This week’s old animu: Higurashi
I decided to hold off on writing this until I’d finished the second season as well, which I can say in retrospect was the right decision to make. Anyhow, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry – Higurashi) is all about deception. It’s usually labelled as a horror or mystery, both of which are accurate. It’s an adaptation of a series of visual novels of the same name.
Higurashi travelled to my attention as a horror anime with some creepy as hell crap that goes on. The people who say this would not be wrong. There are some really disturbing scenes and a lot of unsettling ones. I was pretty convinced that this would not be easy to watch by Rena’s “gomen nasai” scene. But, there are also some pretty hilarious and cute scenes as well that provide a very stark contrast to the violence that happens.
But Higurashi is a mystery too. It has a surprisingly deep and intricate plot. It really is much more than the ridiculous amounts of violence and this becomes more apparent as you complete more story arcs. Each arc gives you more information about the characters and about the circumstances surrounding the events, introduces something new into the equation, and reveals some things that may have mislead you in previous arcs. The picture you get after finishing each arc becomes bigger and clearer.
Higurashi obviously starts out very grim, with people offing each other constantly and going all delusional. The incidents start out small but grow with each arc. But by the end, the narrative is surprisingly positive. What’s Higurashi about? It’s about friendship and overcoming destiny. Sure, there’s no shortage of anime like that, but watching the series go from focusing on desperation to hope was incredibly intriguing.
The biggest problem about it is if you think of it as two seasons. Higurashi really should be considered as one long fifty-episode series. If you consider the two seasons separately, the first season was very horrific and ended on a mildly positive note, but doesn’t tie anything up or offer any closure, but rather hints at it. The second season on its own is considered far slower, since it contains far more development of the characters and the plot. Really, it’s supposed to finish up and give meaning to what happens in the first season.
Higurashi is simply excellent. It’s got a great cast of characters, it has some incredibly disturbing stuff, and it’s got some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in an anime. It’s a very unique series that now occupies a spot on my list of favourites. Just try not to dwell too long on the fingernails after you’re done.