STORY: 10
The story keeps you on your toes practically the whole time, even the slice-of-life portions at the beginning of each 4-6 episode arc fit right in and do little to disrupt the near perfect pacing this series has. Even after just watching the first season, most of the questions one might have after one arc is resolved in a later arc. I found myself hooked every night watching entire arcs. Even though this is not quite the end of the series, the ending is perfect and if there wasn't a season two, it still would be one of my favorite anime endings of all time, which it happens to still be.
PRESENTATION: 4
Yeah, let's just say you shouldn't expect high quality from a late 00's Studio Deen Production. Even in climactic action scenes, the detail in the animations is extremely choppy (geddit) and the character designs, while not THAT bad. Compared to S2's (as I have seen as of now), it looks very undetailed. While the minimalist approach can be admirable, it can often look very derpy. Though that's not to bring down the over-the-top faces characters make that are so crazy that they actually work.The visuals help compliment the series' atmosphere, but overall, the presentation is bleh.
SOUND: 10
Higurashi's excellent use of sound more than makes up for the bang-up job they did animating the thing. The series' use of ambient noise, such as cicadas chirping (complimenting its title, When the Cicadas Cry) and that little fountain that you can hear flowing in the Sonozaki house help establish a calm, yet foreboding atmosphere, like a fistful of murder is about to strike. The sounds used for noises like slashing, footsteps, etc. help bring this anime to life. The soundtrack is fantastic as well, with several motifs used to great effect at key moments, and interestingly sparingly used, as many moments, especially during the more foreboding moments don't have music at all, letting the ambient sound do the work. Good Job.
CHARACTER: 9
We have a solid set of mains, all with some sort of mental problems, such as family issues, a past of violence, and being a general creep. The side characters are a bit of a mess. You don't really get to know much about the side characters since they tend to, you know, die soon after they are introduced. But the mains are very well constructed and you end up falling in love with them even though all of them murder each other at some point. While Keiichi is technically the main character, the role is not really set in stone, as many characters share the spotlight, with some even stealing it, like in Shion's arc. Overall, the characters help make this a good watch, pulling your heartstrings while they brutally murder each other. It's hard to find another anime like this.
FINAL VERDICT
9/10
RECOMMENDATION: VERY HIGH
Try and avoid Hinamizawa this summer, okay?
