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fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Original Soundtrack
is a collection of original soundtrack music for "Higurashi Daybreak". A 48-page short story "Higurashi Outbreak", written by Ryukishi07, was included in the CD jacket.
| Higurashi Daybreak Original Soundtrack |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable
is a remake of Higurashi Daybreak featuring enhanced graphics and new content for the PlayStation Portable by Alchemist. It was released on November 27, 2008. An updated version titled with new characters was released on November 26, 2009.
Playable Characters.
Base Game.
These are characters that were originally included in "Higurashi Daybreak Kai".
Manga.
A manga inspired by "Portable" was illustrated by Chiha Ayami and Maku Unkuma, and serialized in Comptiq magazine from March 10, 2009 to August 10, 2009. It was later published as a single volume.
Another manga inspired by "MEGA EDITION" was illustrated by Hirafumi and serialized in Comp Ace magazine from June 26, 2010 to December 26, 2010. It was later published as a single volume.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable (manga)
is a manga inspired by the game of the same name. It was illustrated by Chiha Ayami and written by Maku Iguma, and serialized in Comptiq magazine from March 10, 2009 to August 10, 2009 with 6 total chapters. It was later released as a single volume.
Afterword.
Translated by Furude Rika Bernscanstel
Ryukishi07.
<poem>
For Higurashi Daybreak Portable
Hello, Ryukishi07 here.
What kind of image do you hold towards Higurashi? I'm sure what most strongly represents the story for you is Rena screaming "Liar!," or it being a story of horror and suspense. However, if you're really familiar with Higurashi, you would know that half of the story is slice of life--that it has a lively, bouncy side to it. Higurashi Daybreak is a slapstick tale that showcases a day in that lively slice of
life that you're all used to.
If I may be so formal (lol).
This work gives you a glimpse into the world within the action game Higurashi Daybreak. Have you all played Higurashi Daybreak--or "Hidebu"--as you fans call it?
You can choose two of your favorite characters to team up, and battles unfold in various locations within Hinamizawa--truly a hoot! You can play it on PC or PSP, so definitely check it out if you haven't already! I also like the game, and play it almost every day.
My favorite characters are Ooishi (Grappler) and Satoko (Traps)! I also love Shion's parry throws. Facing someone one-on-one and getting that parry throw gives me such a rush!
Everyone should absolutely experience this world through the game after enjoying themselves at Comiket!
</poem>
Chiha Ayami and Maku Iguma.
<poem>
Hello~ I'm Chiha Ayami, the one in charge of the art this time! I've been excitedly playing Higurashi ever since my friends told me about
it, saying "this is super scary and interesting! I thought Hanyuu and Natsumi's scenes in the PSP versions of Daybreak were
particularly cute, and was happy to see them hangout together again in the world of Higurashi.
I'm looking forward to seeing the world of Higurashi (and Umineko too, of course!) grow wider from here on out✩.
Thank you very much for reading!
I'm Maku Iguma, the one in charge of the story! I especially love the music, I've been listening to it for a looong time, ever since Twilight Frontier released their version of Hidebu (lol). This time, I wrote a what-if story about what would happen if you put two characters together that you wouldn't think would be able to pair up.
I thought about how, similar to how Hanyuu had an important duty, maybe Takano was just acting tough to protect her wish. And I thought, "it'd be nice to be able to show both the strong and gentle aspects of these two powerful characters." I'm full of gratitude towards 07th Expansion for giving me the chance, as well as to you, dear readers.
Special thanks!
Wakana Zeon-san, PK-san, Tatetsu-san,
Bonguru-san, Kiryuu-san
</poem>
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable (manga) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable MEGA EDITION
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable MEGA EDITION |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable MEGA EDITION (manga)
is a manga inspired by the game of the same name. It was illustrated by Hirafumi and serialized in Comp Ace magazine from June 26, 2010 to December 26, 2010 with 7 total chapters. It was later published as a single volume on January 22, 2011.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable MEGA EDITION (manga) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 1
is the first chapter of the "Higurashi Daybreak Portable" manga.
Summary.
At night, Miyo Takano sneaks into the Furude Shrine's ritual storehouse and obtains its ultimate treasure, the Magatama of Fuwarazu.
The next morning, Keiichi Maebara and Rena Ryuugu head to school. Keiichi senses a trap up ahead on the school grounds and starts tiptoeing around it. Rena thinks he'll be late. Keiichi safely makes it inside the building, only to hear class about to begin. He barges into the classroom to see Satoko Houjou sitting on her desk and laughing, as Keiichi's the only late student. Keiichi sees Rena got there ahead of him when she was supposed to be by his side, and Rena says she didn't want to bother him.
Satoko says every single trap was forged except for the bonus one. Rika Furude tells the confused Keiichi to look at the back of his head, and he pulls off a plunger arrow. Rumiko Chie then addresses Keiichi and says his tardiness has disturbed the class. Keiichi is made to stand outside the class holding water buckets as punishment.
At lunch, Mion Sonozaki gathers the club around. Hanyuu then arrives in class, with Rika and Satoko commenting on her lateness. Hanyuu says she lost track of time trying to remember something important. It was something she sealed away 200 years ago that is about to be unsealed. The club helps her remember it by asking questions, but Rika decides to use shock therapy by pulling out some spicy kimchi candy instead. Hanyuu tries to sneak away but it doesn't work.
The club walks home after school, with Hanyuu still unable to remember what the object was. Mion suggests it could be a marital weapon that makes people fall in love, and Hanyuu finally remembers. She explains that 200 years ago, a maiden in Hinamizawa fell in love with a traveler, but the other villagers treated him like an outsider and so they couldn't talk to each other. Oyashiro-sama made an announcement to the villagers, telling them to accept the outsider if he confessed his feelings within three days. The maiden prayed to the god for three days as well, and on the night of the third day, the Magatama of Fuwarazu appeared from heaven. The maiden gave the red magatama to her lover and he confessed his feelings to the villagers. The maiden and the man married and lived happily ever after.
The club is surprised to hear about Oyashiro-sama being this thoughtful. Rika asks what that story had to do with a marriage crisis, and Hanyuu says the magatama will be unsealed now that 200 years have passed. It can be used by someone evil, and so only a god should be allowed to use it. Takano suddenly appears and says this power is appropriate for a god-to-be like her, and she sticks the red magatama onto Hanyuu's neck. Hanyuu develops a blank stare as Takano wraps her arms around her and declares God has fallen into her hands.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 2
is the second chapter of the "Higurashi Daybreak Portable" manga.
Summary.
With the red Magatama of Fuwarazu attached to Hanyuu, Takano declares that Oyashiro-sama belongs to her. The club can hardly believe that Hanyuu actually fell in love with Takano. Rika tries going up to her but Hanyuu repels her with a barrier. Takano comments on Rika's weakness and says her ambitions are lofty as she summons a car and drives off with Hanyuu in it.
At home, Satoko stops the downtrodden Rika from causing a big fire while making dinner. Satoko sees she's worried about Hanyuu and assures her that Mion is helping, and that they can continue the search tomorrow. Rika cheers up with confidence that Hanyuu won't give in to Takano's whims that easily. Just to make sure, Rika plans to eat some kimchi.
Meanwhile, Takano tells Tomitake the driver to let her and Hanyuu off. Tomitake thinks Hanyuu is lucky for being able to stay at Takano's place, and Takano promises he'll be next if he's a good boy; Tomitake becomes flustered and drives off. Takano invites Hanyuu into her home and becomes excited over being able to see a god's true form. Hanyuu suddenly falls over in pain, complaining of something spicy in her mouth and pleading to have something sweet.
Takano thinks this is divine possession and starts writing into an observation diary, and watches Hanyuu suffer from mouth pain for a few minutes. Hanyuu then says she's going to die soon, and Takano quickly gives her some pudding. Hanyuu eats the all the pudding and feels better, but Takano says it actually expired 3 years ago. Hanyuu gets in even more pain, and Takano writes that Oyashiro-sama has a sturdy stomach.
The next day, Shion meets Natsumi at Okinomiya Station. Shion came her personally to pick her up, making Natsumi happy to see Hinamizawa villagers' hospitality. As they walk around town, Natsumi talks about how she met a boy named Akira that she likes, commenting on his handsomeness and strength. Shion says there's also a boy she likes and thinks about how kind and dreamy Satoshi is. Natsumi says she'd prefer her boyfriend to be strong and protect her, but Shion believes she needs to be strong. Sparks fly between Natsumi and Shion as they disagree with each other's opinions on boyfriends.
Meanwhile, Mion is waiting for Shion and Natsumi to arrive, having called for their help in locating Hanyuu. When they're late, Mion goes to search for them only to find the fatigued Shion and Natsumi still arguing over Akira and Satoshi. They then fall unconscious, and the surprised Mion starts dragging them home.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 2 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 3
is the third chapter of the "Higurashi Daybreak Portable" manga.
Summary.
At the Sonozaki house, Mion tends to Shion and Natsumi's wounds and asks what happened. Shion refuses to explain but Natsumi talks about their dispute over the boys they liked. Shion and Natsumi start arguing again when Akane Sonozaki appears and interrupts them by stabbing her katana into the ground. Tatsuyoshi Kasai also appears, throws some paper into the air, and Akane skillfully slices them all apart. Akane tells Shion and Natsumi that if they're showing off the boys they love to others, then they still have a ways to go, but they should still fight for them while they're still young. Kasai is moved to tears by her speech, and he and Akane soon leave.
Keiichi and Rena arrive to the Sonozaki house. Mion says she called over Shion and Natsumi to help find Hanyuu and introduces them. Natsumi is pleased that Keiichi and Rena remember her. Mion explains the Magatama of Fuwarazu and how Takano's used it to control Hanyuu, aka Oyashiro-sama, but Shion and Natsumi begin to get mischievous thoughts upon hearing it can include love. They begin arguing again when Satoko and Rika arrive and ask to move the conversation to the school, which is open to visitors today, so they don't disturb the neighbors.
At school, the group considers a plan to deal with Takano without being noticed. Satoko says she's set up traps all over the village and can use them for any strategy. Natsumi is delighted at hearing everyone talk about traps and calls it Hinamizawa's cultural tradition, much to Rika and Mion's confusion. Satoko directs everyone to the switch storage: a gym storehouse near the school that is actually a command center, allowing Satoko to activate any trap. Keiichi is concerned but Satoko assures her that her traps are only enough to blow one classroom away.
The group brainstorms. Shion suggests luring Takano and Hanyuu somewhere and keeping an eye on them until they can be separated. Natsumi wants to handle Hanyuu, despite never meeting her before. Shion suggests she just wants to steal the Magatama of Fuwarazu while everyone's confused and make off with it, and Natsumi says Shion's been trying to sabotage the switches. They start fighting again as the club watches in confusion, and accidentally press a launch button. Satoko warns everyone to get down as an explosion occurs.
Keiichi goes to observe the damage and is shocked to see a massive crater in front of the school. Keiichi tries to cheer up since nobody got injured, but an angry Chie then appears and starts chasing Keiichi, as he was on duty today.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 3 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 4
is the fourth chapter of the "Higurashi Daybreak Portable" manga.
Summary.
At the school, Kuraudo Ooishi and Mamoru Akasaka investigate the crater left behind by the club. Meanwhile, the club run away to the Irie Clinic and think they've lost Chie. Keiichi worries about what trouble the crater will cause. Rena asks where Shion and Natsumi went, and Mion replies that they started fighting again and fell behind. Satoko thinks it's natural that ladies would act like that when talking about men, and Rika says she'll be like that in the future. Satoko says she's satisfied so long as she has Satoshi. Rena worries if they'll be okay, and Mion believes that Shion will do fine since she has the Sonozaki blood, and that Natsumi can pull through when the going gets tough. As the club walks off, Shion and Natsumi are shown hiding from Chie, who's still angry.
Kyousuke Irie sees an elderly patient out of the clinic and runs into the club. He notices Satoko has a scratch on her knee and rushes to help her, fearing that it'll get infected. Keiichi watches in confusion as Irie goes on about how Satoko's bandages will exude a deadly aura and carries her into the clinic. The club follows and run into Takano in her nurse outfit, and demand to know what she's doing. Takano says the clinic will soon be in uproar. Keiichi wonders if she's spreading pathogenic poison throughout the clinic as Rena asks what's happening with Hanyuu. Takano claims Oyashiro-sama isn't that benevolent and that she's bringing about her true will, and pulls back a curtain to reveal Hanyuu in a nurse-maid uniform. Rena instantly enters Kyute Mode at the sight of her, and Keiichi and Mion try to restrain her. Irie returns from treating Satoko, and when he sees Hanyuu, he realizes the value of nurse uniforms and decides to transform the clinic into a nurse and maid kingdom. Satoko enters the room and quickly leaves again after seeing Irie.
Rika sees that Hanyuu is having fun and tells her she can continue living with Takano if she wants. Rika declares she'll have a very spicy dinner that night, which makes Hanyuu cry and run away. Keiichi asks Rika if it's okay to let her go; Rika says it is, but she still wonders what's so fun about being with Takano and demeans herself. Hanyuu runs back to Takano's home and wonders why Rika's angry, as she was just helping Takano with her job. Hanyuu then looks at all of the stuffed animals Takano owns and thinks she really isn't that bad, and that Rika just doesn't understand her enough. Hanyuu hopes for all of the stuffed animals to show them a side of Takano that they don't know, causing a reaction in the red Magatama of Fuwarazu.
Takano calls Hanyuu and says she'll be home soon. She lets Hanyuu have some cream puffs in the fridge and reminds her to never open the front door, no matter who it is. Hanyuu goes to enjoy some cream puffs. Just then, someone starts knocking on the door and slamming on it, asking if anyone's there. Hanyuu becomes worried.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 4 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 5
is the fifth chapter of the "Higurashi Daybreak Portable" manga.
Summary.
Hanyuu becomes worried as someone knocks on the door to Takano's home, and remembers her warning to never open the door. Ooishi, who was knocking on the door, is asked by Akasaka to be more gentle. Ooishi says the residence gives off a dark aura, and so he feels it's important to the investigation. Akasaka says it's important not to give the public a bad impression and rings the doorbell, and asks if anybody's home. Hanyuu thinks it's okay to answer the door since she knows Akasaka and responds when Takano suddenly appears through a window and throws a can at her.
Takano tells Hanyuu to hide and then opens the door to greet the detectives. Akasaka comments on her beauty and is chastised by Ooishi since he already has a wife and daughter. Ooishi mentions that Takano lives somewhere sparse, and Takano says she lives there because it's close to the clinic. The detectives say they're investigating a crater that appeared in front of the school and want to know if Takano knows anything. Takano says she might know something and flirts with Akasaka. Ooishi asks if they can come inside so they can talk, but Takano refuses. She suggests they go to a mahjong parlor instead, and Ooishi perks up. Akasaka doesn't agree, but Takano asks him to come along while unbuttoning some of her shirt; Akasaka becomes flustered and agrees to go to the mahjong parlor.
Takano tells the detectives to go on ahead while she takes a shower and closes the door, expecting them to stay at the parlor by themselves for awhile. Takano reprimands Hanyuu for ignoring her warning, and Hanyuu says she thought it was fine since she knew the detectives. Takano says they aren't good people just because she knows them and then asks about the big stack of toilet paper lying around. Hanyuu says you can get toilet paper by subscribing to the Shishibone newspaper, and that she also got some Higult medicine from a nice man who always visits the Furude Shrine. Hanyuu is happy that she got to have some Higult when Rika never let her have any.
Takano is annoyed and tries to cancel the newspaper subscription over the phone, but is told she has to also return the toilet paper. She then starts compiling her data but is annoyed even further by Hanyuu singing about Higult. Takano tells Hanyuu that she can't trust people or anything otherwise she'll get hurt. Hanyuu says she doesn't mind getting hurt if it means she can get by without doubting people.
Takano has a flashback to her childhood as Miyoko Tanashi. Miyoko tells her grandfather Hifumi Takano that nobody else understands his theory except her, and so she'll always be by his side. Hifumi appreciates the sentiment but tells her that, so long as she smiles, then nobody will be her enemy and pats her head. Takano's reminiscence is interrupted by Hanyuu also offering to pat her head. Hanyuu thinks about this later and is reminded of herself patting Rika as a little girl, with Rika thinking of her as a mother. The Magatama inside Hanyuu resonates as she thinks about Rika.
At the Furude Shrine, the club laments that they failed to rescue Hanyuu again. They think Hanyuu was looking in high spirits, but Keiichi is still worried about what Takano might do with her. He suggests they remove the magatama next chance they get, and Rika asks if that's really her responsibility. Hanyuu really did look like she was having fun with Takano, but Keiichi says that even if it's not Rika's responsibility, she still knows Hanyuu the best, so she needs to do what she thinks Hanyuu really wishes for. The rest of the club state their intent to rescue Hanyuu since they're all friends. Rika becomes determined.
At the mahjong parlor, Ooishi gets situated while Akasaka realizes that Takano isn't coming after all.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 5 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 6
is the sixth and final chapter of the "Higurashi Daybreak Portable" manga.
Summary.
The club all head home from the Furude Shrine. Rika tells Satoko to go home ahead of her while she does more research on the Magatama of Fuwarazu. Satoko goes to start dinner and leaves her to it. Rika unlocks the ritual storehouse and finds a document explaining the Magatama of Fuwarazu's origins, and thinks that Hanyuu/Oyashiro-sama created it to give an excuse for people confessing their love. As Rika has a realization, Hanyuu herself and Takano show up, the latter in her military uniform. Takano says she came to learn more about Oyashiro-sama and is shocked that Rika may have found a way to undo Hanyuu's brainwashing.
Takano aims her gun at Rika and says she's already happy now that she has Hanyuu in her hands. Rika says she can't change anything by herself, but she knows that she can count on her friends. As Takano prepares to shoot, Satoko appears and uses a slingshot to knock the gun out of her hands. The rest of the club follow and corner Takano. She laments that all of the dice of fate she's thrown have landed on ones, and thinks she'd have Oyashiro-sama all to herself and be feared by everyone if she were just born a Furude shrine maiden. Rika replies that Hanyuu doesn't belong to anyone and has had her own determination for 100 years that will enable conflicts to never happen in Hinamizawa ever again.
Angered, Takano tells Hanyuu to do something about Rika, however the red magatama instead falls out of her, much to Takano's shock. Rika says that since Hanyuu created the Magatamas, their power will be released if she's unable to carry out a wish. Takano retrieves her gun and aims it at Hanyuu. Hanyuu apologizes and says she wanted to see everyone's smiles in the end. Takano slumps to the ground and cries, asking why things never go her way. Rika offers her hand and says she won't have any enemies so long as she smiles. Reminded of her grandfather's words, Takano takes her hand and thanks her.
Later, Hanyuu looks over the observation guide Takano made of her. Rika decides to have lots of kimchi for dinner, because of it. Takano gets excited over sending clothes to Hanyuu and seeing her wear them, with Tomitake behind her pleading for attention. The club locks up the ritual storehouse for good and prepare for club activities, also helping to fill up the crater left at the school.
| Higurashi Daybreak Portable Manga Chapter 6 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Famous Scene Investigation File 100
| Higurashi Famous Scene Investigation File 100 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Gou
| Higurashi Gou |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi GouSotsu Another End
| Higurashi GouSotsu Another End |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Gou Interview (3/23/21)
On March 23, 2021, the website Febri posted an interview with Ryukishi07 regarding "".
Interview is translated by rockmor.
Transcript.
We wanted to respond to the fans who wanted to play "Higurashi" again..
This is the first Higurashi anime series in about seven years, how did it all start?
Ryukishi07: Once, when I was drinking tea with people in the anime industry, we were talking about how it would be nice to make another anime. “What if it would begin as a remake but then turn into something new from the middle?”. It was just a vague idea at first, but then we decided to start from scratch, and that’s how I began to write the plot of "Higurashi Gou".
So it wasn't a plot that you had originally prepared?
R07: That’s right. At that point, there was no guarantee that it would be made into an anime, but I thought it sounded interesting. I sometimes receive comments from fans who say they want to erase their memories and enjoy "Higurashi" again. I’ve been thinking for a long time about how I could give back to those people. That’s why I thought that if I created a story that was supposed to be "Onikakushi-hen" but actually turned out to be something completely different, people would enjoy it even more, including making theories.
It’s been a while since you worked on the characters of Higurashi, how did it feel?
R07: Originally, the characters in "Higurashi" were designed to be versatile and fit in any setting. And since I had been continuously writing short scenarios, I never had any trouble at all with characters not moving. It’s a feeling that came back to me in an instant when I started writing.
I’m glad you enjoyed Satoko’s transformation.
Rika is the main character up to Nekodamashi-hen, but it switches to Satoko from Satokowashi-hen. Rika is more of a behind-the-scenes protagonist than in the previous series, but why did you choose to feature Satoko this time?
R07: In the "Higurashi" series so far, Satoko has been the main character in "Tatarigoroshi-hen" and "Minagoroshi-hen", which is the answer to "Tatarigoroshi-hen", but in these stories, Satoko doesn’t take an active role, right? She is in the so-called “princess position” and Keiichi and the others, who play the princes, are struggling to save Satoko, which results in Satoko herself hardly appearing in the story. I’ve been thinking for a long time that despite the chapters I was writing were supposed to be about Satoko, I struggled to put her in the spotlight.
Indeed, up until now Satoko has only been “taking the hand extended to her by Keiichi and the others”.
R07: That’s right. In "Minagoroshi-hen", I put too much emphasis on the fact that if you want to find a happy ending, you can’t do it by violent actions, but you have to take the right approach by gathering everyone’s strength, and as a result, it didn’t lead to a story of Satoko’s growth. That’s why this time I wanted to delve deeper into Satoko’s heart and make her the main focus of the story.
So that’s how it was. Even so, I feel that Satoko very unexpectedly has grown into a hell of a kid .
R07: Haha. Yes, that’s true. I’m glad that everyone seems to be surprised by that. I’ve already portrayed the duality of Rena and Shion before, so I was worried that Satoko’s change wouldn’t be very fresh and that no one would be surprised by it, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, which makes me happy.
The animation staff is sometimes more familiar with "Higurashi" than I am.
As for the production, you wrote the script and gave it to the animation staff, right?
R07: Yes. Director Keiichiro Kawaguchi and the rest of the staff knew "Higurashi" so well that when we were discussing the scenario, they would say things like, “This is ○○ from the Heisei version of "Higurashi"” or “This is ○○ from the manga”. I am supposed to be the original author, but there were times when I couldn’t keep up with the conversation *laughs* The director has a deep enough understanding of the story to say things like, “The important thing is to get ○○ to say this line, right?”. Of course, I was involved in the scenario and storyboarding as a supervisor, but I only had to change a few lines.
I’m relieved that the staff reads so deeply into it.
R07: That’s a big relief. I feel like I just bought 200 kilograms of tuna from the fish market and just handed it over to the animation staff. Director Kawaguchi did a wonderful job of deconstructing the story, and the scriptwriter, Naoki Hayashi, neatly sliced it into three pieces. I was really impressed by everyone’s amazing understanding and how professional they are. I’m a bit of an amateur when it comes to animation, and the plot wasn’t designed with that in mind, so I think they handled it well.
Akio Watanabe is in charge of the character design, and it’s a very nice balance of retaining the nostalgia of the original while refining it for the modern age.
R07: It’s just as you said. Especially since Satoko is the main character in this story, I wanted to ask someone who could draw her as attractively as possible, and Akio Watanabe, who is the best when it comes to fangs and plasters, came in. I think he did a really great job with the design.
The cast thought it was a remake at first..
On the other hand, the cast members are the same.
R07: This is just a relief. Since they have been playing these characters for many years, they are very familiar with the world of "Higurashi". Just after explaining the setting of "Higurashi Gou" in a few words, they already understood it, so that was a big help to me and I was able to rely on them.
However, the cast members didn’t know the whole story of Higurashi Gou before they start recording, right?
R07: Yes. Basically, we gave them a script for each week’s recording, and they probably thought that it was a remake at first. However, since Hanyu appeared in the second episode, Yui Horie, who plays Hanyu, said, “Isn’t it too early for me to step in?” *laughs*
So the cast members were also enjoying theorizing about Higurashi Gou as they were recording.
R07: I hope that’s the case. The only person I said anything beforehand was Mika Kanai, who plays Satoko. I said her that Satoko will have a rough time. On the other hand, I didn’t give any spoilers to Yukari Tamura, who played Rika, the one who is being deceived this time.
I made "Higurashi" because I wanted people to enjoy thinking about it..
I see. Maybe that kind of attention to detail is also reflected in the acting. Currently, a total of 24 episodes of Higurashi Gou have been aired, and from the very first episode, there has been a lot of excitement with various discussions through SNS. How do you feel about the reaction of the audience?
R07: For me, it’s the most ideal way to have fun. The TV anime "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" was broadcasted in 2006, so at that time, there was no environment where people could casually post on SNS, and the only way to discuss was through forums. Now we live in an age where we can exchange opinions very casually, which I think is ideal.
Indeed, a wide range of people, from core fans to first-timers, are enjoying the discussion.
R07: I’m really happy about that. Originally, "Higurashi" was not intended to be an “orthodox mystery” where the goal is to uncover the culprit or trick, but rather a work that I wanted people to enjoy thinking itself. However, when we first announced it, such an atmosphere had not been fostered, and it was perceived as part of a culprit guessing game, where the person who figured out the culprit was amazing and the rest were seen as losers. For me, it’s not about the right or wrong answer, but rather the experience of exchanging opinions and discussing with others that is valuable and enjoyable. For me, "Higurashi" is a “theorizing game”, and I also think of it as a kind of communication game.
That’s right. In that sense, Higurashi Gou is exactly the way the series was originally intended to be enjoyed.
R07: In the age of social networking, I think the way we enjoy content has changed. Of course, there are a lot of people who are seriously into theory-crafting, and that makes me very happy, but I think it’s great that the range of ways to enjoy it has expanded.
I’m sure you’ve seen some serious thinkers, but are some of them close to the right answer?
R07: Everyone is very smart. There are quite a few people who think that if they can get this much from the information they have at the moment, it would be a perfect score of 100. But again, whether or not you got it right is secondary, as I think it’s more important how much fun you get from your theorizing, so even if your thinking is off the mark, I think that’s great.
"Higurashi" and "Umineko" are Osamu Tezuka’s "Phoenix"?
There are also cases where viewers who started with Higurashi Gou start watching the Heisei version of Higurashi as well, giving the impression that the whole series is gaining momentum.
R07: I didn’t have that much in mind when I was writing the plot, but I’m glad it ended up working that way. It was also very important that the program was re-broadcasted and distributed through various media to make it easy to access. My only concern was that the old and new anime would be compared and there would be pointless discussions about “which one is better”, and I didn’t want that to happen. I love the Heisei version of "Higurashi", and I’m grateful to Studio Deen for doing such a wonderful job, so I don’t want them to feel bad about it. But once it started, I saw that my fears were baseless. Everyone understands that all differences between the old and the new were done on purpose, including the direction, so I think it’s settled in a great place.
In terms of theory-crafting, the Higurashi series has long been suggested to be related to Umineko no Naku Koro ni, but to what extent were you thinking about this when writing Higurashi Gou?
R07: It’s often misunderstood, but basically "Higurashi" is a complete work, so it’s not that you can’t solve its mysteries or enjoy it if you don’t know "Umineko no Naku Koro ni". However, if you are familiar with "Umineko", you may find it interesting to look at it from a slightly different perspective. That’s about it.
So it’s something like an accessory item to broaden the scope of your thinking?
R07: That’s right. The two works share a part of the same setting, and I have a huge unified world in my mind, but it’s just a framework in my brain, not something that is clearly depicted in the story. It’s like Osamu Tezuka’s "Phoenix". While the stories are independent of each other, Phoenix and Saruta appear in most of the stories, don’t they? So you don’t necessarily need to know "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" to enjoy "Higurashi". Of course, I would like you to read all the volumes of "Phoenix", though *laughs*
I want you to feel for Satoko.
Okay, I understand. Now, please tell us about the story of Higurashi Gou. First of all, there is Onidamashi-hen which makes you think it is a remake at first but turns out to be completely new work.
R07: That’s exactly what I was aiming for with "Onidamashi-hen". I wanted to make people think that it was similar to the previous story but with some slight changes, when in fact it was completely different. The crucial part is the scene where Rena attacks Keiichi. In "Onikakushi-hen", the tragedy occurred when Keiichi in a state of doubt didn’t let Rena into his house, while in "Onidamashi-hen" Keiichi welcomed Rena into his house, but was attacked by her. The first thing that shows that this story is not a simple IF route, but something else, is the "Onidamashi-hen".
And it’s the same with Watadamashi-hen, which first part is similar to the beginning of Watanagashi-hen, but it is a different story.
R07: A person with good intuition may have noticed that there is something big happening behind the scenes in "Higurashi Gou" at the time of "Onidamashi-hen", but "Watadamashi-hen" is the chapter that tries to absolutely confirm it. Keiichi’s failure to give the doll to Mion led to the tragedy in "Watanagashi-hen" but in "Watadamashi-hen" the tragedy cannot be averted even though he gave the doll to her. I think this is the episode where you can clearly see that none of the previous flags will work.
In the following Tataridamashi-hen, the story takes an even more drastically different turn.
R07: I can’t go into too much detail about "Tataridamashi-hen" because it will be a relatively large part of the "Higurashi Sotsu" that will be aired later, but I think it’s a scenario that requires a new perspective based on the information that has been revealed so far. Please look forward to the solution in "Higurashi Sotsu".
Starting from Nekodamashi-hen, the story is completely original.
R07: This is the chapter where Satoko tries to destroy Rika’s heart, and her goal is to get complete power over her. And it is "Satokowashi-hen" that depicts why Satoko has become so obsessed with Rika. This arc is positioned like the prequel of Takano Miyo’s story from "Matsuribayashi-hen", and although Satoko indeed tries to prevent the future that Rika wants, I want you to be empathetic towards her as much as possible.
Earlier, I said that Satoko has grown into hell of a kid but I do understand her feelings painfully.
R07: I’m glad to hear that *laughs* "" is structured to tell how the tragedy was happening from Satoko’s point of view. The game board spins around and the player changes from Rika to Satoko.
From a viewer’s point of view, I’m expecting a development that leads to the last scene of Nekodamashi-hen, but what you can say about that?
R07: Right. That’s where it will come down to the last scene of "Nekodamashi-hen" section, as you’d expect, probably *laughs*
If I have any interesting ideas, I’m always up for doing it again.
By the way, Heisei Higurashi had a major theme of “trusting and relying on friends”, but is there a different theme being portrayed this time?
R07: I have it in my mind, but honestly, people always get angry at me for being preachy *laughs* So this time I will not say it myself. It’s the same with the meaning of the words "Gou" (“karma”) and "Sotsu" (“graduation”) in the title, and I’m sure those who understand will understand, but I dare not say anything about it now.
If you connect the two, you get Sotsugyou (“graduation”), which makes me think that maybe this is the final chapter of the Higurashi series…
R07: No, I don’t mean that this is the end of the series. This time, we were able to create a story that won’t lose to Heisei "Higurashi", so I think about it as a milestone, but as I said at the beginning, the setting of "Higurashi" is very expandable, so if I can come up with something interesting, I would like to do it again anytime.
That’s a relief for Higurashi fans.
R07: I might even do a story about the children of Keiichi and others in the time when they have their own families. But anyway, for now, I hope you can enjoy "Higurashi Gou" and "Higurashi Sotsu" as much as you can. Since there will be some time left before "Higurashi Sotsu" airs, it would be good to rewatch "Higurashi Gou" again, and if you watch the Heisei version of "Higurashi", I think you may discover something new.
| Higurashi Gou Interview (3/23/21) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Gou SP Live Talk
On February 22, 2021, Ryukishi07 hosted a livestream on NicoNico where he answered several questions about .
This page contains a partial transcript of conversations between Ryukishi and the host, translated by Klashikari with notes "marked in italics." Other notable things are provided by RenaRena-Toshokan. Contains spoilers up to Episode 20 of "Gou".
Transcript.
"T: Ryukishi is happy so many people on the net noticed the details (most likely referring to the differences from the original). Nekodamashi is what Ryukishi calls a “True New Work”, which is why the pacing was much faster."
About Ooishi.
Host: What was up with Ooishi?
"T: Ryukishi says that Ooishi was always considered as a reliable ally in the original Higurashi. As such, he knew most people would consider Ooishi as an ally very quickly. Considering he isn't "marked" as a potential culprit, he immediately took this chance for obvious reasons. This was also true for Rika."
H: Was it because of H173?
Ryukishi: *laughs* No, it wasn't because of H173.
"T: He specifically mentioned again H173, meaning it could be a variant drug."
R: Or maybe I am wrong? *laughs*
R: Well you know, I lie a lot too.
H: Then say it in red!
R: *laughs*R: Well, we don't know. You can see one comment mentioning one of the syringes was missing.
R: So for that person who noticed that, they probably think they have a good lead.
"T: The host remembers the scene with Takano's case. Ryu mentions there was indeed a missing syringe on the right."
H: So what happened to Ooishi? Was he arrested or did he commit suicide?
R: Well I believe he is dead ("it is the natural conclusion to think he is dead").
About the Sword Shard.
H: Regarding the Onigari no Ryuuou shard, is it present in every single "Gou" fragment?
R: Yes, that is the case. Of course, whenever Rika comes back from death, she doesn't have the shard anymore. But even then, it is still the same item, so if Rika goes there one more time, she can retrieve it.
H: Oh yeah, and Satoko... Satoko was in the saiguden in the last episode right?
R: Yes, indeed.
H: Was the fragment there then too?
R: Of course...though I wonder?
H: Hmm, I see.
R: That's difficult to say *laughs*
"T: The "difficult to say" could be referring to how the answer might be "too difficult""
H: I see. Well, there is that horn shaped item too so...
R: Yes, there was a horn there *laughs*
About Nekodamashi.
H: So about Nekodamashi 2 and 3, Akasaka, Akane, and Kimiyoshi went mad and Keiichi went on a rampage in Angel Mort.
R: Just as you said. From there, people Rika wanted to trust and have peace of mind from succumbed one by one.
H: I'm really a huge fan of Akasaka you know!
R: Oh!
H: I'm pretty sure everyone likes Akasaka, particularly Rika so... Akasaka's "I came here to save you!" line... I never expected it to be be like that! While he was stabbing her with a knife.
H: Man, please stop! (to Akasaka)
H: I was really shocked.
R: I'm really sorry to say that, but in Gou, this was the scene I was looking forward to the most *laughs*
H: You are the worst.
H: I mean, when you watch the anime, you see Rika and Akasaka in front of the shop. Then that discussion about him agreeing to stay in Hinamizawa until the festival. Then BOOM, that scene.
R: For that scene, the person handling the storyboard did a great job when it comes to its pacing *laughs*
H: Yeah, you could say the pacing was good...
H: That was truly the worst.
R: *laughs more* Thank you very much!
H: I was complimenting you of course.
R: When you consider stories with loops, as long as Rika doesn't give up, things go smoothly, ultimately speaking. But in the end, as long you don't reach the climax, Rika's heart/soul becomes more and more feeble (lit: tiring itself). Even though it is an endless loop game, she is approaching the game over.
R: So the best way to convey that was to show Rika having enough and declaring she will try 5 more times before giving up. By mentioning a specific number and making it a countdown, I made sure the audience would feel that we are approaching the end for her.
"T: He also picked 5 because it was perfect to show that with a single hand. Whereas it would have been awkward if Rika decided she had 7 tries left since she would need both of her hands for that."
H: But man, that was really gory this time.
R: To be really honest, in my initial draft, it was a bit gory, yes. But then, the anime staff really went all out with that. *laughs* I admit my plot does involve that but you usually expect a huge blood splatter on the wall to illustrate that.
R: Usually, you don't show that. So I really believed they wouldn't show that on screen. But then, when I checked the storyboard for that scene, it was quite something.
H: Sure was. To the point it was too dark and we couldn't see anything (heavily censored on TV broadcast).
H: That was really hardcore.
H: And then we have Satoko... She did that to Rika (mimicking the Watanagashi Ritual gesture). But then we see Rika in that splendid world following the conclusion of Matsuribayashi. And she wants to leave Hinamizawa. Indeed, I wasn't surprised there.
R: Right. For a long time, even without considering the loop issue, Rika was supposed carry the duty of the Furude family, and was thus "caged" in Hinamizawa. As such, Rika always wanted to leave Hinamizawa at some point.
R: I also understand that people who have followed the original Higurashi would wonder why she suddenly wants to leave Hinamizawa. I wanted to properly explain why, hence I wrote those scenes.
H: So we got comments here and... did Passione go L5 there?
R: *laughs*
H: Is that true? Did they go berserk?
R: When you see them putting so much efforts into the storyboard, I have no choice but to let them do what they want!
H: Well I prepared some questions and I asked some already but I have something else to ask. Regarding Akasaka, Akane and Kimiyoshi, did you pick them on purpose along with Ooishi?
R: That's right. I killed the reliable adults one by one. To be honest, in my initial draft, Chie was supposed to be among them too.
H: I see!
R: Chie locked Rika in the school building at night, doing "something" to Rika's finger...
R: But then, I calmed down a bit and reconsidered that part. Chie is a guest character, so I would feel really bad doing that, so I scrapped that idea.
H: You didn't lose all of your reason it seems! I really thought you lost it.
R: I wanted to kill every reliable character there.
H: But why?!
R: I just wanted to break Rika and the audience's heart in a fell swoop *smash gesture*
H: In other words, that's your intention right? I mean, among the characters, there is a person who has such intent right?
R: Well yeah. There is a character who has such intent. They want to crush Rika's will thoroughly.
H: Okay, let's hear who it is. Let me guess: it is Teppei!
R: *laughs* Ever since "Tataridamashi", a lot of people expect it to be Teppei!
H: Well, that's a popular theory after all. So was it Teppei?!
R: I can't say. I mean, even for Teppei that's a bit... But when I hear so many voices making such theories about him, it almost looks like the heavens dictate so (not too sure what he meant by that, unless he implies even gods decreed that)
H: I mean we have Satoko-washi (Washi is the pronoun used by Teppei).
R: Just imagine Teppei storming in St Lucia and dragging her out. That would be cool right?
H: No, I'd rather imagine Teppei say "Please let me enroll at St Lucia."
R: Oh, him enrolling there *laughs*
H: Oh right, someone brought up Teppei's medicine shown in the anime.
R: Well, Teppei is a character who doesn't take care of his health, so his body isn't particularly healthy. So he takes some medicine
H: How much medicine does he take?
R: I can't really say. I can't reveal the actual medicine he takes.
H: Oho, makes me wonder
R: But I'm really surprised people took a good look at that medicine cut.
H: But seriously, you should stop with those single cuts appearing like that for a brief moment!
H: And then, we have some very peaceful scenes until it ultimately becomes a tragedy.
