The Higurashi When They Cry Season 2 release date has been announced and it will be released on October 25th. The new season will follow the story of the town of Higurashi, which is being terrorized by a dark force. The new season will also include new characters and a new story arc.
Higurashi Season 2 anime takes the story of the visual novel series in a new direction. Is it possible that Ryukishi07, the series creator, has also planned a Umineko remake/reboot?
This question needs a long explanation. Although the first season was two-cour, it didn’t tell the whole story.
You might be wondering what a “cour” is. A “cour”, in TV lingo, is a three-month television broadcasting block that’s based on the physical seasons. Usually composed of 10 to 13, a “cour” can be described as a 3-month TV broadcasting block.
While the first season had 24 episodes, there will be fewer episodes or cours for Higurashi SOTSU. SOTSU will have one cour, with 15 episodes.
The history of Higurashi’s anime series
Higurashi anime fans have likely heard that the television show is based upon a visual novel videogame series.
The story was written by Ryukishi07, and developed by 07th Expansion. It has been translated into light novels (4 volumes), novels (17 volume), manga (38 volume), live-action movies, and TV shows.
A Higurashi: When They Cry Gou manga version has also been published. It began serializing in October 2020.
Higurashi’s story can be divided into question story arcs or answer story arcs. Each arc was originally released separately.
The question arcs present a mystery from one perspective and ask the audience to form an opinion. The audience is often unsure of what they see and can be difficult to identify the villain behind the scenes.
Answer arcs provide the answers to the questions by changing the perspective or telling the same story in a new way. These are the answer arcs for each question.
Demoned Away (Onikakushi-hen) -> Atonement (Tsumihoroboshi-hen)Cotton Drifting (Watanagashi-hen) -> Eye Opening (Meakashi-hen)Curse Killing (Tatarigoroshi-hen) -> Massacre (Minagoroshi-hen)Time Killing (Himatsubushi-hen)
The final story arc, Festival Accompanying (Matsuribayashi-hen), is different from the others since all the puzzle pieces have been revealed. The characters unite to defeat the villain and save Hinamizawa from him. This is considered a positive ending.
Studio DEEN created a 26-episode anime adaptation of the first four game arcs in 2006. They released Higurashi: When They Cry Kai the next year, which adapts the four answer arcs and has 24 episodes.
(The original Higurashi: When They Cry anime is no longer available on many streaming sites like Crunchyroll and Netflix. However, both seasons can be viewed on HIDIVE.
The 2009 Higurashi: They Cry Rei OVA, a five-episode series that told a different story, was 5 episodes. Rika is forced to live in a sinless universe where her friends can’t recall their past lives and Rika cannot return to her own timeline. Rika discovers a way to go back to her world but it comes with a heavy price.
Studio DEEN also produced four episodes of 2011 Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kira. These episodes mainly focused on comedic situations like love rectangles or characters becoming magical girls in another parallel universe.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak 2013 was a more serious storyline. It focused on an unknown virus that caused a quarantine within the village. Keiichi must flee with his friends… but who will remain behind? After Episode 2, the real title of 2020 anime, Higurashi, When They Cry Gou was revealed. Although the Japanese kanji GOU can have many meanings, it can also refer to karma or fate that results from past actions. FUNimation also released this key visual that shows both Rika versions. Pic credit to FUNimation
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Why Higurashi No Naku Koro ni Gou (Higurashi, When They Cry Gou), is both a sequel as well as a reboot/remake.
Higurashi Season 2 anime may reboot/remake Higurashi Kai anime, by challenging fans’ expectations further than the first. For those who are new to the series, it is likely that they will need an explanation.
First, you need to understand that anime creators pulled a fast one over long-time fans. The new TV series was promoted as a 2020 Higurashi remake or reboot with the title Higurashi Cry NEW. It quickly became evident that it was more than just a TV series after Episode 2.
