is a Japanese
murder mystery
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
dōjin soft visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
series produced by
07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the ''When They Cry'' franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the fictional village of Hinamizawa and the strange events that occur there in 1983.
The games are built on the
NScripter
This is a list of visual novel engines.
Digital Novel Markup Language
''Digital Novel Markup Language (DNML)'' is one of the first scripting language game engines for creating visual novels, also known as interactive fiction games. ''DNML'' was d ...
game engine
A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
and the
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
. The first game in the series, ''Onikakushi-hen'', was released on August 10, 2002, and the eighth and final game in the original PC series, ''Matsuribayashi-hen'', was released on August 13, 2006. While the first four games carried the overall title ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'' and are considered the first entry in the ''When They Cry'' franchise, the next four games were produced under the title ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai'' and are considered the second entry. A bonus
fan disc
A fan disc (sometimes called fandisk or simply abbreviated as FD) is a package of additional content, usually released by a game company after the successful launch of one of its titles. The contents of fan discs varies, but often includes new i ...
called ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei'' was released on December 31, 2006. In addition to the original series, new
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
s were created in
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
form and in
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
and
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
, in order to expand the story. The original eight PC releases were released in English by
MangaGamer
MangaGamer is a video game publisher specializing in the English localization and distribution of Japanese eroge and visual novels. It is run by Japanese-based company Japan Animation Contents.
History
MangaGamer was originally envisioned as a c ...
between 2009 and 2010.
Two sets of
drama CDs
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
were produced, one by Wayuta and the other by
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products. The company was established in August 1990.
Projects i ...
. Novelizations of the game series were released by
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
between August 2007 and March 2009. A manga series adapted from the games began with eight different
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
s working separately on one to three of the multiple story arcs and were published by
Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
and
Kadokawa Shoten
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...
. The manga was licensed for release in English in North America by
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
under the title ''Higurashi: When They Cry'' and the first volume was released in November 2008. Following the manga's release in Japan, two anime television series (also known simply as ''When They Cry'' prior to 2020) were produced by
Studio Deen
is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1975 by Sunrise producer Hiroshi Hasegawa and ex-Sunrise animators. The studio owns three subsidiaries: Danny Donghua (丹尼動画), a Chinese sub-contracting studio; Megumi (め組), a digital work sub-c ...
and directed by
Chiaki Kon
is a Japanese anime director. She started her career in 1998 after joining Pierrot.
Biography
Chiaki Kon was born in September 29, at Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she used to watch and fan of Toei Animation's anime adaptation works, su ...
in 2006 and 2007; a third anime adaptation was released as an
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
(OVA) series in 2009. The first anime series was licensed by
Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
Th ...
in English in 2007, but the license expired in 2011.
Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...
has since licensed both anime seasons and the 2009 OVAs. A live-action film adaptation of the series, directed and written by
Ataru Oikawa, premiered in Japanese theaters on May 10, 2008, with a sequel released on April 16, 2009. A six-episode live-action television series adaptation premiered in Japan on May 20, 2016, and a four-episode sequel premiered on November 25, 2016. A new anime television series by
Passione aired from October 2020 to March 2021, and a sequel aired from July to September 2021.
Gameplay
''Higurashi When They Cry'' is a "sound novel", a variation of
visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
with a focus on sound and atmosphere.
Gameplay is restricted to reading individual scenes, during which characters are displayed as static two-dimensional
sprites.
The versions of the game ported to home consoles additionally feature
voice acting
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
provided by professional
voice actors
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
.
The narrative of the game is divided into separate
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
s, named "chapters", which become accessible in a sequence strictly established by the developers.
The narration is conducted on behalf of various characters.
After reading a certain amount of text within a chapter, playback ends. At this point, the player is invited to
save the game, as well as read "tips" that reveal details of the game's setting that were not present in the main story. The tips may also encourage the player to deduce the reasoning behind the narrative's mysterious events.
The chapters of the game are divided into two categories – "question arcs" and "answer arcs". Each question arc is a self-contained story taking place in an alternate reality, while each answer arc is based on the same scenario as a certain question arc and helps the player formulate a more accurate vision of the events of the pertaining question arc. Each chapter is assigned a "difficulty rating"
that indicates the complexity of the mystery. After completing a chapter, all previously opened tips and images of individual scenes in the form of a gallery become available to the player from the main menu. In addition, the player can access a feature entitled the "Staff Room", in which writer
Ryukishi07
is the pen name for a Japanese writer who is the leading member for the group 07th Expansion. He is the creator of the ''When They Cry'' visual novel series, which includes ''Higurashi When They Cry'', ''Umineko When They Cry'' and ''Ciconia Whe ...
discusses and examines the chapter,
or the "All-Cast Review Session", in which the characters
break the fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
and debate about the events of the chapter.
Plot
![SHIRAKAWA GOU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/SHIRAKAWA_GOU.JPG)
In June 1983, Keiichi Maebara moves to the village of and befriends classmates Mion Sonozaki, her twin sister Shion, Rena Ryūgū, Rika Furude, and Satoko Hōjō. Keiichi soon learns of the village's annual Watanagashi Festival, a celebration dedicated to the local deity ''Oyashiro''. Hinamizawa initially seems calm and peaceful, but shortly before the festival, Keiichi learns that for four years in a row, murders and disappearances have been taking place on the day of the festival. This chain of incidents remains unsolved and has come to be known as the "Oyashiro Curse" by the superstitious villagers. The day after this year's festival, police discover the corpse of visiting freelance photographer Jirō Tomitake, who appears to have torn his throat out with his bare hands, and the charred body of Miyo Takano, a nurse in the village clinic. In most chapters of the game, Keiichi or one of his friends attempts to investigate the mysteries of Hinamizawa and the Oyashiro Curse, only to succumb to paranoia and homicidal rage. A few days after the festival, Rika's body is found in the family shrine dedicated to Oyashiro. On the same day, a cataclysm befalls the village and wipes out the population, which is explained by the media as a release of
swamp gas.
