The Great Higurashi 15th Anniversary Thread

[Pandora]

Hello everyone, and Happy Birthday to one of the most iconic visual novels of all time! On this day, August 2002, a certain social worker thought it was a great idea to write a serial murder mystery series that revolved around teenagers in a spooky backwater town, and despite the incredible amatureness of the work, Higurashi quickly evolved into a pop culture sensation, and became quite the beloved story, both for fans and non-fans of anime related media, proving that Higurashi was not just a work for otaku to enjoy, but a literary work that all could take seriously and enjoy.

This thread is to celebrate all things Higurashi related, whether its fan art, retrospectives, essays, music, or posting videos of the anime or people reading the Visual Novels, just express your appreciation and love for this epochal and stellar series.

Also, as usual, don’t forget to tag your spoilers

[Pandora]

Thought I’d post this amazing english cover of Taishou A to start us off. Don’t click the link if you want to be spoiled about a character’s existence though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8IgnsRyF84

And for those who still want to listen without the fear of being spoiled: https://soundcloud.com/deluxfailure/english-taishou-a

[Aurora]

Goddamnit, I was going to post a 15th Anniversary thread hours ago, but was side tracked.

[Pandora]

hahahahahahaha

Better luck next time, friendo

[Aspirety]

Happy 15th Anniversary Higurashi! I’d like to do a podcast to commemorate Higurashi’s 15th, Umineko’s 10th and Rose Guns Days’ 5th anniveraries if I can.

But yeah, re-reading the steam release of Higurashi has helped me regain my fondness for the series that I’ve kind of lost since getting into the Umineko fandom. I very much consider myself a higurashi fan once more, and I know it’s only gonna get better when Tsumihoroboshi comes out on Steam.

[MagusVerborum]

Aww man. I don’t even know where to start with this series. Higurashi was a story that affected me very deeply, It’s no understatement to say that it changed my life. It was a story that taught me about people, about relationships, about trust and acceptance and support. It taught me forgiveness. The contrast of light and dark (happy times and sad times, innocence and guilt) in this story is what makes it so special to me and what helped me to understand the complexities of those around me.

I wrote a play to express my feelings about the series, I’m much more comfortable expressing my feelings through creative content or conversation than forum posts. I don’t know if I’m brave enough to post the recorded version of it (it’s currently sitting as a private video on Youtube on my channel) but i figured I’d post the script and some extra bits and pieces here so you guys can take a look.

The play is primarily written with Arcs One and Six in mind. I explored the relationship between Rena and Keiichi with a focus on Keiichi’s state of mind at the end of Arc One. If you are concerned about spoilers it’s probably a good idea to move past this one and come back after the Arc Six Tea Party is concluded on Rokkenjima.

Without further ado, here’s a link to the Drive with the final draft, a short blurb that was added into the pamphlet for the school theatre I performed it in four years ago, and some lyrics that were particularly inspirational during the writing process:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3cFPF2uUULbZWJzNTB2MkJGdHM

oh and there’s a folder of sound effects I used in the performance.
Enjoy~

[MagusVerborum]

Ah, I also want to add this music video into the mix. It provides deeper understanding of (Arc Six spoiler): Rena’s perspective of Arc One.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVHo0BN0Vks

[U4ea]

Happy 15, Higurashi! It makes me so happy that this 15 year old visual novel is still relevant after all this time. Truly, it’s a testament to how great of a writer Ryukishi is. I’m glad this series has gotten a revival through the Steam rereleases! Like @Aspirety said, the Steam rerelease has reignited my love for Higurashi. I had forgotten how good it was because unlike Umineko, I never revisited it. I’m glad I’m revisiting and rereading the series now! Even if I already know the answer to the core mysteries, Higurashi is still incredibly entertaining on reread.

