Operation Backlog Completion 2025

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 7

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 032025
 

I know, I know, I once again waited a year before continuing Higurashi.

As September neared its end, I suddenly remembered my intention of finishing Higurashi before playing Silent Hill f… so what better way to start out Celebrating All Things Spooky than with Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 7: Minagoroshi?

When we last left off, Higurashi had once again played mind games with me by giving me an explanation that sounded legitimate but was just a little too convenient. This time, it stopped playing games and actually started answering questions.

Chapter 7 is mostly split between the viewpoints of Keiichi and Rika, and since Rika has been one of the most mysterious characters for a while now, that clarified a lot.

Click for Higurashi Chapter 7 spoilers
My theory that Rika was either jumping timelines or resetting the timeline is essentially correct. After her death, she and Hanyuu are able to rewind time to try again, although they’re now restricted to only going back a few weeks.

This was, surprisingly, one of the most upbeat Higurashi chapters for a good portion of time. It still had heavy themes, but it was going in a much more positive direction. Of course, the existence of an eighth chapter stopped me from getting too optimistic about how things would work out.

What stands out to me the most is how it answers questions that I’ve had ever since I played Chapter 1, mysteries that have been lurking in the back of my mind ever since. Getting answers after all this time was such a good feeling.

Click for major Higurashi Chapter 7 spoilers
Takano was one of the characters I’d been the most suspicious of, but I still wasn’t prepared for the reveal and just how ruthless and cold she is. I’m curious if the next chapter will expand more on her motivations, because her scenes were some of the most interesting (in a twisted sort of way).

(The irony is that earlier in this chapter, I’d been thinking, “Maybe Takano actually is a good person, just with morbid interests.” Okay, well, maybe not.)

I’m also fascinated by the fact that Higurashi has routinely thrown out various possibilities–is it supernatural? is it all just paranoia? is it a big government coverup?–and the answer appears to be “yes.” Rika’s foresight and Hanyuu’s presence have supernatural explanations, Hinamizawa Syndrome induces hallucinations and intense paranoia, and the people studying the illness have a secret military force that erases all evidence when things go bad.

All the time I was playing the earlier chapters, I was torn because picking any single explanation didn’t feel like a good enough answer, so it’s interesting that it’s actually a mix.

I don’t know how well the explanations in this chapter are generally received, but personally, I enjoyed it quite a bit. This was one of the craziest chapters to read, and I loved it.

The ending was so intense and exciting that I couldn’t stop playing it. I had to find out what was going to happen this time. And now that I’ve finished Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 7: Minagoroshi, I can’t wait to get into Chapter 8.

Seriously. No long wait this time. It’ll be soon, because I need to see the resolution.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 6

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 252024
 

Last year, I made some solid progress in Higurashi and reached Chapter 5 in October.

Unfortunately, I unintentionally took another year-long break, so it’s taken me this long to get to the next chapter.

But now I have, so it’s time to talk about Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 6: Tsumihoroboshi.

The past two chapters have had different viewpoint characters, and this one splits most of the story between Keiichi and Rena. We learn a lot more about Rena’s past and have some truly emotional, heartfelt moments, and then…

Then things really get interesting.

While reading this chapter, there was a point where I believed Higurashi had finally given me all the answers and explained everything, revealed what was really going on. But then I began to get suspicious. It was a little too neat and tidy.

What followed was the most intense build-up of paranoia since the first chapter. I went back and forth so many times on what I believed, and that made it all the more interesting to read. It’s hard to say anything much about this chapter without spoilers, but suffice it to say that I still have many, many questions.

Click for major Higurashi Chapter 6 spoilers
The parasite theory made so much sense at first, but it seems like it was just Rena’s paranoid delusion after all… but that still leaves questions. Tomitake’s death is similar to Rena’s behavior during her maggot delusions. The disaster does feel like a cover-up.

