Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (ひぐらしのなく頃に, lit. When Cicadas Cry) is the title of a Japanese murder-mystery style doujinvisual novel series based on the NScripter engine by 07th Expansion revolving around a group of young friends and the strange events that occur around them. The first game in the series, Onikakushi-hen, was first released on August 102002 and the series is planned to end at the eighth game entitled Matsuribayashi-hen which will be released on August 132006.
The series gained much popularity and was later made into a set of drama CDs, the first being based on the Onikakushi-hen part of the story which was released on May 272005. A manga series was then quickly adapted from each of the chapters which started serialization in March 2006. Following the manga's release, an anime series by Japanese animation studio Studio DEEN began airing in Japan weekly, starting on April 52006.
According to the original creator Ryukishi07, the red Na (な) in the logo is an official part of the title.[citation needed]
Plot
Template:SpoilerHigurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place during June 1983, at a fictional rural village called Hinamizawa (雛見沢) (based on the village of Shirakawa, Gifu, a World Heritage Site)[1][2], which has a population of approximately 2000. The main character Keiichi Maebara transfers to this school and befriends his classmates Rena Ryugū, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, and Satoko Houjou. Keiichi joins their after-school club activities which include playing cards, going out into the woods, playing hide-and-seek; a reminder of the good old days where children played outside until dark rather than being holed up inside their homes playing video games. However, the fun abruptly ends after the annual Watanagashi Festival, a local festivity to commemorate and give thanks to the local god named Oyashiro-sama. For the past four years, one person is murdered and another goes missing never to be seen again each year on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. Who is behind all of this? Is there someone behind this at all? Or is there really something supernatural at work? What dark secrets does Hinamizawa hide?
Characters
The seiyū are the same for the drama CD and the TV anime.
The main protagonist in the "question" arcs who has just recently moved to Hinamizawa. His charismatic and remarkable talent in speech is capable of making new friends and mending amiable social relationships. He often gets paranoid throughout the series due to the strange things that happen to him and others regarding Oyashiro-sama's curse.
Rena Ryugū (竜宮レナ, Ryugū Rena), (Seiyū - Mai Nakahara)
She moved back to Hinamizawa one year before and is in the same grade-level as Keiichi. Although everyone calls her Rena, her real name is Reina. File:Rena-Mion.JPGRena (left) and Mion (right)She tends to end sentences with ~kana, kana as a reference to the noise that the cicadas make around the area. She tends to lose sight whenever there is something cute around. According to Mion, while Rena might look cutesy, people should beware in angering her as she does become quite scary.
The oldest classmate in Keiichi's class. As the elder, she is the class president and everyone looks up to her as a leader. Her social skills are on par with Keiichi, whom she highly respects as a dear friend. She often calls herself ojisan meaning old man. She is also the next-in-line for the head of the Sonozaki household, which holds tremendous influence in Hinamizawa. She is often seen with a holstered airsoft gun.
Satoko Houjou (北条沙都子, Houjou Satoko), (Seiyū - Mika Kanai)
She is a younger classmate in Keiichi's school. She has a distinctive usage of ending sentences with ~desuwa which at times is grammatically incorrect. File:Satoko-Rika.JPGSatoko (left) and Rika (right)Her skills in setting traps is exceptional. Although her personality is quite energetic and mischievous now, she had lived an awful past which still haunts her to this day. She dislikes Kabocha, and cannot tell the difference between cauliflower and broccoli.
She is a younger classmate in Keiichi's school, and is in the same grade level as Satoko. Naturally, she is great friends with her as they live together in the same house. She is revered by the villagers as the only child of the local shrine, and always plays the role of a miko in the annual Watanagashi Festival. She calls herself "boku" for her first-person usage which is usually used only by males. While she does not speak a lot, she tends to mutter cute words such as mi~ and nipa~ which makes Rena go berserk. On the other hand, she occasionally shows a secondary personality whose calmness and mysteriousness is much more advanced than her physical age.
A veteran police investigator at Okinomiya who vows to solve the mystery of the Hinamizawa murders before his retirement due to personal reasons. His tactics and lengths that he goes to in solving the mystery is looked upon as a nuisance by the villagers.
