Let's Read Higurashi When They Cry! - Ch.1 Onikakushi

Off-Topic
#1

Hey guys! This isn’t quite a complete Higurashi discussion topic, and not quite a bookclub either. Basically, Rabla and I wanted a space to chat about Higurashi WTC now that Chapter 1 has been released on Steam, but we wanted it to be free of late-game spoilers. So, this topic will serve as a discussion topic for Higurashi WTC Ch.1, but spoilers for anything beyond Ch.1 are strictly forbidden, even behind tags. In that sense, it’s like we’re reading through and discussing the game together, as it becomes available on Steam! We hope you’ll consider joining the discussion.

As for spoilers within the currently released content… All content currently available is free to discuss without [spoiler] tags, so if you haven’t finished reading up to date yet (and haven’t seen the other Higurashi media), avert your gaze from this topic!

With that said, let the discussion begin! Welcome to Hinamizawa.

Chapter 2 discussion has begun: Let's Read Higurashi When They Cry! - Ch.2 Watanagashi

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#2

I’ll pick this up as soon as I’m done with Heaven’s Feel, seems like a perfect time to read this. The stuff I’ve heard about it makes it seem like I’d enjoy it a lot (and probably find it pretty spooky).

#3

Personally, even though I haven’t read the VN yet, as a diehard Umineko fan I’m super excited to see lots of new audiences being introduced to the When They Cry franchise. Most people have already seen the anime by now, but I’m pleasantly surprised to find people who are choosing to experience Higurashi for the first time in the VN. That’s really awesome. I don’t even need to have read it to be able to tell that the Higurashi VN is a vastly superior experience to the Anime, as someone who’s read Umineko in it’s entirety. But I look forward to seeing that confirmed for myself when I read it very soon.

And yes, you can expect it to be spooky, but Higurashi is a lot more multi-layered than one might expect from all the notoriety it’s gained. Most of the public appearance of Higurashi is Slice of Life and Horror/Gore (with lots of ecchi if you include the OVAs). But there’s much much more to Higurashi than that. It’s just as much about delving into the psychology of the characters, the emotional twists and turns. And all of this is just flavouring to the main course, which would be the multi-layered mystery that keeps consistently throwing you into confusion while baiting you with just enough hints to keep you from giving into despair. The mystery is such a crucial part of the When They Cry series, that some anime viewers don’t care to acknowledge because they just wanna watch young teens killing each other.

I’m pretty sure that the story will take a decent amount of time to establish the setting and characters, but don’t worry, because it gets intense pretty quickly after.

1 Like
#4

Personally, I wanted to wait until October before I started reading it, but I think I’ll advance my schedule a little bit.

#5

I read Higu with the PS2-sprites, so these steam-sprites look kinda weird to me^^

spoilerfree img: http://i.imgur.com/I3ueYmX.png “haooooo…” :3

Anyways, I’ll check these threads every now and then (without spoiling anything of course), seeing people discuss it without knowing everything should be interesting, especially considering that when I read it I could only talk with 1 friend about it, who had read Higu back when it was new… maybe you guys will reach completely different conclusions from what I did after each chapter

And yes, I can confirm that the VN is vastly superior to the anime. @Aspirety Did you at least see the Higu-anime before reading Umi? Because if not, that means you missed all of the (big and small) references D:
Little side note: I have next week off, so I’ll probably finish Umi then, will start Ep6 tomorrow or on friday

#6

Don’t worry, I’m quite familiar with the connections between the two.

Also, just gonna dump Faulerro’s Higurashi Abridged here for people who’ve finished Onikakushi.

I think it’s hilarious, but also very very cleverly written, with respectful treatment of the source material. The guy is a big fan of the VNs, so it works out well.

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#7

I should definitely buy this and read it whenever I have the time… Probably by next month I should be a bit more free, so hopefully I can pop in on this thread more often later on~

#8

I bought the hard copy of the question arc years ago but never actually read past the second arc… Maybe once you get to the later chapters I’ll join in? I’ve seen the anime, but never finished the VN.

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#9

I’ve read the old translation of Onikakushi-hen, which was available on the Amazon Appstore for free. I heard that a lot of things were changed for the initial English release, such as completely replacing the BGM, removing the Minigames and Music Room (the latter removal being a crime against humanity), and removing some violent scenes and other questionable content. Despite all that, I still found the story quite gripping, and I could never put it down for long once I started reading.

