Anime Profile: When They Cry - Higurashi
Fields | USA Info | Japanese Info | Image |
---|---|---|---|
Title | When They Cry - Higurashi | Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni ("When the Cicadas Cry") (ひぐらしのなく頃に) | ![]() |
· · · | When the Cicadas Cry | ||
· · · | Higurashi No Naku Koroni Kai (Second season) ("When the Cicadas Cry: Solution") | ||
· · · | When the Cicadas Cry: Solution | ||
Released | 26 eps. (season 1), 24 eps. (season 2), 1 OVA | ||
Dates | June 5, 2007 | April 4, 2006–Sept 26, 2006 (Season 1) | |
· · · | July 9, 2007 (Season 2) | ||
Company | Geneon (original licensor), FUNimation (new licensor), Bang Zoom! Ent. | Studio DEEN, Chiba TV, Kansai TV, KBS Kyoto | |
Creator | Seventh Expansion | ||
Director | Chiaki Kon | ||
Genre | Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Psychological, Mystery | Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Psychological, Mystery | |
Related | Umineko: When They Cry | Umineko no Naku Koro ni | |
Characters | -- listed below -- | -- listed below -- |
Look for this on Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon.
Characters: When They Cry - Higurashi
English Name |
Japanese Name |
English Name |
Japanese Name |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Hanyuu Furude | Hanyuu Furude | Jirou Tomitake ⊕ | Jirou Tomitake ⊕ | |
Keiichi Maebara | Keiichi Maebara | Kasai ⊕ | Kasai ⊕ | |
Mion Sonozaki | Mion Sonozaki | Kyousuke Irie ⊕ | Kyousuke Irie ⊕ | |
Rena Ryuugu | Rena Ryuugu | Mamoru Akasaka ⊕ | Mamoru Akasaka ⊕ | |
Rika Furude | Rika Furude | Miyo Takano ⊕ | Miyo Takano ⊕ | |
Satoko Houjou | Satoko Houjou | Ooishi ⊕ | Ooishi ⊕ | |
Satoshi Houjou | Satoshi Houjou | Oryou Sonozaki ⊕ | Oryou Sonozaki ⊕ | |
Shion Sonozaki | Shion Sonozaki | Oyashiro-sama ⊕ | Oyashiro-sama ⊕ | |
Akane Sonozaki ⊕ | Akane Sonozaki ⊕ | Pheonix One ⊕ | Pheonix One ⊕ | |
Chie-Sensei ⊕ | Chie-Sensei ⊕ | Reina Ryuugu ⊕ | Reina Ryuugu ⊕ | |
Hifumi Takano ⊕ | Hifumi Takano ⊕ |
Description: When They Cry - Higurashi
Keiichi is a new transfer student in the small town of Hinamizawa. Even though he knows little about the town, he is welcomed with open arms by the townspeople, and becomes fast friends with four cute girls from his school: soft-spoken Rena, rowdy Mion, sweet Rika, and competitive Satoko. The five are part of a game club, where the smartest (and usually most underhanded) win, and losers are humiliated. The atmosphere seems to be light-hearted and carefree, and Keiichi enjoys every day in Hinamizawa--but the feeling of euphoria is soon lost.
Keiichi meets a photographer by the name of Tomitake after school one day, as he and Rena make their way towards the city dump. Tomitake hints that there was a body found in the area, but before Keiichi can question him further, he goes on his way. When he asks Rena and Miyon about it, they dodge the question, which does not go unnoticed by Keiichi. Finally, at the town's annual Cotton Drifting Festival, he seeks Tomitake out once more, and discovers, to his horror, that each year during the festival, one person is killed, and another goes missing.
The next day, Keiichi learns that Tomitake died that night, and a woman he had been talking to has gone missing. Desperate for answers, he continues to search for the truth behind the killings, while trying to stay alive himself. Meanwhile, Keiichi's friends are acting strangely...Could it be that they are connected to the murders?
Extremely disturbing as it is extremely cute, When They Cry is an anime intended for mature audiences, that will keep you guessing until the very end. Can you predict the outcome? The answer might just surprise you.
