To make this simple...the order you put, for the most part was right. the whole point of having all the different questions arcs to be read first was because the entire story is part of one big mystery taking place in 1983. Higurashi no naku koro ni was originally based on a game so there's arcs only found in the game so for the manga they don't really count but the last two answer arcs are in fact in the manga i believe. In the order of the whole mystery, all other arcs must be read before the last two answer arcs, including the side stories but the side story that's manga exclusive is different. So officially the order is:
I can just recommend everyone just to watch the Anime until this is completely translated. There you have the right order... reading the Mnga is currently pretty pointless.
...I still did read every translated chapter but if I hadn't watched the Anime, I wouldn't have been able to handle that. :p
Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread, but I have a question about a volume I'm reading...
A friend of mine brought me this random volume of higurashi called "kataribanashi-hen (1)"
and I've been wondering what excactly am I reading.
It has Rena on the cover, standing with her hands behind her back.
Is this totally seperated from these other volumes that are listed here on MAL?
That's what I thought it was but I'm not sure...
Well at least the title is not the same, mine says kataribanashi-hen (語咄し編)
and the Rena on the cover has a different pose...
Pilperi said: That's what I thought it was but I'm not sure...
Well at least the title is not the same, mine says kataribanashi-hen (語咄し編)
and the Rena on the cover has a different pose...
What you have there is the first volume of the Higurashi anthology manga Kataribanashi-hen.
Basically, its a bunch of one shots written by fans that were selected by Ryuukishi07 (Higurashi's creator).
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As for the order of which you should read these...
First are the "Question" Arcs:(Which, to be truthful, can be read in any order. However, it is probably BEST to read them in this order, as this is the order Higurashi was originally released.)
1.1. Onikakushi-hen [鬼隠し編, Abducted By Demons Arc]
1.2. Watanagashi-hen [綿流し編, Cotton Drifting Arc]
1.3. Tatarigoroshi-hen [祟殺し編, Curse Killing Arc]
1.4. Himatsubushi-hen [暇潰し編, Time Killing Arc]
Next are the "Answer" Arcs:(I do not recommend reading these until after you have finished the Question Arcs. The Answer Arcs have to be be read in the following order. Especially the last two.)
Fun fact: The Higurashi Visual Novels are split between 3 discs. Well, actually each chapter or "hen" was originally released individually but that's miscellaneous information. The first disc is "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" which contains all the Question Arcs. It is similar to the first season of the anime except it didn't include Meakashi-hen and Tsumihoroboshi-hen. The second disc is "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai" which includes all of the Answer Arkc.
Now, guess what kai means? ...............It means solution!
For those of you who still don't understand the meaning of my rambling... To put it simply, you generally need a question in order to get an answer...
Here come the "After" Arcs:(Note: Non-Official name. I couldn't think of anything else to call them. ^-^;)
3.1. Saikoroshi-hen [賽殺し編, Dice Killing Chapter] (Currently there is no manga written, but I still felt it should be placed on this list.)
(Saikoroshi is considered an epilogue of sorts to Matsuribayashi-hen as it takes place two months following the end of the series. It is included in the Official Higurashi Fandisc "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei" and part of the Higurashi Rei OVA series. Episodes 2-4 to be exact.)
3.2. Kokoroiyashi-hen [心癒し編, Heart-Healing Arc]
(Also considered an epilogue of sorts to to Matsuribayashi-hen. Chronologically, Kokoroiyashi should go before Saikoroshi, since it takes place during the summer break of 1983 while Saikoroshi is takes place in August. Truthfully, I am not sure which should be read first. I read Saikoroshi first and so far it doesn't make much of a difference. Though, that can change with later chapters... EDIT: I recently got ahold of the RAWS and have skim-read through an untranslated version. I am unsure about my own translations, but I'm pretty sure this is an alternate version of what happens after Matsuribayashi-hen -A.K.A an alter-world to Saikoroshi-hen)
-Everything beyond here can pretty much be read in any order.-
"Side Story" Arcs:
- Onisarashi-hen [鬼曝し編]
- Yoigoshi-hen [宵越し編]
- Utsutsukowashi-hen [現壊し編] (on hiatus?) -- only three chapters publishied
- Hinageshi-hen [雛げし編]
Anthologies:(Note: there are more, but most are doujinshi....)
- Kataribanashi-hen [語咄し編]