Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Rakettipoika
My all time favorite anime 10/10. The series does a good job of tricking the viewer into thinking it's something else during the first couple of episodes. It's not cutesy slice of life allthough they wwill be some serious slicing later on. All the characters are deep and well-made. They have their own personalities and problems, which are deeply connected to the deeper story. The mystery forces you to binge watch the entire season in a couple of evenings and you can't guess the ending in advance. The violence scenes are well-made and the gore stays in your memory long after the series ends. Truly one of the best animes ever made, and there will probably never be another series like it.
Read at the sourceLainsCodex
"A flower raised in a greenhouse is still beautiful, even though it knows no adversity. But a flower growing in the field that has braved wind, rain, cold, and heat possesses something much more than beauty." -Rena Ryuugu
Given that the 20 year anniversary is now upon us, I found it fitting to finally speak on Higurashi, arguably one of the greatest pieces of writing in the anime medium. It is one of the most abstract approaches to storytelling I have ever witnessed, reverse engineering tropes of psychological and supernatural horror to speak on the values of friendship, struggle, the meaning of life and death, and above all else - the power of tenacity and unyielding desire to live. Utilizing uncanny valley and the act of "show, don't tell", Higurashi keeps you completely in the dark unt…
Read at the sourceTontonBoo
Higurashi. A tough one. If you can stand some heavy discomfort, a spoonful of anime-stupid and wanna have a memorable ride, go for it as blind as possible. You'll probably see things you'll never forget. Keep your Japanese-symbolism lexicon close at hand, you'll probably need it at some point. That's all I'll say to the non-initiated.
For those in the know, this is both a straightforward horror whodunnit, a subversion of a bunch of anime tropes and a deconstruction of Japanese superstitions and cultural traditions. All that in an anime about cute moe girls. "Omochikaeri!" A couple of unforgettable characters and a lot of very interesting and intriguing plot developments.
They mostly stick the landing, even the outlandish stuff gets a payoff. Some missteps tonally here and there, but ge…
Read at the sourceJTthehigfan
This may be one of my hotter takes as an anime fan but Higurashi season 1 is my favorite and one of the most enjoyable anime’s I’ve ever watched.
Every episode hit for me and I got hooked very quickly watching this show. I love that they gave each character their own arc, and the aesthetic in this show may be the best thing about it, Higurashi takes place in a small town called hinimizawa and this just adds to the great horror aspect,and the cicada noises in the background of this anime for some reason add such a great vibe to the overall aesthetic of this show. There are some great scenes in this anime that will send chills down your spine, and don’t even get me started about the soundtrack of this anime, it is my favorite soundtrack by far, and the music fits the theme and scenes of thi…
Read at the sourceninjapuppy17543
I don't want to sound edgy but this genuinley is my comfort anime, excluding the gore aspect of it, it's one of the best slice of life or just general animes ever. It really doesnt get more "anime" as this.
The main charachter basically goes to a small village and his only classmates are girls of varying ages (cuz ofc, its anime). Then mysteries happen and its nice to see differenct charachter arcs when its peaceful (I tend to skip the gorey stuff).
The vibes are great, really defines a 2000s anime and just ties everything together. Havent watched the next seasons as life got busy, but I always circle back to rewatching the same episodes. Highly reccomend to anyone wanting to find something "intense" but with its moments of intensity.
Read at the sourcehammiuwu
Revisting Higurashi: When They Cry 4 years after my first watch and review is a fascinating experience. This anime is a mix of psychological horror, slice of life, and toothache-worthy moé.
Ignoring personal attachment or nostalgia for the series, it is certainly... something. The art style is very nice to look at for the majority of close-up shots, but the errors definitely date it and reveal its budget. Proportion errors become glaringly obvious, especially with the Sonozaki sisters when they are viewed from more that 5 feet away.
It is very clear that this anime is inspired by the VN, which entails tons of fanservice. Frankly, gross fanservice. This is typical of anime, especially from nearly 20 years ago, but it doesn't make it enjoyable. Honestly, a lot of the shot composition in dr…
Read at the sourceSupersonic_Pain
I think the most damning thing for me was sitting down, after it was over, and asking myself what I really enjoyed from this anime.
I liked the OP (although Kai's OP is better) and I guess it was vaguely interesting.
But in the middle of the Time Wasting chapter, I just kind of sat there and was like "do I even give a shit anymore"
And I stopped caring after that.