R: When it comes to how I write tragedies, I will try to explain, although I might be wrong so please forgive me. So to speak, "if it is only cold, it doesn't break" (寒さでけでは砕けない). I mean, in a desert, there is only sand, no rock right? That's because there is an extreme difference of temperature between day and night. So a rock in a desert begins to crack due to the heat during the day and some water infiltrates it. Then at night, it becomes really cold and that water freezes. If you repeat that process, the rock breaks down and becomes sand.
R: So I applied that logic to Satoko. She is initially in the "cold" part with all that stuff in St Lucia. Then she warms up quite a bit when she is back to Hinamizawa with everyone else.
H: So about Keiichi smashing Rena (bat gesture) at the Angel Mort. Did he start the rampage like that?
R: Yes and it is a bit similar to what we discussed before. Keiichi is seen as a reliable comrade, so it isn't just the adults who succumbed, but also the likes of Keiichi. As for Angel Mort, it is usually a location for gags right? There wasn't really any serious/negative scenes there right? That's the "even there you cannot escape" kind of atmosphere I wanted to convey. I wanted to ramp the tragedy.
H: That's really sorrowful. But I'm going to hang in there and continue watching it.
H: So let's discuss about Episode 17. That is Nekodamashi 4. We witnessed Takano's apologies and that case scene. We got the peaceful scenes and then... that present to Satoko.
R: Yes!
H: And then those eyes.
R: Yes, the red ones!
H: And then Episode 18 with Satoko.
H: So let me ask one of my questions: what was the reason for Takano to give up on her plan?
R: Oh about that, it will be explained properly later on so I can't reveal anything now. But there is something that happened that made her act that way.
H: Well I mean Takano was extremely determined. An absolute strong will! The likes even God wouldn't be able to change! And yet...?
R: On the other hand, that's what makes it all the more interesting! When you think about that Takano, it really makes you wonder what made her change her mind.
H: But seriously, what happened?
R: It makes you wonder what, or who did that right? Don't worry, you will have your answer in due time.
H: Next question is: What's up with Satoko's witch eyes?
R: *laughs* ...
H: Sorry, I wrote witch eyes just like that, but yeah.
R: I admit they certainly look like eyes of a witch.
H: It's not just the eyes, how come Satoko figured out about that trap box?
R: Well, if she wasn't like Rika, there was no way she would have figured that out. She had to have "experience" of that box beforehand. She is quite similar to Rika in that sense.
H: Wait huh? So she became able to use that power too?
R: Well, she was a normal girl, but in Satokowashi she is in the middle of obtaining that. You will see, next week she will gain some incredible power.
H: Someone stated she was fishy ever since that vomit scene. Is that true? Was something slightly different?
R: Let's see. How to explain that. Her seiyuu, Kanai Mika, made a spectacular performance. Remember the original series when Satoko threw up? It really felt like it came from her gut right? "But this time, it sounds a bit like she is faking it?" Some people said those kind of things.
R: Also, when Satoko came back (to school after Teppei came back to Hinamizawa), she took a piece of daikon from Rena's bento. There were some theories where Satoko came back on purpose to pick that daikon piece and make it so she actually threw up.
H: That's interesting.
R: It isn't just Kanai, but all the seiyuu are quite the veterans. When you tell them the hidden details, they can deliver tons of nuance. That being said, since the original series was 10 years ago, some people might think the seiyuu are just tired and thus might have misunderstood how they had to perform. But there was no misunderstanding to begin with. In fact, their acting was spot on.
H: And then we had that scene with Keiichi trying to pat her head but she immediately deflected his hand.
R: Oh yeah, that. The first time you watch that scene, you might wonder "a little bit" about Satoko's attitude there.
R: In the previous higurashi, Rika was the secret protagonist. Sure, Keiichi was perceived as the main protagonist, but the secret one was Rika. So this time, the hidden protagonist is Satoko.H: There is a comment stating the following: "The scene where Keiichi gives the doll to Mion. He did that thanks to Rika's advice HOWEVER, Satoko sort of had that stare there". Is that right?
R: That's riiiiight.
H: Wait, she really did?!
R: She was incredibly indifferent. Normally, you would expect her to act a bit like Rena with that "Aah, it is so cute" look on her face, but here Satoko was pretty co-... or should I say quite indifferent.
R: So it isn't like Satoko was looking at Mion receiving the doll. But more like realizing Rika told Keiichi to give the doll to Mion.
R: "Rika, so you know that much, huh?", kind of attitude from her, something like that.
R: You know, there are the whodunnit, howdunnit and whydunnit in a mystery. So now you know the whodunnit, I urge you to watch these episodes again with the upcoming DVD. Passione really put a lot into these kind of details.
H: Another question: "does Satoko have memories of past loops? Awareness of previous loops like "Minagoroshi""?
R: At the very least, she knew about the surprise box. Regarding memories of the previous "Higurashi", I cannot say but at the very least, know that she had memories of that surprise box.
H: Oooh... now I get it! That's really interesting.
R: *laughs*
H: So, is it going to be 24 episodes?
R: Yeah, I guess.
H: So 4 episodes left, huh?
R: I admit things are a bit in a rush, but I assure you its pacing is pretty laid back. It was done "properly" (cleanly?) so I hope you will look forward to it.
T: He had some shifty eyes when the host was like "so 4 episodes left..."
R: I want people to trust me and have expectations for what comes next.
H: So are we going to have "Satokowashi" until the end of the series?
R: For now, I believe we stick to "Satokowashi."
H: And now, episode 19 and 20. The most recently broadcasted episodes. In episode 19, Satoko passed the exams but just couldn't adapt herself in St Lucia.
R: *laughs*
H: So this is basically what it is is about, heh?
R: That's right. It's about her struggle.
H: Then in episode 20 that was broadcasted a few days ago. They came back to Hinamizawa.
R: As I mentioned before, that's the "warm" part of the tragedy.
H: Alright everyone, I believe you have a lot of things to ask here. Let's start with one of my questions.
R: Sure, please do!
H: Let's see... What's the deal with Featherine? "(board just says "Featherine?")"
R: *bursts in laughter* That's some hot topic right there.
H: Wait, first, am I correct to assume it is her?
R: Well... indeed, there is a character in "Umineko" called Featherine that is very similar to that character. But for that character, voiced by Hidaka Noriko, her name is not Featherine.
H: So you say her name is not Featherine?
R: She is (not) Featherine "(あれはフェザリーヌさんでは...he never finished that sentence)"
H: Wow, that's surprising. Can I check with the staff for a second?
R: *lots of laughter*
H: There is something else I want to know. Is "Umineko" a must watch (for Gou)?
R: One part of my fictional world/character settings are similar, or pretty much borrow the concept of "(Japanese term to designate how authors reuse their characters as if they were actors, similar to how Tezuka did before)", making you feel "Oh, there is that character!". Of course, you will enjoy that if you read "Umineko", but it has nothing to do with "Umineko".
R: It is fine if you don't know her. And if you do, I'm sure you are enjoying it. Of course, if we talk about business, sure I want everyone to read it!
H: But of course. it is a very interesting work too.
H: But man, that study hall was too scary.
R: *more laughter*
H: No seriously, the girls expressions were so gloomy. There is no way something like that could happen.
R: *can't stop laughing* So true
H: I thought we finally were done with guro, and then we got this.
R: I agree, it is a different kind of guro.
H: It is seriously grotesque yeah. And then the solitary confinement cell...
R: *laughing*
H: I mean, you can't just put a cell like that. That's too horrible.
H: And to make things worse, there is that misunderstanding between Rika and Satoko.
R: That's right!
H: Is that misunderstanding going to be cleared?!
R: *looks at the ceiling* I wonder
H: "I wonder" he said!
R: In Satoko's mind, that incident alone wasn't enough, it is pretty much everything that happened thus far. (answer is shortened quite a lot because there are few things I can't really grasp in his explanations)
H: Was St Lucia based on an actual location?
R: Well, no. Pretty much the setting of a school for rich girls. You have one section where girls can enroll by paying large sums of money, and another section where "normal" girls can attend if they happen to have excellent grades.
R: (skipped some stuff regarding the school itself). Shion attended the rich girls department where she didn't really study that much, whereas Satoko and Rika attended the department where they had to have excellent grades.
| Higurashi Gou SP Live Talk |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Holidays
There are several holidays devoted to specific characters in and named such using Japanese wordplay based on the characters' names or personalities.
"Official" Holidays.
Many of these holidays appear to have been coined by fans on the 07th Expansion forums and have been recognized officially in some capacity, whether on the 07th Expansion website or other means.
Other Holidays.
These are holidays that are commonly celebrated by fans but do not have a clear source of origin or official recognition.
Gallery.
This is a collection of artwork done by various "Higurashi" manga artists and highlighted on 07th Expansion's gallery page.
| Higurashi Holidays |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Hou
| Higurashi Hou |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Hou+
| Higurashi Hou+ |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kai
| Higurashi Kai |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kira
| Higurashi Kira |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna
| Higurashi Kizuna |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Drama CDs
The special editions of each installment in "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" contained several bonuses, most of which were extra arcs released in the form of drama CDs:
Murakuzushi-hen.
was released with "Kizuna" Volume II. It features Natsumi Kimiyoshi returning to Hinamizawa for the Watanagashi Festival and getting involved with the club's antics.
Sachitooshi-hen.
was released with "Kizuna" Volume III. It centers around a magic doll that can make any wish come true, with chaos ensuing as the cast fights over it.
Yumekawashi-hen.
was released with "Kizuna" Volume IV. Set after "Matsuribayashi", it features the club heading to a hot spring that is supposed to make them smarter and better.
| Higurashi Kizuna Drama CDs |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 1
is the first chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Detectives Tomoe Minai and Shingo Fujita return to Kakiuchi Police Station from a stakeout, with Tomoe's sister Madoka worrying about how injured she is. Tomoe chides her for not referring to her professionally and explains that during their stakeout, she got into a fight. Madoka says that even though she’s an elite police officer, Tomoe is still a woman. She tells Fujita to stand up for Tomoe as her partner but he says nothing in response, looking incredibly dejected. Tomoe goes to report while Madoka sits with Fujita and asks what happened.
Fujita and Tomoe were staking out a coffee shop, however Fujita’s wife Yuko was watching them. Because Fujita has frequently come home late for a while, Yuko thought he was having an affair. Tomoe noticed the target and moved to whisper something to Fujita, but Yuko went up and slapped him, thinking she was kissing him. Fujita fervently tried to explain and blurted out they’re doing a stakeout, and the target started running. Tomoe managed to catch the guy while Fujita got chewed out by his wife.
Tomoe reports in to chief Kaoru Yamaoki, who also admonishes Tomoe for being reckless. Yamaoki tells her to go home, but she still has to finish her report.
At the Second Criminal Division, Okabe rants to Kojima about how Tomoe and Fujita had stolen Section 2’s thunder once again, as the guy they caught today was an important consultant to a trafficking group. Meanwhile, Section 2 was busy doing chores at the new investigation HQ. Tomoe became a semi-career inspector at just the age of 30; she was top of her class, graduated with a degree in psychology, and her father was a well-liked detective at Public Security. Tomoe and Madoka’s parents died in a fire 11 years ago, and Tomoe carried on his legacy. Kojima wonders why Tomoe and Yamaoki fight so much, and Okabe says it’s just to show who’s the best around. He changes the topic to Tomoe’s sister.
Tomoe meets Madoka in the break room and chastises her for wearing her casual clothes while using police facilities. Madoka says that Fujita went home to apologize to his wife, and told Madoka to also apologize to Tomoe. Tomoe asks why Madoka is all dressed up and demands to know who she’s eating dinner with. Madoka tries to dodge the question, but at Tomoe's insistence, she explains she's just going out to eat with her boyfriend. Tomoe accepts it and offers a rid,e, but then Madoka explains she's dating Yamaoki. Tomoe can't believe this, as Yamaoki is old enough to be her father. Tomoe calms down and says it's fine for them to date, but marriage is different. She'll trust Madoka's judgment for now and wishes her the best. Madoka thanks her for her support. Tomoe begins to say something else but drops the subject, and when Madoka leaves, laments that she couldn't say that Yamaoki was a good guy.
A flashback occurs to years ago, after the funeral of Tomoe's father. When Yamaoki asked here if she wanted to be a police officer, Tomoe gained new purpose in her life. She was grateful to him for that and saw him like a parent. Tomoe thinks that what she's doing now is important. There are rumors going around that Madoka would've slept with Yamaoki to get a promotion, but Tomoe knows it's not true. Madoka used to work at a cabaret club and met Yamaoki, who was a regular customer. For some reason, Madoka decided to become a police officer then. Two years ago, Yamaoki became chief of Kakiuchi Station, Madoka got recruited as an officer, and then Tomoe was selected by the Ibaraki prefectural police to become a candidate for the National Police Agency, and was transferred to Kakiuchi just last summer.
Tomoe doesn't understand how it all happened. Madoka didn't need to become an officer just for Yamaoki to like her, and as a former cabaret club worker, she knew she'd be looked at differently. Tomoe brushes it all aside and is content that Madoka is serious at least. Later, Tomoe finishes interviewing someone on the street and reunites with Fujita, who asks if she found the witness. Tomoe says she hasn't yet and asks how things went with his wife. Fujita explained the situation to Yuko and apologized to her, and eventually left with Hanada.
Fujita is ready to continue the investigation when Tomoe suddenly says that somebody's watching them from the shadows. Fujita runs away in a panic to search somewhere else. Tomoe says she's leaving him to do what he needs to do when she sees some delinquents harassing a girl for knocking over their motorcycles. Tomoe intervenes.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 10
is the tenth chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Natsumi thinks that, though she loved her family and did whatever they wanted, they kept her caged and wanted her to be ideal rather than happy. Natsumi kills her mother, father, and grandmother with a knife, and then wakes up screaming. She figures it was just a dream and leaves her room, but then smells something awful. Her other self says it's great her dream came true, and Natsumi is shocked to hear another voice coming from her body. The other Natsumi says she's always been inside her and that nothing will change if she continues to do nothing. The other Natsumi appearing is proof that her dark feelings have been building up for a long time, and that the original is about to disappear. Natsumi fights with herself and then sees the corpses of her family.
At school, Chisato speaks to Akira in the art room about Hinamizawa. She tells him about how the Watanagashi Festival has people dying and disappearing every year, and asks if he knows Akira is related to the village mayor. Natsumi listens to them from outside the room. Akira says Natsumi never lived in Hinamizawa and Chisato asks why she kept it a secret then. She jokes that Natsumi's going to sacrifice him and that they used to throw human guts in the river during Watanagashi, and Natsumi assumes Chisato is telling Akira all this to drive them apart since she likes him too.
Natsumi makes herself known and questions Chisato. Natsumi attempts to restrain herself as her darker half plans to kill Chisato, and she soon pushes her over. Natsumi says she's going to disappear and then runs away. Meanwhile, Tomoe is out with Fujita and gets a feeling, then leaves suddenly.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 10 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 11
is the eleventh chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Tomoe wanders around and finds herself in the same park she met Natsumi. She thinks about how strange Natsumi has been acting and then sees her crying in the middle of the woods. Natsumi continues struggling with her other self, who entices her to take her medicine so the darker half can finally take over. Tomoe stops her and tries to figure out what's going on. The other Natsumi says not to let Tomoe find out and that she's just pretending to be her friend. She also tells Natsumi about how her skin is crawling with bugs, and Natsumi starts scratching. Natsumi starts to think the other her is Oyashiro-sama, who's come to claim her as a sacrifice.
Tomoe stops Natsumi from scratching her throat. Natsumi now sees her as an enemy for wanting her other self to kill her, and then starts trying to choke her. Tomoe hits her with her baton, and is stunned to realize she hit her. Natsumi starts trying to choke her again, but the original briefly regains control and asks Tomoe to help her as she cries. Tomoe remembers Natsumi wanting to call her a sister and caresses her face, and says that she believes in her. Tomoe relates how there was a time she couldn't believe in anyone or anything, but then someone reached out to her and saved her. Natsumi realizes that Tomoe also helped her a lot and really loved her. Natsumi declares that she's the only Natsumi Kimiyoshi and dispels her other self, and then falls unconscious. Tomoe tends to her.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 11 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 12
is the twelfth and final chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
An angry Madoka meets Tomoe in the hospital and asks why someone tried to kill her. Tomoe gets angry at Fujita for telling her and says it's nothing serious. Madoka really asks if she's not going to press charges against Natsumi, but Tomoe says it may not have been Natsumi's fault but rather the will of Oyashiro-sama. Tomoe doesn't want to ruin Natsumi's future like this and says it must've been a series of bad coincidences.
Tomoe goes to speak with Natsumi, who's regained consciousness. Natsumi remembers choking Tomoe, but Tomoe lies and says she
just had an accident. She says Natsumi just collapsed in the park, but Natsumi admits to killing her family. Tomoe says she saw her mother yesterday and she seemed fine, and assures Natsumi that she just suffered a bad dream from someone trying to take her over. Natsumi cries and embraces her.
Natsumi explains how as a kid, she stayed at home all the time, and her mother would get mad when she made noise outside and nagged her a lot. Her friends drifted away from her, and she gained the nickname of Zashiki-warashi, a Japanese ghost whose hair was said to bring good luck. One day, someone tried to cut Natsumi's hair, but she caused him to get hurt. Natsumi's mother got angry and blamed her and her bad behavior for causing an incident. Natsumi started refusing to go to school and would feel dizzy, and started taking pills to feel better. Natsumi started taking pills more often and also started talking to herself and wishing to kill people who got in her way. Tomoe assures that she made the voice go away.
Chisato then appears and asks why Natsumi never talked to her earlier. When Natsumi was acting strange yesterday, Chisato investigated and soon learned she was in the hospital. Chisato hugs Natsumi and apologizes since she knew all about Natsumi's illness and past, and believed that if Akira heard rumors about Hinamizawa then he'd cancel the trip. Natsumi asks if she'll still be her friend, and Chisato accepts. Meanwhile, Tomoe and Madoka talk on the hospital roof. Madoka says she never wanted to be a police officer and recalls a past meeting with Yamaoki.
Yamaoki says he's being transferred to Kakiuchi and offers Madoka to come along. Yamaoki asks how she feels about meeting Tomoe again, and says that Madoka must have an inferiority complex. Madoka admits there were some times she wished she could be better than her sister, and Yamaoki suggests that they can figure out the difference by putting them together.
Madoka says Yamaoki didn't want to get her into trouble, and says that she wanted to get away from being compared to Tomoe. Madoka then says that Tomoe is clumsy, careless, and getting mad at everyone, much to Tomoe's surprise, but says that she's also hardworking and opened her heart to Natsumi. Madoka thinks she would've given up then in Tomoe's position, and is going to stop comparing herself to others from now on. Tomoe says Madoka is the reason she keeps going, as she wants to be the person Madoka expects her to be.
Tomoe narrates that everyone has times where they suffer and want to give up, but a little bit of compassion and kindness can give them courage to go on, and that each thought strengths their ties on the path to happiness. Tamako and Chisato visit Natsumi in the hospital while Tomoe, Fujita, and Ooishi attend Madoka and Yamaoki's wedding. Tomoe takes the bouquet toss and smiles with Madoka.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 12 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 2
is the second chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Tomoe interrupts a group of delinquents who are harassing a girl. The boys begin to take interest in Tomoe instead, but she insults and rejects them. One of the boys gets mad and calls her a man, which prompts Tomoe to hit him. She says she absolutely hates it when people call her male, and beats up the other boys and sends them running.
The girl thanks Tomoe for saving her. Tomoe thinks the boys' bikes were stolen and begins writing things down in a notebook. The girl asks if she's a police officer, and Tomoe affirms it. She offers to send someone to escort her home in case the boys return, but the girl says she has to meet someone and starts to run off. Before she leaves, Tomoe introduces herself and promises to lend her help if she needs it. Tomoe thinks that the girl's reaction was weird and figures she was really late for work, and that her school doesn't allow part-time jobs. The girl might also be afraid of something.
Later, Tomoe takes a call from her friend Kuraudo Ooishi, who asks to meet up since he's in Nagoya. Tomoe accepts and meets him and Yamaoki at an Angel Mort, wanting to know both why Yamaoki is here and why they're meeting in a strange restaurant like this. Yamaoki says the food in Angel Mort is great as he's a regular customer, and directs Tomoe to look at the menu. Tomoe is enthralled by all the desserts, and when Yamaoki offers to pay for everything, she caves in and orders a bunch of parfaits.
Tomoe asks Ooishi why he's here. Next to Ooishi's home town, there's a village named Hinamizawa that holds a yearly Watanagashi Festival. A murder occurs then every year, which is known as Oyashiro-sama's curse. Tomoe asks who Oyashiro-sama is, and Ooishi explains that he's a god who allowed humans and demons to coexist in Hinamizawa long ago. Many human sacrifices had to be made to ensure their survival, and so anybody who doesn't respect the god is sacrificed by the demons. Rumors say that the victims of the curse are those who lack faith in Oyashiro-sama, but Ooishi believes a human is masterminding it. He especially believes the Sonozaki family and the Three Families are responsible since they're descended from demons, but he has no proof. The person who may have carried out last year's murder was sighted in Nagoya, but they lost track of him. Ooishi is convinced the curse will happen again this year and wants to catch the killer.
Ooishi apologizes for telling such a frightening story, but Tomoe is fine since she doesn't believe in supernatural things. Ooishi says she looks just like her father with the way she eats. Tomoe becomes lost in thought, wondering what her parents' killer might be doing now. Yamaoki asks if she still wants to catch them and get revenge for her parents, and says that she ought to move on since it's been twelve years. Tomoe says she can't move on until she catches them, but Yamaoki says she's just trying to convince herself of that.
Tomoe gets angry and says Yamaoki was the reason she became a police officer in the first place. Yamaoki stands up and seems like he's about to respond, but then says he needs to use the bathroom and that Tomoe's in the way. After he leaves, Tomoe sighs since Yamaoki was playing dumb once again. Tomoe feels like she's losing favor with him over time. Ooishi says he used to be a great detective and mentions that he's going to be her brother-in-law soon, prompting a shocked Tomoe to exclaim she never approved Madoka's marriage. Ooishi is confused since Madoka was happy, and is convinced Yamaoki will make her happy. Yamaoki finally returns from the bathroom, and Tomoe announces she's going home.
Yamaoki chides Ooishi for his handling of the marriage topic. Ooishi begins to ask about Tomoe, but Yamaoki says they've made little progress. He wonders if they did the right thing in making her a police officer, and Ooishi says Tomoe's hatred of the killer is keeping her going. They both want her to move on from the past, but it's not fair for a young woman to work so hard without getting something in return.
Tomoe walks home and thinks she's getting a cold. She figures it's the changing of the seasons.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 2 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 3
is the third chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Natsumi wakes up late and rushes to get ready for school. Her mother asks her to eat breakfast but Natsumi refuses. Her grandmother says she needs to pay her respects before she goes, but Natsumi says she has no time and leaves home. Natsumi thinks that she's made a lot more progress in her new school than in the Okinomiya one and is having trouble keeping up with everything.
At school, Natsumi is greeted by her friends Chisato Saeki and Tamako Makimura. They ask Natsumi about her part-time job, and she says she wants to get a wedding anniversary gift for her parents. Chisato and Tamako offer to help her anytime when Akira Toudou arrives and demands Chisato give his book back. As Chisato retrieves it, Natsumi looks at Akira with a flustered expression.
Natsumi and her friends plan to go to the ice cream shop later. Natsumi narrates that she's enjoying her life, but she feels like she's suffocating. She thinks she may not be cut out for city life and may have had an easier time if she were born in Kakiuchi City from the start, resting alone on a bench as she wonders this. Tomoe then shows up and offers her some juice. Natsumi thanks her for her help the other day and introduces herself.
Tomoe and Natsumi talk on the bench. Natsumi says she moved here last year, just like Tomoe did, but she doesn't feel at home. She used to live in Okinomiya and had dreams of living in the city, but it's not what she expected. Natsumi recounts how she entered a high school her mother recommended and had to study hard in order to get into a good college, and Tomoe relates a similar experience. Tomoe moved from Tokyo to Ibaraki and had to help her grandmother work her fields instead of studying and hated it. Once she got a taste of the vegetables she grew however, she started enjoying it. Tomoe says that change isn't bad and that she felt obliged to fit in.
Natsumi realizes that that's what her problem is and asks what she can do. Tomoe says she needs to change her way of thinking from "I need to be" to "I want to be". Natsumi says the new friends she made are good to her, but she can't do anything for them. Tomoe asks if friends really become friends based on what they can do for each other, and suggests that Natsumi's friends will enjoy it if she thanks them sometime. Natsumi says she still can't get used to it since she wanted to be worthy of her friends and wonders if they'll still get along if she's the same as before she moved. Tomoe tells her to just talk to them and get to know the better. Natsumi remembers her friends offering help earlier and takes them to heart. Tomoe hopes she can talk to Natsumi another time since they're friends now.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 3 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 4
is the fourth chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
A flashback occurs to a teenage Tomoe finding Madoka's note about her running away from home. Tomoe desperately talks to people throughout town but to no avail, and breaks down crying as it rains. The Minai sisters' lives changed when their parents were murdered and the fire happened, and Tomoe studied hard and worked part-time to support herself and Madoka only for her to run away. Ooishi then arrives to shield her with an umbrella.
At Kakiuchi Station, Madoka wakes up Tomoe from her nightmare. Madoka asks if she dreamed about the fire, and Tomoe asks if she also dreams about that. Madoka says she's still not over it, but when it happens Yamaoki comforts her, giggling as she says this. Madoka asks why Tomoe doesn't go back to her dorm instead of sleeping in the duty room, and Tomoe explains she's been very busy. Madoka tells her to slow down.
Tomoe looks out the window as it begins to rain and wonders why she and Madoka live together now. When Madoka ran away, Tomoe met Ooishi, who was a friend of her father, and met Yamaoki. She became a police officer at his suggestion and got to where she is now. She even managed to reunite with Madoka, who she thought lost, and has a good friendship with her.
Tomoe believes her efforts were not in vain. She goes for a walk when she sees Natsumi sheltering from the rain by herself. Tomoe meets her and Natsumi says she talked with her friends a lot. Tomoe helps dry her hair, which causes Natsumi's pigtails to unfold to their natural long length. Tomoe compliments her and says she looks pretty with her hair down, but Natsumi gets sad. She explains she used to let her hair down but was given the nickname of Zashiki-warashi because of how creepy she looked. Natsumi wasn't as good at speaking as she was now, so the bullying continued. Tomoe takes note of Natsumi's sensitive and shy personality and how she's lost confidence in herself, and reaches out to pat her head. Tomoe tells her to stop worrying about what people used to say and compliments her for being kind, serious, and honest, and to be more confident. Natsumi replies that she also admires Tomoe for her honesty.
Tomoe suggests she wear her hair down for school tomorrow. Natsumi worries about doing that, but Tomoe says that since she didn't cut her hair, that means she still likes it and wanted to keep it. She reminds Natsumi to be more confident and is sure that everyone will notice how lovely she is. Natsumi needs to change little by little to make the world a better place for herself.
At home, Natsumi brushes her hair and remembers Tomoe's words, but also remembers someone trying to cut her hair. Natsumi takes some pills and resolves to trust in Tomoe.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 4 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 5
is the fifth chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Chisato and Tamako are hanging out at school when Akira shows up and asks for his English dictionary back. Chisato gives it back but Akira points out that it's the wrong one. Chisato sees she gave him the one she borrowed from Natsumi, which has a lot of notes and markers in it. Akira smiles and mentions that Chisato likes to borrow Natsumi's stuff a lot. He's about to say something when Chisato says Natsumi's not here yet; she could tell what Akira was going to say since he was looking around for Natsumi when he entered the room. Chisato says Natsumi will be here after a visit to the hospital, and Akira asks what's wrong. Chisato and Tamako smirk, and they say Natsumi's just attending a checkup with her grandmother, much to Akira's displeasure. They say that Natsumi's really kind and look to Akira for affirmation.
Just then, Natsumi enters the classroom. Everyone is mesmerized at seeing her hair down, with Chisato latching onto her and asking to marry her. Tamako tells her to stop, and when Natsumi asks if her hair's weird, Tamako also says it looks cute. Natsumi asks the same thing to Akira. When he struggles to answer, Chisato leads him on and gets him to say her hair's beautiful. Other classmates arrive and compliment Natsumi's hair as well.
Chisato tells Akira to look at all the other boys. A battle for Natsumi's affections will begin soon, so he needs to make his move now. Chisato assures Akira that Natsumi likes him too, much to his confusion. Later, Akira goes to the art room alone and ponders. He definitely likes Natsumi, but for a deeper reason. A flashback occurs to when Chisato and Tamako introduced Natsumi to him. Natsumi looks at one of Akira's paintings and compliments it, then starts crying. Akira asks what's wrong and Natsumi says she's never been so moved by a painting before, and sees that it's the view of Kakiuchi from the window. Natsumi says she's glad to have moved here, and Akira asks if she'll look at another painting he'll make.
In the present, Natsumi enters the art room, having been told by Chisato that Akira wanted to speak to her. Akira confesses to her, and Natsumi reciprocates. On the school roof, Tamako and Chisato wonder if they did well. They knew Akira and Natsumi liked each other since the day they first met. Tamako asks Chisato if she's fine with this since she talked about her feelings for a long time. Chisato says she hopes Natsumi will get better after going out with Akira, and that it's much more important to her.
Chisato remembers that Natsumi was bullied at her old school and asks Tamako to remember when Natsumi said she liked them. A flashback occurs to a conversation where Natsumi gives her appreciation to Chisato and Tamako and affirms their friendship. Chisato says she'd do anything to make Natsumi happy, and Tamako agrees. A happy Natsumi then arrives on the roof, and her friends hug her.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 5 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 6
is the sixth chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Tomoe and Natsumi have lunch at Angel Mort. Natsumi says that everyone was surprised at seeing her hair down and that the boy she liked confessed to her. Tomoe is happy that she's happy and starts ordering. Natsumi then sees she forgot to take her pills. She explains it's her regular medicine that makes her a little sleepy, but it clears her head and makes her feel good. Natsumi decides to take them later, and Tomoe wonders if it'll really be okay.
Tomoe helps Natsumi study. After some time, Tomoe wonders if they should be leaving since it's closing time, but Natsumi says it's fine since the manager here is a chess friend of her grandfather's relative. The relative lives in Hinamizawa near Okinomiya and is mayor of the village. Tomoe spaces out as she remembers what Ooishi told her about Hinamizawa and the Kimiyoshi family. Natsumi interrupts her thoughts to ask if she can consider Tomoe as her big sister.
Natsumi gets flustered at the strange question but Tomoe says she'd also like to have Natsumi as her sister, especially since her real one seems to hate her. Tomoe is constantly surprised by what Madoka's doing, not knowing what to make of her running away from home, becoming a police officer, and dating someone who's older than her father. Natsumi asks if she's opposed to her sister's relationship, and after some thought, Tomoe says she's just jealous. She might be feeling lonely since her sister is slipping away from her. Natsumi likes that she feels closer to Tomoe now. Tomoe looks at the time and asks if Natsmi's parents know what she's up to, and Natsumi says she already told them everything. Tomoe takes Natsumi home in a taxi.
When Natsumi gets home, her mother goes off on her for getting home late. She thinks Natsumi was going somewhere else, and Natsumi replies that she can go check with the restaurant as she goes upstairs. Her mother then tells her to take her medicine, and an annoyed Natsumi does so. She wonders if she'll really believe her when she tells her.
Natsumi has a flashback to her childhood, where a girl cuts her arm on a pair of scissors. Natsumi picks up the scissors and hands them back to a boy, who recoils in horror. Other students surround Natsumi and assume she attacked the girl with the scissors, but she tries to explain that the boy tried to cut her hair and she smacked him. Natsumi pleads that she's innocent.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 6 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 7
is the seventh chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Tomoe and Ooishi talk over the phone about Tomoe making a new friend from Okinomiya, next to Hinamizawa. They talk about the Watanagashi Festival and the curse associated with it, but Tomoe still doesn't understand what the curse really is. Ooishi says he doesn't understand either; he doesn't know if Oyashiro-sama exists, but there's enough belief and history about him. The suspect from last year's incident was kind and loved his sister, and had no violent tendencies. Ooishi believes the boy committed the murder due to Oyashiro-sama's influence and then was erased on someone else's orders.
Ooishi says Tomoe might be part of Oyashiro-sama's power when Fujita interrupts her, bringing a little girl with him. Tomoe hangs up, and the girl explains that she saw a thief sneaking into her house. Tomoe and Fujita go along with the girl to find him. The girl notices the thief passing by and he tries to run away, but Tomoe arrests him after a short chase.
Later, Madoka goes to talk to Tomoe but is told by Fujita that she's reporting the theft incident. When Madoka hears that Tomoe chased after the thief, she asks why Fujita didn't try to stop her and worries that Tomoe needs to be more disciplined or else she'll break. Their father was similarly very determined and had a strong sense of justice, but was always ending up in trouble. Madoka says Tomoe could move up in the ranks if she focused only on the limits of what she could do, and Fujita wonders if she's saying the police should only focus on their own careers and catch criminals, and not think about the perpetrator's circumstances or the victims' grief. Madoka apologizes for saying it like that. Fujita says he isn't very smart that and that Tomoe being the way she is is why he can look up to and rely on her.
Fujita says that Madoka and Tomoe must be worrying about each other all the time since they're sisters, but Madoka sadly says she didn't fight like her and just ran away. Fujita wonders what she means as Madoka goes home. She thinks about how hard Tomoe has worked and wants her to rest, which is why she had Yamaoki transfer Madoka to Kakiuchi Station. Madoka wonders if the people who work had are the ones who lose, but rejects that thought.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 7 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 8
is the eighth chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Tomoe and Madoka have lunch at a coffee house. Tomoe tells her about how she's tutoring Natsumi, and Madoka says she's found a good little sister while self-deprecating. Madoka struggles to ask something, and Tomoe tells her to just say it since she doesn't have much time. Madoka says Yamaoki's parents will be visiting Kakiuchi later, and she wants Tomoe to meet them. She takes Tomoe's long silence as a sign she's refusing, but to her surprise, Tomoe accepts and asks for a time.
Tomoe smiles at Madoka's confusion and says she approved Madoka and Yamaoki's marriage. She sees how serious they are and doesn't want to stand in their way, but she refuses for Yamaoki to call her "sister-in-law". Madoka wonders why she changed her mind all of a sudden, and Tomoe says she just wants her to be happy.
At school, Natsumi, Chisato, and Tamako prepare to have lunch, but Natsumi tells them she'll be helping Akira in the art room. As Natsumi leaves, she overhears some other girls talking about their own boyfriends and gets nervous. Chisato shoots them a glare. Chisato and Tamako see that Natsumi is acting strange and is worried about being bad-talked, and that she thinks her friends don't appreciate them anymore. They thought Natsumi would gain more confidence after going out with Akira, but she still needs to break out of her shell. Chisato thinks she can do more for Natsumi as her friend and realizes that they need to be early for PE, and goes off to tell Natsumi about it.
In the art room, Akira paints a portrait of Natsumi as she watches lovingly. He finishes and they eat lunch. Akira says he wants to paint a landscape next and mentions Okinomiya and Hinamizawa, asking Natsumi if she's heard of them. Akira shows interest in attending Hinamizawa's Watanagashi Festival, but Natsumi becomes worried because of Oyashiro-sama's curse and thinks that Akira shouldn't go. Before she can say anything, Akira mentions that the mayor of Hinamizawa is named Kimiyoshi and asks if Natsumi's related. Natsumi still thinks she can't let Akira go and worries about him hearing rumors of the curse, but asks if she can go along with him too. Natsumi promises to protect him from the curse and not let anyone interfere with her happiness. Chisato listens from outside the art room and wonders what's going on; she's heard of Hinamizawa, and knows Natsumi was bullied in Okinomiya and might recall bad memories.
At the coffee shop, Chisato speaks to the waiter Mamoru. She asks if he's heard of Hinamizawa, and he mentions Oyashiro-sama's curse and how people die and go missing every year, plus the festival was one where they used to wash out human guts. Chisato becomes concerned.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 8 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 9
is the ninth chapter of the "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna" manga.
Summary.
Natsumi tells her parents about how she's dating Akira, and gets a positive response. She then says she wants to travel to Hinamizawa with Akira, but her mother cuts her off and gets angry. Natsumi says they're going there anyway for the Watanagashi Festival and wants Akira to come too, but her mother says their car only has 4 seats; Natsumi's father hides away behind a newspaper as she says this. Natsumi presents other options and says she promised Akira he could paint the landscape, but her mother still refuses. Natsumi sees they don't want rumors about Akria going around the village. Her grandmother says she also doesn't want Akira to come to Hinamizawa, especially on the day of the festival. She says the curse might follow Natsumi if she brings an outsider, and Natsumi's mother tells her to quiet down about the curse. Natsumi's mother looks to her father for approval, and he weakly agrees. In her room, a frustrated Natsumi thinks about how she's improved her life and made new friends, but her family's still the same; Mom nags her, Dad is useless, and Grandma's annoying. Natsumi's followed their instructions a lot, but they still won't accept her. Natsumi takes some pills and wonders if she can change any of that.
At school, Natsumi's friends notice how pale she is. Natsumi doesn't want to tell them about Akira and Hinamizawa or else they'll think she's weird, so goes off to wash her face. Soon after, a teacher talks to Natsumi in private about a rumor she's working part-time without permission. Natsumi walks home alone later, weary. She has to meet up with Tomoe to study and considers telling her about her problems.
Tomoe meets Ooishi at a restaurant, who wants to pick up some papers. Tomoe hands them over, explaining she could've done more research when she was in Ibaraki, but Ooishi accepts them anyway. Natsumi then arrives, and Tomoe introduces her and Ooishi to each other. Tomeo goes off to take call. Ooishi takes interest in Natsumi being a Kimiyoshi and asks if she's really from Hinamizawa and knows about the Watanagashi. Natsumi tries to feign ignorance but Ooishi assures her he's just getting help from Tomoe. Natsumi mentions that one of the incidents involved a dismembered body, and the right arm's still missing. Ooishi says he owes that foreman a debt of gratitude, and wants to hear from Natsumi another time.
Natsumi wonders just what Tomoe and Ooisi are investigating Hinamizawa for. Tomoe returns, but Natsumi says she's feeling sick and leaves, wondering what Tomoe really thinks of her. When she gets home, Natsumi's mother confronts her about the rumor of a part-time job. She believes Natsumi is being irresponsible and declares she won't take her to the Watanagashi. Natsumi starts to space out and gets angry. She wonders just how far she has to go to make her family understand.
As Natsumi rests in bed, a voice suggests that she just kill them. Natsumi looks around in fright for the source of the voice, and it says to look in the mirror. The voice says Natsumi just pretends to be a good girl but really isn't, and she needs to admit that. Natsumi imagines killing her family.
| Higurashi Kizuna Manga Chapter 9 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Kizuna Visual Book
| Higurashi Kizuna Visual Book |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Koi
| Higurashi Koi |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Matsuri Furude Shrine Festival Equipment Set
| Higurashi Matsuri Furude Shrine Festival Equipment Set |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Mei
| Higurashi Mei |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Mei Worlds
"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Mei" features several alternate worlds that the main characters jump between.
