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Jan 21, 2021 1:37 PM

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May 2009
327
but at the same time i loved previous higurashi anime.


what a joke, do these people still exist even after 15 years
Jan 21, 2021 1:39 PM

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Jul 2008
4185
Magicrider said:
Can't believe people are still waiting for Umineko characters like Featherine to appear when we are at 16 episodes without a SINGLE hint about Umineko/witches/whatever lol.


Definitely feeling this too. Despite the seemingly blatant Featherine tease in the OP, the anime has given literally zero hints toward anything from Umineko appearing. Even if they /do/ integrate it somehow, I don't see how it can't feel like an asspull if they just shove it into the final arc with zero foreshadowing.
Jan 21, 2021 1:57 PM
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Dec 2018
234
Tsukumo_Yuuma said:

It just made the first half pointless because it became not so newcomer-friendly.
Honestly i'm starting to hate Gou more and more, just who asked for this?

Seeing all of the higurashi characters suffer is very entertaining. Best thing out of a higurashi anime I could have asked for.
Jin_uzuki said:
Gar_Logan said:


I know that the CDs and BDs come with serial codes, but the storylines are completely different, right? The game also has new, original characters added in. Why would they make Gou what it is in order to cross-promote the app...?


Multi media project, trying to get as many people as they can.

They are not related at all. Mei has featherine already fucking around in it.
Jan 21, 2021 1:58 PM
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234
Magicrider said:
Can't believe people are still waiting for Umineko characters like Featherine to appear when we are at 16 episodes without a SINGLE hint about Umineko/witches/whatever lol.
Not that I wouldn't like it, but at this point, this sequel is so bad that I don't want them to shit on Umineko characters. They are already butchering Higurashi people enough.

13 episodes of nothingness, 2 episodes of useless torture porn who turns out to be more hilarious than anything (every scene is just SO over the top and this episode was the worst by FAR, I can't believe Rika managed to survive this long lol ?), Rika getting brainwashed by goddamn SATOKO, ???

I'm not dropping this after 16 episodes, we're reaching the end soon, but I feel like it's getting worse every week when I think it's not even possible, it's just insane.

>doesn't get Gou
lmao
Jan 21, 2021 2:08 PM
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Jan 2020
3
Wow, you must be another 900 QI dude who think people who dislike Gou just don't understand how profound and well written it is, I guess.

"Lmao" what an argument, opening for a lot of things to discuss man!
Jan 21, 2021 2:10 PM

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Aug 2009
250
soooo I just watched 3 episodes to catch up, the last two previous episodes were so fucking hard to watch. I had to see the new one. Like wtf man.,stop hurting rika shit was so hard to watch, then the first haf was like WTF. This was the most gruesome episode aside from the previous. Sooo what's going on now? She received a cursed because she tried to leave the village before? is that why?
Jan 21, 2021 2:13 PM

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jaw201 said:

They are not related at all. Mei has featherine already fucking around in it.

That's not relevant to what I said. They launched a new Higurashi anime and a new gacha at the same time with the same new character design, can you not see the obvious marketing ploy?


Jan 21, 2021 2:33 PM

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Feb 2015
431
Oof, I'm honestly torn. I'm trying extremely hard to like Gou... I always had some complaints (mostly cause this is a sequel and R07 and MAL refuse to acknowlegde that for some reason), but I loved to theorize and was generally hopeful that Gou would be a great addition to Higurashi.

But this... just ain't it. We wasted the entire first half on slightly changed old arcs, which was fun cause we were able to theorize, but it seems like they didn't matter at all for the plot that is now finally kicking in. The only thing they kinda set up is Satoko being suspicious (which is something new watchers wouldn't get either btw... so much for newcomer friendly) and while I think the gaslighting-theory could be correct, who knows at this point. If it's wrong, the entire first half of Gou was practically unnecessary.

