Update Forty-Six: 13 September 2017

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Return to Hinamizawa…

Himatsubushi is the fourth chapter and final ‘question arc’ of the seminal visual novel mystery series Higurashi When They Cry. I’ve read all of them about three or four years ago, and I really enjoyed them all. Buying them legally and supporting Ryukishi07 and reading them again has been a pleasure. Since I’m coming in in the middle, I’m not going to talk at all about any story specifics - since it’s a mystery, it’s best for everyone to experience it for themselves.

This was an arc that got added later - it didn’t make it through the first release, and I think for good reason. It is undoubtedly the weakest of the arcs, and it’s the most skippable. It’s shorter, is set several years earlier than the rest of the game, and features almost none of the main cast. It’s only benefit is the additional insight into Rika, a fan-favorite but rather mysterious character that doesn’t get a lot of direct focus. Reading this again after knowing the mystery, there’s a lot of good foreshadowing here that completely flew over my head the first time around.

This Mangagamer release is okay, with a few typos and really bad sprites. I used the PS3 sprite and voice mod, which is a simple google search away and is hosted on github. The PS3 sprites are what I read with the first time around, and they really are what I associate with the game. Like the other question arcs, this arc has a fun, goofy little ‘After-Party’ which is an out-of-scenario but not out-of-character gathering of the cast, like a post-wrap cast party. The characters speculate about what things could mean, they goof around, and it’s a nice lighthearted bonus that I find very charming. The friend who first recommended these games to me really didn’t like them, so your mileage may vary.

Next up: I haven’t consulted RNGesus in a while. RNGesus says -

See you soon!