Overview.
Due to the amount of worlds and major differences between them, Chisame Kurosawa gives them temporary names for ease of conversation.
Heisei A.
The original 1993 world that Miyuki Akasaka originated from. In this world the Great Hinamizawa Disaster occurred and the village of Hinamizawa was closed off, being reopened in 1993. Miyuki's father Mamoru Akasaka went missing while investigating Hinamizawa in 1993, and Chisame's father was killed searching for him in turn.
Showa B.
The 1983 world that Kazuho, Miyuki, and Nao travel to. In this world, Kazuho never existed due to her family dying in a group suicide around the time of the dam war. Keiichi abandoned Hinamizawa due to issues, with his house becoming vacant.
Due to apparent tsukuyami involvement, Rika Furude doesn't exist, having been replaced by a doppelganger.
Heisei C.
An alternate 1993 world that Miyuki and Nao travel to after the events in Showa B. In this world, the Great Hinamizawa Disaster never happened. However, the dam project was successful, and a giant lake lies where Hinamizawa once was.
Many Hinamizawa residents moved to Takamaga Village, which they also refer to as "New Hinamizawa". The Furude and Kimiyoshi families aren't around in this village since they all left to take responsibility. The Saionji family manages the Furude Shrine in the Furude family's absence.
A "sleeping disease" also exists in this world.
Other Worlds.
After the events in Showa B, Kazuho travels to a different 1983 world, one where Rika died in 1978. Ayaka Furude acts as the Furude family head. The Irie Clinic has become the Takano Clinic, with Miyo Takano acting as director and apparently named Dr. Miyoko.
| Higurashi Mei Worlds |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Minigames
The original Comiket releases of each arc in the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Question Arcs contained minigames created by BT. Each minigame is unlocked after completing their respective chapters and is accessed through the Omake option on the title screen. Each minigame has different difficulty levels and a "story mode" that explains what the game is about, with most games featuring an overarching story that has not been concluded.
The minigames were removed from MangaGamer's original 2009 English release of the Question Arcs due to technical and copyright concerns. The minigames would disappear entirely from future releases starting with "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou".
<tabber>
was first released with "Onikakushi". The minigame's story was adapted into a manga.
Renapan was given an updated online version titled Renapan Online, featuring leaderboards and voice lines by
Story.
Rena has a habit of hitting Mion whenever she teases her, and ever since Keiichi arrived, Rena's punches have gotten stronger. After seeing Mion get knocked down again, Keiichi swears to get revenge by training and learning to fight Rena's punches. The Soul Brothers Tommy and Kuraudo soon arrive and assist Keiichi with his training, making him fight a virtual Rena in a simulation that moves faster and hits harder as time goes on.
After clearing Level 3 and receiving the gift of Extreme Mode, Keiichi officially joins the Soul Brothers and christens himself "K".
Gameplay.
Rena will punch at the player from either the left or right side of the screen. To dodge the punch, left-click when her fist is on the left side and right-click when it's on the right. In the online version, the player must instead left-click the side of the screen that Rena's fist is approaching in. Clicking at the wrong time will cause a game-over. Sometimes Rena will throw feints, so don't click unless her fist is up close. The player must dodge 100 punches to win.
At Level 3, Rena will use special attacks titled the Rena Fantasy Impact: a close-range high-speed punch that appears as a flash of light on the left or right-side of the screen. Rena does not use feints with this move.
Extreme Mode is where the game will continue endlessly until the player messes up. Rena's speed may also be adjusted by the player to make her faster or slower.
was first released with "Watanagashi".
Story.
Rena goes to help Satoko at Angel Mort and tries to stop a pink-haired girl named Sphie from stealing all of the food.
Gameplay.
Sphies will appear all over the screen and disappear after a few seconds. Mousing over a fully-formed Sphie will lock-on to them, at which point left-clicking will shoot and destroy them. Satokos will also appear on-screen and cause an error noise if they are clicked on. The player also has three Renatic bombs that will destroy everything on-screen when right-click is pressed.
Once enough Sphies are destroyed, a big one will appear on screen and the player must click rapidly to get rid of her. Renatic bombs can be used to deal lots of damage.
The player has 90 seconds to clear the entire minigame or else they will lose.
Trivia.
is a similar game to Sphie Bomber that unlocks after clearing Level 4.
Story.
K reunites with the Soul Brothers Tommy and Kuraudo and learns some juicy information: Rena has begun working at Angel Mort and is wearing the waitress uniform, meaning this is their chance to take some pictures. K is given Tommy's camera with the aim of taking as many photos of Rena as possible.
Rena realizes she's being snooped on and attempts to steal K's camera, launching a barrage of punches his way. K manages to escape with the camera thanks to his Renapan training and returns to the Soul Brothers with their prize. Tommy allows him to keep the camera as a sign that he is now a true man.
Gameplay.
Gameplay is very similar to Sphie Bomber, with photos of Rena appearing all over the screen and disappearing after a few seconds. Mousing over the photos and seeing the "Chance" prompt will allow you to snap pictures of them. As you collect pictures, a full photo of Rena in the background will begin filling up. with the goal of snapping as many pictures as possible to complete Rena and move on. Satoko pictures will also pop up, and if you snap them then you will lose time. The player also has 3 bombs that can summon Tommy and Kuraudo to snap all of the pictures on the screen. The player has 90 seconds to complete the Rena picture or else you lose.
After completing the Rena picture, Rena herself will begin attacking you with her fists filling the screen. To dodge her punches, left-click on an area of the screen where her fists aren't present. If there is nowhere to click then right-click to defend. As you get hit, you will lose health and if it drops to 0 you lose. You regain health over time however. If you can survive for 90 seconds then you win.
is a similar minigame to Sphie Bomber.
Satokos will materialize on-screen, with the goal to "take home" as many as possible within 60 seconds. Once the timer ends the player's score is determined by the number of Satokos they collected minus the number that escaped.
was first released with "Tatarigoroshi".
Story.
Rena goes to assist Satoko and Rika at Angel Mort once more but this time the Devi-Devi-Devils, led by Devilotte and her army of Frosts, are appearing to freeze the restaurant solid.
After clearing the game, Devilotte's defeat is reported by Mayu to her comrade Ayu. Ayu declares that Angel Mort will submit to Sky Temple and tells Mayu to assemble their Temple Knights.
Gameplay.
The game is a Breakout-style game where players bounce a ball to hit and destroy the Frosts advancing from the right side of the screen. The paddles are Rena and Rika, with left-clicking moving Rena up and Rika down. Satoko balls are bounced around to hit the Frosts. The Frosts will advance every other time the ball bounces off the top or bottom of the screen. If a Satoko ball goes offscreen on the left you will lose it. The game ends when you lose all of your Satoko balls or if the Frosts reach the other side of the screen.
Right-clicking when the ball hits either Rika or Rena will do a special attack: Rena will launch the ball very fast and instantly destroy a Frost on the frontmost column while Rika will fire a laser that destroys an entire row. If Rena or Rika overlap then Rena's attack takes priority. You will lose a Satoko ball when you use a special attack however. If you lose a Satoko ball and left-click once another one appears, you will gain an extra Satoko ball but the Frosts will automatically move forward one space.
After destroying the wave of Frosts, a boss fight will ensue against Devilotte. She will create a wall of Frosts to protect her and if she is hit, she will make the remaining Frosts fire a laser that will freeze the paddles for a few seconds if they hit. After that, the Frost wall will respawn. Frozen paddles cannot move nor will they reflect the ball if it hits them; the ball will pass right through them.
Trivia.
A similar game to DDD that unlocks after clearing the hardest difficulty.
Story.
K runs into Rena and learns that at Angel Mort, Shion has captured Rika and Satoko, demanding that those with small breasts obey the ones with large breasts. K teams up with fellow Soul Brothers Tommy and Kuraudo to end her reign of terror.
Shion attempts to seduce K with his love of big breasts and offers him to join her; if the player says "Yes" then the story ends. Otherwise K, Tommy and Kuraudo begin their attack.
Shion shields herself with several creatures called mukkurus, and the Soul Brothers are unable to best her. Just then, Soul Brother Iri enters the fray and gives some advice: hitting a ball into Shion and making her chest bounce will surely defeat her.
The Soul Brothers finally defeat Shion and she confesses that she took over Angel Mort because someone else ordered her to. As the group wonders who she's referring to, a shadowy figure implied to be Takano gloats.
Gameplay.
The gameplay is very similar to DDD except that Tomitake and Ooishi are the paddles, with Ooishi moving up and Tomitake moving down when left-click is pressed. The Frosts are replaced with mukkurus; hitting Shion will make her launch any mukkurus still alive and stun the paddles if they hit. The mukkuru wall will respawn afterwards.
The player is unable to use regular special attacks or create new K balls unlike DDD but instead can "Set" a target by left clicking once the ball hits Shion. Right-clicking when the ball hits the paddles afterwards will launch a special attack that makes Shion's chest bounce, with the bounce level determined by the distance between the target and the paddles.
If the player loses all of their K-balls then it's game over.
Trivia.
was first released with "Himatsubushi".
Story.
The cat Rika who lives at Furude Shrine goes out for a walk in Hinamizawa. While out and about, Rena appears and attempts to take her home. Rika escapes Rena's clutches and into the Irie Clinic, where Soul Brother Iri attempts to capture her and turn her into a pet.
Rika escapes the clinic and follows a sweet aroma to Angel Mort. There, Soul Brother Tommy becomes enamored with Rika and attempts to take a lot of pictures of her, but Iri won't allow him to. The two men compete to capture Rika and though she escapes the restaurant they are still in pursuit. The third Soul Brother Kuraudo sees them and joins the two men in capturing Rika, wanting her and the Soul Brothers to play mahjong together.
The Soul Brothers corner Rika, but they get crushed by a fist belonging to a massive Rena. After evading her, Rika's master Satoko arrives to save her but she gets dragged away by the giant Rena. Rika is pleased with the results anyway.
Gameplay.
Rika will move along the screen and bob up and down, playing a noise when she's at the lowest part of the screen. Left-clicking in time with the noise will make Rika move to the left while right-clicking or idling will make her move to the right, with game over if she completely goes offscreen to the right. Thus the player advances by making Rika move to the left offscreen.
At times there will be Danger sections where a character will attempt to capture Rika, and the player must avoid them either by continuing to move forward or by dodging them through moving left or right. Other segments require the player to move in time to arrows appearing on-screen, with an added ability to move downwards by pressing spacebar. Game over results if Rika is caught or she goes completely offscreen before the segment ends.
</tabber>
| Higurashi Minigames |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Music Replacements
Much of the music and sound effects originally used in were royalty-free music tracks taken from various websites. As the series gained many console ports and rereleases, many of these tracks were remastered or replaced with completely new ones.
History.
Most royalty-free music tracks came from AIDIA and Koji Kusanagi. Kusanagi's tracks have been remastered by him for the "Higurashi Hou" PC release.
MangaGamer's first English PC release of "Higurashi" replaced several music tracks with those by an unknown composer. The second PC release by MangaGamer restored the original music, however they were replaced again in an April 1, 2019 update. This update added Kusanagi's new music and replaced several sound effects and AIDIA tracks with new ones; some of these tracks were taken from "Higurashi Daybreak" and "Rei".
The 2019 Japanese PC demos of "Onikakushi" and "Watanagashi" released later had Kusanagi's tracks, the new MangaGamer tracks, and additional new tracks composed by xaki.
| Higurashi Music Replacements |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni
| Higurashi Oni |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 1
is the first chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
Some soldiers warn the surgical officer Hifumi Takano that another incident has happened: someone started acting possessed and turned violent, firing wildly with a gun. Takano rushes to the scene, wondering how many times this has happened, and not wanting to accept that it could be demons or curses. He starts crying as he sees the soldier in question being restrained, with more dead soldiers lying on bloody beds. The soldier is noted to be a Hinamizawa native as Takano voices disbelief that Oyashiro-sama's curse is real.
In May of 1984, Mion and Shion get ready to clean up the Sonozaki underground torture chamber before the next Watanagashi Festival. Mion says Keiichi and the rest will help clean tomorrow, so they need to finish the chamber before then. As the twins enter the dusty storehouse, Shion says that Oryou told them to bring all their friends to Watanagashi that year. Mion says it's been a year full of first-times and feels good about it.
Mion and Shion banter, and Mion declares they'll have another Demon Fire-Fight at the Watanagashi when a bookcase suddenly spills its contents on her. Shion takes note of a notebook with ornate handwriting on it. The twins bring the notebok to Oryou, who looks at it with wide eyes. She says it must be fate that "that person's" notebook would reappear, and sits the twins down to listen to a story.
The scene transitions to the past, 1923. A young Oryou, Ryou Sonozaki prepares to go play with her friends. Her mom and grandma Okai Sonozaki tell her not to play near the ritual storehouse. Grandma is exasperated, having hoped things would go back to normal after Yuuki's return. Outside, Oryou runs into Chiyoko Kimiyoshi and her son Seiji Kimiyoshi. They all refer to her with the nickname "Oryou". Chiyoko gives Oryou some ohagi and asks her to play with everyone at her place sometime.
Oryou and Seiji go to meet their other friend, Ritsuka Furude. Ritsuka is excited to go to Seiji's house when they finish playing. The group heads up the steps to the Furude Shrine and talk about what game to play next. Another boy, Souhei Origuchi appears and declares that he'll claim victory as the Hinamizawa game club leader.
The group decides to play tag. Ritsuka says that in their version of tag, the demon is "it" and will slice open your stomach if he catches you. Souhei says his parents used to threaten him with demon stories when he was little, with Oryou being scared and saying she also heard those stories. Ritsuka says demon stories don't happen anymore because Oyashiro-sama is with them.
The four friends play rock-paper-scissors to decide who will be it, but a fifth hand joins in and wins. The group sees it belongs to Kiichirou Kimiyoshi. Souhei is excited that he's playing too, but Kiichirou says he just wanted to play RPS for fun and has to practice at Okai's place later. Kiichirou says he likes training under Yuuki better and asks Oryou if he can see him since he returned, but Oryou says he has a bad cold, and she couldn't even meet him. Yuuki is being kept in a detached room. The group wonders if Yuuki really needs their help since he's supposed to be the best swordsman in the village and is a child prodigy. Kiichirou leaves the friends alone and goes home. Seiji loses the next RPS game and becomes it. After a rousing game of tag, Souhei wins while Oryou becomes the first one caught. Souhei invokes club rule 7: you can't refuse a punishment.
Oryou is sent to go into the ritual storehouse at night. Oryou heads to the place alone and is frightened by someone appearing behind her, only to see that Seiji, Souhei and Ritsuka are there as well. Souhei knew Seiji would get worried about Oryou and help her, but he always wanted to enter the storehouse anyway. Ritsuka says entering the storehouse is forbidden, but will accompany them since she's a Furude family member. The group enters the storehouse and drag Oryou along, calling it a test of courage.
People aren't allow to enter the ritual storehouse since there are sacred tools and a statue of Oyashiro-sama inside. When they observe the farming tools inside, Ritsuka says they're used by demons to feast on bad humans, or so she heard. Souhei turns on a lantern and surprises everyone when the Oyashiro-sama statue is illuminated behind him. They look behind it to see a creepy picture scroll, which was always shown to the kids who misbehave. Upon closer inspection, they realize the scroll is something they've never seen before and pull it out for a closer look. They wonder what the scroll means by "demon-descending".
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 2
is the second chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
15 years later, in 1938, Souhei is returning to Hinamizawa by train. He remembers his grandfather's last words before he died, being to return to the village. Souhei overlooks the village and wonders if there's really an answer there. Souhei travels around the village and sees it's just like he remembered it, but he feels a tension in the air; likely a result of the recent depression and earthquake, and the upcoming war.
Souhei waits at his meeting spot and is met by the adult Seiji. They comment on each other's appearance, and the adult Ritsuka soon appears. Ritsuka and Souhei play around, and Seiji addresses her as Ritsuka-sama and reminds her the ritual dance is tonight. Souhei is confused by the formal usage of "-sama", and Seiji explains that she's the Furude priestess and has Oyashiro-sama's blood. Ritsuka says she doesn't like being called -sama however.
As the group walks, Souhei wonders why there are so little people around despite it being the day of the Watanagashi. Ritsuka says a lot of people left over the past ten years because they were tired of being treated like demons just because they were from Hinamizawa; it used to be called Onigafuchi after all. Souhei notices some villagers talking badly about Seiji being with Ritsuka and wonders.
The group heads to Furude Shrine, where Souhei and Oryou reunite. Souhei loves how beautiful Oryou's become, but she blushes since he said the same thing to Ritsuka. Oryou drops a charm and Souhei picks it up to return it, but he gets confused when he sees the name on it: for some reason, Oryou's name is written with the character for "demon" in it now. Oryou takes back the charm and happily says her grandmother made it for her.
At the Watanagashi that night, Ritsuka puts on a wonderful dance. Afterwards, people start leaving instead of going to the river for the cotton drifting. They had to suspend it for now because of wartime supply shortages. The group laments how lonely the festival seems now, but Souhei is still glad to reunite with the games club. Just then, Okai and Kiichirou arrive. Souhei is excited to see Kiichirou and asks if he's mayor now, but he explains he's just an advisor to his grandpa and dad. Souhei tries to call Seiji over but he's gone. Kiichirou also leaves, as he's acting as the mayor's representative currently. Oryou leaves to talk with Okai.
Seiji comes out from hiding behind a tree, having stolen some sake from the shrine. Oryou, Souhei, Seiji, and Ritsuka drink privately and catch up. Souhei's gotten involved in a foreign trade company in Tokyo. Ritsuka is the Furude priestess, and Oryou is Okai's assistant. Seiji works in the Okinomiya town hall.
The group begins parting ways. Souhei says he's going to live at his parents' home on the edge of the forest and is going to get a job plowing the fields. Souhei asks the group to come to his place tomorrow so they can discuss some things, creating a heavy atmosphere. His friends agree.
At home, Souhei thinks about how different everyone is. Hinamizawa seems very lonely compared to before; Ritsuka was a tomboy but is now a priestess; Seiji is still caring despite something else; and Souhei especially wonders about Oryou. On that night 15 years ago where they snuck into the ritual storehouse, Souhei and her grandfather were chased out of the village, and Souhei needs to ask his friends what happened since then and learn everything.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 2 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 3
is the third chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
A young Souhei is told a story of Hinamizawa's past by his parents Souji and Itsumi, back when it was still called Onigafuchi. Long ago, demons emerged from Onigafuchi Swamp and attacked the villagers. The god Oyashiro-sama then appeared and fostered peace between the humans and demons and helped then coexist; Hinamizawa's inhabitants inherited the blood of demons. Souhei is excited at hearing how benevolent Oyashiro-sama is, but his mom tells him that anyone who violates his rules will be cursed. Doubting Oyashiro-sama, leaving the village, and defiling his holy ground are all forbidden, but he will protect you if you follow the rules. If you break the rules, then everyone in Hinamizawa will be dragged into the swamp and eaten by demons.
The adult souhei wakes up from his dream of reminiscence. He greets Oryou, Seiji, and Ritsuka and sits them down to have some ohagi that Oryou brought. After having some fun talking and eating, the mood turns grim as Souhei asks if anything happened in the village that night they snuck into the storehouse. He'd come back to Hinamizawa to find out what happened.
Souhei recalls what happened back then: after splitting with the others, Souhei suddenly got scared and felt like getting away, so he quickly went home and slept. He was suddenly woken up by his grandfather, who was covered in blood and had an ear missing, and had a bag placed over his head. Souhei caught a glimpse of something happening to his parents, being warned that it was "the demon". Souhei and his grandfather went to a house in Tokyo, where Souhei was told his parents were dead; he was to forget about them and be raised by Grandfather now. Grandfather never said anything else about Hinamizawa since then.
As Souhei grew up he started working and made a good living as a peddler. Grandfather was getting old and looked like he was always afraid of something, and one day he started praying to Oyashiro-sama for forgiveness. On his deathbed, he told Souhei to go back to Hinamizawa and learn everything about his parents.
Souhei relays to his friends about how he wants to learn the truth and forgive himself for ruining his family. Oryou explains that after Souhei left that night, the others lingered in the area because of that mysterious feeling, and they were caught by Mayor Kimiyoshi. The friends deny going into the ritual storehouse and claim they were playing games instead, and the mayor ominously says that if they did go into the storehouse, then Oyashiro-sama would've followed them.
Oryou hid under her covers that night, worrying about what the mayor said. She starts hearing footsteps and her brother Yuuki panicking, with Oryou wondering if Oyashiro-sama really followed her home. She hears a scream and then hears Yuuki profusely apologizing to Oyashiro-sama for angering him. Oryou's grandmother Okai tells him to run away. Oryou gets up to peek and sees blood covering a screen. Okai tells her to stay in her room no matter what and starts apologizing as well. The frightened Oryou joins them.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 3 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 4
is the fourth chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
Oryou finishes telling her story. By morning, only she and her grandmother Okai were the last surviving members of their family, as Oryou's parents were killed fighting the demon while Yuuki was taken and never came back. Souhei can't believe that Yuuki was actually taken by a demon. He remembers an
old conversation he had with Yuuki as a child, where Yuuki promised he could get rid of the demons if they came for Souhei.
Souhei apologizes for losing his cool when he sees how sad Oryou is. He remembers his parents saying a similar thing long ago and expresses disbelief that demons are real. Souhei insists that humans were really responsible for killing their parents and taking Yuuki away. Ritsuka tells him to calm down since he's scaring Oryou, and Seiji ominously mentions that only Ritsuka was pardoned because she's a Furude. Ritsuka and Oryou are shocked to hear this, and Seiji apologizes and goes outside to cool his head.
Oryou remembers that Seiji's mother Chiyoko also disappeared that night. Villagers saw her carrying a bloodied sword with disheveled hair and heading towards Onigafuchi. The men of the village who normally made advances towards Chiyoko and were rejected claimed she incurred Oyashiro-sama's wrath. Souhei takes this to mean they're blaming Chiyoko for the deaths of their parents and Yuuki's disappearance. Ritsuka and Oryou lament Chiyoko's disappearance, but Souhei wonders why even they blame her. Souhei begins to understand why the villagers looked at Seiji coldly and Ritsuka says it's not like that: they still believe in Chiyoko and Seiji, it's just that Seiji decided by himself to be alone and stay away from Ritsuka. She expresses that the human Chiyoko would never do what she did. As Seiji leaves, Oryou and Ritsuka tell Souhei that this is a taboo subject and to not pry any further, otherwise Oyashiro-sama will get angry. Souhei would be next in line for the curse otherwise.
A month later, Souhei has gotten reacquainted with Hinamizawa life. He thinks about the village taboos and figures that Okai must have seen the culprit that night, and is interrupted by Kiichirou's arrival. Kiichirou says he wanted to give Souhei a hand and talk to him about something, but it's not necessary anymore. The two of them talk and reminisce on their childhoods, with Souhei surprised to learn that Oryou is much better than Kiichirou at swordsmanship now.
Souhei begins to ask what happened 15 years ago when he and his grandfather left the village, and Kiichirou interrupts to ask if the villagers are treating him well. Souhei affirms it, and Kiichirou tells him not to worry about the small things. He gets up to leave and Souhei asks if they can meet for drinks later tonight and talk, but Kiichirou says the Three Families are holding a meeting, and he can't skip out on that.
That night, Souhei prepares to attend the Three Families meeting as well. He knows it'll be a problem for Oryou, but this is his only opportunity. Souhei musters up his courage and barges in, being met with glares from the older members. Okai orders him to leave and Oryou shows concern, but Souhei asks to have some time. He takes note of everyone in the room: Ritsuka is with her parents, Oryou is sitting next to Okai, and Kiichirou is with the village leaders, which confuses him. Souhei asks Okai what really happened 15 years ago and wants to hear directly from her, and Okai says his grandfather must've told him then. Souhei says he doesn't believe in the curse of Oyashiro-sama and wants to know the truth. An enraged Okai yells that he's just the son of a family who abandoned the village and has no right to be investigating like this.
Okai and Souhei argue, with Souhei wanting to know why nobody anywhere knows what happened. When he searched in Tokyo, he couldn't find anything, and even the newspapers and police acted like nothing happened. Souhei also wants to know why Seiji is being ostracized, but Okai tells him to shut up. Oryou tells Souhei that Hinamizawa is facing a crisis: due to the recession and war, young people have been leaving the village. Relations with other villages are getting worse, and there are rumors of Hinamizawans having demonic blood. They say people are losing faith in Oyashiro-sama, but Souhei exclaims it's just a superstition from an old era.
Okai says that Souhei entered the ritual storehouse 15 years ago, drawing surprise from Oryou. Souhei once again says there's no curse, but the other village elders get angry at him for getting cursed. They express how they believed it was Chiyoko's fault, but it was really Souhei. Okai says that Ritsuka, Oryou and Seiji also snuck in due to Souhei's tempting. Okai says she just learned it recently, but Oryou thinks that's a lie since should've known it for a long time.
Okai says it's Souhei's fault that he got cursed by Oyashiro-sama, resulting in the deaths of Oryou's parents and Yuuki and Chiyoko's disappearances. Ritsuka tries to defend Souhei and brings up how weird it is that only Chiyoko became a demon. However, the elders say what Oyashiro-sama does can't be fathomed by humans. Okai is still angry and says they can't have anything happen again that results in people's death.
Meanwhile, Seiji prepares to enter the ritual storehouse.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 4 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 5
is the fifth chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
Kiichirou apologizes to Okai and his grandfather for Souhei's outburst and takes him outside to cool off. Oryou chases after them despite Okai's objections. Ritsuka follows as well and apologizes to Souhei in her mind for not being able to do anything. When she leaves, Ritsuka seems to notice Seiji entering the ritual storehouse and goes towards him.
The mayor and Okai decide to talk until Kiichirou comes back. The mayor apologizes to Okai for that night 15 years ago. Outside, Kiichirou chastises Souhei for suddenly barging in and asking questions. Kiichirou leaves Oryou to take care of Souhei while he goes back inside to talk to the heads.
The mayor recounts to Okai what happened that night. Chiyoko was said to become a demon because of Oyashiro-sama's curse, which happened because the Three Families were gathered together. Under Okai's orders, the other Kimiyoshis went door to door in the village and told everyone to stay in their homes. The Kimiyoshis also stayed inside the entire time until morning. The mayor apologizes to Okai for his cowardice.
Okai laments that they lost so many Sonozakis that night: their sole daughter, her husband, and the successor Yuuki. Okai and her mother were the same in that they only had a single daughter. Villagers claimed the Sonozakis were abandoned by Oyashiro-sama since they no longer had boys, but then Yuuki became the first-born male Sonozaki in ages. Okai was overjoyed to see Yuuki and praised his kindness and swordsmanship skills; Yuuki made the Sonozaki family prosperous.
The mayor apologizes again for being afraid of the demon and says everyone in the Sonozakis is talented, including Yuuki's parents Mie and Masaharu. He didn't want the Kimiyoshis to be a hindrance and didn't want to watch the Sonozakis die, but Okai tells him not to worry, as it was the Sonozakis' responsibility. Okai still wonders that if the doors were barred, if the servants stayed and didn't go to Okinomiya, and if the Kimiyoshis came to help, then Yuuki and her son-in-law wouldn't have died. Okai despairs as she wonders why Chiyoko became a demon and attacked them, and wonders what the Sonozakis ever did to the Kimiyoshis. Kiichirou tries to calm her down, and the mayor once again apologizes, saying the Kimiyoshis owe a great debt to the Sonozakis, as they were protected by them and left all the dirty work to them.
Okai says they're not long for this world and asks the mayor a favor. Once Okai dies, Oryou alone will be forced to bear the role of the Sonozakis, so she wants the Kimiyoshis to support her and never abandon the Sonozakis. The mayor happily agrees and says that Kiichirou sees Oryou as a sister, so surely he wouldn't object to supporting her. Kiichirou reluctantly agrees. Okai is pleased to leave everything to them.
Souhei and Oryou walk together. Souhei wonders if they could've stopped Chiyoko from becoming a demon and his parents from dying if they never entered the ritual storehouse, and Oryou says it's not like that. They still have a chance to apologize to Oyashiro-sama and be forgiven. Souhei suddenly becomes feverish and passes out, and Oryou takes him to her house to care for him. When Souhei wakes up later, he says he needs to get back home but Oryou says Okai told her to watch over him for now. She asks to hear about Tokyo and Souhei's work.
After Souhei left the village, a massive earthquake in the Kanto region occurred, and Tokyo was destroyed. Souhei's courage and wits he honed in the club games helped him out, and he was able to prosper with the post-earthquake restoration economy. Oryou asks what girls in Tokyo are like, and Souhei says they're all stylish, and eat parfaits at parlors, and go on dates to the movies. Oryou is enamored by all this and asks if Souhei went on any dates, but he says he never had the time since he was always taking care of his grandfather. Oryou explains that Ritsuka's modern Western outfits come from a peddler who visits the Sonozakis sometimes and wants to try them on herself. Souhei offers to take Oryou on a date to Tokyo when they have the time, and she happily accepts.
Souhei asks about what happened to Yuuki. Oryou says she doesn't know and couldn't ask, even after apologizing to Oyashiro-sama. Later, Okai told her that Chiyoko, or rather, a "demon" broke into the Sonozaki house and attacked the sick Yuuki. Oryou's parents fought against the demon, but her mom died while Yuuki and her dad ran away. The next morning, Oryou's dad was found dead in Onigafuchi while Yuuki and the demon disappeared. Yuuki's torn kimono was found floating in the swamp. Oryou and Okai became the only Sonozakis left.
Souhei apologizes for making her remember something so painful, but Oryou says she needs to be strong for her parents' sake. Oryou says she inherited the Sonozaki demon as a result and begins to explain: the Sonozakis put the kanji for demon (鬼) in the names of all of their heirs, and since Yuuki was originally the heir, he was also named such. With Yuuki's disappearance, he couldn't protect the Sonozakis anymore.
The Furude family continued Oyashiro-sama's bloodline while the Kimiyoshis accepted the demons and united the village. The Sonozakis thus were descended from the demons that emerged from Onigafuchi and were accepted by the village, and so the Sonozakis protected the village for generations. That role was passed on to Oryou, and so her name changed to have the kanji for demon in it.
Oryou isn't confident in herself, but Souhei assures her that Okai trained her well and that he'll support her. He promises to be available to talk if she ever has a tough time. Oryou is ecstatic at this.
A meeting between Oryou and the other Three Family members is shown, all wearing demon masks. Oryou tells them about Souhei's return and how he'll support her, but she's asked if she has the right to be accepted by him, as she's no longer the old Oryou. She's asked if he'll accept her now that a demon dwells in her, and Oryou begins to wonder if she really is worthy to be with him.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 5 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 6
is the sixth chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
Seiji searches for something inside the ritual storehouse. He becomes afraid at hearing thumping noises around him when a concerned Ritsuka appears. Seiji says he got into the storehouse using the spare key from the Furude house. Ritsuka says they need to leave or else something bad will happen again, but Seiji needs to find something first. Seiji finally finds the demon descending art scroll that they all saw as kids. At the scroll's mention of humans becoming demons and eating other humans, Seiji comes to the conclusion that someone transformed his mother Chiyoko into a demon, because she wouldn't attack him otherwise. He panics as he believes someone turned her into a demon to use as a scapegoat as punishment for Seiji entering the storehouse. Ritsuka calms him down and says that Oyashiro-sama would never do such a thing. Even if everyone in the village condemned Seiji, Ritsuka would still be on his side. Seiji decides to trust her and leaves the storehouse, and hears one last thumping sound.
Ritsuka and Souhei talk the next day. Souhei wonders if he'll be forgiven and he can become a normal villager, and Ritsuka says he will be so long as he apologizes to Oyashiro-sama. Okai often made Oryou apologize to the god for everything. Ritsuka hopes that Seiji can do some prayer as well. Souhei inquires about it and Ritsuka says he comes to the shrine often, but he's always angry at the villagers because of Chiyoko's disappearance. People say that those who disappear are demoned away; rumors say that they go to the bottom of Onigafuchi Swamp, but someone believes they're actually returning to Oyashiro-sama. Ritsuka then notices Souhei has a fever and offers to give him medicine if he needs it.
Okai and Oryou are sword training when Souhei appears and apologizes for the meeting incident. Okai accepts his apology and says that if he swore before Oyashiro-sama, then he's now a proper villager. Okai then asks about Oryou staying over at his place, and Souhei embarrassingly explains she was just taking care of him when he was sick. Okai says she would've chopped his head off if anything else happened. Okai then asks about his Tokyo work and has him bring some wares to the Sonozaki shop in Okinomiya to sell. Souhei is surprised, and Okai says he needs to work if he's going to be a villager.
Souhei and Oryou go together to sell the wares, with Souhei wondering if this is a test to see if he's of use to the village or if they just want to keep an eye on him. Regardless, Souhei is happy to have work. Meanwhile, Okai thinks about how Oryou had been unstable until Souhei returned, thinking about Oryou being depressed over her family dying because she entered the storehouse. Okai decides it's for Oryou's sake if she and Souhei are going together, and smirks since Kimiyoshi owes her a favor anyway.
Souhei and Oryou run into Seiji during their job. Oryou explains how Okai told Souhei to work, and Seiji is speechless for a bit before smiling and replying. Seiji says the head of the Sonozaki family must have high expectations for Souhei, but he says it feels more like a test of worth. He then mentions that Seiji is working as a liaison for the Okinomiya town hall's agricultural association, and Seiji says the town hall and agricultural association are combined since Okinomiya's larger than Hinamizawa. Souhei and Oryou soon wave goodbye.
Seiji gets wistful as he notes how they sent him here to Okinomiya to get rid of him, while Souhei is trusted by the Sonozakis; even Souhei's been swallowed up by the Three Families. When Seiji returns home, he meets a recruiter who announces he's been drafted for the war.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 6 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 7
is the seventh chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
In the present, Oryou pauses telling her story. Mion and Shion are excited to hear more, thinking that Ritsuka reminds them of Satoko. Shion gets ready to go home but Oryou says she can stay the night in exchange for her home cooking. Shion becomes happy and goes off with Mion to start. Meanwhile, Oryou looks back over Souhei's book and starts crying, being unable to read his handwriting. She ruminates that the Hinamizawa children's present way of life was all thanks to what they did back then, but Ritsuka and Seiji had a hard time.
Back in the past, Ritsuka, Seiji and Oryou are cleaning the Furude Shrine assembly hall when Souhei barges in yelling about draft papers. Oryou is worried that Souhei's been drafted to war, but Seiji explains that he's actually the one getting drafted and will ship out in ten days. Souhei congratulates him and promises he'll protect Hinamizawa until he comes back. Souhei then leaves for work and asks the group to come to his place tonight for a going-away party. A shadow falls over Seiji as he promises he'll be back right away. Ritsuka prays for Oyashiro-sama to protect him. Oryou asks if Seiji wanted to talk about something else, but Seiji says he forgot.
The group joins Souhei at his place for their party and get drunk. Souhei goes outside for some fresh air and is followed by Seiji. Seiji suddenly asks him how he feels about Oryou, and Souhei stammers as he says she's like a sister to him. Seiji says he likes her, and wanted to tell her before going to the frontlines. After Seiji's father died at a young age and Chiyoko and him were shunned by the village, Oryou treated him like a brother and adored him, and was the reason Seiji could keep going. After the "demon" took away Oryou's smile, she became tense all the time, and so Seiji wanted to protect her but was still shunned by the villagers. Seiji complains about Oryou always going on about Souhei despite him abandoning the village. Souhei tries to defend himself and Seiji accuses him of being like the other villagers in doubting Chiyoko. Souhei says he still believes in her, but Seiji yells that he's lying.
Seiji rambles about how Souhei must have been laughing behind his back, and that his sucking up to the Sonozakis is proof. Souhei says he was just taking care of work and making up for his time away. Ritsuka and Oryou come outside just as Seiji accuses Souhei of hating him and Chiyoko for killing his family. He blames him for suggesting they enter the ritual storehouse, and Ritsuka yells that that sin weighs on all four of them. Ritsuka says Souhei still believes in Seiji and Chiyoko, but Seiji doesn't believe it and says there's nobody on his side. Seiji finally leaves, thinking he's just lashing out while drunk.
As Seiji walks home, he laments that Souhei has everything Seiji ever wanted: he was the ace of the club, he was Yuuki's favorite disciple, he escaped the village and had a good city life, and he has Oryou. Seiji starts scratching himself and scratches his throat a little as he hears footsteps. Fearing that the villagers were following him, Seiji turns around to see Ritsuka, who ran to catch up to him. Ritsuka says he'll lose everything if he keeps things up, and so will pray for his safety before he leaves. Seiji says he'd prefer to look inside the ritual storehouse again, but Ritsuka says it won't be good. Seiji goes off on her always saying it's no good, and says that Oyashiro-sama must have cursed him with the draft notice since he only curses innocent people. Ritsuka chides him for it but Seiji laughs at the thought of suffering his wrath and asks what his mother did to deserve her curse.
Seiji angrily says that he went into the ritual storehouse twice and should be cursed, yet Oyashiro-sama didn't target him. He wants to continue believing in Oyashiro-sama and has already been forgiven since the Three Families are the ones using his name and defiling it. Seiji prepares to hit Ritsuka, but Okai appears behind him and makes him fall to the ground unconscious. Ritsuka is shocked to see her with several villagers.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 7 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Oni Chapter 8
is the eighth chapter of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni".
Summary.
Seiji collapses after Okai hits him in the head. Ritsuka says it wasn't his fault and she was the one who angered him, and Okai says they're taking Seiji to the Sonozaki house. There, Seiji is put to bed and Ritsuka says he just got drunk after their going-away party at Souhei's house. Okai doesn't believe so and thinks Seiji looks odd, and knows what's really happening with him. Ritsuka explains Seiji's rant from earlier, and that he believes there's something in the ritual storehouse. Okai decides to have Seiji stay at the Sonozaki house for a while and put out word that he deployed earlier than expected. She tells Ritsuka to keep it secret from Oryou, and that they'll keep Seiji in the underground storehouse until he calms down.
Long ago, when the Three Families feared the villagers losing faith in Oyashiro-sama, the Sonozakis created an underground ritual storehouse that was free of defilement, somewhere hidden away that nobody could find. Thus it was built in the Sonozaki dungeon, which they originally used for hiding things that shouldn't exist: the cursed who doubted Oyashiro-sama and were sent back to join him. Okai says Ritsuka should've noticed the scratches on Seiji's neck; they're light and he's be fine now, but it will be troublesome if the maggots start crawling out. Okai promises to take good care of Seiji, and Ritsuka says she'll visit again later.
