[TV Series] Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
Higursahi No Naku Koro Ni
Other Titles:
When They Cry
When Cicadas Cry
TV
Episodes: 26
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological
Plot synopsis:
On one hot summer day in 1983, a transfer student named Maebara Keiichi comes to a peaceful rural village in Hinamizawa. There, he befriends his classmates Rena, Mion, Rika, and Satoko. Accepted as a full-fledged member of the "club," Keiichi and the gang plays all sorts of activities ranging from card and board games to hide-and-seek. But just as Keiichi was beginning to be assimilated in simple rural life, he stumbles upon the dark history of Hinamizawa. As Keiichi dives deeper into the mystery, he finds that his new found friends may not be all what they claim to be.
Story: (10/10)
What makes the anime really shine is that it keeps you guessing and very hard to predict. Alot of suspence animes are predictable on how they are going to end, but this anime keeps you guessing till the very end. Also the story of this anime is really great and outlines the importance of friendship really well.
Characters: (10/10)
The characters are really well done. Each character has a different personality. Also during each mini story the characteristics and the way each character is viewed is slightly chaged. By taking advantage of it's unique ministory plot, it does a great job in displaying these differet perspectives of each character. This makes the viewer see each character in a different perspective.
Art/animation: (9.5/10)
The animeation is probably one of the best i've seen in anime. the reason for a 9.5 over a 10 is because the sequal to the anime, Higurashi Naku Koro Ni Kai, does a even better job with the animation.
Sound/Music: (9/10)
The intro/ending is very unique. I'm a huge fan of the intro song. The singer, Eiko Shimamiya, does a fantastic job. Also, the background music fits the situations really well and really brings the viewer into the anime.
Overall: (10/10)
Well, overall this anime is really great. It really kept me interested since unlike a lot of animes it was really hard to predict the story.
Higurashi - 8.5/10 [WATCH IT]
Plot - 10/10
Unlike most horror animes, Higurashi is not all senseless blood and gore (though that is entertaining, too.) It has substance through a psychological plot of "who dunnit" that goes way beyond the cliched suspense. And even with this psychologically thrilling plot, there is humor to be found. Through several scenarios, the watcher is introduced to situations that are increasingly scary and unpredictable, all leading up to the conclusion, which may not be a conclusion at all. When I started watching, I finished it within two days; trust me, it's that addicting.
Characters/Character Development - 9/10
In the end, I feared each one of the characters as if they were on the FBI's most wanted list for massacring the masses. Each of the characters were portrayed in such a way that they slowly crawled out the screen and into your mind, making you feel you knew them well, which made the whole anime that much freakier. As for character development, you may have to suspend your disbelief many a time for the incompetence of the police department and the terrible judgement of the first character you meet, Maebara Keichii.
The Animation Itself - 7/10
Let me start by saying that what added to a lot of the intensity of the anime was how innocent and child-like each of the characters were drawn. You just wanted to give them all a hug. However, as the anime progressed, several sloppy scenes made it a bit funnier, rather than horrific. The worst was in the last scene in the last episode. If you time it right, you can catch one of the characters without a face, and another without a head!
Voice Actors - 10/10
Most animes are watched for story line, soundtrack, or ridiculously adorable art. If none of that appeals to you, you should watch Higurashi for the acting. Yes, you should watch an anime for the acting. Each and every voice actor brings such a raw emotion to the show, with everything from the comical side to the murderous side of the show. Every screams seems real. Every insane laugh sends chills down your spine, further pulling you into all of the action.
Soundtrack - 7/10
When there is a need for suspense, the soundtrack plays a key part in every show or movie. The same goes for this anime, adding just the right amount without making it seem corny. Even by itself, listening to the soundtrack on your iPod, a sunny day at the beach seems kinda creepy. However, all the "scary" songs are very much alike, with no real distinction other than title. That does not go for the character songs, though, which is a whole different story to be looked into for yourself once you begin watching this truly terrific anime.
