Okay, scrap what I said after the previous episode. This wasn’t exactly what you’d expect from the semi-final episode of a series. The next episode is going to be awesome, with three exciting matches between Shion and Satoru, Ayumi and Shion’s foster-father and Saori and Hani-Meijin. But can the creators really solve the murder-mystery along with that? At this point, I have no idea whether this series is getting a sequel or not. If would of course be awesome to see more of this series.

Also, with this episode, I finally realize something regarding my own tastes. I’m a sucker for series that don’t just develop their main characters, but also have deep side-characters. That’s probably why I’m into Shion no Ou so much: not only does it have the amazing Shion in the lead, but it also has an excellent cast of side-characters. In other words: the entire cast feels complete. That’s probably also why I liked series like Simoun and Baccano so much.

In any case, this episode shows especially much focus to Hisatani, as he manages to win a difficult match against a strong yet kind opponent. Saori’s role in this is interesting, and is it me, or are the two of them getting closer? In any case, Saori really looked like Hani-Meijin did in the previous episode, when she went on to check up on Hisatani’s match.

And really, I have no idea what’s up with Satoru. In episode nine, we clearly see that the killer has purple hair, and yet he was the one who returned Hisatani’s cell-phone. And yet Shion doesn’t notice anything when she talks to him, and yet she subconsciously recognized the voice of the killer immediately. It’s clear by now that Satoru has a connection to the killer, but I still can’t really put my finger on whether or not they’re the same guys.

I must say that Shion no Ou did really well in capturing the overall feel of the tournament. Sometimes, you end up against someone you know, sometimes you’re against a complete stranger, but all of the new opponents have felt surprisingly real, despite their short introductions and lack of background. I like how basically the main stage for this series is the Shougi-dojo, where basically everyone can run into everyone. It’s hard to explain this, but it feels like everyone gets to know every other character this way. I hope this made sense.

Now one thing I hope for is that the final episode doesn’t screw up. There’s going to be enough tension with the three major shougi-matches, but the question remains whether the murder-subplot will be resolved enough.

Oh, and on a final note: Shion nicely subverted the mute-girl trope in this episode. Usually, a mute girl gets her voice back after having been shown the enormous friendship of the main characters. Shion however, finally utters a few words after hearing the killer again. I like how this makes sense.

Okay, so today wasn’t about Ayumi and Shion’s foster-father, but instead on Shion herself. And it really seems that this series is going to end at episode 12. Let’s hope that the creators aren’t going to rush the ending. This series deserves better.

In any case, this episode was as awesome as usual, and it confirmed yet again that this is my favourite series that came with the Fall-season. Ghost Hound and Mokke are going to have to try really hard with their second halves if they want to beat this series. In any case, this episode was mainly about Shion’s match against the boy-genius, and another example of a psychological battle. It seems that the boy only played Shougi on-line up till now, and the only reason he won against his previous opponent was because he used a strategy that was popular on te net, but not outside of it and his opponent turned out to be a salaryman.

As an added twist, the murderer gets back into action again. It seems he’s well aware of the ongoing tournament, and he actually makes a phone-call to Shion at the end of the episode! The scene where the guy went and stole the mobile-phone might have been a bit forced, though, but it can be explained as soon as we know his intentions. Let’s hope I can pick it up with the next episode without subtitles and all.

In case you were wondering: yes, I do like to save the best for last. The only series that are left for me to catch up to are Shion no Ou and Les Miserables. And I absolutely loved this episode. It was all about the match between Saori and Kaminozo, and I was really surprised at the depth that was given to Kaminozo. I love it when a series doesn’t just develop its main characters.

The guy indeed was a Shougi-master, though through he finally reached the point where his age gets in the way, and there’s also the matter of his deceased wife. It seems that he used the tournament, to confirm that he was still able to play Shougi, though after a three hour-long match he just couldn’t keep up against the still-growing Saori. And to think that Shougi-matches can take over three hours to finish. I was easily pwned within one minute by that Hamshougi.

In any case, I love this series. I don’t how the creators do it, but every single character connects much easier than with a regular series. In the next episode, we’ll get to see Ayumi versus Shion’s foster-father, which promises to become very interesting. We also see an interesting twist: a new character shows up who looks suspiciously much like the murderer. His hair is purple, though, and we see him in some kind of internet-cafe.

Some reviews are easier to write than others. With Higurashi, it’s going to be difficult, though, simply because of the huge contrast between the first and the second season. The fact also remains that this is one of these series that’s better than the sum of its parts. First, let me say that if you were interested in the concept of Higurashi, just to see “killer lolis” and cute girls, killing each other, then you will be disappointed. Sure, this is a disturbing series, but Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is so much more than a bunch of random massacres.