The answer arcs reveal that each preceding arc is an alternate reality in which Rika tried and failed to save herself and her friends. As a priestess of the Furude Shrine, Rika can communicate with the spirit Hanyū, who served as the basis for Oyashiro and is the ancestress of the Furude clan. Each time Rika died, Hanyū would move her to another reality; however, the very ending of Rika's life is not retained in her memories when she transfers, obstructing her from knowing the cause of her death. In the final two chapters, it is revealed that the village's local clinic is secretly a government institute investigating a mysterious parasite in the village that causes Hinamizawa Syndrome; a disease that induces paranoia, delusion, and homicidal rage in its victims before pushing them to tear out their own throats. This disease is responsible for instigating the characters to commit murders in the previous arcs, and some of the incidents in the earlier years were caused by it. The rest of the incidents were caused by Miyo, who had killed Tomitake and faked her death, using the Oyashiro Curse as a cover. Hinamizawa Syndrome manifests in those experiencing extreme stress or those who move a distance away from the "Infection Queen", who releases a pheromone that prevents the aggravation of the villagers' condition. The women of the Furude clan have all acted as Infection Queens, and Rika is the sole remaining member of the line after the death of her parents in the 1981's incident.
The theory by Miyo's adoptive grandfather, Hifumi Takano, is that if there is no Infection Queen, all villagers will succumb to the syndrome, and a mass outbreak of violence will occur. In some of the realities, Shion, succumbing to Hinamizawa Syndrome, kills Rika; however, life in Hinamizawa goes on, showing that Hifumi's theories have been exaggerated. In most of the realities, Miyo kills Rika, and the threat of the mass outbreak convinces the government to massacre the village, with the release of swamp gas being a
cover story
Cover story or Cover Story may refer to:
* A magazine or newspaper article whose subject appears on that issue's front cover, and may be profiled in depth.
* A fictitious explanation intended to hide one's real motive; see disinformation, cover-u ...
. Miyo's motive is to vindicate the work of Hifumi and force his work to be recognized after he was mocked and shamed by the government and scientific community for his thesis about the disease.
After several hundred loops, Keiichi becomes either vividly or subconsciously aware of the previous realities, allowing him to avoid several critical points where various characters would be murdered or driven insane. In the final loop, the group asks Hanyū to join them, and the spirit manages to manifest a physical body. With her assistance and all of the knowledge and allies they have formed along the way, they thwart Miyo's plan and go on to live happy lives afterward. In the secret ending, Rika travels back to the past to prevent Miyo's suffering from the traumatic childhood that led her to become who she was.
Development
The series is the first
visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
series produced by
07th Expansion. The game director and scenario writer for the series are
Ryukishi07
is the pen name for a Japanese writer who is the leading member for the group 07th Expansion. He is the creator of the ''When They Cry'' visual novel series, which includes ''Higurashi When They Cry'', ''Umineko When They Cry'' and ''Ciconia Whe ...
, who also drew all of the character illustrations. Background images were taken from photographs taken by Ryukishi07, his younger brother Yatazakura, and Kameya Mannendō. Programming was worked on by Yatazakura, who worked on the main structure, 4U who worked on the intermission and Tips, and BT who worked on the
mini game
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
s. The games were designed using the
game engine
A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
NScripter
This is a list of visual novel engines.
Digital Novel Markup Language
''Digital Novel Markup Language (DNML)'' is one of the first scripting language game engines for creating visual novels, also known as interactive fiction games. ''DNML'' was d ...
. The music of ''Higurashi'' was provided by various music artists including both professionals and ''
dōjin
In Japan, is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in "sewing circle"). Self-published creative works produced b ...
'' artists, including Dai, the composer of most of the music found in the
answer arcs.
Ryukishi07 wrote in 2004 how he was influenced by
Key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
's works during the planning of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni''.
Ryukishi07 played Key's games as a reference, among other visual novels, and analyzed them to figure out the reason why they were found to be so popular. He figured that the secret was due to how the stories would start with ordinary, enjoyable days, but then a sudden occurrence would happen to lead the player to cry due to the shock value. He used a similar model for the basis of ''Higurashi'' but instead of leading the player to cry, Ryukishi07 wanted to scare the player with the addition of
horror elements. In this way, Ryukishi07 wished to be in some way associated with Key who he described as a "masterpiece maker."
In an interview in the December 2008 issue of
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
's ''
Yen Plus
''Yen Plus'' was an American monthly anthology magazine of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and original English-language (OEL) manga published by Yen Press.
History
The first issue of ''Yen Plus'' went on sale on July 29, 2008, with five manga tit ...
''
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
anthology, Ryukishi07 stated that ''Higurashi'' had its origins from an unpublished theater script called he had written a few years before the first ''Higurashi'' game was released.
When he decided to rewrite the script and release it, he wanted to build upon "the contrast between a fun, ordinary life, and something terrifying and out of the ordinary." Ryukishi07 was greatly influenced by the worlds of
Seishi Yokomizo
was a Japanese mystery novelist, known for creating the fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi.
Early life
Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Ban ...
when developing the universe of ''Higurashi''. Ryukishi07 had decided "early on to design the story so that the truth comes to light by looking at several overlapping stories," though he originally planned to release it as a single game due to initially believing he could finish the story in a single year.
The word ''higurashi'' is the name of a kind of
cicada
The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...
. ''Naku'' means , specifically referring to those sounds made by non-human organisms. According to Ryukishi07, the red Na (
な) in the logo is an official part of the title.
