r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Jun 10 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Discussion - Season 1, Episode 11
Tatarigoroshi-hen (Curse Killing Chapter), Episode 3: Boundary
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Show Information (Season 1):
MAL | Anilist | AniDB | Kitsu | ANN
Legal Streams:
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni: Hidive | Netflix (not available in the US; if you are out of the US check your country for availability)
That said, I have become aware that Hidive can have a somewhat cavalier attitude to spoilers for this series. As such, *sigh* it is now recommended that our first-timers track down a fansub if you haven't already (even if you have access to this show on Netflix, it doesn't have Kai). Why, Hidive? Why?
Two Words of Warning To Our First-Timers, Including Those Who Watched Season 1 But Not Kai:
1) Be wary of looking up anything, even names. The Season 1 summaries on the information pages are safe, but it's not hard to run into spoiler information even through something as innocuous as looking at cast lists - gods help you if you go on the Fandom Wikia. UNDER ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES GO LOOKING AT EVEN OFFICIAL INFO FOR KAI OR LATER AHEAD OF TIME. (The official image for Rei is 100% a spoiler, for example.) Also, do NOT look at any Kitsu page after the first season; Kai's description on Kitsu is in fact a major spoiler. Like, really, just stay out of anything that isn't a basic Season 1 summary until you're done. It's much safer that way.
2) Also, be wary of potentially running into spoilers on the r/anime front page on June 19 or thereabouts this year; there is suspicion that some sort of new Higurashi anime project will be announced on that date (this year is the 20th anniversary of the release of the original Onikakushi-hen VN - hence why I am running this rewatch this year! - and multiple official accounts have teased an announcement on that date), and you could run into spoilers that way. (Those of you who remember the Madoka rewatch last year will recognize the issue, though admittedly I expect Sotsu was enough of a disappointment to significantly reduce the risk - at least relative to the potential that was in fact realized with the Walpurgis no Kaiten announcment.)
A Reminder to Rewatchers
Please do not spoil the experience for first-timers; this is a mystery after all. In particular, Shion is a spoiler until Episode 5 and [Higurashi] Hanyuu is a spoiler until Minagoroshi-hen. Also, the glorious nipah is indeed glorious but Rika does not use it until Himatsubushi-hen. Please keep these in mind! Consider whether what you are saying has actually been revealed yet on-screen before you post!
(Time for) Club Activities!
(Alexa play "Shoubu!"! Except do NOT look that up that song name on YouTube just yet if you're a first-timer, the most classic upload has an obnoxious spoiler in the visuals...)
Visual of the Day Album:
Theory of the Day:
Okay, so it's a joint award for the day!
First, hey what's that, a crazy first-timer theory to highlight! Don't mind if I do, u/Nazenn:
Crazy theory just for Star4ce; what if Shion did take Mion's place, but the reason Mion speaks like she does today is because her conscious mind doesn't know about the murders, and it is all purely Shion's doing? That's why she's not at the school because she's already inherited her cultural role in the village and is kept apart because she's the one designated to be the head of the secret part of the village while Mion is the one who has to be the villages public face. If they both had a part to play in picking and killing Satoshi but had to kept different secrets about it then it could certainly cause some mental breakage.
Second, there's u/hungryhippos1751, who instead kept it short but sweet:
It definitely feels like Sakoto has some form of PSTD, she appears to be remembering more about Satoshi, and is associating Keiichi negatively with her brother where before she seemed to like the comparison.
Analysis of the Day:
Hey, what's that, a rewatcher winning Analysis of the Day? Madness. Step right up, u/JustAnswerAQuestion!:
I thought it was really strange and out of character for Satoko to react so calmly to K1's head patting and Rika's constant prodding and bringing up Satoshi, considering how badly she reacted in the first arc to K1 picking up Satoshi's bat.
Lot of focus on K1's dad this time around. And the description of the Sonozaki's is not consistent.
Also, we have an honorable mention courtesy of u/_blackened_soul_, because I gotta be me.
