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Sadly, there aren't many Shonen Ai anime out there. And if there are, there's hardly any plot to it at all. If you just want to watch sexual intercourse, this isn't for you. All there really is in the anime is a few kiss scenes. But, the plot makes up for it. Even though it's a cliche plot, the characters and sound made up for it. The animation was shockingly well. I could barely tell the anime was old. The art works well and makes the series all more the laugh. Every character had either a sinister personality trait or a downright happy-go-lucky attitude with ... serious loudmouth issues that you grow to love. (Shuichi and Ryuichi are guilty as charged, making them my favorite characters). I enjoyed the series quite well. I myself didn't really think much of the Shonen Ai part of the story, to be honest. It got pretty annoying how Yuki randomly threw Shuichi out of the house or ran away countless times throughout the series, but, I suppose his dark past makes up for it. Even the guys could end up liking this anime, for it's comedy is rich. As Ryuichi would say, this series is shiny in it's unique way.

All right let's get this started. Higurashi no naku koro ni (When the Cicadas Cry/When They Cry) was first adapted from the original Visual Novel (VN) and eventually animated by Studio DEEN. Later on a Manga was drawn. Throughout every four episodes (or arcs) your main characters are introduced in different ways, slightly altered personalities, and of course...the four episodes before the main characters died in some horrific way that either has you shuddering with your teddybear, vomitting in a nearby trashcan ortoilet, or in amazed awe. The series focuses on piecing together the many hints each four episodes (arcs) give you, in order to ... solve the outstanding and complex mystery the series holds.
What really intrigues the viewer is the unusual characters. They each have their unique traits, and even though they seem to mature throughout each arc and learn from their mistakes in some baffling way, they still have that soft fun side that grows on you naturally. Even though they are far from normal, by standards, these characters are fairly realistic and act as any normal teenagers do. However, they each carry out acts of violence throughout the story for personal reasons. Excluding one, who doesn't have the guts to kill, which you'll learn throughout.
Overall the background music is tense and fits well throughout every episode. There's only one problem. You can barely notice it! You're going to either be focused on what's going on, or just can barely hear it because the background music is at such a low volume pitch. You'd have to look up some of the bgms yourself before actually noticing. The most well-worked songs are the opening "Higurashi no naku koro ni" by Eiko Shimamiya and the ending song "Why, or Why not?" by Katakiri Rekka.
The one thing that disappointed me throughout this series is the animation itself. Throughout the violent moments, the characters don't look like...characters...they don't look human. They look like deformed mutant people. I'm not even joking there. It's that bad. But, other than that I suppose it can go without saying at some points it looks brilliant. But there are way too many mistakes in the series that I'm not proud of.
Overall "Higurashi no naku koro ni" was one of the best anime I've ever watched. Also the best Visual Novel I ever read. Even though the series is brilliant, the VN is the best offering to the series.
I honestly can say I enjoyed this series, and I've watched it too many times to count. Once you watch the first episode, you won't be able to get enough.