Release history
The first game of the ''Higurashi: When They Cry'' visual novel series, titled ''Onikakushi-hen'', was released on August 10, 2002. The second game ''Watanagashi-hen'' was released on December 29, 2002. The third game ''Tatarigoroshi-hen'' was released on August 15, 2003. The fourth game ''Himatsubushi-hen'' was released on August 13, 2004. The first four games are part of the question arcs, and the following four games, under the title ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai'', are part of the answer arcs. The fifth game ''Meakashi-hen'' was released on December 30, 2004. The sixth game ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'' was released on August 14, 2005. The seventh game ''Minagoroshi-hen'' was released on December 30, 2005. The eighth game ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' was released on August 13, 2006. A
fan disc
A fan disc (sometimes called fandisk or simply abbreviated as FD) is a package of additional content, usually released by a game company after the successful launch of one of its titles. The contents of fan discs varies, but often includes new i ...
titled ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei'' was released on December 31, 2006. A second fan disc titled was released on August 17, 2014. In January 2021,
07th Expansion announced a remastered version with new music and upscaled graphics titled ''Higurashi: When They Cry Hō +'' in development for a Q3 2021 release. It released on January 28, 2022 and featured a new short scenario, ''Mehagashi-hen'', originally a mini-light novel chapter included with the ''Higurashi Gou'' BD. It also included a new All-Cast review chapter as a retrospective for the franchise and featured discussion of the ''Higurashi Gou'' and ''Sotsu'' anime arcs.
The eight original PC games were released in English by MangaGamer under the title ''Higurashi: When They Cry'' starting with the first four games released in December 2009 and the last four released in monthly intervals starting in February 2010. MangaGamer's release of the visual novels does not include several background music tracks and two bonus features specific to the original Japanese version: the music room and a minigame. The eight original PC games were also released in French by Saffran Prod under the title ''Le sanglot des cigales'', starting with the first two games released together in November 2009. The Japanese company Seams has done releases for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
devices in Japanese and English. The Japanese version includes all eight games. The English version is based on the translation by MangaGamer and as of May 2012 includes the first five games. A remastered version of ''Onikakushi-hen'' from ''Higurashi: When They Cry Hō'' was released by MangaGamer on
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
on May 15, 2015 for Windows,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
. The updates include a re-translation, previously cut music tracks and content, the original Japanese text, and alternative character art by illustrator Kurosaki.
A
dōjin game named ''
Higurashi Daybreak
is a Japanese dōjin third-person shooter developed by Twilight Frontier, first released on August 13, 2006 and is based on the popular visual novel ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni''. The game is Twilight Frontier's first attempt in making a 3D ga ...
'', based on the ''Higurashi'' series and featuring an original scenario by Ryukishi07, was developed by
Twilight Frontier
, known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese ''dojin'' game developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN), which include seven official games in the '' Touhou Project'' series.
Productions Games
Music C ...
, the creators of ''
Immaterial and Missing Power'' and ''
Eternal Fighter Zero
, known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese ''dojin'' game developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice ( ZUN), which include seven official games in the '' Touhou Project'' series.
Productions Games
Musi ...
''. The gameplay is that of a versus
third-person shooter
Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
, in which most of the characters of the main ''Higurashi'' series are playable. ''Higurashi Daybreak'' was first released on August 13, 2006, and an expansion pack followed on April 22, 2007.
A video game console port for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
was released as by
Alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...
on February 22, 2007. ''Higurashi'' is the third
dōjin game to be ported to a video game console; the first was ''Hanakisō'' by HaccaWorks*, and the second was ''
Melty Blood
, sometimes shortened as , is a series of 2D visual novel fighting games, co-developed by dōjin circles Type-Moon and French-Bread as the meta-sequel of the Type-Moon's first visual novel ''Tsukihime''. The first game was originall ...
'' by French-Bread and Ecole. Although ''Higurashi'' was the first to have a video game console port announced, its long development time made it the third to be released. Due to the popularity of ''Matsuri'', a second enhanced PlayStation 2 port, known as , was released on December 20, 2007. It was sold as an append disc to the original ''Matsuri'' and as a standalone game. It contains all of ''Matsuris content, in addition to ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' from the original games and other bonus content.
A series of four games for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
under the collective title with new story arcs are being developed by Alchemist. The first, with the added title , was released on June 26, 2008 containing the first three chapters from the question arcs, and a new chapter entitled ''Someutsushi-hen'', with its story based on the ''Onisarashi-hen'' manga series. The second, with the added title , was released in November 2008. The third game in the series, with the added title , was released in March 2009. The final game, subtitled , was released in February 2010.
A
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
and
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
port titled and published by
Kaga Create
Kaga Create Co., Ltd. was a Japan-based video game developing and publishing division of Kaga Electronics.
The company initially released games for the PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America). It later released titles for a wide ...
was released in Japan on March 12, 2015. This edition features all scenarios from previous versions, in addition to full voice acting, new songs, CGs, minigames and functions. A
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
port titled ''Higurashi: When They Cry Hō'' and published by
Entergram
TGL, Inc. (Technical Group Laboratory, Inc.) (株式会社テイジイエル ''Kabushiki-gaisha Ti Ji Eru'') is a Japanese company dealing with developing, constructing and planning of various computer systems and software. This company supports t ...
was released in Japan on July 26, 2018. It includes the previous content covered by ''Sui'', in addition to three new scenarios adapted from the Windows version of ''Hō''. A
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
port of ''Higurashi: When They Cry Hō'' was released by Entergram in Japan on January 24, 2019.
A mobile phone RPG game titled and planned by D-techno, written by Kiichi Kanō and developed by Smile Axe was released on September 3, 2020. The story stars a new protagonist, Kazuho Kimiyoshi, who visits Hinamizawa in the year 1993. After gaining the power to fight monsters called "Tsukuyami" by Tamurahime-no-Mikoto, Kazuho somehow wanders into Hinamizawa of 1983.
Adaptations
Drama CDs
Several sets of
drama CD
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s based on the series have been released, mainly distributed by
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products. The company was established in August 1990.
Projects i ...
and Wayuta.