I will say that I liked the way Rika's murder was handled this time better than last episode, cause it was less comedic and there weren't any silly "itchy itchy itchy" comments, but I also agree that she lived waaaayyyy too long for being ripped in half.

It's honestly really sad to see all the people who enjoyed theorizing about the things that were happening before starting to hate Gou (and I can't blame them, I'm also disappointed af).
I'm gonna keep my score at 7/10 for now. Depending on how Gou will end, I will either leave it at that or take some points away.
There's no possible way you can steal my heart

I want to drown in this sweet Melancholy
Jan 21, 2021 2:43 PM

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this feels like some brutal hentai that I never asked for, close to dropping now.

More torture for poor Rika.
Liddo-kunJan 21, 2021 2:47 PM
Jan 21, 2021 2:51 PM
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StormxNightmare said:
Oof, I'm honestly torn. I'm trying extremely hard to like Gou... I always had some complaints (mostly cause this is a sequel and R07 and MAL refuse to acknowlegde that for some reason), but I loved to theorize and was generally hopeful that Gou would be a great addition to Higurashi.

But this... just ain't it. We wasted the entire first half on slightly changed old arcs, which was fun cause we were able to theorize, but it seems like they didn't matter at all for the plot that is now finally kicking in. The only thing they kinda set up is Satoko being suspicious (which is something new watchers wouldn't get either btw... so much for newcomer friendly) and while I think the gaslighting-theory could be correct, who knows at this point. If it's wrong, the entire first half of Gou was practically unnecessary.

I will say that I liked the way Rika's murder was handled this time better than last episode, cause it was less comedic and there weren't any silly "itchy itchy itchy" comments, but I also agree that she lived waaaayyyy too long for being ripped in half.

It's honestly really sad to see all the people who enjoyed theorizing about the things that were happening before starting to hate Gou (and I can't blame them, I'm also disappointed af).
I'm gonna keep my score at 7/10 for now. Depending on how Gou will end, I will either leave it at that or take some points away.


Well, I'm hoping that the upcoming episodes are going to work as our "answer arc" and explain why the previous episodes mattered. So much is unknown about previous episodes, especially the ones focusing on Satoko, and I'm sure they have some relevance to the story that we just don't know about yet.
Jan 21, 2021 3:07 PM

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Jan 2013
1177
Is this seriously the lessons Rika is suppose to learn that dragged her back into this shit? Don't ever leave Hinamizawa after being trapped in it for 100 years and dying brutal deaths over and over again? Even if she doesn't hate it, no shit she'd want to leave and explore the world after 100 fucking years of living in the same place.
She was perfectly justified in leaving and had every right to do so.

If this is truly the lesson then I am thoroughly disappointed even though this season has been a massive clusterfuck to begin with. But now after 16 episodes it looks like they might finally start focusing on the main plot so lets see if it can somehow save this mess. Or at least make it worth existing.
Jan 21, 2021 3:20 PM

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Alright I am super lost as to what the fuck is going on now. So Rika is not supposed to leave the village and should be just happy staying alive? That's cruel as heck.

Loops are also so borked...how the heck did she jump from death into another where she is basically a goner from the get go and Satoko is already bonkers. lol

Anyway this is probably not the last loop still. The moment she said "perfect" that already set so many red flags.
Jan 21, 2021 3:21 PM

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I really really hope this is all a trick and the genuine message isn't that Rika should've stayed in Hinamizawa. The poor girl was murdered in that village for over 100 years. She's completely justified wanting to leave. Let her have a change of scenery lol.

This takes the throne as the new worst episode for me. First half with Satako was terrible. I can believe Rika survived her intestines being pulled out, that's the point of the ceremony after all, but how the hell did she survive being cut in half and then held by Satako for 5+ minutes? I don't think this scene was a dream, i assumed this was just the start of her next loop, but sadly it started way after Satako had already gone insane and killed everyone. What the hell is this torture porn? I don't watch Higurashi for torture porn haha. When Takano cut Rika open in the Kai to perform the ritual, it cut away. We don't need to see that happen because the gore isn't the point.