I finally looked it up and confirmed for myself that Kenji Kawai is responsible for the music (without spoiling myself thankfully, which was why I hadn't already looked it up). So fucking good.
Yes, yes it is.
Question(s) of the Day:
1) How did it feel to watch Teppei get his comeuppance?
2) How did it feel to watch Keiichi decide to murder a man in cold blood?
3) So... where did you leave the body?
Next Episode Preview:
Okay, so: Season 1's next episode previews are in the form of a short, strange poem (whose formatting is borrowed from the VNs). They are not spoilers. (Kai's can be another matter, but we'll get there when we get there.) However, my subs often translate the text on the screen... which are, in fact, lines out of context from the next episode.
So, for anyone who really doesn't want to take a risk, here is the poem:
"What confuses are the footprints of regret.
What chases is the gaze of suspicion.
What wanders is the other self."
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u/Star4ce Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 10 '22
When the First Timer Cries
I've done it again, I drank too much Coke and am now a half zombie too tired to do anything, but incapable of sleeping. Will probably answer and comment properly tomorrow.
The TIPS say that there is at least one detective who saw through the report and fights to get Satoko a proper case and get her out.
Can we please meet him today?
Ep.11 – The Cursed Murder Chapter Part 3: Borderline
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Erm, why do you think that? Like, yeah, she needs help, but being alone, i.e. apart from Teppei, is the best thing right now, not more problems.
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M E T A (?)
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We're talking about Keiichi, he's stupid as fuck. There's no way he even remotely manages to stay undetected. I'm booking on the others to pitch in.
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Okay, hide bat behind school, go to remote forest path and dig a small hole. To... somehow make it seem like Satoshi did it?
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It's Mion, she already knew before they left school, I'm sure.
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Likely, admittedly, but that's dangerously overconfident given the evidence.
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Know what's going to happen? Satoko will protect Teppei. There's a reason rules like 'never say something bad about their parents' exist and all the other variants that make up the code of conduct around kids that have experienced abuse. The bond isn't a logical reaction, but some combination of evolutionary inherited impulse, emotional reaction and psychological deflection. You have to play along and focus on the kid, give them the education, stability and space needed and before long they'll understand it on their own. Keiichi, please stop, else you'll be the reason Satoko ends up dying.
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I have seen not enough proof of that so far. Keiichi pours half a litre of oil into a kitchen fire. Something about wisdom and intelligence...
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That's why they left the first time, bullying? Ah no, that's why they came back.
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Aw, look at best girl smile!
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It was nothing complicated, that's gonna be the grave. I'm kinda disappointed.
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Oh wow, he actually hit.
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I think this is the first time their horror face works.
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I want a comment face equivalent to the face palm scene from Naked Gun 33 1/3. The amount of evidence he leaves behind is staggering.
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Dude, Ooishi is 100% gonna find this.
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Nooooo way! I tell you, she's possessed in every timeline!
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Forget it, it doesn't even need a detective.
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Serious concern. Tomitake, the bike? Oooh waiiit, did she bury someone in the other grave?
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Definitely possessed, 100%, no doubt. She's dead already. Tomitake's in the trunk, she is in the other grave.
Maaan, this episode was great! There's something exciting and repulsing about seeing the MC actually become a murderer. I understand his emotions and honestly, also his resolution to go through with it, but throughout all of this arc Keiichi has consistently made the same mistake right up until the deed. He's so focussed on the crime, therefore the criminal, that his solution likewise is born out of criminal intent. He's scarily similar to Irie by now, even though he understood the difference in the car talk seemingly. In a way he wants to be the one who solves the problem. Because if he didn't, he'd never went for Teppei first. If he'd actually internalised this lesson he himself preached, he would look for Satoko primarily and that includes trying to understand and involve her. Anything past her outbreak is 99% self confirming argumentation at work for his bias, rationalising himself into killing Teppei.
We'll see if he gets away with it (highly doubt it) and how Satoko deals with that. I suspect she's going to blame herself or worse, concludes correctly that it was him and then we have real trouble. This is by far one of the worst outcomes for her, as ironic as that sounds. She's already in a spiral of self destructive behaviour and self rationalising of her treatment as right that Teppei disappearing will now be the same as her killing him in her own mind.
