New kid Keiichi Maebara is settling into his new home of peaceful Hinamizawa village. Making quick
friends with the girls from his school, he's arrived in time for the big festival of the year. But
something about this isolated town seems "off," and his feelings of dread continue to grow. With a
gnawing fear that he's right, what dark secrets could this small community be hiding?
(Source: Funimation)
_Higurashi Gou...where to start with this one, it's tough._ First and foremost, also already detailed in the summary: **Gou is NOT a remake of the Studio DEEN series**. While trailers and initial details seeped through, a lot of people assumed this, and it held on until the second episode released, but Gou is a completely new entry to the Higurashi-line of the _When They Cry_ franchise. And that's also where the most problems stem from, in terms of properly rating this. The studio themselves said it'd be newcomer-friendly, but it isn't. This stems from the first half of the series basically being a narrow "re-telling" of the main arcs, and from the second half on parts of the series finale are shown. This is also made pretty obvious with some characters talking about (in relative time) past events that the viewer never witnessed, which due to those statements end up being more or less important details. So, for someone new into the series, you basically end with a half-assed _"what really happened in Hinamizawa"_ by the end of Gou. If newcomers who watched through all of this read this review here: While it gave a look into it, there is **waaaay more** than shown, and it's definitely worth knowing about it. _Read the Visual Novel or the Manga until the next season gets released, there's plenty of time!_ If we talk about the presentation, this adaption is really solid. Good character voice-acting, the art style is modern and audio-wise there is nothing to complain with new and old tracks present throughout. Not out of the ordinary but also nothing bad. In terms of good old gore-ish displays of murder and death, of course people are served as well, and with the built-up relationships from previously having read Higurashi, some parts really hit hard here. ---- I'll hide the next paragraph behind spoilers because it concerns a set of points that are not specific to Higurashi, but span the whole WTC franchise. Tread on, but be careful! ~!Now this was something that vastly improved Gou, and that is that it starts to draw interconnecting lines between the different series of When They Cry, in ways people probably didn't even imagine happening at all. There always have been speculations, but the latter half of this series made some details painfully obvious, so much so that the community is now craving the answers even harder and new theories are made as episodes came out.!~ ---- Due to the fact that it really is not newcomer-friendly and through that the story-telling can be quite confusing to people not versed in the franchise I'm rating it a bit lower. Regardless of that, it was a enjoyable experience and it definitely put a flame into the community again.
If you stumbled upon this article because you're curious about Higurashi and think you can start from here. This is the place for you. Don't worry. I won't include any spoilers at all. Now let me tell you, this is not a remake, a reboot, a spin-off, or any of that. It's a bonafide sequel. Whoever told you otherwise is a liar and should be ashamed of themselves. When it comes to the haters. Are there what seems to be what you call plotholes, or simply that things don't make sense? What did you expect? If you have watched the prequel and not wandered into Gou just cause, you'd know these things. I want to say I am honestly disappointed in those who dare call themselves fans of the visual novel. Did you even realize that Gou is by far the most consistent Higurashi to date that follows the style of the visual novel to the teeth and Ryukishi's writing? It's answering questions that only true fans are aware of from the prequel, expanding on topics hinted at in Higurashi, all the while establishing a proper connection to Umineko and even the newly WTC (When They Cry) visual novel Ciconia. On top of all that, while building upon the finer details from previous Higurashi. It's giving us a new story that still manages to retain the mysterious and other aspects we love from Higurashi. In other words, if you are a Ryukishi07 enthusiast. It doesn't get any better than this. I have seen all kinds of nonsensical reasons to justify the hate. If you are talking about production being a hit or miss or other inconsistencies. I get where you're coming from, even if I don't entirely agree, but having seen all of Higurashi, followed by Gou. All this should have at least told you from a writing point of view that Ryukishi's the kind of writer that likes to confuzzle the audience, make them feel utterly lost, give them a reason to use the mind. Hence leave enough evidence and clues to give them a crack at solving the puzzle pieces. The WTC franchise has always been the kind of story where you have to go through the entire story to genuinely appreciate it because it's designed that way. We only got parts of the pages in the book, but many are still missing, though it will be filled by Sotsu when it rolls around 2021 07/07. Bless you, for that reference, Ryukishi07. Higurashi Gou is first and foremost a sequel. In which case, it means we got five seasons of Higurashi (Rei and Sotsu included). I cannot even begin to express my happiness at the thought of that. Ryukishi is known to write his story in a way where each work influences the other, making the experience richer and even savourier. Hence, reading another work from WTC might give you a completely new perception of what Higurashi as a whole is about. It might make things even easier to follow or hard, depending on how you take it. Regardless, if you're done with Higurashi, I highly suggest checking out Umineko's visual novel or the manga (not the awful anime adaptation). Another masterpiece by the hands of Ryukishi. It'll definitely clear your mind and give you a completely new comprehension. Let me throw this out there the "origin of miracles" and the "origin of certainty." If you've read Umineko already, then you should know what I am hinting at here. I won't include direct spoilers as I want everyone the joy of figuring it out for themselves. After all, part of the fun about any entries of WTC (When They Cry) is being able to predict and theorize to your heart's content. Oh, not to mention witnessing how completely off the mark you are when your