When They Cry (2006) - Disturbing Horror/Mystery Anime

[DrNgor]

Japanese title:  Higurashi no naku koro ni - 26 episodes - Adaptation of the visual novel series. See the backstory for the series in this post.

The anime is divided into six arcs. The first three arcs tell alternate stories of the five main characters--newcomer Maeburo Keiichi, upperclassman Sonozaki Mion, kawaii-fanatic Ryûgû Rena, trickster Hôjô Satoko, and teenage priestess Furude Rika--during the events of June of 1983, specifically during the village's annual Cotton Drifting Festival. Each iteration goes off in its own demented direction, generally ending in murder and insanity.

The fourth arc sort of bookends the series as a whole, telling a story set before the initial murder in the village of Hinamizawa and suggesting that:

Spoiler

no matter what happens to the characters in each arc, the village will ultimately succumb to a natural disaster involving toxic, vulcanic gases, which will kill off everybody still living in Hinamizawa.

The fifth arc is a retelling of one of the previous arcs, but from the point of view of another character, which turns the entire narrative on its head.

The final arc starts in one place and ends in a completely different one, giving us an explanation for the Oyashiro-sama Curse. It also is the only arc that has a relatively happy ending.

What I like is how each subsequent arc reveals more and more about the main characters, despite Keiichi usually being the nominal lead character in each of them--at least the first three. With each thing we learn about the characters, different aspects of the previous arcs become clearer in retrospect. Most questions are answered by the final episode, although the ending is quite ambiguous. I understand that the second series, "When They Cry: Kai", explains more about the cyclical nature of the stories. The series on the whole is enjoyable, if disturbing, and I liked all the twists, turns and reveals that pop up as each story progresses.

Edited April 12, 2022 by DrNgor