Re: [TV Series] Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
Story: (7/10)
I almost want to give the story two separate ratings. One for the first season and one for the second season. They're very different. The first season is extremely creepy, and it very good at establishing tension, but everything seems flat and repetitive. Character goes insane, everyone dies. It's solid for a horror anime like Higurashi, but I feel it's a bit behind a lot of more complex anime in this regard. On the other hand, Hirurashi Kai is undoubtedly great. The tension we saw in the first season is all there, but the story starts to become three-dimensional. As the competing plans of Irie, Takano, and Rika clash we start to really see some really thrilling storytelling.
Characters: (7/10)
I'd like to say the same thing about the characters as the story. In the first season, the characters seem like little more than instruments of the madness. Again, this works for the what the series is, but it lacks anything particularly noteworthy. In the second season however, we encounter a cast of three-dimensional characters that you really care about.
Art/animation: (8/10)
A lot of people say the art in Higurashi is subpar, but I'll disagree. I think the interesting camera angles and art style really complement what the story is going for. While it gets lazy at times, I think it's still worth a look.
Sound/Music: (8/10)
The openings really fit the tone of the anime... Other than that there's nothing particularly noteworthy about the soundtrack. The voice acting is solid, especially Yukari Tamura's performance as Rika. The way she switches from innocent child to jaded, world-weary adult is flawless to say the last.
Overall: (7.5/10)
It's definitely worth a look if you're into horror anime. If you're going to watch it, you should definitely check out the quite superior second season, Higurashi Kai.
Re: [TV Series] Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
Story: (10/10)
The plot of the story is really interesting, and it kept me guessing.
Characters: (10/10)
All of the characters seemed to fit together. ^_^ I especially like how at the beginning of the series I thought Rena was someone sweet with no sins, but throughout the series that opinion morphed completely. (I'm just using Rena as an example. Tons of my character opinions changed during the series XP)
Art/animation: (8.5/10)
Some parts of the anime were in great detail and others weren't. I'm pretty sure other people have already said this. ^_^;;
Sound/Music: (9.5/10)
I actually really loved the music. I especially liked the opening - around the part where Eiko says "Nee, Onii~san" ("Hey, Mr.Demon"). I thought it fit perfee~ectly. And then, the ending seemed to depress me and relieve me at the same time. Honestly, I'm not that judgemental when it comes to accents. If the person who sang the ending wanted to try and do an English song, I have nothing against them - because I've tried to sing several Japanese songs. I actually sorta became attached to the ending :3
Overall: (10/10)
This series is amazing~ it gave me nightmares, made me paranoid, and made me afraid to eat onigiri. ^_^
Re: [TV Series] Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
Nice story .. .
Overall I'll rate it 9.0
Re: [TV Series] Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
STORY:
The plot of Higurashi No Nau Koro Ni is very confusing if you simply jump into a certain episode and just start watching(trust me I did it *sweatdrop*) It leaves you wondering about certain characters and the tention rising around the series. As it goes deeper into the anime, it starts to shift points of view and suddenly you're lost if you don't grasp the concept. Needless to say, I think we all know it deserves a well rounded 10/10. Seriously, you don't find a better plot than this one.
CHARACTERS:
The characters were what did it for me. The different mix of personalities worked like puzzle pieces. Where one character lacked a certain emotional feature, another character filled it in for them. And another character filled that open space, and so on. Many personalities lingered through the anime series, despite the slight shifts in attitude during some episodes and scenes. Other than that, a nice score of 9/10 fits them.
ART/ANIMATION:
Let me say one thing: Those eyes. Those eyes were what got me. I've gotta be honest, their eyes leave an impression on you after a while. One minute they're the cutest eyes in the world....but soon that changes as you keep watching. This feature may be the very reason why I gave it a 10/10. I saw no flaw in the animation itself, excluding the anatomy of the characters, however. But beggars can't be choosers, I say.
SOUND/MUSIC:
Leave it to creepy looming OST to set the mood of the anime straight, right? The opening theme always gets me. I adore the music throughout the whole anime. The background music definitely gets this category a 10/10
OVERALL:
Let's give a big hand for this anime, and why not a big fat 10/10? This anime struck me the minute I saw it. I think Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni deserves a thumbs up all the way from me.