ideas fall flat as Ryukishi sneers at you. I will admit it was not cool of Ryukishi to introduce Gou as a remake or a reboot. That even the newcomers can watch it. Considering it spoils major chunks of Higurashi in the second episode. In contrast, in the first episode, things are not as clear. Sadly, not everyone knows that Ryukishi is a major troll that lies as naturally as he breathes. But you have to be lying to me if you said nothing felt off by the second episode. It's true Higurashi is meant to give you a sense of feeling lost, things not making sense, but Gou took that to another level. If you watched it without having seen previous installments, you could tell it was clearly not friendly to newcomers even for a bit, suggesting it might've been a sequel, which it happened to be. There's no denying the new art's more lighthearted than the previous Higurashi, which might ruin the atmospheric tone for some. In my case, I love it. Why? Because it's the most faithful style to the visual novel, we've received yet. I adore the good old art-style from the Deen adaptation, too, but when it comes to expressions and comedy, it hits far stronger with this new style. The characters have never been so expressive without looking all messy and off-modeled, which is a recurring issue in the Deen version. Even voice-acting has been absolutely top-notch and cleaner, as you would expect with upgraded software and hardware. No, the production and direction are not perfect, but would you seriously call it terrible? Not even close. I have nothing but praise for Akio Watanabe's gorgeous and rich art-style and Keiichiro Kawaguchi's strong direction, which never made me wonder if I was watching anything but Higurashi. One specific episode was a genuine masterpiece, from the direction to the voice acting, to the shot composition, to the way the colors were used to emphasize the severity of the situation. Oh, let's not forget about the gore and the sound effects, which make you so uncomfortable that you have to turn away or cover your eyes. It was gruesome, but it also illustrated the unstable mind of a certain someone. And Most of the few animation inconsistencies here and there can easily be fixed in the BD release. Studio Passione didn't even shy away from gore by giving us an early release of few uncensored episodes. Sadly, haters somehow found a way to insult it even that, failing to notice how good the effects, the tone, and brutality were. Trust me, this was gore without any limitations whatsoever. I was cringing like mad, had to even cover my eyes since it was truly a visceral spectacle. Don't get me wrong here. I loved it, even if it made me hold onto my gut as my life counted on it. Gou also got a manga adaptation that was released at the same time as the anime. It includes more details that anime cut out. The art-style of Tomose Akase is absolutely gorgeous, as is the execution of the tone and paneling. Think of the manga as a supplementary to the anime. It's amazing so far. Chapter comes out on a bi-monthly basis. Did you know Higurashi has always been more of a mystery than a horror story, but not many seem to not understand that? Sure, the first part clearly had lots of jumpscares and other terrifying moments that made you jump out of your seat. But Higurashi always has been a circle of tragedies with a big dash of mystery to make you feel lost, question things, and so on. The unfamiliarity of Hinamizawa and the things going on there had us under the influence of paranoia. But at the end of the road, we got our answers, and we knew where and how to connect the dots. In Gou's case, it's trying to sell itself even more as a tragedy than horror. That might be why you don't feel as frightened, but you're straight out lying if you said you're not feeling lost either. An example of this is the iconic main theme of Higurashi. The original version has a more scary and paranoid vibe, while the Gou version sounds sad and emanates a feeling of loss and suffering. In other words, tragedy. Hopefully, you see the point I am trying to make here. Gou is a completely new take on our beloved Higurashi without losing key elements of the prequel. On another note, the soundtrack in Higurashi Gou is phenomenal and nails its relevant themes Gou is trying to showcase. We had Asaka on the opening, blessing us with a bopper track. Ayane returned again with more striking and beautiful tunes. Mind you, both songs include heavy symbolism, foreshadowing, context. Even the dialogue is super important. You can tell Ryukishi was there with Passion supporting them and instructing them as clearly, his fingerprints are everywhere. Yes, I loved Higurashi Gou as if it was not obvious already, plus evidently, I am biased with it, but that's fine. I am not forcing you to take things I am writing her for granted. If I can offer you a new perspective and give you some value, then that's enough for me. I don't like seeing one of my favorite writers being insulted when haters aren't even able to provide logical reasoning to support their rant. So here I will state who Higurashi and WTC franchise as a whole is truly meant for. Are you on the lookout for a puzzle that might seem hazy not make sense at first, but gradually as the pieces get revealed, it falls in places? Do you love the idea of been giving the room to theorize and predict events? Then there you go. It's also worth noting, you need to patient, have your brain on at all times, be open-minded, able to think outside of the box. Higurashi is not meant for your average watcher or reader. What's so good about Higurashi? It's the fact Ryukishi utilizes details from his enormous WTC collection to build upon and expand the story further. Plus, he somehow makes things always connect when it seems impossible and does a wonderful job of explaining it. He writes the works to also gives out a very meaningful and emotional message that is relevant in the current day and even the past. If you are curious about more of those takes, I suggest reading my first Higurashi review, which also includes no spoilers and delves into characters, among other things. Since I mainly wanted this review to show you why Gou was always meant to be a thing, should you watch it and dispel some of the hate it's been received by others. In any case, Higurashi Gou is my favorite anime of the 2021 Spring season, and with Sotsu right around the corner. This new installment of Higurashi most likely will be my AOTY of 2021. My hats off to Ryukishi-sensei and the entirety staff off Passione. They killed it. If you have not already started Higurashi. I highly