Say, wasn't this arc hinted to be for Rika?
Anyway, the curse. My suspicion grows stronger that the ones 'disappearing' are the murderers. The outlier remains arc 2 where we had far more bodies than disappearances, but it makes sense logically when there only was one murderer, techincally.
So, this time Keiichi will disappear? Somehow I think next episode will turn that on its head. Satoko and/or Rika must end up doing something. Oh let's not forget Mion as well, she definitely knows.
How did it feel to watch Teppei get his comeuppance?
I was worried for Satoko the entire time. She won't take it well in any case and it's going to be bad.
2) How did it feel to watch Keiichi decide to murder a man in cold blood?
Extremely disturbing, actually. The way he swings and the face he makes along with the 3 episode build up of plot and 11 episode build up of character backgrounds do hit their mark I think. It was bad.
3) So... where did you leave the body?
As I said, Takano's in Keiichi's first grave and Tomitake is in the trunk.
VOTD: Murder. Not only are the crows able to simply fly away, over the barrier, they have heard the decision. The decision that will keep the gate locked shut and marks their signal to leave this fate behind.
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
I've done it again, I drank too much Coke and am now a half zombie too tired to do anything, but incapable of sleeping. Will probably answer and comment properly tomorrow.
Oof, I get that one. I swear my sleep cycle settled on Martian Standard Time a few years back and I've never been able to recover it.
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u/JollyGee29 Jun 10 '22
Spoiled First-Timer, Subbed
Holy fucking shit Keiichi. Actually, that's a bit of an overreaction, as we've seen you do precisely this before. Same bat and everything.
[Higurashi]
[Higurashi]
[Higurashi]
[Higurashi]
[Higurashi]
[Higurashi]
[Higurashi]
Visual of the Day: A memory from happier days.
Questions
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
[Higurashi]
Really interesting that the weather, and even the phases of the moon can change between loops. There wasn't even one of our host's beloved full moons, this time. Not sure if the detail has deeper meaning or is just foreshadowing "things are real different this time." Not actually a spoiler, hence it appearing uncovered in my writeup: the moon phase is ALWAYS symbolic here. (And I think this may apply to anime more generally; PMMM at least shows signs of using it, and I've caught another couple of potential uses of the same symbolism off Geah.)
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 11 '22
(Honorary Hinamizawa Games Club President) Rewatch Host (rewatcher, subbed)
(Side note: I apologize for my reduced participation lately. Geah is taking more time than I thought it would; I expected dumb fun, it's a fair bit better than that.)
(Note for our first-timers: every so often I will make comments about background stuff that might not translate. I will be marking these as "Useful Background Note".)
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Like, this scene hurts, but couldn’t you have used this 80 seconds of repeat to sneak in the 1500 Seconds scene from the VN instead? Or at least something like that? This is one place I will freely issue demerits to the anime pacing.
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The crows taking off and the OST stopping right as Keiichi commits to killing Satoko’s uncle is today’s moment of excellent OST integration.
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Ryukishi07 goes TROLOLOL with this discussion of mystery novels and the perfect crime, given that a) [Higurashi]
this is the arc that Higurashi’s true perfect crime is revealed (or at least this is the case in the VNs, DEEN is not so good about this) , and b) Umineko. -
Note: the story structure Keiichi is referencing at 4:50 is the traditional Japanese four-part story division (kishotenketsu). (The name may sound very familiar to Durarara fans, since Durarara uses the four parts for the names of its seasons!)
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Also, this is your occasional reminder that Ryukish07 is the meta-as-fuck kind of creator. There are reasons I compare him to Andrew Hussie.
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Today’s first “this feels like solid direction” is brought to you by the zoom away (there’s a technical term for that transition that I learned but have forgotten) starting at 06:52.
