āRe readingā Higurashi
(Spoilers, also minor spoilers for Danganronpa UDG.)
The title is a bit of a liars work. You see, Iāve been deceiving you all this whole time. Because despite the fact that my account is heavily focused on Higurashi memes and commentary, Iāve never actually read Higurashi. Oh, I saw the anime. Since 2018, Iāve been obsessed with Higurashi. Well, except 2020. I had a short hiatus from the fandom. But in 2022 I decided to begin actually reading the visual novel. I began reading Umineko in 2021 and finished it in 2022. I began reading Higurashi early 2022 and finished it in 23.
Join me and my horrible memory as I get many details wrong.
Chapter 1:
ā¢ I donāt remember anything from the damn project, but the suspect list seems off. XXXX, XXX, XXXX, XXXXX and XXXX. The main offender is XXXX. I donāt quite remember much, so Iāll go without making assumptions. I donāt remember if Takano was involved in the dam project. (This aged terribly. I donāt know why I thought this.) I think the sonozakis has something to do with it. I donāt know. We can rule out Keiichi and Rena, and Rika and Satoko because of their ages/locations. We can also rule out Mion and Shion due to their ages. Miyo fits XXXX, the main perpetrator, but again, I donāt remember that being the case. I remember Takano was involved with some government bullshit. I watched Higurashi in 2018 and only got back into the fandom recently. (I lost interest briefly in 2020 and got back into it in 2021) I finished Umi, and Iāve only started the VN. I donāt remember everything about the story, and I didnāt care much about the dam project.
ā¢ Things are brought up in these games without much relevance. Umineko had the whole lotta shit that didnāt add up to much, like the shit with Virgilia and the vase.
ā¢ Teppei? Hojo has four letters. That makes sense, but didnāt Teppei not live in Hinamizawa?) I donāt remember, again, only recently got back in.
Iām abandoning this format
The reason why I only began reading Higurashi a few months ago was because I was under the mindset of āwell, I watched the anime, so reading the VN would basically be the same as a rewatch.ā I never rewatch shows. The only anime Iāve ever rewatched was Erased, and I donāt even remember why, because I didnāt even care for it much. However, as Iāve spent the last five months trying to get through CH1 (I am a very slow reader, I got busy.) I have realised it is a very different experience from the anime. First of all, I havenāt watched the anime since 2018. So my memory might be a bit bad, but there are a couple details that I already find intriguing. First of all, the literary world offers Ryukishi a lot more options than any other form of media. As a writer myself, viewing a story written as āa show, but in wordsā is dishonest. Writing is, in a lot of ways, a superior art form to cinema in some regards, and it falls inferior in other places, as all media do. For example, you might not be able to convey facial expressions as detailed as you can in television. But you can convey small details and explain why those details are there. For example, in CH1, there was a scene where Keiichi remarks about how Rika must be struggling with her dance. Considering Iām familiar with the twist about Rika, that I believe occurs in CH4 in the VN, it re-contextualises that scene. It makes you wonder if she was really struggling, or if she was worried about the festival considering thatās where things hit the fan. Second, Rika loses to Tomitake, making me wonder if sheās trying different variables, trying to roll the dice in the most minuscule ways, desperate for a change. There is also the whole āinfirmary, rika, poisonā thing that straight up spoils who the culprit is. Of course, I donāt believe Takano is revealed to be a nurse at this point.
I like how Ooishi brings up Mion and Rika potentially being behind Tomitakes death and Keiichi is like āWHAT?! MION WOULNT DO THATā like bro what about Rika.
Foreshadowing the fingernail scene TwT
Iām curious what the conversation Rena and Mion are having. I donāt remember it being in the anime? So, the obvious intention is to omit certain words to make Rena and Mion look suspicious. This is something that can easily happened. You ever overhear something that sounds suspicious, but then you listen closer and realise itās two women talking about getting ice cream, not saying āhe didnāt screamā? Me neither. Point is that Iām wondering what they actually said. Maybe they were talking about a person, because Mion says she doesnāt want to talk about it. Maybe Satoshi? He was a member of the club, if I recall correctly. I wonder when Keiichi will get the bat. I donāt think Shion shows up this chapter, but I hope she gets fleshed out more in the VN. In the anime, I feel like she didnāt get much attention even in the original 2006 anime. And everyone who saw the anime just saw her as the āmuch blood. such murder.ā girl. I donāt remember why she killed in the original arcs. Because she was trying to figure out who was responsible for Satoshiās disappearance? He DID go missing, right? For ages, I always thought it was a mystery in the fandom what happened to him, but I feel that was a Mandela effect I created in my head. I mean I always just considered Outbreak non canon so it didnāt phase me when he showed up non-chalantly. But him being in a coma? Not what I remembered. All I remember from Shionās arc was that she realised she had broken her promise to Satoshi at the end. Again, Iāve heard that out of every arc, Watanagashi was adapted the worst in the anime.
Onikakushi-hen is basically just a prank gone wrong, lmao. āMARKER PRANK, GONE WRONG!!!1!1!1ā though Iām only at the morning scene where Keiichi discovers the bean paste and he starts overanalysing what in reality, was probably not a needle. I donāt know, because itās been a while, but Iād suspect maybe a different sauce? Or something like candy?
I feel like Uminekoās creation may have been due to the success of the first Higurashi arc. Because the illusion side of things is really thorough here. A lot of things Rena and Mion say are completely normal. The only unusual thing would be Renaās āLIARā speech, which couldāve been her joking around, or in Keiichiās head. Mion 100% probably did tease Keiichi about the diner, and when she said he needed to rest, it was probably with a ton of concern. Anyway, everything in Onikakushi is Ooishiās fault lmao.
I remember Keiichi being a lot more aggressive in the anime. Thatās probably me misremembering. The āhorrorā in the anime feels a little different from the āhorrorā in the visual novel. It feels more slow, more of a build up, though the whiplash can get a bit grading sometimes.
OK theory time. Iām not sure if this is how it happened, but I think Mion mightāve decided to prank Keiichi to cheer him up. So she got her classmates to follow Keiichi around (the car was probably not a coincidence though: I think itās related to whatever that stuff with Tokyo and Takano was? I was too young to understand it back when I watched.) and she got the information somehow that Keiichi was buying or eating a flavor of noodles. She got Rena to make him dinner to cheer him up, or Rena did it on her own, and she relayed the information to him of what flavour he was eating, because she knew he was lying. Rena was probably sad that Keiichi was lying, but not aggressive. Whether or not the āusodaā scene the first time was real or not is more debatable, as being pushed for details of your missing friend can push someone over the edge, but I think Keiichi could be been imagining that too. And as we all know, the āmarkerā thing is coming soon.