While I still have a lot of confusion there, I’m much more confident in my theory that Rika is traveling between timelines (or resetting the timeline) to try to find a branch that doesn’t lead to disaster. It was such a good moment when Keiichi remembered his actions in the first chapter, not to mention Rika realizing that he remembered.

(Rika talking to Rena at the car was incredibly creepy, though.)

Meanwhile, both Ooishi and and Takano continue to be suspicious. Both of them have nudged things toward disaster in multiple episodes. This episode paints Takano as simply an occult nut or a conspiracy theorist, but other episodes made her actions seem more sinister. Ooishi’s point-of-view chapters here feel like they should exonerate him, but at the same time, him telling Rena about Takano’s time of death really pushed her over the edge. Was that really just an innocent mistake even though he already knew how precarious her mental state was?

It might have left me with a lot of questions, but this is one of my favorite parts of Higurashi so far. The atmosphere and sense of paranoia was incredible, and it was a great choice for this time of year.

Of course, if you haven’t played Higurashi yet, you’ll want to start from the beginning. But if you’ve played up through Chapter 5 like I had, you won’t regret moving on to Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 6: Tsumihoroboshi. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 5

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  10 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 092023
 

Earlier this year, we discussed the third and fourth chapters of the horror visual novel Higurashi When They Cry.

Now, as part of this year’s spooky October, it’s time to talk about Higurashi When They Cry – Ch. 5 Meakashi, which is an important turning point since it’s the start of the Answer Arcs.

The previous chapter presented things from a different viewpoint instead of following Keiichi, the protagonist of the first three. Chapter 5 also has a different point-of-view character, this time showing us events through the eyes of Shion.

Chapter 5 covers two periods of time. The first part of the story takes place a year in the past, to show the events leading up to Satoshi’s disappearance. This was an interesting look at events only referenced before.

Click for Higurashi Chapters 3 and 5 spoilers
I also found it unsettling just how closely the events surrounding the murder of Satoko’s aunt parallel the murder of her uncle in Chapter 3. During that part of Chapter 3, Keiichi spent a good deal of time thinking about how it probably happened exactly like this for Satoshi, but it almost seems too close (except, of course, that the aunt stays dead). Coincidence? Like so many other things in this story, I don’t know.

The second part of the story covers events we’re more familiar with, as it follows the same path as Chapter 2. Many parts of Chapter 2 were unclear, and seeing them from a new perspective explains quite a bit.

Not only is it informative, but it’s also quite dark, one of the creepier entries so far. If you’ve played Chapter 2, you’re already familiar with how things spiral out of control… and now here in Chapter 5, you see how it all happened. That’s not to say everything is explained, though. My biggest questions coming out of Chapter 2 still remain.

Click for Higurashi Chapters 2 and 5 spoilers
The timeline surrounding Shion’s death and her stabbing Keiichi is still unclear. It doesn’t address Takano being dead before the scene in the storehouse, either.

More interestingly, this chapter carefully builds up an explanation for how the Sonozaki family could be responsible for the supposed “curse of Oyashiro-sama,” but then tears it down, with Mion swearing that her grandmother only let it be implied that they were responsible for the deaths/disappearances because of the power that suggested.

Rika is very suspicious in this chapter, as she shows up with a syringe that causes the victim to tear out their own throat, like how Tomitake died (and Keiichi in Chapter 1). The game makes an intentional parallel between her footsteps and the extra footstep that someone cursed by Oyashiro-sama hears, too.

Right now, I’m sticking with my theory from Chapter 4 that Rika is trying to avert a bad future and causing multiple timelines as a result, but it still doesn’t explain everything.

Anyway, Higurashi When They Cry – Ch. 5 Meakashi had me thoroughly invested, as it shows events from a different point of view and explained some of the confusing events from Chapter 2. It’s also the last one I already had in my backlog, so I’ll need to pick up the remaining three chapters someday soon.

I still have many questions. Where is this going? Will everything be explained? Will the payoff be satisfying after all this buildup? One way or another, our Higurashi journey will continue with Chapter 6.

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