I concede that a lot of this may be fixed if I watched Kai which I probably won't do (I happened to hear Kai's OP before I watched it, so that's why I know that part) but for being the first half of the story, it's not engaging enough for me to want to know what happens in Kai, which I consider a failure.
They write the teenagers to be outright psychopaths. I get they need to believe in the believe that believes in them or w…
Read at the sourceMrSlamboni
Very original, interesting and creative concept. However, the reason I cannot give it a higher score is that between the psychological horror parts, it is really bad. It becomes this really shitty school harem with unfunny jokes and the "uwu" art style. I am assuming that this is because they want to create a stark contrast between the "peace time" and the "horror time". However, that doesn't excuse making me watch garbage after every arc. It seems that the true psychological horror is whenever they attempt to portray a school life.
Another pet peeve: What the f*** is their age supposed to be? Rena and Satoko are 2 years apart, yet Satoko is the size of a 4 year old toddler when compared to Rena, who is supposed to be a teenager. Keichi and Rena are always sitting in class with people hal…
Read at the sourceDrewge
Higurashi is an amazing anime.
This review won't be long, I wont provide a summary. It is only meant to give a better idea of what to expect when watching this anime.
I am going to start by saying that Higurashi is not an anime for those who are unable to piece together information given over multiple arcs.
That said, this anime is broken up into four main arcs in which a different character will fall victim to "Oyashiro-sama's curse". There is also one mini arc that provides some backstory, and one arc which is a retelling of one of the main arcs, but from a different perspective. The real gem to this anime is the subtle hints that are provided throughout each arc. Each arc has a set of consistencies that can help lead to solving the mystery of Oyashiro-sama before you even watch the an…
Read at the sourceueberStuhl
When They Cry
Is a series that has become somewhat of a phenomenon in the horror anime genre, a highly engaging and unique series that has left a lasting impression on me.
1. Musical Accompaniment: Opening and ending theme of this series - ATAS. The 70+- OST tracks and each one sounds good, note EVERYONE.
2. Atmosphere: Here is my respect. Quiet and calm at first glance, but then it transforms into something dark and extremely menacing.
3. Characters: Although I didn't feel a strong attachment to any specific character, they all feel well-developed, alive, and realistic, adding depth and intrigue to the story.
4. Plot: Here it was divided into arcs, because of this the narrative is slightly sluggish (but not boring) and some points are not explained that can slightly spoil the detective p…
Read at the sourcegrimbles
holy crap is this one GOOD anime. the premise of a small village where the mysterious "oyashiro-sama" inflicts a violent curse on certain people, and the division of a master arc into different subplots with unique setups makes this a bona-fide psychological thriller, with an emphasis on the psychological part. the series makes you constantly question who the villain is going to be for each arc, and how this ragtag group of friends unravel every few episodes. while i'm not usually a fan of supernatural anime since it most often tends to follow a similar trajectory across most, but with Higurashi, the focus is less on the supernatural aspect and more on how the curse itself transforms the individuals it affects, and how their interactions with the people around them begin a chain reaction o…
Read at the sourcefnafjeremy
Higurashi is one of my favorite anime! So, I watched it a bit out of order. Season 2- then 1 last. I'll do the ova soon. But WOW i really enjoyed this season! I do understand why people say its confusing. Of course watch season 2 to understand it better! I really loved this series so much. I love this season since it doesn't repeat as much as the others. Which can get a bit boring. So I half watch where I know what happens. I really love this series so I will definitely try out the game sometime soon! Over all it ends so well!
Read at the sourceJastereich
Higurashi is very unique in that it immerses us into its own world. It cleverly evokes fear, shock, anxiety and also disgust but then sets the time back forcing us to plunge into the disturbing plot again. Some story arcs unfold as slow-burning tension, while others are frenetic bloodbaths. This diversity keeps us perpetually on edge, preventing any chance of settling into a predictable viewing pattern. Every arc moves further into the greater mystery of Hinamizawa, which both draws us in to uncover these secrets and also makes us afraid at what may emerge.
At the same time, Higurashi’s greatest strength is the way it makes us feel as though we live with its own characters. It focuses on the character development before getting into the horror aspects. Through their interactions, the char…
Read at the sourceBiisoo
Watching Higurashi was a stressful experience, because not only was I not used to watching Horror anime and gorey anime as frequently in 2017, I also had my midterm exams coming up in a week. So my tension was high but amidst all that I dont know how I made the decision to start Higurashi back then but it was well worth it because to this day I think Higurashi did the horror and mystery element extremely well. So much so that it kept me on my feet, Episodes after episode, I was left dumbfounded. I was scared, confused and was craving for more.