recommend it. Whether it be the superior visual novel, solid manga adaptation, or the a-okay but not even close to terrible anime. Sure, it's low-cost, but Deen nailed the atmospheric tone, even if many details from the manga and especially the visual novel got cut out. It's completely worth your time and a good way to dip your toes into WTC verse, even if it's not the best way and definite way to experience Higurashi. I didn't include any spoilers since Gou is so fragile that slipping some can ruin it completely. I want everyone to watch Higurashi and the second part of Higurashi, starting with Gou, ending with Sotsu. As blind as possible, you don't want to ruin this unique gem's once-in-a-lifetime experience. By the subtext, hints, even the writing, it's clear a lot of time and effort went into writing Gou. If you go ahead and reread Higurashi, you could see that it was even planned. It should be noted, my score encompasses my enjoyment and the faith I have in Ryukishi when everything is complete, that's why it's already so high. Despite so, I also had moments where I was not entirely on board and failed to understand things in Gou, but in the last two arcs, I was completely absorbed into the story. I should've expected as much since I was lost during the very first Higurashi. Still, I was addicted the deeper I went into it. It tells me on a new rewatch, I will be able to appreciate it far more since now some key things do make sense. We know whodunnit, whydunnit, howdunnit, but clearly, there is a lot more story to tell. We have some of the keys to grasp certain details and comprehend them, even if the puzzle got holes left to fill. That's what makes Ryukishi such a brilliant writer since you know it's all intentional. There are hints of the events of Gou in the prequel even before it was a thing. You'd most likely only realize it first now since your perception will once again increase, alongside your passion for WTC. After all, this franchise is the kind of story that revisiting would be much more rewarding than the first time. Plus, reading other WTC works will again influence your feelings about other products from the WTC franchise. At last, I want you to know Higurashi Gou (karma) is playing out like Kai because it answers parts of the questions but leaves the rest for a sequel. You might be confused about what's going on, but this will clearly be answered in Sotsu. All your worries will be laid to rest. The anime adaptation of Kai had two answers arc, so does Gou. But like prequel Higurashi, we might have eight arcs in total. Four of which are questions and the remeaning being the answers. In other words, Sotsu is the answer to all our questions. Plus, it will be the graduation, the ultimate closure to the whole Higurashi franchise. It's been going for over 20+ years, but Ryukishi can finally complete the whole puzzle at last. This is again hinting at Higurashi Gou always being planned. Don't even get me started on how Gou might be the segue into the events of Ciconia. If my words were able to pique your curiosity even slightly, take this chance to dip your toes in WTC, starting with Higurashi. Welcome to Hinamiazwa.
Man Ryukishi has disappointed me hard. Where do I begin? I’ll first talk about the fact that he spoiled new fans the whole franchise of Higurashi. Why did he think false advertising was such a good idea? He really spoiled the hell out of newcomers the whole mystery of the OG series and stated that it was newcomer friendly. WHAT PART OF IT WAS NEWCOMER FRIENDLY?? This was a whole sequel and should’ve been advertised as that in the beginning. He spoiled with no warning whatsoever. #Spoiler Warning for the Whole Show Now onto the show. I'm not going to cover the main things because the other reviewers pretty much covers what I thought. This is going to be more focused on the inconsistencies, conveniences, and minor flaws. This sequel is filled with plot holes, plot devices, and plot conveniences. It has poorly written characters and a poorly written story. It's also filled with unnecessary episodes that isn't relevant to the second cour. What was the actual point of episode 23 and the first 14 episodes? They didn't even explain the first few arcs or showing what Satoko and Rika were doing in those arcs (I know that Sotsu is going to be the answer arc but I’m reviewing how it is now).Wait actually nevermind about Satoko, I have a general idea what she was doing but RIKA? I gotta talk about her. #Poor use of characters Another problem I have are the poor use of characters. They are badly written. In the first 3 arcs, Rika did nothing in any of those loops. She didn't get suspicious of anyone and didn't do anything to prevent it. She just kept spamming the word ‘fate’ to Keiichi without actually doing anything about it. She just let it play out every single time. You would think Rika would do something because her perfect world was ruined. She didn't investigate either even though in episode 2 she said that she knows who's the culprit. According to her, it was Takano. You would think she would at least investigate Takano but she didn't from what we saw. There was no mention of what were her results of her investigation at all. We also didn't get a big reaction of her when she saw Hinamizawa again. I wanted to see her break down after she once thought it was all over and got dragged back to the place she wanted to move away the most. Also the rest of the cast wasn't too special since they stopped being relevant in the 2nd cour. #Abusing their Archetypes Don't get me started on the fact that Passione likes to abuse the hell of their archetypes every single minute. You know how much information they could've put in instead of doing all that? #The Snapping That snapping plot device is such an asspull. They can go to another world by just snapping? What the hell is the point of dying if you could just snap. They really introduced this snapping mechanism out of nowhere and it wasn't even stated in the previous seasons. I bet they introduced that mechanism to look "cool" which it doesn’t. For some reason, Satoko can activate her traps at will by the snap of her fingers. Which happened in the episode where she killed Rika for the first time in St. Lucia. In episode 24, Satoko was trying to get the right combination for the number pad to get the H173 syndrome liquids and then every time she got the combination wrong she just snapped and BOOM she changed into a different world to try again without even having to die. That is taking plot convenience to the next level. Someone told me that the animators were lazy to