The first season is basically one incredibly well-developed mystery-series with lots and I mean lots of horror. Throughout six arcs, you see the different characters, as they discover more and more of the complex, multi-layered plot that forms the foundation of this series, while countless false tracks and red herrings are put on the screen, in order to confuse the viewer. You’ll never know who to trust at this point, and the same goes for the characters. There may be a few annoying moments here and there, including some pacing-issues, but overall it’s an intense and diverse thriller that keeps you hungry for more amidst the brutality.

And then the second season comes, and it’s completely different. The first season went so fast that it often didn’t leave any time for quiet moments and character-development; it sometimes went too fast that it nearly tripped, and then the second season comes and fixes this. The pacing continues at a very slow pace, but because of this, there is enough time to flesh out the different characters, to explain everything that need to be said about the story, and to build up for an incredibly solid finale. The characters actually start to realize that their bloodstained hands were a huge mistake, and they try to escape the horror. There’s also an incredibly huge emphasis on friendship and trust.

Obviously, the second season is less exciting to watch, but instead, the first season is less heart-warming. The second season is quite slow, while the first season thunders through its storyline to get it finished in time. Obviously, when you look at the individual elements, things feel strange, and for most people, it’s going to be hard to get used to the completely new road that the second season went into.

But boy, if you start looking at it from a distance, the entire package becomes so much better. In terms of storytelling, the story is closed off perfectly, even though there still is a third season on the way. It knows exactly how to build up well, and the storytelling for especially the second season has been flawless.

All in all, Higurashi is inconsistent, but it’s one heck of a special series. The cast of characters and the setting is definitely memorable, and there are more than enough different moments that make you care about them. Just one piece of advice: when watching episode 17, try not to eat or drink anything. You’ll understand when you watch it.

Ah, and so it has ended. Like expected, this ending is much better than the ending of the first season. It did everything that was needed to close off the story well, with no signs of rushing. While the first season would have tried to add an extra twist, everything went just as expected, but I still ended up really liking it. Especially Takano has improved a lot, and finally she too has become an engaging character, and I loved her scenes with Okonogi, to see her being betrayed by everyone she took for granted.

The obvious question now remains: what the heck is going to happen in the third season? I mean, there are three arcs left, and from all we know, the story and everything around it has been resolved. The final moments of the episode showed how a grown-up Rika went to visit the young Takano. How did she end up there? I can also imagine that there still needs to be found a cure for the Hinamizawa-syndrome. After all, Rika still can’t leave the village without everyone going berserk within 48 hours. It would also be interesting if Nomura made a larger appearance, though on the other hand, I’d love to see more development on Keiichi, Mion and Rena.

Has the new airdate of the third season already been confirmed? My money is on that it’ll arrive somewhere in the Summer 2008-Season. In any case, it’s something to look forward to.

Haha! I loved this episode. It was fun, sad, exciting and inspirational. I now understand a bit why the Yamainu didn’t use their guns in the previous episode. They may not look like it, but they’re scared as well. I can imagine how up till now, they’ve never had to deal with the unexpected. That’s why they became careless and forget to properly prepare. And that’s why they were easily pwned by Keiichi and the others in the wood. I loved how Okonogi actually admitted his defeat, and is now thinking of the survival of the Yamainu, instead of following Takano’s orders. The next episode should promise to be an awesome one: Takano’s screwed, but yet she’s going to do something that delivers the twist for the introduction of the third season.

Ah, and the things that happened in the clinic were excellent as well. Satoshi really seems to have been sick, ever since he was taken in, and I think it’s thanks to Irie that the guy survived. Tomitake is now free as well, and all that’s left now is to reach the next city. One thing I do hope for the third season is to provide more development for Keiichi, Mion and Rena. It really feels like the three of them have been incredibly ignored in the past season, while Rika, Satoko and the others did get their moments.

It’s awesome to see that Higurashi is getting a third season. Because of this, the building-up by this season can really be used well. In case you haven’t found out yet: there are three arcs of Higurashi that were released on the PS2, with one of them containing the “real ending” of the series. When I first learned that the second season would only contain the Minagoroshi-hen and the Matsuribayashi-hen, I was a bit disappointed, but now it seems that the creators had a third season for this in mind. This really has a lot of possibilities.

One thing I didn’t like about this episode was how Akasaka saved the day. I mean, anyone else who stood in the way of the Yamainu before got mercilessly killed. Why didn’t these guys use any guns against Tomitake, and just thought to resolve the conflict with their guns? Ah well, it’s good to see that Tomitake has been working out. While a few years ago, he could just barely beat three Yamainu, along with Oishi, but it seems that this inspired him to work more on his combat-skills.

And really, I absolutely love how this series managed to save a few surprises. Satoshi is alive! I really assumed that the guy died, as soon as he was exposed to Takano, but yet again I forgot the #1 rule of anime: someone only dies when you see the dead body. I love the bit of development for Shion in the end, and how she told Keiichi about Mion’s crush on him. ^^;