There is a lot of blood but it isn't overly graphic and this is a theme throughout, with the exception of one or two stills, so, unless you really hate blood, don't let it put you off.
I'm writing this review 15 episodes in because I genuinely couldn't watch beyond that point in one go. I'm definitely planning to go back to this because I just have to know the reason why these little kiddies are butchering each other.
It's definitely a headscratcher.
Story - 8
From what I can gather the series is done in an way similar to the omnibus style of animes like Amagami SS and Yosuga No Sora except for a minor change. Instead of the main and the girl skipping off into the sunset hand in hand, and then the whole thing repeats with a different girl, Higurashi's mini-arcs ends with the main and/or one or more of his female friends dying pretty gruesomely. The first two mini-arcs were particularly horrifying. At first glance there doesn't seem to be much of a connection between the arcs but don't let it fool you. They are all little pieces of a bigger puzzle and that's where the true strength of Higurashi's story lies. I won't say more about the actual story because 1) I don't know it all myself and 2) I don't want to spoil it for anybody reading this.
Art - 6
This area, I feel is Higurashi's big drawback. The art of the characters is weak and looks to have been done, either in a hurry, or with a small budget. There are definitely some positives though, with the stills of some of the environments taking the fore here.
Sound - 7
I'm being generous. My recommendation is to watch this subbed because I watched it in dub format and there will never be a more annoying bunch of voice actors ever assembled to work on one anime. The opening theme is truly haunting. Beyond that, I didn't really notice the soundtrack much.
Characters - 9
Another massive strength of Higurashi is it's characters. You cannot relax for a second with any of them. In one episode they can be sweet, innocent and charming and in the next they're hammering nails through your joints and dismembering you alive. All of them seem to have some ulterior motive that isn't entirely their own and all of them act like they are under some outside influence, leading to some genuinely creepy moments. If it wasn't for those facts you'd have your stereotypical harem, more-or-less.
Enjoyment - 8
Much like School Days, I'm not entirely sure you're supposed to enjoy watching this. It's a regular guts and gore fest and if you enjoy the fact that this is being carried out by twelve year olds, it probably means your childhood was tainted by the Happy Tree Friends and you ought to toddle on off to the nearest therapist ASAP. The true enjoyment of Higurashi comes from trying to deduce the reasoning behind the Curse of Oyashiro. I'm over halfway through the anime and I'm still puzzling over whether the spate of killings is the result of some kind of supernatural phenomenon or not. Whether enjoyment is the right word or not, it'll definitely occupy your thoughts.
Overall - 8
Definitely one for the Sherlock Holmes' of anime fans. The mystery is pretty deep and I can only hope that it does a satisfying job of pulling all the seemingly unconnected threads together, either in this season or the next. It's also one if you like to be freaked out repeatedly. It isn't in-your-face scary but the ominous feeling you get from watching this will definitely send shivers down your spine.
Now, I'm going to go and finish watching it and finally find out what is what.
