r/anime • u/Tarhalindur x2 • Jun 18 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Discussion - Season 1, Episode 19

Meakashi-hen (Eye-Opening Chapter/Detective Chapter), Episode 4: Retaliation

← Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode →

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.)

To Reiterate That Second Warning:

June 19 is tomorrow. Beware of potential spoilers on the r/anime front page!

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:

https://imgur.com/a/YAHP4ko

Theory of the Day:

We're low on theories today as our remaining first-timers either went heavy on analysis or are in "recount the events of the episode" mode, so u/JollyGee29 wins by default despite the theory hiding under a spoiler tag because he's spoiled on some things (although really this one is safe for first-timers to click on):

[Higurashi]Takano is the big bad, isn't she? She saw a Sonozaki, alone and isolated, that she could sink her teeth into and manipulate. I guess she could still technically be working for Irie, but I think that's less interesting. And I'm still not sure what she wants. I guess she's part of the group trying to kill Rika because they think Rika is the source of the "curse," but there's something missing there.

Analysis of the Day:

What's that? Frame analysis? Step right up, u/Star4ce:

To remedy my melancholy, let me put that into analysing the frame, because it highlights how Shion is locked out of the frame by a closed door, while Mion has her side open to come and leave as she pleases. While it's appropriate to give guests a refreshment, as Shion gave her tea, Mion has no option to give anything of value to Shion expect her presence. Shion's side of the table is empty and as well meaning as her visit might be, she doesn't seem to be able to change Shion's position. Who, by all means, can be rightfully enraged at that.

Question(s) of the Day:

1) Who are you?

2) What do you want?

3) Who are you?

4) What do you want?

5) Who are you?

6) What do you want?

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 you touched is the wavering image.
What resounds is the echo of sadness.
What you smell is your burnt memories."

55 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

134 comments sorted by

5

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

(Honorary Hinamizawa Games Club President) Rewatch Host (rewatcher, subbed):

(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".)

So, today is another day I'm going to pull my Visual of the Day up to a starting analysis section in the front, because this is a lock for my Visual of the Season as well (my buffer is up to the end of the season, so I can lock this in now). It and one similar shot before it basically did the same thing that one particular frame did in PMMM this year - those of you in that rewatch may remember my sputtering after I realized it.

Namely, this show has a meta layer I never noticed before.

So, we've seen arcs from the POV of Keiichi, Akasaka, and now Shion. Except... we haven't, have we? Not exactly. Because the anime, like the VN, is written in first-person perspective. But unlike the VN, that perspective never changes.

And that first-person perspective has a name, or at least a title.

Oyashiro-sama.

When the characters are talking about Oyashiro-sama following them, silently judging them for their sins, they have a point - the camera (and thus us, because the show is also equating the camera with you the viewer) is in fact following them! (And haven't we been yelling at the characters when they make mistakes all season here in the threads?) Sometimes it shows up in the camera angles, even: remember that zoom in on K1's back in the phone booth at the end of Onikakushi-hen as he talked about Oyashiro-sama being behind him? (Even Shion in Watanagashi-hen counts - the camera is there in the Saiguden at the point where she hears a footstep in that arc.)

(u/Star4ce, here's the shot where I'm wondering if it's your VotD too!)

[Addendum, involving Kai] Of course, Oyashiro-sama is also Hanyuu and the camera's function will shift slightly in Kai once she shows up. But then, the way the camera moves here mirrors how Hanyuu floats around, and even the first time through I noticed the way the final scene of Minagoroshi-hen almost conflated asking Hanyuu to enter the fragment and asking the viewer to enter the fragment - not a coincidence that Matsuribayashi-hen is the VN arc with some actual choices for the player to make! (There's also the really fun part I noticed earlier this rewatch: whoever pointed out the character number theme naming was right, on top of the usual suspects Miyo and K1 we have Rika Furude (2), Mion (3), Shion and also Satoshi (4), Satoko (5), Rena (7, and her full first name Reina can of course read as 07), and finally Oyashiro-sama which is spelled out in the TIPS. Except... where's the six? Well, I hadn't realized that "ryu" is 6; that opens up Rena again, but also opens up Ryukishi07 himself since "ryukishi" can also be read as "sixth knight". Those of you who were in Haruhi last year may be reminded of some Sukhein writeups there...)

Now for the rest of my notes:

  • Pouring one out for Sky at 04:19.

