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Higurashi no Nakukoro ni Kai
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Animation - 7.3 |
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Sound - 7.6 |
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Story - 7.4 |
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Character - 7.4 |
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Value - 7.6 |
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Enjoyment - 7.4 |
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Average - 7.5 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| This anime has a problem particularly this was supposed to be the sequel to the scariest anime of 2006. But what you get in here is totally different. More like Back to the future. To sum it up, this is a longer version of Toki o Kakeru Shoujo but on the cute side.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
5.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| The yanderes get whacked on Scooby Snacks to the point Chris Hansen falls asleep.
Deen suddenly woke up to the fact they had a hit on their hands. /facepalm. So what do they do? They give it more love in terms of aesthetics. Which was definitely needed. But in the process they seem to have forgotten what gave Higurashi its edge. The series no longer feels scary. More like a comedy sketch with the odd bit of blood. So they fix what was wrong with the first season yet manage to ruin what was good with it. Typical.
The 1st series revealed some of the mystery behind what is going on. There is a parasitic disease lurking within Hinamizawa village that higher-ups are keeping secret. Rika is very aware of what is going on and through the resets in time, she is trying to find a way so everyone can live and make it through without succumbing to the disease and causing evil. Takano knows way more about this disease than she ever let on. Ooishi is the only person that the six kids can rely on to help them get through alive...if they can. Now that the six - actually make that seven (say hi to Hanyuu, the ghost that was following the gang and occasionally made noises that cared them) - are aware of what is going on, perhaps they can find a way...
Aesthetics are the better side of this series. The colours are better, the skin tones are good, the lines are proper. It actually looks beautiful at times. (Amazing what a proper budget can do, isn't it?) Most of the in-episode music from the first series is recycled. 'Flower In Hell' makes for a good opener. Less eerie but more of a glimmer of hope from within hell, which is fitting for the path of this series. The ending theme, however was much less effective and easily skipped.
Keichi manages to grow some backbone in this series. He's no longer weak and whiny. He is actively working to try and prevent tragedy from hitting the group and taking on those who once made him cower in fear. Shion still has the fire in her and provides a good amount of classic moments. (the 1500 seconds line - gold) However most of the cast does the reverse. Rena loses her sudden spark from last in season 1 and turns back to her moe-style. Mion is more submissive is a shadow of the reliable, fiesty girl she once was. Sakoto is merely more than a crybaby. And as for Hanyuu - she makes things ever more so irritating. Her sulky, negative nature and her silly moe-oriented expressions for otaku bait are just downright ridiculous. Hard to believe Yui Horie would lower her colours to take on such a pathetic role.
The true plus character-wise is Rika. Now that her true importance has come to the front, she takes a more central role in episodes. Her voices shift between her normal young physical self and her older spirit form. She now has a foreboding, chilling aspect to her. Rika makes for good viewing. As does Takano, who takes on a much more interesting persona as her true self comes to the forefront.
However, the pacing of the story truly waters down the impact those two should have had. Too much time is wasted on recap, stalling, fleshing out minor events to avoid the major issue. A perfect example is the eight-episode arc where all the major facts are revealed by Rika, but one has to wait through six episodes of stalling, weak posturing, whining, sniping, etc. Then when one finally gets the truth, it is good to know it but it feels like the enforced effort to learn it was much more than it should have been. Then to make matters worse, the story takes on a Scooby-Doo mode. Now don't get me wrong, I liked the Scooby Doo cartoon. But cmon, those is supposed to be a thriller/yandere series. That fact just seems to slide into oblivion as everyone runs around as if they were whacked on Scooby Snacks. Seriously...that is the mood the show takes on. From early in the series to the end. And the ultimate insult is...you still don't get to see the true ending. The Rei OVA series is when you will finally get it. 50 episodes later and you are still denied seeing what really happens. It's incredibly insulting really. That long to reveal what could have been done in half the time, tops?! One is forced to endure too much mediocrity to reach the good moments, but moreso than in the first series.