animate her deaths. I understand that they didn't want to go to the trouble to do all that but why was she also snapping when she was playing the matching card game? She would snap and a card would flip over. I don't understand why she would snap in that situation. If it was because she's switching worlds, there was no need to do all that in a card game. #Another Plot Convenience Then here's the other major plot convenience. Your telling me in each world it was the exact same circumstances?? Takano literally left the box on the table every single time. You would think she would at least change the positions cause her memories might be affected or she would have different circumstances each time. #The Horror Aspect There's also another big issue and that's the psychological/horror element of the show. My god just fire the director that's directing those moments of the show cause they're not scary at all. If anything it's funny because of the facial expressions that the characters be making. An example of that would be when Akasaka was under the influence of the syndrome and kidnapped Rika. That was one of the funniest moments of the show for me. An example would be the famous usoda scene from Rena, they literally try too hard to be scary. It didn’t even feel natural either. They made the audio separate for the usoda line and the VA screamed at the top of her lungs which made it feel so unnatural. The camera also panned up to her face with the typical white sidelines added. Compare that to Studio Deens version. You can see the difference between the scary and eerie factor. Deen's was more natural and didn't interrupt the flow. It was also better executed. Three words to sum up the scare department for Passione is “Trying Too Hard.” There other moments that those words apply to but I'm not going to list every single one of them. #Other problems The art style also ruins the tone and atmosphere. Specifically, It’s bright colors and it's ~~half-baked monogatari~~ character designs. When they go crazy it doesn't hit as hard as Deen's version. Also what was the point of the Mion/Shion arc? They built up all this and made it so anticlimactic. Mion locked up Keiichi in the cell and everything else happened off screen. Bro what? All the other arcs didn’t happen that way. The first few arcs were literally pointless and were half-baked remakes of the spectacular arcs in the OG series. It showed barely any relevance to the 2nd cour of the show. #The Good Parts Even after all that, I still liked the opening and endings. I didn't expect it to be that good but they blew my expectations. Another thing I liked was the Satoko plotwist being the culprit of it all ~~Not a big fan of her reasoning tho~~ because she could have quite a connection with this new character that might be introduced in Sotsu. I feel like they can build something grand and make the payoff worth it in Sotsu so I'll be looking forward to it. #Conclusion Overall, there’s too many problems and inconsistencies in the show but I don’t feel like listing every single one of them. But you get my point right? It has weak direction and execution and some flaws in its writing. The show is not terrible like Mirai Nikki level but it's not the best. I would call it slightly above mid. Hopefully in Sotsu it will explain most of these plot holes and inconsistencies. Until then I'll review it as is.
Higurashi is an impressively expansive franchise spanning almost 2 decades with its story brought to life in numerous different types of medium; from VNs, anime, manga, live action, games, novels, audio drama, and even a stage play. I estimate, conservatively, that a fan who exhausted all installments would have invested more than at least 250 hours into the franchise. It has over the years made itself sort of a household name in anime and VN communities alike, which is all the more reason a poor sequel detriments the fictional world to the degree it does. That's where Gou comes into picture, and does precisely that. It, among other things, breaks its characters, trivializes its predecessors, convolutes the extended universe by pseudo-linking it with Umineko—another behemoth that requires a huge investment to get into—effectively barring from entry (or at the very least barring from a profound understanding) anyone who hasn't additional 120 hours to spare, and all around wastes precious runtime with scenes that do not amount to anything meaningful Gou, onwards from Nekodamashi-hen, skips the answer arcs and, in its haste, decides to expose whodunit and howdunit prematurely, and from that point everything turns south. A new character is introduced, whom I shall call Goutoko. Goutoko appears very similar to a certain character from the original series, but without any expression of genuine humanity, or sanity for that matter. Goutoko is ruthless and extremely tenacious, far more than anyone that remotely resembles a human being is capable of. In stark contrast to the girl whom she's assuming the position of—who was determined but vulnerable and human at nature, she has infinite mental fortitude, and therefore can proceed the plot as conveniently as she wishes to. RNG did not favor her way during her schemes? She'll just kill herself 3 million times until it does! After all, possibility of every non-zero chance event occurring approaches certainty as attempts go to infinity! Never mind one of the biggest plot events of the original being the limitations of one's mind when undergone too much suffering, Rika's concern that her soul will wither away if she does not prevail soon. But make no mistake, Goutoko isn't a snowflake like Rika is, she has the power of being based, which allows her to condemn her best friend to excruciating pains in the hellhole where she was tortured a whole lifetime and stay mentally unscathed. The motivation? "She's kind of a meanie and I don't really like studying lol" Right... A good transition from there would be the clear undoing of Satoko's character progression as well as a prevalent theme that existed in the original: "That seeking help is something to be celebrated, enduring alone not to be proud of." From Tatarigoroshi to Minagoroshi, Satoko manages to grow as a person and reach out her hand for a miracle to occur. This is a really touching moment and goes to show that, through cooperation, most hopeless of predicaments can be overcome. Yeah... that idea is now scrapped. Satoko becomes a little baby who cannot ask for aid. She instead wallows in self-misery, gets very spiteful, and loses her humanity somehow?? It's a blatant departure from the strong girl who steels