In the opening scene, an older Rika Furude was seen being surrounded by time fragments and talking to Hanyu. This high school-aged Rika, who survived the Hinamizawa mystery in June 1983 is being sent back to the past for unknown reasons to replay the horror.
This big revelation about Rika being the main protagonist was originally reserved for Higurashi Kei’s answer arcs. Higurashi Gou Episode 2, while it doesn’t give all the answers, is pretty clear that Rika will retain her memories after she dies.
Both the original creator and director confirm that the new anime is a remake. However, it functions as a sequel in a way only the Higurashi universe can. Although the episodes follow the plot of the first season, they subvert everyone’s expectations.
Rika, who is currently in the spotlight, was already hinted at by the creators that the turning point would be different this time. Rika wants to alter the outcome by taking different actions but she is also happy to watch as events unfold, so that she can learn from each loop.
It’s obvious to anime fans who have seen the original series of Studio DEEN that things aren’t going as Rika and the audience expect.
In Episode 4, a paranoid Keiichi was seen slamming Rena’s door with his fingers. The tragic events ended in Keiichi murdering Rena and Mion. This version has Rika comforting Keiichi. Rena was then able to open the door to receive dinner.
Keiichi also remembered fragments. This is a significant change in the formula fans didn’t expect.
These changes will keep long-time fans on the screen, searching for new details. This sequel functions simultaneously as a remake because it is designed so that new viewers can still enjoy this experience without having to know the entire story.
It could therefore be said that 2020 Higurashi reboot may already be Higurashi Season 3 within the overall series. What does this mean for Higurashi Gou Season 2, or the possibility of it?
Higurashi SOTSU release date: July 2021
Studio Passione, Kadokawa or any other company involved in the production of anime has not confirmed the Higurashi 2 release date as of the last update. The Higurashi SOTSU anime is still in production.
This article will be updated once the news has been confirmed.
Higurashi Gou was created as a standalone story, rather than having anime fans wait for answers in a second series.
On the official website, the Bluray/DVD pages show that the anime is split into five story arcs. The titles of the arcs are different from the originals, and they focus on deception.
Arc 1 (Demon Deceiving/Onidamashi-hen Sono Yon): Episodes 1 – 4Arc 2 (Cotton Deceiving/Watadamashi-hen Sono Ichi): Episodes 5 – 8Arc 3 (Curse Deceiving/Tataridamashi-hen Sono Ichi): Episodes 9 – 13Arc 4 (Catfishing/Nekodamashi-hen): Episodes 14 – 17Arc 5 (Village-Destroying Chapter/Satakowashi-hen): Episodes 18 – 24
These episodes were designed and paced to subvert the original story arcs. Arc 4 was a turning point. Arc 5’s finale will provide new answers.
Higurashi SOTSU is an indirect sequel to the When They Cry series.
Higurashi SOTSU linked to the Umineko anime
Higurashi is not the only place where When We Cry can be found. In 2007, 07th Expansion, creator Ryukishi07, began publishing the Umineko: When They Cry series. This was followed in October 2019 with the unfinished Ciconia: When They Cry Series.
Studio DEEN has already adapted 26 episodes of the Umineko anime. Umineko is sometimes called When They Cry Season 3. It seems that the Higurashi SOTSU anime can be used as a jumping off point for other series, and not as a direct Umineko reboot or remake.
Although the series are different in character and set in different years they seem to be connected with an overall universe that sees supernatural beings treating humans like pieces on a transdimensional board. The visual novel was a murder mystery using the same format of story arcs and question-and-answers.
There are many hints in the Higurashi Gou OP. The first tie-in to Umineko comes from a flash of the Rokkenjima chapel at the St. Lucia Academy. The creator and director told fans to look for hints in the Higurashi Gou OP, so the brief glimpse of this manor has fans speculating about an Umineko reboot as a sequel. Pic credit: Studio Passione
Episode 7 goes one step further in the Umineko connection by having a red-eyed Rika transform unexpectedly into Frederica Bernkastel (the Witch of the Fragments), who plays an important role in the Umineko story.