That small clip of Rika in her uniform, i assumed that was when she left Hinamizawa and the girl on the right was Satako? But since Satako's getting all crazy about Rika leaving her behind i guess not? I just can't imagine Rika going off on her own, i thought Satako would go to Lucia with her. Also why is Rika only just NOW talking with Takano. When this started happening at the beginning Rika was all like " I know the culprit this time" but then proceeded not to talk to Takano about things for 16 episodes. Weird.

I might have to do it. I might have to give Gou a 1/10 if it keeps this up. It'd fit right in with FLCL progressive. Pointless sequel we didn't need that missed the point of the original. At least give us some Umineko fan service!
Jan 21, 2021 3:22 PM

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ssjokg said:
I dont mind that Rika failed miserably again, I dont mind that Satoko did all that and I dont mind the gore.

But holy shit why did it take Rika so long to die?Sure anime characters can endure a lot and lose gallons of blood but come on. The part where she remained alive for so long after her upper body was torn off had me rolling my eyes. Keichi and Tomitake take while till they manage to hurt their throats and they die right after that. Satoko and everyone in Gou apparently have Wolverine's claws for nails and dont mind the injury at all.


It was one hell of a plot armor. And the "gore" in the OG anime was more subtle for sure...
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Jan 21, 2021 3:39 PM

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kagmole said:
ssjokg said:
I dont mind that Rika failed miserably again, I dont mind that Satoko did all that and I dont mind the gore.

But holy shit why did it take Rika so long to die?Sure anime characters can endure a lot and lose gallons of blood but come on. The part where she remained alive for so long after her upper body was torn off had me rolling my eyes. Keichi and Tomitake take while till they manage to hurt their throats and they die right after that. Satoko and everyone in Gou apparently have Wolverine's claws for nails and dont mind the injury at all.


It was one hell of a plot armor. And the "gore" in the OG anime was more subtle for sure...


The gore in the og was something you could find in many violent anime. Higurashi is remembered because of the build up to those scenes and the pay off.


Now we have to just sit back and enjoy sudden Rika torture.

How did it come to this?

I remember the end of Umineko EP2 and the logic error of EP6 the reveals and actual scenes are brutal as hell but had a purpose.

Now Rika is fucked before she even begins a loop.

How did Ronove say it in EP5? "There is no heart".
Jan 21, 2021 3:39 PM

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I thought the gore in the last episode was bad, but this? And uncensored??... Then we get full body panning of the girls in swimsuits. The jump from blood to fanservice is deeply uncomfortable. I'm so tired of the fetishistic pedophile fanservice shtick Higurashi gets, with the new merch being much worse. I wonder how R07 feels about it considering how a big part of his writing is about protecting children. I'll forever wonder what Gou would have been like with a different studio, without Passione amping everything up.

Anyway Rika has stockholm syndrome now. I still hope we get to see her working with Takano this time.
Jan 21, 2021 3:45 PM
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This episode is the final nail on why Gou is a sequel. Of course it's obvious from Episode 2, but some though it can be minority thinks that it's a "reboot".

Ah, my eyes! That sh*t was brutal. I feel really sad for Rika. I got literally chills when they played Higurashi Main Theme. That cliffhanger is also cruel!
Jan 21, 2021 3:48 PM

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CMYK said:
I thought the gore in the last episode was bad, but this? And uncensored??... Then we get full body panning of the girls in swimsuits. The jump from blood to fanservice is deeply uncomfortable. I'm so tired of the fetishistic pedophile fanservice shtick Higurashi gets, with the new merch being much worse. I wonder how R07 feels about it considering how a big part of his writing is about protecting children. I'll forever wonder what Gou would have been like with a different studio, without Passione amping everything up.

Anyway Rika has stockholm syndrome now. I still hope we get to see her working with Takano this time.

