October 2, 2007

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - 39

Filed under: Finished Series:/Higurashi no Naku Koro ni


Seriously, this could very well be the one of the best episodes of Higurashi yet. There were a few continuity issues, but apart from that, the Minagoroshi-hen has ended perfectly, even though it was very straightforward. It basically focuses on Rika and everyone else, escaping from the Yamainu and Takano, carrying out her plan.

The Yamainu could have been a bit better, though. The fourth arc clearly showed that these guys are professionals, and now they’re beaten by a bunch of kids. Not really the most believable turn of events. The different deaths were magnificent, though. It also seems that for the next arc, the other main characters will remember what happened in the previous ones as well, which can turn out to be pretty interesting.

Then there’s the question of what Takano did after the Hinamizawa-disaster. I mean, years afterwards, Akisaka couldn’t find anything about her. She desires to become the next Oyashiro-sama, but what exactly does that mean? And why does she want it? I’m counting on the Matsuribayashi for the answers to this. With eleven episodes left, it’s promising to become one awesome ride. I wonder who the next main characters will be. Will Rika still take up this role, or is there going to be a different character?

Mononoke - 09

Filed under: Finished Series:/Mononoke


Apologies for the delay. One thing I realized after I started to watch raws is how easy you can plan to watch them, compared to the subs, which get released at an unknown time.

Anyway, about the episode: I liked this one a lot, and the subs make this series definitely more enjoyable. It seems that the three guys who came to propose were actually already dead, and Ruri never existed in the first place. It seems that she was a form of the Mononoke Nue, who kept luring in men in order for them to acknowledge it as something more than the piece of wood it actually was.

There were a few questions left open, though. The samurai killed the fourth guy in the end, but did he really kill him or were they already dead at that point? The guy with the nose-cone seems to confirm that they were indeed really dead, as he seems to have killed Ruri, while being dead. The fact that the blood they were covered in just disappears after the killing seems to symbolize this as well: even though the two of them killed, they weren’t aware what they did back there.

Then there’s the third one. While he never killed anyone, he actually went on with a game where five scents had to be smelled, among which one of them is poisonous. Would a normal person really say the same?

Then there’s the strange dog. I originally thought that that was the Mononoke, though it was just a random bystander. It also seems that the Mononoke’s existence caused the colours in the house to dull out.