Okai wants the Kimiyoshis to give word about Seiji's deployment to the army and tells Heishichirou Kimiyoshi about Seiji's cursing. Heishichirou can't believe he's also been cursed after Chiyoko. He remembers that long ago the Sonozakis were reluctant to use the underground storehouse, and that the curse was caused because the Furude storehouse was snuck into. Okai reminds him that Oyashiro-sama was angered because the Sonozakis didn't do their duty, and the Kimiyoshis were just caught in it. Heishichirou goes on about how the Kimiyoshis take care of everything and that the Sonozakis haven't been doing their part: 15 years ago, Heishichirou was the one who got the incident with Chiyoko and Yuuki to be regarded as a case of demoning away, and that the Kimiyoshis were responsible for dispelling the rumors about the Meiji Era Watanagashi rituals. Okai yells at him for making it sound like the Kimiyoshis' messes were the Sonozakis' fault. Heishichirou claims there's not supposed to be a power imbalance like there is now, but Okai takes issue with the Kimiyoshis living in fear with their doors locked. Heishichirou says thay really are grateful to the Sonozakis and apologizes for losing his head, as there shouldn't be any more curses happening.
Okai says that despite removing the demon from Onigafuchi Village's name, there's still demons inside everyone, and that the curse is growing. Anybody who gets drafted and sent away from the village needs to be kept under Sonozaki supervision when they come back, since this war might be worse than the Russo-Japanese War. She also needs the Kimiyoshis to help dig the underground storehouse further out and create an air hole to get the smell out. The head Furude priest knows about the plan, but Ritsuka doesn't know yet; they only have 2 more generations until the eighth generation and Oyashiro-sama's reincarnation appears. Okai says they need to put an end to the curse in their generation, for the sake of the future, before Oyashiro-sama reappears. Heishichirou says he's in her debt, and Okai says it's all because she decided to protect the village.
Souhei goes to Seiji's house and knocks on the door, but gets no reply. He meets up with Ritsuka and Oryou and says he wanted to meet Seiji before work, but Ritsuka says he deployed earlier that morning. Oryou and Souhei can't believe it, especially since Oryou had something she still wanted to talk to him about. Souhei goes off to work. Meanwhile, Oryou asks Ritsuka what they should do, as Seiji said Souhei caused the curse and the Three Families are to blame, and wonders if he hates her. Ritsuka says he's still making an effort to trust them and was surely just nervous before going off to war. Ritsuka is confident he'll come back just fine and wants ORyou to smile for him when he does.
| Higurashi Oni Chapter 8 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Outsiders
was the thirty-eighth event in "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Mei". It is an event in celebration of the game's 1.5 year anniversary that ran from March 1, 2022 until March 18, 2022.
Plot Summary.
This story is an alternate ending to Part 1 of "Higurashi Mei"'s main story.
Kazuho, Nao, and Miyuki opt to stay behind in 1983 to fight the horde of tsukuyami rather than return to the future. The club struggles to find a solution to their problems, but Irie gets some ideas regarding the hidden potential of Role Cards.
Boosted Units.
The following units increased event-related drops when brought into battle. They are units associated with this event.
All following units have a rarity of SSR.
While the role Dark Awakening was initially introduced in this event, more units with the same role were introduced later.
| Higurashi Outsiders |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Outsiders/Summary
This is a plot summary for the Higurashi Outsiders event and the associated Dark Awakening SSR stories.
Main Event.
This story starts after the end of the main story part 1. Kazuho, Miyuki, and Nao opt to stay behind in Hinamizawa and stop the tsukuyami army rather than travel through the ritual storehouse. They rejoin the other characters and bond with them, but Satoko is annoyed that she couldn't notice Rika was taken away to another world and replaced by a fake.
They get attacked by crazed villagers at the school, and the club decides to beat them all up. Suddenly, Irie arrives and runs over several villagers with his car to rescue everyone. Outside of town, Irie starts trembling since he's never killed anyone before, but the others are indifferent to it. Irie explains Hinamizawa Syndrome, confirms Kazuho, Miyuki, and Nao must also be infected, and theorizes the outbreak is due to Rika disappearing rather than mind control. They go to the clinic to get medicine. Miyuki is worried about the infection spreading past the village, and Kazuho notices something is wrong.
Kazuho suddenly wakes up at school where there's no signs of fighting, and wonders if that was all a dream. She then meets Rika, who is speaking maturely, and can tell she's real. Rika however says she's just borrowing that appearance and tells Kazuho to not listen to Irie, and that the people of Hinamizawa are behind her. Kazuho wakes up again at the Irie Clinic.
The group gets injections against Hinamizawa Syndrome. Before Kazuho gets injected, Irie asks if she knows about , a practice where poisonous insects are put into a box such that only the strongest poison is left standing, and then talks about how Hinamizawa has no future, but he's intrigued by Kazuho being from the future. He believes Hinamizawa Syndrome has evolved after 10 years, and wants to see what happens when the old and new versions are mixed together; Irie thinks he's going to die soon, but wants to see the culminaton of his research.
Kazuho escapes and finds a deranged Keiichi, Satoko, Mion, and Shion attacking each other. Irie is excited since the booster shots have surpassed Takano's H173. The infected then react to their Role Cards and become stornger, gaining yellow eyes. Seeing a wounded Akasaka, who tried to stop the fighting, Kazuho tells him to take Miyuki and Nao and run away as she holds off the others. Kazuho blames herself for doing nothing even after getting the disaster warning, and then gains similar yellow eyes. She promised she would stop Keiichi if he went crazy again.
| Higurashi Outsiders/Summary |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi PC Secrets
The original PC releases of from Comiket featured secret scenarios and other things that could be unlocked when the player fulfilled certain criteria.
Back Staff Rooms.
The were hidden skits featuring Ryukishi07 and other 07th Expansion staff referencing a lot of video games. They could be read after finishing the main story and doing different things:
"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou+" rereleased the Back Staff Rooms, which are now part of the Extras section.
Question Arcs Skit.
In "Himatsubushi" (aka the original Question Arcs), right clicking on the title screen 29 times and then clicking Exit will cause a short skit featuring "Higurashi" characters to play.
Summary.
Satoko pops up in front of a black screen as a boink sound effect plays. She then gets confused as to why 07th Expansion's logo is not showing up. Rika appears and says this is a screen that pops up when the player is applying an update patch and tries to load previous save data. She says loading previous save files after patching will cause problems and apologizes to the players.
Satoko relays a message from Ryukishi, who apologizes for not using Satoko much during "Watanagashi-hen" and decided to use her for this error message. Rika says she's being used a lot however, and quickly disappears as the BGM changes to "Helter Skelter". Rena suddenly appears, chasing after bugs and wanting to take them home. Satoko leaves with her.
Rika appears one last time, telling players that the staff are working hard to fix problems and asks that they not be given up on.
| Higurashi PC Secrets |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Parody Novel
is a series of parody novels released by harvest-inc. with 2 total volumes.
| Higurashi Parody Novel |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Parody Novel Volume 1
is the first volume of the Higurashi Parody Novels released by harvest-inc.
| Higurashi Parody Novel Volume 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Parody Novel Volume 2
is the second and final volume of the Higurashi Parody Novels released by harvest-inc.
| Higurashi Parody Novel Volume 2 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Question Arcs
| Higurashi Question Arcs |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Rei (manga)
| Higurashi Rei (manga) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Reiwa
| Higurashi Reiwa |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Sotsu
| Higurashi Sotsu |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Sotsu BD Manga
The Blu-Ray collections of contain short manga illustrated by Tomato Akase. Four are available, pertaining to Oniakashi, Wataakashi, Tatariakashi, and Kagurashi. This page summarizes them.
Oniakashi.
Rena greets Keiichi as the latter heads to their usual meetup spot. Keiichi comments on Rena waiting here so early and that she is allowed to sleep in every so often. Rena says she can't keep him waiting. Keiichi says if Rena ever did that, he'd leave without her.
Rena suddenly yells that he's lying, creeping out Keiichi as she says that he would never do that and would wait forever and ever. Rena then smiles and says she believes in him.
Watakashi.
Inside the Sonozaki torture chamber, Mion speaks to an imprisoned Keiichi and tells him to stay in here for a while. If it becomes bad, Keiichi can just play the victim and act like Mion forced him in there. Mion says she loves Keiichi and will protect him, turning away and preparing to head out with a gun. Keiichi tells her to wait and starts ramming into the cell door.
Keiichi actually breaks out of the cell and falls to the floor, dumbfounding Mion.
Tatariakashi.
In the Sea of Fragments, the human and witch sides of Satoko clash, with the human rejecting her other self and asking for Satoko to be returned to her. The witch claims she is the real Satoko and kicks her to the ground, then aims her gun at her.
A gunshot rings out, but the witch Satoko suddenly finds herself strapped to a chair in the human world, where the club has prepared an assortment of pumpkin food items as a punishment game. The witch cries out in despair and asks for Satoko to be returned to her. The human Satoko relishes her victory with a single trap, with Eua also appreciating the sight.
Kagurashi.
Satoko and Rika face off inside the ritual storehouse, with Rika using the Onigari-no-ryuuou fragment, Hanyuu's last gift, to slice Satoko's neck. Rika uses the fragment to obtain a superpowered shrine maiden form, and Satoko does the same using the rest of the Onigari-no-ryuuou, commenting that the kitchen knives at home are too dull.
Satoko and Rika smile as they use the Onigari-no-ryuuou to slice some meat, advertising it for sale as the "Oyashiro Kitchen Knife". Hanyuu watches in confusion since her gift's not supposed to be used like that. Eua is amused.
| Higurashi Sotsu BD Manga |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Sotsu Episode 1
| Higurashi Sotsu Episode 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Sui Popularity Poll
The Higurashi Sui Popularity Poll was a character popularity poll held by Kaga Create approximately one month before the release of "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sui". There were 88 characters across all of the Higurashi arcs that voters could choose from. Characters without sprites who got a certain amount of votes would get a custom sprite designed for them for the poll results. Regardless, named characters on this page who don't have official sprites will be marked with asterisks.
The webpage is no longer online, but the results may still be found on Internet Archive.
| Higurashi Sui Popularity Poll |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Timeline
This page attempts to compile a chronological timeline of pre-June 1983 events in . Information is primarily based off of "Matsuribayashi", especially the Connecting Fragments section.
For a timeline with included events from console ports, see this page.
| Higurashi Timeline |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi Umineko Card Battle Team
is a mobile game released for iOS and Android devices in 2014 by Sorayume. It is commonly referred to as HiguxUmi Jin by the fans.
The game was shut down on June 13, 2017 due to Sorayume going bankrupt.
Gameplay.
The game features a multitude of characters from and as collectible cards in varying artstyles, event themes, and poses. Gameplay revolves around forming a deck of 7 cards, each with varying stats:
Satellite: Shows how much territory a card can take.
ATK: The amount of damage a card does during battles.
DEF: Affects how much damage a card takes during battles.
Cost: The card cost. When forming a deck, the total costs must not exceed the player's level.
Attribute: The passive abilities a card has. (ex: Rena's "Cute Mode" reduces enemy attack) Event cards also had attributes that only activated when the related events were running.
Skill: The special abilities the player can activate at any time. (eg. increase player stats, debuff enemy stats)
During matches, the object of the game is to place cards on a grid and claim squares as territory. The player's territory is blue while the red territory is the opponent's. Setting a card that claims a square an opponent has already taken will make the square turn blank again.
Setting a card on an opponent's card will initiate a battle. If the attacking card's ATK is higher than the opponent's DEF, then the opponent's card disappears and the attacking card takes its place.
After 14 turns, whoever has the most territory is the winner.
Obtaining Characters.
New characters are obtained by spending in-game currency, called kakera pieces. Characters can be upgraded to increase their levels and stats.
| Higurashi Umineko Card Battle Team |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY (manga)
The manga adaptation of was supervised by Ryukishi07 and drawn by several artists, who each adapted one or more story arcs in various magazine subsidiaries of Square Enix or Comp Ace by Kadokawa. Besides the arcs adapted from the visual novel, multiple additional story arcs were written by Ryukishi07 and released for the first time in manga form. It is localized in English by Yen Press under the title Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY.
As the English localization of the manga opted to translate the names of the story arcs, story arcs that are licensed in English will have their translated names used in this article.
Release History.
Japanese Release.
All eight arcs from the "Question Arcs" and "Kai" were serialized in Square Enix magazines. The first three Question Arcs began simultaneous serialization in May and June 2005. As a result of this, the beginning of the second and third arcs have similar character and setting introduction events as the first arc of the visual novel. The original arc "Yoigoshi" started serialization between the time "Himatsubushi" and "Meakashi" did and was later listed between them in Square Enix's official reading order.
The three arcs from "Higurashi Rei" were adapted and published by SE in different ways: "Batsukoishi" was included in a limited gift volume released in June 2008; "Hirukowashi" was serialized on the online magazine Gangan Online in 2009; finally, "Saikoroshi" was serialized shortly after the end of serialization of "Matsuribayashi" in 2011 in the same magazine by the same artist, to serve as the conclusion to the "Higurashi" story. Around the same time, a manga adaptation of "Hinamizawa Bus Stop", the prototype version of "Higurashi", was serialized in Big Gangan.
Kadokawa's Comp Ace magazine hosted a number of manga exclusive arcs, namely "Onisarashi", "Utsutsukowashi", and "Kokoroiyashi". The "Advanced Story" saga from "Higurashi Kizuna" was later adapted under the same name and serialized from 2010 to 2011.
English Localization.
The English localization of the manga was announced by Yen Press at New York Comic Con 2008. They were first serialized as part of the Yen Plus anthology magazine, and then later released as bound volumes. The last two arcs of "Kai" were released in an omnibus format, with one English volume containing two Japanese volumes of content. As of now, all nine arcs in the previously mentioned reading order from SE and "Saikoroshi", translated as "Dice Killing Arc", have been licensed and released in English and share the same global numbering system. The side story "Onisarashi", translated as "Demon Exposing Arc", was also released in an omnibus format, after previously having been available as two separate volumes.
The manga was jointly translated into English by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley, and the lettering was done by Shelby Peak ("Abducted by Demons", "Cotton Drifting"), John Hunt/Primary Graphix ("Massacre" Omnibus 3), Abigail Blackman ("Festival Accompanying", "Dice Killing"), Stephanie Lee ("Dice Killing"), and AndWorld Design (all other volumes).
Release Information.
Main Arcs.
This wiki considers the 10 arcs in the Yen Press global numbering system as "main arcs". The arcs that use black covers are considered "question arcs" while the ones with white covers are considered "answer arcs".
Extra Arcs.
Explicitly non-canon manga works that are neither adaptations of VN arcs nor later adapted into the VN format and adaptations of spin-off games are considered spin-off works and not documented on this page.
| Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY (manga) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry
| Higurashi When They Cry |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry (2006 anime)
is an anime adaptation of the visual novel series of the same name by Studio DEEN. The anime was aired in Japan from April 4 to September 26, 2006. It adapts the contents of the four Question Arcs along with the first two Answer Arcs, and is followed by .
The anime was licensed by Geneon Entertainment under the English title When They Cry: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni in 2007. The license is currently held by Sentai Filmworks along with "Kai" and "Rei" since 2015.
Introduction.
"Transfer student Maebara Keiichi enjoys carefree days of playing with his friends in the sleepy town of Hinamizawa. However, one fateful day, Keiichi hears news about a local murder, triggering a set of horrific events. His friends Rena, Mion, Satoko, and Rika, as well as the other residents of Hinamizawa, hide a dark secret, and Keiichi is sinking right into it."
Episodes.
People who ordered all nine DVD box sets had a chance to acquire the OVA "Nekogoroshi-hen". It was included as a bonus episode of the series in the Blu-ray box set released in 2014.
Reception.
According to someanithing.com. the anime made 359.8 million yen (US equivalent: approx. $3,100,000, taking into account 2006 conversion rates) from DVD and Blu-Ray sales on its first release.
As of September 3, 2021, the anime sits at a score of 7.92 on MyAnimeList and an average score of 76% on AniList.
| Higurashi When They Cry (2006 anime) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry (series)
is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. The story is divided into eight main arcs. The first four arcs of the series are referred to as to distinguish it from the full series, and it is succeeded by , which consists of the last four arcs. Overall, "Higurashi" makes up the first series in the franchise.
The first entry, "Onikakushi", was released at Comiket 62 on August 10, 2002. Successive arcs were released at other Comikets, with the final entry, "Matsuribayashi", being released at Comiket 70 on August 13, 2006. The eight main arcs have all been officially translated into English by MangaGamer under the title Higurashi When They Cry Hou and may be purchased individually on MangaGamer's website, GOG, or Steam.
Official Introduction.
"June, 1983."
"The summer heat has arrived earlier than it does most years."
"By day there are cicadas, and by night, the higurashi."
"Hinamizawa, a small village in the Japanese countryside."
"While there are fewer than two-thousand people there,"
"every year, 'something' happens."
"For the past 4 years, someone has died,"
"and another has gone missing."
"This series of deaths and disappearances is connected"
"to the local resistance against a now-abandoned dam construction project. A murder during the construction,"
"covered up by the local authorities, is being re-enacted"
"year after year."
"Is it a conspiracy?"
"A coincidence? Or perhaps a curse?"
"Someone who was supposed to be there...isn’t."
"Someone who wasn’t supposed to be there... is."
"Someone who was alive last night is now dead,"
"and someone who is here right now isn’t alive."
"There is no way to avert this tragedy."
"There is no choice but to give up trying."
"But even so... please don’t give up."
Gameplay.
"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni "is a mystery visual novel, and as such conveys its story primarily through text-based narration and dialogue supplemented by visual and audio elements such as character sprites, background music, and sound effects. It is described as a "sound novel" by 07th Expansion, owing to the game's greater focus on creating atmosphere through audio elements rather than visual aspects. The original releases contain no voice acting for the characters.
Besides advancing text, players may also access the TIPS Mode, allowing them to view extra scenes that include new information regarding the characters and story. The Question Arcs chapters each have an epilogue called an All-Cast Review session, a comedic skit where the characters of the story will discuss the chapter and may also provide some hints. The Answer Arcs each have an epilogue called the Staff Room, where the author Ryukishi07 talks about his thought process for writing the chapter. While it is not necessary to view these scenes, they can provide greater insight on the story overall.
Despite the lack of interactive gameplay elements, "Higurashi" is framed as a game between the author and the reader, with difficulty ratings given in the descriptions for each episode. This refers to the difficulty of the mysteries in each episode, which the reader is intended to actively try to solve.
Story.
"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni "takes place primarily in June of 1983 in the rural Japanese village of Hinamizawa. The main protagonist is Keiichi Maebara, a young boy who moves to Hinamizawa with his family and starts attending the school there, making new friends and having fun with club games.
As Keiichi gets closer to his friends, he gets more involved with the village's culture and learns they worship a god known as Oyashiro-sama and hold an annual festival dedicated to him. Keiichi also discovers that the annual festival has a curse associated with it, where someone mysteriously dies and another disappears. Keiichi's search for answers leads him to learn dark secrets about his friends and of the village itself.
Concept and Development.
Inspirations and Early Concepts.
Ryukishi developed an interest in novel games due to works such as ' and ' and wanted to make one of his own. Using the game maker Sound Novel Tsukuru 2, he created a game similar to what would become "Hinamizawa Bus Stop" but lost all of the data one day. He later rewrote "Hinamizawa Bus Stop" as a stage play script and submitted it to a contest but it was rejected. After the release of "Tsukihime", Ryukishi's brother Yatazakura convinced him to try again with making sound novel games using NScripter, the same engine that Tsukihime used. Ryukishi took his original stage play script and rewrote it.
There were many ideas for the title of this new story. Ryukishi wanted the title to evoke the image of evening cicadas and wanted to use the higurashi (蜩) kanji, but he thought people would think the story featured a lot of insects. Another working title for the story was , however Ryukishi decided against it when his word processor was unable to type the 譚 character. He then thought about scenes with characters namedropping the title and mused to himself "it will all be over when the higurashi cry (higurashi no naku koro ni)" and finally settled on that. The na (な) character in the title was made red because it can have many meanings, like "weep" or "cry".
Ryukishi intended to release "Higurashi" all as one game, but instead decided to split it into multiple releases due to how long the story would turn out to be. It was going to be a game with choices and routes named after characters, and each chapter would focus on a different character with 6 total. In the end that was changed as well.
The setting of 1983 was chosen because "1983 is a little more than 20 years ago. I think most Higurashi readers are young people, around college age. So it becomes a kind of ambiguous time, when the reader may or may not have been born. Now, for example, if a story was set more than a hundred years ago, it might enter the realm of fantasy, because no one who's alive was present at that time—not the author, not the readers, not anybody. No matter how carefully they may have studied books on the subject, it won't change the fact that they are depicting their imaginary vision of something they've never seen or heard. But if it takes place just barely around the time you were born, it’s not fantasy. And yet it might be a time when you could believe in the fairy tales your parents told you when you were small. I think this puts it on the boundary where reality and illusion blend together. That's why I chose the ambiguous date of 1983 as a setting. I think it’s because it takes place in that time that there's a delicate balance between murder cases and curses."
Part of Ryukishi's inspiration for "Higurashi" came from several works such as the movie "The Blair Witch Project" and the works of Seishi Yokomizo, most notably "The Village of Eight Graves." Ryukishi especially praised "Blair Witch Project" for seeming realistic due to it having in-universe documents, diaries, and police reports released before the film came out. He adopted a similar level of realism with "Higurashi"'s TIPS, presenting many of them as police reports and news articles. Ryukishi was also inspired by 's works, which were known for starting with happy, ordinary scenes before transitioning to sad scenes; "Higurashi" follows a similar theme in starting with ordinary slice of life scenes before transitioning to horror scenes.
Real-life inspirations included the development project, a plan to build a dam that resulted in the relocation of over 1,200 people and the submerging of many houses. Villagers in Shirakawa-go opposed it with an organization, the . Ryukishi had seen a news report about it when he travelled to Shirakawa-go and named "Higurashi"'s Onigafuchi Defense Alliance after it.
When the first chapter "Onikakushi" was released, it was originally released as an alpha version and was intended to be rereleased at the next Comiket with added choices and scenarios. Some players wondered how they could get different endings, and Ryukishi told them it was unfinished. However, Ryukishi instead chose to write the next chapter "Watanagashi" rather than add choices to the first. He got similar feedback after "Watanagashi", but he wrote and released "Tatarigoroshi" afterwards. By then, Ryukishi decided he wasn't going to add choices to "Higurashi", thinking it set the work apart from other novel games since choices and branching routes were customary to the genre.
Artwork and Sound Development.
All of the backgrounds featured in the original version of "Higurashi" are filtered photographs taken by Ryukishi and his friends, with the majority coming from the Japanese village of . The character sprites were drawn and colored by Ryukishi, however the famed "scary eyes" were originally created by Yatazakura.
For the music, Ryukishi at first relied on royalty-free music tracks as many composers he reached out to refused to work with him, as they believed he was working on an erogame and didn't want to be associated. Ryukishi frequently received comments accusing him of stealing music from other games, or comments where people thought other games stole his music. Ryukishi decided to limit the use of royalty-free music from then on and communicated with a member of the doujin group GameMusicLibrary for advice, who told him to crowdsource composers on the website mixi.
One day, a fan by the name of dai sent an email to Ryukishi criticizing the music mastering, and though Ryukishi believed he sent a dismissive reply asking him to send some of his own soundtracks, dai actually complied. The 07th Expansion staff was impressed and brought dai on board. dai's music would be featured in "Higurashi" starting with "Meakashi".
Promotion and Release.
Initial Release and Reception.
The first chapter "Onikakushi" was first sold at Comiket 62 for only 100 yen (US equivalent: approx. $1). Due to the very low price, many people mistook it for a demo version. At the time, Ryukishi was also selling custom cards for the "Leaf Fight" game and put free copies of "Onikakushi" into card packs mailed to customers, passing it off as a mistake whenever people asked.
Out of the first 100 people who played "Onikakushi" and sent theories to Ryukishi by email, only one of them managed to solve the mystery. Ryukishi decided to use "Correct answer rate: 1%" as a tagline and put it on the back of new chapters. Ryukishi promised to send free copies of later installments to people who gave feedback.
After the release of "Tatarigoroshi", Ryukishi's friend BT suggested they put up a free trial version of "Onikakushi" to encourage the series' growth. Ryukishi agreed, and it helped contributed to the series' growing popularity due to widespread support and recommendation from fan blogs. Prior to "Himatsubushi'"s release, Ryukishi sold copies of "Higurashi" at a booth at Comiket. He had tried to make deals with a doujin store to get them sold there, however he was rejected due to "Higurashi" being an orignal, all-ages work and having poor artwork. Although "Himatsubushi" was unplanned, Ryukishi still made 2000 copies of it and had all of them sell out. "Himatsubushi" was later sold at many doujin stores in Akihabara.
Controversy Surrounding Influence on Real-Life Murders.
In September 2007, a news report of a Japanese teenager murdering her father with an axe made headlines in Japan, resulting in the TV broadcast of "Higurashi When They Cry Kai" being halted for a while. KBS Tokyo stated that they did it out of consideration for the incident and that the anime showed scenes of a girl holding a weapon, and would "correct the visual expressions" and resume broadcasting later.
In January 2008, an 18-year-old Japanese boy murdered his family, and several violent manga he owned were confiscated by police, including an unnamed one strongly suggested to be "Higurashi".
This apparent controversy surrounding "Higurashi"'s influence on real-life murders was such that Alchemist acknowledged it during their 33 Mysteries campaign advertising Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna Volume III, where one of their mystery videos asked, "Did Higurashi really influence real-life killings?". On the follow-up "34 Mysteries Kai" microsite, this question was answered with a linked article featuring a discussion with University of Tokyo professor Masataka Yoshida, who asserted that "Higurashi" was not to blame for any violent incidents and opposed the concept of .
Ports, Adaptations, and Spinoffs.
Manga.
A manga series was serialized from 2005 to 2012, consisting of the Question Arcs, Answer Arcs, and many original arcs. It was licensed for English release by Yen Press.
Drama CDs.
A drama CD series covering the main arcs was released from 2005 to 2012. Notably, this is the first piece of voiced "Higurashi" media, predating the anime.
Anime.
Studio DEEN created an anime adaptation of the main series which originally aired between 2006 and 2007. The first season adapted the "Question Arcs", "Meakashi" and "Tsumihoroboshi". Named after "Kai", the second season adapts a "Tsumihoroboshi" TIP, "Minagoroshi", and "Matsuribayashi" alongside an exclusive arc "Yakusamashi-hen". "Rei" was adapted into an OVA series of the same name in 2009. An OVA series of 4 episodes named "Kira" was released between 2011 and 2012. Later, a adapted "Outbreak" in 2013.
Light Novel.
A light novel series was illustrated by Tomohi and published by Kodansha from 2007 to 2009, covering the Question Arcs, the Answer Arcs, and Saikoroshi-hen.
Live Action Movies.
A live-action movie was released in 2008, featuring elements from "Onikakushi" and "Watanagashi". It was released overseas with the title "Shrill Cries of Summer."
A sequel titled "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Chikai" was released in 2009, featuring elements from "Tsumihoroboshi". It had the overseas title of "Shrill Cries - Reshuffle".
Live Action Drama.
A live-action TV show adaptation aired in 2016 with two seasons.
Stage Plays.
The theater group Shingidan has produced two stage play collaborations: Hinamizawa Bus Stop, an adaptation of the "Higurashi" prototype story; and "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Naga" and "Aka", adaptations of "Watanagashi" and "Meakashi".
Sequels.
There are many anime and manga series that are considered sequels to the original story:
| Higurashi When They Cry (series) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry - New Episode 1
| Higurashi When They Cry - New Episode 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry Hou
| Higurashi When They Cry Hou |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry Kai
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry Kai (anime)
is the second half of the anime adaptation of the Higurashi main story by Studio DEEN. The anime was aired in Japan from July 6 to December 17, 2007. It adapts the contents of the last two Answer Arcs following an adaptation of a TIP from Tsumihoroboshi and an exclusive arc named Yakusamashi. The series is followed by the OVA series .
The anime was licensed by Sentai Filmworks under the English title When They Cry: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai in 2015 along with "Rei".
Introduction.
"Death follows a young group of friends in the deceptively quiet town of Hinamizawa. In the summer of 1983, despite trying their best to avoid disaster, the girls continue to experience terrible conflicts which, inevitably, rack up the body count. In a desperate attempt to save their lives, Rika Furude works with a spirit named Hanyuu to discover the truth behind the calamities. Return to Hinamizawa in When They Cry 2."
Episodes.
A total of 12 DVD box sets, each containing two episodes, were released between September 21, 2007 and August 22, 2008.
UraHigu.
is a parody series that consists of 24 episodes included only in the home video releases of the anime. It contains dubbing by the original Japanese cast. Each episode only lasts a minute or less.
Reception.
According to someanithing.com. the anime made 511.2 million yen (US equivalent: approx. $4,370,000, taking into account 2007 conversion rates) from DVD and Blu-Ray sales on its first release.
As of September 3, 2021, the anime sits at a score of 8.20 on MyAnimeList and an average score of 80% on AniList.
| Higurashi When They Cry Kai (anime) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry New
| Higurashi When They Cry New |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry Rei (anime)
is an OVA series of the "Higurashi" series by Studio DEEN. The series consists of 5 episodes that were released in Japan from February 25 to August 21, 2009. It adapts the contents of two of the arcs from the namesake visual novel title following Hajisarashi, an adaptation of a namesake light novel. The series is followed by another OVA series, .
The anime was licensed by Sentai Filmworks under the English title When They Cry: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei in 2015.
Introduction.
"With the cycle of brutal murders finally broken, Rika can finally ease into a normal life with her friends in Hinamizawa. However, everything changes when she's a victim of a traffic accident, and she wakes up in a world where everything is very different... almost perfect. No one around her is guilty of committing the sins that have shaped them in her world, but is this new world as perfect as it seems?"
Episodes.
While Batsukoishi from the VN is not included, it is later included in "Kira".
Each episode was released individually over the course of six months in 2009.
Reception.
According to someanithing.com. the anime made 224.1 million yen (US equivalent: approx. $2,380,000, taking into account 2009 conversion rates) from DVD and Blu-Ray sales.
As of September 3, 2021, the anime sits at a score of 7.42 on MyAnimeList and an average score of 71% on AniList.
| Higurashi When They Cry Rei (anime) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi When They Cry Reiwa
| Higurashi When They Cry Reiwa |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Nakasekata
is a series of interviews conducted with 07th Expansion staff about their development on . Each interview was published in the magazine Toratsu, with 5 interviews in total. Each interview was later republished onto Toranoana's website, and then compiled as a single book.
| Higurashi no Nakasekata |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 1
is the first interview in the Higurashi no Nakasekata interview series. It was first published in Toratsu's 90th issue, the November 2004 issue and released on October 25, 2004. The interview was republished on Seikaisha's "Higurashi" light novel website on September 8, 2011 featuring additional notes from KEIYA. It may be found here.
English translation by rockmor.
Transcript.
2004 Late summer, somewhere in Akihabara, Tokyo
—Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is experiencing something of a break this summer. What are your feelings right now?
Ryukishi: I am honestly surprised. There are so many better games out there.
—Have the things around you changed in any way?
Ryukishi: Well, before, nobody remembered the title of our game, and nobody saw me as “Higurashi‘s Ryukishi07″. Recently, the game started gaining some popularity, so I finally became “Higurashi‘s Ryukishi07″. …I am very humbled.
—Higurashi is being made in a long span of time. As far as I researched, its first appearance was at 2002’s Comiket, but was there anything before that?
Ryukishi: No, we weren’t making any Higurashi before. Back then, we were creating original cards for a trading card game Leaf Fight for 2 years. So, it was the first time we made a video game. Onikakushi-hen in summer of 2002, Watanagashi-hen in winter of 2002, Tatarigoroshi-hen in summer of 2003, then we skipped winter of 2003 (*everyone laughs*) and reached this point in 2004.
—It’s the first time Higurashi is being distributed in shops, so was it only sold at Comiket before?
Ryukishi: It was only distributed at the events. Because we were orika (original cards) circle, card circle, analogue circle, we were selling not on the 3rd day, but on the 1st one.
Yatazakura: We also asked others to help us a little bit with selling.
Ryukishi: It was just 10 or 20 copies.
—Then, the next step was a downloadable version, right?
BT: We uploaded the demo-version this May for the first time. Before that, the game was only distributed on the events.
—So, the progression seems to be events first, then download version, and now shops…
Ryukishi: Yeah. Frankly speaking, we weren’t confident that any shop will take a game without 18+ content or good art… We were happy to sell 100 or 200 copies at a time before, and we didn’t think about asking shops for a time being. But now, after we uploaded the free demo-version, somehow… It became big *laughs*
BT: The demo-version was registered at different free game sites, and through that it started gaining popularity.
Ryukishi: There was a certain time lag, so the real thing started maybe after Summer Comiket. There was a bit of that before Summer Comiket too, but I think it started for real after it. Because of that… A lot of people were saying: “Looks like the new one was released at this Comiket” and were wondering if you could buy it outside of Comiket. Many of them were not attending Comiket or even going to Akihabara. That was the reason we started thinking about shops. And… you have to fill a form if you want to start selling your product at a shop, don’t you?
—You do.
Ryukishi: It has questions there like “Number of CGs”, “Is there any 18+ content?”, etc… And I were like *laughs* “0 CGs…”, “No 18+ content…” When I was filling it, I was thinking: “If I was a manager here, I definitely wouldn’t accept this” *laughs* But thanks to Yano-san we were accepted.
—Mmm… It’s a bit scary to ask you about this *laughs*, but how it was to run around different shops at first?
Yano: Right… Frankly speaking, the reception form this company was the coldest *laughs*
—…I see *bitter laugh* There was a big gap in knowledge?
Yano: Right. There was a slight gap between shop owners who already knew and played Higurashi and those who didn’t.
— It’s a bit rude to ask, but did you have a 100% faith that this will work when you were presenting it to different shops?
Yano: Yeah, I was a believer. 2 years ago I was asked by Ryukishi-san to “do promotion and stuff for this game when it comes out”, and a year later I checked what’s going on with it… And after that I was checking every half of a year: “So, how soon?”
Ryukishi: Yeah *laughs* …At first, I was arrogant enough to think that I will finish in 1 year. Everything. It’s scary to reread my Production Journal.
Ryukishi: Well *laughs* After that I said: “Yano-san, it will be ready this winter, so I can rely on you when the
time comes, right?”, it became stranger and stranger with time. “Ryukishi-san, when it will be finished?” “…I think it will take another 2 or 3 years…”
Yano: Yeah, I was like “Eh! Is it such a long story?!”
— How did everyone in 07th Expansion meet, and what did you do at that time?
Ryukishi: (Pointing at Yatazakura) We’ve been in very close relationships with him… *laughs*
Yatazakura: Like breaking in his room (during the development of Higurashi) and yelling “What the hell are you doing?!”
— And what about website administrator BT-san?
BT: I was a fan of the original cards that Ryukishi-san was making.
— Are there any other staff members?
Ryukishi: The ones that gathered here today are the main staff, and of course there are a lot of other people who are helping us. I guess they are someone like… emergency support staff? They are helping with things like sticking labels or copying CDs.
— Emm, so you are burning discs yourself…
— How does it look like?
Ryukishi: Hmm, it’s always 100-200 copies, almost everything is done at home. The burning process became pretty fast lately, so it takes around 3 days… Or even less?
Yatazakura: We make it in one day.
Ryukishi: Right. We are burning and burning.
— On how many machines?
Ryukishi: 2 or 3, I think?
Yatazakura: It depends, sometimes it’s up to 4.
Ryukishi: This time we made 1500 copies (*everyone laughs*), and BT-san, who is very knowledgeable in hardware, has built an awesome 7-disc duplicator *laughs* It was working like a machine-gun.
BT: At first we couldn’t think about burning even 100 discs.
Ryukishi: Right, at first I was like “700 is enough” *laughs* And then BT-san was like “Let’s go with 2000!”. After some debating, we decided to go with 1500 as a compromise.
BT: That was a pretty quick change. Before that, it was 200 copies?
Ryukishi: 200. It’s hard to believe that we brought 1500 this time.
— But I’ve heard that everything was sold out before noon?
Ryukishi: More like in 2 hours, I think.
Yatazakura and BT: Something like that.
— Did you feel that something was changing and you began to get some response?
Ryukishi: Yeah, we’ve felt it indeed.
Yatazakura and BT: Right, right *nod*
Ryukishi: There is such thing like an “opening rush” at Comiket, isn’t it? The number of people who started coming specially to buy our product and checking catalogues beforehand has increased. At first, there were a lot of people who were coming to our stand while passing by: “OK, if it’s 100 yen, I’ll buy it” Lately, there are more people who first run to our booth to buy our stuff. Before, almost everyone who came to us was like “It seems interesting, but… hmm” and went elsewhere *laughs* There were a lot of those who either said “If it’s 100 yen, I’ll buy it” or “100 yen? Is this a demo? Don’t need it”.
— The word of mouth for Higurashi is amazing, and that’s people who came to Summer Comiket just for that and started talking about that on the Internet after that…
Ryukishi: It was after we uploaded the demo. There were quite a few people who played it and began spreading the word…
— How was the result of that?
Ryukishi: Yeah, it felt like a prank.
Yatazakura: It was quite a shock.
— It was surely tough for BT-san to look after the counter.
BT: Before that, our homepage visits were always around 40 or 60.
Ryukishi: 40-50 visits per day. The only time it went over 100 was on an opening day and the day after that *laughs*
BT: But then it started rising and rising *laughs*
— It probably felt like the counter was broken.
Ryukishi and BT: It actually broke many times.
Ryukishi: To think that even without ~, 10000 people would visit in one day *laughs* We couldn’t imagine it.
— When did it happen?
BT: I think we’ve reached 10.000 after the Summer Comiket.
Ryukishi: Yes.
— And at the time it was decided that the game will be sold at shops, there were…
BT: Around 30,000 I guess?
Ryukishi: Yeah, at its peak.
Yano: That’s impressive.
BT: I can’t express the rate we were growing at that time other than by the word ” surprising”. We were honestly dumbfounded.
— So, there were no thoughts like: “Finally! As we expected!!”?
BT: *laughs* No, not at all. We couldn’t even dream about that.
Ryukishi: Yano-san also told us that because it’s the first time we were selling at the shop, the numbers might be not that good. I also had zero experience. And it turned out that it was sold several hundred copies in a couple of days… There were so many times I was throwing away unsold copies from the Mansei Bridge…
Ryukishi: I didn’t go to Akihabara that time, so I didn’t see the place where it was sold out *laughs*
— Let’s talk about origins of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. When did you first have an idea for it?
