Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai | |
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Studio : Studio DEEN
Length : 24 Episodes
Year : 2007
Genre : Drama - Horror - Mystery - Psychological
Synopsis :
The small and quiet Hinamizawa village is, at first sight, no different from any other. However, the village hides a terrible secret: the local deity's curse, which has been claiming lives every year ever since a failed attempt to build a nearby dam that would have submerged it. As the Watanagashi festival approaches once again, Hinamizawa's curse may end even more lives this year...
But is there really a curse or is someone guilty of these gruesome crimes? What forces are truly behind Hinamizawa? And how do these events affect the lives of the village's youth, each with a different but crucial role in the different events that unfold as the Curse takes place?
Added : 2007-07-04
Synopsis by : leoxjm
Last update : 2008-04-12
Last update details : Seiyuu added
Score : 7.75
Number of reviews : 8
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Oyashirosama's Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai Website (Japanese)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Eiko Shimamiya - Naraku no Hana
Ending #1 : anNina - Taishou.a
Release(s) :
2010-04-09 -- Episode(s) 13 by Ayu. BT Link
2010-04-09 -- Episode(s) 12 by Ayu. BT Link
2010-01-27 -- Episode(s) 12 by We are IN Denial. BT Link
Found 132 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
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Posted by : Terentius 
Posted on : 2009-12-03  
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai was the sequel to the disturbing first season of Higurashi. Did it entertain as much as it shocked like its predecessor?
Animation
The animation was unchanged as Studio DEEN continued where they left off. There was no major change other than the better quality animation and the introduction of Hanyuu to the cast. I won't comment any further as there weren't any key improvements (or disappointments) from the first season.
Story
The story and plot finally started becoming more coherent. At times it felt very random with the constantly changing story arcs in the first season. This time round the story had a more definitive goal and conclusion. All the missing pieces were starting to come together and by the end the mystery of Hinamizawa village was eventually solved. What was perhaps the saddest aspect of the story was its transition from a predominantly horror based story to a detective-like mystery. This took away much of the impetus that made the first season such an entertaining watch. There was a noticeable toning down of the violence too. Fortunately it never reached the point where it became detrimental.
Characters
More was focused this time round on the antagonists of the show (he/she will remain un-named as it would ruin a large part of the surprise). What I thought was handled very well was the expounding of their backgrounds and motivation behind their ungodly acts of immorality and cruelty. Much more was explored in terms of the more peripheral cast members which again was a plus. It would have been very easy to have neglected the main cast's development as nearly all of them were explored in detail with the first season, but I felt that the main focus of this current season had shifted to Rika Furude. She became the main character after being cast as a near marginalised sideshow previously. Seeing that she had now been the catalyst in nearly all the affairs of Hinamizawa village was quite a revelation.
Music/Sound
Once more the OP was a very haunting tune that immediately captured my attention with its initially disjointed melody and fast pace. The enjoyable ED was much more "down-to-earth" and melancholic. The score was not a major talking point but it did have some fleeting moments that were appropriately atmospheric.
Summary
The first season was a taster and an introduction. This second season was a conclusion and explanation of the events of Hinimizawa village.
Ultimately I felt disappointed by the cause of the paranoia and behaviour of the cast as I was expecting something much more 'terrifying'. Judging Kai as an extension of the tale of Higurashi rather than just a separate season, I found this a satisfying conclusion to an entertaining Horror/Thriller. The shift from the horror to the mystery genre might have thrown many fans off, but I feel that it was executed well with the interjection of the main antagonist's back-story as the catalyst. Kai wasn't as good as the first season horror-wise, but it was superior in terms of a more cohesive plot and in finally explaining the mysteries of the village. Less gruesome, but as entertaining I'm happy to award this 4.5 stars.
Posted by : kevinchaosvs
Posted on : 2009-05-14
The high amount of blood in season1 was deliberately made such that it signified the delusions of the characters through the exaggerations of the scenes of murders. Inversely, the idea that season 2 is less bloody thus serves to show that the characters were slowly gathering the answers rather than be lead on by wild speculations and be overcome by paranoia. That is also another reason why, in the later half of Kai, we are no longer viewing the show from the perspective of an unreliable narrator, but that of a so-called “standard" reliable narrator: Hanyu, the one who is aware of the truth behind the series of tragedies. As such, it is also understandable that Kai is less creepy. However, it does still maintain a high level of suspense as the audience is left pondering if the characters can eventually find the correct path to a “Good End" (though I found the initial few episodes quite boring). In retrospect, Kai is essentially contrasting against season 1 and it’s not just because it’s the Answers to season 1’s Questions. Art and music style is practically the same, so no point repeating the stuffs in the review for season 1. As for the characters, Kai is looking more on the events occurring than of the characters themselves, except perhaps Takano. On the revelation of the cause of the events: it was somewhat quite a downer because unsurprisingly, I was expecting something rather grand to be the root of the problem.
