Note, this review is on this first season, AND Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, its sequel.
I had heard of it countless times. The cuteness yet terror of Higurashi was something I was bound to check out eventually. And, whilst I thought I knew exactly what I was going into, I’d soon learn otherwise.
Where do I even begin? The story of Higurashi is rather confusing for the first-time viewer. It starts off simple enough, showing off each character and gives the overall basics of the story. But, by the end of episode 4 (Or 3, can’t remember where the first arc ends) you’d probably start to get confused of the amount of episodes. It’s hard attempting to give a clue as to what you’d be watching without giving away the biggest plot-element. Well, basically, characters die, often, we see different events play out from different characters, all the while trying to uncover the big mysteries surrounding the habitat of this show. The mystery itself is handled fantastically, giving the viewer hints along the way whilst never forgetting to keep some of its own. Certain scenes may seem perplexing or pointless at first, but you might be a bit more enlightened on your second viewing.
The characters are delightfully cheery and up-beat, yet horrifyingly sadistic. Make no mistake, Higurashi gets brutal, sprouting some of the most well-known gore-y scenes in anime history. It is made even more unsettling when you realize how the characters are drawn in a more cartoonish way, instead of going with the realistic designs that would make more sense with the tone. But, to me, it feels like this was a great decision, as the characters are much more memorable and recognizable this way. And it’s fun to watch what kinds of grotesque faces these characters can muster.
Now here is where it gets quite literally ugly. Fine, that could be considered harsh to some, but Higurashi is not the most appealing in its animation. Characters are drawn lazily and their overall designs seem rather blocky and simplistic. The animation overall isn’t that great either, the rare-occasioned action is nothing to write home about. But if there’s one thing this anime nails, is having the animation accompany the story and music to create an intense and eerie atmosphere. The famous ‘‘Higurashi-face’’ started a trend that would be used in many, MANY series that followed.
I already just mentioned this, but the music of Higurashi is atmospheric as all hell. Whilst it has an up-beat song every once in a while, the creepier songs are what make this soundtrack shine. Also, people love the first opening, and, well… I’m no different, I love it as well.
I feel like I’m not giving this show justice trying to talk about it. The story is well-handled, probably one of the most compelling stories in anime I’ve seen, the characters are all fun, and the music is fitting. If I did have to nag a bit, I’d say the anime started to tire me out on the second season, as altogether the anime is just about 50 episodes. Just saying, that’s a lot for me personally. And, just maybe, the ending is a bit anti-climactic, and the tone wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from this awesome show’s grand finale. Oh well, at least the build-up to it was well-made, and I liked the plot-twist at the end as well.
You might be thinking, how did I rate this show 7/10 after all that praising? Well, whilst I really only have a few gripes with this anime, it’s undeniable how big they are. But, I’d say Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is most certainly a worthwhile watch, and despite the lower score is still in my top 10 favorites. I’d like to see another hardcore mystery anime beat this one, but that’s yet to be seen in my case.
Note, this review is on this first season, AND Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, its sequel.
I had heard of it countless times. The cuteness yet terror of Higurashi was something I was bound to check out eventually. And, whilst I thought I knew exactly what I was going into, I’d soon learn otherwise.
Where do I even begin? The story of Higurashi is rather confusing for the first-time viewer. It starts off simple enough, showing off each character and gives the overall basics of the story. But, by the end of episode 4 (Or 3, can’t remember where the first arc ends) you’d probably start to get confused of the amount of episodes. It’s hard attempting to give a clue as to what you’d be watching without giving away the biggest plot-element. Well, basically, characters die, often, we see different events play out from different characters, all the while trying to uncover the big mysteries surrounding the habitat of this show. The mystery itself is handled fantastically, giving the viewer hints along the way whilst never forgetting to keep some of its own. Certain scenes may seem perplexing or pointless at first, but you might be a bit more enlightened on your second viewing.
The characters are delightfully cheery and up-beat, yet horrifyingly sadistic. Make no mistake, Higurashi gets brutal, sprouting some of the most well-known gore-y scenes in anime history. It is made even more unsettling when you realize how the characters are drawn in a more cartoonish way, instead of going with the realistic designs that would make more sense with the tone. But, to me, it feels like this was a great decision, as the characters are much more memorable and recognizable this way. And it’s fun to watch what kinds of grotesque faces these characters can muster.
Now here is where it gets quite literally ugly. Fine, that could be considered harsh to some, but Higurashi is not the most appealing in its animation. Characters are drawn lazily and their overall designs seem rather blocky and simplistic. The animation overall isn’t that great either, the rare-occasioned action is nothing to write home about. But if there’s one thing this anime nails, is having the animation accompany the story and music to create an intense and eerie atmosphere. The famous ‘‘Higurashi-face’’ started a trend that would be used in many, MANY series that followed.
I already just mentioned this, but the music of Higurashi is atmospheric as all hell. Whilst it has an up-beat song every once in a while, the creepier songs are what make this soundtrack shine. Also, people love the first opening, and, well… I’m no different, I love it as well.
I feel like I’m not giving this show justice trying to talk about it. The story is well-handled, probably one of the most compelling stories in anime I’ve seen, the characters are all fun, and the music is fitting. If I did have to nag a bit, I’d say the anime started to tire me out on the second season, as altogether the anime is just about 50 episodes. Just saying, that’s a lot for me personally. And, just maybe, the ending is a bit anti-climactic, and the tone wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from this awesome show’s grand finale. Oh well, at least the build-up to it was well-made, and I liked the plot-twist at the end as well.
You might be thinking, how did I rate this show 7/10 after all that praising? Well, whilst I really only have a few gripes with this anime, it’s undeniable how big they are. But, I’d say Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is most certainly a worthwhile watch, and despite the lower score is still in my top 10 favorites. I’d like to see another hardcore mystery anime beat this one, but that’s yet to be seen in my case.