Anime Analysis - Higurashi: When They Cry (Commentary)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- I know this took awhile to make, but I wanted to get the copyright crap with Funimation and the Future Diary review sorted out before I uploaded another video.
As promised, here's a review of debatably the scariest anime of all time: Higurashi: When They Cry.
"I'll show you how strong I am big brother I won't cry" who remembers that.
No one
i do!
Chu has such a cool name :c
oh thanks..!! um..if u meant me ^^;
I did~
I would honestly have to say that this IS your best anime analysis. You flawlessly nail telling us the base of the plot without giving away any major spoilers, if any spoilers at all. The display footage goes almost perfectly in sync with your commentary. The way you describe how the anime intelligently "does" horror. This anime analysis made me want to see the anime as soon as possible. Thanks to you, I found one of my favorite anime.
Really? That surprises me that you think this is the best. I've always looked back on my older videos as less than stellar, though this one isn't that old.
Fun Fact: In Japanese version, the person who voices Rena also voices Nagisa from Clannad. Let that sink in for a moment.
+sarahebris There are some unbelievably talent voice actors in Japan.
fanboy: Nagisa's a Psychopath? THAT'S AWESOME! :D
This anime didn’t scare me.
It disturbed me, and that is an infinitely worse feeling.
oh yeah
This anime is definitely my all time favorite (no exaggeration) but I've never really thought of it as horror, or at least not a full-blown one. Sure, it has a good amount of unnerving and gory scenes, but it's pretty tame for the most part compared to other proper horror anime out there (like Corpse Party for example). Higurashi is more of a psychological mystery/thriller than horror, in my opinion.
I consider Higurashi more of a horror than Corpse Party because even though I enjoyed the Corpse Party OVA, it was just cheap gore which is not horror in my opinion.
Higurashi creates an atmosphere like no other, a truly terrifying atmosphere that makes you wonder whether something is watching you or following you. In case you're wondering Higurashi is my favourite anime of all time! It's definitely amazing, I truly love it and think it's perfect so I'm slightly biased... (The visual novels are so amazing too!).
I've watched series 1 so far of this show. I would argue the tone of the series is much closer to a psychological thriller with minor horror elements. If the series is defined as horror I just wouldn't see it as being good considering its really not that scary but is very interesting as a mystery and drama based around morbid events.
It's a psychological horror, it's not meant to scare, but to mess with you.
I would say this is the scariest series I've ever seen despite never actually making me jump. Fear is a strange thing, this quote from Stephen King is my favorite to explain this: “The 3 types of terror: The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it's when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worse one: Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there...”
I would say this anime is one of the only shows to ever strike me full of terror, and that's why I call it "scary"
Personally I find Rika Furude to be best female character ever made in any work of fiction. The show is worth watching just in order to see Rika in action.
Shadow, I love all your videos and I've watched this video enough times to know the entire script (trust me, haha). But I feel like in this review, you seem to make a few points to Higurashi being a "gorefest" which it is most definitely not. Most of the violence is off screen and there is nothing that I would qualify as extremely gory. For an example of extreme gore, I would use the Corpse Party OVAs, where the insides are thrown around and there seems to be a never ending supply of blood, which in my opinion is just cheap horror. Higurashi is a lot scarier in the tone of the show, the way the story is told and the ambiguity in the characters' true intentions, not violence.
Golden_Tsubasa *spoilers* I suggest you watch that clip of Shion getting her nails ripped off a few times. Or nailing Satoko to a cross in her basement.
***** Oh, trust me, I've seen those scenes many times (Higurashi is my favourite series XD). But still, *spoilers again for anyone who hasn't seen the whole anime or read the VNs*, most of the violence is off screen, you never see Shion's nails getting ripped off, just what they looked like after, which honestly wasn't that bad. And sure, in that particular scene with Satoko there is a lot of blood, but still, you don't see the knife go into Satoko's body but instead you just see blood flying everywhere, which was still gorey but not 'extreme gore'. And still, my point stands, its the same that you made at one point in the video, the anime is not a gorefest and is quite sparing with its harsh moments, it's just at certain points in the review I feel like were trying to say is that it's *just* filled with gore which is not the type of horror that Higurashi is.
