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Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Gou is the fourth season of the Higurashi (not counting spinoffs) disguising itself as a remake upon its release to catch old fans off guard we were introduced to an entirely new story following the same characters we've known since Kai so sorry new fans but this is not a good starting point for the series. The first thing most people will notice is the overhauled art style which goes of this glossy, almost plasticly character aesthetic which made characters appear even cuter than past seasons to contrast to the dark and gruesome scenes to come later. Overall I think ... the art style was a massive improvement on the original and Kais art but not perfect. Mainly the dark scenes are not as chilling thanks to the new art direction. I still would say Higurashi Kira had the best art direction for the series and wish we could've saw it in the core series. While many people believe the When They Cry series is at its core a horror anime it is actually more of a mystery anime and this season delivers on the mystery however the pacing does not. If you are a fan of the old series you'll most likely be asking yourself "This is boring, when is it going to change?" This is due to the new form or story archs called the "Deceiving" archs which are archs from the old series with new endings. While the endings were great I was often bored with most of these archs since most of it is the same as before. Thankfully about halfway through the season we get brand new archs which drastically improve the overall pace of the story. If you have not read Umineko you'll be a little confused but hopefully things will be explained later on in the next season Sotsu. The twist this time was around was great and didn't feel cheap thanks to the subtle hints laid throughout the season which definitely warrants a rewatch once you're finished. Unfortunately most characters take a backseat this season even more than Kai the only time most get to shine is from the archs we saw in season 1 which treated every character well so this might disappoint certain fans. Unlike the ending of season 1, Kai, and Rei. Gou's ending is a lot more open ended which is most likely due to the fact they're jumping straight into another season this summer. The music in this season is at its best yet combining the old with the new. The opening and ending songs are fantastic as well as the music throughout the actual show playing well with the current atmosphere. Here's hoping Ayane also performs the vocals for Sotsu! This season was an emotional rollercoaster from start to end and I had a lot of fun. While Kai still stands as the best season, Gou is great for fans of the mystery of Higurashi and even Uminkeo this time around! 8/10