What were people's expectations coming into Kai and were they satisfying?

filimaua13 said:
Reading the reviews for this season was frustrating. I understand the change of tone and lack of horror being such a whiplash, but to actually downvote a series for answering questions that it setup was quite odd. Getting annoyed at the kids fighting back with the power of friendship instead of falling into despair like they wanted and enjoyed the last time is such a weird critique on an amazing sequel season and conclusion to a fantastic mystery thriller series.

A mystery is meant to invoke theories and keep you guessing on what is actually happening. A mystery is also meant to be eventually answered. If there is no closure and real revelation for the mysteries setup.. that's a sign of a badly written mystery.
So the reason behind why people were mad at Kai answering questions and "removing the intrigue of the first" is beyond me. The Satoko answer arc was so good and was so cathartic to see after so long.. the group of friends actually banding together to overcome Satoko's tragic fate. I mean that's the entire point of the story right? Getting another 2 arcs of the same shit (violence and tragedy befalling these poor kids) would get so tiresome and boring.

So yeah.. what's your thoughts? What were your expectations coming into Kai? And were your expectations satisfied?

NEMESIS95 said:
I find that odd, considering that kai has a higher rating than the original.
Most people i know loved this second season. I mean the first season builds up everything, while the second season answers it all and still gives us suspense and backstories. Maybe some people just wanted this series to end like a junji ito manga ?
For me, i think s2 is superior.
It was nice to see these tragic heroes get the ending they deserve

KevinzMal said:


I hardly Agree with this.

Exactly what Keiichi's mother said "Every mystery novel, no case is perfect. Because the selling point of a mystery novel is to provide a mystery and answer it so that the reader is satisfied" it also includes for media like anime.

What people don't like is, the recipe given is not the same as the previous season. The second season focuses more on explaining Takano Miyo's past. This case is also the same as 3-gatsu no Lion, which in the first season was darker, then in the second season it started to be cheerful (due to the development of the story and the main character), but people didn't like the change, and preferred the story to stay that way. Which is where I find it very strange. Are they satisfied with the story that remains as it is, without any resolution?

Kai goal is to answer questions from the previous season and past. But does past need to be explained? Why not just kill them right away? Of course, this is because, Ryukishi07 wants to make us as viewers feel sorry for the antagonist, and feel that the antagonist also needs happiness like the victims they has made suffer.

This is what makes Higurashi so special, because the antagonists have thoughts, goals and reasons why they commit their crimes. Unlike in most mystery murders, which only solve the mystery without explaining why the antagonist committed all the crimes.

In the end, we get a I still don't understand why people don't like this season.

btw, sorry for my baddd engrish :)) tehee

filimaua13 said:
Indeed! It doesn't just solve the mystery but it makes you sympathise with the villain. I really liked the concept of the ending only being a true happy ending if EVERYONE gets happiness. Everyone needs to be forgiven and that includes Takano. Because her motivations were just as personal and driven by her own need for happiness, her descent into madness is just as terrible and tragic as what the others went through. So yeeah.. its a fantasy ending for sure. But its well earned. After all the suffering that everyone went through..

Btw don't worry bout your english. I understood perfectly!

filimaua13 said:
Reading the reviews for this season was frustrating. I understand the change of tone and lack of horror being such a whiplash, but to actually downvote a series for answering questions that it setup was quite odd. Getting annoyed at the kids fighting back with the power of friendship instead of falling into despair like they wanted and enjoyed the last time is such a weird critique on an amazing sequel season and conclusion to a fantastic mystery thriller series.

A mystery is meant to invoke theories and keep you guessing on what is actually happening. A mystery is also meant to be eventually answered. If there is no closure and real revelation for the mysteries setup.. that's a sign of a badly written mystery.
So the reason behind why people were mad at Kai answering questions and "removing the intrigue of the first" is beyond me. The Satoko answer arc was so good and was so cathartic to see after so long.. the group of friends actually banding together to overcome Satoko's tragic fate. I mean that's the entire point of the story right? Getting another 2 arcs of the same shit (violence and tragedy befalling these poor kids) would get so tiresome and boring.

So yeah.. what's your thoughts? What were your expectations coming into Kai? And were your expectations satisfied?

filimaua13 said:


Yeeah I know that S2 is generally loved the most in the OG series. The reason I made this post was just from reading the reviews on here.

There were those who loved it, and those who absolutely hated it. Nothing wrong there, but the reasons they gave for their critique were just odd and ridiculous. "Ohh its not as edgy and suspenseful as it was in S1 so therefore its just bad." Like what? I'm just paraphrasing, but that was basically the average explanation for all the reviews who hated Kai. Which in my opinion isn't a good critique. You can like or dislike whatever you want, but yeeah.

NEMESIS95 said:


Another thing i forgot to mention: when it comes to good horror, the MC's have to be likable for you to feel bad for them or at the very least hope they survive. This is what i think s2 did very well. After realizing who these charecters are and discovering the terrible stuff that happened to them or what they are going through, seeing them try so hard to survive made s2 just as intense as the first season (if not even more).