Golden_Tsubasa
I'm not sure how I gave that impression. I talked at great length about how the art direction and the story are the main factors in how the show builds suspense.
I know you did, I do think that you included those points too but at certain points especially when talking about Shion and when recommending the anime, you describe it as "extremely gorey". I still love your reviews, particularly this one but that's just how I felt and I'm sure a few others would agree.
+ShadowACS Why did you used to think that anime "couldn't possibly be scary"? Simply because it's animated?
The famous "YOU'RE LYING!" clip. The first time I watched this I nearly soiled myself because it just made jump so well due to the suspense that Rena was going to say or do something scary and when she yelled I was traumatised.
im at episode 15 of Higarashi. and so far its AMAZING. once again Shadow, you have shown me a great anime :) and you were right in your top ten openings video when you said the episode is more sinister as the fear level rises. its just amazing!
When They Cry is utterly terrifyingly amazing I love it. ;)
ahh, higurashi,
looking at the wiki, in season one you can have anywhere from 3-6 episodes before the story resets, season 2 isn't segmented but still has a couple of resets, from season 3 the mysterys solved but the energy from the previous seasons is kept the same, its a good series if you don't mind a bit of blood and gore in nearly every episode for the first two seasons
"Oh it cant be scary"
they said
"Anime is for kids"
they said
Keep in mind, after watching this anime, it's recommended that you watch Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, which, aside from being a sequel, answers some of the mysteries left behind by it's prequel and leads the story towards a great path.
Thank you for this! I've been struggling for a long time whether I should watch Higurashi or not, but now I know it's best not too. Thanks again~!
I agreed with 100% of what you said, a couple times i literally said "Thank you" to my screen because no one seems to agree on many points, such as Rena being the scariest, though obviously its up to their opinion and I respect that. Higurashi and Higurashi Kai are probably my favorite anime(s) to date, glad you liked it Shadow, great review like all the rest! :D
You did a good job of reviewing without spoilers here. I remember that it took me five years to work up the courage to watch it. Part of what drove me away from this anime was the Shion scene with Rika in Meakshi-hen as I just saw it by randomly clicking in RUclips. Five years later, I decided to read the manga for all of the question arcs and watch the anime for all of the Answer Arcs barring Minagoroshi-hen (for which I read the manga) and I fell in love with it.
i was telling a friend about htis show.
he said "that show was to slow"
so i asked him "how far did u watch to"
"episode 2"
well... there was his problem
I wouldn't exactly call this "scary", more like "disturbing"... I really enjoyed this anime, it was confusing at first, specially after the first reset, but that lack of knowledge is what makes it more intriguing. The way it's set up is really interesting although the horror aspect goes away in the 2nd season, it still leaves you wanting more after every episode. 10/10 in my book.
This is my favorite anime (for now). It's simply amazing! Too bad not so many people know it... By the way, have you seen Deadman Wonderland? People say it is pretty good :B.
Nice video ^^
Oh and to elaborate, I agree with you on Rena. the seamless switching from cute innocent girl to bloodthirsty murderous demon is truly frightening. Honestly, my first time being introduced to her character was in the manga, and it was still a frightening transition (yes, I read the manga before watching this particular anime)
Tidbit of info here:
They started off as games. And the first season has the first 6 games in it. Which included 2 parts of the Kai series of games. That's why Season 2 was less gory, they didn't have the amount of gore left to play off of in the games. They'd used that up in the anime already. So the second season was "Answering" what happened in the first season the "right" way. So you got the better ending than in season 1. Each senario brought up in season 1, has an answer.
Yeah the two seasons changed tones.
The 1st season is a Psychological Horror anime
The 2nd season is more of a Mystery and Suspense anime.
Liked both, but the 1st season is much more impactful. One of the few great horror animes
Okay I feel that you exaggerated the horror in this show a lot. Sure it's really scary, but come on, extreme gore? I wouldn't go that far.
(semi-spoilers) Does seeing a girl's fingernails get ripped off not qualify as "extreme gore" to you? If not, then frankly, you're pretty sick.