Description: When They Cry - Higurashi
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni starts out looking like it centers around the story of Keiichi Maebara moving to the small town of Hinamizawa. However, it is actually about the shrine maiden Rika Furude, and how for the last 1000 years, she has been killed repeatedly on the night of Watanagashi, the floating cotton festival.
In years previous, there has been a mysterious death and disappearance on the night of Watanagashi, which has been labeled as Oyashiro-sama's curse.
Little does everyone know, Miyo Takano is behind it all, all in an attempt to cover up her scheme to avenge her dead grandfather (Hifumi Takano) and kill Rika in the process, which she has achieved many times over.
However, Rika is being resurrected by Hanyuu, a godess, giving her a second chance, but Hanyuu's powers are running out and getting weaker. As they approach what Hanyuu predicts will be the last time she can resurrect Rika, they have to use the knowledge gathered over the years to end Takano's rampage.
Description: When They Cry - Higurashi
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place during 1983 in the small village of Hinamizawa. Keiichi Maebara is a newcomer to this town and soon makes friends at his local school. Joining them in their after school activities, the locals seem to immerse themselves in the most mundane activities.
On the surface Hinamizawa seems to be just another normal town, or so he thinks. The peaceful facade soon fades at the end of the annual Watanagashi Festival, where the town worships their local god Oyashiro-sama. In a deadly ritual, murders and disappearances run rampant for the previous four years.
Keiichi soon learns the terrifying truth and ends up right in the middle of these strange and horrifying events, where one by one, each of his friends become affected in ways even more severe than the next. As Keiichi tries to solve the mystery of this town, the line between reality and delusion blurs more and more each day.
Description: When They Cry - Higurashi
This story takes place in the small village of Hinamizawa. Keichi Maebara moved to the town and made friends with a group of girls. Mion Sonozaki, Rena Ryuugu, Rika Furude, and Satoko Houjou let Keichi join their club. They would play games, and would then play the "Punishment Game" and the person who lost would be punished. Keichi would often lose because he was new. Later, the Watanagashi Festival was held. It is a festival to honor the Shrine God, and featured a dance by the priestess, and a ritual of letting cotton float down the river. But, ever since the dam project five years before, there have been "instances". Near the end of the project, a worker was dismembered, and one of his arms still haasn't been found. Each year after that, at the time of the Watanagashi Festival, one person would die an abnormal death, and one person would go missing. After the night of the Watanagashi, Tomitake was found dead. He had clawed away at his neck, and died. And, they never found T akano-san. After that, each story is changed.
Each few episodes starts a new "Chapter". Chapter One is called "The Beginning", and the main character is Keichi. Chapter Two is "Watanagashi" and the main character is Keichi. Chapter Three is "The Cursed Murder" and also stars Keichi. Chapter Four is "The Time Killing" and stars Officer Akasaka. Chapter Five is "The Police Detective" and stars Shion. And Chapter Six is "Atonement" and stars Rena Ryuugu. After these, the second season starts. The second season is called "When the Higurashi Cry KAI" or in Japan "Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai".
This show is recommended for older teens, around 16 and up. There are some episodes however that are labeled as 18 and up because of blood, violence, and gore.
Description: When They Cry - Higurashi
Keiichi moves to a small town called Hinamizawa located among the countryside. The town has only one school that contains one classroom and students of different grades. There he befriends Rena, Mion, Rika, and Satoko. He later meets Shion, Mion's younger twin sister.
Keiichi believes that Hinamizawa is just a regular, peaceful town until he learns about the dam construction in the past. He reads a newspaper article of one of the construction worker's body being lynched and dismembered. Keiichi also discovers that every year on the day of the Watanagashi Festival, someone dies while another goes missing. He begins to suspect his friends as the culprits.
Later in the story, it's revealed that Shion and Mion had exchanged places and Shion is actually the older twin sister. The entire series generally consists of one of the friends to become paranoid and someone getting murdered.