A nurse at the village clinic who also has a keen interest in Hinamizawa's past and culture. At times, her storytelling can be very mysterious and chilling.
The female teacher of Keiichi's class who is also a parody character of Tsukihime's Shieru-Sensei (her usage was given permission by TYPE-MOON). It is interesting to note that the seiyū for her character is the same as Ciel from Tsukihime. Going along with the parody, her favorite food is curry rice just like Ciel.
The older brother of Satoko Houjou. Although he is missing, he is a key person in the actions of several characters in Higurashi.
In Onisarashi-hen
Natsumi Kimiyoshi (公由夏美, Kimiyoshi Natsumi)
A normal high school girl who recently moved from rural Okinomiya to a large city. With her bright personality, she makes new friends at her new place of living. She has received a confession of love by Akira Toudou , whom she also likes in return. However, she hasn't given an answer to that yet. She shrugs off the beliefs and culture of her ancestral home at Hinamizawa, and is in disgust of her overly-superstitious grandmother who lives with her.
Kuraudo Oishi (大石蔵人, Oishi Kuraudo)
He consistently pursues his interest in making contact with Natsumi to find out the truth about a certain "unsolved mystery."
Mamoru Akasaka (赤坂衛, Akasaka Mamoru)
An elite career investigator from the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo. He teams up with Oishi to solve a certain mystery.
Media
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni spans several different media types which first began as a visual novelvideo game, later followed by a set of drama CDs, a manga series and finally an anime which started around the same time in Japan on April 52006.
Video game
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni became immensely popular in Japan, with over 100,000 copies being sold,[citation needed] a feat which has not been done since TYPE-MOON released Tsukihime when they were amateurs.[citation needed]
Many fans attribute the game's success to the bone-chilling suspense and horror the novel portrays, with no definite answer. The player is left with clues and hints to ponder about the mystery. Fan-based community boards emerged where fans began discussing their own theories. Popularity grew exponentially as many looked to its well outlined script and story, which eventually lead the game to be showcased in large gaming magazines with positive reviews.
The first game of the Higurashivisual novelvideo game series entitled Onikakushi-hen by 07th Expansion was first released on August 102002. This was the first chapter of the "Question arcs" which went under the title Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Later, the fifth game, which is also the first chapter of the "Answer arc", Meakashi-hen, was released on December 302004. All of the games in the "Answer arcs" went under the title Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai.
The game is divided into a total of eight chapters: four "Question" arcs and four "Answer" arcs. Each chapter keeps the same main characters, but ends in a different way. However, each chapter gives valuable answers, hints, and clues to the previous one, while at the same time bringing forth even more mysteries.
A consumer video game console port is projected to be released as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri (ひぐらしのなく頃に祭, When Cicadas Cry Festival) by Alchemist in 2006, for the PS2. [3] This is a first ever feat for a doujin game; even TYPE-MOON's Tsukihime has never been ported over to a consumer game platform.[citation needed]
The game also utilizes an intermission where the player can obtain several "TIPS". These "TIPS" allows the player to read information that may or may not be useful in solving the mystery. For example, one of the "TIPS" can be as simple as "this is a small village; children who go to this school are combined into one classroom regardless of what grade or year they are in." On the other hand, they can also provide valuable hints, such as being able to read the excerpts of the newspaper articles regarding the murders that occurred in Hinamizawa. [4]
"Question" arcs
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (ひぐらしのなく頃に, When Cicadas Cry)
This chapter introduces the player to the world of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. The player is assimilated into the simple rural life of Hinamizawa, the fun and exciting after school club activities, all the while mingling with new friends. However, things take an irreversible turn after the Watanagashi Festival...
This chapter implies that Rena Ryugū is the "villain".
By this chapter, the player should have an overall detail of how life in Hinamizawa is like. If Onikakushi-hen was the appetizer, Watanagashi-hen is the start of the main dish. Once again, the turn of events occurs from the end of the Watanagashi Festival... This is the chapter where Shion Sonozaki makes her first appearance.
Mion Sonozaki is portrayed as being the "villain" in this chapter.