***** Oh... yeah sorry I forgot about that. O.O
I'm just used to referring specifically to things like organs or removed body parts as gore. But yeah stuff like that... and when Keichii beat Mion and Rena to death
***** no not really
@@ShadowACS1 That's like on the mild spectrum of gore
@@Shizu_Kare SPOILERS?
I personally found Rika's and Satoko's deaths from Shino's story to be far more disturbing than the nail scene.
Ah! I'm so glad you love Higurashi ^ ^
And I also share your opinion that Rena is the scariest character. I personally agree with everything you said c:
Great job!
What I like about the story is your never sure who to trust. The characters are complex enough and the story is clever enough that characters who you think are dangerous and you think the protagonist should avoid in one arc turn out to be the ones to trust in another, and vice versa. For instance, Oishi the cop helps the character piece together the mystery in the first arc, but bodily threatens him with harm in the third. All because the characters choices change how the cast reacts to him.
It's not that scary. I mean, I watched it when I was 12 and never had nightmares or terrified during this. I only got unsettled. The only anime that really scared me was Corpse Party, and I only got scared once in Another.
I'm watched a walkthrough of Corpse Party on youtube... Does that count as watching the anime? Because I feel better when I can hear someone talking or laughing. I didn't find it that bad, but most of it was pixelated, so I can't really tell.
Yay!!! Higurashi!!! I'm glad that you did a anime analysis on this one!!!
I like the fact that the elements of the mystery are being revealed by restarting the whole plot At the beginning of each chapter.
Hey ShadowACS, two questions: first, what would you say are the top 10 darkest anime you've ever seen (not a video suggest just so you know), second, does the story in Higurashi resolve in the end or leave some loose ends.
I just felt like highlighting it in the comment section. Many people I know either get deterred by the constant "revival" of dead characters or get too puzzled by the constant mysteries left by the first season. As you mentioned, this may as well be one of the best anime series ever made, but it's necessary to watch both seasons in order for it to leave a more notable impression.
By the way, you've watched Baka and Test and School Rumble, right? What do you think of those?
This is like my 10th time watching this video of yours and I keep watching it because Higurashi is my most favourite anime of all time!!! :D I LOVE IT
I'm pretty sure that was a dream that Rika had in one of the very last seasons. Apparently Hanyuu did something so Rika thought she died and went to a new world where everything was different. She didn't try to kill Satako though she was just really pissed at her because of her stupid pranks. She only put up with it she said because she looked like the Satako she knew and cared about.
True. One of my favourite episodes from the original anime was the filler where Ed took down the terrorists on the train (since it wasn't part of the overall plot I call it filler). Zenotime was pretty entertaining as well. I guess what didn't gel for me with the original's ending was how they tried to make it uplifting right at the end, depsite the fact that by all accounts it wasn't a "happy" ending. I felt that jarred a bit too much for me to fully appreciate, even now.
The fear came from the fact that you couldn't predict how or when the scares were going to happen. And the fact the the scares came at the moments you least expect.
To explain characters like Yuno and Rena's seemingly bipolar innocent/psychotic personalities would be the term Yandere. This term being used to describe a person initially very loving, caring, and gentle to someone (or at least innocent) before they become mentally destructive in nature, often using violence and/or brutality. They are mentally unstable, and sometimes incredibly deranged and are not mentally sane, often using extreme violence and/or brutality as an outlet for their emotions. ^^
I'm finding this late, I'm currently reading the manga and finding your analysis kind of synched up with my reading. I watched the series some time ago. I heard about it but never much hype on it. I can't even remember how I ended up watching the series. Can't tell if I just bought it. All I know was that someone told me watch the first series first even though S2 was almost standalone. And MAN... best purchase of my life. The manga is even more creepy. I need more punishment.
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni is the first season, Kai is the second season and Rei is a bunch of unrelated side stories as well as an epilouge to Rika's arc as she lets go of the past and unwittingly creates Berkanstel the main villain of Umineko the sequel series of sorts to Higurashi.
