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Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Thoughts?

edited December 2007 in Anime
Greetings Front Row Crew, has any one here seen an anime called Higurashi no Naku Koro ni? I was pleasantly surprised with it, seeing as how most anime coming out today have not been able to grab my attention. This one was great to show at the anime club at my high school. The reactions at the club meeting watching this were, how do you say, priceless.

Anime news network says the shows genre’s are: Drama, Horror, Mystery, and Psychological. Personally if you took out all the creepy parts you could have a decent high school, event of the day, drama show. Since I won’t make my post too long here is a link to the ANN article on it. I’m not sure if the dvd’s are out in America yet but if they are be sure to watch it in Japanese, I don’t think American voice actors will give you the same effect.

If you want I can link you to a site that just streams the episode, no it’s not YouTube. Thanks for your attention.

Sincerely, Ashley

Comments

  • I really like this series. I really do.
  • edited December 2007
    It's fucking awesome and I love it. The show does such a great job of setting the atmosphere, raising the tension and playing on your emotions. The scene where (Tatarigoroshi spoiler) Keiichi lures Teppei out into the woods and murders him felt so real it got my blood rushing just watching it. The second season is even better.

    Also, it's noteworthy to mention Rika Furude is a the Saimoe 2007 champ. Foreign votes tipped the balance (mine included) for her against Nagi.
    Post edited by Reimu on
  • I was not fond of this one at all. I sat through the Watanagashi-Hen arc at my local tiny anime club, and I was the only one that felt that way. I had no empathy for the "plight" of the main character of that arc. Her motivations for the whole killing spree thing didn't really make much sense to me, as she put up with much more shit, such as being shunned and threatened with death by her family, without any violent reactions. The depictions of violence seemed inconsistent to me, spoiler such as the scene where Satoko (I think? The little girl with the shitty past.) is crucified and then stabbed at for a pretty long stretch of time, and then is shown fully intact and not cut to ribbons at all when the camera zooms out. Add to this the character designs, featuring such marvels as a handgun displayed prominently in a shoulder holster that apparently no one but the audience is able to see, and a tiny, purple-haired, moe-tastic, shrine maiden who seems to exist only to spout nonsensical catch phrases (Ni~paaaa), and, spoiler, later kill herself. I think it could be a decent psychological thriller/mystery sort of thing if it didn't have such a cute aesthetic to it. I guess that juxtaposition heightens the experience for some people, but it just makes me want to turn away.
  • Everything you mentioned is explained during the course of the story.

    With minimal spoilers:
    The main character of the arc isn't actually who you think she is. Meakashi-hen reveals what actually happens during that arc.
    Mion is the daughter of the Yakuza family that runs the town.
    Rika's moe antics are a front.

    Higurashi is a very well-written mystery and you're not doing it justice. The whole cuteness is part of the formula as it provides a stark contrast to later events in an arc and really makes them stand out.

  • The whole cuteness is part of the formula as it provides a stark contrast to later events in an arc and really makes them stand out.
    I agree cuteness in a major factor for this show. In the first opening scene, before the credits, in the first episode shows Keichi with a bat pummeling the two bodies in his room with it. Cutting out the opening credits and that one scene for my anime club really made them believe that this show was a mindless cute show with girls and mindless hilarity. But once a dead body and a massacre are mentioned... Oh mans that was amazing.
  • Ashley the Dragon!? O.O Is that you? From the Myralice forums!?!?
    Why yes it is! Ninless-dono! Whoda thought I'd see you on the front row crew, long time no see.
  • Higurashi is amazing. One of my all time favorite shows.
  • This is truly an amazing series. The first mini arc to this is among my favorite episodes of any anime. This, btw, is a perfect example of moe done right for all those people who dismiss anime because of it. I bet if Scrym were to try and watch this, they'd turn it off after the first 10 min and miss out on an amazing anime. I can already hear them complain about not going to sit through the first few minutes of "crap" and moe elements just to reach the good parts.
  • edited December 2007
    I bet if Scrym were to try and watch this, they'd turn it off after the first 10 min and miss out on an amazing anime. I can already hear them complain about not going to sit through the first few minutes of "crap" and moe elements just to reach the good parts.
    One of my club members did this, thinking the show only a cutsie slice of life show. She was quite confused when she looked back up and saw a cute girl holding an axe flirting/threatening a terrified boy with a bat. It's interesting that the elements that make this show what it is, also is the one thing that discourages some viewers.
    Post edited by AshleytheDragon on
  • Mandatory and relevant motivational poster:
    image
  • I watched the first episode, didn't seem like my cup of tea.
  • edited December 2007
    I watched the first episode, didn't seem like my cup of tea.
    You've only seen the build, not the payoff. Keep watching. The first arc is four episodes so you've got nothing to lose.
    Post edited by Reimu on
  • I watched the first episode, didn't seem like my cup of tea.
    You've only seen the build, not the payoff. Keep watching. The first arc is four episodes so you've got nothing to lose.
    I probably will watch more eventually since my friend really likes this show.
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