Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou - Anime - AniDB (2024)

Those who we love the most are also the ones who will hurt us the most. - That, in a nutshell, is what

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou

slowly yet satisfactorily explores in this continuation of the Higurashi world.

First and foremost, this latest series is not a remake or a scene-for-scene retelling of the previous anime seasons!!

Gou

is, in fact, a continuation---or a "sequel" in the spirit of that word---from the story and events of the

Kai

season (and even the

Rei

OVA season if you prefer to include that into the world's chronology, as I do). The very first scene of Gou makes this somewhat clear without blatantly telegraphing where this season/series is going. In doing so, it maintains that sense of mystery that the previous seasons invoked so well! The first half of this 24-episode season seems to replicate the very first season (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) by exploring four-part story arcs focusing on 1-3 of the main cast that fans know and love. However, without going into details/spoilers, the second half transitions into territory that the previous seasons never got into---with the notable exception of

Rei

---mainly, what our set of main characters are like as they grow up in the years proceeding from the events of the

Kai

season. That alone would attract dedicated fans of the Higurashi characters/world to give this season a fair shake, at the least!

Animation: The character animation is "updated" from its '00s animation stylings into a style that fits a more mainstream anime appearance without drastically altering the unique features of each character, including secondary ones. However, some will not like the "updated" approach as it could take away from the charm that made the original animation endearing for many of its fans. Even so, I liked the "updated" animation quality overall, especially when it came to greater quality in the background art, detailed facial expressions, and the like. In my opinion, the animation of this season keeps the very spirit of the original seasons that make Higurashi is memorable and endearing, which is far more important than keeping a rigid fidelity to the original animation style!

Sound/Music: While I enjoyed the music of the previous seasons, the op & ed of this season is good enough for me. More importantly, it seems that nearly all of the original Japanese voice cast from the previous seasons has returned to voice the same characters for this season! That alone is a meaningful achievement for me and will likely be so for other fans!

Story: Overall, I greatly enjoyed the story and its pacing for this season, even if it ended on a cliffhanger (as usual). As I said above, it keeps the spirit of the previous seasons while adding new elements that contribute to the greater themes of this series. If you can keep up with all the subtle clues they drop-feed you in every episode, you will find moments that harken back to the previous seasons and others that diverge into new territory without feeling like they're just "making sh*t up" to fill up episodes. Suffice to say, in my opinion, and experience, if you are willing to trust the process of the unfolding story in this season---especially when it throws you curveballs that harken up to its psychological-horror genre---you will be rewarded with a tragic yet engaging story arc! ;_; [That said, I can't wait for

Sotsu

to finish airing!] See the first paragraph for more on this point.

Characters: If you watched the previous seasons of Higurashi, the characters that you've come to know and love and hate have not changed much at all in terms of their motivations, personalities, and unique charms. If anything, I felt

Gou

allowed nearly all of them to grow in depth! The pacing of the scenes expects that you have seen the previous seasons and have gotten to know both the main and secondary characters inside and out in the process. As such, you will be rewarded with deeper expressions and experiences with these characters, even if they revisit past events and arcs in a slightly new perspective/twist.

Value/Enjoyment: If you haven't guessed already, I greatly enjoyed this latest season of Higurashi! :-) In terms of value, I was surprised by how much I came to appreciate the

Gou

season as a valuable continuation of the Higurashi world/themes. While the argument can be made that the world's story ended with the conclusion of

Kai

and/or

Rei

(and that argument certainly has merit), the direction this season took the overall story arc came across as a natural problem our characters would need to wrestle with eventually in light of what all they've endured in

Kai

both collectively and individually. In short, for fans of the Higurashi series, I think this season provides us an opportunity to flush out the world and the characters while adding something meaningful to that expansion. Only time will tell if this renewed continuation lives up to that evaluation as the story initiated with

Guo

continues in the next season of

Sotsu

. :thumbup:

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou - Anime - AniDB (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Madonna Wisozk

Last Updated:

Views: 6118

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Madonna Wisozk

Birthday: 2001-02-23

Address: 656 Gerhold Summit, Sidneyberg, FL 78179-2512

Phone: +6742282696652

Job: Customer Banking Liaison

Hobby: Flower arranging, Yo-yoing, Tai chi, Rowing, Macrame, Urban exploration, Knife making

Introduction: My name is Madonna Wisozk, I am a attractive, healthy, thoughtful, faithful, open, vivacious, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.