Note: I hate quantifying a manga scoring in multiple categories - story/characters/pacing etc - because to me that's just min-max type of scrutiny that dilutes the holism of the entire work. So, I'm going to score the entire manga as a whole and nothing else and tell you why I liked the manga. Eh, look, I love Higurashi. It's been on my mind for the past 15yrs or so ever since I first came across it, but I never finished it because at the time it wasn't adapted in entirety but it's finished now. The story is done. And i had a lot of fun readingthe entire 8 main arcs. But this one.. this one is my least favourite. I feel bad at rating it a 4 too.

But here's why it's a 4 - It's a 4 because it's not consistent with the work that came before it. It's not realistic. And it urges you to give it too much leniency in the name of "shock value horror". Come the heck on man, how can an orphanage that relies on government grant let one of its kids die - and not just out of negligence but having chicken slowly peck at them until they die (??????), and having another literally clean shit with their mouth - I don't mean the ceramic bowl - I literally mean cleaning it by swallowing it (???????) Ugh. Just shock value. Then it has Takano (who's the star of this Arc) dissect Rika's mother alive (?????) eh. I mean, okay, its not that far fetched for Takano but its no unnecessarily bland shock for the sake of shock.

I don't like this arc, but I've come so far as to read the other 7 so it was only right to get done with it.

Now onto better things.

Anyway, read it, not because it's good but so you can finish this long ass story.