May 15, 2021
Oh, goodness. I usually don't write reviews on here but I'm kind of incensed.
Okay, my experience with Higurashi Gou, as a long-time fan of the franchise: it starts out wobbly but generally competent. It really hits its stride in the middle, with some really effective horror. I was loving it at that point. I would probably have accepted it if this season was presented as, say, a look into some of the loops never seen in the original or something like that. Like, it wouldn't really be a sequel that could add anything, but at the same time, it wouldn't have as much scope
...
to do something stupid. And in my opinion, the way the last ~25% of Higurashi Gou plays out is pretty stupid.
I don't think this sequel can justify its existence as a meaningful addition to the series, although to be honest that's par for the course with this franchise-- Rei, Kira and Kaku were all various shades from 'appalling' to 'meh'. I guess I put too much trust in Gou because it wasn't an OVA. That's on me.
The thing that really grinds my gears is the characterisation, I guess. Avoiding spoilers as far as I can, I guess I'll just say one of the major characters does some pretty bad stuff, and the 'excuse' is a lot weaker than you usually see in the franchise. I don't think it meshes well with the image of the character presented in previous volumes, and I don't think this volume puts in enough legwork for it to be a legitimate development of their character. It felt more like a cheap 'wouldn't that be messed up' twist than a justified continuation of the story, adding no value and actually taking away from the whole.
But, you know, that's all about the last arc. To be fair, I really enjoyed it up until then. It's got some pretty good scares, and even a few really clever moments. Even the parts that aren't spectacular are at least, like, fine. Sound is fine; nothing remarkable. Art is alright too, though a little too plastic for my taste, and sometimes it looks really off, but not often enough to be glaring. I also sort of liked some of the last arc before it all went off the rails way too fast to have the intended emotional impact.
I'm sure there will be people who liked it, and that's fine, but it's absolutely not for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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