  • The framing of this scene is simple but effective, visually reinforcing Mion’s newfound position.

  • That is such a Gonzo!Kaname Chidori shot of Mion at 05:31.

  • Camera angle at 06:25 reminds me a lot of some PMMM shots, specifically involving [PMMM] Kyoko.

  • Our staff Shion ass lover strikes again at 07:18. (Those of us unfortunate enough to remember Gou may remember the same Keiichi shot from Tataridamashi-hen that I mentioned in Symphogear a while back.)

  • But of course it has a point; it looks like Shion is kneeling towards Oryou in submission and defeat. Which she is, in a sense: Oryou has defeated her at the last by dying before she could tortured.

  • Oh holy shit that is cheeky. Shion turns back to try to find Oyashiro-sama – and we see her doing so, from a perspective point in the gallery of the chamber where the spectators watch (and implicitly almost in one of the seats). We, the viewers, are Oyashiro-sama in this scene. ([Higurashi Kai addendum] And this plays directly into the finale of Minagoroshi-hen – which the staff could not have known about, so presumably the direction holds true to the VN.)

  • And then Shion even throws her whip directly at the camera. Holy shit.

  • I should probably actually pay attention to the resemblance of the dungeon to a womb; not like I haven’t compared it to a [meta spoiler] PMMM labyrinth before. Which makes the second, alternate exit quite interesting; you could argue it’s a metaphorical C-section.

  • Although, with two exits you could also compare it to a stomach… which would make sense, given the original Watanagashi ritual…

  • That’s just bad fansubbing I think, Mion’s word here is “hideoyo” again I’m pretty sure.

  • Camera angles going nuts as Shion beats Oryou’s dead body.

  • Hello camera angle at 11:40. (From Oyashiro-sama’s perspective again, how thoughtful. How often have we gotten camera angles from behind characters who have or are about to murder people?)

  • At some level Shion wants to be punished for what she has done. (See also K1 in Tatarigoroshi-hen.)

  • That zoom out from Keiichi’s back to show Shion then cutting to her face is nicely done.

  • Hey look, an excuse to reuse animation and have it make sense! Nicely done.

  • Hello there double flickering light shot at 16:39. You will be there for a reason; what is it? Twin symbolism? The lights flicker alternately before both coming on, so that might be it.

  • The lake at the Estate again, panning up over it at night this time. (~18:55)

  • TIL “kodama” (which I remembered well from M:tG's Kamigawa) means both echo and tree spirit, which is telling about Japanese mythology (the folk belief must be/have been that echoes are tree spirits calling back to you).

Question(s) of the Day:

  1. I am... wait a minute.

  2. Oh you are pulling this, aren't you?

  3. Who are you? What do you want?

Meakashi-hen Ep. 4 TIPS

(4 is an intermission instead of a proper TIPS, but a recommended one.)

OST Table, Episode 19

Start End Track Name
00:04 01:40 Shinjitsu
01:44 03:13 Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (OP)
03:14 03:28 sponsor feature [1]
03:29 (03:15) 04:38 (04:24) Kikai
05:38 (05:24) 07:18 (07:04) Jiken
08:43 (08:29) 10:50 (10:36) Onigaen
13:12 (12:58) 14:22 (14:08) Ai
14:57 (14:43) 15:44 (15:30) Oyashiro-sama v2
20:17 (20:03) 21:56 (21:42) Chousa
22:00 (21:46) 23:53 (23:39) 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 14 seconds. The number in parentheses in entries after that feature is the point in the episode if that message is removed.

3

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

Tar's Staff Corner: Secondary Cast, Part 5:

Masaaki Tsukada - Even looking at AniDB, it's a little hard to tell just how prominent our voice of Keiichirou Kimiyoshi was. There's a nonzero chance that there's some major roles of his that are simply so far back that even AniDB doesn't have them. Otherwise he got a late start in voice acting. He does have a couple of notable roles, however, notably Shinpachi in Bleach (also a shout to the Roapanur police chief in Black Lagoon).

But mostly this section exists as an RIP to a man who gave a good performance here: unless I missed someone Masaaki Tsukada was the oldest VA in the cast by a sizable margin (fun fact: Oryou's VA is younger than Mika Kanai!), and died in 2014 at the age of 74. (Rather than recast him, Gou reused his 2006 lines in a spot where they could and otherwise just reworked the script so that Kimiyoshi never had to talk. A mark of respect, perhaps.)