Ryukishi: I’ve thought about doing it for the first time 2 years ago. We’ve been making orika (original cards) for 2 years and I was thinking about moving to some other genre soon. At that time Yatazakura-san suggested making a novel game. “I’ve been learning to code and made this, take a look” “Oh, that’s cool” “Tsukihime is made with this” “Oh, that’s cool” “OK, let’s make a novel game then!”, it went something like this. If we look even further, I have always liked things like plays and scenarios, and because I had some connections with theatre students and troupes, I had an experience of writing plays. Though, of course, when I tried to submit them, they were turned down *laughs* One of those plays called Hinamizawa Bus Stop has became the origin of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. It was… it’s painful to read it now. It has some crucial spoilers sprinkled over several pages *laughs* If it was published today, it would be extremely painful. …However, I don’t think there are people, who have it at home.
— I see~
Ryukishi: Maybe one of my friends from the troupe who said: “Hmm, I’ll read it later”…
Editor: The one who has it is going to be demoned away…
Ryukishi: *laughs*
Yatazakura: It’s quite possible… *grins*
Ryukishi: I planned it to be about 60 minutes from start to finish, and because I wanted it to be performed on a troupe graduation ceremony, I made it about a bus stop during the rain… with just Mion and Rika. Mion was going to be younger, and Rika was an older sister type. It was a tiny horror with one of the main points of Higurashi as a core.
— Oh.
Ryukishi: Even though I worked extremely hard on that play, it ended up unused, and that left a feeling of disappointment in my heart. Because of that, when we began thinking about doing a novel game, we decided to take that finished story and expand it by adding more characters and detailing the setting. That’s how it turned into Higurashi.
— So, you wrote a lot of scenarios before Higurashi?
Ryukishi: Mm, if we are speaking about it on the level of writing down whatever ideas came to my head, there was quite a few of that. Actually, I was in charge of writing a scenario at one doujin circle even before I became Ryukishi07, but that project collapsed because the work on the art has spun out *laughs* I worked for 2 years, all for nothing *laughs* So… (talking to Yatazakura) If we just talk about the scenario, that was a finished game, right?
— It was something completely different from Higurashi?
Ryukishi: Completely different.
— So, it has to be in stock right now.
Ryukishi: It is. Because of that incident, I decided that from now on I will draw all the artworks by myself *laughs* I am not really an artist.
— So, Higurashi was your first novel game?
Ryukishi: That game at previous circle has collapsed and we didn’t release it, so, yeah, this one is the first.
— It’s just my impression, but when I played it I thought: “Wow, this is so well written. What is this?”. Haven’t you been writing for a long time in terms of quantity?
Ryukishi: No, not at all. I was working in the office and had to write simple lists of events sometimes, but nothing resembling what I am trying to do here…
— As you said yourself, Higurashi is a very organized and well structured story. Where this ability to create such complicated stories comes from, how do you think?
Ryukishi: Mm, I’ve said this earlier, but I don’t read a lot…
Ryukishi: If that’s true, it’s probably our parents’ influence…
Yatazakura: True.
Ryukishi: Our parents always complain a lot when watching movies and other stuff.
— Oh.
Ryukishi: Like, when they watch a movie on TV, they make comments like “What an idiot, why they didn’t do it like that” or “Lame, I can predict what comes next”. It was that way since we were children, so I didn’t like watching anime and other things. I didn’t want them to be criticized. So I always had a thought that “I don’t want parents to criticize me” *laughs* …So, it’s not like I am thinking hard in order to create a complex structure, rather it’s the result of watching our parents criticizing fiction and having the impression that “parts that are criticized are bad”.
— Feels like it’s something that has developed naturally in you.
Ryukishi: Yes, it’s the influence of our parents. Our father hates digressions in fiction. It often happens in war movies when the action goes into a slump, and he really hates that.
Ryukishi: That’s why I feel that I have to connect all events to each other without hesitation. The less there is plaster between the events the better. Because entertainment has to entertain, I must place entertaining pieces one after another. I mostly think about that, it’s not something deep really.
— You’ve said that you weren’t reading a lot of books.
Ryukishi: It’s a rude thing to say as a writer, but I start feeling dizzy if there are more than 3 lines of text. It’s a struggle to reread my own writing *laughs*
— And what about liking mystery or reading horror novel games?
Ryukishi: I can read sound novels. Otogirisou and Kamaitachi no Yoru made a huge impact on me, and I began making sound novels myself because of those two titles. Even though the golden age of novel games is synonymous with dating sims, I had a strong belief that “a sound novel has to be a horror!” and thought that I should make something like Otogirisou and Kamaitachi myself. There was a time when there were many horror sound novels on Super Famicom, and I loved to play them. I still love horror games.
— Which games do you respect or like the most? Which ones influenced you?
Ryukishi: Speaking of influence, the list should probably start with games by KEY. At the time we started working on Higurashi, Leaf’s sound novels… ah, those are rather called visual novels… were very popular, and after that games by KEY started to come out. We thought that there were a lot of things there that we could learn from. Kanon and AIR, especially, were on our minds, so we studied them. “What makes KEY games fun?” And we noticed that in KEY games there is always a period of joyful everyday life followed by sadness. At that situation and with that contrast players will surely cry. So we thought, let’s go from joyful everyday life to horror *laughs* Let’s surprise the player with that contrast.
— That is distressful enough for a player to feel empathy, isn’t it. I was just surprised in the first chapter, but starting the next one I began thinking: “Please don’t do that~, please don’t do that~”.
Ryukishi: That’s why I wanted to make the CD cover like in a regular galge.
Ryukishi: Among all the emails I got, I was the happiest about the one that said: “My friend tricked me by saying that it was galge”.
Ryukishi: I think those players who thought it was
galge were surprised the most. I love comments like “I played it thinking it was galge… _|￣|○”. People didn’t buy it when we tried to sell it as galge at Comiket, so it changed to mystery/horror, but if you start playing it thinking that it’s a normal dating sim… *laughs* For me, it is the most ideal scenario.
— I believe you’ve said once that art style is Higurashi’s first trap.
Ryukishi: Yes.
— I think it pretty much overlaps the story itself, but it seems that you like that type of “tricks”, don’t you?
Ryukishi: If someone plays my game, I have to make them surprised *laughs* That’s the basis, so… Yeah, I enjoy using tricks *laughs*
— It feels that you may be tricked not only in the game itself but also outside of it.
Ryukishi: I was drawing a lot of illustrations for Leaf original cards before, and those who supported us were usually drawn to that style of drawings. So, I thought: “If I use that style in this type of game, people will be caught off guard” *laughs*
— Even those who knew that Higurashi was a horror say that it’s scary, so what to tell about those who thought that it was a galge…
Ryukishi: Please show sympathy to those of your friends who were tricked… *laughs* If we only had more time, I’d want to make the CD cover reversible. One side would be a regular galge illustration with a disclaimer: “In case you give this game to a friend, please show them this side” *roar of laughter* …I want to trick people.
— Is this the motive power behind the game?
Ryukishi: Hmm, the motive power… (Speaking to Yatazakura) What do you think it is?
Yatazakura: I think it’s a desire to create something, to show it to the world.
Ryukishi: Also… The frustration from work *laughs* Wanting to put everything we can do into something… Like, we’ve thought that Tsukihime is amazing when we played it, right?
Yatazakura: Yeah.
Ryukishi: When does the first death in Tsukihime happen? In the first 15 minutes? OK, let’s murder somebody in the first 15 seconds then! *Everyone laughs* I’ve written about that in Production Journal as well.
— You are talking about that opening scene…
Ryukishi: Right, the opening scene.
Editor: I remember thinking when I read it: “Is this ――――?”.
Ryukishi: In fact, it is ――――.
— Aaa! Aaa! It will ruin the fun if you spoil things. Emm, let’s go back to what we were talking about. So, your main influences are KEY and old sound novels?
Ryukishi: Otogirisou, Kamaitachi… Early games by Chunsoft. And KEY. That’s pretty much it when it comes to games. But there are also movies.
— Right.
Ryukishi: I was super influenced by Blair Witch Project.
— Oh.
Ryukishi: Blair Witch Project is amazingly made as a “project”, not a movie. It was a flop in Japan because we only had a movie, but as a whole, it’s excellently done.
Editor: What’s outside the movie is excellent.
Ryukishi: Right, what’s outside the movie. 3 students who went to the woods in order to make a film about a witch, went missing. Their belongings were found under a 100-years old cabin… Somewhere they shouldn’t have been. Inside the bag, there were their recordings. Those tapes were shown at the movie theatre… That was the setup. Before showing the movie there were notes and diaries released, as well as a documentary about the legend… It was very similar to what we are doing in our games in the form of TIPS. Even the movie itself was a TIP… I realised that there are more ways to show the world than just with the story, but also with testimonies and documents. When you add such TIPS, the world inside the story becomes more interesting. There are a lot of official documents inside Blair Witch Project. Statements by the sheriff, reports of the found belongings, scientific appraisal results, etc. Such things add a lot of realism and help create an illusion that it is something that really happened.
Editor: There were even reports about found belongings on TV, which became a hot topic.
Ryukishi: Right. Perhaps, they were aiming to recreate the effect of Orson Welles’s The War of the Worlds. Unfortunately, though, we in Japan didn’t get anything besides the movie, so there was zero hype, almost nobody saw it and it was treated as a failure. However, we stumbled upon those additional materials by chance, and after seeing them we thought: “They’ve beaten us…”. So yeah, the TIPS system in Higurashi comes from Blair Witch Project. That’s the 3rd influence.
— KEY, early years Chunsoft and Blair Witch Project.
Ryukishi: I think those 3 were the inspiration when it comes to creating the game.
— And you combined all that with Hinamizawa Bus Stop.
Ryukishi: Yes.
— I want to ask you about your process of writing a scenario. First of all, did you know the ending from the very beginning?
Ryukishi: Yes. The rest is differences in presentation. In the direction, there are various ways to show a scene, but all the main plot points and setting are already done. The characters are all placed and move according to their rules. When we started the project, the ending was already settled.
— I’ve already abandoned any attempts to figure out what’s going on in Higurashi, so that may be a stupid question, but isn’t it pretty difficult to keep consistency inside the story?
Ryukishi: Mmm, as I said earlier, everything starts with the environment. After placing pieces into that environment, they start moving, and that’s Onikakushi-hen. There’s a game called Black Box, isn’t it? Depending on the angle of a light ray it reflects differently, and you have to discover the location of objects inside with it. Hinamizawa is a Black Box. Even though the plot of each of the 3 scenarios is entirely different, the foundation is the same. Both characters and setting are the same through those 3 (4) chapters. However, by adjusting the accent slightly, the plot changes entirely. That’s not parallel worlds.
Editor: Not parallel worlds. The timeline is the same as well?
Ryukishi: The general timeline is the same. However, there are some slight variations. For example, is it raining or not on the day of Watanagashi, little things like that, but the overall settings of the world are… For example, it’s not something like “even though Rena has a dual personality in Onikakushi-hen she turns into a good girl in Watanagashi-hen“. She is the same character throughout all arcs. It’s like following different routes of that world. If in “Houjou Teppei comes home/doesn’t come home” the former is chosen, you end up in Tatarigoroshi-hen. The world is exactly the same but with tiny changes there all kinds of possible deaths and murders… He-he-he *laughs like he has something in mind* There is even a possibility of Keiichi becoming a vicious murderer.
— I am very sorry, but I have a feeling that you enjoy Bad Endings a lot… *everyone laughs* I’ve become sadder and sadder after each arc. Like, ahh, it happened again *cries*
Ryukishi: *Laughs* The Question Arcs are all Bad Ends. Starting with Meakashi-hen even though there are still some mysteries left… *laughs* I am going to move towards a relieving and healing ending. The last arc will be the final.
— Aren’t there such voices from players? “Hey… Just a little bit…”
Ryukishi: There are, there are. “Please make them happy”, I hear that a lot.
Editor: Did you write with the thought that people would present and discuss their theories on the Internet after playing?
Ryukishi: It’s not really something that unique for our game. When Evangelion was still ongoing, I often discussed it with my friends. I am leaving a lot of missing links and unclear information in the story, and think it’s fun to read it while trying to piece it all together. After all, it’s not interesting to read carelessly, so we propose this way to enjoy it.
Editor: Blair Witch Project is built the same way.
Ryukishi: It is.
— I’d like to ask you more about the development process.
Ryukishi: Well… (Talking to Yatazakura) I think we’ve settled pretty much everything at the very first meeting?
Yatazakura: We did.
Ryukishi: Things like the number of chapters… I think it was going to be 6 chapters back then?
Yatazakura: Yep.
Ryukishi: The idea was to give every character a scenario, so that makes it 6. After the number of chapters has changed we just moved things around. So, almost everything was decided at the start, and after that, we just had to sort it all… Making sure we don’t deviate from the original plan… First, we created the setting and planned out the story until the ending, so what left was to stick to it.
— Are you making flowcharts?
Ryukishi: No, it’s pretty random. At most, we know that the scenario goes for about 14 days, so the first week is spent on playing and after the 7th day everything’s is turned around. So we write something like a synopsis that says: “First 3 days will be a fun time, then it turns around after a certain event”. The ending is already decided, so we just have to figure out how many days it will take to reach it.
— By the way, do the other staff members know all the story?
Ryukishi: Yatazakura-san knows everything, and I told a lot of it to BT, but he always tells me to stop *laughs*
Ryukishi: I always ask his opinion on different story developments on the messenger.
BT: I know almost everything now…
— You didn’t want to know?
BT: I want to enjoy the story like everyone else *laughs*
— Understandable. We here made a strict agreement not to ask any spoilery questions today…
Ryukishi: I asked Yano-san if he wanted to listen, but he refused *laughs*
— Have you decided on the end number of chapters?
Ryukishi: I think there will be 8 of them in the end, so it’s a turning point right now.
Editor: It will be Kai from now on.
Ryukishi: I think in the end there will be 4 arcs in Kai as well. It will go like Meakashi-hen, Tsumihoroboshi-hen, then Minagoroshi-hen…
— Aaa! You’ve spoiled the titles.
Ryukishi: No-no, you won’t be able to understand the content from titles alone *laughs*
— Does Yatazakura-san build the script after you’ve finished the scenario?
Ryukishi: First, I just type in Word without worrying about anything as the thoughts come to my head, then I give that chunk of text to Yatazakura-san, who turns it into a script. If at that stage it turns out that there is no background picture for a scene or a particular sound, he may go shooting or looking through free sound resources. Because I am the creator, I don’t hesitate and write as I please even the most impossible scenes *laughs* Yatazakura-san keeps saying: “What the hell?!”.
Yatazakura: Yeah, like “You’re kidding me!”.
Ryukishi: But because we are doing it for 2 years now, he has added a lot of good backgrounds.
— What goes after that?
Ryukishi: After the script is finished, it comes back to me. There is no music yet, just some sound effects like cicadas at most…
Yatazakura: Sounds of bitting or throwing, etc.
Ryukishi: When we have a script with backgrounds and sound effects, starts the process called “clean-up”. We fix and add little things like facial expressions, what sprite goes where, turning the screen black, where a cicada sound starts and fades out, making the sound of rain going on longer, etc… Going forward step by step while saying things like “That one doesn’t fit at all!”, “Let’s go with this and not with that after all” *laughs* That usually goes for 2 weeks before Comiket *laughs*
Ryukishi: It’s a war at that point.
— I think that the timing of sounds in very important in a Sound Novel, but are you paying extra attention to that?
Ryukishi and Yatazakura: You bet!
Ryukishi: After all, it’s a “Sound Novel”. We are thinking very hard about sound design. “Let’s do thunder… a distant roll of thunder here”, “Shouldn’t the sound of a gun be louder?”, etc. Maybe it goes up to silly levels but we think it down to the smallest details.
— Hinamizawa… It is a fictional village but does it actually exist as some real place?
Ryukishi: The model for it is a certain famous place. We went there together to shoot some pictures. I remember sitting in his (pointing at Yatazakura) room and discussing how does Hinamizawa look. It was “Japanese native places” (Nihon no Furusato), right?
Yatazakura: Yes.
Ryukishi: We found a booklet with that name and when looking through it I shouted: “That’s it! That’s my Hinamizawa!” *laughs* “OK, let’s go take some pictures” *everyone laughs* We went there on a vacation and I was like: “Listen here! We won’t come here again, so go wild and shoot! Take pictures of everything!!!”. How many pictures we had in the end?
Yatazakura: There’s only 250 left in memory, but at first there were more than 500.
Ryukishi: When we went there, I could feel Hinamizawa with my skin. Because I am from Kanto, at first I had only a vague image of what a “remote village” looks like. The act of actually going there and feeling it by ourselves can’t be overestimated.
— Did you live in Kanto all your life?
Ryukishi: Mainly in Kanto, yes.
— There is some dialect in the game, which dialect is it?
Ryukishi: It’s… pretty random.
Ryukishi: After all, a dialect…
Yano: Like “suttara”?
Ryukishi: Yes, yes *laughs* Expressions like “suttaran to!” or “succhara kocchara!” *laughs*
— I was under impression that it was surely based on some actual dialect…
Ryukishi: …It’s all was “Ryukishi language” *laughs*
Editor: All the characters in Higurashi are very unique, so I am curious about how do you create them.
Ryukishi: Characters are… all perverts *laughs*
Editor: Are they?.. *laughs* What about imagery and motives?
Ryukishi: There are no any specific models, but, continuing the talk about KEY, I decided to figure out what makes KEY characters so memorable, and the answer I came up with was “They are all perverts!” *everyone laughs* “Everyone is weird!”. For example, the girl named Ryuuguu Rena is a very meddlesome person, who can’t resist cute things and tries to take everything home. If she finds something cute, she decides to take it home! Steal! Her garden is full of strange things! I tried to make her weird and close to a pervert. I thought quite a bit to make every character weird.
Editor: I want to see Rena’s house.
Ryukishi: Her garden is big but cramped, her room is small and cramped, she has a cellar, there are marks of nails and blood on the walls… Like someone tried to escape from there… *laughs*
Editor: Is this a joke?
Ryukishi: It is a joke *laughs*
Editor: I was scared a little bit…
Ryukishi: There probably won’t be a chance for me to depict Rena’s house in the game. however, I’ll be happy if you’ll try to imagine it for your own enjoyment.
— It’s a complete derailment, but I want to ask about the “eyes” from the staff-roll.
All together: Aaa! *laugh*
— That’s “those eyes”, right?
Ryukishi: It’s Naruse Tsubaki’s (なるせ椿) eyes, he is my real friend and we took a picture of his ____ with ____, edited with Photoshop, which was left on the hard disk. It was a good picture of a man’s face. I thought that it looked nice and cut eyes out of it *laughs* Without permission.
— So, after all, the “eyes” from the staff-roll are “those eyes”.
Ryukishi: Yes.
— I jumped like 30 cm high [when saw them], and I think the impression among players was also very strong.
Ryukishi: It was heavily edited, so you won’t recognize him if you look at the actual person.
— However, thousands of people see those eyes without the actual person knowing it. *Everyone laughs* …It’s pretty wild.
Ryukishi: I think he completely unaware of it. …Well, it was a mistake to give me that photo.
— It may be a rather dangerous question, but what is the reason you’ve made Showa period as the setting?
Ryukishi: There are 2 reasons, one being the feeling of nostalgia.
— Right.
Ryukishi: For someone who was born in the Showa period, “Heisei” has a “near future” sound to it, and isn’t very interesting. So, to I decided to make it Showa because of the nostalgic imagery. Another reason is that “curses” don’t really go well with mobile phones. Most of the tricks could be destroyed with a mobile phone.
Editor: So it’s the story that is only possible because there are no mobile phones.
Ryukishi: However, after the fact, someone told me: “A mobile phone won’t work in the remote village in the mountains, though” *everyone laughs* Aaa, they got me, I thought *laughs* I could make it in out days! *laughs*
— One more question: there is a poem at the beginning of each chapter, right?
Ryukishi: Ah, yes.
— Are those some quotes, or?..
Ryukishi: Those are original poems. Something like hints… or rather… how should I say it?
Yatazakura: They are symbolic representations of a scenario, maybe.
Ryukishi: I can’t give you a very realistic explanation, so please think of them as hints. Something you will think “Ah, that what they were about” after you finish all the scenarios. When you read them now, even though you’ll feel some hidden hint in them, you won’t understand them exactly. I made it so you’ll have a sudden realisation when you finish the story.
— There were some discussions about the author’s name at the Spoiler forum.
Ryukishi: …………….Mmm *grins*
…L-let’s end this conversation here *laughs*
Ryukishi: No, I can tell you off record *laughs*
— No-no-no, I don’t want to hear it *laughs*
— It seems nobody wants to know *laughs* …Ok. It was dangerous after all. Let’s end with “There is lots of such stuff!”.
Ryukishi: Please dig in *laughs*
— There are a lot of mini-games inside the game. Were they done by BT-san?
BT: Yes.
— It’s a digression from the main topic, but when I was playing Rena-pan), it took me around 5 times to beat it…
Ryukishi: Take a note, BT-san *laughs* This will help you with managing the difficulty.
— That aside, there quite a few of mini-games there. What led to their creation?
BT: Rena-pan was kind of a one-time joke. I wanted to surprise one of my relatives and made it in one day.
— Ah, I see.
BT: Then Ryukishi-san said that it was interesting and asked if it’s okay to add it to Higurashi. So I remade it one more time.
Ryukishi: For some reason, there were special attacks and other things now *everyone laughs* It was done pretty well as a game.
— People at the forum got really excited about it too. They reached such numbers like it wasn’t human beings playing. Do you play it as well?
Ryukishi: Of course.
— Who is the best player?
Ryukishi: I wonder. I can reach somewhere around 200 on a good day.
BT: I can’t get more than 300…
Ryukishi: Eh! *laughs* What a betrayal.
— What about you, Yano-san?
Yano: Around 300.
Everyone: Ooo!
Ryukishi: From that time, BT-san makes a mini-game for each new arc. I think it was Takahashi Naoki-san (高橋直樹) who created NSCRIPT, wasn’t it?
Yatazakura: Yep.
Ryukishi: I bet he didn’t think anyone would use NSCRIPT in such way. An action game on a novel game engine *laughs* Our game is meant to depress a player, so there are things like All-Cast Review Sessions and mini-games to lift their spirits up after they get depressed. I think, in the sense, mini-games are a very good thing.
— Now, speaking about what will come next, it will be Higurashi, right?
Ryukishi: Yes.
— Are you planning to do something besides that?
Ryukishi: There was a suggestion to revive that game I was talking about earlier *laughs* They said it will be easy to do because the scenario is already finished *laughs* However, we as 07th Expansion are thinking about what if we stick to doing horror-mystery? We’d like to take some time to think about that. Higurashi will probably end in 2 years… However, there is no guarantee that it will be so. We will see how it goes, will it have any resonance.
Yatazakura: Maybe we will do a spin-off or something.
Ryukishi: A spin-off or a plus-disc *laughs*
— Ah, I see. I was going to ask if there’s going to be any happy-from-start-to-finish plus-disc because the main story is so sad and painful.
Ryukishi: There was an email in the early days that asked us to make a scenario about club members going home happily together after doing club activities from all the arcs. However, if I’d announce a happy fun scenario, nobody will probably believe *laughs* Everyone will wait for a sudden twist *laughs*
— What are your plans for the next winter, for now?
Ryukishi: To go to Comiket with Meakashi-hen.
— How’s the development going?
Ryukishi: I’d say it’s finished for 2/5, maybe?
Yatazakura: Quickly give me the scenario *laughs*
Ryukishi: *Laughs* Right. The main part is on the day of Watanagashi now. However, it’s not in the middle as it always was, but somewhere at 2/5.
Editor: Is this “Watanagashi” that Watanagashi when ____________?
Ryukishi: Yes. When ____________ happened. It’s a little after ____________, so it’s the world where ____________ exists. There was ____________ that year, after all. So, after that I am going to write about ____________ [those who’ve finished reading Himatsubushi-hen should already know that information]. I am writing a scene about ____________ right now.
People in the room: A-a-a! U-u-u!!
— You’ve said that the game is going to be finished in 2 years?
Ryukishi: Yes, there are 4 more arcs we want to make. If we will release an arc on every Comiket, it will exactly 2 years.
— You’ve said that this time it will be pretty different from the last Comiket, so will it change even more since the game became that popular?
Ryukishi: If we are talking just about a game called Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, our goal is to make a product that won’t betray expectations of those who look forward to it.
— Has the pressure increased?
Ryukishi: Mmm… “no”… will be a lie. However, other doujin makers that I’ve met thanks to Yano-san, sometimes give me advice like “Don’t think about it too much, just do what you want to do”. “It’s better to make what you love yourself rather than trying to please everybody”.
— I see.
Ryukishi: It’s true that when I read exciting Higurashi discussions on the net, I sometimes feel like what they come up with is better than the actual story *laughs* At times like that I think, shouldn’t I change something in the game?
Ryukishi: …However, Higurashi is a story that goes according to the initial plan, so we are going to quietly release each new arc and just leave it to the players.
Editor: As a fan, I wanted to see someone cosplay in that Rena’s dress.
Staff all together: Aaa *laugh*
Ryukishi: How long has it been since then?
Yano: 2 years? …Maybe 1,5.
Ryukishi: It’s a joke that went beyond a joke from the time when we still were an orika circle. There is a company called pare ideal that is one the most famous makers of one-off cosplay outfits. We ordered that dress from them, and then thanks to Yano-san there were 2 times?.. Around 2 times when we had a girl cosplaying in that outfit at our space [at Comiket]. Unfortunately, that was before we introduced Higurashi! It would be a bit more meaningful now.
Yano: Yeah.
Ryukishi: That dress was either lost or became unwearable due to its age.
— I have a feeling that there is going to be lots of secondary works based on Higurashi.
Yano: Everyone is so quick.
Editor: There are already lots of them on the net.
Ryukishi: There are many things like web-manga. My heart feels at ease when I read them *laughs*
— Perhaps there will be many figures and other things soon.
Yano: Let’s ask Ryukishi-san to draw every character in 3 views when he has time *laughs* Maybe number of people who make figures will increase after that.
Ryukishi: I made a blueprint of that Rena outfit we were talking about earlier when I was making an order, so there is a detailed drawing still left.
— What about Rena’s casual clothes from the game?
Ryukishi: There are no specific blueprints of it. It’s not a complicated dress, so it’s made like many people are imagining it.
Yano: But what about that cut that everyone is talking about? Is it on the front or on the side?..
Ryukishi: It’s on the front.
— Oh, is it? Ok, let’s write it down: “on the front!”.
Yano: It’s an important information *laughs*
— Well, for people who draw fanart it’s important to know is it on the front or on the side.
Ryukishi: Ok, the official one is with the cut on the front.
*Everyone laughs*
— Officially it’s “on the front!”.
Ryukishi: Officially it’s “on the front”. Is it a slit? It is zipped? Let’s go with a slit.
*Everyone bursts with laughing*
— Ok, for those who draw or makes garage kits, it’s “a slit on the front!”… Somewhat, I have a feeling that we have solved a major problem here *laughs*
Yano: If you have troubles with an outfit, making it hot is the right answer.
Ryukishi: *Laughs* The way Yano-san thinks is correct. Making it lewder that official is actually official *laughs*
— *Laughs* Thank you for your time today.
| Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 2
is the second interview in the Higurashi no Nakasekata interview series. The interview occurred in January 2005 and was first published in Toratsu's 94th issue, the March 2005 issue and released on February 25, 2005. The interview was republished on Toranoana's website in 2005, and then republished on Seikaisha's "Higurashi" light novel website on September 21, 2011 featuring additional notes from KEIYA. The Seikaisha version of the interview may be found here.
English translation is by rockmor.
Transcript.
2004 Early spring, once again somewhere in Akihabara, Tokyo
"— To coincide with Higurashi Kai, we would like to introduce the second installment of our “Nakasekata” series. Once again, thank you for your support. I’m sure you’ve done a lot of interviews since our last one, but do you ever get used to it?"
Ryukishi: No, not at all.
"— Last time we started with a discussion about Comiket, so let’s start this way again. You’ve said before that Comiket that time was a bit different. Do you feel that it was even more different this time (Winter Comiket of 2004)?"
Ryukishi: This time we were a so-called shutter-circle, and it was a different world from what we’ve seen before, so I was a bit confused. We had only one item, so the distribution itself went pretty smooth, but, well… *becomes speechless for a moment* …Everyone has lined up just to buy our stuff this time.
"— That’s right."
Ryukishi: In reality, we were just handing disks over. Up until now, we were just one circle the shima, and of course, nobody was lining up to our booth. Our PR was to invite those who were passing by and describe our product to them, and maybe do something like a show-room. We were often asked things like: “Is it good?” or “Is it really scary with art like this?” or “It’s sold for 100 yen, is it even finished?”. If we managed to convince them, they would buy it. However, this time it wasn’t like that, …for me it was the thing that differed the most.
"— In your Production Journal, you’ve written that you were a bit sad after it ended."
Ryukishi: I guess it’s some kind of burnout. I always feel like I am going to crash for the first week after an event, but this time there were also some other things.
"— There were people lining up when you entered the hall, right? What was your first reaction when you saw that?"
Ryukishi: I thought, “It’s a lie”.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: It didn’t feel real. [The hall is] separated with the shutter before the opening, right? And when they opened it there was all those people… It’s something I never experienced before.
"— Though, I think, it was a pain to organize it all."
Ryukishi: We had only one product and the price was 1000 yen this time, so there was not a lot of change, so it was the easiest form in terms of distribution. Before that, the price was 100 yen, and when we were selling cards they were 500 or 700 yen, so dealing with change was extremely complicated. In that sense, the distributing itself was very easy.
"— Do you sell yourself? Or there are too many of those who what a sign or come to say hello?"
Ryukishi: How many of us were there that day, I wonder? 1… 4… 5… 6, it was 6 people. Website administrator BT-san was managing the line and there were also Naruse Tsubaki and a girl who was a host at Maekawa-san’s event, two of our figure-makers friends who came to support us. They said that Wonfes is the same as Comiket even if it has a different genre, so they will be fine *laughs*
"— It’s a good story *laugh*"
Ryukishi: In other words, there were 3 people on the front and an ammunition carrier in the center.
"— Ammunition carrier *laugh*"
Ryukishi: He was taking new copies from a box and preparing 1000-yen bills in case there would be a change situation. I was standing behind opening the boxes and managing the money.
"— The number of circles making products in the genre of Higurashi has increased recently. Did any of them come by to you?"
Ryukishi: Well, there were a lot of other circles who came by. It’s a pity I myself couldn’t leave my own booth. I heard that there were a lot of Higurashi doujinshis this time, too bad I didn’t have a chance to check them out.
"— Next thing I wanted to talk about is Hugurashi Only Event, which also included Tora no Ana. How did you find it?"
Ryukishi: It was a lot of fun. The smallest event I attended before was about 50 circle spaces large. At first, I was worried about how it would be at an event less than half the size of it. I would feel bad for the organizer if nobody came… However, there were enough people in the end so some of them had to wait until others leave. Higurashi became more popular after this Summer Comiket. To think that there were people passionate enough to make Higurashi doujinshis for this event right before Winter Comiket.
"— That’s right. Some people have been working on their books in a frenzy. It was a Higurashi Only Event, so there were a lot of Higurashi doujinshis lined up, but what did you think after looking at them?"
Ryukishi: I was very surprised and happy… Really, it was surprising first and only after that it was moving. I thought that it was a dream… and that maybe it was time for the dream to end soon *laughs* I can say that now, but that was a very bad time for writing, and I was in a pretty tight spot, so a lot of people have worried about me. And there was a lot more to it than just writing. But I took the time to go to the events, which gave me motivation, and although it was a bad time, I was motivated by being at those three events, so I’m glad I did.
"— Including the Only Event, there have been quite a few Higurashi books published, have you read any of them?"
Ryukishi: I’ve read everything that I’ve been given as a present or bought myself. It helps me to get a sense of how others see my characters. For example, I may see Rena as a cool character, but someone else could perceive her as a “weird girl”. *laughs* So, it can be very valuable as a research of how the characters are seen from another point of view. Of course, even without that aspect, it’s very fun to read them. If there are a lot of books about Mion, I can see that right now Mion’s popularity is high. If there is a lot of Satoko, it’s like “Oh, Satoko is popular now. Oh, there is not a lot of Rika”. *laughs*
"— Which characters are popular right now?"
A Tora no Ana person in charge of doujin: There is a lot of Rena, after all. Rena and Mion?
Ryukishi: Satoko is also very popular.
"— There was such discussions elsewhere, but which girl is your favorite?"
Ryukishi: I think I answered “Sonozaki sisters” back then?
"— It was a bit of a blurry answer, but yes."
Ryukishi: At that time, I was pushing Sonozaki sisters forward. The ultimate reason for that is that when I looked at all the characters profiles, I had a feeling that they would end up the least popular. I thought that Mion would probably have the most painful role. Number 2 isn’t the first, and if we had a voting system where people would only vote for the first place, nobody would put even a single vote in Mion. They would put it in Rena or Satoko… "Tatarigoroshi-hen" was already fixed to a certain extent at the planning stage, so I thought if Satoko got to "Tatarigoroshi-hen", she would get a push. At that time, "Watanagashi-hen" wasn’t a story focused on pushing Mion. However, while the setting for "Onikakushi-hen" was becoming denser, I began thinking: “Ah, Mion… She will have it hard, she won’t be popular”. *laughs* People probably wouldn’t hate her, but she still won’t be able to take 1st place. So I decided to push her more and give her more spotlight without changing the skeleton of the story. After "Onikakushi-hen" there were some comments like “seeing strong Mion crying was so moe“… I realized that everyone loved to see Mion crying. *laughs* Rena had a strong impact since the very beginning because she was like a typical galge heroine image + an axe, and putting aside the question of whether she was cute or not, her character already stood out.
"— Probably, Rena’s hatchet has already become the symbol of Higurashi. It was used that way at our shop, though."
Ryukishi: It was the same with that one, but a real hatchet has a round tip, doesn’t it. The one in the game has the tip sticking out, but I don’t know if that type ever existed…
"— They said “axe” (ono), and I thought, maybe the hatchet (nata) is a mistake? But as expected, we couldn’t bring a real axe *laughs*"
Ryukishi: The plan is for Rena really to appear with a hatchet from now on.
"— I am looking forward to that. …Sorry. We went slightly off-topic. Let’s get back to the characters."
Ryukishi: After establishing Rena, Mion and Satoko, we are in a situation when we are still waiting for Rika’s turn. "Himatsubushi-hen" is Akasaka’s story rather than Rika’s. I don’t want to say it too loudly, but… Rika has a decent spotlight on her, but she’s… a character who goes into the dark side of things. Shining the spotlight on her means...so.
"— The story has progressed to Meakashi-hen, and Rika… has turned dark *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Yes *laughs* Rika’s popularity seems to be increasing in some weird ways, like “Rika is so cool” or “The fight for Hinamizawa’s top is going to be “Higurashi Rena” vs “Higurashi Rika”.
"— Is that the kind of balance you’re looking for when it comes to your characters?"
Ryukishi: We are releasing a new chapter semi-annually, so we get feedback and evaluations during that time.
"— Right."
Ryukishi: There are aspects that are being “adjusted” accordingly. By “adjustment” I don’t mean changing the setting, I mean changing the direction. …For example, if I wanted to push the charm of Mion in the first half of "Watanagashi-hen", I would increase the number of events related to her in the first half, or something like that. I think this is one of the strengths of our serialization format.
"— Apart from being objective as an author, do you have any subjective preference for any of your characters?"
Ryukishi: Subjective…
"— Something like “I want her to be my girlfriend!”."
Ryukishi: Ahh, that’s…
"— Or “I want her to be my wife!”."
Ryukishi: This one will have a different answer~ *laughs*
"— I see *laughs* OK, let’s do it separately. What if we start with a girlfriend?"
Ryukishi: Girlfriend… It’s a girlfriend, so… A girlfriend, huh? *pause for reflection* Well, I think it will be Mion after all.
"— I see. And what’s about wife?"
Ryukishi: Wife… If it will become long relationships… Satoko is also a good choice, I guess *laughs*
"— “Also”?"
Ryukishi: I was going to say Rena at first, but… Then I thought about who it would be more fun with. *laughs* I feel it would be fun with Rena too, though.
"— Did you consider every character in all their depth?"
Ryukishi: Yes, in all their depth. *laughs* Living with Rena would be tough because you can’t lie.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: I will probably be tricked by Satoko and that may be cute, and because I will probably quickly understand that she is lying, I’ll go: “Well, maybe I’ll let her trick me”. *laughs*
"— Mion for a girlfriend and Satoko for a wife."
Ryukishi: Something like that.
"— I’m digressing, but is the Mion you are talking about the person we called Mion from the beginning?"
Ryukishi: Ahh, right. The one that was introduced as Mion.
"— I have a little trouble distinguishing how to call whom after Meakashi-hen."
Ryukishi: You can distinguish them by a tattoo *laughs* The one with a tattoo is Mion. I guess it’s OK to call Mion a person you’ve thought as Mion from the start.
"— It becomes clear in Meakashi-hen, but that trick with twins swapping all the time was there from the beginning…"
Ryukishi: It’s a spoiler, but a mystery I wanted to do with Onikakushi-hen itself is, because there are more mysteries in different places… (omitted due to spoilers). When I made the trick for "Watanagashi-hen"… (omitted due to spoilers). Ah, it also coincides with the “month of Mion strengthening”. *laughs* So… it feels that if I continue this way the text will become more and more lacerated. *laughs* When the first impressions of "Onikakushi-hen" appeared (omitted due to spoilers). …In other words, Shion’s existence (omitted due to spoilers). Well, you’ll understand everything about Shion if you read "Meakashi-hen".
Editor: What do you think about Shion in Meakashi-hen?
Ryukishi: Shion is… How do I say? I’m not sure if she’s pure of heart, or if she’s blinded with love, but she’s the kind of person who can be reckless. Together with the tragedy of Hinamizawa, or rather Higurashi, she becomes a character who goes wild. Of course, it’s a revenge story that was prepared at the time of "Watanagashi-hen", where Shion was blaming the Three Families for Satoshi’s disappearance and decided to take revenge. And she was using Keiichi for this. "Watanagashi-hen" is told from Keiichi’s point of view, who thinks that something threatens his life, and it becomes a completely different story because of that. That’s why the catch-phrase of "Watanagashi-hen" is “It’s less difficult but very vicious”. In this particular case, the difficulty is meant to be low. No matter from which point of view you look, the twins swap at some point, so the probability of guessing the culprit is 50%. Either “Mion is the culprit” or “Shion is the culprit” is true. However, those who played it… Among the first 50 or 100 people who got the game for free in exchange for a review, almost everyone has given up reasoning.
"— Oh."
Ryukishi: No one has ever guessed it. It all ended with a “Poor Mion,” and I was like, “Huh?” *sweating* In some sense, it was a shock. I was expecting something like “I wonder where they swapped”… For example, in the middle of "Watanagashi-hen", where the motive is punishment by the village for entering the ritual storehouse, it’s obviously wrong to think that Oryou was killed. And still, nobody doubts her death. Just by me mentioning that “Oryou is dead”. In some sense, I made the All-Cast Review Session too misleading, and everyone accepted it. That’s why I decided to put “very vicious” in the description of the chapter with the release of "Tatarigoroshi-hen".