The latter's releases differ from other media adaptations in that they make extensive use of the source material from the original sound novels, and sometimes include original songs from dai's albums. The main eight sound novel arcs have been adapted into a total of eleven CD releases, published by HOBiRECORDS and distributed by Wayuta and Geneon Entertainment, between May 27, 2005 and March 9, 2012; ''Minagoroshi-hen'' and ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' have been split into two and three separate releases respectively. Each chapter is 200–300 minutes long and contains 3-6 discs. The CDs feature remixes of the games' music and sound effects and the voice cast members have been chosen by Ryūkishi07 himself, though some of them have been changed for the anime and PS2 release due to scheduling conflicts. The booklets included with the CDs contained passwords that, if entered on the official site, unlocked downloads to audio files that adapted the TIPS for each of the arcs. In response to fan requests, audio TIPS for the first five arcs later became available on drama CDs named ''Append Disc 01'', released on December 29, 2005 at
Comiket 69, and ''Append Disc 02'', released on October 26, 2007. HOBiRECORDS has also released three drama CDs that adapted several fan-submitted stories from the ''Kataribanashi-hen'' novel/manga anthology arc. The first CD was released on April 25, 2007, the second on May 9, 2008, and the third on April 24, 2009. Frontier Works released several CDs, starting with an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
piece called ''Anthology Drama CD 1'' on December 22, 2005, followed by a second CD titled ''Anthology Drama CD 2'' on March 24, 2006, and a third CD titled ''Anthology Drama CD Higurashi no Naku Koro ni featuring Umineko no Naku Koro ni'' on May 27, 2009. In addition to the anthologies, there have also been numerous character song CDs and DJCDs released during special events such as at Comiket, magazine subscriptions, and anime/film/game pre-order bonuses.
Manga
There are eight main titles in the ''Higurashi''
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series, spanning the four question arcs and the four answer arcs. Each question arc manga are compiled into two
bound volumes. The first two answer arc manga are compiled into four volumes, meanwhile ''Minagoroshi-hen'' is compiled into six volumes, and ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' into eight. The manga uses multiple artists between the various arcs.
Karin Suzuragi
is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. She writes mainly for anthologies of video games published by Square Enix and Ohzora Publishing. Since 2005, she has serialized four manga based on the '' Higurashi When They Cry'' visual novel serie ...
drew ''Onikakushi-hen'', ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', and ''Matsuribayashi-hen'', Yutori Hōjō drew ''Watanagashi-hen'' and ''Meakashi-hen'',
Jirō Suzuki is a Japanese manga artist. She is the writer and illustrator of the manga ''MAGiMAGi'', and has provided illustrations for the manga adaptations of the ''Tatarigoroshi-hen'' chapter in '' Higurashi When They Cry'' and the ''Turn of the Golden Wit ...
drew ''Tatarigoroshi-hen'',
Yoshiki Tonogai
is a Japanese manga artist from Shiga Prefecture, Japan. He is notable as the illustrator of one of the ''Higurashi When They Cry'' manga adaptations: ''Himatsubushi-hen'', or Time Killing Arc. He is also the artist and writer of '' Doubt'', whi ...
drew ''Himatsubushi-hen'', and Hinase Momoyama drew ''Minagoroshi-hen''. Another manga entitled is drawn by
Yuna Kagesaki
is a mangaka, manga artist, born on March 3, 1973, best known for being the author of the manga ''Chibi Vampire''. Her work has been published under four different names: (professionally published non-pornographic comics, except for ''Sakura n ...
and began in
Kadokawa Shoten
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...
's ''
Comp Ace
is a Japanese PC game, computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and ...
'' on August 26, 2008. The manga series was licensed by
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
for English distribution in North America under the title ''Higurashi: When They Cry''. The manga was initially serialized in Yen Press' ''
Yen Plus
''Yen Plus'' was an American monthly anthology magazine of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and original English-language (OEL) manga published by Yen Press.
History
The first issue of ''Yen Plus'' went on sale on July 29, 2008, with five manga tit ...
'' anthology magazine, the first issue of which went on sale on July 29, 2008. The first English volume of the manga was originally planned to be sold in early 2009, but was released in November 2008.
There are three side stories related to the main ''Higurashi'' story, but with new characters. The first, named , is drawn by
En Kitō
is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. While working as a dōjin artist, she was in charge of the key drawings for the adult game ''Heart de Network'' (Euphony Production) in 2000. After releasing several one-shots in commercial magazines, ...
and was serialized between March 2005 and July 2006 in ''Comp Ace''. The next, entitled , is drawn by Mimori and was serialized between in ''GFantasy'' between 2006 and 2007. The last side story is known as is also drawn by En Kitō and was serialized in ''Comp Ace'' between 2006 and 2007.
A manga adaptation of ''Higurashi''s precursor ''Hinamizawa Teiryūjo'' began serialization in the debut issue of Square Enix's ''Big Gangan'' magazine, sold on October 25, 2011.
A manga spin-off illustrated by Asahi, titled ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni'', began serialization in
Futabasha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.[会社概要]
" Futabasha. R ...
's ''
Monthly Action
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha.
History
''Monthly Action'' was launched on May 25, 2013, the anniversary of publisher Futabasha's founding. The magazine was formed from a merging of the editorial departments of the m ...
'' magazine on February 25, 2022.
Novels
There are four
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
s which contain additional illustrations by five different artists, and seventeen novelizations of the separate visual novel
arcs. Each novel is written by Ryukishi07. The light novels were all released as limited editions not sold in stores. The first one, ''Nekogoroshi-hen'', was illustrated by
Karin Suzuragi
is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. She writes mainly for anthologies of video games published by Square Enix and Ohzora Publishing. Since 2005, she has serialized four manga based on the '' Higurashi When They Cry'' visual novel serie ...
, Yutori Hōjō, and
Jirō Suzuki is a Japanese manga artist. She is the writer and illustrator of the manga ''MAGiMAGi'', and has provided illustrations for the manga adaptations of the ''Tatarigoroshi-hen'' chapter in '' Higurashi When They Cry'' and the ''Turn of the Golden Wit ...