Here’s a beautiful english cover of Naraku no Hana I’ve been listening to lately! (Don’t click the link if you haven’t finished Minagoroshi yet, you will be spoiled)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRLSxMeRG9I

[Funyarinpa]

I follow the Steam releases so I’m still not done, but Higurashi is a special VN, through and through.

Happy 15!

[sii_kei]

Wow, 15 years? Happy birthday! That made me realize that Higurashi has been part of my life for 10 years already (and Umineko for about 9). I am really happy I got to experience both of these series while they were still being released and everybody was writing endless theories on the forums.

I don’t even know where to begin what Higurashi meant to me. It introduced me to the mystery genre and made me realize you can both love and hate the same character for being flawed, yet human. It also made me want to write a story that could awe, frighten and teach readers just as much as Higurashi did to me.

Thank you, Ryukishi! Here’s my favorite Dear You song, from Shion to Satoshi - You were in the wind of summer:

[Yirba]

It’s no secret that, although I love all of 07th Expansion’s works, Higurashi remains my favourite. In fact, it’s not just my favourite 07th Expansion work, not only my favourite visual novel, but also my favourite novel of all time.

When I first started reading Onikakushi-hen, I expected a murder mystery story. And sure enough, the story started out with something rather gruesome. But then, I was plunged into the happy world of Hinamizawa, with Keiichi and his friends going about their usual antics. This surprised me, as I was expecting a dark and chilling tale, but the lighthearted scenes really give the reader the opportunity to learn about and bond with the characters. It serves to contrast with the darker scenes. It really makes the emotional tension that much greater when you are suddenly taken from a bright and happy world and put into a most horrifying one.

In fact, Higurashi is a tale with many layers. On the surface, you have a lighthearted aesthetic that calls upon that of other bishoujo-ge. Peel back that layer, and you get a horror story with some of the most gruesome pieces of writing I’ve ever read. Peel back that layer, and you get a mystery story where it is up to the reader to figure out what’s going on. And if you peel back that layer, you get a story of friendship – a friendship in unfortunate circumstances, but a friendship nonetheless.

I think this multi-layered way of storytelling is one major aspect that appeals hugely to me. The story was one, yet it was many, and this paved the way for future 07th Expansion tales.

Higurashi means a lot to me. In a way, Keiichi and the gang feel like old friends. And it fills me with joy to reminisce about old times as I celebrate their birthday. Happy birthday, Higurashi!

[Daisu]

Higurashi almost falls on my birthday. Being fan of mysteries and horror films, it was my first forlay into those genres for anime. Higurashi has been my favorite ever since, not happy with just the anime, I delved into every facet of Higurashi. My favorite story is Onisarashi-hen, though outside of manga there are other Higurashi stories I love as well!

To celebrate higurashi 15th, I will visit Hinamizawa on my honeymoon~

[epika]

Happy 15th Anniversary Higurashi!

May 2017 marked my 10th year being into Higurashi. I’m still flabbergasted at how long it’s been since I first decided to watch the anime on my friend’s recommendation. Before the second season aired that summer, I already spoiled myself on one of the important characters oops.

Once the second season finished however, I was hooked and Higurashi has been my favorite series since.

Higurashi opened my eyes into the visual novel world and I have loved and defended it whenever I could before they became a thing on steam. It led to a lot of arguments from my friends, but hey Higurashi and Umineko inspired me so much to read more novels again. I’m a visual person so… I love the extra bits that visual novels have.

I even wrote an essay analyzing one of the Alchemist port’s vocal themes. If I find it again maybe I’ll post it hehe.

Meeting with Ryukishi in 2015 still brings me much joy to this day. I await the next journey Ryukishi takes us in the next When They Cry.

[Aspirety]

『ひぐらしのなく頃に』15周年。竜騎士07さんと15年間をインタビューで振り返る【周年連載】

Looks like Dengeki got an interview with Ryukishi for the 15th Anniversary. He talks a bit about how he feels after 15 years and how the series first came to be. Some spoilers inside!