Higurashi Kai - the sequel that is weaker than the original. Improved aesthetics were not a good tradeoff for weakening the story. Deen stuffs it up once again.
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| Average |
4.0 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| Ugh, just when you think the first season did not get any worse, Higurashi Kai came to just plummet itself into oblivion. There's just so many things that went wrong in this installment that I don't know where to begin. Well, as always, I'll try to point each aspect one by one.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is the sequel to the anime adaptation of the well-known doujin game. The series covers one extra question arc and two answer arcs that supposedly wrap things up.
The visuals aren't any better than the first one at all. It's like the staff weren't even trying on improving or maybe there were on a strict budget. Either way, they lose points for that. One can notice this problem in scenes where the characters are zoomed out in perspective. They look like crude Microsoft Paint drawings. The cutesy out of place character designs also return, with a rather refreshing change. Gone are the rampant monkey-mouse hybrid face the cast makes when they are in rage mode. I see this more of a plot than stylistic choice since Kai takes a more benevolent approach. Then again, character design is subjective and this is probably not my cup of tea for what the series was intended to be.
Music was alright. Nothing shocking or stimulating, just smooth and melancholic. It mostly acts as an atmospheric setter for the plot. To be honest, though, I just end up skipping it after I heard it the first time. I could probably say the same for the acting. The seiyuu performed as well as they did in the first season. Nothing more, nothing less.
Alright, this is where it gets a little testy so try to take this with a little grain of salt. For starters, Higurashi Kai begins with what seems to be the same "creepy" feeling that the staff were going for back in season one. As it goes into the answer arcs, it just goes horribly wrong. What little suspense that was in Higurashi was tossed out of the window in favor of the sugar-coated friendship thing that Shonen Jump like to keep shoving down our throats. I mean, doesn't this show fall upon the horror genre? Sure, they could have solved the mystery, but not in this way. It was like a big middle finger to fans of the genre. This wasn't supposed to be like this...I'm sorry, I think I'm ranting so don't try lynching me for dissing Higurashi, fanboys. Oh, and not to spoil anything, the "conclusion" to the mystery was also let down.
The focus shift gears from the male protagonist, Maebara Keiichi, to blue-haired shrine maiden, Furude Rika. The change was one of the better ones since I have taken a liking to her in the first season. Since Kai serves to finish the story, there wasn't much of a development outside from a couple of key characters. The majority retain their usual selves from season one, minus the psychotic rage.
If you have not seen the first Higurashi, Kai would leave you in the dust for the most part. Higurashi fans should probably get this to see how it all ends. Skeptics from the first series should just skip it to save yourselves from further disappointment.
Like I said earlier, Higurashi may not just be my type and that my points may come across harsh for those who enjoyed it. For the curious ones, don't let me stop you for viewing it. The review serves only as a heads up to what you'll be getting out of in the whole Higurashi franchise. I might as well say that because there is a prequel in production. I doubt I'll be seeing that though.
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1 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Roto |
(2008-09-28 02:03:48) 2008-05-23 10:15:41 |
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| WARNING THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. Only because it will make the review much easier for me.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is the sequel of HIgurashi no Naku Koro ni. Here we continue off what happened to the last episode in season 1. It is the epilogue to the story of season 1. However they give a HUGE hint in this story.
Some people may try and think that this story might be related to Detective Conan or any other mystery cases. However they are wrong this isn't those type of mystery cases. This mystery is about how to save 2000 people from a disaster. Yes of course this involves murders in those other cases. Except one does not get revived to solve this mystery.
We still have all our characters. We got Keiichi, Rena, Shion, Mion, Sakoto, and Rika. They still have the same characteristic which is still good. However this time the story mostly focuses on Rika. At the beginning of the series. This is probably the Answer to all of the Question Arcs.
Rika in episode 2-5 explains her own problem. This is what reveals all of the question arcs. However the 3rd Answer arc comes in episode 6. However this Answer arc doesn't solve the problems. There's one answer arc left. However in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is all about Rika's fate. She wants to break free from her fate. She gives up hope when she tried to solve her problem, but didn't change anything. However when she goes to the next Hinamizawa village in hopes for a new world. However that hope is crushed when she's been betrayed. However she gains a spark of hope from Keiichi. So basically her hope all comes from Keiichi. He has some power to break the barrier of fate. Oh we have another character to introduce. Her name is Hanyu a spirit that follows Rika.