Couldn’t agree more!
I forgot to mention this, but even if they really wanted to make that uncomfortable jump from gore to fanservice, why did they have to sexualize Rika & Satoko? I complained about that when the tag sequence was adapted and when Shion was introduced (I know Shion & Mion have always been sexualized tho), but this time it was really jarring :/
And I know Kira did his too, but that was a dumb fanservice spinoff.
StormxNightmareJan 21, 2021 3:54 PM
There's no possible way you can steal my heart

I want to drown in this sweet Melancholy
Jan 21, 2021 3:50 PM
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pint said:
Satoko is the one who finishes off Rika in the last one. Seems Rika is going to take the approach of appreciating Hinamizawa. This episode was really really really gore heavy.

If Rika has lived over 100 years. Then let's say she dies every 2 weeks. That means Rika has died around 2600 times..


feel so bad for rika...


Her time travel is so inconsistent, who bloody knows how many times she's looped
Jan 21, 2021 3:52 PM

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607
CMYK said:
I thought the gore in the last episode was bad, but this? And uncensored??... Then we get full body panning of the girls in swimsuits. The jump from blood to fanservice is deeply uncomfortable. I'm so tired of the fetishistic pedophile fanservice shtick Higurashi gets, with the new merch being much worse. I wonder how R07 feels about it considering how a big part of his writing is about protecting children. I'll forever wonder what Gou would have been like with a different studio, without Passione amping everything up.

I think this is what you are looking for. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone has translated this yet so we can't acurately compare this to the anime.
Jan 21, 2021 4:06 PM

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StormxNightmare said:

Couldn’t agree more!
I forgot to mention this, but even if they really wanted to make that uncomfortable jump from gore to fanservice, why did they have to sexualize Rika & Satoko? I complained about that when the tag sequence was adapted and when Shion was introduced (I know Shion & Mion have always been sexualized tho), but this time it was really jarring :/
And I know Kira did his too, but that was a dumb fanservice spinoff.

100% think someone at Passione has a fetish for this. Yea the camera angles during the tag game were hella weird and unnecessary. Considering how Gou is being marketed as both "remake" and "sequel," the rebranding of fanservice nvm call it what it is, sexualization of very underage girls from a spinoff into a main entry feels... gross.

ArcueidBestGirl said:

I think this is what you are looking for. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone has translated this yet so we can't acurately compare this to the anime.

Oh thanks! I forgot they were making a manga. I hope it's toned down in there, at least.
CMYKJan 21, 2021 4:10 PM
Jan 21, 2021 4:08 PM

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Anyone notice the anime OP looked more brutal than normal or just me seeing things? Lmao
"Only one with the courage
to shoulder the burden
of their own fate can
be called a hero.."



Jan 21, 2021 4:10 PM
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380
CMYK said:
I thought the gore in the last episode was bad, but this? And uncensored??... Then we get full body panning of the girls in swimsuits. The jump from blood to fanservice is deeply uncomfortable. I'm so tired of the fetishistic pedophile fanservice shtick Higurashi gets, with the new merch being much worse. I wonder how R07 feels about it considering how a big part of his writing is about protecting children. I'll forever wonder what Gou would have been like with a different studio, without Passione amping everything up.

Anyway Rika has stockholm syndrome now. I still hope we get to see her working with Takano this time.


If you want pedophilic fan service rewatch the original series. Nothing in this series has been as bad to me.
Jan 21, 2021 4:11 PM

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607
CMYK said:
ArcueidBestGirl said:

I think this is what you are looking for. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone has translated this yet so we can't acurately compare this to the anime.

Oh thanks! I forgot they were making a manga. I hope it's toned down in there, at least.

Well... the second arc hasn't even finished lol. They stopped where Rika goes missing and the whole ladder scene. But comparing the scenes side-by-side, the manga looks really good compared to the anime.
Jan 21, 2021 4:18 PM

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Jul 2013
2084
This is no longer the bottom of the barrel. This is a concrete-filled barrel being buried under the ocean floor. Never thought a day would come when I'd seriously consider giving Higurashi a 1, but here we are.