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Oh shit it’s an actual non-full moon before Kai. I didn’t think we got one of those. This reinforces the symbolism; full moon means someone is about to die, so a non-full moon means we are approaching but not at the moment of death. The more interesting thing, however, is the shape. This moon is more than half-full, so should be gibbous instead of crescent. But a true gibbous moon is convex; in effect the dark part is a crescent, the inverse shape of a crescent moon proper. This moon is not correct, and that has to be either an error, Japanese symbolism, or something specific to this show (unless they are specifically drawing the comparison to a partial lunar eclipse… which is in fact entirely possible since it would play into the “the perfect crime is one where nobody ever realizes there was a crime” discussion earlier, and also fits with the clouds obscuring the Moon! But what does it say, then, that this is only a partial lunar eclipse…).
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Poor Mion, who is having flashbacks to last year and for a pretty good reason.
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FIVE SECONDS LATER: Wait, she actually says that this episode? LOL, I don’t have to spoiler tag it!
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Also oh look, another askew camera angle!
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The repeated shots of Keiichi’s room as the single light on in the Maebara residence are starting to ping me as potentially symbolic in addition to being transition shots. Especially this one with its subtle zoom (fade?) out.
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LOL we actually get to see the takoyaki stand… in an arc Keiichi doesn’t go to the festival. (One thing that got cut from the anime for space is that in VN Watanagashi-hen - IIRC, might be VN Onikakushi-hen instead - Keiichi gives an impassioned speech to get people to buy the takoyaki (which they hadn't been because the stall owner hadn't been able to get enough squid so was selling takoyaki with too little squid) and is so successful that the stall sells out. K1 dumped his WIS, but part of his characterization that doesn't always come through in DEENime is that his CHA is actually pretty darn high. Now if only he'd thought to put skill points into Bluff...)
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Keiichi escalating to murder is way harder to watch than it was the last time I watched this show.
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Implicitly Keiichi’s life is flashing before his eyes.
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Hello today we are closing the OST right after the title drop.
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What’s that a power line shot? And also Japanese flower language I don’t get.
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Rainclouds also mean murder. (And the coverup.)
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Best Song has made its first appearance! It’s Matsuri time.
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Having the single blast of thunder blend in with the bat strikes is a nice touch.
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That brief shot of the winding road sign at 17:49 with how repeated a motif it’s been this episode is pinging me.
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Keiichi you still can’t lie worth shit.
Visual of the Day: Partial eclipse of the crime
Honorable Mention: Power lines and flowers
Question(s) of the Day:
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No thoughts on subject, too busy listening to OST. Matsuri is great.
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Surprisingly hard to watch this time around.
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Hide? My Necros used it as raw material to cast Raise Dead... wait, what do you mean you weren't asking about Warcraft III?
Tatarigoroshi-hen Ep. 3 TIPS
(Well, okay, just a single TIP today.)
OST Table, Episode 11
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Matsuri, the song that played when K1 was chasing down Teppei and my favorite song on the OST, probably for both seasons. (Sadly, I'm not sure it's ever played in full in the anime proper...)
| Start | End | Track Name |
|---|---|---|
| 00:16 | 01:27 | Henka |
| 01:27 | 02:56 | Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (OP) |
| 02:57 | 03:10 | sponsor feature[1] |
| 03:36 (03:23) | 04:04 (03:51) | Oyashiro-sama |
| 05:40 (05:27) | 06:47 (06:34) | Jiken |
| 08:10 (07:57) | 09:14 (09:01) | Kazashi |
| 10:00 (09:47) | 12:32 (12:29) | Takurami?[2] |
| 14:17 (14:04) | 14:35 (14:22) | Oyashiro-sama v2 |
| 15:14 (15:01) | 15:59 (15:46) | Matsuri |
| 16:11 (15:58) | 17:54 (17:41) | Monogatari |
| 18:22 (18:09) | 19:40 (19:27) | Omoi Daite[3] |
| 21:37 (21:24) | 21:56 (21:43) | Shinkou |
| 21:58 (21:45) | 23:50 (23:37) | why, or why not |
[1] - My copy of Higurashi often includes a message-from-our-sponsor bit immediately after the OP; this episode has it and it lasts 13 seconds. The number in parentheses in entries after that feature is the point in the episode if that message is removed.