Here's the question though. How? Each world is tied together. They all result in mischief. Someone will commit murder, however this murder is committed by one of the main characters. To Rika she always travels to a different world whenever she's killed. There the same event will take place as the previous worlds she's been to. However there is an action that activates one of the characters mind to go crazy. Example Keiichi killed Satoko's uncle. Shion was suppose to take that action in a different world. However Keiichi had the power to break free from fate.
However i do not want to continue telling some info about the show. However the reason why the main character acted in such a way in the Question Arc was, because of a disease. Now I do not want to tell the disease anymore.
I do have to say now that this story is all mostly about trying to break free from Fate. I truly think this story was really well made. During the first season it was all about Questions and some of the Answer. But the main Answer is in this series. The reason why the people acted in the Question and Answer arcs in season 1 is all answered in season 2. The reason is because of a disease. That makes you hallucinate and get paranoid. I thought that this was a really well thought out story. Not to mention that Rika is always sent to another world when she always dies hoping for a new world. This is probably one of the best anime's I've seen that has to deal with breaking Fate. However the most disappointing thing about this story is the main villain. I'm going to be 'God:? WTF! People who think they are God are just insane. I don't like people who thinks that they are/can become god.
Oh by the way folks, we still got those brutal attacks. Except there isn't much brutal attacks as much as there was in season 1. Yeah I don't get that much goosebumps in this season. Because it's not that much horrifying. But it appears time to time.
The last 5 episodes are the best in my opinion. Where the most cliff hangers appear. This really got interesting and i like it. This story is just simply really well made. I am so glad that I've watched this. Even though there are flaws in the anime. I have enjoyed this anime to the fullest.
The animation has improved and has been done quite well. At least there's no difference in body parts. Big and small those kinds. As usual how they animate the torturing scenes are good. Still brutal and disturbing. So kids do not watch this.
Sound: We still got those good crazy voice when the people go insane. However there's not a lot of those in this season.
Oh for the opening song. The animatino and the song goes really well together. Especially the song. It fits the season perfectly well since it's about fate. And whenever i see the other main characters i think they are the "chosen ones" to help break the fate with Rika.
Man for the characters there's nothing insane about them. They still got their characteristics from season 1. We have Rena being cute and good at observing. She loves cute stuff and wants to take it home. We have Mion who is the next head for Sonozaki house. I think she's the funniest character We got her twin sister Shion as well whose all normal this time. We have Satoko who is the trap master which makes her normal as well. And we have Keiichi whose the new transfer student. However he's still the heroic type character still. And he does not go crazy at all in this season. And we have Rika who has two different personalities. The nice childhood life and the one who acts things towards about Fate. Hanyu is the spirit that dwells in Rika she's basically scared about everything.
Oh there are funny moments when watching previews for the next episode.
My favorite character is still Mion
~More Spoiler Info~
Episode 1 The Epilogue to Season 1
Episode 2-5 Rika's view on the village
The 3rd Answer Arc answers all the questoin arcs problems.
Episode 6-13 Rika tries to escape Fate Also this is the Answer arc to all of the Question Arcs
Episode 14-24 is the last and final Answer Arc. This Answer is the key of saving the Village. And we find some of the missing key figures as well.
Episode 14-17 We see the intention of why the villain wants to become God
Episode 18 The Village's life before Keiichi comes.
Episode 19 Hanyu becomes a transfer student. Okay I don't understand how that happened so i can't explain it.
Episode20-24 Is the final solution to the arc. Everything is solved here.
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| Average |
8.4 |
| Animation |
0 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| The sequel of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni.
If the first season creeps you bit too much,you can finally relax here.Otherwise you will be disappointed with the great decrease of violence and deaths.However,the all along intriguing suspense is still there for the first half of ni kai.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Sequel of the fisrt season Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.