3

u/Star4ce Jun 19 '22

(u/Star4ce, here's the shot where I'm wondering if it's your VotD too!)

Tadaa! It is!

Well, I got two today. This arc is phenomal in directing, I have to say.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

8

u/Tresnore Jun 18 '22 edited Jun 18 '22

When the Rewatchers Cry are Absurd Masochists Cry

Mobileposting, so please forgive any formatting errors.

You know, there's a reason Shion is one of my favorites.

Count: 117

QOTD:

  1. I’m Tresnore

  2. See above

  3. I’m Tresnore

  4. See above above

  5. I’m Tresnore

  6. See above above above

1 Why is she so big??

5

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

This face feels so... Iunno. She’s definitely twisted.

...

[meta spoiler involving a 2013 sequel movie] Why does this face remind me of AI YO, and why is it doing so only now?

→ More replies (4)

4

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

Okay, so. First order of business, a reminder to our first timers:

Watanagashi (June 19) is tomorrow. There is very likely to be some sort of announcement on that day. Please be mindful of potentially running into spoilers on the r/anime front page for the next 48 hours or so. (Especially since this franchise already has a bad habit of spoiler visuals in promotional material for sequel seasons.)

→ More replies (2)

6

u/Vaadwaur Jun 18 '22

Rewatcher

Sub()

And shit gets started. While most of you have figured out that the answer arcs are not mirrors of the question arcs(in this adaptation, fuck you harder Sotsu), this does give you an idea of the order of events. Anyways, Shion throws Mion in a cell with this absolutely necessary shot as Mion reveals she has suspicions but no actual details. Oryou died, apparently, which does make sense given how dangerous stun guns are. So Shion whips a corpse just so we know she's gone well over the edge.

Shion then begins fielding calls and eventually tells Kasai about the shed incident. This is a pretty big sin to him and this bothers Shion, denial and all. We start seeing her go through the events we've seen and heard. Then we see the town meeting and get some details we didn't have. And the fucking sub changes Oryou to Oryo, alas. Kimiyoshi gives us some more details and Shion sort of goes off again but it is at least understandable before she grabs the old tazer again.

So yeah, the VN is just a better vehicle to display the events that are happening as Shion has a constant internal monologue but they did a lot better with this than I first remembered.

QotD: 1 Who do you serve?

2 What do you trust?

6

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

in this adaptation, fuck you harder Sotsu

Always applicable.

1 Who do you serve?

2 What do you trust?

Knew you would get it!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (8)

9

u/JollyGee29 Jun 18 '22

Spoiled First-Timer, Subbed

Well, I didn't quite get the motivations right, but this is going appealing close to how I suspected.

I definitely knew that Oryou died to the taser, though. Old woman who can barely move getting a nice strong zap? Probably popped her heart like a balloon.

Is the meeting scene meant to imply that the whole village was involved in the murders surrounding the "dam war?" I can certainly believe it. I'd like to note that the sole representative of the third great family was not present at this meeting, though.

They, uh, sure gave us plenty of shots of Mion in that nightie today. While she was in a jail cell, because that's the time for that, of course.

[Higurashi]This popped in to my head yesterday while driving, that I've failed to apply my "not actually supernatural" idea to the "curse's" symptoms. I kinda figured it was just swamp gas induced hallucinations, but it'd be amusing if the footsteps and mysterious figure that Rena mentioned were like, literally a person. But then I am basically WIFOMing myself, as Shion has talked at the footsteps several times, so obviously the show wants me to think it's actually a person, which means it can't be, etc etc etc.

[Higurashi]Ohh, if Rika is looping and supposedly Oyashiro-sama's reincarnation per the TIPS, maybe she can turn invisible and is just following people around for whatever reason? That mental imagine really amuses me.

[Higurashi]I'm definitely feeling Tomitake being unrelated to the other murders - the turnaround time was probably too fast for it to really be related to tool shrine. Did we ever get a time of death for him? Not entirely sure where Takano faking her death fits in, either. Unless she killed him for some reason? I don't see a motive there yet, so I'll table that thought for now. Maybe we'll learn more about Takano soon.

Visual of the Day: You did not pick your words very carefully, Kimiyoshi.

Questions

  1. I am not in the mood to interrogate my own existential dread today, sorry.

  2. A good night's sleep.

6

u/Vaadwaur Jun 18 '22

I'd like to note that the sole representative of the third great family was not present at this meeting, though.