Higurashi no Naku koro ni on the whole, wasn’t exactly what I’ll call memorable and neither does it have a very high re-watch value. Nevertheless, it is a series highly recommended for those looking for a suspense/psychological-based series accompanied by sufficient amount of blood.
Posted by : du5k
Posted on : 2008-07-26
The second season of Higurashi lost the horror genre that the first season has done so well. This season’s "Kai" means the solution or reason that everything that has been going on in the first season, in which the main character (Furude Rika this time) explains and pieces together the information she found and, most importantly, found the determination to try and prevent all the tragedies from happening. The story isn’t scary anymore; it became a fairly exciting story where the mystery unravels itself. I find that blaming this strange phenomenon on an unidentified disease is weak, but at least, the story presented it well.
This season by itself isn't much, as it lacks impact and the mysteries won’t really matter, perhaps for maybe Takano’s tragic back story. However, if you’ve enjoyed the first season this will be a great watch as you’ll feel connected to the characters to be interested to see how it all turns out. In the end, it won’t be too much of a loss without the crazy, psychotic, horror elements.
If you think the first season OP was good, you’ll probably think this is awesome. With the help of the animation, of course, I listened to the full song and found it rather bland. The ED didn’t catch my attention. The animation didn’t really improve from the first season, though. I found the Rika and Hanyuu’s preview pretty cute.
If you like the first season, you should watch this. However… don’t expect a lot of the horror elements.
Plot: 9
Story Style: 9
Animation: 7
Music: 8
Value: 9
Posted by : wolfie208
Posted on : 2008-02-23
This and the first season, it has to be my absolute favorite animes. This show isn't quite as good as the first season, but it's still a wonderful show. If you're watching this season because you loved the first one (because of all the gore and horror), then I wouldn't really reccommend watching it. This sequel, basically wraps things up, answering unanswered questions, though there is a less gore and a tinsy bit of horror, it mostly shows Rika's quest to beat fate. This anime had a heart warming beautiful ending. The art improved vastly, especially in the characters eyes. The only complaints I have about this show is near the end the creators seemed to get a bit lazy in character design (when not focused directly on a character) and they mostly seemed to focus on Rika and a few others. I found myself missing Rena, Keiichi, and the others in some of the later episodes. Overall, great anime. Not recommended to watch if you haven't seen the first season.
Posted by : leoxjm
Posted on : 2008-02-07
Right off the bat I have to admit something: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai certainly is not up to par with the original season of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. However, it makes for a really enjoyable watch nevertheless, although that depends much on a person's take on the original as well, as much of what makes Kai depends on it.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai makes a return to Hinamizawa and the tragic chain of deaths surrounding the Watanagashi Festival. Given all that is revealed at the end of the original Higurashi, it would have been absurd to expect more of the same. Some mysteries are clear, some are compounded, but trying that again would have been beating on a dead horse. It is fortunate that Kai doesn't try. It is only composed of 3 story arcs, which seem only loosely based on the original's 6.
As much as the original series focused on despair and paranoia, Kai focuses instead on hope and trust. Unlike the original, in this case Rika remains the most important character of the series throughout its run, although all of the others play an important role; particularly Takano, Tomitake and Irie, who were pretty much background decorations and stepping stones the first time around. Since Rika was arguably the most neglected character of the main cast the first time around (even though she was in many instances the most crucial), the fact that this entire series is almost exclusively devoted to her is a radical, but welcome change. The addition of Hanyuu to the cast was also a refreshing change, even if she was a nonfactor for most of the series. I liked how her influence in the end is subtle... but important. Cheers to that.
Unfortunately, there are also less welcome changes as well. The more psychological and supernatural aspects of the original series, though still important, are downplayed in Kai, favoring some more mundane and scientific explanations for Hinamizawa's tragedies. What was more attractive for me in the original series were actually the things that Kai left in the back burner. Although the series still develops consistently, I have to admit that some of the answers it gave were rather disappointing and, upon closer scrutiny, they're not really as bulletproof as they make them seem (particularly the whole Queen Carrier thing). Character management remains solid, but sadly the plot choices not so much so. At least it is developed with competence, which certainly makes it easier to overlook some of its flaws.