her resolve and gets ahold of her future in the beautiful culmination that is Minagoroshi-hen. As someone who really appreciated Satoko's character, this utter disregard for pre-established characterization is intolerable to me; ergo, my choice of wording: "Goutoko". Since it's Goutoko's time to shine, the main villain of all the previous installment, Miyo Takano, is to naturally be stepped down. But this poses a difficult problem: Takano, whose sheer iron will and lifelong efforts has precluded Rika from besting her for countless attempts in which her conviction stayed consistent, will need to be removed from the proactive role in a sufficiently understandable manner. That... doesn't happen. She just conveniently happens to remember her demise in a previous fragment, finds a letter that she apparently hasn't came across by chance in any of those possibilities, and has a change of heart, preventing a nigh-certain occurrence. This is a gross minimization of the combined efforts of everyone we rooted for, of the flesh and blood sacrifices that've been made across multiple timelines, all to ruin another character. The last of my complaints would be the many instances of scenes that seemingly don't contribute much to this new tale the show is trying to tell, eating away precious time. These can either be Gou-original scenes like a reformed Teppei going on with his life, or scenes we're all too familiar with like petitioning the child welfare services for redress, debating the Onigafuchi Defense Alliance to request their aid with Satoko's situation, or Miyo's defeat and the subsequent happenstances. While it's not the worst thing in the world to see them unfold yet again in different art-style, when you have a brand new story to tell, I can't help but feel there's a mismatch of priorities to divulge a lot of time to parts the viewer will be intimately familiar with, leaving the real meat of the discussion unbaked. Sotsu may have a better shot in that respect, but the damage is incurred. 'Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou' is a clear blemish in the franchise, throwing the hard-earned lessons of the past to trash and resetting its characters to build them from scratch, it does a disservice to the fans of the original who'd rather keep their fan favorites intact, and their stories not trampled upon.
Out of literally any piece of media that I have experienced, and even those that have been released, the existence of Higurashi Gou stands out as a strange anomaly. A sequel to Higurashi, which already had a perfect conclusion with the end of Kai/Festival Accompanying, would strike many people as pointless. There have been sequels to anime that have already had perfect endings before, but in the way that Gou does it, there is nothing that is comparable. This is the point where the marketing of the series comes in, since it is basically inseparable from the season that it's attached to. The bait and switch with the lead on that it was a remake before the second episode came out was honestly a terrible idea in the short-term no matter how you look at it. Higurashi is a series that should definitely never be spoiled under any circumstance, and to have them shoved in new viewers’ faces at the beginning of Episode 2 can’t be regarded as a wise idea from any angle that you look at it. On top of that, the first three arcs of the series initially seem weird retellings of previous arcs that can turn many people off. While these elements may seem like they would make for a bad season, with the knowledge of what happens in the second cour, they work in this season’s favor. When I said that Higurashi Gou was an anomaly, it was not only because of its bizarre approach to nearly everything that it tries to attempt, but also because of how conscious decisions that initially seem to make its story worse, actually make it way better. #__~~~ Major spoilers from this point onward~~~__ img(https://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020.10.09-11.34-boundingintocomics-5f80f387ed8dc.png) With every passing arc, Higurashi Gou depicts a growing contrast between two fundamentally opposing ideologies, as represented by two characters, Satoko and Rika. Despite what Satoko might say about the two of them, Satoko and Rika have the same goal. They each want to be in each other’s company for the rest of their lives. However, they each want to accomplish this goal in different ways. Rika wants to live her life with Satoko in new and surprising places, while Satoko wants her and Rika to just spend their lives in Hinamizawa forever. What makes the final arc intriguing to watch is to see how this contrast slowly manifests between the two of them. Their roles in Gou play off of their already established character traits and show how they are tested under the looming passage of time that was once absent from the series previously. While Rika is just as well written as a character as she has always been, the levels as to which Satoko is developed puts a new spin on her character throughout the entire series. Higurashi has always excelled at showing a character’s descent into pure madness, and with this slowly happening with Satoko bolsters her intrigue as a character greatly. Satoko desperately grappling onto a past status quo that no longer exists makes her character even more complex and interesting than it already was. It makes her turn into an antagonistic force more believable, because the events that happen around her play into her deepest inner fears. The contrast between the two is deeply ingrained into the deeper messaging of the series, with the pitting of the two concepts of miracles and certainty together to create something that adds a new layer of depth to the entire series. img(https://i.imgur.com/ogrScuG.png) The mystery derived from this contrast between Satoko and Rika can only be appreciated in hindsight. What is truly unconventional about Gou is in how it presents its mysteries in the first three arcs. It can be a bit of a slog to get through the first three arcs of the series, because most of the content seen is just remade scenes from the original season. What makes these arcs vital to the story however is in the points that they diverge. While a lot of it is copy and pasted content, the divergences change the inherent nature of the mysteries to better suit the story of Gou. Despite being original content, the fourth arc follows in line with providing clues that point towards the answers to the greater questions at play. It leads to the eventual Satoko reveal in Episode 17 to be extremely well foreshadowed, due to