āWhy would Rena go this far in pranking Keiichi with Mionā well, remember two facts. Rena is already very mentally unstable due to her Dadās inferred abuse and Rina. I donāt remember if Renaās dad being abusive is in the original, but reading Gou again I notice itās a detail added. Another factor is age: Rena is 13. 13 year olds donāt understand the limit to jokes that often. And with Mion being 14 (the demon year), she probably doesnāt know the limit either. The age of Higurashi characters amazes me. When I was young and watching the anime I thought Rena was 15, Mion was 16, Shion was 16-18, Keiichi was 16, and Rika and Satoko were 12-14. I just saw them as older. And to be honest, Rena seems older than 13.
Okay, see? Rena even admits she was messing around. She didnāt realise how paranoid Keiichi was. Her poor fingersā¦ wait until the nail scene XD.
Keiichi, a lack of sleep increases paranoia. *sigh* also that line about how no one can decide except him if today would be- yeah. Rings different if you know the ending.
ITS TABASCO. Keiichi, If you werenāt such a paranoid, ableist and judgmental person you couldāve just talked to Mion and Rena. Itās incredibly disrespectful to dig through your friends pasts and not even talk to them, and disrespect their traumas. But still. Saikoroshi-hen is so good though, unrelated. Still unbelievable that Saikoroshi was in the same show as Hajisarashi and Hirukowashi, the latter that has a grown woman gushing over Rena.
CH2
Okay, time to figure out who is Mion and who is Shion. For the diner scene, I think it might be Mion, but I donāt know- I donāt remember. The way she is acting would make sense if it was Mion, because she wouldnāt want Keiichi to see her like that. Okay, the next āShionā scene I also believe to be Mion because she literally calls him āKei-chanā and blushes around him.
The bike scene. Iām not sure, but Iām leaning towards Shion. First of all, calling him Kei-chan is suspicious, so thatās a reason why it could be Mion. But at the same time, she hasnāt blushed around Keiichi, and if I recall, Mionās gotten in trouble with the law before, even swearing out Ooishi in CH1, so why would she be so respectful to law enforcement? Waitā¦ sheās blushingā¦ hmmmm. Mion? The phone scene I think could be Shion, but itās hard to tell. I feel like itās Shion in the restaurant, cuz sheās acting lessā¦ you know, nervous?
Poor Shion. Keiichi really is subtly sexist. He even downplays the very real nature of what that manās doing to Shion, itās harassment. This makes the Satoshi and Keiichi scene from Kira or whatever much more deserved. Ugh.
Wonder if St. Lucia is part of the reason Shion (assuming itās her) feels like this situation is her fault. St. Lucia basically puts a lot of expectation on the individual, and failing that system is a kind of personal responsibility. Mixed with growing up in a misogynistic world, itās no wonder Shion is victim blaming herself. Also her shitty family.
āNo means no.ā Thank you Rena very based. Also I like how the first thing Rena does when seeing Shion is gush over how kyute she is. Shiirena confirmed???! /j (?)
Why is the tense changing. All the time. Ryukishi, itās one or the other. I personally use past tense when writing, as it is a lot moreā¦ I donāt know, easy? Ryukishi also wasnāt really good at foreshadowing back then. Shion looking like she has demon blood. Really? Maybe itās just because I know the twist about it.
I have a feeling Mion isnāt Mion.
Shion is definitely not crying on the other end of the line. Sheās telling Keiichi to calm down, but I donāt think she herself is calm. Considering she heard those noises at the night of Watanagashi, she probably had Hinamizawa Syndrome. How Hinamizawa Syndrome develops is unknown. I donāt remember. I do remember there is a drug, H137 or something, that induces it, that Takano uses on Tomitake, but did she use it on Keiichi and now Shion, or did it naturally develop? It could be either. She encountered Keiichi, albeit in a public setting, so for Onikakushi itās more likely he developed it on his own. But Shion, alone in that storehouse with Keiichi? Maybe. But then again, I doubt it. Also this music is hilarious.
See, I knew the āhicā shit was building up to a laugh. Now, the real question - is it one of sadism and deceit, or panic and frantic thinking, I donāt remember how Hinamizawa Syndrome affects people, and their logical state of mind. I feel like the anime might have doubled down on the ācrazyā aspect too much, without delving into the psychology. Shion, as a person, isnāt evil. She expresses remorse for her actions, I believe, in later arcs. Thatās why Iām curious on why she did it.
I have a lot of thoughts about the nail scene. So, obviously Mion is Shion and Shion is Mion. A fact about the Sonozakiā sis that Mion was born Shion and Shion was born Mion, and they switched names at one point. To make things a little less confusing, Iāll refer to Mion (the one with the demon tattoo) as Mion, and Shion as Shion, not by their birth names, by their chosen names. Hereās my theory. Shion had long been resentful of Mion, because she was given special treatment by the other members of the family. Shion snuck into the storehouse, and Shion was punished for it by Mion. Shion already had signs of Hinamizawa Syndrome, so she was growing even more resentful. I believe, well, know, Shion didnāt kill Tomitake & Takino, yet, Shion, afflicted with HS, was scared that she had been cursed and was after next. Then, she began interrogating her family (which I remember from the anime) and none of them confessed, which she then passed the blame to Satoko, and it spiralled out of control. When Rena and Keiichi come over, and Mion is locked up, I can guess Shionās thoughts during this. The ādemon/oniā in this context is Shion pretending to be Mion, and disgracing the name of āMionā. The title of āMionā and āShionā are again, titles to them. Because Shion in reality, if I recall, is actually the older sister of the two, she probably wanted to take the name āMionā back. As to why she let Keiichi go, I donāt know. Maybe Iām remembering poorly, but I remember the anime cutting out Shion letting Keiichi go, and it cuts before she is about to do the nail stuff. But I could be misremembering. I donāt have many theories thus far. Why could giving the doll to āMionā (who Iām in the middle on being Shion) be such a big deal? Mion wanted the doll because she wanted to be treated as a girl, Shion wanted the doll becauseā¦ it doesnāt make sense. I really donāt remember the āwhyā of this arc, just the how. We all remember the infamous Satoko scene, after all. (Revisiting this while reading arc 6, after reading arc 5. I was surprisingly close to the truth, still.)
Wait, didnāt Shion push Mion down a well in the anime? Am I misremembering or was it just changed in the adaptation? No, that wouldnāt make sense. Takano being dead doesnāt make sense. She is a nurse, so? Maybe she constructed her own demise and framed it to look older? Maybe she got a wax figure XDDD? Maybe itās someone who looks like her. Or maybe Keiichi has Hinamizawa Syndrome. No, Takano was alive. Whoever that was they found wasnāt her. Jirou, Keiichi and Shion all having Hinamizawa syndrome is possible but I doubt Keiichiās would have progressed that far due to him not hearing noises.