, and was sent out to those who bought the first volume of the manga versions of ''Onikakushi-hen'', ''Watanagashi-hen'', and ''Tatarigoroshi-hen''. One needed to send the cutout stamps in all three of these manga by the deadline to receive this special short story. The second light novel, ''Kuradashi-hen'', was illustrated by Yoshiki Tonogai, Karin Suzuki, Yutori Hōjō, and Mimori. This novel was sent out to those who bought the second volume of the manga version of ''Himatsubushi-hen'', and the first volumes of the manga ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', ''Meakashi-hen'', and ''Yoigoshi-hen''. One needed to send the cutout stamps in all four of these manga by a certain deadline to receive this special short story. The third light novel, ''Hajisarashi-hen'', contained illustrations by Rato, and was included with the limited edition of the PlayStation 2 game ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri''. The fourth novel, ''Kuradashi-hen Zoku'' is a sequel to ''Kuradashi-hen'' and was sent out to those who bought the second volumes of the manga ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'', ''Meakashi-hen'', and ''Yoigoshi-hen''. One needed to send the cutout stamps in all four of these manga by a certain deadline to receive this special short story. The light novels were published by
Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
and released in 2006 and 2007.
Kodansha Box
is the name of a book label published since November 2006 and a division of the major Japanese publishing house, Kodansha. The label published not only novels but also manga and critical review books, advocating a "hybrid label." The label wa ...
released 17 novelizations of the visual novel arcs with illustrations by Tomohi between August 2007 and March 2009, starting with ''Onikakushi-hen'' and ending with ''Saikoroshi-hen''. Most of the story arcs are divided into two volumes, except for ''Himatsubushi-hen'' and ''Saikoroshi-hen'' which are compiled into one volume each, and ''Matsuribayashi-hen'' which is compiled into three volumes. In September 2010, editor
Katsushi Ōta
is a Japanese editor. As of 2020, he is president of Seikaisha, a publishing company established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kodansha.
Career
Ōta was born in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture and graduated from the department of Japanese lite ...
confirmed on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that the novelizations would be re-released in
bunkobon
In Japan, are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and space saving.
The great majority of ''bunkobon'' are A6 (105×148mm or 4.1"×5.8") in size. They are sometimes illustrated and like other Japanese paperbacks usually ...
editions. The re-releases were published by Seikaisha with new cover art by Tomohi from January 12, 2011 to June 8, 2012. In 2020, the series received new bunkobon editions illustrated by Sato Yoshimi, published by
Futabasha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.[会社概要]
" Futabasha. R ...
under the Futabasha Junior Bunko label, starting with ''Onikakushi-hen'' on October 23.
Anime
![Higurashi When They Cry English Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Higurashi_When_They_Cry_English_Logo.svg)
The first anime series was animated by
Studio Deen
is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1975 by Sunrise producer Hiroshi Hasegawa and ex-Sunrise animators. The studio owns three subsidiaries: Danny Donghua (丹尼動画), a Chinese sub-contracting studio; Megumi (め組), a digital work sub-c ...
and produced by
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products. The company was established in August 1990.
Projects i ...
,
Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
Th ...
and
Sotsu
is a Japanese advertising agency and, since March 2020, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings, having substantial relations with it before the acquisition, especially with its now-corporate sibling, Sunrise.
History
It was founded in 1965 as , ...
. It is directed by
Chiaki Kon
is a Japanese anime director. She started her career in 1998 after joining Pierrot.
Biography
Chiaki Kon was born in September 29, at Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she used to watch and fan of Toei Animation's anime adaptation works, su ...
, with Toshifumi Kawase handling series composition, Kyūta Sakai designing the characters and
Kenji Kawai
is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kame ...
composing the music. The season covers the four question arcs and the first two answer arcs, and aired in Japan between April 4 and September 26, 2006, comprising 26 episodes. Most of the characters were played by the same voice actors as the drama CD series. The series is available on DVD in Japan, France and North America (following Geneon Entertainment's licensing of the series). However, Geneon's U.S. division announced that it discontinued all ongoing anime projects in September 2007, including ''Higurashi'' on November 6, 2007. Only three of a planned six DVDs of ''Higurashi'' were released, under the title ''When They Cry: Higurashi''. On July 3, 2008, Geneon and
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon still retained the license, Funimation assumed exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles. ''Higurashi'' was one of the several titles involved in the deal.
Funimation released a complete box set of the series in August 2009. However, in August 2011, the rights to the series expired due to low sales.
Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...
has licensed both anime series.
People in Japan, who had bought all nine of the DVDs of the first season, had the chance to receive a special anime DVD entitled ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gaiden Nekogoroshi-hen'', based on the short story that was given to those who had bought the manga. Despite being a bonus for the first season (and having the first season's opening and closing sequences), ''Nekogoroshi-hen'' featured Sakai's updated character designs from the second season.
A continuation of the series produced by the same core staff
and based on one new story arc and the final two original answer arcs of the franchise, entitled , aired in Japan between July 6 and December 17, 2007, containing twenty-four episodes. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the second anime series.
As the result of a murder case in September 2007 in Japan involving the murder of a police officer by his sixteen-year-old daughter with an axe,
as well as the Japanese media relating the case to anime such as ''Higurashi'', the latest episode screenings of both ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai'' and another anime at the time, ''
School Days'', were
canceled by a number of stations, due to excessive violence. However,
AT-X,
TV Saitama
abbreviated TVS, doing business as is a Japanese fee-free terrestrial commercial television broadcasting company headquartered in Urawa-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its intended coverage is Saitama Prefecture but with some sp ...
and
Sun TV announced that they would be airing the episodes as planned. Later, TV Saitama announced that they had ceased broadcasting of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai'' from episode thirteen onwards. Additionally, ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai'' had its opening altered when it re-aired. Originally, a bloody bill hook cleaver (as used by Rena) was shown halfway through (at
timestamp
A timestamp is a sequence of characters or encoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, usually giving date and time of day, sometimes accurate to a small fraction of a second. Timestamps do not have to be based on some absolut ...