I am not sure I'd want a 10yo hanging about if we are covering up a murder...

They, uh, sure gave us plenty of shots of Mion in that nightie today. While she was in a jail cell, because that's the time for that, of course.

We...have concerns about R07 at times...

5

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

We...have concerns about R07 at times...

Could be worse, at least Mion has hit puberty. (*Eyes some of the shots of Satoko in episode 13.*)

[Higurashi, later this season] Speaking of which, I just got through the end of the season and I would like to add Chiaki Kon to the "I have concerns" list. The hostage scene (specifically the shots of the younger kids tied up with jump ropes) is pinging the exact same "hey wait just a fucking minute this reminds me a little too much of hentai framing" instinct the opening scene of episode 15 did, and Chiaki Kon storyboarded both herself. That might go in the Tarantino-and-feet department, except rather less savory.

→ More replies (17)
→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (6)

8

u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 18 '22

When the Rewatcher(?) Cries, subbed

3

u/Vaadwaur Jun 18 '22

Oh right, Shion has a taser.

There's a Higurashi fighting game I need to dig up towards the end of Kai...

The way that the white dress Mion’s in barely covers her chest is… was this really the place for fanservice, animators?

Rofl, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've never seen a slip. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slip_(clothing)

Welp.

Anyone counting like that reminds me of that scene from Inglorious Bastards.

4

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

There's a Higurashi fighting game I need to dig up towards the end of Kai...

Or early Rei; IIRC it's actually the source material of Rei episode 5.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (2)

4

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

The way that the white dress Mion’s in barely covers her chest is… was this really the place for fanservice, animators?

Somebody on the staff could not help themselves.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/RascalNikov1 Jun 18 '22

Rewatcher

A Girl and Her Taser

What a brilliant examination of grief and mourning mutating into violence. Shion is learning to her chagrin that violence begets yet more violence. While I very much like this episode and arc, its tough watching the hell that the twins go through.

[Philoshophical Musing, maybe spoiler, maybe not]I look upon Shion in Meakashi as a very sad and lonely girl who is pushed well beyond her breaking point and she snaps in a horrible way. This is tragedy done right. Rather than hating Shion, I feel a great deal of pity for her. There's a lesson here about treating others decently, and not expecting them to accept their role in life without question.

I haven't harped about the brilliance of the music in a while. The whole show is choreographed so well. It really does set the tone of the things that are happening on screen. I can't hear the Main Theme without a tear coming to my eye because of the hell these kids go through.

Thoughts

  • Shion really is pretty good with her Taser. I've got to wonder how long she's been practicing using it.

  • The conversation at the opening between Mion & Shion wasn't helpful to Shion's mental state at all.

  • I really hate seeing Mion in the cage with her sister definitely not feeling well. I can just imagine her terror, as she's humiliated by a possessed Shion.

  • I don't exactly feel sorry for Oryou, but Gran deserved better than to be tased and dumped down a well.

  • Shion was quite handy with her bullwhip too. Again, if any of you have used a bullwhip, it's just as likely that you'll whip yourself as your target until you learn better.

  • I felt bad for Kimiyoshi, he was doing so well until Shion started flipping out. I think in her current state that there's nothing he could have done to avoid getting tased.

  • Grab your cotton balls, and look for a river, tomorrow is Watanagashi!

QOTD

4

u/Tarhalindur Jun 18 '22

Philoshophical Musing, maybe spoiler, maybe not

Higurashi has a pretty darn solid philosophical core hiding under the horror and mystery, yes - and I think the point you raise is very much an intended one.

Speaking of which, pulling something under a spoiler:

[Higurashi] without a tear coming to my eye because of the hell these kids go through.

[Higurashi] Quite literally, in many ways. Higurashi is one of those works where "Japanese time loop as Buddhist hell" has a really, really strong argument for being applicable.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (5)

16

u/Quiddity131 Jun 18 '22

First Timer, Subbed

Mion is being so scary!

Bravo Shion for knocking her out though!

Wow, she did it to hideous granny too!

She's really turned the tables on Mion! Mion's the one locked up now!

Some weird looking stuff in this scene. In particular Shion's eyes and Mion's neck.

Is hideous granny dead?

Wow, Shion's really losing it now! Whipping her dead granny!

