At a glance, i guess you could call it a brilliantly crazy and psychotic show...
Crazy, psychotic but brilliant, that's the way i see it...
If you're looking for a brilliant way to execute a crazy, psychotic theme...
Higurashi from a far; is a cra-
The "small village catastrophe" theme is generally somewhat of a rehashed premise, though Higurashi is quite simply a breath of fresh air. It's a highly reputable and dark cult classic with a unique ability to flick between states of innocence and happy days, to the most psychotic of attitudes and moral standpoints regarding the recurring theme of death, the occult and torture galore... So i'm gonna stop you right there if you're a little faint of heart...
Despite the inclusion of many young girly characters, Higurashi defies their
tied-in stereotypes and stays pretty well away in hindsight from any form of relaxed presentation. Like the masterful horror piece that it is, Higurashi instead continuously refreshes a fear of the unknown. It works wonders in the way that the theme of death is continuously reinforced, how it forever looms over the ENTIRE cast; perusing them relentlessly. As a result, the viewer always seems to be left in a highly suspenseful state, and due to the show's unpredictable state-switching, it's easy to relate to, and immerse oneself in the realistic and vivid plights and confused feelings of the characters.
Effortlessly, it taunts you with your own curiosity, and will always take you off-guard. It throws rocks into your trail that cause you to stumble and fall over in confusion, all-in-all boosting the power, and weighty mystery atmosphere that it has - to boast.
Higurashi is really confusing at times, and whereas near the start, you may feel that you've begun a very elaborate sequence of deaths, it's more so a cycle. You see, the main device that it uses is a seamless time and perspective shift, that defines the show as detail driven, as opposed to a more predictably plot driven production. This is also where the gateway for historical, and more importantly: character development elements come into play.
One of the the show's unique selling points, is the way that it intimately exposes the thought processes of all parties involved in a common incident. It's a very thought provoking show that presents a variety of conflicting morals...
while the chaos of the abstract and mind-bending story presentation is appropriate for the chaotic struggle of all the characters' emotional states and drives, it's understandable that some viewers may not appreciate its questionable methods.
Looking back, the plot was extremely vivid and well considered. While at times, it might seem nonsensical, it's one of THOSE shows with a lot of dramatic twists and secrets to hide, that make it all the more interesting. It's almost as if they solve one mystery, by introducing another...
Later on, Higurashi's methods become more clear-cut, and it becomes more of a dramatic horror towards its (fyi: inconclusive) ending "climax". I must say that you'll have one hell of a time piecing everything together if you do learn everything that the show has to offer, and it's this addicting, thought provoking and morally questioning nature that is the beauty of the show...
Something very dark, straying FAR from cliche, and being unlike anything else I've watched...
I could anticlimactically rant for awhile now about how the character development isn't perfectly spread, and how the art is mediocre...
but i agree on so many levels with the writer and animators' refreshing look at the occult. The dark, psychotic themes resonate with me, and i feel like it was a show made to appease our horror cravings, on a large scale.
Ultimately... i wouldn't want to defile the name of Higurashi with ANYTHING less than a 10.
(so far, i plan on starting season 2 soon!)