Hints of Rikaās ājuiceā-addiction, Satokoās abuse, both foreshadowed in a slice of life meta scene. Weird. Takano standing RIGHT NEXT TO Mion while she says thereās a mystery culprit, huh, Ryukishi do you think youāre funny. Do you think youāre a fucking comedian. Because yes.
āSayokoā. I didnāt know Satoko had a twin. Letās seeā¦ is Sayoko a name? Oh, it is. It means āsmall child.ā I didnāt know Satoko had a twin. That explains a lot. Not really. It explains nothing. Is it a translation error? No, obviously not. This is clever foreshadowing to the show that shant be named and the manga adaptation midguri. (Edit as Iām approaching CH7: I forgot to mention but I like meguri slightly more than Sotsu. Both are still lacking but still.)
CH3
Keiichi has the ego of a brick. Donāt read into that metaphor. His āplanā for saving Satoko is a felony. He doesnāt even seem to care if Satoko would be happy living with him. And he was willing to give her to Irie. That says enough. (Edit as Iām approaching CH7: Come to think of it, maybe I actually was too harsh on Keiichi. If a child is being abused, you get them out of that situation point blank period. So I donāt know.)
Why didnātā¦ why didnāt Keiichi have cat eyes in Onikakushi-hen? He had HS too, in that arc, but no one commented on it. Now they are. Weirdā¦ idk why though.
Ugh. Keiichi. Theyāre clearly covering for you. Why would they not find Teppei? Because they moved him! But because Keiichi developed HS, heās making crazy assumptions. Heās probably missing obvious social cues that his friends are trying to tell him āhey, we helpedā without outright saying it. Satoko was probably actually crying, somewhat bittersweet Iād imagine. The trauma is still there, but because itās a change of routine, she isnāt able to process it fully yet. Iām sure she is happy her uncle isnāt bothering her, but sheās confused by it.
Wait, is this the arc whereā¦ okay, if I remember, Satoko is attempting uhhhā¦ well sheās in a bathtub and itās like, overheating? Or sheās like? You knowing with something? But I believe Satoko has HS in every arc to a minor degree, soā¦ she does to Keiichi what she did to her parents? I donāt know.
ā...If that was the case, then here's how it would end up. ...I was actually in a vegetative state due to a traffic accident, and I was currently dreaming in a hospital bed...ā jeez K1 because thatās NEVER happened in ANY arc to ANYONE. Sarcasm.
This isnāt adding up. If Satoko had to count to 10,000, it takes 2 hours to count to 10,000. So she couldnāt have been in there that long. This could either be K1 hallucinating, or Kei-chan isnāt and Ryukishi was just. Not thinking about it. Now, if Satoko was counting by the minute, that would be almost exactly a week. (Edit: 2 hours is way too long to be in a hot bathtub. What was I thinking?)
Ah, I see. Satoko released an eruption so large when she pushed Keiichi that it affected the whole village. Nah, Iām pretty sure the mountain dogs have something to do with this. From Tokyo? Something something Takano something something grandfathers research. I donāt remember.
CH4
Yukie aināt there, son. I bet. She probably wasnāt when giving birth, something happened likely. Maybe if you were there for her she wouldnāt have went alone but you know. L Alabama. AKASAKA. Not alamaba. Whatever.
So, I thought Rika or Takano could be behind the mysterious TIPS, so now we have confirmation that it was Rika. If this is because of the loops, then that means that Rika has been looping for longer periods of time than I suspected. I always thought she was reliving the same few days in Hinamizawa, but was she transported a few years back this time? Was Rika like this before she became a looper? Who knows.
CH5
Shion is just like me fr fr. I fully understand the mindset of āif I wasnāt born, I wouldnāt have had to suffer.ā Itās the very reason I donāt want kids. I feel like life is just a game of suffer vs sufferer. Everyone is either a sufferer or the perpetrator, or a standerby, which is no better than the perpetrator. āWhy was I born? Why did this world give birth to me? I shouldn't have been born. I wouldn't have had to suffer if I hadn't been. What was the meaning of my meaningless life?ā
āWhere did I go wrong...? When in my life did I make the wrong choice?ā
*sigh* my mom made the wrong choice in having me. I was better off never existing at all.
āIām sorry for being bornā youāre not crying, I am. I mean, Iām not crying- fuck.
Sorry, opinions were mixed? Teppei is a legit horrendous person. Keiichi did nothing wrong. Does anyone know the Blanchard case? That poor, poor girl was horrifically abused, and got sent to jail because she retaliated against the abuse. Horrific. How could anyone care about a human who abuses a child? WHO? No, no.
So Iām realising from Arc 3, re-reading my notes, my point about Satoko counting to 10,000 is ridiculous because she was in either really hot or really cold water, which can take as short as 5 minutes. Fuck Teppei.
CH6
Renaās mom and dad seem like bad people. Your child shouldnāt be responsible for cooking, fathers should know how to cook, clean, and look after their kids. Also, Renaās mother reminds me of that case where a mother spoiled her child and thenā¦ killed that child and herself. But yeah, I know this is some deep literary anoysis, and no one else figured this out, but I think Renaās mom may be getting a divorce šØ I know, shocking. /s
My eyes are a bit wet because what Rena describes happened to me in my childhood, sort of. My mom and dad got into a really big fight, and me and my mom left and got into the car, and she started crying, and I started crying. I donāt like my mom, but what did my dad say that made me and my mom too scared to be near him?! I donāt know. I hate both of them.
āI know you're not naĆÆve
But you ignore it all
Just look, you've been deceived
I don't forgive you eitherā
āCompletely depending on someone means trying to earn even deeper sympathy from them. At that point, even though you're trying to comfort them. they just slip further and further into depression. By finding initial success through relying on someone and receiving comfort, they grow addicted to indulging in misfortune. That's a golden rule for psychologists, did you know? Mental trauma can only be be healed by the person who has it. If someone else helps a person out of their mental trauma. even if they succeeded that person wouldn't be completely healed. Kei-chan, people feel better just by talking to somebody. Sometimes, all they need is someone who does nothing but listen quietly.ā Wow did Ryukishi just talk directly to me,?? Read my mind??
Also, hmm, Mion is strangely knowledgable about mental health. Itās a shame Mion never gets her own arc. And no, Wataakashi-hen does not count. I thoroughly hate Gou and Sotsu, but find Meguriā¦ acceptable. I know not a lot of people like Meguri, and frankly I still hate Tatariakashi-hen. Some love to defend it, I donāt. And thatās all Iāll say.
I do find Rena hypocritical. She criticises her friends for not helping Satoshi, but then berates Keiichi in arc 3 for criticising them for not helping Satoko? Tbf, Keiichi was being a dick, but it seemsā¦ very parallel. I donāt think this is unintentional. Hinamizawa Syndrome, and this is surprising, may lead to a higher risk of stress. Crazy, right? They might begin blaming those around them. Crazy?
