Reviews

The aged 'cute' art style contrasts sharply with the amount of brutality that is depicted, seeming on the surface to fit better with the slice of life sections, but this only goes to show that Higurashi cannot be judged by appearances alone. The tone for the whole series is set in the first minute of the first episode, a jarring and potentially upsetting scene of violence that is followed up by what is, in my opinion, one of the singularly most appropriate theme songs for an anime since Cowboy Bebop's 'Tank!,' and if memory serves, the story then backtracks and picks up a seemingly serene and comedic storyline that the viewer knows cannot last. The sheer mystery of it all is intensely intriguing, increasing with each passing arc and carrying on into the second season, though with a distinctly different tone that still keeps the plot moving. I thoroughly enjoyed the confusion, the disturbing effects, the lives and deaths and nipah~ (oh, the nipah~) and I strongly recommend this anime to all who can stomach ridiculous hilarity sandwiched by visceral gore.