"— Were Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen done almost at the same time, after all?"
Ryukishi: That’s why the story is identical. In the time of "Watanagashi-hen", there was a character named Shion who was acting in the background and it was connected to Satoshi. However, regarding direction, there were some scenes that were similar in both arcs, so I went and slightly changed things after those. But the overall picture is almost the same.
"— We are slowly approaching the core."
Ryukishi: *Laughs*
Editor: I see it as, while "Meakashi-hen" is a reverse side of "Watanagashi-hen", we still don’t understand something that lies in the foundation of Higurashi.
Ryukishi: That’s right.
"— In the next scenario…"
Ryukishi: That’s "Tsumihoroboshi-hen".
"— In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, are you going to do the “reverse side” to some other arc again?"
Ryukishi: No, this was the only time I have done it by repeating the previous case. Next time it will be a new story and it will give you an answer to a certain big mystery that is directly relevant to the other two scenarios… or rather to Higurashi as a whole. However, because it’s a serial publication, I won’t give all the solutions in the next arc. By the way, there were people who thought that the story will answer most of the questions or even concluded in "Meakashi-hen". They were angry that the mystery was left unsolved *sweating*
"— I imagine impatient fans all like “Do something about it already!” *laughs* There are some comments here and there that say that they can’t wait until the next Summer after the end of Meakashi-hen…"
Ryukishi: Those who started with the first arc have been waiting for 2 years already, though. *laughs*
"— It’s not structured in such a way that the first three installments and the second three installments mirror each other perfectly, right?"
Ryukishi: Yes. It won’t be a reverse side of "Onikakushi-hen" or "Tatarigoroshi-hen" next time.
Editor: I have one more question: in the previous interview you’ve said that the timeline is the same, but in a parallel form. Does it mean that Shion’s actions are also happening in other scenarios?
Ryukishi: No, it’s not like that. I touched on it a little bit in "Meakashi-hen", that Shion has always been depressed over Satoshi’s case. However, she became tired of it after a year… Anyone would calm down a little if they had a year… But there still would be an unpleasant feeling left in their heart. There is a motive of denying Satoshi’s existence by saying that “Satoshi has transferred”, isn’t it? And then there’s the envy that lies in the back of Shion’s mind towards Mion, there are a lot of keywords like that. While listening to Mion’s complaints about Keiichi and her own ones about Satoshi…
Editor: Yes.
Ryukishi: Those are “detonation keywords” in some sense. So, even though Shion is still depressed and carries a bomb with her in other arcs, she doesn’t detonate it. She talks with Irie and the baseball team in "Tatarigoroshi-hen", but she is thinking about Satoshi too. However, because Irie knows about her past, he approaches her gently. But when Keiichi asks “Hasn’t he transferred?” she snaps.
Editor: I see~
Ryukishi: Shion after "Meakashi-hen"… It’s difficult to talk about it *laughs*
"— *Laughs* Yeah. Let’s just say that Shion’s fans should look forward to the next chapter. Returning to Meakashi-hen, up until now, you’ve been presenting a mystery, and from this time on, you’ll be giving the answers in the form of a “Kai”, but is there any difference in how you write it?"
Ryukishi: There’s a difference in mood. In terms of direction, up until now, it was like a plane has taken off… free to go anywhere and everywhere, and now we’re going in for a landing, so I have to keep the plane level, I have to keep it on course, that kind of thing. I have to gradually lower the altitude of a story that’s just started getting fun… That’s a bit sad.
"— Up until the last arc, the first half of the scenario would be fun at the school, and then the second half would suddenly go downhill, but I thought it would be a little different this time around?"
Ryukishi: There are almost no fun scenes this time around, and up until now at some point, “after Watanagashi”, I guess, suddenly the second half of the arc was starting. There are probably a lot of people who have been wanting to get some answers soon after looking at different variations up until now, so we included a lot of highly informative material. Besides, there were many comments like “I’ve seen enough of club activities”. "*everyone laughs*" “Give me some answers!”, there were a lot of these. So if you look at it objectively, you can see that the more the story progresses after Onikakushi-hen, the less and less fun it becomes.
"— Ehh."
Ryukishi: Finally, back and stomach met each other. …But this time comments like “I want a club activity scene” or “I want an All-Cast Review Session” started to appear. *sweating*
"— There is also a big demand for a Music Room, what about that?"
Ryukishi: There will be a patch adding a Music Room soon.
"— So, there will be a patch with a Music Room and an All-Cast Review Session?"
Ryukishi: No, first a Music Room. People have been asking for an All-Cast Review Session as well, so I’d like to make it if I have an opportunity. …We were a bit pressed for time this time… I actually had time to make it for one night.
"— One night…"
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: In the end, I couldn’t write anything because I was too nervous.
"— It’s really tough to do it in one night. It was…"
Ryukishi: When Yatazakura-san was busy updating the script, there was one evening when I move forward until he finished, and that’s when I could do it. So I stared at the keyboard for a long time, but my mind was tired and it didn’t come out at all. Anyway, what troubled me was the number of characters.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: It used to be easier when there were fewer characters. I have a policy of letting each character have the same number of lines in the Review Session. At first, there were only five of them, so it was easy… Now that there are over 10 characters, it’s difficult to put them in order. *laughs*
"— This time, instead of a Review Session, there was a scene at the ending?"
Ryukishi: Well, you could say that it was put instead, I guess? It’s up to readers to decide whether you see that as a dream, the future, or the result of the choice [at the fork].
"— Could you tell us about the music change in Kai and the name of GML-san that has appeared in the staff roll?"
Ryukishi: I asked the General of GML for advice on how to make this music. I’ve been using royalty-free music for a long time now, and even though it’s great music and it’s been well received, it had some issues with things like sound quality… Because it was processed MIDI data, the sound quality was not so good compared to what could be made by a competent person. Also, because it was royalty-free, we got a lot of people saying, “You’re using songs from other games, aren’t you”.
"— Huh…"
Ryukishi: Or the opposite, “Someone else is stealing your songs”. I have to explain that it’s royalty-free every time. *laughs* …Well. Honestly, as a practical matter, for people who have heard a song before in some other game, if they hear the same song in our game, they’ll only think of the scene in the previous game. It’s because there is such a thing as a preconceived notion. That’s why we decided that there is a limit to the image of a royalty-free product. That’s why we came to the conclusion that there is a limit to the royalty-free music in terms of imagery.
"— And because of that, you’ve switched to original music."
Ryukishi: We asked the General of GML to start a thread on mixi where we asked if there’s someone who would like to write new music for Higurashi. There are a lot of things like oekaki-imageboards, aren’t there? We started to get many new songs by doujin composers. I didn’t ask to create any specific type of song, so everyone was doing what they were good at. At first, I thought I’d borrow a couple of songs, but after a while, a lot of different genres came up, and I thought, “Huh? We could do most of the scenes with new songs, right?” So, we have decided to use only new songs this time.
"— Usually, when you are making a game, you “order” the songs, but it seems it wasn’t the case…"
Ryukishi: No, we just gave volunteers the freedom to create as they wish. If you take a look at the staff roll, there would be eight people who made the music. That doesn’t mean that we commissioned eight people, just that there were eight writers of songs I happened to use from among those that came up. The General calls it “The Festival System”. All that great music was born out because of that kind of free environment.
"— I think that’s a novel approach, or perhaps it’s an approach that hasn’t been used very often before."
Ryukishi: Initially, I also thought it would be difficult to do it alone, in terms of matching the image of the music, so I talked to the General with the idea of commissioning: “Why not ask two people to do it?”. Then he said, “No, there’s a more interesting way to do it” and he suggested this method. However, we couldn’t do the final mastering of everything together, so this time we used the data created by each composer individually as is. That’s why different songs have different intensity and sound pressure. Please allow me to add this in honor of each individual composer.
"— Is there any possibility that the music will change again in the next arc?"
Ryukishi: Some of the composers have said, “Wow, now that I hear it, I want to rework it”. *laughs* But if there are a lot of great songs, there’s no need to use common music for anything. In the past, we would have used “Scary Song A”, “Scary Song B” as the standard, but after all the power of the new songs are huge. The technique we’ve used in Higurashi is when we play a song for the first time, it’s in a big scene, and there are also songs that are only played in one scene. I’m pretty greedy when it comes to music, so I think our works have far more songs than commercial novels.
"— So, there is a possibility that your “Festival System” will keep evolving in the next arc…"
Ryukishi: It’s possible, yes.
Editor: Do you come up with the names for the songs yourself?
Ryukishi: No, the file names in the MP3 folder are the same as it was when I received the song. Because of that, they all have names like “DEMO48”, “t1” or “t2”, very practical… *laughs* The composers have a lot of feelings about their songs, so we’re leaving to them to give us an official name. Some of the songs have a name and some don’t, so I’m going to get the official song titles together and then make a music room patch with them.
Editor: I personally like the song “You” a lot.
Ryukishi: It’s a song by dai-san. He sent me an email with his impressions, and right from the get-go he attacked by saying, “To tell you the truth, the sound quality is bad”.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: “I’ve heard rumors that it’s royalty-free, but it’s just too bad” *laughs* “Throw me the data and I’ll try to reduce the noise. Please think about it. If you want, I could write some songs too…” and so on. So I replied, “Let me hear if you can create something powerful”. I get similar emails from time to time, but no one has sent me music afterwards. However, he really wrote a song and said, “I’ve made an HP, please download it”. And when I listened to it, it was quite good… So I contacted the General and asked, “Can you recommend this person [so he could register] on mixi?” *laughs* In the end, he wrote some great songs and unify the main theme with the ending theme.
"— It feels almost like ad lib."
Ryukishi: According to dai-san, he was very conscious of the ending staff roll of "Tatarigoroshi-hen".
"— It seems that Meakashi-hen has a high reputation for its music."
Ryukishi: I guess so. The scary scenes have especially become more ambient, and those scenes came together in a nice way *laughs* They are made by another composer, but all music is great.
"— The metallic sound is so tasty *laughs*"
Ryukishi: The nail removing scene doesn’t have any BGM or sound effects. It’s just music. When I heard it I immediately thought that I wanted to use it *laughs*
"— Speaking of the nail ripping scene, up until now you were always saving that kind of brutal scene until the end, but this time it came up earlier. In Watanagashi-hen, you’ve stopped right before hammering a nail in a finger, but now it’s different. Why is it so?"
Ryukishi: I like to try out a lot of different things with Higurashi. I hadn’t done that type of scene yet, so I tried it this time. Truth be told, originally "Watanagashi-hen" was going to be a lot gorier in terms of direction. I wanted to do a scene where Mion cut Shion’s fingers into pieces in front of Keiichi, who was locked up in a cell. There was going to be a twin-swapping/identifying trick by looking at whether Mion lacked or didn’t lack a big finger: “I thought the one without a finger was Shion… wasn’t… she… *scared*”. However, while I was writing, the story turned into a quite type about Mion’s atonement for her past, so I decided to put the gory scenes in storage for a time being. Originally, "Watanagashi-hen" was much more gruesome.
"— Um, let me ask you frankly, but do you… like to write scenes like that?"
Ryukishi: Not really. I swear I am normal. *bitter laugh*
"— *Laughs* Sorry."
Ryukishi: I don’t usually think deeply while writing, but up to this point Higurashi has only been using, how should I say… neat scares like “things creeping towards you” or “something is behind your back”, and I wanted to try a bit dirtier horror with that scene. Don’t worry though, Higurashi isn’t going to become all guro now *laughs*
"— When we talked last time, you said that the next arc is going to be painful."
Ryukishi: It’s about a torture scene. Because there was a scene where Satoko was tortured, similar scenes with Kimiyoshi and Oryou were put on hold. Though at that time I was going to torture them all *laughs* However, in that case, Satoko’s death scene wasn’t cruel enough, so in the end, the other two died easily, and only Satoko was going to be killed properly *laughs*
"— So, the intention was to include scenes that didn’t exist in the past."
Ryukishi: That’s why I tried to be conscious of the “painful” type this time. I think there are many ways to show things, and Higurashi has the capacity for experimentation. Unfortunately, the number of remaining chapters becomes less and less, but there’s still going to be a lot of opportunities to make you excited *laughs* I want to try to make you go “wow!” *laughs*
"— This is also something we’ve talked about the last time a little bit, but you’ve said that people often mention those “eyes”, but you didn’t have the intention to make them such a huge topic. So, I’d like to ask you, what are your favorite scenes in Higurashi, what scenes do you like the most in terms of direction? For example, I think you’ve mentioned that you liked the scene where Keiichi was talking to Ooishi on a phone, and Rena was standing behind his back."
Ryukishi: That was a scene that came together so beautifully in my opinion. I love it. The other one is when Rena’s goes “It’s a lie!” and her eyes change.
"— That was powerful."
Ryukishi: What else… I like the scene where Keiichi murders Satoko’s uncle in "Tatarigoroshi-hen" quite a bit. A series of scenes where he goes after Hojo Teppei and beats him down. Strictly speaking, it’s a bit long, but I like the whole day in which the crime happens.
"— From the morning."
Ryukishi: Yes, starting with preparing everything and up to the killing and digging up a hole. I think it turned up a good story about how a normal boy can kill someone with unflagging resolve if he was brought to his limits. There are two types of reaction to this: people who say it was emotionally engaging and those who say it’s childish and stupid. Though, I don’t think actual killing is as easy as it is in fiction. I wonder if at least half the world will be able to get through it calmly *bitter laugh*
"— For me, that scene where you see as a player how the protagonist is trying to arrange for the murderer was pretty grim."
Ryukishi: This is the kind of situation where Keiichi can’t talk to anyone, and he is the only one facing a problem. So I thought about what kind of effort it would take to try to kill one human being. I wrote my thoughts as they came into my head as if I were really going to carry out the crime. So when I got to the point where Keiichi was chasing after the uncle and killing him, I was so excited, the adrenaline was so high that I had a headache, and I went out of my way to record that in a journal.
"— So, you were quite invested emotionally…"
Ryukishi: Yeah! “I will kill him!!!” *laughs*
"— *Laughs* That scene also suddenly becomes more dynamic when the background music changes."
Ryukishi: I’d like to tweak the timing of that BGM *laughs* I also like that part of the murder scene where Keiichi shouts “I’ll kill you!”. To put it more precisely, the part where the thunderclap sounds when Keiichi crushes the uncle’s head. That sound was put in by Yatazakura-san, and it has a nice feel of “I did it!” to it.
"— Speaking of that scene where Rena is standing behind Keiichi’s back while he is speaking on a phone. It’s a rather quiet scene that makes you fear for your life."
Ryukishi: It turned out beautifully, or rather I should say that it’s one of the classiest scares in horror. There’s a lot of types of scares, isn’t there? It can be violent like in Friday the 13th, or it can become literature like Bancho Sarayashiki. That scene is the classy type.
"— What about Rena’s “It’s a lie!”?"
Ryukishi: Would that be a violent category? I think visual novels exist thanks to the illustrations, so I made that scene using the nature of visual novels. As long as Stephen King is a novelist, he can’t do that type of expressions. Of course, Stephen King is an amazing writer. But that can only be done with sound novels. And you can only do it with pictures like that *bitter laugh*
"— It’s already been mentioned here and there, but is it Yatazakura-san who made those “Higurashi eyes”?"
Ryukishi: It was started by Yatazakura-san and I didn’t tell him what to do. He can use photoshop a little bit too, but he can’t draw. However, he filled the eyes with blue color, inserted them into the game, and when I was testing it while humming some tune, those eyes suddenly came up and I was really scared *laughs* …And then I went, “That’s awesome! What’s going on? Let’s use them! I’m gonna draw them properly!”, and that’s how “Higurashi eyes” were created. However, compared to my carefully painted eyes, those that Yatazakura-san randomly painted with an airbrush were way scarier *laughs*
"— So when you first saw those eyes, you freaked out just like a normal player?"
Ryukishi: It was really scary! *laughs* I know the story, of course, so I’m not usually scared or anything, so I’m very bored when it comes to debugging, but that one made me jump.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: …I mean, there is nothing scarier than that. It’s normal when you are surprised by a game someone else made, but I was surprised by my own game *laughs* I didn’t come up with that trick either.
"— Right."
Ryukishi: Ah, but there was an even scarier story during Higurashi development…
"Omission (*Because it’s way too scary, we can’t put it here)"
Ryukishi: …So, there is classy horror and violent horror, and I want to try out different expressions.
"— “Classy horror”, “Expressions that can only be made in a visual novel”, and next is…"
Ryukishi: A “painful” splatter-like scene. There is also a “visual grotesque” that I didn’t do yet.
"— Uhhhh… I don’t like blood personally so that one is…"
Ryukishi: There was a scene where Rika’s stomach was ripped open, but I would like to do that as an illustration. However, that one is problematic from an ethical point of view, and there are also people who physiologically can’t look at such things, so I won’t actually do that, but if we just list all possible types of expression, there is also that one.
"— Satoshi is appearing a lot in this episode, so about Keiichi and Satoshi. They appear in different timelines, don’t they?"
Ryukishi: It’s off by a year.
"— There are some depictions of the two of them that overlap and they also have similar roles, so don’t you have a feeling that they are basically the same character?"
Ryukishi: No, they are completely different characters. If you compare Keiichi and Satoshi, they have absolutely different personalities. That part in "Onikakushi-hen" where they talk about Satoshi and his bat, etc… It’s related to the next arc, but Satoshi, same as Keiichi, is (omitted due to spoilers). Keiichi becomes suspicious as to why, while knowing about that, he takes the same actions. However, it’s (omitted due to spoilers). Satoshi in "Meakashi-hen" is Satoshi how he is viewed through Shion’s eyes, nothing more than that. He is written very shallowly there. If I was to write a scene where he is viewed through Rena’s or Mion’s eyes, there would be more sides of him shown. Hypothetically, if there were scenes where Satoshi was portrayed from his own perspective or Rena’s perspective, it would show a much broader aspect of Satoshi’s personality. Or maybe that would be a completely different person than the one we’ve seen in the past. This time, Satoshi is just “Satoshi as seen by Shion”.
"— I feel sorry for Keiichi, because if you look at Watanagashi-hen from the other side, he was simply used by a girl…"
Ryukishi: He is just a Pierrot. But in "Watanagashi-hen", he seems to be a character in the middle of the events. The key to "Watanagashi-hen" and "Meakashi-hen" was the fact that there were two completely different stories within a single story. That’s why I’m so frustrated with the feedback I’ve gotten from people who’ve abandoned their reasoning, which I mentioned earlier. “There is this scenario, please notice that!” *crying* But in the meantime, there was another scenario in between, and from the release of "Watanagashi-hen" to the release of "Meakashi-hen" there was a year and a half of time to spare, so I wanted to write "Meakashi-hen" as soon as possible.
"— So, you are saying that character-wise that Satoshi is not the whole Satoshi."
Ryukishi: That’s right. For example, Satoshi is from a time where he lived with Satoko and brother and sister is still barely depicted. There was a little of that, but that’s because of the gambling house. We don’t know how he behaved when he was in club activities. In fact, the first half of the arc was cut a little bit short this time, so I think that maybe there wasn’t enough of the peaceful, everyday life with Satoshi in it. I wonder if I could have described it a bit more.
"— Is he someone we are going to have any deep involvement with in the future?"
Ryukishi: Yes. There’s a line between Rena, Satoshi and Keiichi. Rena is (omitted due to spoilers). Satoshi and Keiichi from "Onikakushi-hen" are (omitted due to spoilers). Why is Rena (omitted due to spoilers)? I touched on that a bit in "Onikakushi-hen", but I’ll start telling about it in "Tsumihoroboshi-hen."
"— The female characters, on the other hand, are the ones who, even if we can’t see everything right now, are the ones about who we can say what kind of person they are. I think there’s enough material for that kind of speculation. However, Rena is the only character who is still rather mysterious, right?"
Ryukishi: People often call "Onikakushi-hen the" “Rena arc”, but it’s really the “Keiichi arc”. The real Rena arc will appear in the future.
"— So, there is a possibility that the next chapter will be from Rena’s perspective?"
Ryukishi: I am thinking about how to show it at the moment. Which perspective it will be from, or maybe even there will be multiple perspectives…
"— That’s like zapping, right?"
Ryukishi: Hmmm, something like that. I already have a plot, so I just have to think about how to show it. How to make it more fun? If I could, I’d like to take a different approach from "Meakashi-hen".
"— I think Rena is the character who only becomes more and more mysterious, because she’s was shown as suspicious, and then she became a kind and dependable girl in later scenarios."
Ryukishi: Rena first appears as a cute character in "Onikakushi-hen", but then she suddenly destroys that impression. I think she’s become a character that symbolizes "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" as her existence becomes more and more mysterious. In a way, Rika has been suspicious from the beginning too, and this time she has finally shown her true nature *laughs* I’m thinking that I’ll start digging into Rena in the next arc. However, basically, the main character is Keiichi, so there is a question of whether or not to mix in other perspectives. For example, the 1982 flashback about Satoshi could be shown from Rena’s point of view, but it could also be shown from Mion’s perspective or as TIPS.
"— So, Keiichi will return to being a protagonist?"
Ryukishi: Yes. Keiichi will come back a little bit more reliable next time *laughs* He’s been through a lot of trials and tribulations, and he’s evolved over time.
"— Now that the Answer Arcs portion of the game has started, I’m sure you’ve received a lot of impressions and theories, but are there any of them that are getting close?"
Ryukishi: Well, there are. There are quite a few.
"— Quite a few!"
Ryukishi: As for the individual gimmick and tricks, they’re pretty good. Some of them are “It’s … itself”. However, since it is a serialization, the final answer has not yet been presented. So even if someone has a right answer, I can’t say “That’s correct!” *laughs* Watching you discuss things in the process is one part of the fun.
"— In our last interview, you’ve said that your future titles were Meakashi-hen, Tsumihoroboshi-hen, and Minagoroshi-hen, but do you already have a name in mind for the final chapter?"
Ryukishi: Hmmm, it’s still up in the air, but “(omitted)” is quite close. I like how it sounds, and in the end, it has to be “Something-something-shi-hen”. This is likely to be the one so far.
"— Have you thought about going back to the original title and making it “Higurashi-hen“?"
Ryukishi: Oh, no, I won’t do that.
"— You won’t?"
Ryukishi: I mean, it will just become “sono hi gurashi” [hand-to-mouth — rockmor] *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: Sono Hi Gurashi no Naku Koro ni… Sounds like a dark story about restructuring *laughs* I’ve got the story in my head for the last chapter, and I thought it would be worthy of being called “(omitted)”. So I think that title is fine.
"— Lastly, as much as you can answer it. Previously, you’ve said that Meakashi-hen is a “painful” story. Now, if you had to pick one or two words to symbolize the next chapter, Tsumihoroboshi-hen, what would they be?"
Ryukishi: The last part of it is “action”. What I haven’t done so far in Higurashi is a fight or action or something like that, but since it’s a novel, there aren’t a lot of scenes with intense movement. There are many scenes of people talking to each other. That’s why the next one will be “action”. Whether that’s a positive or negative thing… I’ll leave it at that.
"— So it will be like an action movie?"
Ryukishi: There’s going to be some metal bat swinging… *laughs*
"— In Meakashi-hen, Shion pushes forward with her vengeance and meets a sad end, but after the episode, we were asked in the staff room if we could agree with killing people or not, and your own answer was “Well, what do you think?”. What can you say about that?"
Ryukishi: Personally… Isn’t a murder a final judgment that can’t be atoned for with a simple apology? It’s something you can’t take back. No matter what happens, people shouldn’t be killed, and if you kill someone, there is always an aftermath. They say “Vengeance produces nothing”, don’t they?
"— Yes."
Ryukishi: Vengeance and murder are nothing more than a conclusion for those involved. So Shion’s outburst was really unacceptable, and when she thought “I’m going to kill them”… she missed something… in my opinion. But sometimes you have to do it, you have to kill, and I think that’s another aspect of the truth of humanity, and that’s where the tragedy lies.
"— Now here’s the last question I prepared for you. Though this may be a bit outlandish. I’m going to say a few words now and ask you to tell me the first thing that pops into your head… It’s the kind of thing you do with counseling techniques and psychological analysis."
Ryukishi: Oh, yes, yes *laughs*
"— Was it the “free association method”? I’m going to tell you a few words, so please tell me what you think of. The first one is “human”."
Ryukishi: Human… Ah, that’s bad, I just came up with “doll” or something *laughs*
"— So for “human” it’s “doll”?"
Ryukishi: A “doll” just instantly came to mind. “An object in the shape of a person”. That’s no more appropriate way to define a human being. I wonder if this one (pointing at his own body) is human or not. How should I say it… there’s such a thing as an “internet personality”, isn’t it?
"— Right."
Ryukishi: People who aren’t nice at all in real life can act really kind online, and people who are passive in real life can be aggressive online. …I really think that’s a different person. So I think the definition of a human being is something that is untouchable, like a personality. Without thought, we are just meat. So I think real people are like souls, they are hard to describe. People that only exist on the Internet… If there was a personality called “Taro”, that “Taro” would exist, but not related to the real person.
"— So, what we call virtual isn’t really virtual?"
Ryukishi: I think “pseudo-personality” is a real thing. Maybe the term “multiple personalities” is closer to what I am talking about. …Sorry, I’m rambling.
"— I see. Maybe we can learn a lot of things from this answer."
Ryukishi: *Smiling a bit bitterly*
"— Oh, of course I’m an amateur, so don’t worry. So, secondly… Do you hate these questions? *laughs* It may be quite an unfair technique."
Ryukishi: I’d be scared to have this answer analyzed by a veteran or expert *laughs*
"— Now, the second one is “good and evil”."
Ryukishi: Good and evil… It’s hard to visualize… The first thing that comes to my head is balance scales. …In other words, something that can be shown in numbers. Not something vague that you can understand or not understand, but something that can be shown in a simple, clear, numerical way. Something you can quantify, like “Oh, you were bullied a lot = +5”.
"— The third one is “crime” [They use the word “tsumi”, which can also be translated as “sin” — rockmor]."
Ryukishi: Crime… “To think”? …I think a crime starts with a thought. Was it “The Silence of the Lambs”? “Desire comes from seeing”.
"— Doctor Hannibal Lecter."
Ryukishi: Right. For example, the reason a person who lives in the jungle doesn’t yearn for city life is that they don’t know about that kind of thing. Something has to be seen to become an object of desire. To commit a crime you have to first think about it. That’s why I think alcohol is good. When you drink, you don’t have to think about anything.
"— *Laughs*"
Ryukishi: I think people need to make their minds blank once in a while.
"— Does alcohol turn people away from crime? *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Instead, they lose their ability to think and become debauched *laughs* To not commit a crime means losing your will to fight, and it doesn’t matter anymore whether you exist or not… It’s difficult *laughs*
"— OK, let’s move on to the fourth one. Whenever there is “crime” there is also “punishment”."
Ryukishi: …Balance scales, after all… Or rather “equivalent value”… Compensation for a crime is a punishment. There is a crime on one side of the scales and enough weight on the other side to balance it out. So this is another thing that can be quantified.
"— Next. “Society”."
Ryukishi: Society… I imagine it as a circle of people. People holding each other’s hands is what’s called “society”. But it has a different meaning depending on who you ask. Those who say, “Family is important” have their own circle of family members. Those who say “all you need is a lover” have a circle of two people. Those who say “I will change Japan!” and those who work hard are holding hands in a circle with people all over Japan. But the bigger the circle, the more people might let go along the way, and the less connected they might be. People feel safe when they have a circle, and they don’t feel comfortable without a circle. So if one of the hands of a person who is in a circle with just their lover becomes empty, suddenly that person’s entire world is destroyed. …Because of that, that person can’t think about anything else anymore, and his world turns into a world of “kill or not kill”.
"— Oh…"
Ryukishi: When the circle is large and it’s tied properly it doesn’t matter if one of the people inside sneezes. Because he’s one of the many. So there are two conditions for humans to live in harmony. “You have to form a circle. And the bigger circle the better”.
"— …Now for the last one, “Family.”"
Ryukishi: Family… I only have an image, but… Something like “open and honest relationships”… No need for decoration, carefreeness… Right, “carefreeness”. When you can wander around in your underwear and nobody cares. Sense of security. Ease of mind.
"— I see. It’s not directly related to the story of Higurashi, but I think you gave me pretty interesting answers. There seems to be a lot of room for speculations, though… Lastly, this is a staple, but could you give a few words to those who have played Meakashi-hen and to all fans who are looking forward to the new game in the summer?"
Ryukishi: Thank you all for enjoying "Meakashi-hen". Next up will be "Tsumihoroboshi-hen", and I’m going to take a different approach to a few themes from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni… Rather “themes” than “mystery”… I think this will be a story that will reveal that. The next chapter will be a new story instead of tracing back to the past like "Meakashi-hen". I’ll do my best to create a scenario that will allow you to find a different way to enjoy the game, so I hope you’ll look forward to it.
"— Thank you."
| Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 2 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 3
is the third interview in the Higurashi no Nakasekata interview series. The interview occurred on September 2005 and was first published in Toratsu's 102nd issue, the November 2005 issue which released on October 25, 2005. The interview was republished on Toranoana's website in 2006, and then republished on Seikaisha's "Higurashi" light novel website on September 27, 2011 featuring additional notes from KEIYA. The Seikaisha version of the interview may be found here.
English translation is by rockmor.
Transcript.
Participants:
"— This is the third installment of our “Higurashi no Nakasekata” interview series with 07th Expansion, and since there were so many interviews about Higurashi, including ours, it’s a bit difficult to decide what to ask."
Ryukishi: I think the people who read Toratsu are all very knowledgeable, so it may be easier on the contrary. It’s not a magazine that people who just recently made their Akihabara debut would read *laughs*
"— You have to come to Tora no Ana to get it, so the bar to read it is oddly high… I’m proud to say that this is the densest publication that contains interviews about Higurashi *laughs* Aside from that, as I do every time, let me ask you how you feel now that you’ve finished another Comiket?"
Ryukishi: We’re only four months away from the end of summer, so we probably need to start preparing for winter soon? We’ve had a rough estimate of the schedule since the beginning of this year, and we know what month we have to start working… The truth is, we should already be in full battle mode by the second half of September… Yeah *laughs*
"*07th Expansion members laugh bitterly*"
Ryukishi: I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but we are starting a recording of a drama CD right now, and my schedule is pretty full with that… Well, you have to create your time yourself, so that’s not an excuse *laughs*
"— How was everyone’s experience this summer, including Comiket?"
Ryukishi: This time, we were pretty serious about mastering…
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: …but after that, we had a lot of time on our hands. It was about the fourth week of July when we were doing master-up? Then we had two open weeks before Comiket, which was very strange. Up until now we always went from the bloodbath straight into Comiket… After the master-up, we had 48 hours to burn 200 discs, something like that. We’ve been living a life of going to Comiket without any sleep or rest *laughs*, so this was actually the first time we had time to properly submit our work for participating. Last time it wasn’t so because the deadline was pretty tight, so this time it was strange for us, but normal for a typical doujin circle Comiket *laughs*
"— One of the things you’ve said in the first interview that was burned in my memory was “BT’s 7-disc duplicator” *laughs* BT-san, what can you say about that?"
BT: Well, the duplicator didn’t have a role this time…
"*Everyone laughs*"
BT: I stayed at Yatazakura-san’s place for debugging before mastering, so we did all the burning together.
"— Are you in charge of debugging as well?"
BT: Yes. I also make Music Rooms and other such stuff. In "Meakashi-hen" it was added in a patch later, but this time I decided to put it in during the mastering, so I stayed and created a Music Room before the master-up. I heard that there would be 5 or 6 additional songs at first *laughs*, so I went there thinking there would be 5 or 6 songs, but when Ryukishi-san and Yatazakura-san actually showed them to me, there were about 14 songs *laughs*
Ryukishi: It’s a matter of defining a what is a new song *laughs* Because I am listening to the new songs while I am writing "Higurashi", they are not new songs for me, they just regular songs. So when I was asked by BT, “How many new songs do you have?”, I had four or five songs that I had recently received, so I replied, “Well, it’s about four or five songs, I guess” *laughs* For me, I’ve been listening to that songs all through several months of writing, so I’m already familiar with them. But actually, there were a bunch of new songs in there that I didn’t use last time, so when it came time to list them and I was told that there were 14 or 15 songs, I was like, “What! That many~?” *laughs* Things like that happen sometimes.
"— Do you always listen to Higurashi music while you’re writing?"
Ryukishi: Yes. Because I’ve been listening to the right song for the scene while I was writing, I can immediately tell which song is in which scene during the clean-up phase.
"— I thought you were putting in songs at the clean-up stage."
Ryukishi: Of course, we sometimes suddenly insert new songs at the clean-up stage, but usually I write a scene while listening to a song which fits with it. Of course, there are places where there is no music at all, but if I am writing the first scene and can’t find a fitting song, even if it’s a placeholder, it feels like I can’t write at all.
"— In the same state that we users are reading the text while playing the game, you are writing while listening to the same song. "
Ryukishi: Right. So it’s often the case that there are only the cicadas singing all night long *laughs*, or the same MP3s are played all night long.
"— Not only music but also cicadas? *Laughs*"
Ryukishi: For me, the sound of cicadas is a part of the music, so they cry all night long, and on days off, they would be singing until dawn *laughs*
"— It’s true that the sound of cicadas is listed as a proper song in the Music Room."
Ryukishi: In "Higurashi", it’s a song.
BT: I really wanted to put cicadas in the Music Room, so I just threw it in.
"— What is that higurashi sound?"
Ryukishi: It started out as royalty-free material, but halfway through a musician with whom we had a relationship had recorded some great sounds for us. The “.wav” files are royalty-free versions and “.mp3” files are clearer versions recorded by the musicians. So if you listen carefully with headphones, I think the quality of cicadas.wav and cicadas.mp3 are very different.
"— Is that starting this arc?"
BT: No, starting Meakashi-hen.
Ryukishi: Due to Nscript’s function, we can’t play several mp3 files at the same time, but we can superimpose mp3 and wav files, so when we play the cicadas sound as a song, we use mp3 files, but when we are playing music and the cicadas start singing in the middle of the song, we have to use wav files. That’s why we only have two files for cicadas, an mp3 and a wav. Before, we used to only use cicadas.wav together with music, but now that we have higher quality mp3 files, we use both.
"— Speaking of Nscript, how was your summer this year, Yatazakura-san?"
Yatazakura: I wasn’t able to take off any time off at the end of the debugging, so I have been coming straight home in my work uniform and do the debugging.
Ryukishi: I happened to be passing by once during his lunch break on the job, and asked him if everything’s going well *Everyone laughs* That’s what the final stage is all about, isn’t it?
"— It has already been a year since our first interview."
Everyone: Ahhh *sigh*
Ryukishi: It’s been that long? Long or short, but thankfully we’ve been able to make it through the year.
"— So, how has the past year been for you? I think it’s been a pretty turbulent year for you."
Ryukishi: Well, for example, things that are moving in a big way right now — anime and consumer edition — are actually going on since last year. So the difference between last year and now is that those things actually started to move. It was hard to tell if it’s reality or a dream. It was the same with Drama CD last September: we were saying things like “Drama CD was a lie”, “They were just joking”, but then it started to materialize. The ultimate difference between a year ago and now is probably that we received a lot of different offers and at that time we were beyond skeptical; things that we thought were laughable became reality. My workload hasn’t actually changed much *laughs* It’s getting busier, but I’m getting used to taking more time off. I wasn’t used to scheduling my time before, so I was very unorganized, but now that I’m busier, I’m actually able to organize my schedule better, so it’s not as difficult as before. In short, I’ve gotten used to it.
Editor: You’ve talked about the drama CD in the first interview, but it’s been a year since then.
Ryukishi: I feel really nostalgic.
"— You are already nostalgic?"
Ryukishi: For me, this past year seems like just the other day… It feels like it was only two months ago. It’s partly because "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" is a serialized product, so there’s no sense of seasonality to it, but I feel like it’s only been a couple of days since we released "Meakashi-hen", and though "Tsumihoroboshi-hen" was actually just recently, I feel like it was a long time ago.
"— I see."
Ryukishi: But when I get to writing, though, it feels like it was yesterday, the memories come flooding back and connect.
"— What about you, Yatazakura-san?"
Yatazakura: There were a lot of things going on, and before I knew it I was chasing master-up after master-up *laughs*, so I was running and running and running *laughs*
"— So it was a year of running after all. BT-san, how was it for you?"
BT: A lot of things changed, and the people around me changed as well.
"— Perhaps quite a lot of things have happened to you since you began running the website."
BT: Yes. The flow of people has been completely different, and it seems that people of middle and high school age started visiting the website since the beginning of manga serialization.
"— Is it possible that the atmosphere of the website itself has changed due to the influence of those who have been participating in it?"
BT: I think so, yes.
Editor: The site has changed a lot. At first, the main content was in the center, then it stretched down to the bottom, and then the bottom filled up, and the content began to stretch up to the top *laughs*
BT: In the beginning, the site was designed to fit on one screen, but as the information grew, if we put too much information on the site, it becomes difficult to access the BBS quickly. I’ve got a lot of things tidied up, and in the end, it started to look the way it looks now *laughs*
Ryukishi: Once things have settled down to a certain extent, I think it’s best not to change anything else. Everyone is getting used to it.
BT: There are more and more announcements coming, so if I don’t be careful about it, the page will get longer and longer *laughs*
"— I know it’s a bit early for that, but I’ve been doing interviews for this magazine, Toratsu, ever since the package of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni became available, and I’d like to ask you to stay with me until the completion of the remaining two Higurashi chapters."
Ryukishi: Thank you so much. But then I’ll have to tell you a lot more interesting stories *laughs*
"— I’d really like to hear about your activities after everything is completed."
Ryukishi: That’s something I haven’t thought about at all, so, honestly, it’s a blank slate at this point. If there’s one thing I can say, it’s that our passion won’t go anywhere with the end of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. I’m sure we’ll make something, but I can’t say what it will be yet. I’m willing to make anything, but that will depend on my passion at that moment. The easiest route to take would be to make another sound novel. We’ve established some know-how, and at least it’s more realistic than saying something like “The next 07th Expansion project is a fighting game!” *laughs*
"— That would be quite interesting, though."
Ryukishi: Well, that’s a joke… after all, we are, in a sense, a circle without a programmer.
Yatazakura: Right.
Ryukishi: But since both BT and Yatazakura are working on the script, I guess they can be called programmers? Hmmm, I’m not really sure what a programmer is, but I guess that it’s the same thing as a scripter? If we were going to make some game at home, could we do it?
BT: Well, if you ask me I’d say we couldn’t. We are at a DIY level after all.
Ryukishi: That’s why we can’t make anything that we can’t make, and even if I say something like “I want to make an RPG that will beat *inal *antasy!”…
Yatazakura: Not happening~
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: All I could say after that is, “Sorry, it’s all my fault”.