0:55) the opening; it was replaced with an image of a van from the series' fictional junk yard.
An
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
(OVA) series, entitled , was released on February 25, 2009,
and is directed and written by Toshifumi Kawase, with
Kazuya Kuroda
is a Japanese animator, character designer and illustrator. He made with his debut with the Gainax series, '' Top o Nerae!'' and ''Fushigi no Umi no Nadia'', to which he contributed the in-between and key animation respectively. He was then the ...
taking over Sakai's role as character designer.
The series also started a limited broadcasting in Bandai Channel prior to DVD release. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the ''Rei'' OVAs.
The OVA contains three story arcs, ''Hajisarashi-hen'', ''Saikoroshi-hen'' and ''Hirukowashi-hen'', with ''Saikoroshi-hen'' concluding in three episodes, and the other two arcs concluding in one episode each. ''Hajisarashi-hen'' was originally a
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
included with the limited edition of the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
game ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri'', and took the place of ''Batsukoishi-hen'' from the ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei'' fandisc. Frontier Works announced another original video anime series, in March 2011, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni''. It is directed and storyboarded by
Hideki Tachibana
is a Japanese writer and anime director.
Works TV series
* '' H2O: Footprints in the Sand'' (2008) (director)
* '' Dragon Crisis!'' (2011) (director)
* ''BlazBlue Alter Memory'' (2013) (director)
* ''Chaos Dragon'' (2015) (chief director)
* ' ...
and written by Kawase, with Tomoyuki Abe taking over Kuroda's role as character designer and
Tomoki Kikuya
is a Japanese composer, arranger and guitarist. He has composed the soundtrack for several anime series, including ''Nisekoi'', ''Eromanga Sensei'' and '' Higehiro''. He is represented by the music production company POPHOLIC.
Biography
Kikuy ...
serving as additional music composer. An OVA film titled , adapted from Ryukishi07's short story "Higurashi Outbreak", was announced in December 2012 and was later released in August 2013. Sakai returned as a character designer for ''Outbreak''.
On January 6, 2020, 07th Expansion and
Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
announced that a new anime project by
Passione was in production.
Akio Watanabe
is a Japanese animator, illustrator, character designer, supervisor, director, dōjin artist and a member of the circle . His pseudonym is . He worked with Akiyuki Shinbo at Shaft. His representative works include key animation for ''Popotan'' ...
serves as a character designer, and Infinite serves as a producer.
Keiichiro Kawaguchi
is a Japanese animator and director born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. He got his start at Ashi Productions and has worked as a key animator and animation director, as well as episode director for many projects. In recent years, he has worked as a sound ...
is directing the series, with Naoki Hayashi handling series composition and Kenji Kawai returning as music composer.
The main cast will reprise their roles. The series was set to premiere in July 2020, but was delayed to October 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The series aired from October 1, 2020 to March 19, 2021. The series, entitled , was acquired by
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
and streamed on its website in North America and the British Isles, and on
AnimeLab
Crunchyroll Pty. Ltd., trading as Madman Anime, is an Australian distribution company focused on anime and Japanese media. The company handles licensing and distribution of anime in Australia and New Zealand. Originally part of independent film ...
in Australia and New Zealand. Following
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
's acquisition of
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.
In Southeast Asia and South Asia,
Medialink
Medialink Group Limited is a content distributor and licensor based in Kowloon, Hong Kong specializing in the distribution of Japanese anime and brand licensing. Its offices are located at Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Registered from Hong Kong ...
has acquired the series, and are streaming the series on its
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel Ani-One. Before episode 2 aired, the title of the anime was ''Higurashi: When They Cry – New'' and it was marketed as a remake to the original anime series. When episode 2 aired, the subtitle was changed to and it was revealed that the anime is not actually a direct remake as it was previously marketed to be. The new series ran for 24 episodes.
After ''Gou'' finished airing, a sequel, entitled , was announced. The series aired from July 1 to September 30, 2021. Funimation will stream the series. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.
In Southeast Asia and South Asia,
Medialink
Medialink Group Limited is a content distributor and licensor based in Kowloon, Hong Kong specializing in the distribution of Japanese anime and brand licensing. Its offices are located at Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Registered from Hong Kong ...
has acquired the series, and are streaming the series on its YouTube channel Ani-One.
Live-action
A live action film adaptation of the series entitled , directed and written by
Ataru Oikawa, premiered in Japanese theaters on May 10, 2008.
The film is an adaptation of the first
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
, ''Onikakushi-hen''.
Gōki Maeda plays Keiichi, Airi Matsuyama plays Rena,
Rin Asuka
is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. Her debut role was in the film '' Tenshi ga Kureta Mono'', and she was later cast in the film adaptations of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'' as Mion Sonozaki. She also played Akira Karasaki for severa ...
plays Mion, Aika plays Rika, and
Erena Ono
, is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was in "Team K" and her talent agency was Ohta Production. She was also part of AKB48 subgroups "Honegumi from AKB48", "AKBIdoling !! " and "ICE from AKB48".
Career
Ono was born ...
plays Satoko. The film was released in 60 theaters and earned over at the box office.
A sequel, also live action, was released in Japanese theaters on April 18, 2009 and is entitled . The sequel is based on the ''Tsumihoroboshi-hen'' arc, but it incorporates elements from other arcs and has a slightly different ending. The cast, including Maeda as Keiichi, is almost the same as in the previous film, but the role of Ōishi has been changed from
Tetta Sugimoto
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Sugimoto was first a member of a rock band before he debuted as an actor in 1983 in the film ''Hakujasho''. For that film, he won a Japan Academy Prize best newcomer award. In addition to his work in film, he has als ...
to
Ren Osugi
, born was a Japanese actor. For his work in ''Cure'', ''Hana-bi'' and other films, Osugi was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Yokohama Film Festival. He often worked alongside Takeshi Kitano and Susumu Terajima. In the DVD comme ...