With this new translation, I hope I can get the complete package. Finding the money for it is going to be a pain, though, especially since I’m saving up for Fate/Stay Night… :confused:

#10

Darn Aspi I was going to finally read Tsukihime and now you give me an excuse to finally read Higurashi…fine talking about Higurashi knowing the ending without spoilers will be a bit difficult though.lol

#11

IDK if this new sprites look better or worse then the ps2 version but whatever they are fine enough. I’ve played the 1st chapter and part of the 2nd but then never got around to finish the whole thing (adding this to the large list of vn’s that I took a break midway through). I wonder how long it will take for mangagamer to release the whole thing here in the west…

#12

I read through Higurashi about one and a half years ago and just finished rewatching the anime, so it feels like a good time to start a reread ^^

Gotta love how they introduce Satoko xD

#13

I’m game.

I know next to nothing of this. It’s about time to read something on a whim. I’ll definitely pick it up on Steam when I get the chance.

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#14

Just started reading this thing today, and just finished chapter 2 of Ch. 1 (lol?) and I gotta say: the daily life porrtions are just a joy to read. This has got to be one of, if not the most enjoyable “common routes” I’ve read. The whole relationship between the characters and how they try to one-up each other is just so fun to watch.

Of course, I am very much aware of how this will change as the VN moves along. Rena especially, since I know all the screenshots of her involve her with a crazy face holding a knife so… I’m looking forward to that? ^_^;

For the meantime…
HAOOOO KYUUUTE~~~

1 Like
#15

Awww nobody else posting here? Heh, oh well.

Currently finished chapter 8, and it’s where shit starts hitting the fan. I don’t think I’ve ever played a VN where I am as immersed as I am now while reading this. The first chapters were really fun and I was excited to see how the characters just played around. Once things started getting into motion, the writing just absorbs me into the mind of the main character. I am literally feeling the same emotions that the main character is having.
I guess the whole him being an outsider has a lot to play into it. In practically all the VNs I’ve played, the MC has at least some familiarity with the characters there. Add to that the fact that it is used to the story’s advantage gives it a higher plus to the immersion factor. I was genuinely upset after finding out that the others were keeping things from Keiichi. I thought they were friends!? Why were they hiding these things?
The part where Rena starts getting emotionless was kind of expected because, really, who hasn’t been spoiled about Rena at this point in time :stuck_out_tongue:

But that last scene in chapter 8, after finding out that Rena had been listening in on you the whole time? That is the definition of horror right there. At first I thought the “horror” in this game would be the usual things you see in horror movies (Japanese or otherwise), but the whole reality of the thing is what makes it all the more scary. You know exactly how Rena might react towards this, and honestly, my heart was pounding like crazy.

Bravo, Ryukishi. You really do excel at these kinds of stories.

3 Likes
#16

I’m not posting here (yet), but I keep checking if someone else has posted something, and reading your reaction to things is really fun :smiley:

I agree though, the atmosphere in Higurashi is awesome and the characters are fun and interesting. Really looking forward to seeing your (and others’) speculations after finishing it :3

#17

I just finished it today. I had already watched the anime as well as played all the umineko vn, and I must say it really has brought the higurashi fanboy that I had forgotten about back. I have for sure picked up on things because I remember I kind of wish I had forgotten everything! Even umineko has sort of made me see interesting parallels and viewpoints.

I just love how he does “that perspective thing…” I am trying not to spoil anything, but it was in umineko too and even in the rewrite route he wrote. It’s going to be awesome when the next episode comes out I look forward to it.

#18

So I found a mod to change the backgrounds/sprites to the PS ones, and it even has CGs!


I’ll probably get the steam version just to have it^^

Will delete the voice files from that mod tho, playing Higu with voices would feel odd

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#19

Wow dude thanks a lot for bringing this up. Finally we can have a 100% good visual version of Higurashi like the one we had with Umineko. There was a PS2 patch for the original but that only added the sprites. Anyway thank you and I should get around to play it with the new patch.

#20

It looks so perfect

HmroNhu.jpg1363×768 248 KB

I know what I’ll be rereading over the weekend :3