CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Second season of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni.
Trailer: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

This hasn't even started airing yet and i'm really excited about it. Looks like it starts in july, that's so soon.

I hope this season brings some closure to the series. That was my biggest complaint with the first season.

Anyone excited about this?

Hinamizawa - Number one place where you wouldn't want to live.

Totally stoked. VIVA NI PAH!


Ahem, still, I'm not sure how much positive feedback you'll get on this show. It's very centralized in pagan religion and rituals and the subject matter isn't for kids... or even teenagers, for that matter.

I'm looking forward to this series, especially for the massive carnage that no doubt will take place.

July 5th is too long to wait... -_-

I think it'll be like:
Honey and Clover=Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni.
Honey and Clover 2=Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai.

Except there's more carnage.

I've caught up on the series up to ep. 8.

They've shown a hint since season 1, but basically, Higurashi is
[spoiler]a fscked up version of Groundhog Day, with Rika as the Bill Murray character[/spoiler]

So far, to my surprise the show has moved away from psychosis and massive carnage. The anime-original arc focuses more on the humor and friendship between the characters (something that players of the viznovels was severely lacking in season 1), particularly Rika and Satoko--with the spoiler I mentioned in mind. It's like seasons of joy punctuated with brief digressions of sorrow.

The arc ends much like Tatarigoroshi-hen, with[spoiler]Rika getting seized, stripped down and killed, and displayed in front of the shrine. Satoko follows the killers, who are the same shady looking "janitors" with jumpsuits last seen in season 1. They follow her down the same bridge where, in a previous arc, Keiichi fell, and this time Satoko fell. When she came to, everyone in town was dead.

Here's the disturbing part--this time, we actually get to SEE everyone dead, including Keiichi, Shion and Mion. The schoolkids all seemed to have been corralled into one placed and stacked in a pile a la Holocaust. And even more visceral is Satoko's reaction.

When Satoko is in the hospital she's in a catatonic state. Oishi (the detective) asks her what the heck went on, and shows her Rena's bloodstained cap (she was reported missing). He mutters something about Rika's murder, which causes Satoko to twitch. Oishi runs out to look into something he may have overlooked.

Satoko snaps out of it and wonders that whoever may have killed Rika went after Rena too. She calls for a nurse via a buzzer, but the nurse simply shuts of the call.

When Oishi returns, the doctor said Satoko suddenly died of "acute heart failure." (This is significant, because in Tatarigoroshi-hen when Keiichi dies later in the hospital (game only) , they say he died of the same condition. Ergo, it is likely that he was murdered).[/spoiler]

The anime is now in Minagoroshi(Massacre)-hen, which gamers cite as the best arc in Higurashi.

Long story short--
It starts out full of optimism, only to dash everyone's hopes and expectations. Oh, and Keiichi is unbelievably epic when he's not paranoid.

I'm up through episode 7. Downloading 8 tonight. So far this season has been awesome.

OH! I had no idea there was a second season. O_o *goes off to watch*

what's this series about?

^That is what Wikipedia is for, my friend.

Anyway, while some may complain about the rather slow buildup, I have a more "optimistic" view. Season 1 covered six arcs in twenty six episodes, whilst this season will cover two arcs in twenty.

Given that the first season left so many questions unanswered (and according to gamers, so many details glossed-over), there's an opportunity to craft this jewel carefully, rather than with a chainsaw.


With that, I'm impressed to see that Keiichi is becoming more and more of an inspiring character rather than the basket case he was in the first season.