience normal problems for once, and provides a bit of closure as far as the romantic feelings of the club members are concerned.
Episode 4 is the true saving grace of the OVA and is definitely worth watching if you are a Higurashi fan. It's a heart-warming story about Rika and Hanyuu and really is just a delight to watch; that's all there is to say.
Overall, Higurashi Kira is worth watching for episodes 3 and 4 alone, as true fans of the series will take great pleasure in watching them. Maybe I could recommend episode 2, but holy mother god, words can not describe how horrible episode 1 is. DON'T watch it, but if you do anyway, don't let it turn you off to the rest of the OVA.
