The main cast excluding Keiichi: Shion, Satoko, Rika, Rena

The aftermath of one of the arcs

Heavy shadows are used to make characters more ominous

Rena freaks out over the curse

Iconic Higurashi laughter

SPOILERS For example, if Rika is the queen carrier, why does the whole village not die in the Watanagishi/Meakashi arc? Who is Hanyuu and why can only Rika see her? What the hell was that final scene?

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, or When the Cicadas Cry, is one of the best horror mystery anime I've watched despite its age (2008). Adapted from the visual novel of the same name by author Ryukishi07, the main story is told over two seasons- Higurashi and Higurashi Kai . It is suspenseful, mysterious, and horrifying- which is hard to pull off for an anime. I'll be delving into what makes it work so well.Keiichi Maebara has just moved into the sleepy village of Hinamizawa. Despite making many new friends, Hinamizawa holds a dark secret. For the past four years, during the annual "Cotton Drifting" festival, someone is murdered and someone disappears without a trace. The villagers attribute this to the guardian deity Oyashiro-sama's curse. Keiichi then realizes that his friends all have some connection to the victims and the village isn't all what it seems.As said earlier, Higurashi is told within two seasons. The first season sets up the mystery, raising many questions and answering some, though it is not enough to solve the mystery. The second season provides an explanation to all the events in season one and resolves the struggle of the story.One of the best parts of the story is its structure. The first season has a repeating arc structure, where each arc is different but has the same starting premise and general structure. The arcs take place within the two weeks that lead up to the current year's (1983) "Cotton Drifting" festival. It goes something like this: Keiichi moves in, has a bunch of fun slice of life activities with his newfound friends, then one of them goes insane and someone (or more) dies brutally.But sometimes certain events change, which lead to different characters going insane and different people dying. Sometimes the story is retold from a different character's perspective, which lends insight into what actually happened. Some arcs shed light on the past, or reveal more information about the characters when they are the spotlight of the arc.While there is a plot related reason as to why the arcs repeat only explained in season two, it is still a unique way of telling the mystery nonetheless. Every arc raises new mysteries and new questions, but provides enough new information to keep you interested. A criticism of the story one may have is the slow pacing before the "juicy" (brutal) bits, but I'd argue a lot of the slower moments are essential in building suspense.On top of its unique structure, there's also a lot of serious mindf*ck in the show which makes it very engaging. Characters who are thought to have died are seen alive. Paranoia causes our characters to see things that aren't there. We can't trust whether what characters say is truth or lie. Every arc introduces new theories about who or what is causing the deaths and disappearances in Hinamizawa. Is it a vengeful deity's curse? Demons possessing people? A secret conspiracy to get rid of enemies of the village? Its up to you to think for yourself, which makes the viewing experience engaging.Higurashi does a great job on its horror.Firstly, the music and directing is on point and helps to build suspense. The music is classic horror-using high pitched violin, slow piano, creepy vocals and other eerie sounds. There's also the incessant cry of the Cicadas when there is no music, whose presence is foreboding of tragedy. The directing is also great, using techniques such as slanted angles, shaky camera, and fisheye lens effect to build suspense and create the feeling that something is off.Put aside its music and directing, it has a lot of core ideas that are scary. The main one being the idea that the people close to you are not what they seem- like how the characters keep things from Keiichi by lying to him or trying to end conversations related to the events of Hinamizawa as quickly as possible. Other more common ideas from horror make their appearance here- such the local deity Oyashiro supposedly "cursing" people, demons and demonic bloodlines, and even parasites. What's scary about these ideas is not necessarily the ideas themselves, but how the characters are so obsessed and paranoid about them that they come off as genuinely real. At any point where Oyashiro-sama is brought up, the characters start to freak out, claiming how they or another character must've angered the deity, and they have been cursed because of it. It's creepy to see how serious the characters take these ideas.Finally, the gore and violence is well done, thanks to the help of the animation and voice acting. The twisted and psychotic facial expressions of the murderer, the brutal ways they torture and kill, and the anguished cries of their victims will make you cringe inside. It is as if you yourself are feeling their pain. And the laughs, oh the laughs of the deranged characters. It's the best maniacal laughter I've heard in anime.Contrary to its horror genre, the show also has some very cute and heart-melting moments. Every girl in the main cast has some kind of cute catchphrase. Rika's "Nipaa~", Satoko's "-desu wa", and Rena's "Omochikaerii~". For a second, you forget that these characters have gone insane a few episodes ago and may go insane again. It's a really good contrast with the horrific and violent moments of the show. Season two, tonally speaking, is a bit of a departure from season one. It does not have as much horror or suspense because the mysteries of the show are explained. The second season is like the answer sheet to a test you just did, where you can compare the theories you speculated in season one to the truth of season two. Instead of horror and suspense, the second season has more of a feeling of despair and struggle as the story is brought to its conclusion.Kai is also the part of Higurashi where its core message is told. The first season of Higurashi is about paranoia, where the lack of trust and communication between characters leads to them tearing each other apart. Kai focuses on trusting these people, and struggling against fate. I think the overall message is good, which is what sets Higurashi apart from most other horrors that only intend to scare the viewer.My only criticism with the second season is that it does not really fully explain everything, and there are some small contradictions in the story.Perhaps these were details that were left out of being adapted. In some sense you could argue that this just adds onto to the mysterious nature of the show, but I would prefer to have these explained.Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is an excellent horror-mystery anime. Its unique story structure and constant mindf*ck create an engaging mystery. The music and directing build suspense while the voice acting and animation sells the horror. The second season is also a great wrap up to the series, where the mysteries are explained and the show's core message is told. That said, I would've preferred more explanations for certain things but it's not a very big deal. 8/10