Can we just go back to remaking the old arcs please?
Jan 21, 2021 4:33 PM

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Aug 2019
176
Gar_Logan said:
Jin_uzuki said:


Multi media project, trying to get as many people as they can.


The app also feels like a huge miscalculation/misfire to me. Higurashi does not lend itself to a gacha game app with battle elements.
I can't even imagine now a Higuracha game feels like. I can't imagine Higuracha as a turn-based (or not) combat cellphone game or something of the sort. It just feels weird and out of context.
Jan 21, 2021 4:35 PM

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ArcueidBestGirl said:
CMYK said:

Oh thanks! I forgot they were making a manga. I hope it's toned down in there, at least.

Well... the second arc hasn't even finished lol. They stopped where Rika goes missing and the whole ladder scene. But comparing the scenes side-by-side, the manga looks really good compared to the anime.


The first arc is near identical between manga and anime. The main difference I saw was that the scene from ep 2 with Rika/Hanyuu is moved to the end of the arc, and it is a little bit longer.
Jan 21, 2021 4:45 PM

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Aug 2019
176
gaussian_ said:
Does anyone else think that the "I love Hinamizawa" was potentially a 1984 reference? I definitely got that vibe
Excuse me, but what reference is that? I can't remember, really.
Jan 21, 2021 4:47 PM

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Sep 2014
4838
wtf this escalated quickly. I nearly dismissed Gou as weak sauce for multiple reasons but this was quite .. spectacular. Probably the most explicit scene in all of higurashi.

This also certainly makes it a sequel.. which defeats the original claim of beeing for new and old fans a its clearly set after kai.

Really curious where this is headed now.

I do have to say though while I enjoy this right now, I think having these bad end twists earned after an arc feels overall better. Now its like its burning through it and it numbs the impact a bit
Comander-07Jan 21, 2021 4:51 PM
"This emotion is mine alone.
It is for Madoka alone." - Homura
or how I would descripe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.
Jan 21, 2021 4:54 PM

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Oct 2014
77
This is so bad that is incredible.
Jan 21, 2021 5:18 PM

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Nov 2010
199
The pointless gore in this version is way over the top and the last two episodes have been so bad (the first 14 were not exactly good either compared to the original) that I'm seriously considering dropping this unless the next episode shows great improvement.

Also can someone remind me if they created a cure for the syndrome at some point in the original/kai or will everyone in the town go insane if Rika leaves for an extended period of time? It's been so many years that I just can't remember.
Jan 21, 2021 5:24 PM

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775
Orochiro said:
The pointless gore in this version is way over the top and the last two episodes have been so bad (the first 14 were not exactly good either compared to the original) that I'm seriously considering dropping this unless the next episode shows great improvement.

Also can someone remind me if they created a cure for the syndrome at some point in the original/kai or will everyone in the town go insane if Rika leaves for an extended period of time? It's been so many years that I just can't remember.

Queen carrier theory is bogus (See Meakashi and Watanagashi)

Jan 21, 2021 5:25 PM

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Nov 2010
199
Jin_uzuki said:

Queen carrier theory is bogus (See Meakashi and Watanagashi)


Ok thanks, seems like I had forgotten much more than I thought. Maybe the whole "you should not have left the village" thing in this episode also further distorted my memory.
OrochiroJan 21, 2021 5:40 PM
Jan 21, 2021 5:28 PM

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Dec 2012
2
Orochiro said:
The pointless gore in this version is way over the top and the last two episodes have been so bad (the first 14 were not exactly good either compared to the original) that I'm seriously considering dropping this unless the next episode shows great improvement.


Exactly my feelings. Can't believe they managed to bring the series a new season just to wate it.
Jan 21, 2021 5:29 PM

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607
Gar_Logan said:
ArcueidBestGirl said:

Well... the second arc hasn't even finished lol. They stopped where Rika goes missing and the whole ladder scene. But comparing the scenes side-by-side, the manga looks really good compared to the anime.


