I've known about this anime for years, ever since I first started watching anime. I kept myself from watching it because I believed the plot would be too confusing, as I had only seen clips of the anime at that point and didn't understand anything that was happening. The only characters I knew (or knew the names of) were Rika and Satoko, and I expected them to be the two main characters. After reading up on the anime once more, I finally decided to give it a watch. And while it definitely wasn't perfect, I thought it was decent.
I guess I am quite picky when it comes to anime. I can't enjoy an anime if I don't like the art style or if things happen too slow. I'm also commonly victim to boredom, which keeps me from watching suspenseful anime as I get bored waiting for everything to happen or for the answers to fall into place. While that did happen a few times while watching Higurashi, in the end, I did enjoy it, especially the more tense scenes where truths about each arc are revealed.
I found that I understood the anime much better when I had already partially spoiled myself. For example, I understood why each arc ended with most of the characters dying and then mysteriously reviving in the next arc because I already knew about the time loop and Rika's Hinamizawa Syndrome. That made it much easier to understand, but I was still curious and was actually formulating theories for the entirety of the anime.
For me, the story was the best part of the anime. Each brutal scene and mystery was always unique and suspenseful. I never felt like I could guess what was going to happen next, but it definitely wasn't random. There were plenty of clues to help you try and discover the truth behind these horrifying events occurring in each arc. I will admit that out of all of the arcs, the first one, "Spirited Away by Demons" was definitely my favorite. With a large majority of the other arcs, I moved onto the next one still feeling as if I didn't have the answers for the previous arc. With this one, I understood everything by the end.
The art style and animation was one of the things that brought this anime down for me. I get that it was an old anime, but the quality wasn't very good, and the art itself was a bit too retro for my taste. The animation was mediocre, and the twisted facial expressions that some characters got when they started to lose their sanity seemed out of place for such normally cute characters.
For the sound, the anime OP was definitely one of the best anime OPs I've seen so far. It was so genuinely creepy and almost hypnotic in the strange displays and mystical vocals. The music itself was somewhat repetitive, but I did like the constant sound of cicadas playing in the background.
And finally, there's the characters. I have to say that out of all the characters, I really didn't care for Mion or Shion. I found nothing particularly special about them, and didn't understand their motives for the way they acted throughout the arcs. I was fine with Keiichi's existence, but didn't acknowledge him much. Same with Rena, although I found her much more interesting than Keiichi.
Out of all the characters, I liked Satoko and Rika the most without a doubt. I adored Satoko from the moment I laid eyes on her. She has such an adorable design, and I often can't help but smile at her antics. Same with Rika. I found her cute from the beginning, particularly her habit of saying "Nippaa~" quite frequently. I feel for both of them the most, Satoko because of her uncle's abuse and Rika because of having to go through this same time loop for centuries of suffering.
If there was one thing that truly bothered me in the storyline, it was the lack of consistency. If Satoko was truly being abused since the beginning in every arc, then why wasn't their any evidence of it in arcs one and two? Why does Oishi act like a kind and reliable officer in one arc, but then intrudes on other people's regular lives in the next? And why does Keiichi only wonder about the murders happening at the dam in the first arc, but then didn't comprehend it again later?
Overall, I give the anime a 7. It definitely could've been better, but it wasn't half bad for me. I'm definitely going to watch the reboot eventually, and maybe continue with Kai and watch some of the OVAs. But that probably won't be for a while. (Those of you who know me know that I have a long list of anime to complete ;)