Couldnāt have seen that coming.
Mion mustāve felt really invalidated when Keiichi said āAre you kidding me? That's not why I called you here. I have to talk to you about something very important. I want you to listen without making fun of me,ā in response to "Oh. I know. You want to give me a love letter, don't you? People usually use the shoe locker for that, you know?ā
Like he already led her on by saying āWe don't really do that in the city. A lot of guys hand over their love letters in person.ā I mean yes, it wasnāt fully his fault- like he didnāt know. But damn. Poor Mion. Seriously. :((
I could only get āstart.ā
Rena stop looking at r/conspiracy and r/gangstalking. Sound familiar? Yeah I just posted this.
Finally, the brick line.
āNo matter what happened in the past, as long as you're a great person at present, you shouldn't be embarrassed of yourself. Am I wrong? What's the purpose of living if we can never earn redemption?" I know this is a general statement but itās funny in the context of. Like. Imagine killing like 50 people and then saying āhey itās all in the past my guy.ā LMAO.
Uhhh Rika I donāt think you can forgive a crime committed against Rena and Mion. Lmaooo
Bruh when Satoko said āKeiichi fought for me? I find that hard to believeā I laughed. She doubts Keiichi so hard š
"Very well we'll accept the second condition. But let us add another condition on top of that. We're going to send her a lawyer. You will only question her in the lawyers presence.ā I want to see Saul Goodman defending Rena Ryuugu now. I will pay money for it. Unironically? Never speak to police without a lawyer present.
Yes, Rena was aware of her actions. To a degree. But does she deserve jail time? I donāt think so, but she clearly has some mental problems that need treated. I think Ooishi should be discharged from the police force for even entertaining her delusions. He was really mainly at fault. Even during negotiation. He couldnāt have done much else, but still. Was not helping.
FILE NO 34. Huh. This mustāve been obvious for the Japanese audience HAHA. So, the kanji for Miyo is the same kanji for san and shi, right? 3 and 4? Pffttttt. Okay, to be fair, names can be written in a variety of ways In Japanese. But still. Funny.
Oh never mind then it was meant to be obvious. It doesnāt actually give away the fact sheās the culprit I just jumped the gun
WOW HM ITS ALMOST LIKE THERE IS NO CULT AND TAKANO IS PLAYING YOU ALL FOR FOOLS.
āPeople who think itās useless to talk to others usually havenāt really talked to others.ā Eh, disagree. I used to. It never helped. No one else can solve my problems. No one cares about me. I only have one human looking out for me, and that is myself.
CH7
Oh, are we going to see Hanyuu Furude this arc? Yay, I love Hanyuu. Sheās so cute. I wonder why Rika is referring to her as a brother or sister. Is this a flashback? Hanyuu is Rikaās great x8 grandmother or something, right? Sheās also the village god I think.
Anyway, Akarigurashi chapter 8.2 just released and I liked it. Sorry, unrelated. Sorry, I like meguri, okay?
āSo yes, if this piece, Ooishi, didn't intervene, then perhaps the victims of Rule X wouldn't have resorted to such violence.ā I TOLD YOU. I TOLD you Ooishi was at fault all along.
āAnd well, while people in a single world may be able to reach such an idea, the widespread desire to place blame commonly causes A to be lynched by society while the environment that gave rise to A goes ignored.ā Yeah, this is actually true for real life. Crimes happen. A āmonsterā committed them out of āevil.ā The root of evil is never addressed. Human nature is never addressed, because itās a āmonster.ā No one else feels responsible. In reality? Itās all of our faults. Letting the world be in shambles is every humans collective fault. Thatās my perspective.
āShe also may have to defeat Rule Z, just as Sonozokai Shion faced it in Meakashi.ā Who is Sonozokai Shion? Crazy, first we had Sayoko and now we have Shion Sonozokai.
Hey, thanks Ryukishi. Itās awesome to hear Rule X, Rule Y and Rule Z being mentioned constantly even though I canāt remember off the top of my head the differences! Okay, Rule X is that the disease always makes one of Rikaās friends develop Hinamizawa Syndrome. Rule Y is that Rika Furude, Takano Miyo and Jirou Tomitake always die. Rule Z is that Ooishi and Takano always cause shit. Right?
So how long has Rika been looping? 100 years? How many time loops, then? If she looped the same June of 1983, and only the current arcs were what she experienced, that would be six months! But then, why does she say Rena, Shion and Keiichi lost it? Why is it never Mion or Satoko? Is that just a rule for all arcs, or because she only experienced these six arcs? And if she experienced her whole life six times, thatās 60 years. So, Iām going with the idea that there were either 4 previous loops, orā¦ if sheās only experiencing one month, and June of 1983 had 30 days, then to make 1 month add up to 100 years, she wouldāve experiencedā¦ 3000 loops? Is that correct? Yeahā¦ if I had to loop the same month 3000 times, I would become a little jaded too.
Okay I mightāve overestimated, itās around 1200. Still a lot.
I would love a Sotsu/Meguri style visual novel. Maybe a fan project? But it wouldnāt have the same charm as an official one. I truly believe after reading Umineko and almost finishing Higurashi that these stories can only truly be understood through the visual novel medium. Ciconia though? Uhā¦ sorry, Iām not paying Ā£40 for ONE chapter of a story. If that pattern continues, phase 2, 3 and 4 being released will add up to Ā£160. I am not paying Ā£160 for fucking Ciconia. I think the worst part is that no playthroughs are allowed past a certain chapter, 7 or 8. I understand why. But like- if the game wasnāt Ā£40 I would understand more. I mean come on. Itās one chapter. Like Ryukishi, my guy, are you struggling financially or smth? Because we alllll are. Some of us, such as myself, donāt even have income because the job market is unbelievable! So the only money I can get right now is money from people on holidays. And at this rate, I donāt think phase 2 is gonna be released anytime soon soā¦ oopsies. Yeah no. Iāll pass. Oh wait? Itās actually Ā£30, and on sale for Ā£20 right now. Tempting, very tempting, but ah! I canāt justify it right now. Sorry, but itās on principle alone I canāt justify that. The question arcs of Umineko are around Ā£20. Someone said Ciconia Phase 1 is double the length of Lotgw. If that is true, and each question arc is worth Ā£5 (same logic as the Higurashi arc pricing, also it makes sense considering the price) then that should only be Ā£10. Itās basic Math. But instead itās being charged at Ā£30. I would pay Ā£10 for each phase. Not Ā£30, not even Ā£20. Sorry, but I believe in fairness. And no one can convince me Ā£30 or 40 USD is a reasonable price for one phase of a four phase story. This is the sims 4 levels of bad. Okay, maybe not exactly that badā¦ but look. Huniepop 2 is Ā£20 and honestly even that probably has more worth than Ciconia.