By the time you reach Tatarigoroshi-hen, the player should have several theories in their minds. Whether the player believes in a human culprit at work, something supernatural at hand, or just plain coincidence, it's all up to the player's view. However, this chapter will either solidify or crush that player's theory. Tatarigoroshi-hen is shorter than the previous two chapters, but it is also the most depressing.
This time, the spotlight shines on Satoko Houjou as being the "victim".
As the player made through the first three chapters, they will have all the pieces of the puzzle at hand. Now it is time to put them together. Himatsubushi-hen is a prequel to the first three chapters. In contrast to the first three chapters, this chapter is shown through the eyes of Mamoru Akasaka. He is a young elite police investigator from Tokyo who came to investigate a kidnapping of a politician's child. Little does he know that he has stepped foot into a village that holds dark secrets...
This chapter focuses mainly on Rika Furude as being the "key part" of the mystery.
"Answer" arcs
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (ひぐらしのなく頃に解, When Cicadas Cry Solutions)
Answer to Watanagashi-hen. It is practically the same as Watanagashi-hen, however this story is told from a different person's perspective which allows the player to understand the mysteries of that chapter.
This chapter reveals some of the mysteries shown in Onikakushi-hen as a reverse situation where Rena Ryugū becomes as Keiichi was in that chapter and is told from the vantage point of Rena Ryugū. Additionally, Tsumihoroboshi-hen is regarded to have a happy ending, though the post-game TIPS reveal a twist...
This regarded as the game where "the best situation has been provided," [citation needed] but it takes the courage of a certain character to change the course. This will answer everything, however...
There are six main titles in the Higurashimanga series spanning the four "question" arcs and the first two "answer" arcs. Each of these are rather short and are to be compiled into two tankōbon for each title. In addition, there are even two side-stories to continue the story.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Himatsubushi-hen Manga art: Tonogai Yoshiki Serialized in Gangan
"Answer" arcs
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Tsumihoroboshi-hen Manga art: Suzuragi Karin Starts serialization in summer 2006 volume of Gangan Powered
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meakashi-hen Manga art: Houjou Yutori Starts serialization in August 2006 issue of Monthly Gangan WING
Side stories
Onisarashi-hen (鬼曝し編, Demon Exposing Chapter)
A side-story newly written serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp-Ace magazine by Ryukishi07 and illustrated by Kito En. A high school girl named Natsumi feels the wrath that initially she shoved off as an evening news event happening on the other side of the TV screen.
Yoigoshi-hen (宵越し編, Overnight Chapter)
Due to Minagoroshi-hen being a total solution to all previous arcs, it would've been impossible to serialize that alongside with Meakashi-hen and Tsumihoroboshi-hen. Hence a new story was developed which focuses on Hinamizawa in the present day. TIPS for this chapter can be read via mobile phone at Gangan MOBILE. This story focuses on a tabloid reporter named Arakawa who travels to Hinamizawa when its lockout became lifted in the present day.
Manga art: Mimori
Starts serialization in August 2006 issue of G-Fantasy.
Anime
The anime of Higurashi is scheduled to air from April to September 2006 (some stations have different airing dates). The anime follows the chapter breakdowns in line as the original game. It has been noted that the TV anime will span the four "question" arcs and the first two of the "answer" arcs.[citation needed]
The music for the "question arcs" uses license free scores found on the internet.
The music for the "answer arcs" were provided by doujin music artists that are fans of Higurashi.
A CD album called Thanks/you was released by the doujin music artist, dai. Many of his scores were used in the "answer arcs". Unofficially, fans refer to this as original soundtrack, even though it does not have all the scores that were used in the game.
Important terms used
Frederica Bernkastel
The name of the poet who writes mysterious poems at the beginning of each chapter.
Onigafuchi
The former village name of Hinamizawa.
Oyashiro-sama
A deity observed in Hinamizawa. Legend says that the Oyashiro-sama brought peace between the Onigafuchi villagers and the demons that spouted from the Onigafuchi Marsh. Oyashiro-sama means Master Oyashiro in Japanese.
References
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^Template:Jp icon"Shirakawa, Gifu". 2006. Retrieved July 16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |Publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
