Higurashi: When They Cry

Higurashi: When They Cry

2006
Higurashi: When They Cry
Higurashi: When They Cry

Higurashi: When They Cry

7.8 | TV-MA | en | Animation

After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem.

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Seasons & Episodes

2
1
0
EP1  Reunion
Jul. 06,2007
Reunion

Mamoru Akasaka, with an assistant, visits the abandoned town of Hinamizawa in the year 2007, and meets with Officer Oishi. They still wonder about the Great Hinamizawa Disaster that decimated the town and the connection to Miyo Takano's File No. 34. Rena shares with them the little knowledge she has about Rika's strange behavior, shortly before the supposed "gas leak", and Akasaka recalls his meeting with the young Rika as well.

EP2  The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 1 - Tag
Jul. 13,2007
The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 1 - Tag

Back in June 1983, the club participates in a game of "zombie tag". On their way home, they run into Irie, Tomitake, and Takano, who tell Keiichi about the yearly murders known as "Oyashiro-sama's Curse". However, he understands why his friends hid it from him and doesn't resent them for it. Regardless, this fails to reassure Rika, as she grows progressively depressed as the day of the Watanagashi Festival approaches.

EP3  The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 2 - Powerlessness
Jul. 20,2007
The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 2 - Powerlessness

Satoko worries about Rika's depression and tries to confront her about it, but Rika continues to deny anything is wrong. In the middle of the night, Satoko is woken by Rika arguing with a mysterious voice, and telling her she will soon be murdered, and there is nothing that either of them can do.

EP4  The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 3 - Pre-established Harmony
Jul. 27,2007
The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 3 - Pre-established Harmony

The day of the Watanagashi Festival comes, and once again Rika fails to warn Tomitake of his imminent death. Later, Satoko is convinced that a mysterious man is following her and Rika around, even though no one else has noticed any such thing. Worried of Rika's safety, she sets traps around the house to alert her of any intruders, and when one is triggered, her fears are confirmed.

EP5  The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 4 - The Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Aug. 03,2007
The Disaster Awakening Chapter - Part 4 - The Great Hinamizawa Disaster

Much to Satoko's surprise, Rika hides her before letting her murderers take her away. After witnessing Rika's demise and the death of the remaining villagers, Satoko fights desperately for her life.

EP6  The Massacre Chapter - Part 1 - Law of the Labyrinth
Aug. 10,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 1 - Law of the Labyrinth

Rika begins a new world with Hanyū, but is getting tired of seeing her friends commit the same acts that lead them to terrible mistakes, until Keiichi proves to her that people can change their destinies if they want.

EP7  The Massacre Chapter - Part 2 - How to Change Destiny
Aug. 17,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 2 - How to Change Destiny

Influenced by Keiichi's encouragement, and the fact her friends are starting to avoid doing the same mistakes again by remembering glimpses of what they could have done, Rika decides to find a way to prevent her ominous destiny by herself.

EP8  The Massacre Chapter - Part 3 - Fluctuation
Aug. 24,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 3 - Fluctuation

Rika's plans are hindered by the appearance of Teppei, who much like in "Tatarigoroshi-hen", begins to abuse Satoko. Keiichi and the rest of the gang decide to find a way to release her from his clutches, but the government is reluctant to cooperate.

EP9  The Massacre Chapter - Part 4 - Negotiation
Aug. 31,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 4 - Negotiation

The fight to save Satoko from her uncle's abuse continues, but they stumble on a dead end because she is reluctant to denounce him, for her own reasons. Rika realizes that despite their, she is the one who must take action.

EP10  The Massacre Chapter - Part 5 - Confrontation
Sep. 07,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 5 - Confrontation

Keiichi's struggle to help Satoko forces him to confront the village elders, even the leader of the Sonozaki family. As the government succumbs to the pressure of Keiichi and his allies', Satoko's condition is also at its limit.

EP11  The Massacre Chapter - Part 6 - A Strong Will
Sep. 14,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 6 - A Strong Will

At last, Rika persuades Satoko to ask for help and she is freed from Teppei. However, just when the village seemed to be relieved from its eternal cycle of hatred and death, the real enemies start to act, just like they did in previous worlds.

EP12  The Massacre Chapter - Part 7 - Hinamizawa Syndrome
Sep. 21,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 7 - Hinamizawa Syndrome

After getting a clue of the villain's betrayal, Rika tells her friends the truth behind the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and her connection with it. Meanwhile, the enemy moves on with their plan, eliminating any opposition.