BT: Well, then, we’ll have to go to RPG Tsukuru.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: …So, we’re going to make what we can make at that time. I still think the most realistic way to do it is with a novel. We’ve gained some experience, and we don’t want to throw it all away. It just depends on what we would want to make at the time. Lately, when I’m not busy, I sometimes think about what I’m going to make when Higurashi is over… well, I have no idea! *Laughs* Mostly just influenced by movies and video games I’ve seen recently.
"— We’d like to continue with this project, Higurashi no Nakasekata, based on the future developments, and I’d like to ask you to make an appointment a year in advance *everyone laughs* I hope for your support."
"— OK, let’ talk again about the actual game. You’ve started with a music box track this time?"
Ryukishi: It was “celesta”, wasn’t it? Hmmm… BT-san, do you recall?
BT: Ah, no, I can’t remember.
Ryukishi: I think the mp3 file’s name was “03 celesta”… Sorry, the name of the file comes up before the name of the song *laughs* But yes, the opening, which begins with Rena’s recollections, is rather an afterthought. It was added after about 60 or 70 percent of the scenario was done. At first, it was meant to start with a water gun fight. I’ve been working on an opening scene since "Meakashi-hen", but the actual opening was made rather late in the game. At first, I started writing with the water gun scene, and just about halfway through the scenario, when I was making a scene with Rena’s reminiscence, or rather, confession, I came up with the idea of an inversion of the opening scene. That was just my way of presenting the story this time, as I want it to be different each time.
"— Last time you talked about your method of getting new music that you called “The Festival System”. Do you use it this time as well?"
Ryukishi: This time we again used some of the music posted on mixi. Also, if you’re a fan of dai’s music, I’m sure you’re familiar with the fact that I’ve included a song that he had already written in the past… So strictly speaking it’s not a new song? Rather, after listening to the “thanks/you” CD, I thought, “I want to use this song~”.
"*Everybody laughs*"
Ryukishi: I was wondering if I could ask dai-san to use the songs from “thanks/you” *laughs*
"— That “thanks/you” CD is sold at Tora no Ana…"
Ryukishi: I’ve heard people saying that it’s so good they couldn’t believe it’s someone’s debut work.
"— …It sold out so quickly and I wanted one too, but I couldn’t get it."
Ryukishi: dai-san is still a very young creator, and I think that’s why he is able to express his honest emotions in his music, and that’s why the music is so great. Of course, not only dai-san, but also the other music creators are really wonderful, and there’s a lot of music from people other than dai-san this time as well.
"— I listened to a whole bunch of songs in the Music Room, and dai-san had a lot of piano music there…"
Ryukishi: They are really good.
"— For me, Higurashi music has become associated with dai-san, those piano songs with a bit of sentimental feel to them."
Ryukishi: Right. The opening and ending of Meakashi-hen were completely unified with dai’s “thanks/you”, and Kai especially has a very strong image of piano music. Maybe that impression is even stronger because of the tragic ending of Mekashi-hen. In that sense, I decided to betray everyone’s expectations and use ZERO this time…
"— Yes! That’s what I wanted to ask you about. We came in with the image of “thanks/you” all the way through, and at the very end, at the ending, the music suddenly turned upside down… It had a dynamic or breaking through feeling to it, and it wasn’t like Higurashi at all, so it just caught me by surprise… That was a feeling of “I did it! I did it!” or something like that?"
Ryukishi: Well. Last time we went in a, and that might sound cheeky, tearjerker style, so this time we decided to go in the opposite direction. As I probably said that in our last interview, “The next one is totally different. It’s an action”.
"— I actually used that phrase in the announcement for this month’s issue (Toratsu’s October issue) for the Tsumihoroboshi-hen and when I actually played it myself I realized that it really was an action."
Ryukishi: At the time of that last interview, I already had an image in my head of the two fighting and punching each other at night on top of the school building.
"— So, is it OK to call this arc “chapter of Rena” as you’ve told us last time?"
Ryukishi: Yes, that’s right. It’s a story about Rena, but it’s actually more accurate to call it “chapter of Rena and Keiichi”. I think Keiichi has become a lot more like the protagonist in this episode. Maybe not the protagonist … I guess it’s more accurate to say he’s become more like a hero.
"— Up until now, Rena was quite a mysterious character. However, in this arc, she gave me the impression of a “normal girl”. I thought she might be the most normal girl-like character in Higurashi, including her slightly cunning part."
Ryukishi: She’s an ordinary girl.
"— In some sense, that’s realistic. She has lines like “A girl needs to be liked by everyone”, and a “fluffy and a bit out of place” personality, but really it’s all just fake to cheer herself up…"
Ryukishi: Yeah, rather than fake, it’s “the person she wants to be”. She wants to be like this, so she’s doing her best to act that way. Fake is all about deception and lying, but Rena isn’t like that.
"— A very mysterious character was actually a surprisingly “normal” person… I think that gap is very interesting."
Ryukishi: I think that’s also going to be written at the beginning of "Minagoroshi-hen", but up until now, if you thought the Sonozaki family was at the center of all, that’s is already settled. At the end of "Meakashi-hen" and "Tatarigoroshi-hen" you can see that the Sonozaki family is not actually doing anything behind the scenes, they are just acting pretentious. The part of the Question Arcs that many people thought was a Black Box was actually empty when it was opened up. Rena is similar to that in some ways. I call it “Kai” (“solution”), so I’m in the middle of making all the suspicious elements disappear one by one. So there was once a theory that there was something riding on Rena, or that there was another Oyashiro-sama-like personality in addition to Ryuugu Rena with a dual personality, but maybe one answer to that is that this time Rena was just a normal girl. So there was once a theory that there was something possessing Rena, or that there was another Oyashiro-sama-like personality in addition to Rena with her dual personality, but maybe an answer to that is the fact that this time Rena was just a normal girl. Kai consists of Answer Arcs to all four previous episodes, so this it’s not like this is the final answer. It’s not really finished until you’ve read the whole thing.
Editor: I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are getting frustrated and wondering if it’s the end this time or the next.
"— I am still suspicious about whether it will keep going as it is, or whether we’re going to have a second or third sudden turn of events."
Ryukishi: People expect me to give you a final answer in one episode *laughs*, but it’s a serialized work after all.
"— After all, everyone just wants answers as soon as possible *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Yeah~ We’ve got a lot of emails that asked if the latest scenario is the final answer to "Onikakushi-hen". It’s not. In the end, even though "Meakashi-hen" is "Watanagashi-hen" reversed, it’s not a completely final answer to it. They have the same worldview, but "Meakashi-hen" only gave the answer to the question “is Sonozaki family acting behind the scenes”, not all of "Watanagashi-hen". That’s why it’s better to think of it as a serialized product and to look forward to the next chapter. However, the big part of the answers everyone is waiting for will actually be revealed in "Minagoroshi-hen". 70%? 80%? Maybe even 90%?
Yatazakura: Yes, something like that.
"— So is it too early to feel convinced this time around?"
Yatazakura: We didn’t touch the Great Hinamizawa Disaster yet.
Ryukishi: There is still a lot of mysteries yet uncovered.
Editor: The striking psychological horror, the mistrust towards friends, and the inexplicable death of the main character. All that mysteries of "Onikakushi-hen" may have been just a misunderstanding of the protagonist. If that’s the case, I wonder where the answers to the other mysteries of Higurashi, which were not even answered by "Tsumihoroboshi-hen", lie. The biggest question that remains is: “what exactly is the mystery of Higurashi?”.
Ryukishi: I probably answered that in some other place just recently, but in "Minagoroshi-hen" there will be a big sudden reveal in the very beginning. Even before the title screen. Those of you who enjoy Higurashi as a mystery might want to write down your answers in a note or something before you start reading "Minagoroshi-hen", rather than after you’ve finished it. There is a huge answer within the first five minutes. Or rather, it would suddenly start with an explanation of the structure and formula of its world.
"— After reading the last scenario, I’ve come to the conclusion that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a story about the darker side of people’s minds. "
Ryukishi: I think this is a very accurate assessment of the story to make after you’ve read "Tsumihoroboshi-hen", but after "Meakashi-hen", some people thought it was a story of sadness and sorrow over a misunderstanding, so maybe you’ll have a different opinion after the next scenario *laughs*
"— I guess that means it’s too early to make any final impressions."
Ryukishi: Well, each scenario has a clear theme, so there’s nothing wrong with that at this point in time.
"— By the way, I think this is the first time we’ve ever seen a certain girl standing by the window looking at the clouds. She is…."
Ryukishi: That’s, frankly speaking… *thinking* …Hmm, maybe to say so would be too frank.
"— In that case, we can just hide it in publication…"
Ryukishi: That’s…
"— After all, I’d prefer not to know. Let’s stop. "
"*Everyone laughs*"
"— I don’t want it to be spoiled, and besides that, a lot of people said that there were too many obscured areas in the previous interview… "
Ryukishi: That’s right. It’s an episode with Rika. I won’t say the next one is the Rika arc, but there are quite a few more scenes that touch on her, and I think we can talk about her surroundings, her daily life, what she thinks about and what she is interested in. If this is the chapter we explored Rena, then next time we’ll be able to talk about Rika quite a bit more. It’s not necessarily true that Rika will become the main character, but it’s going to be a very in-depth story about her.
"— Mion, Satoko, Rena, and then Rika. I wondered if we are getting closer to the core characters."
Ryukishi: Basically, the world inside the story is very small, and it ends up being about five good friends, with Keiichi at the center. The darker story of Rena and Keiichi was also revealed in this episode, so the only other missing link that hasn’t been fully revealed is Rika, who was initially thought to be rather unimportant. To solve the mystery of the small world of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, we must first unveil Rika.
"Editor: In the beginning, Rika’s position was more of a “doll”."
Ryukishi: Right. She was like a mascot character with very little presence. People were mainly keeping attention to Rena because she is such a mysterious character, or to Mion because she is Sonozaki… But when you take a closer look to her, she is surprisingly incompetent *laughs* Rena is also much more normal then you’ve been imagining, and Satoko is pretty weak despite acting tough. So what about Rika, who is like a doll and who usually just out there smiling? It may be fun to ask you that question *laughs* After Rena’s story, all that’s left is Rika, and what she’s like, which I think will be a focus for chapter 7. If that was chapter 8, then Rika would just end up being the mastermind.*Everyone laughs*
"— So, next one will be a climax just before the ending."
Ryukishi: Yes. I quite like the second half this time, though *laughs*
"— By “this time” you mean?.."
Ryukishi: "Minagoroshi-hen". I quite like the last part of it.
"— You’ve said that Tsumihoroboshi-hen is not a “reversed” story like Meakashi-hen was, but in a way, it’s like the roles of the characters in Onikakushi-hen were swapped, right?"
Ryukishi: I guess it’s something like a mixture of Onikakushi‘s plot and Tatarigoroshi‘s atmosphere, plus the main character was changed?.. So, it’s not as strictly linked together as Watanagashi and Meakashi.
"— However, in the end Keiichi and Rena both kill the same person."
Ryukishi: Until now, we’ve been looking at it from Keiichi’s subjective point of view as a murderer, but this time Keiichi is looking at it from an objective point of view. I think Rena’s way of thinking is extremely comical because you could see all her misunderstandings. When you don’t understand it, it’s a mystery, but when you do, you see how stupid it is, and because of that I used a catchphrase “It’s a comedy”.
"— The scene where Keiichi kills Houjou Teppei is extremely intense, but Rena does it so easy."
Ryukishi: It’s the difference between how they think. Even though Keiichi has gone so far as to think that he has to kill Teppei for Satoko’s sake, he still can’t get to the point of killing someone without stimulating himself with adrenaline. But Rena is different, and if she is desperate and concludes that she has no choice but to kill, she can easily do it. She is calm during Teppei’s murder, but that’s easy for her only because she thinks that she has no choice but to do it.
"— Maybe I am biased, but for me, the way you depict women is very realistic."
Ryukishi: Rena is a smart girl. She’s also very witty and can pretend she’s not looking.
"— In Onikakushi-hen, there is a scene where Rena tries to enter Keiichi’s house, and he slams her fingers with a door. I thought that if there were choices in Higurashi, I’d like to try to let Rena in even if there was a possibility that she would kill Keiichi and that would lead to a game over. Ah, that’s off-topic, by the way, but last time when I asked you about who you’d like to have as a girlfriend or a wife, you answered Mion for a girlfriend and Satoko for a wife. I’m definitely choosing Rena."
Ryukishi: Maybe if Keiichi opened the door, he could eat Rena’s delicious meal, and he would become full and realize what a stupid mistake he was about to make.
"— In that scene in the rain I was thinking, “I feel sorry for her, I want to open the door for her. But she’s trying to trick me. It’s an act”. It was like turbulence, making you shake emotionally."
Ryukishi: It’s only now that can say: “How did I come up with that scene?”.
"— However, “When I opened the door, there was Rena’s delicious meal” is a phrase that resonates even more sadly after reading up to Tsumihoroboshi-hen…"
"— I’d like to change the subject a little, but I think Takano-san’s extensive knowledge was the key this time, or rather, that was something that confused the readers… In your works, especially in the TIPS, how do you insert information about folklore and psychology?"
Ryukishi: I’ve never done any serious study of folklore, so it was more like summer homework. If you become interested in violent tales of some region you probably will do the same level of research. If you’re a real folklorist, though, you’ll think it’s all a real mess.
"— Did you find a lot of material?"
Ryukishi: These days, the Internet is so widespread that you can find out as much as you want about the atmosphere alone. I am interested in psychology and had read some books about it, so I was able to write about it easily. So, even if some professor in that field reads that, I don’t think they will find any major errors, even though some of the words may be used incorrectly.
"— Earlier we talked about the theme of the game, but do you have an overall theme or message in mind for Higurashi?"
Ryukishi: It’s been there since the beginning. From the time we’ve decided on the eight chapters structure, I knew that this was a particular kind of story. I can’t say that at this point in time, though, because you’ll pretty much see a direction of episode 7 and 8. Perhaps, if you could raise a few keywords now, I’m sure there will be right ones among them, but the theme of the story is starting to emerge little by little, even if it’s vague.
"— I think there are two aspects to your work: the first is that it’s fun and entertaining to read, and the second is that there’s a message that you are trying to tell through the story. What do you think is the ratio of the former and the latter in Higurashi? Is it a work for entertainment or is it a message?"
Ryukishi: It’s all about entertainment, after all. Higurashi is entertainment, it’s not something Ministry of Education would recommend, you know. So it’s all about having fun.However, if even one of the messages I am attempting to convey will go through while you enjoying it, it will be the greatest pleasure for me. Basically, it’s entertainment. And after all, you can learn about the horrors of war while playing Commando *laughs*
"— On the other hand, it’s not 100% entertainment and there are also themes that run through the bottom line."
Ryukishi: Yes. I think it soon will be time for me to get away from the constraints of “mystery and horror” as a genre. It was a given from the beginning, but Higurashi was always going to be entertainment. It’s just that there are elements of mystery and horror in entertainment, but that doesn’t mean that’s there is nothing else there. Just as the club activity scenes are simply fun, I thought it should be a work that makes you enjoy joy, anger, sorrow, and sadness, all the emotions. Occasionally I get the comments that say that the story stopped being scary after Meakashi-hen, but that’s because Higurashi isn’t just a scary story to begin with.
"— Whereas the earlier scenarios were heavily leaning towards entertainment, I feel like it’s becoming more thematic starting the last one."
Ryukishi: I think being thematic is a specific trait of Kai. While the first four arcs definitely had themes hidden in the back, the priority was on the entertainment value, on the scary and mysterious. Since the beginning of Kai, the themes have been appealing little by little, and I think people are starting to feel messages more strongly after Meakashi-hen. If you can feel it even more when the story is finished, that would be great.
Ryukishi: I often get asked “What’s the solution to Higurashi?”, but… Not to say that it’s a misunderstanding, but guessing who did it, where it was done, and what the murder weapon was isn’t the right way to go about in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Of course, if you can deduce that, that’s great too, but that’s not everything. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a work with many different scenarios, and the truth can only be understood by layering them on top of each other. I may have told you this before, but this world is a game board. It’s the world where there are various groups of people and pieces that have been assigned to different roles and move according to them. So finding out the rules and laws of the game board is actually the right thing to play it. For example, the cause of Tomitake’s death can’t be determined if the main character is an ordinary student. If the purpose of the game was to deduce that, then the main character should be set up as someone from the police or forensics. But the protagonist is a student, and no information is given regarding the cause of Tomitake’s death. So it’s very difficult to deduce anything about it. So instead of seeking the cause of death, it would be better to seek the fundamental rules of this world… We’ve had six chapters so far, so you should start to see that rules. By exposing the rules, you should realize what’s the goal of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. That’s what I really wanted to do with this game. The story of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a story about reaching a goal. It so happened that we’ve announced that it’s going to end in eight episodes, so you all know when it’s going to end, but if we didn’t say that, many people wouldn’t know when it’s going to be finished. Onikakushi, Watanagashi, Tatarigoroshi… It’s an extreme argument, but we could produce as many of those tragedies as we wanted. It’s a game board world, like an RPG. However, if it ends after eight episodes, then this world is going to end for some reason… There is an endpoint or a goal. Why does it have to end after the eighth episode? That doesn’t mean that the number 8 is meaningful, it means that there is an end to that world. When you start to see what the conditions for the end of the world are, when you take the laws of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni game board and put them on top of all the scenarios, you should be able to see some of the elements that are preventing this world from reaching its goal. Then…hmmm…if I tell you any more, though, you’ll enter the world of Minagoroshi-hen.
Editor: I guess so.
Ryukishi: Hmmm, a hint: …if I say that, you will be able to give an instant answer.
"— No instant answers, please *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Speaking vaguely, it’s a story about trying to figure that out. It’s not about exposing the killer/trick/alibis, as is often the case with common mystery novels. What you need to figure out is that you should lay all of those scenarios on top of each other, and the way to get closer to the solution is to watch out what elements are there or aren’t there in each separate scenario, like you would shoot a torpedo in an invisible opponent’s battleship in a board game. When you do that, what the detectives of a typical mystery novel can never deduce, becomes possible in the world of Higurashi. To give you a familiar example, here’s a girl and the main character, a boy, tries to ask her out on a date. When the boy asks, “Do you want to go see a movie next Sunday?”, the girl answers, “I’m sorry. I have to work that day”. At this point, our protagonist thinks she has no choice because she has to work on Sunday, right? That’s the first scenario. In the next scenario, the boys asks, “Would you like to go out to dinner this Sunday?”, and the girl again says that she has to work. But then, in the next scenario, he asked her if she wanted to go to the aquarium this Sunday, and the girl says “OK”. The protagonist in that world may just feel lucky to get a date, but from the perspective of an observer who has seen all three scenarios, it would be like, “Doesn’t this girl have to work on Sunday?”, and you can deduce the answer to this question. Higurashi is a world that makes this kind of reasoning possible. And when you examine this girl’s scenario closely, the background emerges that this girl actually doesn’t like this boy very much, but she likes the aquarium. The truth is, she doesn’t have a job on Sunday and saying that is just a way to turn down a date. By putting the aquarium on one side of the scale, we make it lean towards the possibility of going on a date, but the girl doesn’t have any plans for this Sunday anyway. If the girl is a suspect in something, then the solution is that she doesn’t have an alibi for Sunday, right? This is the kind of reasoning that can only come from the multi-layered world of Higurashi, and that’s something that a so-called great detective can’t do. If the detective in a typical mystery novel wanted to make sure the girl didn’t have anything to do on Sunday, he’d have to snoop in her notebook or follow her footsteps on that day. But in the multi-layered world of Higurashi, players can deduce that from the gaps in the world. So any detective that exists in this world would say that she couldn’t have been at the crime scene because she had to work on Sunday. However, only the players say, “No, it’s a lie, she came when she was invited to the aquarium, so she shouldn’t have an alibi on Sunday”. …In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, Rika mentions God’s point of view, and this is the hint for the players who have observed different scenarios to look at it from the God’s point of view and derive the truth from that. So it’s actually not surprising that we don’t understand what’s going on if we look at just one scenario. Higurashi wasn’t made in such a way that you can answer the question by looking at an individual scenario. When you think about it in this way, it’s easy to see that Keiichi is not a murderer. In Onikakushi-hen, he did indeed kill his friends because he was suspicious of them, but if that was inevitable, Keiichi would have to be killing his friends in all the other scenarios as well. However, up to this point, Keiichi has only killed his friends in Onikakushi-hen. It’s the same with Rena. She only attacks her friends in Tsumihoroboshi-hen. Even Shion is a very normal student who only goes wild in Watanagashi-hen and Meakashi-hen. In other words, it’s not fixed. When you think about it that way, I think you should be able to see a lot of factors that come into play. Nevertheless, the fact that Tomitake is always killed no matter how many chapters there are… should make those rules that control that world visible to you.
"— Will we be able to see that structure in its entirety at the end of eight chapters?"
Ryukishi: Not at the end of eight, but at about the seventh *laughs*
"— So, at the beginning of the next arc, boom."
Ryukishi: It would be great if you were able to see everything by the end of Tatarigoroshi-hen. Since the Question Arcs ended, there is really no need to pile them up further after Meakashi-hen. Because it’s Answer Arcs, they contain special hints, special items that you can’t save *laughs* After all, this is Kai. Question Arcs is a mystery where you have to search for contradictions between the first four chapters, so I wanted players to superimpose those chapters on each other, but unfortunately, few of them were doing that at that point. Just realizing that is, in a way, highly correct.
Editor: After all, there are many cross-references between the scenarios?
Ryukishi: Yes. Many readers think that each chapter is a stand-alone story. That’s why I try to tell people in interviews, etc., that it’s all the same world. Because haven’t there been a lot of sound novels up until now where if you choose one option, the setting of the world itself changes?
"— Ah, I see."
Ryukishi: That novels have left the impression that remains deep-rooted in people, so they think that in Higurashi, the worlds of Onikakushi and Watanagashi are entirely different. With those assumptions, the world of Higurashi can be complicated.
"— In the very first interview, I think you said, “It’s about structure and laws”."
Ryukishi: That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I gave an answer at the very beginning *laughs*
"— I thought the ending this time was quite happy compared to the previous ones, but there was another twist in the story (“Demon’s Script”). Is the story is going to be about the Great Hinamizawa Disaster next time?"
Ryukishi: About that, too.
"— “Too” *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Of course, it won’t be just about the Hinamizawa disaster, but also about what happened on that day. …After all, the Great Hinamizawa Disaster is always depicted as an “after” story. Even Keiichi in Tatarigoroshi-hen wakes up after everything is over and comes back to the village. Now we will depict the very moment on the night of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster! …Can I say that? *laughs*
"— I think, those who have read the “Demon’s Script” are very curious about that. "
Ryukishi: So, you can think of the “Demon’s Script” as an announcement that the story will finally tell you about the Great Hinamizawa Disaster in the next arc, and also as a way of saying that there will be no happiness in the world unless the characters overcome their doubts and fears and defeat it. …Ah, I am giving away a lot of answers. If you’ve noticed the “structure” around there, you’re pretty close to the right answer. …Hmmm, that’s a pretty vague way of saying it.
"— It’s quite difficult."
Ryuksihi: It might be. Those who just say, “It would be a happy ending if everyone got along and don’t fall into suspicion, and if all the villagers escape before the Great Hinamizawa Disaster struck! ♪”, in some sense are pretty close to the right answer. They are aware of the laws and the end goal of this world. This world only had bad endings up until now, and that means it won’t end until it has a good ending. …I’ve given a lot of hints.
"— As you mentioned earlier, Minagoroshi-hen will suddenly have something great at the beginning."
Ryukishi: Actually, I’m struggling. Each time I’m asked for at least one image from each company for introduction before the announcement, but this time…
Yatazakura: We really can’t show anything.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: There are screens that we can show, but they are totally boring without the main characters… This is really Answer Arcs, so you have to open the booklet with scissors before looking at it! *bitter laugh*
Editor: About 70% of Minagoroshi-hen is an opening, and the last 30% is the part you can’t talk? To the extent that you can answer that, can you tell us what it is all about?
Ryukishi: That 30% may just be supplemental… For example, if you find out in episode 7 who the culprit is, then the 8’th episode will tell the story of how the culprit was made. So, the simple keywords that everyone wants to know will be mostly given out in the 7’th episode. For example, if the murderer is Taro Yamada, the fact that the murderer is Taro Yamada will be mentioned in Episode 7, then in Episode 8, we can talk about how Taro Yamada was born and how he was driven to the point of killing people.
Editor: The story is so expansive, that I’m still curious about what you will say at the end.
Ryukishi: That’s already been decided, so I’m just going to write it all the way through.
"— It’s already a usual question, but in the last interview, when I asked “What story is Tsumihoroboshi-hen?”, you’ve answered “Action”. So, can you describe Minagoroshi-hen in one or two words as well?"
Ryukishi: Hmm, what can I say?..
"— This interview will not be complete until you answer this question *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Hmm, I want to find a keyword that will instantly transmit the flavor of the story, but… “Rika-chan is in trouble, falling down to 8th place?!”, I guess.
"*Yatazakura and BT burst out laughing*"
Yatazakura and BT: There you go… *laugh*
Ryukishi: Well, lately, Rika’s popularity has been on the decline. Sorry, just joking *laughs*
"— Huh? Huh?"
Ryukishi: Just joking. We~ll, the 7th place is occupied by Chie-sensei, so Rika has fallen from 6th to 8th place *laughs* Chie-sensei is glued to the 7th place strongly that even Satoshi couldn’t get into it…
BT: That’s a pretty dangerous statement.
Yatazakura: There is the possibility that someone will break in from outside of the ranks.
Ryukishi: But since Rika was so popular this time, I think she can be in the top 5, even if she can’t make the top 3.
BT: Maybe Shion will fall to the 8th place.
"— Seems like I am listening to some delicate conversation…"
Ryukishi: In fact, I am intentionally reducing the number of Shion’s appearings. She became a little too popular after Meakashi-hen, so I am going to make Sonozaki sisters appear less form now on *bitter laugh*
"— It’s the opposite of the first half, right? You were pushing her forward before."
Ryukishi: That’s right, at first I thought the Sonosaki sisters weren’t popular, so I pushed them. And while we were pushing and pushing them in Meakashi-hen, they became so popular that got their own Sonosaki sisters’ only events. Even though ll heroines should be loved equally~
"— So that’s how it is with the Sonozaki sisters now? *Pose of sinking the head with both hands*"
Ryukishi: It’s like “Get out, everybody out! Especially you, Shion!” *laughs* Shion will also appear quite a bit next time, and they will be also many more other people. If possible, I’d like to increase the number of sprites for supporting characters. People like Keiichi’s father, who was around for a long time but never had a picture, or like Kameda.
Yatazakura: I want to see them *laughs*
Ryukishi: I’d like to increase the number of such supporting characters. After all, Teppei and Rina have sprites. If I could do something like that, that would be nice. It’s all about the time management *laughs* …So in a nutshell… what’s the keyword for the next scenario? I can’t think of anything at all. Maybe something like “all the answers in this world”.
Yatazakura: Like behind the scenes?
Ryukishi: No. It’s a scene itself. If I had to say it, it would probably be “the answers you’re expecting”.
"— The fact that this is not just an “Answer arc” seems significant."
Ryukishi: But the level of “answerness” is quite high.
"— I’m really curious about the title. The end of Tsumihoroboshi-hen was quite positive, and because the title of the next scenario was left out last time, I thought it would be directly connected to the name of Matsuribayashi-hen, but then the title “Minagoroshi-hen” it was revealed."
Ryukishi: In the past, no one said anything when the title was published, but it seems because of the way Tsumihoroboshi-hen ended, the title of Minagoroshi-hen is being discussed.
"— Right."
Ryukishi: I’ll kill’em~ I’ll kill’em with pleasure~. After all, it’s Minagoroshi-hen (Massacre) *fearless laugh*
"— Should we go with “I’ll kill’em” for the next keyword? *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Let’s not *laughs* There should be a better keyword… Hmmm… If I simply say that it’s going to be about the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, people will think it’s going to end with the destruction of the village again…
Editor: Maybe “the answers you’re expecting” comes closest?
Ryukishi: Probably, yes. A lot of “culprit, crime scene, alibi” stuff, that everyone is waiting for, will make an appearance. However, that’s not what you really need to explore in the world of Higurashi. The truth is, the culprit is the part that you can’t dig into, the part that is “hard to deduce”. That one, as well as most of the things that are either deducible or undeducible, will be there. Well, not all of them, some of the key parts will be carried over to episode 8. So, for those of you who say “That’s not Answer Arcs at all!” after going through Meakashi and Tsumihoroboshi, this one will probably become that Answer Arc you’ve waited for.
"— “An Answer Arc you’ve waited for” has a lot of implications, but it’s still not the true answer to Higurashi."
Ryukishi: As I said earlier, there has to be a law or goal for this world to end. In other words, the fact that the “culprit” part is solved in the seventh episode and not the final one, means that this world will not end even if the “culprit” part is solved. Knowing the name of the culprit is not such an important factor for the real goal of this world. The goal is more simple. I’m sure everyone already knows or is aware of it, but some of you may not recognize it until it’s actually written in the game.
"— And everything, including this, will be over with 2006’s Matsuribayashi-hen."
Ryukishi: After the release of Matsuribayashi, the next will be the Winter Comiket, and of course it will be impossible to prepare a new work in four months, so I may release a bonus chapter. A so-called “plus disc”. If we were to make a new game, we would have to start everything from scratch again, so let’s say it would be another novel game, even if you put aside the scenario, we would have to completely rethink the backgrounds, illustrations, and music. It would be impossible to do quickly. So, in winter, I’m going to visit the world of Higurashi once again as a plus disc, say goodbye to this story, and then connect it to the next one. …Would be funny if, after saying all this, I will end up making “Return of Higurashi” or “Higurashi the 13th” or “Next Higurashi” or “True Higurashi”.
"*Everyone laughs*"
"— We are going to continue with “Higurashi no Nakasekata” until the end of Higurashi no Naka Koro ni. After Matsuribayashi-hen is released, I’m going to ask you about your future plans, but for now, for Minagoroshi-hen, “The answers you’re expecting” and “I’ll kill a lot”, right? *laughs*"
Ryukishi: Well, the title is Minagoroshi, after all *laughs*
"— *Laughs* Thank you very much."
| Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 3 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 4
is the fourth interview in the Higurashi no Nakasekata interview series. The interview occurred on January 2006 and was first published in Toratsu's 106th issue, the March 2006 issue which released on February 25, 2006. The interview was republished on Toranoana's website in 2006, and then republished on Seikaisha's "Higurashi" light novel website on October 4, 2011 featuring additional notes from KEIYA. The Seikaisha version of the interview may be found here.
English translation is by rockmor.
Transcript.
Participants:
"— To start with an obligatory question, how was Comiket 69?"
Ryukishi: Last time the interview began the same way *laughs*
"— There was also a TV show on NHK right before."
Ryukishi: They suddenly came to me with a request to do a show, and it was the last minute of production so I didn’t have the energy to say no *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: They asked me at the last minute so without having time to think I said “yes”, but it was a valuable experience. I thought the author should talk with his work and not in public, but I was also frustrated that people may think that I am doing something suspicious in shadows, so it was like angrily saying “I am not doing anything suspicious. I am ready to show up” *laughs* Sorry for being embarrassing.
"— It’s not very often that doujin creators get to be featured in media in this way."
Ryukishi: Everyone was extremely tired before mastering, and even smiling in natural way was difficult *laughs*
"— Was there any talk about TV at the event?"
Ryukishi: Whenever someone said, “I saw it”, I said, “Don’t watch it~” *laughs* It’s one of those memories that I’m too embarrassed to remember and wish I could forget.
"— I saw on the official website that it was also busy at your booth at the Comiket."
Ryukishi: We had a very large number of people come again, and while we were deciding whether to wait for noon or not, everything was sold out. It is always difficult to decide how much copies to bring… I thought that because stores like Tora no Ana have made advance reservations, our line won’t get too long, but we’ve still had so many people come. We wanted to bring enough copies so that we could give them to every customer who was standing in line from the very beginning, but it’s really difficult to estimate the right number. In addition, I really wanted to hand them to each guest personally one by one, laughing and chatting with them about their opinions, but unfortunately, it wasn’t possible due to the availability of personnel.
"— There is a “Where did you encounter with Higurashi?” thread on the forum, and while looking through it, I was wondering if the customers are also changing."
Everyone: Ahh~.
BT: It’s an old thread.
Ryukishi: Back then, when we were really unknown, our average on the website counter was about 80 visitors a day.
BT: Even less than that.
Ryukishi: I remember opening it one day and seeing that it suddenly went to about 120, and I was like “Hyah-hoy!”… We’ve had more than a few visitors since then, and I wondered where those visitors came from.
BT: That thread had both old-timers and newcomers, and the really old customers were people who came after events but recently people began to come thanks to the manga adaptation. A lot of people say about that.
Ryukishi: People who learned about the game through Comiket became fewer. A lot of customers still say it was recommended by their friends who go to Comiket, but the difference from the past is that some of them bought it not because they fell for a sales pitch but because it was praised so much by other people *laughs*
Yatazakura: That’s true…
Ryukishi: Previously, when a customer approached, it was like selling a car. Now, people can buy a Drama CD because they like a particular voice actor. Among them, there are those who become interested after listening to a Drama CD, or reading a magazine or manga, or through other media, so they decide to buy a game as well. Sometimes we are asked, is there a way to buy it at Comiket because they want to get the next chapter a little bit sooner *laughs* Yes, it’s an eternal theme.
"*Everyone laughs*"
"— It’s a deep and difficult problem *laughs* Maybe the more you know, the less you can answer immediately."
Ryukishi: Up until now, Higurashi has been just one work in the wide world of doujin, but recently, thanks to the various media it has been published in, I think there are more and more fans who have no connection to Comiket or the doujin world. How’s that for Tora no Ana, though?
"— Hmmm. Before, when I was looking at various news sites and some specific blogs, they were accepting pre-orders and increasing the number of discs in stores, but recently I’ve been seeing a lot of general public giving their impressions and thoughts on the work."
Ryukishi: Initially we were bound to Comiket, but nowadays we’ve been able to get out and get people outside Comiket interested in it. And you see that on the blogs. Also, there are still many people who are not connected to the Internet and can’t get information. In that sense, there is a very wide range of ages and genders, and it’s hard to get a sense of the customer base or trends. So the impressions we receive are very different, and there are people from all positions and ages. For example, we’ve received some strong opinions about how Satoko was treated from someone who saw the whole situation as a father.
"— With the anime starting in April, how do you think the number of new fans will increase?"
Ryukishi: I think that TV is a medium that has lower barriers and is an easier entry point, so I would be happy if those who have heard the name but have never touched it could casually watch it on TV. I’m participating in this project as a supervisor, and I want this to be a work that doesn’t leave first-time viewers behind. I just really hope that it would be the case. However, I know that making animation is not an easy task, so I’m just giving advice from the side, like “Do this and that”.
"— The cast has just been announced on the official website."
Ryukishi: We’ve been working on it for a loooong time, and now finally we can show it to you. Until then, we had been working on scripts and other materials that were difficult to show, but we don’t have much time left until April, so… *bitter laugh* We are currently working on it at a rapid pace.
"— I’m going to go back and forth, but I had the opportunity to read the novel “Kaidan to Odorou, Soshite Anata wa Kaidan de Odoru” which was written for “Faust No. 6 “SIDE-A” and “SIDE-B”."
Ryukishi: Ahh, that’s embarrassing *laughs*
"— I felt that it was a very Ryukishi-like story, though."
Ryukishi: Hmm, when I was told to write in the style of Ryukishi07, I had no choice but to write as Ryukishi07 *bitter laugh* The person at Kodansha kindly asked me if I would remove the punctuation “.” in the key brackets (「。」), but since that’s the way it is in Higurashi, I asked them to leave it as it is. It’s not a Higurashi side-story, but I think it’s a fun supplemental element for those who know the Higurashi world. It wouldn’t make sense if people who don’t know about Higurashi couldn’t understand it at all, so I tried to make it a story that could be read as a whole, and if people who know about Higurashi read it, there would be room for doubt as to whether it was a story of this or that character or not. My policy is, as is the case with Onisarashi-hen, which is serialized by Comp Ace, those who know the original story would know, and if you don’t know the original, it still will be fun to read. This is what I want to emphasize.
"— Thematically, I felt that the atmosphere is very similar."
Ryukishi: I’ve been wanting to write a violent urban legend story in a school setting for a long time, so although it was a tough time for me to write, I decided to do it. I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to be there since all the other Kodansha writers are all very talented creators, but it was a valuable experience for me, so I am very thankful to Kodansha. Thank you, Kodansha.
"*Everyone laughs*"
Yatazakura: He said it twice *laughs*
"— Do you have any plans for such activities in the future?"
Ryukishi: I don’t believe in doing only one thing, so I would like to take on various challenges if I have the chance. I want to test what’s right for me and what’s not. It may not be the best fit for you, but you may find something unexpectedly interesting. That’s why I would like to challenge myself as much as possible when I am given a chance.
"— Do you have any plans to further expand Higurashi into other media?"
Ryukishi: It’s not a certain thing yet, but I think I’ll be able to talk about a consumer edition a little bit more in the future. I’m not in a position to drop any bombs at the moment, as we are still focusing on making steady progress on the work, like kneading the dough for the bread *bitter laugh*
"— Speaking of expanding into other media, I think the comments on the manga version on your website 07th Storming Party are excellent."
BT: Thank you. All of the manga adaptations are great, and there’s something about them that makes me want to write about them. Even though I know the original story and what it’s about, I’m always impressed by how the manga presents it in a different way.
"— The day Square Enix’s comics went on sale was amazing, with most customers grabbing three copies and heading for the cash register."
Ryukishi: Thank you very much. I’m actually starting to work on the bonus book for buying all the volumes, and right now I’m putting together the plot and creating mini-scenarios. I’m planning to have the manga artists put their illustrations in it. But it’s just a mini-scenario, not a long one like the one in Faust *laughs* It will be something like a simple Higurashi spin-off.
"— I am looking forward to it."
Ryukishi: After we enter Kai, it’s not about solving the mystery anymore, but about fighting to prevent the tragedy. No more doubt and fear. Fellowship is solidarity. If you’ve just bought the first volume, you’re probably still in a state of doubt and anxiety. If you believe, you will be rewarded. If you don’t believe, you will go crazy. If anything, you will enjoy that worldview. I’m writing the new story with the intention of making it like a sub-scenario of the first part of Higurashi… I’m sorry if this turns out to be a completely different story *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: Lately I’ve been wondering if it’s better not to make any announcements. The end product may turn out very different *laughs*
"— So, it is possible for the direction to change while you in the middle of writing?"