The series are well made, mainly the point of the series is bring the answer to the first arcs in the first season, also the main character here is Rika who for some reason is always killed in every world, the point of the series is to solve this mistery and bring evry one to a happy world.
I liked the animaton mmore than the first season one, also all the characters are all well developed, you can also watch a lor of funny stuff, however since two of the first chapters of the original work were already shown in the first season (Meakashi 目明し編, Tsumihoroboshi 罪滅ぼし編) the season seem a little more soft and centers more in the mistery part than the horror part, also there are some episode which are a little dumb, however the overall series are good.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Higurashi Kai is a more laid-back, less thought intensive sequel to its more convoluted, blood, and down-right creepy first season. Here, essentially all the answers are presented to you. We get the conclusion and explanation for the mysterious foot steps, the apparent different dimensions, the odd and brutal killings, etc. Oh yes, if you have not seen this yet, do not worry, there will be no major spoilers here, but you should not keep reading as its a requirement to watch the first season before even contemplating this one.
The sequels recreates the same atmosphere as the first. The animation style, music, and settings are all very familiar. However, this time, the story is told all from Rika's point of view (with a few exceptions). Because Higurashi essentially revolves around Rika, we also get to see more of her struggles and the answers to our previous perplexing puzzles. I found the story to be quite satisfactory and could not distinguish any noticeable inconsistencies between the two seasons.
Actually, to review this season is quite difficult. As a series alone, it would be incomplete and a bit bland. But as a 'solutions' arc, it could not do any better. Not only does it go more into the puppetmasters and their history, but it also maintains a good sense of consistency and urgency.
My biggest praise for this series would be how it presented all the answers. The story basically follows: in each alternate dimension, Rika tries to fight fate. As she learns more about her situation, she begins to gather the tools to aid her struggle. In each arc, she somehow manages to fight the bitter end to her friends, and unites them together. We learn that obstacles can be overcome and that curses can be defeated
My biggest complaint is how everything is so 'warm' and 'sweet'. Sure, people try to kill each other, but it just felt like they kept reiterating that friendship, unity, and trust can defeat any sort of enemy. In fact, the decisive factor that lets them 'win' so to speak is exactly unity. Furthermore, it was kind of difficult to swallow their 'win' over the enemy. But, like I said, as an answer/solution to the first season, I really enjoyed how they presented it. Just be sure to expect some cheese.
Although I found the ending to be a bit too easily wrapped up, I was satisfied with the explanations alone. They tied up a lot of the loose ends nicely. I enjoyed this second season. You will too if you do not expect the same amount of complexity as the first season. Just sit back and relax - there isn't as much paranoia, murder, and torture here - and watch the solutions to your questions reveal themselves.
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4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Story:
This is a direct continuation of the the original higurashi series, so if you haven't watched that don't even bother with this series. The questions from the first series are, for the most part, wrapped up with finality. Rather then being a bunch of disjointed alternate universes of the first series, this anime bears some consistency throughout the various plot arcs. With this series we have Rika stuck in an endless time loop attempting to prevent her own death which we learned at the end of the original was actually the focus of the entire anime. So if you were a bit put off by the seemingly unrelated plots of the first series, believe me it's worth it and all comes together in the end. Good story, and thumping good ending too (a rarity these days in anime)
Animation:
Standard anime fare. bland colors, style bearing resemblance to just about every other anime out there. Nothing spectacular, but it works.
Sound:
I love the opening song, that being said the rest of the music fits the series quite well and does not destroy the mood for the most part.
Character:
Generally shallow cookie cutter anime characters. Cept everyone of them is crazy lol. It's entertaining and yet many moments you feel like you've been there done that with some of the characters. They all do fit their specific piece of the puzzle in bringing the story together. But I must say you shouldn't go in expecting the characters to show and real amount of depth save for Rika.
Value & Enjoyment:
I enjoyed this series, it's story kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I may have sounded critical at points but it's definitely worth a look, so long as you can sit through the first series.
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