The first arc is near identical between manga and anime. The main difference I saw was that the scene from ep 2 with Rika/Hanyuu is moved to the end of the arc, and it is a little bit longer.

I mainly meant that in terms of execution it was better. You are right though, they are practically identical in terms of content.
Jan 21, 2021 5:44 PM

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1348
Jin_uzuki said:
Satoko whole story is probably a red herring with maybe a tiny hint of the truth, I doubt R07 would seriously write a story where the whole message is "You shouldn't leave your hometown", frantically there isn't anything wrong with Rika's behaviors that deserve such inhuman punishment.

I don't think it's even Satoko gaslighting her or whatnot, Rika sounded really serious when talking to herself (or Bernkastel, didn't she vanish after "Dice-Killing"? Why still keep in contact with Rika after being cast off?) about having secretly wanted to leave Hinamizawa. I think this is an actual retcon of Rika's motivation to live past June 1983, and it's a terrible excuse to put her back through this torture.

And FWIW, I don't think Hanyuu would've minded Rika leaving the village anyway since she's always wanted her to live her life. Rika would only leave Hinamizawa if it meant having to be with her friends forever if they wished to leave, since to her, her friends are Hinamizawa.

God, this is actually infuriating.
Jan 21, 2021 5:50 PM

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Jul 2008
4185
Why is this arc called cat-deceiving? [like, without referencing umineko]
Jan 21, 2021 6:08 PM
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May 2019
254
The first half was so creepy and disturbing ..
Jan 21, 2021 6:16 PM
🦆👑

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Jan 2020
66666
Thankfully I liked this more than episode 15 but I still wasn't the biggest fan of it. The whole entire first half of the episode with the Satoko and Rika scene at the start lasted a bit longer than I would have liked and a bit more gory then necessary but on a positive note, I'm glad it wasn't like the previous deaths in episode 15 where it feels annoyingly short, hamfisted and way too over the top for no particular reason. Another part that stuck out within the first half was the color palette. Flashbacks= No color, The part with the two Rika's= With normal color and during the Satoko scene = Mainly dominated by red. I thought the color usage during the first half was pretty decent and I did like how they separated them.

I did also like the second half of the episode much more and I thought it was adorable how Rika was wearing the same hat as Hanyuu:
The whole entire part here was probably the highlight of the episode and I did like the part with Satoko and Rika and the "I love Hinamizawa"part. Hopefully the conversation with Takano next episode goes well.



Jan 21, 2021 6:43 PM

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7045
Good lord, the first was incredibly gruesome, not gonna lie, I couldn't even watch it with a straight face after a point. It was just too painful, too much gore. Crazy, we didn't need it to be that extreme. In fact, how the hell was Rika was conscious through all that?

Rika, it's okay for you to dream of leaving, there's nothing wrong with wanting to pursue a life elsewhere and there's nothing wrong in leaving a place where the majority of your memories are just bad ones. Something is going to go horribly wrong soon, Rika is being mislead.

On a more jovial note, someone needs to make a Skyrim intro version of Rika opening her eyes with Satoko's saying you've finally woken up. xD
Jan 21, 2021 6:50 PM
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Feb 2020
112
It was a good episode but the scene between Rika and Satoko was a little too long, I don't think anyone would survive with their guts out for that long.
Jan 21, 2021 7:07 PM

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775
Gar_Logan said:
Why is this arc called cat-deceiving? [like, without referencing umineko]
Well Rika is associated with cats and she's getting gaslighted into loving Hinamizawa.

Jan 21, 2021 7:28 PM

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Dec 2008
444
It was all a fever dream, yay... Oh, wait...

Satoko... Rika.... Damn.

The question I had of why Rika would want to leave was addressed with satisfaction. Though I do think she had more reason to stay, I'm just satisfied the points were brought up. I am looking forward to the next episode.

