, subtitled ''The Unforgiving Flowers Blossom in the Dead of Night'', is a Japanese

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 ...

written by

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 ...

07th Expansion 07th Expansion is a Japanese dōjin circle specialized in the creation of visual novels and sound. They started out drawing for the trading card game ''Leaf Fight'', but are known for creating the game series '' When They Cry''. The remake games ...

and illustrated by Ichirō Tsunohazu. It was serialized between the May 2010 and November 2012 issues of

Fujimi Shobo , formerly , was a Japanese publisher that specialized in light novels, manga, role-playing games and collectible card games. Founded in 1972 and reorganized three times, it was at times an independent company and at times an imprint of Kadokawa F ...

's ''

Monthly Dragon Age is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. The magazine began as a combination between ''Monthly Comic Dragon'' and ''Monthly Dragon Junior'', two former magazines published by Fujimi Shobo. The first issue was published in ...

'' magazine. 07th Expansion adapted the manga into a

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 ...

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, with the first game released on August 13, 2011 at Comiket 80 and the second on December 31, 2011 at Comiket 81.

Plot

''Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni'' takes place in an unnamed school setting and is composed of numerous self-contained

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, each told from the perspective of a student or staff member from the school. These stories feature

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...

as a major overlying

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

, as each story's

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

is depicted as being either a victim of bullying or a bully themselves. ''Higanbana'' revolves around a series of

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

s caused by

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

beings called ''

yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...

'', each of which claims ownership of a particular "mystery" and kills anyone who tries to investigate it. There are a total of seven "mysteries" at the start of the series, with numerous ''yōkai'' fighting each other in an ongoing turf war for ownership of these mysteries, which is granted to the seven ''yōkai'' who emerge victorious in the conflict. The stories' protagonists interact with at least one of the school's resident ''yōkai'', who force the protagonists to deal with the consequences of their actions regarding bullying.

Main characters

; :Marie is the

main protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of the first short story, titled ''Mesomeso-san''. She is introduced as a student who is constantly bullied by her classmates and

molested Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...

by her homeroom teacher at an abandoned school building neighboring her school. While despairing over her predicament in the

public toilet A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...

of the building, she becomes the subject of an eighth urban legend involving a ''yōkai'' named Mesomeso (derived from the Japanese onomatopoeia for weeping and sobbing) that haunts the toilet. The school's ''yōkai'' offer her the chance to become a ''yōkai'' in order to fill the new rank in their hierarchy, which she does after being strangled to death by her teacher. As Mesomeso, she appears before the series's other protagonists to support them if they are victims of bullying, or to confront them if they themselves are bullies. ; :Higanbana is the third-highest ranking ''yōkai'' in the school, also known as the "Dancing Higanbana". She is a very beautiful girl who takes the form of a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

that sits in the school

infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambu ...

and, according to her associated legend, dances on its own at night. She is the ''yōkai'' who directly offers Marie to become Mesomeso, and treats her as her personal assistant. She regularly torments cruel or weak-willed students, and is depicted as either an

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

if she targets a story's

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

, or as an

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

if she targets a

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

Background

''Higanbana no Saku Yoru nis origin dates back to 2006 when Ryukishi07 started writing a serial

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 ...

titled , with illustrations by Nishieda. The novel first appeared in the third volume of Fujimi Shobo's ''

Dragon Age Pure was a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. It was first released on January 30, 2006, and was initially sold quarterly. Starting with the sale of the fourth volume on April 20, 2007, the magazine was sold bimonthly until ...

'' magazine on November 29, 2006. Two more chapters were serialized in ''Dragon Age Pure'' before it was discontinued: chapter two in volume four sold on April 20, 2007 and chapter three in volume five sold on June 20, 2007. The novel was adapted into a manga illustrated by Rei Izumi titled . A short preview of the manga appeared in the fifth volume of ''Dragon Age Pure'', and was discontinued after the first chapter appeared in the sixth volume of ''Dragon Age Pure'' on August 20, 2007.

Media

Printed media

''Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni'' began as a

written by

and illustrated by Ichirō Tsunohazu. The character designs were originally designed by Nishieda. The manga was serialized between the May 2010 and November 2012 issues of

's ''

'' magazine. Six ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes were released between November 9, 2010 and February 9, 2013. A

written by Ryukishi07 with illustrations by Tsuitachi Sakuya titled ''Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni'' was published by

on December 20, 2011.

Visual novels

produced two

s based on the manga. The first game, titled , was released on August 13, 2011 at Comiket 80. The second game, subtitled , was released on December 31, 2011 at Comiket 81. Unlike 07th Expansion's previous game series ''

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 fic ...

'' and ''

Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows on August 17, 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two ...

'', both ''Higanbana'' games contain seven novellas and are about the same length as an ''Umineko'' game. The games were also distributed 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 ...

since February 7, 2014 for explicit use of the English translation patch, but following the end of the deal between MangaGamer and 07th Expansion, they have ceased to sell the games. The port of the first visual novel to the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

was released by

FuRyu FuRyu Corporation (フリュー株式会社) is a Japanese entertainment company based in Shibuya, Tokyo. Their businesses include publishing and development of video games, mobile games, photo-booths, figures and multimedia content. History In ...

on July 27, 2016 alongside ''

The House in Fata Morgana ''The House in Fata Morgana'' is a visual novel video game developed by Novectacle. It was released for Microsoft Windows and iOS by Novectacle in 2012 and 2014 in Japan, and for Microsoft Windows by MangaGamer in 2016 internationally. Additional ...

'' and '' World End Economica: Episode 1'' as a digital-only title.

References

External links

''Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni''
at

Visual novel official website
* {{07th Expansion 2010 manga 2011 video games Doujin video games Fiction about urban legends Fujimi Shobo manga Japan-exclusive video games Horror anime and manga 2010s horror video games Nintendo 3DS games NScripter games Ryukishi07 Shōnen manga Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Windows games Windows-only games