About Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

"About Higurashi no Naku Koro ni"
It was produced by Studio Deen and directed by Chiaki Kon, covers the four question arcs as well as the first two answer arcs. The original Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime adaptation aired in Japan between April 4, 2006 and September 26, 2006, comprising 26 episodes. There will be a second series based on one new story arc and the final two original answer arcs of the franchise entitled Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. It is scheduled to air in Japan on July 11, 2007.

Here is a fan quote I received on the Feedback form, "Higurashi is an anime that keeps the viewer thinking. It is divided into several arcs. Every arc is related to each other, but the viewer does not receive any answers until the answer arcs show up and begin to tie everything together. There is graphic imagery and blood, and admittedly some of the scenes are so sugar coated that I felt as if I gained five cavities, but it was well worth it. The show is addicting. The first episode may be a turn off for some people, but I highly suggest watching more." (slightly edited to remove spoilers).
Spoiler Warning!! [+/-] Show/Hide Synopsis...

In Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, there are five main characters who appear in almost every scenario. The main protagonist is Keiichi Maebara, a young boy who has recently moved to Hinamizawa with his family, and begun to adapt to life in the countryside. Keiichi has a natural charisma which allows him to make friends easily. Since Hinamizawa is a small town of about two thousand people, with only a single school, there are not many children around his own age; he easily meets the others his age and becomes friends with them.

One of these good friends is a girl his age named Rena Ryugu. She, like him, is new in Hinamizawa, having only lived there for a year before the story begins. She has an obsession with things she considers to be cute - generally, others don't agree - and will often scavenge for such things at the local dump and bring them back home. Before she met Keiichi, Rena became friends with a girl one year older named Mion Sonozaki, who is looked at as the leader of the group and is the president of their club. Mion has a tomboyish personality, a facade for a girlish side she keeps hidden from the others. Mion has a twin sister, Shion, who lives in the nearby town of Okinomiya. Although their personalities are quite different, she and Mion have switched places in the past; the change is nearly indistinguishable.

There are two other girls in the club younger than Keiichi, Rena and Mion. One is Satoko Hojo, a clever girl who is quite skilled at setting traps when playing games with her friends. She usually has an energetic and mischievous personality, but this hides a past full of trauma. Satako also had an older brother named Satoshi. Her friend, Rika Furude, is revered by the villagers as the heir of the local shrine and plays the role of a miko in the annual Watanagashi Festival. Despite her young age, she sometimes expresses a type of wisdom which would normally be beyond her years, and is quite fond of sake.

Of the remaining cast, there are those such as Kuraudo Ōishi, a veteran police officer who is dead set on solving the mystery of the yearly murders that occur in Hinamizawa before his retirement. A freelance photographer, named Jirō Tomitake, comes to Hinamizawa occasionally; he seems to be friends with Miyo Takano, a female nurse at the local village clinic who has a keen interest in Hinamizawa's past and culture. She works with Kyōsuke Irie, the head doctor of the clinic who has a severe maid fetish.

There are additional characters not seen in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni proper, who appear in the side-story manga adaptations. In Onisarashi-hen, the main character is a young girl with a bright personality named Natsumi Kimiyoshi, who has just moved away from Hinamizawa. In Yoigoshi-hen, the main character is a man with amnesia named Akira Otobe, who was found wandering in the forest around the deserted Hinamizawa many years later.

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