Name: Review has mild spoilers for Higurashi's first arc and is a summary of the positives and negatives to this first arc.
Item: Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY: Abducted by Demons Arc
Rating: 87
Author: Ob1ToE

Waifra

Review has mild spoilers for Higurashi's first arc and is a summary of the positives and negatives to this first arc. · Waifora

spoilers for Higurashi's first arc ahead

One of my all time fave horror series. This first part sets up all of Higurashi's strengths and key plot elements. It starts with the protagonist Keiichi Maebara and his parents moving to a small town. He makes friends with a group of girls of varying ages and joins their club. As days pass Keiichi starts to get unnerved by his friend's behavior and the barrier between the supernatural and reality, truth and lies starts to blur for him. The best aspect of Higurashi is the sense of Paranoia it uses and builds upon throughout this arc. multiple re watches for this anime are great as you get to notice and understand scenes which at first appear normal. By the end of this arc Higurashi put's its audience in the shoes of Keiichi, trying to find the truth of what truly happened in it's jaw-dropping climax is a thrill. Higurashi is best experienced by going in blind, as many of the twists and turns are slightly hampered by knowledge of them. The art is great a lot of the character designs help create an unnerving experience. The anime in my opinion faithfully recreated the unnerving looks and overall personality of Higurashi's chracters (Images include mild spoilers only click on them if prepared)

Spoiler, click to view

This first arc of Higurashi helps set up the overall tone and mysteries that the following arcs will build on and try to solve. Some negatives however include the slow buildup possibly being a put off for some potential readers, exposure to spoilers of this arc ruining the experience and In my opinion being a lot slower and not as well executed as the following arcs. Part of Higurashi's charm is the use of Moe tropes and characteristics. The cutesy nature of the first half of this arc makes the final few chapters all the more jarring and unnerving but can also be a put off to those who find the first half boring or slow

Overall the first arc of Higruashi is a must read for any horror/psychological manga fan. It will have you second guessing what is really happening until the very end.