Higurashi Onikakushi-hen vol. 1 and 2 were the very first manga I've ever read. I had already seen the anime and played the Onikakushi-hen vn beforehand so I knew what I was going in to. What I DID not know what I was going into was that this would very quickly become my favorite way to experience Higurashi, period. I got this as a birthday gift because I had just finished the anime for the first time and learned of the manga. I didn't know what a manga was at the time and I didn't even know how to read them properly either. The storyfollows Keiichi Maebara, who moved to the village Hinamizawa, having a good time with his friends until he learns of a very disturbing event that happened within the village. After that, the whole thing turns from what seemed like a slice of life to a thriller-ish mystery story. It does a very good job at pulling you in and the writing is excellent. The story is awesome and the characters are also great.

The best thing about the Higurashi manga is the art and story. This goes for all of them. The art especially, god damn. Also, no matter how many times I read this same story in different iterations, it's always great. Even if it isn't different at all, it's still really great in my opinion.

I highly recommend Higurashi as a whole, but the manga especially.