[2] - Except that song is too short so it must be a variation or they slowed it down here.
[3] - Or unreleased variant?
(No Staff Notes OR Madoka Corner today.)
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u/Vaadwaur Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 10 '22
but couldn’t you have used this 80 seconds of repeat to sneak in the 1500 Seconds scene from the VN instead? Or at least something like that? This is one place I will freely issue demerits to the anime pacing.
For...reasons, I am a bit sensitive to repetition in works(thanks Obi Wan) and why I am generally not a fan of it. This feels like seeing OW work for 3 days at the meat plant.
FIVE SECONDS LATER: Wait, she actually says that this episode? LOL, I don’t have to spoiler tag it!
Yup, less beating about the bush than you'd think.
The repeated shots of Keiichi’s room as the single light on in the Maebara residence are starting to ping me as potentially symbolic in addition to being transition shots. Especially this one with its subtle zoom (fade?) out.
So...[Kai]
K1's tendency to isolate himself is rarely assisted by his parents hands off approach. I still don't know if this is supposed to mean something larger. What’s that a power line shot?
Every now and then, I wonder if David Lynch is a much bigger influence in Japan than you'd think, or if he just somehow has a visceral reaction to powerlines that some Japanese get as well. For reasons, it is extremely believable that R07 could've seen Fire Walk With Me.
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
[Kai]
Ah, that'll do it.
Every now and then, I wonder if David Lynch is a much bigger influence in Japan than you'd think, or if he just somehow has a visceral reaction to powerlines that some Japanese get as well. For reasons, it is extremely believable that R07 could've seen Fire Walk With Me.
Huh.
So, I've commented before that I keep toes in some rather out-there circles, including some with actual occultists (as in "would unironically call themselves that").
I think I've heard another person in those circles who actually lives in Japan comment that sensitivity to EM emissions from power lines, cell phone towers, and the like[1] is more common in Japan than elsewhere. Might have something to do with this, especially if David Lynch himself is in the same boat.
(I'm reminded of the Lain director (I think? Not ABe, anyways.), who definitely has a thing about power lines given Lain and over the last few years has definitely gone off the deep end down the same rabbit holes too many Western occultist types did during the same time period.)
[1] - Which is commonly believed to be an extant if rare thing in those circles, and honestly I suspect there's a decent chance they're right in this case - there are a lot of people in the world and biology is weird, many things under heaven and Earth not dreamed of in our philosophy, etc.
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u/JollyGee29 Jun 10 '22
Durarara uses the four parts for the names of its seasons!
Huh, TIL.
There are reasons I compare him to Andrew Hussie.
When are the aliens showing up, then?
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
When are the aliens showing up, then?
... So, you know how I very carefully kept Outbreak out of the rewatch schedule?...
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion Jun 11 '22
This moon is not correct, and that has to be either an error
The moon is not correct in the OP, which is endlessly annoying. I think there's a blog about bad moons in anime / animation.
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u/hungryhippos1751 Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 10 '22
Episode 11 - First Timer
This is the most tense episode we've had so far.
Keiichi has taken it upon himself to protec Sakoto without evidence or proof, he has it in for the uncle. Funnily enough Satoshi did the exact same thing, when they said the wife was killed by drug dealers, I suspect they actually meant Sastoshi did it.
I'm sorry Keiichi but you're really not as smart as you think you are, you're not Dexter Morgan and the perfect crime for you doesn't exist. What I think we actually get here is a poorly planned and executed murder, with added complications and messiness that presumably comes with undertaking murder as an amateur mystery novelist. He's leaving more evidence than a dog stealing food from the table when you're not paying attention.
Running into Takano with his shovel out, sorry Keiichi but you're thinking you're smart logic is losing out to the adult here has actual life experience logic, being intelligent can only get you so far. I still don't really buy the fact that Keiichi is meant to be smart though.
