Nymera
An anime with adorable character designs... then stuff happens. Creepy stuff. This is not an anime for kids or those who do not like seeing extreme forms of torture gore... Otherwise, it's an amazing mystery anime for you. It's average in that it follows the life of a teenage boy, surrounded by his female schoolmates... but the commonness of it ends there. A horrific tale breaks out at about the halfway point of each arc, revealing a more gritty atmosphere and art style. From start to end, I found myself forming theories in my head as to what is truly going on. As stated before, the art style is not of high quality, but that was never really an issue for me. I find that its unique... "expressions" expressed by some of the characters would not have the desired shocking effect otherwise. The sound is also spot on. Constantly having the cicada chirps fill the otherwise empty soundscape creates a very unique kind of tension. I was actually surprised when I heard this was a visual novel first, given that I can usually tell by cliché elements... but there were next to none that I noticed. Overall, a beautiful show that I highly recommend to any horror/mystery/anime fan.
amelieproductions
Review: I've known about Higurashi for a while now, shortly after discovering Elfen Lied, as I scanned the internet in search of animes that could possibly be more violent and disturbing then Elfen Lied itself. No matter how I typed in ''anime horror'' or no matter how many websites I've clicked on, that golden title would always pop up: Higurashi. I've had people say that Higurashi was even more violent and brutal then Elfen lied, so of course I was curious and was willing to learn more about it, and I could very well understand why many would consider this piece of work a ''True Anime Horror'', and, on the most part, I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. In a nutshell, I suppose you could consider Higurashi ''unique….'' And the one difference between Elfen Lied and Higurashi is that, even after watching Elfen Lied, I was still unwilling and afraid of watching this. Yes, that's how creeped out I was, and why would one be willing to visualize fingernails being torn off, little children being brutally murdered, and well animated violence all, topped off with cute, childish graphics and art? PHSYCOS LIKE ME! :D So, after many months of thought and after finishing Rin: Daughters Of Mnemosyne, I decided to stop being such a baby, and go for it. Yes, Higurashi truly is a brutal piece of work regardless of the confusing, innocent and comedic moments. No, it's not disturbing because of the on screen gore, oh no, if it were just for the gore, I'd find myself watching another attention seeking cartoon, something high in violent content to attract young boys and kids, with the help of pastel graphics(**note to otakus out there, yes anime is a cartoon, DEAL WITH IT!). No, this series is beyond that. It's the psychological insanity behind it all. Yes, that's it. Because I truly feel that, as I was watching Higurashi, I was going crazy and paranoid along with these characters, needless to say that all the characters suffering the traumatic events of 1983, are all underage teens and children as young as ten! What a lovely and warming animated family series! Also, I just loved how the creators decided that instead of having one boring plot run straight through all 26 episodes, have decided to come up with various ''mini stories'' if you will, brutally grab the characters and force them to relive and suffer the grotesque and emotionally agonizing events of 1983. Lovely! LOVELY. So, I suppose that the bottom line is whether of not I enjoy this series. As much as I hate to say it, I cannot deny the fact that that element of suspense was quite present throughout the show, and that it was a true breathe of fresh air to watch something that wasn't the typical harem romance anime. Also, I love how the show haunts you psychologically, instead of just in your face gore, and it was, in a sadistic and traumatizing way, about friendship, instead of romance, which is something I guess I could appreciate. The art is decent in the show; your typical, cute big eyed characters with supernatural hair color. Some may say that the characters look like they were ripped off of other anime characters, but, when you get down to it, don't all anime characters look the same…? To be honest, I think that the cute art added to the true insanity of this show and that you really shouldn't assume or judge a book by its cover, right? And, what made this show even more interesting was how each scenario, or chapters, as they were called in the show, would be played out. While the start-out-innocently-then-progress-to-gory-madness idea isn't exactly uncommon among the horror genre, the first episodes of each chapter is so cute and innocent that you're sure you're not watching the same anime, but the cuteness is quickly devoured and forgotten by the psychological mess that is Higurashi. Overall, yes, I do like this show, and would easily give it 8/10, for not going too in-your-face with the gore and for the clever psychological moments here and there. The show is very different and memorable so if you like gore and unusual yet creative ways to torture other people as entertainment, by all means give this insane mess a try, oh, and did I mention that Higurashi features a relatively good soundtrack that is well suited for the show, and that gets straight to the point of the show: dark, violent and mysterious. In my opinion, Higurashi is way more than Elfen Lied and IS a true anime horror that will freak you out! As for the appropriate audience suited for this show: ADULTS ALL THE WAY. This show may not feature fanservice of any kind of sex or nudity, but the discussions of actual ancient torture methods and observing the darker side of the human race is enough to earn this show a well-deserved 17+ rating. You must be very mature to handle this show, regardless of the fact that it is animated. I know there were a few moments that haunted me and still do. My final word: WATCH THIS SHOW, IT'S FREAKING AWESOME.
Real77
Once upon a time, a young man who had grown to love those about him began noticing things; little things at that, and too many little things. He was then to die, and he did. Suddenly it began again. The young man was alive and he loved those about him; and they loved him. With each of the chapters, little more is revealed of why there are murders which occur during each 'Watanagashi Fesitval', however, with each chapter, more IS revealed through our ignorant Keiichi (our unlucky-as-all-hell protagonist who is to experience this all). Every chapter begins fresh, with time having seemed to rewind it's self and Keiichi having no memory of having suffered; as do also most every other of the characters.Each chapter can be divided as beginning simple and very humorous (Rena, the secondary character, has an obsession towards cute things and finds garbage and the like as such), and this will contrast with it's inevitable climax (that tends to be extreme in that some or most of the character die, and in brutal ways). The transition between points A and B is very organic and unclean, in that it never seems too 'planned out'.The characters become very interesting through this transition. Again, the character of Rena begins cute and innocent (moe urges growing!) though she is not without her 'moments' during point B. The character of Keiichi changes also. During each 'begining', he is 'simple', and during point B, he is then already paranoid towards every of the supporting cast. This change only adds to the suspense which builds it's self gradually. This show is perfect, in that it masters what even most films try and cannot: the ability over an audience's fear, and it uses little gore so to do this (though that's not to say that it's without such 'scenes'). Watch this show and enjoy it's intro sequence (which I think captures the exact feel of the show it self).The only thing negative I can say about this show is that it's English voice cast is weak, or course, and that it's animation dose not transition with it's subject matter (it's too cute during point B, but I'm just complaining for the sake of complaining about something). 10/10