.
A live-action television series adaptation directed by Tōru Ōtsuka and starring
Yu Inaba
is a Japanese actor, best known for his role as Go Shijima/Kamen Rider Mach in the Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider series ''Kamen Rider Drive''.
Biography
Inaba was born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. In November 2009, when he was a 16-yea ...
as Keiichi premiered in Japan on May 20, 2016 on
cable channel
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broadc ...
BS SKY PerfecTV!. The cast includes the members of
NGT48
NGT48 (read "N.G.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NGT48 is named after Niigata City of Niigata Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NGT48 Theater which is located in the fourth fl ...
.
A four-episode sequel premiered on November 25, 2016.
Music
Unlike visual novels created by established companies, 07th Expansion did not create the music found in the ''Higurashi'' games. The music for the question arcs consists of license free songs found on the Internet while the music for the answer arcs was provided by
dōjin music
, also called in Japan, is a sub-category of ''doujin'' activity. ''Doujin'' are non-official self-published Japanese works which can be based on official products or completely original creations. Such products are sold online on specialized ...
artists that were fans of ''Higurashi''. Later, a CD album called ''
Thanks/you'' was released by the dōjin music artist, Dai; many of his tracks were used in the answer arcs. Fans initially referred to this album as the official soundtrack. However, the actual
official soundtrack has since been released for the series, featuring a majority of the songs featured in the answer arcs. This two-disc set is, to date, the most complete collection of songs from the games.
The first season anime's opening theme is "
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the ''When They Cry'' franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the ficti ...
" sung by
Eiko Shimamiya
, also called Eiko or Peko, is a female J-pop singer-songwriter, and producer who is currently affiliated with Heart Company. She is best known for singing the opening themes of the anime series ''Higurashi When They Cry''. Eiko also handles a s ...
; it went on sale in Japan on May 24, 2006. The ending theme is "
Why, or Why Not" sung by
Rekka Katakiri
is a female Japanese singer under the self-published
Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, ...
; it was released on June 28, 2006. They were released as two
original soundtracks. The series is composed by
Kenji Kawai
is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kame ...
and the albums were produced by
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products. The company was established in August 1990.
Projects i ...
. Volume 1 was released on July 21, 2006, and volume 2 was released on October 6, 2006, in Japan. Three character song CDs were also released, sung by
voice actors
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
from the anime adaptation, between March 28 and July 25, 2007. The second season anime's opening theme is "Naraku no Hana" also sung by Shimamiya. The first season's opening theme includes a
hidden message
A hidden message is information that is not immediately noticeable, and that must be discovered or uncovered and interpreted before it can be known. Hidden messages include backwards audio messages, hidden visual messages and symbolic or cryptic ...
: the unintelligible lyrics at the beginning ("hanni hara hare hi") were generated by reversing the phrase . The second season's opening theme also includes a reversed part at the end ("ie hanann") which was made by playing backwards the reversed bit from the first opening theme. The ending theme is "Taishō a" performed by anNina. The first OVA season's opening theme is "Super scription of data" by Shimamiya, and the ending theme is by anNina. The opening theme for the OVA ''Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kira'' is "Happy! Lucky! Dochy!" by
Yukari Tamura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Amuleto (formerly Arts Vision and I'm Enterprise). She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "Yūki o Kudasai" on March 26, 1997. Her role as Nanoha Takamachi in th ...
,
Mika Kanai
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is attached to Ken Production. She is best known for her roles in '' Idol Tenshi Yokoso Yoko'' (as Yoko Tanaka), ''Tanoshii Moomin Ikka'' (as the Snork Maiden), ''Goldfish Warning!'' (as Wapiko), ''So ...
, and
Yui Horie
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with VIMS and Starchild. She has been affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "''My best friend''" on . Since then, sh ...
—the voice actors for Rika, Satoko, and Hanyū, respectively. The ending theme, , had four separate versions: one by
Mai Nakahara
is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer associated with I'm Enterprise. She played Rena Ryūgū in ''Higurashi When They Cry'', Nagisa Furukawa in ''Clannad (visual novel), Clannad'', Seele Vollerei in ''Honkai Impact 3rd'' ...
, Rena's voice actor and the others are sung by Yukari Tamura and Mika Kanai,
Satsuki Yukino
, better known by the stage name (previously , ), is a Japanese voice actress from Kyoto. She was a member of Ken Production until 2016.
Filmography
Anime series
Movies and films
OVA
* ''Virgin Fleet'' (1998), Satsuki Yukimizawa
* ''Love Hi ...
, Mion and Shion's voice actor, and Yui Horie. The opening theme for ''Gou'' is "I Believe What You Said" by
Asaka. Except for the first episode that uses "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" by Shimamiya as its ending theme, the ending themes for ''Gou'' are "Kamisama no Syndrome" for episodes 2–17 and "Fukisokusei Entropy" for episodes 18–23 by
Ayane
Ayane (/aˈjaˌnɛ/) is the romanization of a feminine Japanese given name. Literally translated it means "colorful sound" (彩音 or 綺音).
* or Junko Hirata, Japanese singer-songwriter
*, Japanese television personality
*, Japanese badminton ...
.
For the first live-action film, a short version of the film's theme song was released on December 22, 2007, in Japan. Once again, Shimamiya sang the song, entitled . Shimamiya also performed the ending theme entitled .
Reception
Visual novels
Over 100,000 copies of the original games were sold in Japan by 2006, a feat not attained by a
dōjin game since
Type-Moon released ''
Tsukihime
is a Japanese eroge, adult visual novel created by the doujin soft, dōjin circle Type-Moon, who first released it at the Comiket, Winter Comiket in December 2000. In 2003, it was adapted into both an anime television series, ''Lunar Leg ...
