***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. Reader discretion is advised. ***
Series Synopsis
The small country town of Hinamizawa remains cursed.
Time and time again, the village has witnessed countless acts of violence. And the residents have been stuck in a perpetual loop surrounding the June of 1983. It seems that fate has doomed this land to suffer the same tragedy for eternity.
Throughout the course of each cycle, one of four scenarios will play out.
One, Keiichi Maebara (voiced by Soichiro Hoshi) succumbs to deep paranoia. Two, twins Shion and Mion Sonozaki's (voiced by Satsuki Yukino) psyche snaps. Third, Satoko Houjou (voiced by Mika Kanai) must suffer at the hands of her abusive uncle. Four, Rena Ryugu (voiced by Mai Nakahara) believes to uncovers a plot that will lead to the death of everyone.
When one world ends, the next begins. At the center of it all is the one who appears destined to die, Rika Furude (voiced by Yukari Tamura).
Yet for the first time, hope has made itself known. Perhaps the curse of this endless June will finally end.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni was a brilliant mystery series. It combined suspense and fear to create a mind rush of adrenaline.
Kai was the continuation such a story deserves. As well as needed.
The Story
Satisfying and definitely the end.
On a handful of occasions, Kai did manage to surpass its predecessor. Although, the original still comes out on top.
This season was dark, unnerving, chilling, uncomfortable, and nail-biting. I could not put it down. Kai managed to bring about a legitimate sense of dread. Unapologetic, unadulterated, undiluted dread.
Any show that can envelop me in its world and trigger a genuine emotional response is the kind of stuff I live for.
Rika
Rika operated in the background throughout most of the first season. But it was clear that she was the key to everything.
Kai was Rika’s story. She rose to become my favorite character of the series.
I can't explain why no one saw how Rika was way too mature for her age. Especially since she didn't put a whole lot of effort into hiding it. For most characters, this would bug me something awful. Yet for Rika, I don’t care because she didn't care.
This girl had seen some God-awful things. She was a battle-hardened veteran that wanted nothing more than an end to the fighting. When she almost gave up hope, you couldn't blame her. However, when a chance revealed itself, her resolve was inspiring.Series Negatives
I said it earlier. Between the two shows, I have to give the edge to the first series.
There was a scene in season one that has stuck with me. Every time I think of Higurashi it pops into my head. Kai had some disturbing moments. It even accomplished something akin to what happened in the original. Albeit to a lesser extent. Unfortunately, not once in this season did I get a gut-wrenching impulse of crippling fear.
This didn't change the fact that Kai is one of the best horror anime out there. Even with a few frustrating elements.
Since the story was so complex, there are a few plot elements that don’t make much sense. This was not an airtight series.
For example, it was well established what would happen if a villager left the village. Thus, it was strange how a few characters could break this rule.
Still, the biggest thing against Kai was its length. This show shouldn’t have been twenty-four episodes.
Too Much Unneeded Information
Pulling from its video game roots, the end of the Massacre Arc tapped into the gamer in me. Sometimes when getting a game over, instead of becoming angry I'm invigorated. This happens when I at last figure out what I need to do to win. I want to continue right away.
This feeling happened in episode thirteen and it was followed by the next arc of the series. You will need to wait for five episodes before getting another chance at the endgame. This wouldn’t have been that bad if not for the backbreaking amount of unneeded information.
Having said, that unneeded information was interesting. But the majority of it we had already learned through hearsay. This was only confirmation. Any new concerned the main villain. Yet this was info that didn't need to be here either. I say that because the character in the backstory was not the character in the finale.
For a series I have found fascinating, that element backfired a little here. I couldn't find the energy to care. Particularly after everything that had happened.
Final Thoughts
You cannot watch Kai without watching the first season. Yet if you watch the first season, you will definitely want to watch Kai. This is not a bad thing since this season was great.
The story was addicting. The mystery was intense. The dread was palpable. This all came together to give the sendoff you would expect from Higurashi.
Even though the series was too long for its own good, I had so much fun with it. This is the perfect complement to any horror night viewing.
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