āThe art is betterā yeah? art is meant to improve over time. Why does that matter? Like come on, donāt act like the game is Mona Lisa levels of good.
Rika this has a very simple solution. In each arc, have Hanyuu follow everyone around one by one. Follow Keiichi. Suspicious behaviour? No? Follow Satoko. Suspicious behaviour? No? Followā¦ and followā¦ then follow Ooishi. No? Then follow Mion? No? Then follow Takano, and thatās where the money is. God, Rika, youāre pathetic. I couldāve figured this out ages ago.
Mandela, I remember her being very optimistic in the anime. Hanyuu, that is. I didnāt realise she was this negative. Thatās a weird thing to misremember. Also Iāve been subconsciously trying to figure out the MBTI of every Higurashi character this entire time, and I think I have it down. Letās start with Keiichiā¦ my memory is very bad, but in none of the arcs I donāt remember him being very ne or ni domā¦ aā¦ si dom? Noā¦ se? Maybeā¦ he seems like fi-dom maybe??? Itās not that he doesnāt care about other peoples feelings itās just that heās kinda insensitive and clearly thinks of his own subconsciously. Soā¦ hmmā¦ ESFP?? No wait, I just completely forgot Ti/Te existed! Uhhā¦ That feels wrongā¦ Rika is a clear ni-dom with heavyā¦ I donāt know??? I canāt be arsed actually. Okay, actuallyā¦
Keiichi isnāt logic driven. I mean, Onikakushi and Tsumihoroboshi for example. It wasnāt until Mion educated him that he realised how silly he was being. Though I donāt know if I consider Mion more Tx or Fx. She has a lot of loyalty to her friends and the Sonozaki family, so Iām leaning Fx. But Fi or Fe? Well. I donāt know. Mion isnāt a Ne nor Ni dom, as showcased by her debunking Keiichi and Renaās conspiracies. She doesnāt seem interested in āwhat ifs.ā She doesnāt seem interested in thinking about abstract concepts very much. I donāt really understand how Se and Si users work, to be honest. Iām a very heavy and probably unhealthy ne-dom. Iām NeFi, ENFP. As far as Iām aware anywayā¦ if you get different vibes from me because of this post, and want to suggest otherwise, please let me know. And yes, MBTI is pseudoscience, but itās fun. So I really donāt care. Hell, you could call all of typology pseudoscience. You could call psych and sociology pseudoscience. But are you just going to dismiss entire fields of science as fake just because they arenāt scientific in the way you like? Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. The scientific method is using empirical evidence to draw conclusions. Some things are just not provable. If I surveyed a town and everyone there said they liked curry, I could say that everyone in that town liked curry. (Chie watching me with a death glare right now) But, how could you truly know that they like curry? Even statistics canāt be reliable. What if everyone lied? Itās improbable, but not impossible. But do we dismiss sociology and psychology just because we canāt prove things beyond a shadow of a doubt? No. And typologies like MBTI are similar. Of course these are abstract labels. Of course thereās no way we can prove cognitive functions exist. And yes, there is probably many more ācognitive functions.ā But MBTI is a framework of identity. Even Jung said he was probably mistaken. So why do we cling to it? To help us understand ourselves.
What was I talking about again? Oh, When They Cry
I want to see a Sotsu like story but Mion is the looper. Why? Because Mion has such a strong will and sense of responsibility, that I want to see her going through the loops. How would she react? Of course, a character like Rena looping was something I found interesting, but sheās already predisposed to insanity. Mion is the only relatively ānormalā (as normal as a yakuza heir can be) one, so I would want to see that. The story could beā¦ hmmā¦ Imotokoroshi?? Look I was trying to find words that ended in shi because the visual novel tends to do that. But Mion and Shion are different people so it doesnāt always have to involve them both, I just couldnāt come up with a better titleā¦ ok this hypothetical is silly, moving on
A choice? Considering this is a linear visual novel, not that linear is a bad thing, I doubt this choice will affect anything, right? Also, unrelated, but Miirena or Shiirena? Like, which do yāall like more? Because Iām torn. Theyāre both different people but in Watanagashi and Meakashi-hen Rena thought Shion was Mion, so thus far there isnāt much Shiirena content to work off. Thereās some for Miirena though. Ugh why am I bringing this up? We need more Shion content grrr. Every Higurashi girl has been my favourite at some point. I think Shion was my initial favourite?ā¦ then Rika, Then Rena, then Satoko. And now? Hm, I donāt know. To answer these kinds of questions, I ask myself, which character would I prefer over another in an arc? Well, okay, letās go down the list. Who would I remove first? Honestly? Satoko or Rika. And itās not that I donāt love them as characters, but I have to be honest. Then who? Maybe Rena? Iām just ignoring Keiichiās existence btw. So Mion or Shionā¦ I like them both a lot! I relate to Shion in a lot of ways but sheās also very immature tbh. So I donāt know. Maybe Iām going about this wrongā¦ I always root for the underdog, probably why Satoko went from one of my favourites to āmehā when GouSotsu released. Yeah itās not the best ideology. So I donāt know. Mion? Youāre asking me to choose between my blorbos!! This isnāt fair!!
I would love a friend like Mion. If you are kin with mion, or synpath or anything, we should be friends! I bet youāre a mature, loyal person! So maybe we shouldnāt, because Iām the opposite. Well maturity wise anyway. I get treated like a kid anyway despite being an adult so I guess Iām not allowed to act like one anyway. Out of all the Higurashi main cast, I relate a lot to them all in different ways, except Mion. Sheās just so grounded and logical. Okay, seriously though, does anyone actually have Satoshi as their favourite Higurashi character? Likeā¦ bruh. He aināt even that interesting. Anyway, I think I relate most to Shion in her arc, which is concerning. Iām not as cunning as Shion. No, itās not that I canāt hide my emotions, itās that after suffering in silence for so long, I take every little piece of happiness and let it show. I let it show even when I know itās not good for me, because what have I got to lose? When was the last time I was truly happy? Is happiness even possible? Anywayā¦
āAll I'm saying is that dolls aren't for boys.ā āI see.. Then I guess you can have it. Here.ā Mion probably really needed to hear that.
I wonder what deadly vices the seven main characters would have. Rika, I feel would be sloth. Shion would be envy. Thatās about all Iāve figured outā¦
So when Shion heard those footsteps, he was hearing Hanyuu maybe? She was infected with Hinamizawa Syndrome, much like Satoko has, soā¦ maybe people with Hinamizawa Syndrome can hear Hanyuu. My big question is, what is Hanyuu doing following Shion around? Just to tell Rika about it?
