Mar 21, 2020
"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone."
-Rod Serling
"Paranoia Strikes Deep" - Buffalo Springfield
I love this anime so much it hurts. It nails every aspect of paranoia that I loathe
...
and forces me to contemplate and relish the decisions I've made in life.
I am going to leave out specific characters or story lines as I want to keep this as general and cerebral as possible.
I have never seen an anime do what Higurashi has on so many levels. It dives straight into this mentality of paranoia which most of the main characters in the show will eventually succumb to. Next is the subtle and not so subtle references and scenes of mob mentality. I always loved to compare Higurashi to an old American series by the name of The Twilight Zone (1965)! That's right I'm going old school. There's a great episode by the name of "The Monsters are Due of Maplestreet". Now, I won't give away the ending of the episode as it indirectly relates too well to the origins of Hinamizawa Syndrome. The Twilight Zone also explored the ultra paranoid, especially given the era (Cold War). I Highly recommend to anyone who sees this review to check out the episode before watching Higurashi. The imagination of the creators had amazing views on that kind of mentality before creating the series. Oh, I forgot to mention the ultraviolence and gore. Not only does it score high points for Paranoia and Mob Mentality, but the sheer terror and shock levels as well. Higurashi is not just another Psychological/Horror anime... It's the standard for me when rating other anime, before or after the show's original airing, in the same category.
Can it hold a candle to Higurashi?
It is possibly the best adaptation of a Horror Turn based Video Game?!
Maybe I'm going overboard, but every time I re-watch it I look for new reactions from the characters who by the way get small arcs exploring and embellishing their paranoia and mania. (The Question and Answer Arcs) Only in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai do we see the entire story fully circle round in a spectacular finale!
While shows like Serial Experiments Lain, another masterpiece, explore what does and doesn't constitute reality, Higurashi takes envy, hatred, love, betrayal, and every other sin of ours you can think of and delivers a performance you won't soon forget.
The first series can be confusing at times, but remember that it was based on a game and there are more question than answer arcs so bear with the confusion as all your answers to the first series will be answered in this one.
I'm going to end it there. I have so much more to say about the show, but let's leave that for the discussion boards where spoilers aren't as big a deal...Mmmk?
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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