''. Many fans attribute the game's success to the suspense and horror the novel portrays. Fan-based community boards emerged where fans began discussing their own theories. The popularity of the games grew exponentially as many took interest in their well-outlined script and story, which eventually led the game to be showcased in large gaming magazines with positive reviews. With the announcement of the live-action film adaptation of ''Onikakushi-hen'' came the news that over 500,000 copies of the games had been sold, by August 13, 2007.
The enhanced PlayStation 2 port, ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri'', had sold 140,397 copies by October 11, 2007. Later console releases in the series, between December 2007 and January 2019, have sold 408,391 copies in Japan, as of February 2019, bringing total software sales to copies in Japan.
The PS2 version received a total review score of 31/40 (out of the four individual review scores of 9, 8, 8 and 6) from the Japanese gaming magazine ''
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
''.
The game was voted the tenth most interesting
bishōjo game
A or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive girls".
''Bishōjo'' games are similar to ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' books in the way of narrative, in which the game tells a story but the player may make ...
by readers of ''
Dengeki G's Magazine
is a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and seria ...
'' in an August 2007 survey. Its English-language release also received a positive reception from critics. ''Hardcore Gamer'' stated that the "writing is incredibly eerie, and amazingly effective"
and concluded that "few video games make it anywhere near the skillful story weaving present within the Higurashi series."
APGNation stated the "Excellent writing and music make for an evocative reading experience."
Manga
In Japan, the third volume of the manga adaptation ranked as the 19th weekly best-selling book on January 16, 2008. The first volume ranked as the 18th weekly bestseller on June 10, 2008. The fourth volume ranked as the 19th bestseller on January 14, 2009. In the United States, the first volume was ranked 253rd in the top 300 graphic novels sold in November 2008 and ranked as 25th in the top 25 Manga sold in the first quarter of 2009 release of ''ICv2 Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga''. The manga sold 8million copies by 2009, and over 10 million copies in circulation by 2020.
Debi Aoki of About.com stated that reading the chapters in succession as they were presented in its serialization in ''Yen Plus'' made the story "easier to follow" and built the suspense better.
However, Justin Colussy-Estes of Comic Village disagreed feeling that this structure "backfire
.
Justin Colussy-Estes of Comic Village praised the setting for hinting at something "much darker". He also praised the structure stating that the "mystery develops slowly" to immerse the reader in the characters and then later force the reader to "confront the possibility that one or more of them may be
hemurderer"; a decision he described as "clever".
Critics criticized the manga for using typical characterizations of the harem genre.
However, Phil Guie of Popcultureshock expressed disappointment that this characterization "is brushed aside" for the horror as it gave the friendship between characters "real depth" adding to the surprise of the plot twists. ''Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
s Casey Brienza praised the manga for being an "effective" horror story as it follows an ordinary situation, a harem manga plot, which "becomes terrifying" producing an effect that is "trashy horror at its absolute greatest". However, she expressed being frustrated by the end of the second volume as the central question remains "infuriatingly unanswered" though still felt the manga is "wholly enjoyable and satisfying" nonetheless. Brienza stated that although the artwork is "average", the illustrator "seems to know exactly how to transition between the adorable and the abominable—and does so with dramatic, nightmarish effect." Aoki described the artwork as although "pander ngto otaku fetishes" containing "generic" and "awkward" character designs, providing "overbearing cutesiness hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
makes the secrets that the girls are hiding behind their smiles just that much creepier."[
]
Anime
A review by '' The Escapist'' gave the anime television series a highly positive review. James Henley praised the story, saying that each arc is interesting in its own way, but said that watching ''Kai'' was necessary to fully understand the story. He also praised the cast of characters, and how, despite having only one main male character, it never falls into harem stereotypes, and how each one has a unique back story, revealed in different arcs. He criticized the dub as poor quality, but recommended the anime, mainly subbed, if one "can stomach the brutality." ''The Anime Almanac'' similarly praised the story, as a unique method of storytelling and the art of the characters, but went to add that the " moe" design on the girls made the scary scenes less threatening. He ultimately recommended the series. Another review, from ''THEM Anime Reviews
THEM Anime Reviews, otherwise known as THEM or T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, is an Anime, anime Review, review website that writes about current and past anime in any form, including Original video animation, OVAs and Original net animation, ONAs. The ...
'', was less positive, giving it 3 out of 5 stars, praising the story, but panning the sorrow of the characters and the violence, saying "''Higurashi'' is a hard show to watch; while it's interesting, each chapter is progressively soul-sucking and depressing, as the characters struggle desperately to avoid grisly fates, often to no avail, multiple times." He finished the review by saying "...''Higurashi'' is interesting and visceral enough to be worth viewing by the more adventurous."
References
External links
*
''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni''
at MangaGamer
Manga official website
Anime official website
Novel official website
''Higurashi When They Cry - Gou'' official website
''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Mei'' official website
''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri'' official website
''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sui'' official website
''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hō'' official website (Entergram)
*
*
*
{{Monthly Action
2002 video games
2005 manga
2006 anime television series debuts
2006 Japanese novels
2007 Japanese novels
2009 anime OVAs
2011 anime OVAs
Android (operating system) games
Anime and manga about parallel universes
Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Anime television series based on video games
Bishōjo games
Child abuse in fiction
Crunchyroll anime
Doujin video games
Episodic video games
Fiction set in 1983
Fiction with unreliable narrators
Futabasha manga
Gangan Comics manga
Geneon USA
Horror anime and manga
Horror video games
IOS games
Light novels
Manga adapted into films
Manga based on video games
Medialink
Mystery anime and manga
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
Nintendo DS games
NScripter games
OVAs based on video games
Passione (company)
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation 3 games
PlayStation Vita games
Psychological horror anime and manga
Seinen manga
Sentai Filmworks
Studio Deen
Supernatural anime and manga
Video games about crime
Video games about time loops
Video games developed in Japan
Visual novels
Windows games
Yen Press titles
Japanese supernatural horror films
Japanese psychological horror films
Japanese mystery films
Alchemist (company) games