Think about it kids. If Rika has looped 1200 times, that means the probability of Rena andā¦ Iām torn on Shiirena or Miirena as ships so Iāll say eitherā¦ getting gay married, is not impossible. The probability of Rika and Satoko getting gay married is also not impossible. Just remember that.
Irie isnāt a bad person? He literally simps after little children. Yes heās a bad person. He wanted to adopt Satoko for his own sick purposes. Yeah, he supposedly also cared about her, but come on. This is one of the few criticisms I have with Ryukishiās writing, the sexualisation of his characters. Itās a funny gag in anime. But itās not actually very funny. I donāt know if Japan as a whole just doesnāt get bothered by these things and sense of humour, but anime culture certainly doesnāt. Itās just not funny, and I wish he would treat it with seriousness. Irie making jokes about children in maid uniforms, like Rena, is not funny, and thatās just dismissed entirely. At the very least, I donāt think Umineko has many jokes about Maria like that. I think they donāt anyway, but there mightāve been one in the earlier arcs.
Ryukishi, come on. Takano being the killer is so obvious at this point. Like itās driving me insane. Rika, how did you never question this woman??
I changed my mind. Pride is Rikaās sin. There are plenty of reasons the re-incarnation of a village god could be killed. Maybe someone non-religious wants to make a statement, for example.
Didnāt Takano kill Rikaās mother, I remember seeing that in the manga? I havenāt read all of the manga but I own the first two volumes and Iāve read that part online somewhere.
āI went to a forest and got killed in July.ā Ohk, so hide in Antarctica then. Then youāll live until August, and then die of hypothermia.
Okay the implication here is wild. So, not only does Tomitake have Hinamizawa syndrome, that might mean Keiichiās dad does too? Or maybe Hanyuu is just having more of a human like presence the more weak her powers get. I know for a fact in arc 8 she starts showing up around the others.
So, is this the arc where Satoko gets rescued from Teppei? Because well, itās arc 7. So I have a little issue really caring when I know Takano will just kill Rika and it wonāt matter. What was it Rika said in this arc in the anime? āKill me slowly, so I remember the face of my enemy.ā Or somethingā¦ I havenāt watched the anime since 2018, but I remember that.
āHanyuu is not with me twenty four hours a day. She sometimes falls asleep, and sometimes she goes out for walks. Though in her case, it's not a walk, but more like a stalk. She follows people around when she finds someone interesting, and she enjoys observing them.ā Well that explains a lot.
Okay, this is a rant unrelated to arc 7. I think the main reason I prefer meguri over Sotsu, again, unrelated to anything here, is the one scene where Satoko snaps. In Sotsu, or the end of Gou? Donāt remember, Satoko says something along the lines of āall I have to do is break Rika,ā after learning about the torment Rika went through. But in meguri, at first she is horrified, and THEN she finally accepts that she needs to cause a tragedy. Because think of it this way, if you were told your friend had time looping powers and looped over 100 years to find a happy ending, but you still end up miserable in the end, you probably would be horrified, but then you would try and change things. Itās not Satoko jumping into sadistic behaviour that I donāt see as possible, itās the immediate jump. Though some of my dislike for Sotsu is probably the fact that when I was younger and watching Higurashi I related to Satoko, and I still do, and in Sotsu, I realised I was like her too in that already, and it kind of worried me. But I think what bothered me most was the ending of Sotsu. Call me a pussy, but I cried at the ending, because it was so lacklustre. I have never cried at an ending because it was so bad, EVER. Satoko destroyed the previous loops, however that works, got immediately forgiven and then a half assed Umi reference is made and roll credits. And for the record, Iām not saying Satoko canāt be forgiven, but Iām saying the line about āI will return Satoko Hojoā to you kinda annoys me because like- sorry Iām trying not to laugh, like genuinely, was witch satoko not a metaphor??? Much like how Rika becomes more jaded overtime, Satoko became more sadistic overtime and in her own way jaded. But in the end, all of her trauma and other issues is just, poof, fine, and they go their separate ways. But something I really hate about Sotsu is Tatariakashi. It really doesnāt matter what justification you come up with, because you arenāt thinking about the real world implications of Tatariakashi. Letās look at this from a meta context. Satoko Hojo is a victim of abuse who wasnāt believed because of her past pattern of lying (which might not have even been lying, but just her young brain not fully comprehending things, as it is implied), even though she actually was being abused in 1983. However, tatariakashi has Satoko lie about her abuse, which feeds into the whole āoh, well you shouldnāt believe children victims of abuse in case theyāre lying,ā thing. I donāt care what excuse you come up with. This arc exists only for shock value, and has nothing more to say, in both Sotsu and Meguri, and I will stand by that. What does this arc say about child abuse? Nothing. Absolutely nothing other than the indirect effect this arc has. When your message isnāt intentional, you fucked up. And donāt just tell me Iām just misinterpreting it. Thatās a lazy excuse. Do you know how many people also āmisinterpretedā this arc? Sorry, but if your story can be misinterpreted this badly by many people, maybe it isnāt our fault, maybe itās just bad writing. Because it is bad writing. This arc is detested for a reason. Letās make something clear: even if Satoko was lying in Tatariakashi, that doesnāt mean that the right choice was not believing her. You should believe victims. The implication here is that by believing Satoko, Rika couldnāt overcome the tragedy again. Do you fucking see the problem? When believing a victim of abuse indirectly leads to tragedy, youāre kind of promoting that it was the wrong thing to do. Like come on. Iām just using common sense here. This arc is offensive to [redacted 2025] [ppl, and I say this as someone who experienced things.] Sorry I got a little heated. I just donāt like being treated like I just donāt āgetā Tatariakashi. I get it. I just think itās disgusting. Moving onto CH7 again. Sorry. [also, imma be real chief, I think I just hated Sotsu because I weirdly related to Satoko in it and I didnāt like that fact. Idk. Havenāt rewatched it.]
āPeople can't live without hope. People can survive because they believe that something good will happen to them eventually, as long as they keep on living. I had nothing left to bet on. All I could do was get hurt and suffer devastation, Blood flowed from my broken heart and found its way out through my eyes in the form of tears.ā Powerful words my friend, powerful words.
I remember that Shion was very angry in the anime over Satokoās abuse, so I wonder how sheāll act in the VN.
Higurashi Abridged but the characters are going in a circle about calling. āKeiichi, I tried to ring you but you were busy.ā āWait Rena, Iām getting a call from Shion.ā āAlright, Iāll call Mii-chan then.ā āKeiichi, I tried calling Rena but she wouldnāt pick up.ā āSheās calling Mi- wait Iām getting a call.ā āI tried calling Rena but she didnāt pick up, have you tried?ā āMion- sheās trying to call you.ā Okay, maybe my sense of humour is a bit broken but in my head this is the funniest thing ever. A bit tone deaf but idk. The brain works in weird methods. They just go in circles about it for like 5 minutes straight not even getting to the point.