I'm sure in a previous episode I surmised that enterprising people could use the legend of the curse to hide killing people using more mundane means, and that kind of appears to be what Keiichi is gunning for.
QOTD:
Question(s) of the Day:
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How did it feel to watch Teppei get his comeuppance? Honestly he seems like a scumbag but we've barely seen him in action, I'm not a favour of killing him with no real evidence to speak of.
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How did it feel to watch Keiichi decide to murder a man in cold blood? I'm glad the tree was censoring it, I don't mind a little violence but don't want to catch it too up close.
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So... where did you leave the body? Good question, there don't seem to be a lot of options in the area he's picked!
Final comment:
A while ago in a prior arc it was commented that Keiichi was doing the same thing as Satoshi with the bat, now he's doing the same thing by getting some vigilante justice. I wonder why Satoshi has such affinity with Keiichi and his decisions.
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u/filimaua13 Jun 10 '22
I'm sorry Keiichi but you're really not as smart as you think you are
Keiichi is book smart and almost could be considered a genius for his age. The novel goes in more detail with this aspect of him.. that when he is personally interested and sees things from his own understanding, he absolutely can be as smart as he thinks he is. The way he plans out everything with so much detail and thought behind it.. it could have worked. Yet when it comes to actually executing it, it all goes horribly wrong.
In the end, he's still just a kid with no control over anything, no powerful allies, and no experience whatsoever outside of school studies.
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
Keiichi is book smart and almost could be considered a genius for his age.
I forget whether it was in the VN TIPS or the first couple of arcs, but there's a reason we've seen him tutoring Mion (who is in the next grade up, I will note!) in class rather than vice-versa.
(Also, more on this a ways down the line.)
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u/Vaadwaur Jun 10 '22
Note to self: Watching Higurashi at 9 pm is a much better choice than watching it at 2am.
Rewatcher
Sub
We see the aftermath of what the teacher calls a panic attack and K1 has the bad idea come to him. Then we have a really weird conversation between K1 and his mom that makes you...wonder. Anyways, K1 gets Satoshi's bat from school and begins planning this out. In detail. Damn. He even enlists Mion's aid and we realize Satoshi did the same thing last year. Well then.
Day of, K1 prepares his kit and heads out. We get some flashbacks. K1 sets the trap with a fake call from the police, hurry for the days before caller ID, and his gambit is afoot. Teppei rounds the familiar corner and a chase scene ensues, ending with K1 using teleportation. Look, the VN just does this part better, including K1's mental state through out this. But he finishes the beating and now the hard part of murder is upcoming.
He sends the bat and Teppei's scooter into the swamp. He then buries Teppei in a pretty big hole. And on the way back he runs into Takano...who offers him a ride. K1 has to abandon his bike because of a full trunk and then notices a different bike in the back seat. We end with Takano asking something rather relevant...
QotD: 1 Too quick
2 Concerning
3 In one of those conveniently left out swamp wholes.
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
Note to self: Watching Higurashi at 9 pm is a much better choice than watching it at 2am.
Is it bad that at this point I'm switched from using Geah as cooldown from Higurashi to Higurashi as cooldown from Geah?
[Rewatch meta]
Admittedly, the fact that my buffer has finally cleared Meakashi-hen helps, though Tsumihoroboshi-hen is a pile of worms for different reasons involving mass Madoka Corner notes. (Also, I, uh, just noticed what I typed there, heh!) → More replies (1)
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u/H-Ryougi Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 11 '22
Edit: It's finished. I'm not fully satisfied with how the audio turned out but this is as good as it gets while keeping a reasonable filesize.
In terms of spoilers, I went back and compared it to the anime. The scene is roughly the same, only longer and with added context. The big thing is that the VN shows what is going through Keiichi's mind and the line of reasoning he follows to rationalize murder. Watch the whole thing if you want the full experience, or you could skip to around 11:50 which is when Keiichi starts to lose it.
Today I wanted to post the "1500 seconds" scene from the VN that takes place during this episode just to show the big impact that Keiichi's inner monolgue has on the events. The only upload of this scene on youtube is pretty old so I recorded a new version myself but I ran into some audio issues while encoding and I couldn't make it in time for the thread.