I have watched higurashi and I thought it was amazing! It is absolutely one of my favorite animes. It does such a great job in being scary, funny and mysterious at the same time. The creators probably couldn't have made a better job and I love the fact that u have no clue about whats going on until the absolute end of the series. Having that said I'd like to make a request. Just recently, I watched an anime called "another" and I thought it was way more scary then higurashi. It is one of the
A lot of people who watch/read/ or played this always put Shion or Rena as the scariest, but in my opinion Rika is actually the scariest because with the info given in season 2 you realized that she has been the only one aware and just doesn't care or want to change it. She just sat along for the ride knowing that they will all die and takes pleasure from it at one point
i agree with your point about rena being the scariest character just due to the large contrast between her two sides so to speak and also just how often she switches between them and how sometimes the only que is the music change or a slight tone in her voice i thought they did it very well
Shadow, in response to your comment about the onley time Rika was scary was when she talked in the older tone in the first season, andit was not just that. In the first season or so, she almost kills satako with stuff in the classroom, like a chair. this was a result of satako playing a prank on rika. Now isn't that interresting, a character, (a child), almost beating her best friend half to death over a harmless prank.
Fun fact: Ryuugu Rena is voiced as the same person who voiced Furukawa Nagisa from Clannad. They are voiced by Nakahara Mai.
Are there any other Psychological Horror, or just Horror anime you recommend I watch? I'm already watching Higurashi and I've finished Future Diary, if Death Note counts I finished that too.
The good thing about Higurashi is that the gore is kept in moments, which keeps it fresh. It's not used constantly like in Elfen Lied.
"It can't be scary, anime is for kids."
They said.
"It will be cute."
They said.
I think the worst thing higurashi did to me was increase my fear of getting a tapeworm in my brain.
Do you think that you could remake your top 10 scariest anime characters? I'd love to see how you rank the Higurashi characters and Yuno Gasai. Keep up the good work. :)
(cont.) The first two seasons are the "main story" while the other short seasons are extras like the "happy ending" as I mentioned. Though they are no longer the horror/ thriller like you mentioned.Other than the ep. mentioned (Rei ep 2-4 and Kira ep. 4)The extras are just fanservice really. Though a ep. like the Magical girl could have been more purposeful,yet was more of a gag to me.I liked the ep with younger Rika because it brought back that tragic "fate". Reminding of the first two seasons.
I would like to thank you for helping me find this anime I have fallen in love with it.
Higurashi was my first anime. Years ago though. I wish they had made one more season, I love the sound track.
there is its higurashi kai
+Roxas of the organization I mean after the final season. I've already watched all four seasons and wish there was more.
+AnimeZumen Creators seen the movies?
+Roxas of the organization yep, saw all of them. Really loved Shion and Mion....
I like your reviews, but since you did say you might spoil the anime, I'm going to watch it, and then come back and watch your review again when I finish.
I would say that Weeping Angels are an "impending doom" kind of scary, while Higurashi is more like a "WTF IS GOING ON I'M PROBABLY GOING TO DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH" kind of scary. The thriller and mystery aspect was my favorite. I just thought the happy/silly moments were really dumb, but sort of necessary in a way. Sort of like a mindfuck when bad shit starts.
I love how the soundtrack sends shivers down your spine. One of the songs (The main theme) could be used in and of itself to create the backdrop of a horrifying universe. If you let your imagination loose while listening to this song and try to create your own world in your mind I guarantee that even if it starts of as a calm peaceful world it'll take a dark twist sooner or later.
This video is old, and the comments too. I'm happy it's still alive!
Great news for us Higurashi-fans! A new season is in the works of 2013 and it is called "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku"! This is officially confirmed!
The release date is not set yet, though.
This anime is the most creepy the first time you watch it. But like most media in the horror genre lose their effect the second time round. To be honest though, the most creepiest scene was the first time I saw Rika's disemboweled body at the Furude shrine. Those crows made it worse...
Also this line from the first episode of the second season "What the hell happened in this town?", something about it makes me think 'you have no idea...'
