The best art style so far: Studio 4C style! When you combine this with 3D and a big budget, it works out great. Beyond really is a feast for the eyes. Most companies need to understand that there’s more than flashy graphics, 3D, lots of realism and lots of CGI in order to make great graphics. You need to add something special for that. Good Witch of the West understood this, Noein understood this and now Beyond also understands this.

The story this time is about a glitch in the matrix. Somewhere, in an old abandoned house, the laws of physics have been rather messed up. A group of kids and one teenager have discovered this, and are having the most fun they’ve ever had in their lives, playing with these laws. Unfortunately, the men in suits have tracked down this error. They rush into the site with a huge truck, close off the area, take the kids away and repair the error. The children return afterwards, but they find that their playground has been destroyed.

Lots of symbolism in this movie. Take for example, the kid’s playground which gets destroyed. That’s happening at more places in the world. At some places, children can have so much fun playing with each other, while adults can’t see this, and plan to use the playground to build, like, an office. But not only that, you can also link this to animals. At the end of the movie, you see rats, who’ve been living inside the haunted house, fleeing from the men in suits. At the moment, things like these still are a major news item with the rarer animals, like tigers and rhinos.

I also found it interesting that we’ve got a bunch of kids who know about the glitch, and they decide to tell our main character, a teenager, about this. In most stories like these, it’s something that the children only know about. It’s interesting to see someone have fun with children 8 years younger than her, like it’s nothing. Talk about symbolism.

Overall, along with World Record, this has been the best story so far. World record had its very intense plot and very interesting main character while Beyond has its incredibly imaginative visuals and deep symbolism. All that’s left now is The Second Renaissance, which is rumoured to be the best of the bunch (I’ve indeed been saving that one for last, in order to save the best for last. ^^)

This episode clearly shows how incredibly observing Sakon can be. To think that he’d be able to figure things out by right and left-handed. It was a small and simple arc this time, not unlike the previous one with its huge amount of characters and alibis. This time, we had just a small number of characters involved.

In the end, my first feeling was right. Aoki was the culprit. His reasons for acting the way he did, however, remained a pleasant and very entertaining surprise. Remember his band-aids? It seems that he’s been wearing these for ten years. He got these scars in the same fire he lost his daughter. He and his wife had a fight, because she cheated on him. In the end, a couple of candles were knocked over, setting the house aflame. The wife fled to man she cheated with while Aoki rushed to save his daughter. In the end, this fire burned his face and killed her. This wife was none other than Keiko. The other man was none other than Hayami.

Ever since, Aoki has been longing for revenge. He tracked Keiko down and started working at the same place she did. He waited a couple of years before taking his chance. He wanted to kill her loved ones, before he killed her. When he finally got the chance to do the latter, he couldn’t. Sakon then adviced him to turn himself in.

This arc was rather predictable, unfortunately. Last episode, we saw someone with brown trousers enter Hayami’s room. It was either Aoki or Kishikawa. But Kishikawa couldn’t have done it, because it was just too obvious. So it has to mean that Aoki was the culprit. He quickly changed into a suit afterwards. That’s why I like mysteries with lots of characters. It’s much harder to guess who did it.

I’ve really got some issues with the way this arc ended. There are so many things that don’t make any sense at all. I kept hoping for this episode to include some unexpected twist. But no. Basically, all that happens is the things I predicted two episodes back.

We first start with the phone call, which is indeed one of Shion’s plans. We then switch to Rika’s and Satoko’s house and Shion freaks out again by the mention of Satoko. We then switch to the basement, and it seems that Shion tormented Mion by killing Satoko. Badly animated as usual. (Also notice that there’s no blood on the floor, even though it’s been gushing out of Satoko? Also notice that Satoko only seems to have one cut on each arm, even though Shion stabbed her multiple times?) Shion also tells Mion that she’ll let Satoko go if she says “I’m sorry” 1000 times. At one point, however, she stops. Why would she do that? In any case, Satoko dies and Shion realizes that she didn’t hold herself to Satoshi’s last wish: to take care of Satoko. Shion then becomes more paranoid by the minute.

We then switch to the next day, when Keiichi and Rena talk to Shion. For some reason, the fact that Rena mentions that Satoko wasn’t supposed to come is left out. It’s strange, as it’s a large plothole. Why did Mion freak out when she heard this? Because her name was mentioned?

In any case, Shion asks thirty minutes alone with Keiichi, and this is where the bad parts begin. First of all, she’s way too calm, if you compare this to her actions before. She actually holds his hand. Shion also tells herself that she couldn’t tell whether she was Mion or Shion anymore, though later in the episode she shows no signs of this statement anymore. Also, did Keiichi pat Shion on the head in the second arc?

Next up, Mion sees Keiichi, rejoices, sees Shion and screams. Shion then drops a rock on Keiichi. Shion’s next sentence: “I plan to kill her after she hears the screams of all the people that died because of her”. I’m sure that we didn’t get to hear this sentence during the second arc. During the entire talk between Keiichi and Shion, Shion’s behaviour just doesn’t sound right if you compare this with when she killed the others. And why did she tell Keiichi about the doll? Keiichi also starts crying. Did he do this in the second arc? In any case, Shion shocks Keiichi, and goes to Mion. It seems that I indeed was right: they’re going to switch places again. Shion will go back to Shion and get rescued, while Mion will return to Mion, get killed and fall in the well.

And now comes the part I really have issues with. Mion makes a confession. She also liked Satoshi, so she confronted Obaba. Obaba then said that the Sonozaki-Family did nothing at all regarding Satoshi. Obaba actually approved Shion’s love for Satoshi, ever since she ripped off her nail.

Why the heck did Mion wait so incredibly LONG to say this to Mion?! She had enough chances for this. Why does she reveal this only now? Couldn’t she just have told Shion the minute she found out, or the minute that Shion captured her? Talk about not making sense, sheesh.

In any case, it’s clear now that the major culprit of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (at this point, probably Takano) also managed to kill Satoshi. What follows is Shion getting shocked and dumping Mion in the well. Shion and Keiichi then get rescued. That night, Shion is really getting paranoid by the curse, and decides to go and stab Keiichi. That means that Keiichi only imagined Shion’s last attack. In any case, Shion returns to the hospital she’s in, climbs over the balconies to reach her room, trips and falls to her death. She has a strange moment in which she apologizes to everyone, before the ground crushes her.

Still, one interesting fact was revealed. Mion told Shion that Obaba looked into things, and it seems that nobody within the village has killed Satoshi. If she spoke the truth in this, didn’t lie and was indeed right about this fact, then Tomitake has suddenly been placed on the list of major suspects.

In any case, I’m SO glad that this arc is finally over. I’m really looking forward to the Rena-arc now. This arc may have been horrible. Shion may have been horrible. But I’ve been dying for a bit more Rena vs. Keiichi. Another good point is that arc six won’t be exactly the same as arc 1 (as with arc 2 and arc 5), as it’ll feature Rena, being placed in Keiichi’s place.