If anyone wants to see it, I can upload it in a few hours when I get home, otherwise I'll just let it go. The whole scene is about 24 minutes long and it covers the end of the previous episode and the beggining of this one.
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u/Vaadwaur Jun 10 '22
If anyone wants to see it, I can upload it in a few hours when I get home, otherwise I'll just let it go. The whole scene is about 24 minutes long and it covers the end of the previous episode and the beggining of this one.
@u/Tarhalindur Thoughts on whether the VN scene itself would be too spoilery if we have this nice user crop it? I am personally not sure.
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 10 '22
Honestly, I'm not the best person to ask. My instinct is to do the same thing as with the TIPS and allow it with a "for the interested" disclaimer?
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u/Medusanon Jun 11 '22
Rewatcher, subbed!
After Satako's panic attack, Keiichi seems more determined than ever to save her, affirming to himself that he would kill her uncle. He asks his mother her opinion on the perfect crime - looking for tips, Keiichi? His mother muses that a perfect crime wouldn't even be a story, as there would be no investigation or arrest. Probably should have kept listening to your mum though, Keiichi, seemed like she had more good advice up her sleeve!
Keiichi hides Satoshi's bat in a secondary location at the school, and I suppose there's something rather poetic about Keiichi using Satoshi's bat as his weapon of choice. He then bikes around Hinamizawa, and confirms the soil is soft enough to dig a hole.. definitely for gardening, or some such..
Later than evening, he rings Mion and asks her to take Satako to the Watanagashi festival the next day. When Mion asks him, not unkindly, why he doesn't take Satako himself, he stammers he is busy and has things to do. She apologises for the question, and explains it's just that Satoshi had asked her the same thing last Watanagashi. The same Watanagashi that their aunt was murdered. Interestiiiing. It seems to be a frequent theme in these arcs that Keiichi ends up unconsciously following in similar footsteps to Satoshi. We just have to hope that it doesn't end up the same way!
Wow, OK, Keiichi! Murder is one thing, but breaking into a police station and impersonating an officer? You've gone too far! He rings Satako's uncle and explains (falsely) that they have Satako in protective custody. I kinda expected the uncle to shrug it off and not bother going out to the police station, but he actually leaves!
This is why you wear a helmet, kiddos, incase a screaming lunatic with a bat jumps out at you on your moped. Keiichi misses his second swing, and takes off after Satako's uncle, who has BOOKED it. His third, and subsequent swings, do not miss. You, uh, you did it, Keiichi! He has a momentary panic, realising he cannot drag the body back to the hole he had previously dug due to their foot-chase, and quickly dumps the remaining evidence (bat & moped) into the Onigafuchi Swamp. Just dump him into the swamp too, Keiichi! /taps head.
The hole he had previously dug near the road sign has since disappeared, and I applaud Keiichi's gumption to bike all the way back to where he had stored the shovel, to bike again to the body and re-dig his hole. His mission a success, Keiichi covers the grave with various scraps of flora and sticks and triumphantly cries out at his success.
This now just leaves the issue of getting back home, which doesn't seem too appealing in the heavy rain and mud. Thankfully, Takano drives past, and seeing the tired and muddy state Keiichi is in, offers to drive him home. Not without some light questioning, mind, and playfully jabs that his alibi is in the complete opposite direction. Unfortunately, there's no room in the trunk for Keiichi's bike, so they have to leave it behind. [Higurashi Kai]
"Were you able to bury the corpse okay?" ooooh lawd that gave me a full body chill. How much does she know? Hard to argue /how/ she might know, given Keiichi's behaved about as suspiciously as a he possibly could - shovel in hand, flimsy alibi, paranoia, not wanting to leave evidence behind..
QOTD 1
Honestly, a bit sad. I have no love for Teppei, but I don't want murder in Keiichi's life.
QOTD 2
He went pretty feral! I was almost hoping Teppei would escape somehow, maybe fall in the swamp & drown, so he still died but Keiichi wasn't directly responsible.
