I’m stealing an idea from Vyse and I’m going to throw in a bunch of screenshots (I’ll live update them with my reactions.)
First and foremost I just want to say how thankful I am that this arc, as well as the other PS3 arcs are being translated into English. Since I cannot read Japanese, I’ve never actually read this arc before! Even if I already know the heart of the mystery, it’s really nice to see another story set in Hinamizawa.
Without further ado, here’s my reactions to this chapter!
SomeutSUSHI am I right! Haha… That wasn’t even remotely funny.
First and foremost we meet these two detectives investigating Takano’s death. They talk a lot about how they want to investigate more, but can’t because technically the body is in the neighboring town and investigating without informing the police would be a violation of a contract they have with each other. Either way, the two detectives are interesting, so I’m sure we will see them again.
Hello! You’re not Keiichi! I wonder how Keiichi this not Keiichi will be? Also… Kimiyoshi? Isn’t that one of the three families? I wonder if she’s related to the mayor of Hinamizawa… Also, I might accidently call you Natsuhi since your names are so similar. I wonder if you will have similar personalities too?
Chisato is best girl in this chapter. She does this whole “I’m trying really hard to act zany so that I can make you happy because I care a lot about you!” She may not seem like it at first, but she’s a really good friend to Natsumi.
I love how Tamako acts as the straight man to Chisato. I’ve seen enough anime to realize that the two of them are acting as the two roles in Manzai. For those who don’t know, this is a type of comedy in Japan that has a straight man (in this case, Tamako) and a crazy one (Chisato). The two play off of each other really well, and are pretty dang funny. Of course, the funniest parts are Natsumi trying really hard to keep up with their fast-paced humor.
Hi Mion! I see we have your Alchemist sprite here. I wonder if this was intentional, or if I installed the Someutsushi patch wrong… For anyone else who reads this arc, let me know if it’s just something I did incorrectly (I should mention I’m playing all this on a mac, so that could be why!)
Me, along with the rest of the school are low key shipping Natsumi and Chisato together. As I said before, their antics are cute and funny. However, I don’t think they’ll be a couple since Natsumi has feelings for another person.
Speaking of Natsumi’s love interest, his name Touhou-kun. Oh wait, his name’s Toudou, not Touhou! Anyway, he’s a shy artsy kid who has a thing for Natsumi. She likes him too. After a while he confesses his feelings for her, and they are a couple! How cute~!
So Natsumi is nothing like Natsuhi. She’s a shy, dandere type girl that likes to care for people. Chisato got her a job (as Chisato’s dad owns the hospital) at a local nursing home. She runs into an elderly man here named Hatakeyama who is also from Hinamizawa. Natsumi thinks his obsession with Oyashiro is a tad creepy, but he’s friendly so there’s nothing to worry about… right?
It doesn’t matter if Hatakeyama is a bit creepy, Natsumi’s too consumed with her love of Bob Ross. Seriously though, this Toudou is secretly Bob Ross. We learn from here that he has been awarded a scholarship for his art.
Natsumi’s friends bring her back to Earth for a moment to tease her about the reasons her head is so in the clouds. Eventually Chisato figures out that she must like someone, but Natsumi denies it playfully.
Ah, those wonderful moments in Higurashi when you realize that you aren’t in Kansas anymore. Chisato’s getting creepy and strangely possessive of Toudou. I wonder why? Does she like him too? Or is she being as exaggerated as she is normally?
Since Natsumi transferred, she’s a bit behind academically. Chisato and Tamako have tried to help her out, but she’s told by the teachers that she probably won’t be able to attend university like her parents want her too. She’s upset, as Chisato, Tamako, and Toudou are all going to a nearby university that is pretty prestigious. It would take a miracle for Natsumi to be able to get in with her current grades.
Chisato is best girl yet again. She’s gotten Natsumi and Toudou some tickets to a concert. She and Tamako are also going with Natsumi to get ice cream after school. I really hope this means she’s not jealous anymore?
Tamako is also getting creepy. Natsumi is afraid her friends are going to find out her secrets, and her biggest secret is the fact that she’s from Hinamizawa.
Natsumi’s friends have told her that they would accept her no matter what. But they are still avoid the topic of Toudou. And they are aren’t a fan of people from the countryside.
GHD has occurred. This isn’t good. PANIC. Now Natsumi’s even more determined to keep her true heritage a secret. She doesn’t want to worry her friends by telling them, “I’m from the town that just exploded with volcanic gas”.
So now that GHD has happened, Natsumi’s grandma is praying feverishly. Everyone’s on edge, and Natsumi’s only getting more stressed. Not good! She leaves home to leave the tense atmosphere.
She goes to work, and Hatakeyama is being super creepy. All this Oyashiro talk is driving Natsumi crazy. She just wants to live amongst the city like a normal person.
It’s the detective from before! Time for some good old exposition about Watanagashi (the festival, not the chapter)!
Miko Rika is such a cutey~ Ah, but she’s deceased at this point. Still, I cannot help but wonder if Natsumi and her family had stayed in Hinamizawa if she and Rika would be friends.
Natsumi’s pretty awesome in this moment tbh. She’s praised at work by her boss named Yamase offers her a job in elderly care once she graduates high school. Now that she has a plan for her life, Natsumi feels a lot better about things.
So now her inferiority complex has spread to her roots. She promises to tell the detective everything she knows in exchange for not being seen as one of “those Hinamizawa people”. She’s also still keeping her Hinamizawa roots hidden from her friends. I’m not sure it she’s doing it more out of concern for them, or concern for herself at this point though…
Anyways, she tells the detective that according to her crazy grandma that GHD is due to Oyashiro’s curse. While initially Natsumi initially denied this, now that all these strange things are happening to her she’s starting to think that perhaps she is cursed after all. Speaking of the curse, Hatakeyama has clawed out his own throat in a similar fashion to Tomitake. Oh, and he kills Yamase in the process. There goes all of Natsumi’s hopes and dreams…
To clear her head from all the stress, Natsumi and Touhou finally go on their movie date. And they get ice cream. Boy are they cute~ Of course, the date ends abruptly as soon as Chisato is mentioned, as Natsumi is rather jealous of the fact that Chisato and Toudou are childhood friends. He also mentions on the date that he, Chisato, and Tamako are all going to the fancy prestigious collage that Natsumi has no chance of getting into whatsoever.
Once she gets home, Natsumi’s mum goes crazy and kills her grandma. Then her mom tries to kill her. Her dad gets mixed in the crossfire and dies, and Natsumi ends up stabbing her mom out of self defence. Toudou comes in to try to save the day, but ends up being killed by Natsumi as she thought he was her mother. Anyway, Natsumi’s the only person in the whole household who’s still alive.
It’s… All a dream? Only, it’s not! Natsumi’s whole family is dead, but Toudou is alive. He’s injured from Natsumi, but he survived. Natsumi’s friends tell Toudou that they now know that she’s from Hinamizawa and are worried about her. Everyone who’s from Hinamizawa has been acting strange lately or dying in mysterious ways and they are worried about their friend. They want Toudou to talk to Natsumi to calm her down and get their old friend back.
And I thought Yuno was the queen of Yandere girls. Anyway, Natumi drives a knife though Toudou and her own neck. Nothing quite like murder to end an arc on!