the signs already being there many episodes before it is finally unveiled. Like the seasons that precede it, Gou manages to be a satisfying mystery, due to it being intricately plotted out at nearly every step. Even if answers for the short term mysteries in the first four arcs haven’t been shown yet, the revelations involving the point of the existence of this entire season have been so well handled by the final arc of this season, that I barely have any worries about how Sotsu will go about handling the act of providing answers. img(https://i.imgflip.com/4vvc79.png) If there is anything to criticize this season about, it would have to be involving how lacking the production can feel at times. While the character design and visual direction are each fantastic, the actual animation is static and rigid for most of the time. It doesn’t exactly feel like Passione was exactly trying their hardest for most of the runtime of the episodes, since it felt like a story that I would prefer reading the manga for. The one exception to this is with the gore scenes. It felt like Passione went all in with depicting graphic details of the human body, making some disturbing scenes that are stuck in my mind. The entrails scene of Episode 16 has stayed in my memory constantly, due to how every detail builds the scene to be one of the most horrifying scenes that I have ever had to experience in an anime. I wish that the rest of the scenes were animated that well, but it doesn’t bog down how resonant the whole story is. As for the general audio component, the music is subtle and doesn’t get in the way of any scenes. This helps to sell the more atmospheric aspects of Hinamizawa, the Sea of Fragments, and St. Lucia. Since I first experienced Higurashi through the manga, this was my first time listening to the voice acting, and I can confidently say that each voice fits their characters amazingly, and gives them each more personality than the ones that I came up with in my head. While there is a lot to be desired in certain aspects of the general presentation, I am generally satisfied as to what is actually there. img(https://animeshelter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/higurashi-no-naku-koro-ni-gou-episode-16-1224.jpg) Going through the Higurashi series for the first time over the past few months has given me a fresh outlook on this entire series. Gou received a generally mixed reception from most viewers judging by its average score. This can be chalked up to the fact that a lot of viewers didn’t exactly see the point of Gou’s existence, due to it following up one of the best conclusions that I have ever seen in anime. To many, Gou was just an unnecessary tacked on addition to a series that didn’t need another follow-up. Since I was a new viewer, I naturally had a much more open mind to what Gou generally was. Gou was just another step in the story of Higurashi, and it is an incredible one. While it is unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, it adds new amounts of meaning and mystery to a story that was already full of it. Gou is Higurashi in its finest hour, a tragic mystery that is simultaneously horrifying and heartbreaking. Sotsu has a lot to live up to with the expectations that this season has set for it, and I am wholeheartedly excited for what it has to offer. img(https://i.imgur.com/5yGqTDX.png)
One thing i can say is that,despite the art changes and whatnot, this show does feel like i'm watching Higurashi all over again,it has some fluffy moments that don't take up too much time and there is always some form of uncertainty looming in the background There are some very tense moments that come from just how unexpected and unpredictable everything was.And to be honest, I had no idea just what would come next after each episode and that did make me look forward to it every week.And ohhhh yea, this season does have its insane gore,and moments in the second half that are complete nightmare fuel.And it felt like a really bad fever dream.The main mystery of Higurashi was explained very well and made the tension pay off more,even if the whole mystery wasn’t explained, it still did a good enough job to explain it to someone who probably hasn’t watched Higurashi before. STORY And the way things started to connect together at the end felt a bit gratifying. But i still feel like watching the original series would bring a bit more context to certain minor characters and other rules set up. Also, what really made the story stand out was how the characters played into it.The way the story connected to the characters made me relate and empathize with them alot and I was super invested in the show. And one episode in particular almost made me tear up, Yea i said it. I almost cried watching an anime. But to be honest, that moment in particular was this shows writing at its best. But when it comes to the not so good things, most of that is in the first half. The first half is a super slow burn, it still has tension, and the story is told in multiple arcs ,but some of the arcs in the first half felt a bit aimless, also the conclusion of some arcs feel underwhelming, especially the one at the very middle of the show with the whole child care stuff. That arc not only felt aimless, but it dragged out for so long. I feel like some of the character introductions do have just a little bit of context missing, and i feel like this is where the original ties in, but then again, a second season just got announced so maybe we will get more context later on i suppose.I barely remember any of Higurashi when i first saw it, but i do remember some arcs, and this show does skim over some of those arcs which was a shame since those arcs felt like Higurashi at its best .But then again, the story of Higurashi is super complex so i don't really blame them for leaving some things out.If anything, the first half wasn't bad, but the ending of the first cour was pretty weak compared to the original Higurashi, and i really hoped that the second half would pick up, and at that moment, it felt like the creators heard my voice because the second half on this show was fuking amazing. It was engaging, thrilling,and felt very neatly tied together with the rest of the show. It almost becomes a whole new show entirely but it manages to still pull off being Higurashi by having the characters you know in love contribute so well to the plot.I just wish the first half was a bit better paced. ART/ANIMATION I was a bit worried about the animation because studio Passione is a studio that only works on trash ecchi ,cute girl stuff, and Rokka no Yuusha. But the