Ryukishi: It is. It’s not uncommon for characters to start running wild and making the story more interesting on their own. It’s fun when it’s under control, but sometimes it gets too out of control and you can’t come back. “That’s not the story I wanted to write…”, something like that *laughs* In Watanagashi-hen, Shion was so out of control that I couldn’t turn back after that. Akasaka was a character who was also somewhat out of control. In the early days of a character’s life, it’s easy for them to go astray because they don’t have a set route yet. It’s like riding a bicycle without training wheels. The main characters all have distinct personalities, so I can see them clearly, but Akasaka only first appeared in Himatsubushi-hen, so he was still like a tottering infant, and I wandered off-course and ended up with a lot of discarded drafts. Near the end of the main part of Himatsubushi-hen, the phone line is cut and it’s the next day that Akasaka learns of his wife’s death, but in the beginning of the production, the phone line was connected and there was a scene where Akasaka is drunk in a phone booth full of empty beer cans and Rika appears and says, “I told you to go home,” looking down at him, but something felt awkward when I wrote that part. “Where did I go wrong…? Ah, let’s cut the phone line”. I had to rewind a story quite a bit.
Yatazakura: I was like “Hmm, something is different” when you brought the scenario.
Ryukishi: That was the biggest change. In Watanagashi-hen, Mion pretended to be Shion and approached Keiichi, which was a romantic comedy-like plot, but it turned out to be quite fun, and I thought it was just like Ra*ma 1/2 *laughs*
"— And it will continue to spread in various ways in the future."
Ryukishi: I think so. As for me, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be featured in the comics and in the interviews, and the idea of an anime adaptation is really something I can’t wait for.
"— In recent years, there were released not only AVGs (adventure games) based on choices, but also AVG novels. Of course, there have been many such works in the past, but I think Higurashi no Naku Koro ni has left a significant mark in establishing this method."
Ryukishi: Ehh? Did the choice based games disappear?
Yatazakura: Come to think of it, I’m starting to see it in download-only games as well.
Ryukishi: Hmm. I didn’t know about that, but if it’s true, that’s great. I was really struggling with what to do with choices in the early days of Higurashi. But if I were to create a world of choice “IF”, I would simply want to make a new story *bitter laugh* In fact, I had planned to add choices after Onikakushi-hen was finished, and to present an updated version with choices at the Winter Comiket that year. But then I thought that if I had that kind of time, I would better write the next scenario, so I switched to writing Watanagashi-hen. Once I got to that point, I kind of got over it and thought, “I’ll just put them in when it’s finished”. I started receiving fan letters around the time we released Tatarigoroshi-hen, and from then on, when I was asked, “Will there be choices when the game is finished?” I began to answer “No, it’s our style” *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: Until that happened, I couldn’t break the out of the curse of having to add choices someday.
Yatazakura: We were even thinking about making a patch that would add choices.
"— Now, it feels like it’s a given that there are no choices, but you were actually considering adding them."
Ryukishi: Ever since Onikakushi-hen, one out of every three questions we received was about whether there will be choices when the game is finished. Nowadays, people say, “It’s more like Higurashi if there are no choices,” but in the beginning, it was the opposite. There is a part of me that wonders if the environment has changed somewhere along the way. I think novel games allow for a very wide range of expression, and that’s why I think there should be many more flexible ways to express yourself. For example, you could add an option to turn the choices on/off, or, though it might be difficult to implement, it could be a novel + action, or a fighting game + novel like a certain famous work. If you look at that game as a novel plus a dramatic element, or as a fighting game to reinforce the drama, I think it has a different scope. Even in commercial productions, they’ve already gone many steps ahead in trying to create some unique expressions. The more I look at such things, the more I feel that there is no barrier between movies and sound novels. If we take film as the pinnacle of visual entertainment, then we can say that novel games may one day reach it if they will keep climbing. But considering the amount of work I can do as a doujin creator, I can only reach half of that point, so I think my work is limited to what I personally can do. I’m sure that those who play novel games, not just Higurashi, recreate cinematic scenes in their minds by combining music, text, backgrounds and characters. There may be a barrier between books and movies, but I think that novel games could be a bridge between them. That’s why I believe it’s an ultimate genre because it’s so extremely simple.
"— The fact that you can make it solo may also be attractive."
Ryukishi: That’s right. Yatazakura-san is not a born programmer when it comes to scripting, right?
Yatazakura: Of course. I started from scratch.
Ryukishi: BT, you had a little background in VisualBasic, right? So you can apply it quickly.
BT: Now that we have great tools like NScripter, Kirikiri, etc., it’s really easy to do the job.
"— I got the impression that the script direction changed a lot since you started working on Higurashi Kai."
Yatazakura: I myself have always wanted to try a different approach from the one I used before. Since novels are originally not meant to have intense movements, I’m trying to express the atmosphere in some way. I’m trying to break the mold of what a novel is supposed to be.
"— I see. How do you specify the direction?"
Ryuskishi: Sometimes I make a very specific request for what kind of direction I want to see, and other times I don’t ask for anything at all. Some were created by Yatazakura-san, and some specified in detail by me. It varies. I think the first time we had something that looked like direction was probably in Tatarigoroshi-hen. I think the first times I made any instructions for the direction were scenes like when Keiichi kills Satoko’s uncle, or when Akasaka is taken around Hinamizawa by Rika in Himatsubushi-hen. I asked to create an impression of Akasaka going around the village. At that time, we started to use screen transitions to show the time, rather than dialogue. Since then, we’ve used it many times for showing that time has passed. He also did a great job of adding various effects, such as the red color getting stronger and stronger depending on Rena’s mental state in Tsumihoroboshi-hen, and the effect when they fight on the roof.
Yatazakura: I’d get instructions like these, and I’d say, “OK, I’ll do it!”
Ryukishi: During the cleanup process, we would change it so that it would be perfect, and if it was too much, we would cut it down. In rare cases, the effects don’t fit at all, and I ask to delete everything from here to here. There were also times when we decided to leave something out because the sound didn’t fit the scene. We rarely do this these days, but in the past we both had different sensibilities, so we had to fix a lot of things. Now we are much more in tune with each other, and if I ask for a screen change or a blackout, it can be done instantly. So now he does most of the directing, which makes it much easier for me.
Yatazakura: There have been very few cases when revisions were needed lately.
Ryukishi: There are some related to daily life, but they are mostly gone now.
"— So you understand each other perfectly now."
Ryukishi: After all, we’ve been doing this for four and a half years. We’ve come to be able to understand what each other wants.
Yatazakura: That’s right.
Ryukishi: I’m sure BT-san is managing well too.
BT: I wonder *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
"— BT-san, what are you doing during the cleanup?"
Ryukishi: He made a whole new system for the Music Room, and it’s very elaborate. He also checks for typos and errors. I thought there would be fewer of them this time than usual, but when BT-san looks for them, he can find a lot. Even after all that, we still find them after the release.
BT: Yeah, the work continues even after that.
Ryukishi: You can see why commercial companies are building bigger teams just for proofreading and debugging. It’s hard for the creators to see the bugs, or to avoid dangerous operations, so they unconsciously avoid them. In a way, since Yatazakura-san and I are in the core of the production, BT-san is looking at us calmly. However, he does more than that, he manages the homepage on a daily basis. As a circle, we have two very busy periods a year, but his battle continues every day. In a way, work is much more about keeping up with the day-to-day than it is about dealing with emergencies, so I think he is doing a really great job.
"— So, on a different topic, what is the significance of the choice system you made for the seventh arc?"
Ryukishi: Ah, the so-called Rika’s world. The first time we added choices was a long time ago, I think it was about the blue box/red box.
"— Ah, sorry about that."
Ryukishi: No, it’s alright. As I think I said back then, choices can only be made when you know the outcome of both, so you have room to choose. If we didn’t know the results of both, there would be no room to choose one or the other, and we would have to choose according to certain predetermined laws. If you have to choose between a small basket and a big basket, you can remember the fairy-tale and decide that the small one is better, so, under conditions where you don’t know what’s inside, you always take the small casket. So, for those who don’t know the outcome, the choice between to advise or not to advise Keiichi about who he should give the doll is certain. But only Rika, who can assume both cases and knows the outcome, can give you the choice called fate. This is Rika’s world. So, for Rika, there is a choice for everything every day. In the midst of all this, she is enduring in a world full of choices: if I do this, I’ll be in Onikakushi-hen, if I don’t stop this, I’ll be in Watanagashi-hen, and if this happens, I’ll be in Himatsubushi-hen. It’s as if for her every day is a gamebook.
"— Moreover, we know most of the consequences of the choices."
Ryukishi: That’s right. We are literally saving and loading over and over again so that we don’t make the mistakes we made last time. Some people refer to Rika as a looper, but I personally call it saving and loading *laughs* That’s how she’s been living for over a hundred years, and of course there are choices that are determined by Rika’s will and “coincidences” that are determined by the will of gods. There is an element of luck in that Keiichi may or may not move in and XX may or may not come back. The reason why Rika was so flustered this time was because even with her best efforts, nothing good can come to her unless she is blessed with luck, which is determined by something other than Rika’s efforts. It was because she was tired of the current situation. However, thanks to other people her luck has tilted in a good direction, so she is hoping that she can do better than usual if she works hard.
"— Sorry. I thought there was a more light reason."
Ryukishi: Now, either choice is actually OK. In the early stages, I imagined that if you chose to give advice on who Keiichi should give the doll to, the game would proceed, but if you chose the opposite, the game would be over and Watanagashi-hen would begin. But I thought that would not show the heroic nature of Keiichi’s defiance of fate, so I decided to make the outcome the same regardless of which choice you made. I also thought secretly that everyone would probably save and reload there *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: I’m really curious why sound novels don’t have an auto-save function for choices *laughs* It’s the only forced control in sound novels. If you’re wondering why there are so many save slots in sound novels, it’s because everyone saves at the forks *laughs*
"— If you’ve played the previous game, you all know what the consequences of that choices mean. According to the law of choice as described by Ryukishi-san you can only choose to give advice."
Ryukishi: That’s right. I think most people would have saved the game, chosen to give advice, then loaded and chose the other option.
"— At last, let’s talk about Minagoroshi-hen."
Ryukishi: OK.
"— After the opening scene, a new character ■■ suddenly appeared, can you tell us a little bit about them?"
Ryukishi: This is significant in 3 ways: first, it’s a first-person narrative from Rika’s point of view, so she needed someone to talk to. Second, there is always someone else who is invisible to the rest of us. Her existence is an expression of the fact that the world that is normal for Rika is a kind of abnormal for other people. The third and most important is that it’s a player’s point of view. The existence of ■■ is somewhat of a proxy for the player in front of the monitor. The enemies in the world of Higurashi are so powerful that they are impossible to defeat. For example, in the Investigation Files, there are things like gunshot holes in the wall and subtle frayings, but it’s not possible to grasp its meaning because it’s being covered up on a scale of △△. That’s only possible to perceive by a special kind of being, the player in front of the monitor. But the player can’t communicate with the characters. That’s why we need a presence that has the same knowledge as the players in front of the monitor.
"— When I saw the description of ■■ as Oyashiro-sama, I looked at them and said, “What?!”"
Ryukishi: Actually, it’s only now that I can say this, but we were talking about at the Onikakushi-hen All-Cast Review Session: “Is it a human, a curse, or a coincidence?”. This was the catchphrase in the beginning, but the answer is “everything”. The culprit is a human, the curse exists, and things can happen by chance. It’s not that one of them happened, but that all three of them happened at the same time, which is the hidden theme. The only problem with this is that humans do not perceive the existence of curses. And those who put the curse don’t care about humans. In addition, the coincidences that are mixed in complicate the story and make the different human-made and curse-made situations seem like one thing. The phrase “Is it a human, a curse, or a coincidence?” can also be a symbol of the rule X, Y, Z. If you say that anything is possible, then anything is possible.
"— The design of ■■ is quite unique."
Ryukishi: For ■■, there were only two things that I had decided on from the beginning. They will have long hair, and since they are called a demon, they should have horns. And the color of their hair was taken from the anthropomorphized Oyashiro-sama (オヤシロタン, Oyashiro-tan) who happened to be popular on a message board.
"— In the last interview, you mentioned that the keyword for the next arc would be “Rika-chan is in trouble, falling down to 8th place?!”, so was it because of ■■’s appearance? *laughs*"
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: I wonder what would happen if ■■ was cut out. In fact, Rika’s popularity is slumping now. However, we are at the point when Rika’s popularity could either rise or fall this time. What do you think, BT-san?
BT: I’m sure it will go up.
Ryukishi: Hmmm, maybe Satoko, Shion, Chie, and ■■ would be tough to beat.
Yatazakura: Satoshi as well.
Ryukishi: Yes, it will be chaos.
BT: The last interview was before the third popularity contest, and in the contest before that, Rika was ranked 6th.
Ryukishi: Chie-sensei, who was 7th at the time, was hard to move from that place, and Rika, who was 6th just ended up at 8th. The third popularity contest brought her back, but I think if ■■ will become popular it would be hard to tell anything. More importantly, I don’t know who will be first this time. I have a feeling that Keiichi is finally going to make it.
"— Keiichi is getting cooler and cooler with each chapter."
Ryukishi: The main character in a game is usually a player’s alter ego. However, both in movies and games, the protagonist goes from being a player’s alter ego to becoming a hero. Before, Keiichi’s role was to be scared, surprised, and angry together with the players. By behaving in a way that the player expects and by gradually starting to take actions that the player doesn’t expect, he is achieving something. So what used to be a character that followed the player, has turned into a character that leads the player.
"— The scene where he convinced ▲▲ really showed his heroic nature."
Ryukishi: That’s the highlight of this chapter. In the end, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a story about communication. Everything in this world is settled through communication. That’s why the fight scene in the middle of the story was in a way more like a Higurashi fight than the fight on the roof from Tsumihoroboshi-hen. The fight on the roof was more like a game because both sides were on par, whereas this verbal battle was a battle in the sense that you had to defeat the other side and move on. In Tatarigoroshi-hen, Keiichu thought that he has no other way to save Satoko but to kill her uncle in a way that no one would point a finger at him. By the way, when we asked the fans to send us their thoughts on how to save Satoko, there were none. There were a lot of people saying their opinions about Keiichi’s actions, like “I’d do it the same way” or “He should’ve hidden the body better”, but the fundamental problem was that Satoko was unhappy because her uncle came back and took her away. I received almost zero suggestions as to how to solve it successfully. Maybe some of you have solved it elsewhere, but I didn’t see it in the feedback we received. That’s why the first half of Minagoroshi-hen was the true solution to Tatarigoroshi-hen. I was trying to give an answer that if you had fought together with everyone, you would have been able to save Satoko. It seems everyone misunderstood this a little bit, but the first half of the story is the solution, and the second half is the entertainment.
"— After all, the dividing line between before and after is the night of the Watanagashi festival."
Ryukishi: That’s right. This is where □□ appeared. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to focus on that, but the solution that encompasses Tatarigoroshi-hen is the way how to save Satoko before the festival. Keiichi and his friends, who have learned how to fight in a true Hinamizawa-like manner over the course of the first half of the chapter, finally learn who their enemy is. In that sense, the second half is the part that is created for entertainment. So the scene in the second half was not meant to reveal the truth, but only to show the appearance of the last boss.
"— In that context, what was the significance of Rika, who has become the main character this time?"
Ryukishi: Rika is a girl who has lived for 100 years. After experiencing the same life over and over again, she is completely tired and bored. From the player’s point of view, the individual worlds of the story are fresh and new each time, and Rika says things like “nipa” or “mii~” when she sees or hears something new. That’s how it should be. But from Rika’s perspective, it’s just a repetition of what she had seen before. That’s why Rika becomes less and less pure inside. It was quite early in the game when Satoko told her that the prize money was 50,000 yen, and Rika was not surprised. Since she already knows about things that normally should have surprised her, her days are becoming less colorful. Inevitably, Rika who has lived for 100 years and knows all about it has separated from the cute and normal Rika and became Dark Rika.
"— It’s true that no matter how interesting a book is, if you’ve read it over and over again, it’s hard to find enjoyment in it. So what’s the difference between Rika, who is still trying to find hope, and ■■, who is negative from the start?"
Ryukishi: It’s a contrast, isn’t it? Rika never gives up hope. Even if she were to die and repeat the process, she wouldn’t be depressed about it. But you may have noticed that to refuse to accept Rika’s loops, save and reload process, is the most frightening thing for ■■. Like Rika said, in order to go back in time, there must not only be ■■’s but also Rika’s approval. They can’t go back unless they both agree to it. ■■ can’t communicate with anyone but Rika. That’s why for ■■ life without Rika is unbearable. Even if it is painful for Rika to repeat her life, ■■ knows the pain of the days without Rika, so as long as Rika is there, they are willing to repeat over and over again. That’s the difference in values between ■■ and Rika. If you think about it that way, a free being like ■■ could have walked around at will and searched for the culprit, but then why does ■■ not know anything and keep telling Rika to give up and that there will be another time… But we are stepping on the next chapter’s territory now *bitter laugh*
"— So, let’s look at it from a different perspective. You’ve said that this time a familiar face of ○○ has appeared yet again. What did you mean by that?"
Ryukishi: As was said in the novel, the meaning of ○○’s appearance makes clear that the existence of just one hero can’t solve this story. In a sense, it’s naive to think that because ○○ has appeared everything will be OK. It’s the ultimate in other people’s power to solve the problem because that person is here. That’s being overly reliant on other people.
"— In fact, when I was reading, I felt relieved and wondered if I could rely on that person."
Ryukishi: But that idea contradicts the values of this story, which is that we can only overcome hardles through communication and unity. That’s why that world denies the existence of ○○ and the idea that a single hero can save the day. And, as if denying the players’ hope that Satoko will be saved thanks to ○○’s appearance, that person immediately goes to the hot springs *laughs*
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: Maybe that’s because the story about the hot springs was fun, but after that, they became a sort of a meme. They will appear in the next chapter as well, so this time I introduced them so next time people won’t ask “Who’s that?”.
— Let’s talk about the second part, the entertainment part. Finally, with this work, you’ve reached 70, 80, 90% of the solution, and Kai is coming to an end, but did you have any hesitation or doubts when telling your story?
Ryukishi: It’s still the part of the story that I don’t want to share with the public, because there’s not much room for enjoyment left in it. I really want people to have fun saying, “This is what I think, even though this is what the original says” but after all when the original says, “This is how it is” it kills all the different possibilities that the readers were creating by thinking and making theories. That’s why I really didn’t want to release it. But I had to write it in order to finish the story, so it was like a painful confession. I’ve answered this in other interviews, but I personally don’t like horror stories that just throw in the latest gadgets and don’t prepare any answers from the start. If you aren’t going to reveal anything in the end, you can write about anything you want. I decided that I would reveal the truth no matter what the reaction was, so I used the crazy gadgets and wrote the absurd story. Also, as entertainment, more than anything else this chapter needed to have a visible enemy.
"— And who is that enemy?"
Ryukishi: As you know, the biggest enemy in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is not the individual, but ◆◆. That’s why you can’t resolve things with violence. For example, the problem of the Houjou family, which is resolved in this chapter. The whole village’s belief that “I don’t hate them, but the head family hates them” spawns discrimination. The enemy is ◆◆. That’s why we defeated ◆◆ by defeating the old men representing the village in an argument. When we fight against ◆◆, we can’t win unless we overcome the people who embody ◆◆. In this sense, although □□ is an easily understandable manifestation of an enemy to be confronted, the heart of the battle is not a struggle against □□. That’s all I can tell you now.
Yatazakura: Like the dam construction manager during the Dam War?
Ryukishi: That’s right. It’s not about dam construction, isn’t it? It’s about a concept and an action. But the demonstrators were barging into the construction office and attacking the dam construction manager, right? I guess you could say that the dam construction manager is □□. The dam construction manager does not work on the dam alone but is merely the supervisor of that act of dam construction. However, because he is a symbol of the act, he became the main target. □□ is just a symbol of the system that created this tragedy. This is not to say that □□ is a bad person, or that if they weren’t in this village, this incident wouldn’t have happened.
"— Although □□ got a lot of attention for that outfit."
Ryukishi: That’s because I wanted to give □□ an easy-to-understand visual as the last boss, and for □□, it’s the most important day of their life. So I guess it’s my personal policy that I wanted them to wear the best outfit. Actually, I’d like to write the scene where □□ goes to buy those clothes next time. Though I’m still working on the plot, so I may not write it *bitter laugh*
"— So what is organization XX that came up among the keywords this time?"
Ryukishi: XX is not some evil secret organization that you may have imagined. I wanted to portray it as an extension of factional society, but perhaps it was too difficult to convey. When people think of secret societies, they seem to have an image of an evil group that conducts secret rituals and if they don’t go along with the Führer’s will, they are thrown into a pit and terminated. If you are a university graduate, you probably know that universities have academic cliques. It’s more like that. In addition, those extremely competent people who are able to pass the difficult national certification exams form groups with large horizontal cohesion. It’s a group that exists purely within the organization, whether it’s a town, a village, a company, or a school. Among them, there are many gerontocracy organizations that actually exist in Japan today, such as the club of the upper class, which is run by very influential people who have made so much money that they can financially support young researchers and people in various fields in order to contribute to society. The original image of XX is that it is a collection of several such clubs.
"— I’d love to see that mentioned in the next TIPS section."
Ryukishi: Yes. I’d like to think about it.
"— Perhaps the word “secret organization” itself has become too dark an image."
Ryukishi: Hmmm… it is true that in Japan, the word seems to be imbued with too much of a villainous image because of movies. But there are many secret societies around us… For example…
"(In a hesitant manner, he begins to talk about cliques and organizations in Akihabara)"
"— We can’t write about this!! *laughs*"
Ryukishi: But, as I keep saying, it’s really close to home. I just happened to use some of it as an example, but no matter what field it is, if a group of people with a certain level of reputation and position get together, and the aspects of that group are not leaked to the outside world, then it is a secret meeting, and if those people form an organization, isn’t that what we can call a secret society?
"— So is the name XX itself a symbol?"
Ryukishi: Yes. It’s hard to understand a secret group of wealthy people, so that’s why I gave them the tentative name XX.
"— From now it will be questions about the keywords. I’d like to ask you about ●●●●●●. In the previous work, the parasite theory was denied, but it actually pretty close to the truth."
Ryukishi: Yes. It’s as close to the truth as you can get.
"— It just has been hidden among other crazy things."
Ryukishi: I used it as misdirection. At that point, I didn’t want readers to believe in it yet. However, it would have been too long to start explaining it in Minagoroshi-hen, so I just let the information flow in Tsumihoroboshi-hen.
"— After finishing Minagoroshi-hen, I wondered if ●●●●●● was really a thing."
"(Ryukishi, Yatazakura and BT grin at each other)"
"— Ohhhh. Nevermind."
Ryukishi: That’s pretty fun to talk about *laughs* In fact, some people believe that ●●●●●● doesn’t exist, and that others are delusional because they think it does. The only thing I can say is that ●●●●●● is just a plausible name someone gave to one of the rules XYZ of this village in a medical style. But whether there really is a ●●●●●● or not is left to individual interpretation. After all, if ●●●●●● really exists, it’s a very mental thing, isn’t it? I can’t say anything, because it’s difficult to distinguish mental things. However, as Shion uncovered long ago in Meakashi-hen, there is a belief in this village that on the night of Watanagashi Festival, it’s normal for one person to die and for one person to disappear because of Oyashiro-sama’s curse. Shion sees that this assumption continues to result in murder and tragedy. That’s what Shion called the Curse system, but you could call it ●●●●●● in medical terms. For example, everyone here knows about “Sazae-san syndrome” and that Sazae-san is always airing on Sundays evenings. So when you see it, you can’t help but sigh and think, “Tomorrow is Monday, I have to go to work again”. But it’s not like Sazae-san is toxic, right? It’s a normal, popular, long-living anime. As in this case, ●●●●●● is a socio-psychological disease that acts on the unconscious mind. In Higurashi, ●●●●●● is something that is thought of as being caused by a mental pathogen, which may or may not be true. So, just as □□ is a shadow cast by one of the rules, ●●●●●● is just a shadow cast by another rule.
"— I’m confused myself. So, does □□ believe in the existence of ●●●●●●?"
Ryukishi: I think □□ probably believes in it? That’s why they wrote down about its existence in their scrapbook and had to … Hinamizawa in 48 hours. □□ is in a position that reinforces rather than denies the existence of ●●●●●●. In response to this, Keiichi suggests that ●●●●●● is just an assumption and can be defeated with trust and communication. Keiichi and his friends are united against □□, who is trying to create a tragedy alone. If, thanks to some miracle, the helpless villagers were able to turn it over to an organization of such enormous scale that you will never be able to catch its tail… It’s amazing, isn’t it? I’m trying to figure out how to make it work now *bitter laugh*
"— Now, the latest chapter was meant to be “a very frustrating story”. However, it was also a work of hope that finally showed the way to the end. So can you tell us again the next chapter, Matsuribayashi-hen?"
Ryukishi: What was the keyword last time?
"— “Rika-chan is in trouble, falling down to 8th place?!” was scrapped (*laugh*), so in the end we stopped at “An Answer Arc you’ve waited for”."
Ryukishi: Right. Not an answer to the story, but an answer arc that everyone is waiting for. The next one, huh? Any ideas?
Yatazakura: I can only say that it’s finally coming to an end… There’s a word I really want to use, but it would be a spoiler.
"— I’d like to ask about the outline for the next chapter. If the previous solutions were in some way the answers to the first three chapters, the eighth part is simply…"
Ryukishi: Yes. It doesn’t have a counterpoint chapter. It’s going to be a new story. Kai that we’ve been working on so far is the other side of the first part that has “fixed” the previous chapters. Meakashi-hen is simply the story of “what happened to Shion back then”. In Tsumihoroboshi-hen, the point of view cast changes from Keiichi and Rena, and they switch their roles of bystander and the main character. In Minagoroshi-hen, there is a difference in the action, “what if this is how it was done then”. And the next chapter can’t make a pair with any other one. So you’re right, there’s no counterpart story next time.
"— That would make me expect it to be something completely different."
Ryukishi: If I had to name a paired chapter no matter what, this would be the solution to Himatsubushi-hen. Rika once said Akasaka, “I will definitely be killed in 1983”. “I don’t want to die, I just want to live a happy life…” she said. So what is the solution to that?! The direction and target that needed in order for Rika to be happy, to go through 1983, should have been somewhat clear this time. I think this is exactly what she meant, when he said at the end of Minagoroshi-hen, “I’m trying to imagine how I could have made the world a better place”. How can they become happy? Finally, the answer to Rika’s words in Himatsubushi-hen is going to be revealed… Maybe *laughs* It’s going to go in that direction, being entertainment in nature, while having some preachiness as a hidden flavor, and I hope that those who play the game will genuinely enjoy it.
"— Thank you. Hmmm. If we ask you too much about the next chapter, both we and the audience might regret it, but what is your next work’s point of view?"
Ryukishi: There are many. I can’t tell you from whose point of view it will be. This time, it’s more like an omnibus, where the story changes from one person’s point of view to another, collecting the thoughts and feelings of many different people, until it finally comes together in June of 1983. I can’t explain it very well right now. I’m still trying to figure out the structure. One of the themes of the story is that strong will leads to firm destiny, and the fact that the tragedy happens every time means that the person who tries to cause it has such a strong determination. So Rika needs more than just a determination to survive. There are many people’s thoughts and feelings. The bad guys have feelings too. All the thoughts come together to see who’s thoughts are the strongest!! And whoever is the most determined and has the best communication skills wins. Since this is a story on a game board, the roles of the pieces and the structure of the game version of each character have already been shown. Then the final game begins. Who will win this time? There was a thread on our forum about “How can we make it better?”, and this is the game about that. However, the “battle” in the world of Higurashi is not something where the result is achieved by arm strength, as I have said many times before. You’ll need knowledge, wisdom, and charisma. In the midst of all this, Keiichi is becoming more and more of a hero, he is developing charisma, he is gaining the strongest ability in that world which is to be able to overcome anything. It could be the ability to debate with others, the ability to unify people’s thoughts, or the agitation ability to get people excited. The battles in that world are settled by talking to each other in a very cultural way. People with good intuition may already realize that physically killing □□ won’t solve anything. Some of the more interesting theories say that □□ is also just a victim. That’s why we can say that the next chapter is really the solution to everything, and a confrontation with the enemy that is keeping Rika trapped in 1983. Now is the time to break through the wall of the labyrinth called 1983. And that’s the way summer is going to be. We can finish the goal now, can’t we?
"*Everyone laughs*"
Ryukishi: The piece named Rika in this board game is finally reaching the goal. But it’s so hard… If you don’t get it just right, you won’t be able to reach the goal and you’ll end up bouncing back, and one step ahead of the goal is the start. Next time is the last one! I think that’s all I can say. The curtain is finally coming down on Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, a story filled with joy, anger, sorrow, and many other things. Please look forward to it.
"— Finally, as a side note, can you tell us what you are going to do after the next chapter?"
Ryukishi: What should I make next? Well, I’m not sure. Well, for now, I’d like to finish “Higurashi” this summer and make a bonus disc in the winter. I’d like to make it with one kanji character, “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Something” and it to be something like “Rika-chan massacre chapter” (Rika-chan Daigyakusatsu-hen). I’d like to take a break there without rushing unnecessarily. However, it is our purpose in life to always make a pilgrimage to that place. Like, if you don’t have a new product, you shouldn’t go in there *laughs*
"— I will look forward to it. Thank you very much again."
| Higurashi no Nakasekata Part 4 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koi ni Volume 1
is the first volume of .
| Higurashi no Naku Koi ni Volume 1 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koi ni Volume 2
is the second volume of .
| Higurashi no Naku Koi ni Volume 2 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koi ni Volume 3
is the third and final volume of .
| Higurashi no Naku Koi ni Volume 3 |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2008 movie)
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2008 movie) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2016 drama)
In 2016, a Japanese live-action drama adaptation of was produced with two seasons. The first season, adapted the first three arcs in the Question Arcs and originally aired on SKY PerfecTV from May 20 to June 24, 2016.
The second season, covered the first two arcs in the Answer Arcs and aired from October 21 to November 11, 2016.
Promotion and Release.
The series was first announced on SKY PerfecTV's blog on January 10, 2016. It was announced that some of the cast members would be chosen from the idol group .
On April 13, 2016, it was announced that the show would begin airing on May 20, 2016. There would be 6 total episodes for the first season, 60 minutes each, airing every week. The announcement also revealed the title of the opening theme "Kimi wa doko ni iru?", and that it would be sung by NGT48. The official website went online on May 2, 2016. The Story section promised that the show was "faithful to the original" and "respected the worldview". The first episode was later rebroadcast online for free.
The official website for the second season went online on June 24, 2016. All of the cast from the first season reprised their roles. On October 13, 2016, it was announced that Toshiki Seto would join the cast as Satoshi Houjou. It was also announced that the first season would be rebroadcasted on October 14, 2016. The second season would begin broadcasting on October 21, the week after the first season's final rebroadcasted episode.
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2016 drama) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2020 anime)
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2020 anime) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Boikone)
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni was made available on the Boikone Japanese novel app starting on November 22, 2022. It presents the story through a messenger app style.
Release History.
The first half of "Onikakushi" was released for free on November 22, 2022, split into several chapters. The second half is set to release on December 5, 2022. "Watanagashi" and "Meakashi" are set for release in 2023.
Comparisons to Original Version.
Like the original PC novels, the Boikone version is unvoiced. However, this version does not reuse the same sound effects, music, or backgrounds, and instead uses stock music and backgrounds. Sound effects are not present in this version.
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Boikone) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Song)
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Song) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Taito)
Taito ported several story arcs and minigames, both old and new, to mobile cell phones.
Release History.
Taito released arcs and games on various services and with different names: for S! appli services ( phones), for i-appli/i-mode services ( phones), and for EZ appli services ( phones).
Original PC Arc Ports.
The 11 arcs from "Question Arcs", "Kai", and "Rei" were released from 2006 to 2009. The i-mode versions of "Higurashi" additionally featured new characters Mayumi Kimiyoshi and Shimiko Makino, and several new TIPS written by Ryukishi07.
Minigames that could be unlocked included Renapan and Strolling Rika-chan from the original sound novels, and a new game titled . It was a -style game that allowed you to play as different club members and use their special abilities.
Kataribanashi.
The "Kataribanashi-hen" story Limit was adapted into visual novel format and released on EZ phones on February 18, 2010. It featured new character artwork by Shuu. The arc was advertised as Kataribanashi-hen 1, implying that adaptations of other stories were planned.
Higurashi Re.
A remake titled "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Re" was released for i-mode phones that also featured new character art and CGs by Shuu. Only "Onikakushi" was released. The remake featured a date meter to tell you what day the story was at, and a hint function to give you tips on solving the story's mystery.
Events and Unlockable Content.
Several Watanagashi Festival game events were held in 2009, 2010, and 2011, where players could play games and win phone wallpapers, minigames, and other bonus content. Such content included:
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Taito) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (drama CD)
The drama CD adaptation of the main eight arcs of was produced by HOBiRECORDS from 2005 to 2012. Unlike other media adaptations, the drama CDs are characterized by their extensive use of music and sound effects from the original sound novels, as well as Ryukishi07 serving as supervisor and drawing cover art for the first six arc adaptations (with the "Minagoroshi" and "Matsuribayashi" CD covers being drawn by Namikai Harukaze). Each adaptation is over 200-300 minutes long and contains 3-6 discs. Each release also includes full-color booklets with text TIPS and passwords that granted access to audio TIPS if entered on a hidden page of the official website. Due to fan demand, audio TIPS from the first five arcs would later be released in CD quality on two Append Discs.
Release Information.
The drama CDs for the first 6 arcs were published by HOBiRECORDS and distributed by WAYUTA in collaboration with Geneon Entertainment, while the final two arcs were both published and distributed by the former. As the amount of content for each arc increased, the two longest arcs, "Minagoroshi" and "Matsuribayashi", were split into two and three CD sets respectively. The question arcs would later be rereleased, both separately and in a bundle pack, as part of the "HOBiRECORDS Selection" in 2013, distributed by HOBiBOX. Aside from updated copyright information, the content of the rereleases remained the same.
In addition to the main arc CDs, HOBiRECORDS also published two single CDs containing songs that play at the end of the "Meakashi" and "Tsumihoroboshi" adaptations, "you" and "Ano Hi, Ano Basho, Subete ni "Arigatou."" The CD for the former includes cover art by Fujiwara Warawara and a vocal version of "Thanks" arranged by dai, which was used as the opening theme for "Meakashi". The CD for the latter includes cover art by Miharu and a new song called "Overload" by Hatori Fūga (who also provided vocals for the original version of "Ano Hi, Ano Basho, Subete ni "Arigatou"" included on the CD) which is interspersed with dialogue written by Ryukishi07.
In 2005 and 2007, HOBiRECORDS published two "append discs" which contain audio TIPS from the first five arcs originally downloadable from a hidden page. The first append disc includes a special drama (6 minutes in length), which is based on the original story by Fujitaka, the artist who drew the cover illustration for the CD, and a booklet containing a special interview between Ryukishi07 and voice actress Kaori Mizuhashi. The second append disc's cover art was provided by Kurahana Chinatsu.
Voice Cast.
As this was the first adaptation of "Higurashi" to feature voice acting, there are some differences in the characters' performances compared to later adaptations, such as the feeble, gloomy image of Rika's voice in the early parts of "Onikakushi" and other arcs. The cast of the drama CDs was also chosen by Ryukishi07 himself, though some of the cast was changed for the anime and PS2 versions due to scheduling conflicts and other reasons (according to the production diary on the official drama CD website). Subsequent drama CDs released by Frontier Works follow the cast of the anime adaptation.
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (drama CD) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (mobile phones)
has been ported to mobile phones repeatedly over the years.
Digimerce Release.
HOBIBOX originally released "Onikakushi" for EZ and au phones. In 2006, Digimerce continued releasing chapters on the EZ app service . The 8 arcs from the Question Arcs and Kai, and "Saikoroshi" from "Rei" were released.
Taito Release.
Taito ported "Higurashi" to mobile phones from 2006 to 2009. Their release for i-mode phones included exclusive TIPS and new characters.
Dwango Release.
Two new arcs, "Niesagashi-hen" and "Kokorokuzushi-hen", were released by in 2007 as part of the service. Notably, they were released when the first two anime series by Studio DEEN were airing and use their art style and logos instead of those of the visual novel releases. The production teams of the animations were credited along with Ryukishi07 as a result.
Another new arc featuring the main cast in a larger role may have been planned but never released, as early screenshots of the Top 100 Mobile Game release showed reused anime screenshots and promised interactive choices.
Dwango also released a mahjong game called Higurashi Mahjong.
SEAMS Release (Smartphones).
The 8 arcs of the main story were released by SEAMS on iOS in 2010 and on Android from 2011 to 2012.
Wallpapers.
Two wallpapers for iPhone were released to commemorate the summer 2010 Comiket (C78).
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (mobile phones) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (novel)
The novel adaptations of the series were written by Ryukishi07 and published by Kodansha with illustrations by Tomohi from 2007 to 2009. The series covers the 8 arcs from the main story and Saikoroshi. "Matsuribayashi" is divided into 3 volumes, "Himatsubushi" and "Saikoroshi" have only one volume each, and the rest of the chapters are divided into 2 volumes each. There are a total of 17 volumes.
The series was republished by Seikaisha, a subsidiary of Kodansha, from 2011 to 2012.
A series of novelization aimed at junior students was being published by Futabasha starting in October 2020 and current covers the . It features illustrations by Sato Yoshimi.
Gallery.
Special Illustrations.
These are alternative versions of the Kodansha release covers that were published in the Pandora Spring 2008 issue.
Wallpapers.
These are desktop wallpapers available for download on Seikaisha's website.
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (novel) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (series)
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (series) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (song)
"For the series, please refer "
"For the album, please refer Higurashi no Naku Koro ni / Eiko Shimamiya"
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (ひぐらしのなく頃に・"When the Cicadas Cry") is the opening for the 2006 anime adaptation. It was performed by Eiko Shimamiya and the first of many songs performed by her featured in the anime and live action movie adaptations. The song was written by Shimamiya herself. A titular single featuring the full version was released on 24th May, 2006.
Video Releases.
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Lyrics.
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External Links.
Translation:
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (song) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (stage play)
is a series of stage play adaptations produced by Shingidan. "Naga" is an adaptation of "Watanagashi" while "Aka" is an adaptation of "Meakashi".
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (stage play) |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni / Eiko Shimamiya
"For the song, please refer Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (song)"
is a single album released for series. It is composed by Tomoyuki Nakazawa and Kazuya Takase and performed by Eiko Shimamiya, who later went on to perform many songs for the "Higurashi" franchise; which were featured in the anime and live action movie adaptations. The single was published by M:X and Frontier Works Inc. on May 24, 2006 and originally sold for 1260 JPY. Frontier Works Inc. would also be in charge of distribution alongside Geneon Entertainment.
The featured song Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is the opening theme for the 2006 anime . The album also contains an original song by Shimamiya.
Tracklisting.
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Disc1.
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| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni / Eiko Shimamiya |
fandom.07th-expansion | # Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 4-Koma Kingdom
is a 4-koma manga published by Futabasha.
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 4-Koma Kingdom |
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