The atmosphere that this show sets for Hinamizawa is amazing, You actually feel like you're a part of Hinamizawa (the main countryside location in this anime). The eerie windblowing down to the blood soaked sunsets. Oh and those cicada sounds were s…
Read at the sourceAnglix
I partially understand why the low rating on this site because of all the confused people who dropped the anime. The Higurashi series is a mix of various genres, but primary is on the MYSTERY genre as well as Umineko. People can get confused because it adds to the mix some horror, comedy, slice of life and at times some sci-fi, sobrenatural or magical stuff. It really is a mix of everything so I understand why people can get confused at first but you need to understand all the episodes leaves you with questions and you will be solving the puzzle and mystery if you really pay attention. At the end all mysteries are solved but you need to be patient.
Read at the sourceHerobrina
Watching Higurashi was one of the best experiences I've had with any anime.
I remember I watched some edgy edit on YouTube back in 2018 and thought: "oh yeah a gore anime I'll add it to my list and watch it when I feel like it". And so I did, I had 0 knowledge about this show and I'm so thankful for it, because it really was a ROLLERCOASTER.
I didn't expect anything from it, I knew it had gore and thought it probably didn't even have good story, and the first chapters confirmed my thoughts because the story was confusing and basically had no sense, but I was having fun.
But then I kept watching and I ended up INVESTED in the story and even CRIED a lot in some scenes. I 100% recommend it but please avoid any kind of summary or spoiler because it will probably ruin the experience.
I hav…
Read at the sourcecrescxnt
After dropping this series for about 2 years (or technically putting it on hold), I finally came back to try and finish this anime just because of how renowned it is as a psychological horror. I didn't want to miss out and was curious about it. I'm quite glad I finally am able to finish it.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is definitely hard to get into and understand without any background knowledge of how it works. Going into it, all I knew was how gruesome, twisted, and shocking it is. What confused me the most is how every few episodes is a different arc. While watching, I had so many questions about what was going on and really just wanted a bit of explanation but after a few arcs and still no answer to what was happening, I think that's what made me lose interest. I had to search and read…
Read at the sourceD1antoni0
That series reminds me "Final destanation" especially last 2 seasons. A lot of gory situations, sometimes jumpscares.
More than enough violence. Viewer might be prepared for this kind of stuff. That's why it mixed feelings. Someone will just wait this gory scenes. I don't recommend if you one of them.
Based on supnatural and science fiction.
Plot is based on supnatural and science fiction.
You had better to feel it by yourself without wiki/fandom. It well structured and viewer gets it in right moment, so if you can't understand some part — just keep watching. If you bored, you had better to make a stop for a few days. Higurasi is long and some parts are essential but unintresting. I've seen it 3 month ago, and maybe have already forgotten some plot mistakes, so i can't judge technically.…
Read at the sourcehaekele
This is one of the first gory horror anime that I've ever watched. It's been an amazing experience though. Let's talk about it catagorically.
Story:
It's pretty good. The anime does have sort of a slow start with the first 15 or so episodes being quite slow, but later on it catches place and gets very interesting. Also, the start of the anime can be very confusing, but don't let that stop you, because a lot is explained later on and probably even more in season 2. A lot of things clear up and you're left with a feeling of satisfaction.
8 / 10
Characters:
There are some interesting characters in the show having their own set of problems and insecurities that if left unchecked may lead them to become murderous psychopaths. Perfect for a show about horror. Even the MC, who we believe to be…
Read at the sourceRe1612
Let's start this review with the obligatory 'the VN is better than the anime'. Now that's out of the way:
Horror and anime. It's a duo that is usually never done well unfortunately. The evidence for this is just a quick search through the horror filter for animes and realising that most of what you'll find is almost always not scary. As such, I wholeheartedly respect Higurashi for delving into this genre for anime and succeeding in it, that is, it's actually scary for first time viewers. And not in the cheap jumpscare kind of way, but in its atmospheric 'something is wrong' chills (along with its iconic and namesake cries of cicadas) that is present throughout the majority of the anime.
Story 9/10
New kid moves into village with a scary background and scary villagers. Not a very unique…
Read at the source
