Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

TimelessWonder · Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Posts: 29

(I posted this at Beezify first. Just wanted to add something else here to sort of keep things going.)

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: A.K.A. ”In the Moment the Cicadas Cry,” “When Cicadas Cry,” or “When They Cry.”

I'm nearly finished watching this series for the second time – in a row! I was very impressed when I found it, even though I ended up watching the second season (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai) first (because I misunderstood the order in which it was presented). I was even more impressed when I watched the first and understood the events leading up to the second … which were quite brutal, and tragic. This series has actually topped my former all time faves, which was a tie between Eureka 7 and Blood+, something I was sure couldn't be done.

I really grew to love the characters and found it quite shocking when they did things I wouldn't have expected from such close friends. Without a doubt, When the Cicadas Cry is the best anime series I've seen in very long time. Probably the best ever.

I also got the chance to see the live action movie based on the first four episodes of the series. Sadly, I hated it. I just didn't get a feel for the characters in the same way and it didn't appeal to me. I kind of thought they could have done better too. They took 109 minutes to relay the same events that only took about 90-95 minutes in the series and still didn't reel me in.

There's also a third season, or an OVA, that takes place after the final events in Kai (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei). It was okay, but it didn't have as much of an impact for me as the first two seasons.

Anyway, I've got this one, and I could easily watch When the Cicadas Cry over and over again, enjoying it just as much – if not more – every time.