EP13  The Massacre Chapter - Part 8 - Finale
Sep. 28,2007
The Massacre Chapter - Part 8 - Finale

One after another, Rika's friends are killed while trying to protect her. Takano dissects Rika, but does so without anesthesia, as requested by the latter in an attempt to carve the identity of the culprit behind all the Hinamizawa murders in her mind and prevent the events from this and past worlds from repeating themselves. The villagers are rounded up at the school and gassed to death, while an ecstatic Takano proclaims her ascension to godhood.

EP14  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 1 - Miyo
Oct. 05,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 1 - Miyo

Takano's past is revealed in disjointed flashbacks, some of them showing her harsh childhood, while others to the time when she became involved with researchers of the Hinamizawa Syndrome.

EP15  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 2 - Wriggling
Oct. 16,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 2 - Wriggling

Takano's story continues, including how she met her foster grandfather, and her determination to continue his work. A few years later, Takano and Hanyū have a very heated confrontation at Oyashiro-sama's shrine.

EP16  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 3 - The Beginning of the End
Oct. 23,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 3 - The Beginning of the End

Hanyū watches silently and hopelessly as the cruel events occur during the dam incident, while she and Rika eagerly await the arrival of the one person who will be the key element to bring an end to the enemy's intentions.

EP17  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 4 - Strategy
Oct. 30,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 4 - Strategy

In order to save Satoko, who is terminally infected with the Hinamizawa Syndrome, Rika offers herself as a test subject for Irie and Takano's research. More light is shed into the deaths of Satoko and Rika's parents, and its involvement with the legend of Oyashiro-sama's curse.

EP18  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 5 - The Final Piece
Nov. 06,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 5 - The Final Piece

More details about Satoshi's past are revealed, including the reason for his disappearance. Rika and Hanyū make their final preparations for the impending struggle against destiny.

EP19  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 6 - Opening
Nov. 13,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 6 - Opening

Hanyū is physically introduced into the world as a transfer student to the Hinamizawa school, but forgets her role. After a brief meeting with Takano and Tomitake, she remembers the past worlds and informs Rika about the enemy's intentions.

EP20  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 7 - Trap
Nov. 20,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 7 - Trap

Rika gather her allies and start to make plans, while obtaining more information about the enemy and those supporting their ambitions.

EP21  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 8 - 48 Hours
Nov. 27,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 8 - 48 Hours

False information regarding Rika is spread by Oishi's group at the precinct, leaving the villain's crew in disarray, and racing against time to prevent their plans from being foiled.

EP22  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 9 - Offense and Defense
Dec. 04,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 9 - Offense and Defense

Finding that Tomitake is captured, Irie rushes to escape and ends up meeting with Shion and her bodyguard, Kasai, on their way to the Sonozaki Estate. However, by accepting their help, he ends up unintentionally revealing Rika's hideout to the enemy.

EP23  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 10 - Bloody Battle
Dec. 11,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 10 - Bloody Battle

Irie, Kasai, and Shion head to the clinic to rescue Tomitake. Irie finally unveils to Shion where Satoshi disappeared to and the others deal with the enemy assaulting the mountains on their location

EP24  The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 11 - End
Dec. 18,2007
The Festival Accompanying Chapter - Part 11 - End

The rest of the Yamainu concede defeat, but Takano is unwilling to surrender. After learning Nomura in Tokyo planned to use her as a scapegoat, she flees into the mountains and has a final confrontation with Rika's group. In the end, the Banken comes to arrest her, but Tomitake, pitying her and seeing how she had been infected with the Hinamizawa Syndrome, takes her into the the Irie Clinic for treatment. At the end, Rika and her friends Hanyū, Keiichi, Rena, Satoko, Mion, and Shion, attend the festival.

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7.8 | TV-MA | en | Animation , Drama , Mystery | More Info
Released: 2006-04-05 | Released Producted By: Studio Deen , Country: Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.oyashirosama.com/web/story/index.htm
info

After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem.

Genre

Animation , Drama , Mystery

Watch Online

Higurashi: When They Cry (2006) is currently not available on any services.

