[NOTE: Basically everything I say in this review also applies to Kai]

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is obviously a pretty big deal to me, to say the least. So how have I not rated this above even an 80, let alone a 90 or at a 100?

It's right there in the title, of course. The original VN is one of the most complex, beautiful stories I have seen, spanning themes of family trauma, recovery and community in a way that reflects our world that Higurashi was written in, hoping to send a message of supporting the mentally ill and valuing trust in others above all. It's a bittersweet story, and one that also makes for a master-class in worldbuilding and immersive storytelling.

And then there's this thing, the anime adaptation. The one that got Higurashi this "slasher-thriller" type reputation, with a pretty inaccurate yandere tag to boot. But this isn't the fault of anime fans being stupid, as much as I'd like to say that is the case.

Like the VN, this anime has a very clear split between the SoL and horror genres that makes it almost infamous for its tonal inconsistency. In fact, if we were talking about the VN we could say that the series prioritises its themes over genre, which is what gives it this inconsistency that helps define the experience of reading it.
But the anime deals with this differently - the scenes of gore are dealt with in much faster pace and in much more grotesque and graphic form than the source material, which works for momentary shock value but often feels like a desensitised approach to portraying this violence.

Another major problem with the anime as an adaptation, and probably the biggest problem, is the characterisation. There are a variety of scenes and interactions that are cut for the sake of controlling the pacing, trying to eliminate the "slow-burn" effect that the visual novel relies heavily on. This decision doesn't really make much sense, considering how the series as a whole was written to be consumed in such a way and that changing the pacing makes it a lot harder to digest everything going on properly in the story. There is also the rollback of the first-person narration that plays a critical role in the VN, which makes a lot of character motives more confusing to follow and dulls the nuances of different character relations.

Spoiler, click to view

Shion being motivated by revenge for Satoshi (hence the misleading "yandere" tag) in the anime, despite the VN putting a much greater emphasis on her psychosis, paranoia and survivalist mentality that leads her to believe that murder is her only way to survive in Hinamizawa.

I promise that if you watch the anime and then come to read the VN after - just as I did - you will see the characters of the series in a completely different light as a whole afterwards.

So do I recommend the anime? Not as much as the VN, but still yes actually. The animation and directing still make a very visually compelling experience, and the voice-acting is phenomenal from top to bottom. It's a pretty enjoyable watch - just don't come out of it thinking you've gotten the definitive Higurashi experience.