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First of all, I feel I should remind any reader that this anime is by Leiji Matsumoto... that's the same guy that did the Harlock Saga if that name drew a blank for you. So, if you like his stuff, you will like this anime. For me, he has been hit-or-miss, so we shall see.

Story AND characters, there are many elements of a typical Leiji Matsumoto storyline. We have a near ruined, desert-like landscape, intrepid, young hero with scruffy hair, lovely, delicate-looking, young woman in danger, spunky but still pretty girl, Lady captain of the "good" ship that looks completely like all the other ... female captains Leiji Matsumoto has drawn, and the Captain of the "bad" government ship with the obligatory mask. The story looks a LITTLE different from some of Matsumoto's past works, but not really enough to comment on... yet. I get the idea of picking something and sticking with it, but do all of his animes/mangas HAVE to have the same characters just repeated in the same song, different verse? NAME one of Matsumoto's characters that typically appear in his works, and I believe you have it here.

The art was typical of Leiji Matsumoto. It was, of course, beautiful and it was nice to see that the guy finally learned how to draw a nose. I'm sorry, but aside from some cleaner lines and the nose thing, the art is exactly the same as his other works. Lovely, but... exactly. the. same.

The sound was refreshing. The OP was all in English... and I could understand every word!!! The music throughout the anime was fitting and very nice, and the Ending song was pretty and soft.

Like I said before, if you are a fan of Leiji Matsumoto, you will love this. If you have never seen his stuff, this is a good anime to start out on... only six episodes. If you, like me, like his stuff ok but think it gets a bit old and repetitive, you still might want to check it out as it IS only six episodes.

While it is true that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira is far more light-hearted than any of the other installments, with the exception of the second episode, (which I just think of as Hanyu screwing with Rika’s dreams like she has been known to do) they all fit perfectly well with the Higurashi world built through Ni, Kai and the first OAV. Even the second episode still had the same feeling as the others and it was nice to see the two boys finally get some screen time together.
The series of disasters have ended, Rika and everyone else is safe. I think they’ve ... earned some fun! I would strongly suggest watching the first OAV before watching this or you will be lost during the first episode. Also, please remember that even Higurashi Ni had some fan-service moments. By no means will the viewer be constantly bombarded with images of bouncing boobs. I only counted less than ten for the entire four episodes. The biggest (no pun intended) offender was Shion.
If you enjoy bouncing back and forth between genres like I do, if you enjoy the occasional harem anime (as long as the fan-service isn’t crazy gratuitous), and if you are not a complete purist, you will enjoy this anime. Just take it in the spirit it was intended… a fun watch. This probably won’t be your favorite anime, and if you think harem animes are horrible, if you only stick to one genre, and if you want to see an anime where everyone has a fun time then someone dies, go re-watch the first or second season.
This installment of Higurashi is much more episodic than any of the others. None of them have anything to do with the previous episode. However, they each tell a story. The best story-telling episode (and the least humorous) was the fourth one. Except for the first episode (which was funny but I really couldn’t tell what the heck was going on), each episode had a different story to tell and told it rather well I thought.
The art was a little more “cutsie” than some of the other Higurashi installments and I did have a few problems with one of the characters from the fourth episode, but all in all, it was standard Deen art, absolutely beautiful. I loved how clean the lines were in this one!
The sound fit the anime quite well. The opening and ending songs were VASTLY different from any other Higurashi, but, then again, so was this installment! Both songs were catchy and I can’t get the opening song out of my head! I loved the piano music that came in at certain points and the sound was certainly up to Higurashi standards.
The main characters haven’t changed one bit. Keiichi is still a perverted dependable guy (lol), Rena and Rika are the same, Mion and Shion don’t change. If you haven’t watched the first OAV you will not get the conduct of the Chief Inspector, Irea, and the photographer that I am not looking up a name for. The grandmother gets a truly adorable part that had me almost crying with laughter.
I truly enjoyed this anime. Just don’t start watching this expecting classic Higurashi. This is just everyone having a good time, beginning to grow up, and looking back on the past and acknowledging their long, hard journey for what it was, worth it.

The best advice I can give you for this anime, unless you are intimately familiar with Japanese culture (more so than any average Otaku even), unless you know their pop-stars and movie stars, and cultural jokes just as well as you know the culture of your own country, watch this anime dubbed for English.
ADV did a fabulous job dubbing this anime. They watched the anime, "got" the jokes that only someone native to Japan during the time the anime was aired would get, and "translated" the jokes for a (primary) American audience.
I watched this anime dubbed and highly enjoyed it. I loved the ... "potty mouthed" characters, giggled at the jokes and basically had a good time with this.
Honestly, if I had to compare this anime to anything, I would compare the style to the crap that is currently coming on Cartoon Network (Adventure time), the "attitude" of the anime... well, I really haven't found ANYthing like Super Milk-Chan.
The music, is completely forgettable, the art is childish, the sound, eh, the characters are enjoyable, the story... what story? The thing this anime shines for is the jokes... but only if you watch it dubbed. I tried it subbed just for giggles and it was awful.

To me, this anime is like a warm cup of hot chocolate on a freezing cold day. True, it has it's suspenseful moments, but the kindness and warmth that can be felt through the story telling here is what really got me hooked.

If I had to compare the feel of this anime to anything, it would be Kino no Tabi. However, some episodes of that anime left me feeling let down by the entire human race. Natsume Yuujinchou and all of it's sequels have so far left either a smile on my face or a groove on my lip from biting too hard ... lol.

I can't decide if the best thing about this anime is the incredibly detailed, life-like characters, or the beautiful stories they tell. The art is simplistic in style, but I think it lends credence to the story telling. I'm not running out to get the theme/ending song, but I'm not fast-forwarding through it either.

I have also read the manga, or, at least as much as I could find of it. If you can, read it and watch it. However, I have noticed that the anime has a few characters and stories that so far have not appeared in the manga. These additions flow seamlessly into the story and I would suggest watching the anime just for those extra stories. Aside from that, the only differences between the manga and anime is some differences in the order of stories, and that the anime has a soundtrack and the picture moves.

I cannot encourage people strongly enough to watch this anime. It's one of those beautiful treasures you don't find very often, quiet, unassuming but completely lovely. Before I found this anime, I had almost given up watching it entirely. Natsume Yuujinchou has re-kindled my love of anime.
:3