douglas.weber - 2017-04-28 22:22:19

…. wow

halvorson.libbie - 2016-04-11 14:52:31

No...no I still don't like this show.
I don't understand how it is so popular. But I have to admit I liked this season more than the previous one!
But this show just...isn't for me I think. I just don't enjoy it. It was very painful to watch because...it's just so... 'why' and the answer is 'no reason'.
Welcome to bad story writing kids.

watsica.clement - 2016-02-17 13:14:13

Treat this as my review for both.
Now i don't like mysteries and watching Kai was just so satisfying to be honest. probably one of the best ends to tie up both stories. now that is to say if you hate things tying up stuff and love mysteries Kai isn't the anime for you!!!

dschmeler - 2015-09-25 04:54:57

Critic’s Log - Earthdate: May 12, 2013. Review #47: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni: Kai

Well, I survived the horrors that I saw in Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. And... I am prepared for more. With that said, let’s get out of this tunnel from hell with Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: Kai.

The endless cycle of hatred and death that befell the small village of Hinamizawa still continues. Rika Furude is the sole witness of all those tragedies and she tries to find a way out of it with her friends' help, without knowing if there is one after all.

To be technical, this is another Studio Deen production and this is the sequel of Higurashi. If you think that Higurashi Kai has better quality of animation, you would be half-right. The character designs do look the same and the animation is in the same style that the first show has, but what is upgraded are the aesthetics and the show does look nice compared to the first season. Like the first series, the animation isn’t perfect in Higurashi: Kai but it still looks nice.

The music by Kenji Kawai is recycled from the first season, but it is still used effectively and still worth listening to with or without the show. So there’s not much room for me to bring up the music this time, however, The opening is great and the closing is pretty decent.

When it comes to voice acting, The Japanese Cast is excellent and an English Dub does not exist in this show. Allow me to explain why this is the case. Geneon was the original licensor of the American release of the first Higurashi anime and well...Geneon went under a few years back. Funimation acquired this anime shortly after but they did not make an English Dub to it as well as an official American release to it. Also, Funimation’s license for Higurashi expired. Making this an Unlicensed Anime for the U.S. My policy with anime is that I don’t review new animes that have not been licensed in the U.S. yet. With Higurashi: Kai, I will make an exception. With that said, The Japanese cast just as good as the first series. There isn’t a bad one in the bunch.

As far as character development goes. Higurashi: Kai has proven to make this topic a lot more interesting. I may have pointed out that character development was a bit hard to analyze because of the “resetting” of the story after the ends of each arc. Well... Higurashi takes a twist in things. For instance, Keiichi is the main lead in the first season. This is made perfectly clear. However, in Higurashi: Kai. It turns out that Rika Furude is the main lead this time. This is one of the few major changes between Higurashi and Higurashi: Kai. Another major change is the tone. Remember when the first Higurashi season had those pants-pissing terrifying moments? Well, that almost plays no part in Higurashi: Kai. Instead of being a Horror anime, Higurashi: Kai is a thriller instead. This could be a turn off for some that were hoping that Higurashi: Kai would have those horrific moments that the first season was known for. As far as character development goes, it is mostly fleshed out to an extent that the development is better than the first . Or maybe that they intentionally developed them in the second season, but I digress. It is much more developed this time. There’s even some thought-provoking moments too but you really have to pay attention in this show to really understand.

However, the change in genre for Higurashi really does throw a major twist in things. Is this bad? You know what... No! Even though the two seasons combined isn’t balanced, The thriller aspect of Higurashi: Kai really works to the show’s advantage most of the time. The thing I was pleased with is the explanation to why the story kept resetting. I have an analogy for you in case you’re still confused. The “Resetting” is like when you play The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and you play the Song of Time to go back to The First Day and all that. If you saw the first Higurashi season, you would know that the story begins and later on, the majority of characters are meeting terrible fates and it starts all over again. The deaths are really terrible to witness, and they were horrifying. Just remember, when the story arc ends, the Song of Time would be played off-screen. There’s my analogy. Link must be somewhere off-screen and I wish he could’ve stopped playing The Song of Time earlier because I had to witness these cruel events that took place in the first season. Why am I still talking about Zelda? in the end, Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni had one groundbreaking factor, and that is the unconventional narrative that the first season had as well as this, everything else isn’t as groundbreaking, But this is a series that has to be seen if you’re a buff of Horror or Thriller that both have mystery attached.

Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: Kai was never licensed in the U.S. look this series up somewhere at your own leisure.

With all that said, Higurashi: Kai makes some twists and turns but still manages to be just as good as the first season, even though it’s a Thriller and not a Horror anime, it’s just as watchable as the first season. It explains some or most of the confusion and this should be seen if you liked the first season but was confused along the way.

I give Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: Kai a 7.5 out of 10, it is GOOD!