Though why was it Satoko?? Of course, the emotional impact story-wise on the audience, or at least me, as well as Rika herself is obvious. But she'd already been L5 and gotten effective treatment, so what caused the relapse here? She was upset about Rika wanting to leave, but Rika probably wouldn't have spoken about that at that point in time. *shrug*
Jan 21, 2021 7:32 PM
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207
Some people are talking about how this is the worst episode yet but sorry, episode 15 still takes that cake.

I see this is mostly old fans so I will talk with spoilers, so if you're a new fan I recommend that you don't go on (also, if you're a new fan, I'd love to know what you think, because for the life of me I don't see how new fans can understand this).










SPOILERS










I actually liked the Satoko scene better than the gore montage of ep 15 because it depicted Hinamizawa Syndrome as it truly should be. Last episode it looked to me like they had looked at a Youtube compilation of Shion kills and laughing, mixed it with Rena's motive in Tsumihoroboshi and thought that was what the syndrome was about. Here we get a much more nuanced depiction, with Satoko suffering because of what she feels she has to do and referencing the actual curse of Oyashiro-sama instead of just being "ITCHY! I HAVE PARASITES, HOW DO I GET RID OF THEM? ITCHY!" I still don't like how the animators think that one simple scratch to the neck can open skin and leave people bleeding, but at least they weren't manic laughing yanderes this time around.

Problems I have with this version of L5 Satoko: she mentions Dr. Irie makes her take injections daily, so she didn't stop taking her meds like in Tatarigoroshi. So how come she still developed the syndrome? Also, when did she become a fanatic of Oyashiro-sama and the village? Last time I checked, Satoko kinda resented Oyashiro-sama for "cursing" her and the villagers for treating her bad. Why is she suddenly killing the unbelievers and preaching that everyone should love the village?

If this just something they did for the sake of shock, then this loses points with me. But if there is a reason, then I think that's further proof (like we needed anymore after seeing episode 15) that someone is manipulating events and people, making them happen and act in ways they shouldn't, all in order to break Rika.

I must say that I hate gore, so of course I found the scene overlong and full of unnecessary torture, but I'm kind of glad that it was well animated because it had the emotional impact that it should have. Compared to episode 15, which had some moments so goofy and terribly animated that many people found themselves laughing instead of being worried for Rika. Here, the gore is well done (in terms of animation) so it does make you want to look away and stop the torture, which is what episode 15 should have made us feel. Also, I didn't notice Rika being cut in half so I was okay with her lasting that long with her guts out (the torture freak already explained how that's possible), but with her whole body being severed she ought to have died from blood loss pretty quick. Ah well, I see that Gou isn't only taking a leaf out of the Star Wars sequels' book in being disappointing and unnecessary, but it's also taking a leaf out of Darth Maul's book in having a character cut in half survive. I never imagined comparing something in Higurashi to a space fantasy, but here we are.

I don't mind Rika's breakdown or the message Satoko gives of not leaving town too much, although of course that can change if future episodes don't develop this carefully. Regarding Rika's breakdown, I think people are oversimplifying things by saying "a 100+ y/o looper gets brainwashed by a child". I actually think that the purpose of whoever got Rika looping again was to break Rika down in order to get her to stay in the village, although we still don't know for what end (I don't buy into the Satoko mastermind theory). There were actually several things contributing to her breakdown throughout the entirety of Gou, so it's not surprising for me. I'll spoiler tag the list because it's long, but tl;dr: they changed everything she knew and took away everyone she loved, then attacked her at her most vulnerable with the one remaining person who could reach her heart.



The message of not leaving Hinamizawa doesn't worry me either because I think it's a red herring. It was necessary in the plot to get Rika to stop being suicidal and decide to not use the sword fragment, but it will be shown to be wrong when Rika realises her friends will always be her friends even if they're apart and that she can love the villagers while being away - basically, what she already knew in Kai. Another person mentioned 1984 and I agree it felt like that. The first 16 episodes of Gou have been equivalent to the third part of 1984, where we see our main character tortured in ways designed to break their spirits and brainwash them, and then receive rewards and a better life when they comply.

