Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (series)

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Revision as of 23:45, 1 November 2010 by imported>Arcorann (moved Higurashi no Naku Koro ni to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (series) over redirect: Re-adding "series" to distinguish from the song)
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Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, "When the Cicadas Cry", is a series, whose original form was in a "sound novel", or games, by a single doujin artist known as Ryukishi07.

Plot

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni tells the story of a peaceful, small country town named Hinamizawa. Most of the series takes place in June 1983. A boy named Keiichi Maebara moves to the peaceful town, and finds it to be a warm, friendly place. However, the series soon takes a dark turn.

All of the incarnations are split up into arcs:

  • Onikakushi-hen: Keiichi moves in and the viewer is first introduced to the town of Hinamizawa and its residents. He attends the Hinamizawa school and meets Mion, the leaders of a games club at the school who is tomboyish and loud, Rena, a girl who likes cute things, Satoko, a little slightly bratty girl, and Rika, a quiet little girl. Also, he meets Kyousuke Irie, the doctor at the Irie Clinic, Miyo Takano, a nurse at the clinic, Jiro Tomitake, an amateur photographer, and Kuraudo Ooishi, an old detective.
  • Watanagashi-hen: Keiichi meets Shion, the shy twin of Mion. In this arc, the mythology of the town with its curses is explored.
  • Tatarigoroshi-hen: This arc centers around Satoko and her missing older brother Satoshi.
  • Himatsubushi-hen: Taking place five years before the main events of Higurashi, a detective named Mamoru Akasaka investigates Hinamizawa regarding events about a dam project.

These four arcs are part of the original series. After these, the next games were released as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, or "When the Cicadas Cry Answers". The first four are, therefore, known as question arcs, and the last four are known as answer arcs.

  • Meakashi-hen: Here, Watanagashi-hen is retold in the eyes of Shion. It also shows part of the past.
  • Tsumihoroboshi-hen: This arc focuses on Rena.
  • Minagoroshi-hen: This arc is the same as Watanagashi-hen at first, and becomes an alternate version of Tatarigoroshi-hen.
  • Matsuribayashi-hen: This arc shows Takano's past, and then the present.

Although Matsuribayashi-hen ends the series, Higurashi does have a strange sort of sequel, called Umineko no Naku Koro ni ("When the Seagulls Cry"), which has different characters and settings but shares certain elements.

Songs in Nico Nico Douga Medleys

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni songs are common in Nico Nico Douga medleys. The first Higurashi song used was in Kumikyoku, with You.