Feel free to leave a comment, and let’s play Old Maid.

abbott.jessica - 2015-06-10 00:44:32

http://quanreviews.blogspot.com/2015/06/anime-review-higurashi-no-naku-koro-ni.html

makenna03 - 2014-11-18 02:18:07

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is the continuation of one of the greatest horror anime has to offer. Kai offers more of Higurashi, and provides answers to the questions left unanswered from the first season. 

dexter71 - 2014-09-24 13:29:11

pkuphal - 2014-07-31 04:09:27

GETTING TO THIS POINT AND READING THIS REVIEW ASSUMES THAT YOU KNOW THE MAJOR PLOT POINTS OF THE FIRST SEASON HIGURASHI NO NAKU KORO NI (HIGURSHI: WHEN THEY CRY/ WHEN THEY CRY)! THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST SEASON AHEAD, TREAD CAREFULLY.

Story

The story in Higurashi Kai picks up immediately where the first season ended, and introduces some new concepts that change how you view the arcs of the first season. This season mostly tries to wrap up the entire story of Hinamizawa. Don't worry there are still some mysteries left and they are still very interesting and jaw-dropping and fortunately the conclusion is very satisfying. 10/10

Animation

The animation has improved since the first season. The characters have a slightly different look, and they look really good. However, the animation isn't that great either. Frankly, the animation is mediocre. 6/10

Sound

Most of the soundtrack from the previous season makes an appearance here with a few new tracks, including a new opening and ending. The opening is great and is filled with raw emotion. It starts slow and then picks up to an exciting level, and ends on an ominous note. Just like the Higurashi arcs. The ending is very relaxing and soothing, but it doesn't fit with the second season as a whole. It's a very good piece, it just sticks out sometimes. There is no English dub for the second season of Higurashi, so let's skip that. 9/10

Character

All of the characters from the first season return to this season, and some new characters join as well. Returning are series regulars: Keiichi, Rena, Mion, Shion, Rika, and Satoko. Interestingly enough, Keiichi is not the protagonist anymore, Rika is. This is a good thing, because compared to everyone else Keiichi is a little boring. The change isn't jarring, because we get to learn who Rika is and why she acted so strangely in the first season. The newest character added to the mix is Hanyuu, a spirit who helps Rika uncover the truth of what's happening in Hinamizawa. Hanyuu has an endearing personality and she is very likable. 10/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall

Collectively, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai is an excellent conclusion to an already great story. The only unfortunate part is that Higurashi Kai is unlicensed for distribution in the US, and you will most likely have to result to fan subs and dubs to watch the conclusion. However, it is worth it. 9/10

nbauch - 2013-06-30 06:13:14

Well Higurashi was surely a anime that would make the viewer go on a roller coaster of emotions. Higurashi season 1 was like the 'questions' for the entire series and finally season 2 was the 'answers'. Putting the two seasons together is really what makes this anime special.I don't want this review to be super long because I already made a review for season 1 without watching season 2. So basically this time around, everything bad I said about this anime in my first review, is the opposite of what I think now. It was the questions in season 1 that left me totally hungry for more and full of complaints, but in this season, everything was wrapped up and finished off a great anime.This anime was truly a big puzzle but once put together, it was beautiful.

pokon - 2013-06-10 11:28:26

This is my first review also ignore my grammar. WARNING COULD CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS BUT ILL TRY TO KEEP THEM OUT

We will start off with 

Characters: Each character gets a good amount of screen time, thus allowing good character development. The characters are well developed and you get a good sense of what every character is like and by the end of the show you can basically understand all the characters actions, and I can say now you will grow to love every character :).

Story: Holy balls what a roller coaster(10/10). Higurashi is full of it's ups and downs from the cute slice-of-life genre you see in it for a tad to the comedy but then Highurashi has a very dark and ominous side to it which makes it what it is, The dark side of Higurashi full of evil and torture is what makes it compelling to watch as you grin for more. Higurashi there are many question arcs and answer arcs which make you feel like " I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS I'M SO CONFUSED OMG." Although in Kai (Season two) it is mainly you finding out the mysteries from season one, but I can guarantee after you're done watching this you'l be sitting here like I am waiting for the Higurashi Outbreak movie.

Animation: Here is something that can make an break a show for someone I gave the animation a 7, at some parts in the show the animation was flawless and the scenes we got at times were beautiful but then it had it's downfall where it was a little sloppy and could be done better.

Sounds: I gave the sounds a 10 because the OP for the second season is beautiful and really catchy, the sounds throughout the series also give a dark and despairing tone to them while you're sitting there thinking "Holy shit this sounds creepy but this is a really happy moment", well you guessed wrong this is Higurashi and your happiness just got torn to shreds by Rena :D.

Overall Higurashi is one of my favorite series and I will never forget it, even when I'm an old man I will go back and watch Higurashi because it is that amazing. It is a complete roller-coaster of an anime that gets you hooked into the story and you won't want to sleep you will want to stay home from school to watch it. Higurashi is just simply amazing I give it a 9/10 for the overall mark and I hope I could convince someone to watch it.