My favorite character gets introduced late in the anime, so I don't wanna say too much to avoid spoilers. Let's just say, I liked Hanyuu because at the time the series had built of so many expectations and assumptions about an important part of the mystery that when we finally meet Hanyuu she's basically the exact opposite of everything we were expecting. To the point of being heartbreaking at some points.
@edl01reviews i liked all the seasons, as there was a reason for all of them. the first two seasons were the actual story. Rei was supposed to confirm that there WAS a connection to Umineko. Kira was supposed to show the random, happy times of Higurashi, especially the last episode.
Rena is so cuuuute
Not sure if I am drawing conclusions where there are none but what I have noticed is shit gets real when the eyes change from normal. Though this does exclude the "verge or tears/happy" eye change
When I first noticed it, I actually did think it was a gun holster, but it just doesn't seem right. I'm not sure if it gets explained later in the show (I'm only at ep 12 now) or if it was explained in the manga (or what ever the sourse material was), but thank you for telling me that. You and the other four or five others who replied to my original comment.
The ending of this anime made it amazing!!!
I give this anime credit for desensitizing me from horrible things and horror in general. It was one of the shows that introduced me to anime, and I saw at a relativity young age. Thanks to that, I can stomach just about anything now except for excrement and rotten food.
Idk if this is true or not but I've heard that the full translation of the title is Murder When the Cicadas Cry. (I really hope it is too, a show this good deserves a title to match)
Because she still had the little girl's mindset and decided to let fate change on its own. After the first 300 deaths or so she realized it wasn't going to change without her doing something!
The second season offers answers to most questions, so don't get annoyed and confused until watching the second season
If you are really, really looking for something that isn't always so great about Higurashi, I'd have to say it's just the art style - that is, when nobody is insane and nobody's killing or being killed. But that was fixed quite nicely in Kai. :D
I just started the anime and I am at the end of episode 3 of the english dub. I can't wait for episode 4. This was the first anime to scare me and I've seen Death Note ,Deadman Wonderland,and Hellsing Ultimate . I'm not that sure of their names yet but I felt so sad for that guy. Can you imagine the fear of the possibly of someone trying to kill you. That's just scary.I just hope he doesn't die any more.
Omg higurashi scared me so much when I watched it. I mean i watched it in the dark and during the day, and even during the day i found myself looking over my shoulder. One of my freinds at school recommended it to me and I hate/love him forever for it. It is by far the best anime I've ever seen. Both seasons get 5 stars from me
btw really agree with the commentary(: love this series. have you tried reading the sound novels? they go way more in depth and, like the show, really brings the characters out and connect them to you (at least my opinion)
Frederica originated from Rika, as her alter ego.
IIn Umineko ... chiru (visual novel) they create a background story to higurashi which then makes umineko a sequel.
Stop reading now if you don't want more spoilers!
Featherine (The worlds most powerfull witch (WMPW), atm.) was playing a game where the board was the higurashi story, against Lambdadelta. It was an endless tie, and Featherine got bored of it. Berncastel replaced Featherine in the final arc. Berncastel won and became the new WMPW.
I think the comedy aspect of Higurashi gives it the effect that everyday life can turn into a nightmare at any time
I have to admit, after watching the first few episodes I had to go and hang out with my parents before I could calm down and go to bed. I'm a person who's okay with horror and thriller, loves spiders and snakes (a have a pet snake named Sonic, kawaii!), and I just simply love the thrill of scaring myself so much. This is an anime I really enjoy and can't stop thinking about. I'm only half way through the first season. I'm starting to worry, Rena hasn't snapped in a while...
The fact that Keichi's Japanese voice actor is the same person who plays the main character in Sora No Otoshimono, you can kind of expect for at least some parts to be humorous.
Because of this video, I went and watched Higurashi, even though I hate being scared. It's now my favorite anime ever and I've watched several extremely popular ones :D
Not to be rude, but I think it's a little funny that you got nightmares :3
I just laughed and smiled whenever something interesting happened ^W^
Because you should always laugh and smile whenever a character died. You are a creepy psychopath :3
i love higurashi.it scared me for life,but i love it.also you should have put the door scene in that video somewhere.