animation is not that bad.Its not mesmerizing but it does its job.Even if the art is very bright and highkey, i appreciate the charm and neatness of it. I also like how they don’t have the wacky ass Deen faces from the original. One thing i should point out, is that some of the art direction and background art was really really really gorgeous at times. And the visuals for the ending sequence-the second one in particular that only appears in like 3 episodes-are pretty impressive. In the second ed it uses this really freaky and surreal 360 degree camera view that I haven't seen that much in anime honestly. SOUND The voice acting for the show was top notch, probably because of the range that the characters have.This is the case with almost everyone but most prevalent with Rikka’s VA,Yukari Tamura.She can go from cute and cheery to very cold and desolate at the drop of a hat and I just loved how she pulls it off.And the opening and ending songs.I dont even want to compare them to higurashi’s original ones because they sound and feel so different.I do think that Higurashi’s op and ed are better,but being better at higurashi is not that easy.I do think the songs are really good though.They have a bit of a more theatrical and modernized techno approach to them, sure they arent as tense and foreboding as “why or why not”,but they are so damn catchy and nice to listen to. CHARACTERS As much as I praised the characters, I think the main two that steal the show areSatoko and Rikka. Their role in the story is absolutely brilliant. I related to both Sakoto and Rikka’s situation on a relationship level,and since the harshness of both those things created such a huge conflict in the second half, I completely fell in love with the story at that point.. Everyone else is kinda background noise.They do have their moments,but since the show resets their characters after each arc, I forget more and more about them.And in the second half, the show just stops focusing on Keiichi ,Rena,and Mion/Shion almost entirely.I might be in luck because the next season might deal more with them though.I think a case where a minor character shines, is the second to last episode.AKA the episode that almost made me cry.I don't know if it's just me being a human and having emotions, or how well written the story was at that point. But Higurashi came out of nowhere after experience so much gore and crying and death,and then just gut punches me so hard emotionally faster than I can say “Banana Fish”.At that point in the story it felt like everything just hit me on how fucked up this town and people were. ENJOYMENT It may be me who knows, I have some pretty questionable tastes i know.But i enjoyed this show so much.It wasn't a constant enjoyment,some episodes where hits and others were duds for sure.And also i think people will still be turned off about where this story takes place in the timeline.Since everyone thought it was a remake and then an interview confirmed it...wasnt that.. But there are adapted moments in this show that feels like it is a rema-its confusing.I think some of the marketing should have been a bit more clear on what the hell this anime is.And telling by the score on MAL it has right now,i can tell its a bit divisive.But hell, i had fun.I anticipated each episode,and always wanted more.It sucks that the first half was a bit dragged out, because the second half was just awesome.And it makes me want to almost go back to the original and rewatch those. Overall-7 If you are wondering if this is a sequel or not,don't,because i watched the original a long time ago, and...uh I still can't determine if its a sequel or remake.There are scenes in this show that are similar to the original but there are also different plot lines entirely.I think the best thing is to just fuck it and go in blind.And if you feel like youre missing some context ,go watch the original. Hopefully season 2 adds more context though.
__This review was made before Sotsu Aired. I'm just patching things up to make it sound more proper. if you want my full opinions on Sotsu you can read them [here](https://anilist.co/review/13753)__ I'm a massive fan of the When They Cry franchise and my love for it technically started here. I knew of Higurashi before this installment but didn't give it a chance until episode one of Higurashi 2020 aired. Episode two came out and was it revealed to be a sequel renamed to Higurashi Gou, me and my friends I was watching with all decided to go back and watch almost every Higurashi season, OVA, Special, etc, and catch up to Gou. I'm sure you can tell but out of us three I was the one who got the most from it, Higurashi Kai is one of the few shows I've given a 10/10 so I was very excited when we finally caught back up to Gou. In reality it actually worked out to my advantage how long we took to catch up to Gou since by the time we caught up we were already past the biggest downfall of Gou to many, the repeat arc's. The start of Higurashi Gou has us going through three of previous arc's we've gone through before, Abducted by Demons Arc/Onikakushi-hen, Cotton Drifting Arc/Watanagashi-hen, and the Massacre Arc/Minagoroshi-hen but more so focusing on Satoko and Teppei and not the second half of that arc. And these revisits are very similar to how they were in the original, it's not until the end of them when things change drastically. Seeing the end of each arc is always very exciting but doesn't completely justify the drag of getting to that point, even as a die hard fan I was pretty impatient and got bored going through the same slice of life scenes I went through in previous seasons. However like I said before the end of each arc always made it worth going through the repeated scenes, and to be fair too their are some very small changes in each repeat arc that do lead into bigger plot points later so everything isn't exactly one to one. It's fun to see or notice changes and theorize how they'll come into play later whether it's in the arc you're currently in or the two completely new arc's, Gou's answer arc's. img800(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/905345690853605427/963119282332499969/unknown.png) I like recommending others to view Higurashi Gou the same way the Steins;Gate anime is viewed today, in that the start is a bit slow but once you get to the halfway point the show's quality drastically increases and it holds very true for Gou. Likewise with the original Gou's answers arc deliver gruesome hard to watch moments, satisfying answers to a good chunk of questions you'll have, and unexpected thrilling plot twist that will leave you