A little aside, is St. Lucia the only school available in the WTC verse? Ange going there was a nice callback, but Rika, who is an orphan, managing to go there? I thought you needed to be really rich to go there, that's why Shion is able to go, but neither Rika nor Kimiyoshi have fortunes comparable to that, and I don't really see Oryou happily giving money to Rika to go to a school that already failed her with Shion.

Finally, I would be lying if I said this episode didn't leave me hyped because of Takano. I'm probably setting myself up for disappointment, but I'm hoping that we can finally see what happens to her and Tomitake and why they always flee, leaving their vehicles behind. I don't think that Takano is the culprit this time around, and it would be interesting to see her and Rika having to cooperate to win. Still, I'm very worried about the mysteries of Gou and whether they'll be able to deliver. They don't only have to solve the mysteries specific to Gou, like the culprit, the reason of Rika's looping and Hanyuu disappearing, Takano and Tomitake, what really happened to the dead characters in each arc, etc., but they also have to solve all the mysteries from the OG, such as the mysterious deaths and disappearances and the Syndrome, because this is newcomer-friendly. I'm specially worried about the culprit, since I feel there is no proper setup for any existing characters (Satoko may be sus, but she doesn't seem to be mastermind material) and introducing a new character would be too hamfisted this late in the game.
random_weirdoJan 21, 2021 7:40 PM
Jan 21, 2021 7:44 PM
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Sep 2020
207
LittleStar said:
Damn it... I coulnd't watch Rika's torture scene... it was so scary and dumb...
well... in first arc K1 and Rena could be explain

but here is just too much...


Jan 21, 2021 7:49 PM

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Aug 2014
723
Hmm I think the message is more like "don't run of your problems" than "don't follow your dreams", since Rika hated Hinamizawa and wanted to get out of there because of her inner traumas ratter than a genuine desire.
Jan 21, 2021 7:51 PM

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Mar 2012
618
UnderminE said:
but at the same time i loved previous higurashi anime.


what a joke, do these people still exist even after 15 years
do you expect people not to like the higu animes? not sure why besides OVAs. Especially when the Deen animes are heavily shilled by anitubers
Jan 21, 2021 8:07 PM

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Aug 2014
723
Gar_Logan said:
Magicrider said:
Can't believe people are still waiting for Umineko characters like Featherine to appear when we are at 16 episodes without a SINGLE hint about Umineko/witches/whatever lol.


Definitely feeling this too. Despite the seemingly blatant Featherine tease in the OP, the anime has given literally zero hints toward anything from Umineko appearing. Even if they /do/ integrate it somehow, I don't see how it can't feel like an asspull if they just shove it into the final arc with zero foreshadowing.


For now the only hint for featherine is...
Jan 21, 2021 8:09 PM
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Jul 2018
564084
so far i still get the impression that all of this is leading to a rika/bern entity split
Jan 21, 2021 8:19 PM

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Apr 2018
130
Not a fan of the blatant fan service for Rika and Satoko, these are pre pubescent children, please stop with the pedophilic fan service I AM BEGGING AT THIS POINT.

This is going downhill pretty quickly. I’ve really liked the first 14 episodes but these last 2 have just been shitty, I don’t know how they expect to tie up the story in the final 8 episodes. This was originally a 9 for me but if this keeps going downhill I might have to give it a 5 or 6 which UTTERLY BREAKS MY HEART because it’s my second favorite series. But no I can’t have anything nice can I.

I will LOSE MY MIND AND THROW MYSELF OFF A BRIDGE if they try to play ME AS A FOOL and make Satoko the “mastermind” which could be possible with the tone of this episode. DO NOT DO THIS TO ME.
siph427Jan 21, 2021 8:35 PM
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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