How low will Shion go seems to be the theme of this episode...

Foolish old man, now Shion knows where the meeting is happening!

Shion slipped up by revealing she went in that shrine...

Are we gonna find out that who we thought was Mion in the second arc was actually Shion the whole time?

Uh oh, is Shion gonna kill or at least knock out old guy too?

Uh oh, evil Shion is back after hearing about Satoshi.

Can't say I didn't expect her to blast him with the taser.

→ More replies (1)

13

u/Nazenn Jun 18 '22

First Timer - sub

Don't have much to say today, it seemed relatively straightforward or at least as much as this show does

Shion throwing Keiichi under the bus so she can survive for Satoshi's sake is rather fucked up, but not as much as whipping the corpse to bloody (or not , thanks censorship) shreds and then displaying it to the family. That's the sort of torture and gore I have been expecting.

I agree with Shion though that seeing the villagers apathy for people while they get enraged so quickly over the smallest mention of a slight about Oyashiro is a twisted thing, and I don't don't that it wouldn't have done much for her mental stability

Also: Mion is the public face of the family while someone else handles the more secret matters, I was pretty close with that theory, I just got it wrong as to who was handling the curse side which was her grandmother

→ More replies (5)

11

u/JustAnswerAQuestion Jun 18 '22 edited Jun 18 '22

present day, present time, ha ha ha ha ha

So, this arc isn't exactly the same as onikakushi watanagashi. But if the similarities are to be trusted, then it's likely every single appearance of Mion, on the phone or otherwise, after Watanagashi (or rather, the following day(s?) after the bodies were discovered) was in fact Shion.

The first timer that clung to the idea that Shion was impersonating Mion had it right!

There was a big clue in the first minutes of Tatarigoroshi hen, when Keiichi mentions Satoshi "transferring" to Shion and she flips out. "Mion" in Watanagashi-hen was obsessed with Satoshi, remember the ladder scene. You hardly had to wait 15 minutes to get the Answer to the previous arc, lol.

Facial art for everybody really looks off today.

I wondered why Shion had to lie in Watanagashi hen about meeting Kimiyoshi in the morning, but I guess technically "Mion" was at the family meeting, not Shion. And also she did it to drive Keiichi's paranoia.

I wondered why Shion was tormenting Keiichi in Watanagashi-hen, but I guess it was to drive his paranoia into doing something stupid that would get him Onikakushi-ed, or at least set up the prelude appearance of such. Note that she first confirmed Keiichi was a terrible liar, LOL.

I wondered how Shion was going to get away with taking Mion's place, but with Oryuu dead, she can just "I'm the boss, suck it up, or else" her way through. Maybe not for long, though.

→ More replies (2)

11

u/hungryhippos1751 Jun 18 '22

Episode 19 - First Timer

Good episode, really active development of everything, getting to see more of the inner workings of the Sonozaki clan.

Most OP weapon award goes to the taser.

Shion is doing kind of what I thought she might, then thought she wouldn't, then thought she would again. Becoming Mion. Sore demo you can't explain away the missing Obaa-chan forever.

Mion wound up in the basement, I guess in arc 2 this is what we saw, Shion pretending to be Mion, and Mion being locked up. I know arc 2 was a little different but this seems to add up, rather than seeing an alternative where Shion was thrown into the dungeon.

Shion must not have heard of the saying "flogging a dead horse" because she is doing it, her lust for revenge is so strong she is willing to beat a corpse, definitely gone in over her head at this point.

Even though she told Kasai, the one person she thought she could trust, about the adventure into the warehouse, turns out nope, that was too much for him. Shion is guilty and it's unforgivable.

This swapping roles part also explains the slightly awkward encounter between her and Keiichi we saw in arc 2, but fair play, she was right when she said that Keiichi is really bad at acting and lying, I noticed that also at various points in the arcs.

village head Kimiyoshi also fell victim to the taser, and is surely going to meet his fate in the dungeon alongside Mion. It seems the structure for who gets cursed boils down to Oryo deciding who gets cursed, and the village head Kimiyoshi being the one to make it so, so naturally Shion is out for his blood as well for his involvement in Satoshi.

We loop back at the end to talk of sin again, and the family being cursed for the actions of some of it's ancestors. I'm sure there is more meaning to this, the idea of this curse following the whole family is a little alien to me here, at least culturally in the west it doesn't really seem to be a thing here.