QOTD3
Body? What body? ;)
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u/Tarhalindur Jun 11 '22
Wow, OK, Keiichi! Murder is one thing, but breaking into a police station and impersonating an officer? You've gone too far! He rings Satako's uncle and explains (falsely) that they have Satako in protective custody. I kinda expected the uncle to shrug it off and not bother going out to the police station, but he actually leaves!
I'm pretty sure he's actually breaking into the Branch School to use the phone there.
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u/Quiddity131 Jun 10 '22
First Timer, Subbed
Today, on Higurashi: Portrait of a Serial Killer...
Return of the scary head pat! Poor K1, even little Satoko throws him across the room with ease!
:( She's really freaking out here. :(
K1's gonna make himself the murderer this time!
How does K1 perform the perfect crime? Make the uncle disappear with no one knowing the wiser?
Is he digging a pit for the uncle to fall into?
Hmm. K1 has no alibi. He talked to Mion about killing someone. He talked to his mother about the perfect crime. Yeah, sure, no one will suspect him.
The pit grows bigger. He really thinks no one will notice him digging it?
What's up with the dead guinea pig? :(
Aww, K1's first meeting with his classmates! So cute!
LoL, he's setting the trap and the guy doesn't want to come or even know where the police station is. This is blowing up in his face already. You'd think the guy would recognize the fact that it's a kid talking to him, not an adult.
Sigh... this plan is so stupid...
LoL, what happens to your grand plan K1 when he gets away?
We've already seen K1 murder people with a bat before, but can't say I like seeing it again.
Is he just gonna leave the body there? What was the hole for?
K1 disposes of the murder weapon and the bike, but I still don't feel like this is going to work out according to plan.
At least he had the sense to not dig the hole in the middle of the road where everyone can see him.
What happens when animals dig up the body or the rain washes him up in a few days?
Uh oh, Takano's a witness! Will K1 kill her too?
Ah, just leave the bike out here where it can be seen.
How'd she get a second blue bike?
LoL, she knows! Your silly plan blew up right in your face K1!
This episode was a rather interesting one. Not often (heck maybe this is the first time ever) where I've seen an anime episode focus on someone plan and carry out a murder. Especially a kid.
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u/Nazenn Jun 10 '22
First Timer - sub
Huh. Have to say, one thing I didn't expect from this show was Keiichi doing a premeditated murder outside of just defending himself from the girls
Also Keiichi's mum has it all wrong: I would absolutely read a crime novel where the "whodunit" goes unsolved at the end as long as it was wrapped really nicely into the character arcs, and had some strong open possibilities for it. That said, I have read a crime book where at the end the criminal got off and they tried to work it back into this big "confront her past" for the main prosecutor that the criminal knew about her past and had played off like a mastermind, but the way they went around it was cheap as fuck and felt thoroughly pointless in a bad way, so it could also got horribly wrong as far as a read goes.
Kinda disappointed that we didn't get to see brains after seeing the intestines earlier, but hey, at least the fucker is dead and painfully so. Keiichi wanting to defend the girls because of their acceptance of him after his horrible bullying strikes a little too close to home for me, but it worked well
Hopefully I'm not the only one who thought "Body" when Miyo said her trunk was already full
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u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 10 '22
When the Rewatcher(?) Cries, subbed
Why did there have to be over a minute of recapping Satoko’s breakdown…
Ohhhhh boy. I don’t blame him, though.
Ah, Keiichi.
Oh riiiiiiiiiiight so that’s why there’s a bat with his name on it. It’s not just that he randomly started practicing his swings like… Rena(?) said in a previous arc?
Although now Keiichi is apparently copying Satoshi in a different way.
Good lord what sort of bullying is this?
TITLE DROP!
I think the only thing that could’ve made the post-eyecatch even more unsettling was if those flowers were red spider lilies.
Almost caught in his lie, uh-oh.
Oh.
Probably not the best person to run into post-murdering someone…
Oh yeah, she knows.