Like okay, if I made an abridged series I would probably make a parody of GouSotsu. I would have Satoko become a looper, but when Rika got hit by the chandelier, the rest of the club in all other timelines became absolute dolts as a result of the ācurse of the chandelierā or something. So in each arc, Satoko would try to cause a tragedy, but Hinamizawa Syndrome it affects them in ridiculous ways and they have weird motives. Satoko and Rika are the only straight men of the groupā¦ ironically. Rika figures out Satoko is the looper because sheās the only club member with a brain. Like come on that would be peak comedy. Iād eat that shit up as an abridged series. And the characters would have shit about them flipped. Rena wouldnāt be paranoid because of aliens, she would be paranoid because she is an alien and thinks the government is after her. Mion isnāt the heir to the Yakuza, sheās the heir to something really mundane likeā¦ a furniture shop, but she takes it super seriously. (Umineko joke here.) I donāt have many ideas for Shion because sheās already pretty unhinged. Sheād just have a deep country accent and make meta commentary. Okay, I need to stop making up a story for a hypothetical abridged series I am not making. It was just a āwhat-if.ā
My character tier list is tricky because I love them all, but who is THE blorbo? I like Satoko a lot, but I also like Mion, and I like Shion. Oddly, I think Rena is losing favour with me. Not that sheās a bad character, just not my favourite anymore. I couldāve easily said Satoko was the blorbo, before GouSotsu came out. Look, I just see villain Satoko and think āyou could be written so much better.ā As well as āshe just like frā but letās ignore that. Satoko is a very high synpath for me, or even fictionhearted, but mmm. I donāt know. Satoko and Mion are the blorbos right now, but I love all of them. Also, Iāve been thinking, and Iāll probably play the bonus arcs and add them as a separate posts. When I did Uminekoās two bonus arcs, my drafts got deleted. For those curious, I knew Pieceās identity like 30-40 minutes in, but still. And the only commentary for the other one was the idea of intersex Sayo and I thought Kumasawa saying āthis is going to be the best prank everā funny.
Going to 2018 tradition of writing every Higu birthday, as I only got halfway down thenfirstdayā¦ what. That doesnāt word. Thatās not a sentence. I donāt speak. Well.
'Satoko, you've been a good girl so I guess your cold is all better now. Go back to school tomorrow.ā āThank you so much. Thank you so much...ā He was the one who told her to say 'thank you' when he gives her approval to do something. But it annoyed him to hear her say it over and over.
Ugh what an asshole. Sheās so scared of him. And Oryou wonāt help her because of her family name? Ugh I hate Oryou.
Iām not crying, youāre crying. Itās hard when you remember Satoko is literally a little girl who is severely traumatised. Sheās only 11. I donāt know her fear exactly, but I know what itās like to have scary figures in your life as a kidā¦ even if my case was not as bad as Satokoās. (Edit 2025: redacted the traumadumping. Who cares)
I saw someone say today ātraumas still trauma no matter whos "fault" it is.ā Whichā¦ makes me feel a little less bad about my previous paragraph. Even if it is my fault, Iām still traumatised.
[2025: warning, bad understanding of typology, in retrospect.]
Okay actually MBTI real. Keiichi I still have no fucking clue for. Te-dom? Te-Si? Is that ESTJ? But wait, I donāt seeā¦ I donāt see Si. I see Te but also Se. Actually I see Se-Ti. Logical isnāt the word I would use to describe Keiichi. But if someone came up to him and told him something, but used reasoning that SOUNDED logically sound, I donāt think heād think too much into it. So heās Se-Ti but just. Incompetent?
Could he be Fi-dom? Se-Fi maybe? Because heās very rash about his decisions, like with Teppei in Arc 3, didnāt even consider other peoples feelings in that. ESFP? Maybe? I donāt know. It feels wrong.
Mion seems to beā¦ is saying Se-Fi again silly? Cuz hereās my logic. I donāt see Si-dom. I can see Fe-aux. But if I donāt see Si dom, she canāt be Fe dom. look Iām bad at this, okay? Whatās the consensus here? ESFJ? Yeah. I see more Fe than Fi for her. I mean she literally wanted to save Rena from being roblox oofed by the cops last arc despite Rena attacking her brutally. But Si? Actually sure. Makes sense.
Shionā¦ yeah, so, maybe Se? Se-Fi? Uhhā¦ I donāt knowā¦ okay, so the consensus is ENFJ. Yeah actually, I was considering that butā¦ Hm. The problem with Shion is that she is introduced as a more intense version of her usual self so it was hard to see Fe-dom. But I see it. Ni aux makes sense. I guess I just default to se-dom when I have no idea.
Rena is a Ne-dom to the point where she is like hilariously Ne dom. Ne-Fi. Thereās no question, ENFP there. Hm, people agree. Cool. This was a no-brainer.
Satoko is Se-Fi. Again this one is easy. ESFP. And people agree.
Rika is Ni-Fe, I think, but sheās also kinda careless of her friends sometimes. But Fi-Ne doesnāt feel right. I donāt know why I jumped to her being a feeler anyway. But others agree with me so my lucky guess.
Hanyuu is SiFe I thinkā¦ oh and people agreeā¦
Satoshi is boring we donāt even need to care about this.
Keiichi: we canāt use violence to solve our problems. Also Keiichi: *fights with old people and goes to the leader of the yakuza to convince her to change her mind.*
Did Mion even try at all? If Oryou is that fickle about helping Satoko, it really does make me wonder. But well, I suppose Keiichiās āput up a fightā story works. Though why couldnāt Mion do the same? Say that she fought with her grandmother and almost killed her. But I donāt know, if itās family maybe thatās different. I still hate Oryou. I donāt care about her reputation. When a child is being abused, you help that child, period. There is no excuse. Period.
I know this is ironic because of my beliefs but Mion and Shionās mom kinda hot? What?! Just because I personally donāt agree with having kids doesnāt mean I canāt be attracted to a MIL- okay, Iām gonna stop. š
Akane is so interesting. Apparently thereās a manga airing right now called Higurashi Oni, about Oryou, but Iām avoiding reading anything outside of Meguri for spoilers. Yeah I know Iām aware of most things in the story considering Iāve been a Higu fan since 2018 but- I still want to re-experience things in a perhaps new light.
AKANE?! Keiichi and Satoko shouldnāt be together. Isnāt Keiichi like 14? Okay so Satoko is a year older than I thought. Still, 11 and 14 is weird. 12 and 14 is still weird I think. But the way Satoko is drawn vs Keiichi, yeah, heās too old for her. No.
So Satoko set up a trap for Teppei?
āThere were times when I went on a rampage too,ā strange. I never thought Rika did that. I always thought she never harmed anyone.