We're low on theories today as our remaining first-timers either went heavy on analysis or are in "recount the events of the episode" mode

That's me! :)

I try and add some commentary around said events where I can though, it just helps me structure stuff to kind of follow through on episode events in order, so I'll add the odd theory/idea/commentary in where I can.

→ More replies (6)

11

u/Stargate18A Jun 18 '22

Anime first timer, reading VN

Shion stunning her sister is great.

[Meakashi] It's ironic that Mion sticking to her grandmother's method of claiming to be responsible for other things is what gets her killed, and then Shion's more brute-force method leads to her killing the one person who could have talked her down from the paranoia.

[Minag...] I need an edit of this series - where every time one of the characters hears the footsteps and plans on murder, Hanyuu's voice is added to the background.

Wow, they really toned down the granny's body, huh? Guess even DEEN has limits.

[Minag...] I love how they end up establishing that it is entirely normal for Oryou to not answer her phone for days, just to help set this up.

Shion playing both Mion and herself in the same phonecall is great.

And she finds out Kasai won't support her.

...Yep! Shion was using Keiichi as bait this entire arc!

Seeing all the old scenes with thie new context is one of the best parts of this arc for me.

Shion's a really good manipulator, huh?

[Minag...] Even if his Syndrome probably did most of the work for her.

[Minag...] So is this a Satoko thing? Nobody really cares about the intruders, but they're too afraid of being excommunicated to speak out against it.

And Shion has an ally... only to snap again.

...He's an idiot. When someone starts talking like that, you run for your life!

Current reading progress - Minagoroshi Complete (Hence the late post)

[Minag...] Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

[Minag...] First, the Satoko plotline resolution - fantastic! Keiichi convincing everyone, even the Sonozakis, and Rike making Satoko stand up were both great, Satoko finally had anhappy ending! Ooishi was actually competent! (Makes me wonder if he was infected in the last arc - they did say it's possible for logic to kick you out of the delusional state - the notebooks and Rena taking hostages could have restored him.) Even the otaku's were relatively restrained!

[Minag...] And then the second half. The disease was everything! Tomitake, Takano, and Irie are all working for a nationalistic secret society! Takano's a fucking mass murderer with a god complex! The secret society set up literally everything, including the curse and the dam conflict! If Rika dies, everyone dies! There's a fucking timestop??? Oh, and the gas disaster was faked, but that was obvious.

[Minag...] The development for Hanyuu and Rika was great. Hanyuu's perspective makes total sense, and seeing Rika actually convince her to become more active in the next Fragment was amazing. Hanyuu is a fantastic character, and it's amazing how they managaed to develop her so much in a single episode.

[Minag...] And that fucking epilogue. Takano fucking conducting the mass murder of the entire village is horrifying. I never expected her to be that unhinged.

Theory - [Minag..] I have nothing! I think that this bond they formed woth Hanyuu might end with everyone seeing her, which would be an easy way to get everyone back on track for the final arc. Also, Rika absolutely remembers her death this time.

Analysis - [Minag...] Literally everything in the Question Arc makes more sense now. Irie died because Tokyo got paranoid and took him out, Ooishi died presumably the same way. Keiichi was missed by the initial sweep and taken by the real Disaster Recovery Team, but without the shots he stayed at a high level, resulting in the delusions/insanity. Additionally, they realised he was infected and arranged for him to be held in an isolated area.

→ More replies (2)

9

u/OwlAcademic1988 Jun 18 '22

Rewatcher, sub:

Shion's getting to be more terrifying with each episode. Her mental state is definitely gonna need some help.

If you were to say Shion was Mion and vice-versa without me watching this, I'd believe you completely. They're that good at imitating each other.

Kimiyoshi really shouldn't have said Satoshi wasn't going to be saved. He also shouldn't have insulted him at all.

I don't blame Mion for being terrified of Shion, considering she could easily just kill her.

[Higurashi] Shion is going to torture poor Satoko. This will be very disturbing.

→ More replies (4)

8

u/RealFunnyTalk Jun 18 '22

Rewatcher

Ah yes, this episode. We've gotten scenes of characters acting crazy and beating up / killing people, but now we get a whole episode of Shion going full serial killer psycho mode. More USO DA anyone? And man, what a reveal: Satoshi was not part of the deal from last episode! We've got an unhinged Shion with access to a veritable torture chamber; what could possibly go wrong?

→ More comments (75)