Cast

Soichiro Hoshi , Mai Nakahara , Satsuki Yukino , Mika Kanai , Yukari Tamura , Yui Horie

Director

Takeshi Saito

Producted By

Studio Deen ,

Higurashi: When They Cry Videos and Images

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  • Top Credited Cast
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  • Crew
Takeshi Saito
Takeshi Saito

Special Effects

Ryūkishi07
Ryūkishi07

Original Story

Toshifumi Kawase
Toshifumi Kawase

Series Composition

Higurashi: When They Cry Audience Reviews

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Alex Nichiporuk After looking at some reviews about the anime, I became excited to see this anime with all the praise it has gotten. But sadly, I quit watching around episode 6 and came to the conclusion that this anime wasn't as good as everyone made it out to be. Where do I start:Animation: Surprisingly, the animation was very...bland and sub-par to the other anime I have seen. The setting while well made were just dull to look at. Most of the environment weren't that great and fell flat most of what I had watched.Characters: There are times when I ask whether color theory is even a thing in Japan anymore, because this show has some of the worst color palettes I have ever seen. Colors were definitely never considered in this anime and could have actually made the show itself much more scary. Also, the fact that the character design are also stiff and feel restrained to the point that they too feel dull. Giving characters large cat eyes when they go insane did nothing for me. They weren't intimidating in the slightest and made me question how anyone could find the characters terrifying when their visible personality is never really shown.Also, just to get it out there, I hate moe stuff. Their actual designs and character makes me cringe and forces me to watch anime before the moe craze became a thing.Plot: The one thing that got under my skin the most weren't the characters, but the structure of the story. Literally the first second of the first episode starts with a gruesome scene, and then we get a boring backstory that lead up to the scene that takes several episodes to tell before we actually get back to it. The story being half moe slice of life and half psychological and suspenseful doesn't work when you reveal the gimmick to your anime this early. To be honest, I didn't care anyway about what happens since this anime loves to beat you over the head with its disgusting moe sh*t.Overall, the anime fails to interest me in its story with flat, boring characters and poor structure of storytelling. I do have to give credit to the soundtrack though, it was one of the few things I actually did like.
aractos-890-607133 --Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, or When They Cry is a mystery anime with some cute characters, a few morbid scenes and several stories that are shown in sequence.--It revolves around the standard Japanese anime trick of not giving you enough information. The lack of information lets your imagination run wild, contemplating the reasons and motives of the events that take place, which can sometimes be a really good thing. When the story reveals one of those ideas to be right on the money, or when it's so inconceivable it sweeps you of your feet! However, this is not the case with When They Cry. The initial mystification caused by the apparently cute characters with dark secrets falls short when the characters' motives are reveled to be underdeveloped, oversimplified even. Grievous topics such as insanity and family abuse are touched, but shown with the depth of perspective you would get from reading about it in a news paper. Even when love is mentioned, it's used so trivially to motivate characters that all immersion is lost.--The animation aspect of the anime is also lacking. The colors of the characters will hurt your eyes due to distasteful and unappealing choices, while the backgrounds are pretty standard. The characters sometimes go into "spooky mode" which is overemphasized, like emotions in most anime. In this case however, the overreactions in "spooky mode" cross the line necessary to communicate the characters emotions to the viewer and wind up being outright grotesque.--The end of the anime is inconclusive and looks pretty much like a commercial for the video game from which this anime was adapted.--In short, When They Cry doesn't deserve it's misleading current score of 8,3 on a site like IMDb. This score is held by famous movies such as Rashomon, Snatch and Some Like it Hot. The more appropriate number, in my opinion is around 5, maybe even lower. Cheap thrills in a visually unstimulating package. Cheers!
syberpuppy I said good but this show is amazing...After watching the first episode most people will discard it as a kids show, personally, I wouldn't let my kids anyway near this show, although I like horror movies and shows it's really rare for me to feel horror myself, this show though, did it like no other.The story takes place in a small village, around a group of small kids (I wold guess the ages between 8 and 14, but that's all this is), although the village gives you a warm and soothing feeling, it will, by the end of each story, make you feel isolated and suffocating, the children are perky and sweet at the beginning (a little too much, some will say), are really dark and scary at the begging, The show divide to few stories, all around the same time of the year, it runs as a detective story from different angles, slowly gaining more details about the dark past of the village and it's people.You should watch the whole show, though, if you expect to understand any of it (even twice won't hurt, if you'll like it as much as I do), but only after seeing the sequel "Higurashi no naku koro ni kai" (which is not half as good, and can't really be called "horror") you'll really understand more then a few pieces.And I'll finish in a few words of warning, this is one of the best Japanese anime shows ever created, but it really ISN'T FOR THE FAINT OF HEARTS, enjoy
sunabozufan I LOVE this anime. It's my second favorite (After One Piece). The girls are all so cute(Especially Rena and Rika *Ni-pah!*). The story's original, and the characters all have wonderful personalities.However this anime does get very dark at times and may not be suitable for everyone as it DOES contain stuff like murder, child abuse, child torture, beatings, and the story keeps going back which may get on some peoples' nerves. However, aside from all this, it really is a great anime and in my opinion, is a true masterpiece in both story and horror. A must see for any horror fan.BEWARE THE KILLER LOLIS.