The one thing I want answered is the first scene of higurashi kai . Why is rena the only survivor ? and what about the end where older rika comes and talks to younger rika ?
Those were the only two things I didn't understand . But this is truly one of the best animes ever made if not the best ! I really honestly could not get enough of it
I honestly love this anime. I love the characters, the plot (even though it's confusing at times), and I honestly have a lesbian anime crush with Shion Sonozaki. (yeah, so what? It's not like YOU didn't have a gay anime crush!) Anyways, I like this anime so much, that I'm writing a fanfic about it, and it's already in chapter 4.
The original dubbing company went under before they could dub the second season. I do believe that I read somewhere that FUNimation currently has Higurashi licensed and that they might redub it. Until then, I'll just settle with the original English dub for season one and the sub for season two until that happens if it does.
The part that scared me the most was the finger nail scene. My fingers hurt just watching it (they still hurt when ever I think of that moment) and I was scared to pick up a pair of nail clippers for over a week.
How about the OVAs where the horror finally fades away and the theme of happiness of leading normal lives kicks in in Higurashi Rei and Kai?
After watching the first few episodes, I had to hang out with my parents for a little while to remember the difference between my life and what I watch. I'm slightly traumatized, but I can't wait to finish this! I've actually just taken up a hobby in scaring the shit out of myself.
I always thought that Naraku, the main villain of Inuyasha missed his true calling appearing in that show. He would have fitted right into Higurashi.
You are right to think that. I'm not gonna spoil anything, but you're right to have your suspicions. That's all I'm going to say.
Seeing as it's a paracitic illness at work and she's viewed as the priestess and sometime 'reincarnation' of oroshiro. She can't just disobey it's will. Plus you said scariest not most uncaring/ heartless.
I don't even remember! It's been months since I watched as episode. Despite my horror of this anime, I always want to go back and watch it again. I am then forced to stop myself and remember how I screamed in terror at my brother opening my door to wake me up in the morning. It really is a shame I can't handle scary shows. I really liked it.
Correction: visual novels are like electronic Make-Your-Own-Adventure stories. Don't quote me on that, I've never played a VN.
After Akasaka is introduced, that ends the "first" part of the games, effectively being where they SHOULD HAVE ended season 1 of the anime. However, they didn't. So the two senarios that happen after Akasaka was introduced in the anime become the "answers" to what happened in arc 1 and 2 of the anime. Hope that helps. c:
Is it wierd that im 13 and i love Higurashi. Not just because of the horror but also because of the hidden subtle meanings, the characters, and the dark/pychological plot twists. And of course Rika.
When ever Keiichi raises his voice or gets pissed of he becomes a badass.
That makes sense. In my personal opinion I enjoyed Higurashi a little more because I liked the second season of Higurashi and Rika. But I really enjoyed Highschool of the dead too. So i could definitely see the other way around.
I'm on episode 14, and I have to admit it's a bit traumatizing for me too. It's really good in my opinion. I was bored yesterday and I remembered the title of this anime from internet surfing a while back. I remembered some people saying it was scary, so I watched the first few episodes. I'm really enjoying it.
The weeping angels is truly terrifying, I watch this anime, and even through I loved it. I will never watch it again.
That how freaking scary it was, while the weeping angels I can rewatch episodes with them in it, even if they scare me.
Great that you did a review on Higurashi, its a wunderfull story.
You should really make a review of Puella magi madoka magica
I am a huge anime fan. I watched this anime and it freaked me out but I loved the plot about each time the story ended it went back to change who the psycho killer was out of the group. I loved seeing all of them as creepy killers and how they killed their friends. You should totally watch Kai, rei, Kira, and the last one Kaku
I personally think you should check out Umineko, it's a thriller/mystery anime by the same company that made Higurashi. It's pretty confusing when it comes to plot, but it's great overall.
I would say Reeka is the scariest, She knows about the cycles and even tells a few characters about them.
I literally screamed and covered my eyes when Shion's nails were cut off.
She is my favorite character and someone I can really relate to despite her insanity.
I also love the fact that she uses a taser