Visually, this second series is quite similar to the original. The design is pretty much the same, so for those of us who liked it the first time, we'll like it the second as well. The animation is a bit of a mixed bag, though. Early on, Kai featured minute but noticeable improvements over its predecessor in terms of animation, but by the end the level was pretty much the same again. Though not all that bad, I really did expect more from Kai. The musical score, however, remained solid. Once again, I liked the background music a lot, the Op was gorgeous, although I admittedly found the Ed rather forgettable.
I have to admit that, although not everything about Kai is as I would have liked it to be, I still enjoyed the show. Watching the characters struggle for something instead of just destroying themselves was not really something I expected, but it works effectively most of the time. It even retains some of that Higurashi flavor despite the rather opposite thematic. It offers plenty of enjoyment to fans of the original show, but I really can't blame anyone for thinking that some answers may be better left unknown, even if I personally disagree in this case. Although Kai provides pretty much all the answers that the first might have raised and ends at a high point, I think it was pretty interesting that it effectively added a question mark at the end. I have to wonder if the last word has really been said about Higurashi no Naku Koro ni... I sure hope not.
Posted by : ErwinRommel
Posted on : 2008-01-05
If you are expecting a continuation of the terror reigned in the first season then I recommend you to look somewhere else. The anime abandoned the one thing that made this series so good. The constant creepiness mixed with the cute girl moments.
You could tell the anime completely lost aim when the first minute is not of an impending death scene. The story is now the main focus and it is not what I expected. The virus idea is lame and sucked out all the supernatural suspense invested since the first season. Oyashiro-sama's curse which is a mainstay has completely disappeared. The story is linear and way too optimistic. Hello Kitty probably had more dark moments then this series. In the quest of trying to answer all the burning questions the anime sacrificed the mood, the horror, and everything that provides a good story.
The characters are about the same as in the first season and once again I don't see any difference in them with the noticeable exception being Takano Miyo. The addition of Hanyuu is not important and could be ignored. Her personality is no different then Rika and her role in the anime are useless to say the least. It is nice to see Takano change but the lack of creepiness in this anime just completely dampened all the impact that it would normally have.
All in all for a sequel that is hotly anticipated it is disappointing. I watch it once and I think that is enough. It doesn’t warrant a second time through. The score I give is 6/10.
Posted by : Faraz
Posted on : 2008-01-02
I don’t think many will dispute the fact that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni was one of the best animes of 2006; unfortunately the same will not be said about the second season and conclusion of the story. Whereas the first season was a masterpiece of horror, mystery and suspense, this one is just an average show about the slightly extraordinary events of a slightly extraordinary town.
Don’t get me wrong, this show is not bad on itself as it provides clear and reasonable answers to all the questions left by the first season and gives you ample amounts of development and background for some of the characters and events that were left out of the first season. There are no missing links by the end of the show and you get a satisfactory and happy ending for every character involved, even the bad guys (which is a good thing since you do come to sympathize with the main villain at certain points in the story).
So if you’re looking for a decent conclusion to the events of the first season by all means watch the show, but if you’re looking for a horror/suspense anime similar to the original Higurashi you will be sorely disappointed. If the first season was a bloody cleaver, this unfortunately was just a greasy plastic butter-knife … a greasy plastic butter-knife with a lot of answers. Well, maybe that wasn’t the best analogy but you get the point.
Posted by : Craze
Posted on : 2007-12-24
Okay, here's the scoop folks. Basically the horror in this one pales in comparison to the original, but if you saw and liked the original Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni then you're probably going to want to see this one.
Ever wondered why each and every main character was so easily driven homicidally insane? Who killed Rika, Takano, and Tomitake? What exactly is Oyashiro-sama's curse? You learn the answer to these questions and more in Kai, and I have to say it pulls it together quite nicely.
After answering all these questions, Kai brings the series in a completely different direction: if the original series showed us every way in which things could go wrong, Kai shows us every way in which things can go right. Fans of the horror and gore will be let down by the ending of Kai, but if you're tired of ending on a tragic note then you should definitely check it out.
Overall I'd give it a 6 out of 10, not really worth watching if you haven't seen the original but a definite must-see if you have.
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