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"Why are you in my way, pervert?"
-Kirino Kosaka

This poignant quote is just a sample of the masterpiece that is Oreimo. Oreimo pushed the boundaries of what we as humans define as "good" into a new genre altogether. But all in all, the main reason why this anime scored a perfect 10/10 was because it did something no anime has ever been able to achieve before: By actually fucking up a simple slice of life premise into oblivion.

The story of Oreimo in itself is quite unique. So unique, in fact, that it can be classified as a whole new genre of anime. I like to call ... this new genre "shit in a bucket on a screen." It took a simple premise such as love, put it in a food processor, and blended it into oblivion. In that sense, it is a lot like fate/zero because both start with a premise that soon gets deconstructed over the course of time.

Art is perfect. It brought back the nostalgia of my youth spending days on end staring for hours at dried up pieces of concrete, memories everyone has as a child. Similarly, the sound is flawless. In order to fully enjoy this series, I reccomend you scrap those old speakers of yours and listen to some radio static on full volume as you watch this one of a kind masterpiece.

I reccomend this show to everyone. And my reccomendation means a LOT, I am a true anime master that has seen a ton of shows like bleach naruto onepiece fairy tale, and attack on the titans (shingeki no kyojin for those of us who have leanred a little japanese ^_^)

"mmm, this tastes pretty good."
-Kyosuke Kousaka, Oreimo

Such a deep, profound quote from an anime equally as powerful in meaning. As a slice of life romcom, I didn't expect much from Oreimo when I first heard about it. Boy oh boy, how wrong I was, and I think this quote is a perfect example of how this anime spoke to me.

Some of the greatest shows of the past few centuries (giving examples such as Boku no Pico and it's almost-as-good counterpart Sword Art Online) have become almost universally recognized as anime classics. Why? Because while they may seem like humble stories at first, they are ultimately ... conveying a sapient message to viewers, merely using anime as a communication medium. Boku no Pico used the guise of a short love drama to relay a deeper message about the average intelligence quotient of today's 5-year-old-boys. Similarly, Sword Art Online was a message about how wearing black clothes magically gets you a personal harem for no apparent reason, using an adventure anime as a cover. It is the same way with the work of genius that is Oreimo.

PLOT 10/10
The plot of Oreimo is like none other you've see in anime. It ignores all cheesy cliches of the slice of life genre. For example, the main character is a male, except he is surrounded by a hoard of females. This technique is called a "Harem," and it is very rarely used in anime because of it's difficulty to master. Well I can say for certain that this show masters the art of the Harem. It is little details such as these which separate Oreimo from the torrents of crap romcoms coming out today.

But as I mentioned earlier, Oreimo houses a deeper meaning. In reality, this show explores the meaning of forbidden love and how the social convention causes us to make decisions we may not want to do.

CHARACTERS 10/10
It's been said a unique cast of characters is all that is needed to make an anime great, and I have to say I disagreed with this statement... until I saw Oreimo. When you watch most slice of life shows, you often see a female lead who is so shallow you can predict her every line or one that doesn't change at all during the series. Oreimo, being the masterpiece that it is, ignores both of these cliches. Our heroine, Kirino, changes her personality arbitrarily, with no consistency whatsoever in her logic or actions. This makes her unpredictable, and thus, much more enjoyable to watch. Furthermore, she changes immensely over the course of the series. At first, she is cold to her brother, the main character, but as the show progresses, she starts to show a much warmer side. This kind of character development is very rare in the world of anime, and it's one of the reasons why this show is so great.

VISUALS/SOUND 10/10
Whoever animated this series is a god. Visually, everything in this series is stunning. While everything about this show's artwork is superb, there are a few bits which I consider to be among the most well drawn-frames in all of anime, the main highlight being Kirino's left earlobe. This earlobe has become semi-famous in the anime community for is superior art quality, and easily is my favorite anime facial body part of all time.

OVERALL I give this anime a well-earned 10/10. It is an absolute work of art and must not be missed. You can watch it on crunchyroll for legal streaming, but if for some reason that doesn't work for you then you can stare at a piece of blank cardboard for a few hours to get the same effect.

P.S., This review conforms to all review guidelines, so I'd like to see you try and take it down, Maffy.

Television has brought back murder into the home - where it belongs.
~Alfred Hitchcock, 1969

It's a rare occurrence when an anime (or any TV show) is able to hold thrill and fear in a perfect balance. For starters, the show has to reach a certain standard of quality in order for the viewer to feel either of those two emotions, but in addition, the series must be able to switch between excitement and terror with ease. But maintaining that equilibrium is in fact possible, and such is the beauty of the Higurashi world as a whole.

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai (Often abbreviated Higurashi Kai) is ... the second installment in the Higurashi set, and the predominant purpose of this anime is to provide resolution for some of the unanswered mystery arcs in its prequel, Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. Many people review the two shows as a single anime, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I don't have any intention of merging two full-length anime into a single, 50-episode conglomerate.

That being said, I'm going to assume you've already seen the first season of Higurashi, because if you haven't, you should probably watch that before considering Kai.

Anyways, let's get get on with the review.

~the STORY~
Many people (myself included) were left somewhat unsatisfied with the closure of the first season. It just begged too many questions that were left unresolved. How could such adorable, innocent schoolchildren become psychotic killers at the flip of a switch? What were the unforeseen consequences of each killing? And mst importantly, who was the grand mastermind behind the murders of Showa 58? As the only two who have witnessed the endless cycle of June 1983 and as the only two who know the truth behind the shrine god's curse, Furude Rika (nipaa~) and her celestial companion Hanyuu take the reins as the main characters of Higurashi Kai as they venture to expose the true cause of the murders, and more importantly, how to escape from the endlessly repeating vicious circle.

It is impossible to sum up Higurashi Kai's plot in one word, but if I were to try, I would say it's "satisfying." Over the course of 24 episodes, the viewer builds a powerful empathy and love for Rika and Hanyuu. Watching them struggle, watching them uncover dark secrets, and watching them have a good time in the game club all helps to increase this feeling of devotion for the main characters. Thus, each time they overcome a major obstacle, it is immensely gratifying. This is a device used in many popular mystery books and movies, but I have to say: It works quite well.

~ART 'n SOUND~
Most of the time, I put art, animation, and sound into three different categories. For this anime and this anime only, I will group them because they all contribute to a feeling of uneasiness the viewer will eventually develop. The art perfectly portrays cutesy middle/high school students running around, playing games, and having fun, but it portrays each character's psychotic side equally well. An ambient soundtrack further enhances the suspense between what feels like a high school rom-com and a free-for-all killing spree.

~them CHARACTERS~
Another qualm I have about the first Higurashi series was its total lack of any kind of character development, with the exception of Shion and Mion. Each character gets a lot more depth in Kai, and characters with less significance in the first season (such as Satoko's uncle and Miyo Takano) are expanded into major importance.
The only negative remark I have to say about the characters, and the only negative remark I have to say about the whole series in general, is the unwavering resolve of each character. Nobody really changes over the course of 24 episodes, so people became somewhat predictable. But each character is explained in such depth, I could probably forgive it.

~Higurashi Kai: OVERALL~
This is the rare breed of anime that almost touches absolute perfection. If you haven't seen this yet, watch it now!

One of only three anime I have ever given a perfect 10/10.

~Dechie