Takano is soooo hot when sheās probably plotting Jirouās oofment.
Theory: Rika loses her memories not because of Hanyuu, but because she drinks her, ahem, letās say orange juice so much she has aā¦ memory loss in the morning, AKA, when she wakes up in theā¦ void? Is that it?
āHow dare you talk to the police before talking to us!ā Based Satoko? Also I think Hanyuu is ISFJ cuz she seems Si-Fe. Yes Iām still thinking about that.
There was someone? Hanyuu? Hanyuu. Hanyuu didnāt believe.
āWhat's outside of the well? Is it something worth fighting for? What's outside of the well? Is it something worth getting hurt for? What's outside of the well? I'm going to fight and get hurt in order to find that out. I'm sure what's waiting is a beautiful world. Even if I get to the bottom of the well again. The key to the new world is my willingness to get out of here. Even if I can get out or not, I will eventually get to the new world...ā Itās so simple, but effective. Iā¦ I am not one to take āinspirationalā quotes as gospel. When I was younger, a lyric, a poem, could change my outlook on life. Iām too old to be that easily swayed. Iām too jaded to feel anything but. I guess this poem makes me think, and not a lot of stories make me think. Whatās outside of the well? Is it worth fighting for? If my life wasnāt worth it, I wouldāve gave up by now, right? So Iām alive because I have some hope, whether I like it or not. And if Iām going to exist without living, without putting in any effort into winning this fight, then Iām just a coward who gets what I deserve. What else can I do? If I look at my life goals enough, maybe, maybe Iām not trying hard enough. Maybe it is my fault, maybe it isnāt. But either way, if I fight enough, can I win? Can sheer willpower make my life, or break me? I think Iād rather be broken than not try. I think Iād rather get my hopes up again than spend another 4 years never leaving the house. I donāt remember if it was 3, 4 or more. But 2022 was when I began leaving the house. This year, all I could do was sit around while other people did the work for me. Why? Why did I allow that? Because they wouldnāt let me. But why should I care what they let me do or not? Itās my life. If I want happiness, I have to fight for it. So, I donāt care what anyone says. If I want to go outside on my own, at my grown age, and look down my town to see if any job openings are there, I should be able to do that. Am I still scared of my parents? How pathetic. They were right, I never grew up. Just not in the way they think. If Iām an adult, Iām on an equal playing field with them. Even if they shelter me, does your landlord control everything you do? No. No they donāt. Can your landlord kick you out for that? No. But parents can. But is being kicked out my worst fear? No. Itās my dads threats to get me locked up in a mental facility if I try leaving, to lie to the cops. That scares me. But I canāt let myself be afraid anymore. So while I canāt let sentiments change my philosophy, it can change the way I implement my philosophy. And because of the existence of this quote, this level of reasoning is possible for Lemon. What do you think, everyone~
Wha- all these years I thought Takanoās first name was Takano. But if her grandfather is Hifumi Takano, then Takano has to be her surname. Isnāt her surname like Miyoko or something? Takano Miyoko. Miyoko Takano. Japanese prioritises family names. So is that a translation thing? No wait, that still makes no sense. Okay so her first name IS Miyo/Miyoko. I always got it the other way around. Easy mistake.
Didnāt need much reason, but have more to hate Irie.
Ryukishiās words about mysteries makes me think of Scott Cawthon. Remember when the fnaf games were fun to solve and actually had somewhat clear answers? The golden era.
And, is that Bernkastel speaking to us? :0
CH8
You know , what if HS doesnāt exist? What if itās just mass hysteria? Like sure H173 exists, but naturally occurring? What if thatās just like, a group reaction?
I know itās just a coincidence, but Eriko is so similar to Erika. In Japanese, itās very different. -Ko means child. Eri. What could eri mean? Collar? Picture laws of nature? Eri doesnāt mean much. Maybe Eriko is a word! Wait, it means collar child? Really? Thatās pathetic. Erika Furudo and Rika Furude are more on the nose. They both can be written similarly to Frederica, Iād assume? According to GT, Frederica is āFurede Rikaā in Katakana. I guess for whatever reason Ryukishi decided āruā fit more than āre.ā And Erika Furudo still sounds like Frederica backwards too. But yes, Eriko is just a coincidence. It may be one letter in English but in Japanese ć and ć are different suffixes. Ka means flower I believe in suffixes. Theyāre both popular.
A lot of Higurashi characters have common name suffixes. Rika has ka, Keiichi has ichi, Rena has na, Satoko has ko, but you know who doesnāt? Mion. Mion and Shion arenāt really popular Japanese names. Shi means demon and Mi means uhh, flower Iām pretty sure. What does the āoā mean? I donāt know. ć and ć are different.
Bored a fuck won at Trivial Pursuit while listening to Takanoās war ramblings.
Oh, was Miyoko r-worded? I remember hearing that a long time ago, but I wouldn still pick up on it even if I didnāt. So, her friends were killed to set an example. She was taken to the bathroom and forced toā¦ how awful. Thatās a little girl.
Maybe Iām reading too deep into this, but maybe Ko was dropped because Miyo didnāt have a proper childhood? Like she felt like she lost her innocence. I know itās a bit of a stretch but idk. Also I just remembered ā4ā can be written as both shi and yo, so it isnāt just a kanji thing like I predicted. I believe in Japanese, depending on dialect, different spellings occur? No; not dialect; something else. Sorry if Iām not wording this properly. So, the 34 reference should make more sense to Japanese people. Waitā¦ Mi means 3? Oh! OH! Okay, so thereās two ways to read Japanese, right? So, maybe Mi means 3 in that! Because I learnt 3 as āSanā and 4 as āShi,ā so the other way of reading it must be āMiā and āYo.ā That is 34. I also believe it has relevance to the Greek alphabet, Lambda and Delta. I know Delta is the 4th letter, so Iām assuming Lambda is the 3rd. Bravo. Vi- FUCK, WRONG SHOW. I mean- novel?
Oh yeah, canāt Hifumi be written like āäøäŗäøā? Or am I misremembering? ALSO, DONT WHAT INSIDE OF YOU SATOSHI? These translators are dirty. Actually, maybe Iām dirty. Seriously, is that a translation error? I know itās technically correct but like- it makes it hard to take it seriously when heās asking the āotherā him to notā¦ ahem, āgoā insideā¦ his mind.
Shit? Did my draft erase?! Damn, I went on a speech about how itās been 11 months since I started this journey and all that crap. Well, whatever. Iāll post this then go back and edit it. I say a lot of shit here so if I say anything that doesnāt make sense or is wrong I probably changed my mind along the way.
Edit 2025: Please ignore the typology shit in here I was so dogshit at typing until this year. ALSO, removed the traumadumping. No one cares.
