Review of Higurashi: When They Cry – Kai

"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai", when compared to many other animes of the genre, it stands out from the crowd and pulls off something truly unique in a gruesome yet satisfying way. If you haven't seen "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni", do not watch Kai yet. With that being said, let's begin the review. This is my first review, so feedback is appreciated. This review is absolutely 100% spoiler free, so you can read it without being spooked. Also, this was written on my Wii U gamepad, so please excuse my mistakes. Story - 10/10 The story of Higurashi is certainly a unique onewhen compared to other anime. It is split into different scenarios, or arcs. There are the question arcs and the answer arcs. It takes place in Hinamizawa, a small village in Japan. It is June, 1987, and revolves around 6 (including Shion) schoolfriends, and their daily fun. At least, that is what the show wants the audience to believe. On first sight, one would believe that it is a peaceful town, and the 6 friends are just having lighthearted fun. That is not the case at all. The history of the town is soon learned by the protagonist, and each character is involved in it in some way. Every year, on the night of the cotton drifting festival, one person will die, and one goes missing. This cycle repeats forever, and usually involves many characters dying. This is the very basic plot of the first season. In Kai, it shows Rika Furuude's endless struggle of trying to defy fate and stop the endless June of terror.

Art - 8/10
The art and animation of the show is nothing special, it is average. Although, in Kai, it seems the animation was improved marginally from the first season, but again, it is still nothing special, and doesn't stand out that much from other animes of the genre.

Sound - 10/10
The fucking sound. Holy shit. The soundtrack has to be one of the best OSTs I personally have ever heard, each song fits the mood amazingly well. And then there's the OP. Jesus fucking christ on a stick is the OP of Kai phenomenal. It very easily and amazingly shows Rika's struggle, and puts you into a false sense of security at the beginning of the opening, demonstrating very well what the show is capable of. The ED is great, too.

Characters - 10/10
The characters are done very fucking well. One second Rena will be laughing with everyone, and the next second she will be slaughtering everyone without hesitation. This, again brings us back to the false sense of security I was talking about. The characters seem so out of place in the show upon first glance, but after watching the show, you can really realise how well they were executed. So noice.

Overall - tenouttaten
I'm sure many will disagree with me on this rating, but this show took me on a fucking swood journey that I never wanted to end. thx guise 4 tha review r8 5 stars also my dog has cancer so pls gif the spaghetti