dying for the next episode. I can't go into more detail past that since this is spoiler free but they are very rewarding to watch, and if you want to hear me bitch a little more about Gou in detail with spoilers you can find them [here](https://anilist.co/activity/136377032). Music wise it's still just as good but besides the opening and ending nothing really leaves me wanting to go out of my way to listen to it. Akio Watanabe is my favorite character designer so I adore how Gou looks, Higurashi was constantly fooling others back then thinking it was a wholesome slice of life show but then boom blood everywhere and I feel Watanabe got that trait down perfectly. The voice acting actually threw me off a little since it sounded so much clearer, took a bit to get used to but I never had a moment where I felt a line was delivered poorly though I honestly think some of the dub performance for some scenes are actually better then the original Japanese voice cast. The Japanese voice actors are overall much better then the dub but you could get away with watching Higurashi Gou in dub, I rewatched most of the second half in dub and it's surprisingly solid. Overall I had a blast with Higurashi Gou, it's only made my love for this franchise stronger. The experience I had while watching this air, talking to it with my two other friends I watched the whole series with, reading and discussing theories with a bunch of others who were way smarter then me cause they actually got some right, to me a new Gou episode was almost an event and all I needed to make my day better and is an experience I will never forget no matter how split the fanbase is on this season, or how Sotsu effects Gou. My rating is filled with bias, but hey it is my rating after all now go read [Umineko](https://anilist.co/manga/33749/Umineko-When-They-Cry-Episode-1-Legend-of-the-Golden-Witch/).
~~~ img220(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNmRhYzU4YTYtMmQyOS00ODVmLWJhNjgtNzk3NTY3OThmM2FlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI5MjU1NTU0._V1_.jpg)~~~ To review this season of Higurashi it is necessary to travel back to 2002 when the story of Higurashi official began in the village of Hinamizawa.If you have watched Higurashi (which you should now if you haven't) you would know it's about our main character moving into the quaint village of Hinamizawa and making friends and enjoying school life when certain disturbing news and events start happening which inevitably leads to fear, suspicion and eventually brutal murders. Then the timeline resets to the beginning and a new set of events unfolded which were different but eventually lead to the same kind of end and so on. This inevitably did lead to a lot of understandable confusion when you watch it the first time as there is no indication why the timeline gets reset in the original anime and till you reach the second season called Higurashi Kai you won't be getting any answers. The end result is a lot of people don't end up watching the second season, think of the anime as being some cheap horror/gore show with no real story. And even though the next season gives a lot of answers and seemingly gives a happy ending, it does not cover everything that was going on behind the scenes. Now enter Higurashi Gou. This anime brilliantly started of the same as the first few episodes of the original making everyone THINK it was a reboot just with better animation, but with the exception of one or two scenes which threw some shade on that theory. Then the reboot theory was absolutely shredded in episode 4 which turned everything upside down and truly gave me the feeling I was actually watching a horror mystery which I was clueless on how it would end, and who or what I could trust. This shock value was something that overall added to the horror/ thriller aspect of the show through the fourth wall. Gou is a SEQUEL which you need to watch Higurashi and higurashi Kai before being able to watch. The rest of the season was a roller coaster ride of emotions including fear, rage, despair, foreboding and confusion trying to figure out what was happening, fixing past mistakes, watching the story steer towards a happy ending and then get derailed back to square one while being accompanied by really improved horror and gore in both visuals and writing. Personally, I give this anime one of the highest praises I can for it's story that I can give as it manages to revisit a nearly 20 year old story and expand upon it in a way that even the writer probably ever thought was going to be, and answer multiple questions and reveal even more of the plot without messing up the original story and ends up giving us a much richer experience. The plot twist after plot twist in the show were never overused tropes or there for cheap shock value, but legitimately surprising and kept adding to the overarching story which as the plot progresses you see how complex and intricate it always had been. Plus knowing the identity of the person actually pulling the strings in this is one of the biggest surprises you will ever experience. Though the story of Gou is not yet finished, and the next season has been announced called Higurashi Satsou which I presume will wrap up the story of the protagonist and antagonist, this is still something you can watch. While the first season dealt with the horror aspect of the show and then Kai dealt with more of the scientific and backstory side of things Guo has both as well as the more supernatural elements which are present. As far as the art goes, studio passion did a fantastic job with the animation and more than that, the storyboarding is significantly improved. The knowledge of when to cut away and what to show on screen to generate tension and whatever else goes into making a horror is miles ahead of the 2006 studio dean adaptation. The opening, 'I believe what you said' is also amazing and does justice to the OG opening of Higurashi while having some differences which is a mirror to the difference in the two seasons themselves. The lyrics of the opening make so much sense after you finish the anime and you realize it was about the antagonist all along. (I'd post the link of the song but people keep posting spoilers in the comments) I said I don't score anime anymore but for this one I'll make one exception so I think I'll give it a 9.4/10 for it's brilliant way of reopening a closed case and making us see it was never closed to begin with and managing to fit the jigsaw puzzle of the Higurashi story into an interesting and compelling over arching plot making it my anime of the year 2020 without a doubt.