higurashi no naku koro ni 16 (meakashi 1)
Categories: anime, episodic review, higurashi
Tagged: higurashi, higurashi:rena, higurashi:sonozaki
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Love makes us do crazy things.
“There can only be one.”
Most. Wasteful. Philosophy. Ever.
Episode 16 begins with a shot of Mion/Shion dragging the unconscious body of the other down a corridor. In what context? I’ll restate my political platform: pro-twincest, anti-twincide.
The killer lolis have rebooted yet again, and now I think Shion is the star… so things are looking up. Shion ninjas herself out of some boarding school and flashes of Koyuki dance in my head. Now that I think about it, both Koyuki and 2×2 Shinobuden‘s Shinobu both prefer the company of females. Is there a corrolation between ninjitsu and hawt girl-on-girl action? I am much more interested in this topic than “dubs or subs.”
Shion is definitely mobile and agile. Even Jackie Chan’s herself over a wall to escape from Ouran.
Her driver/goon/bodyguard is waiting outside in a getaway car, and the first time that I watched this, I thought Shion said, “It’s been a while since I made out inside a car.” I’m telling you– this San Jose heatwave is doing nothing for my translation skills.
Shion is just hanging loose in the car as her driver asks her what does she intend to do now… Shion reminds me of Spike: laid back with a skinny necktie.
(I rate her boarding school outfit an 8 out of 10 with the Angel Mort outfit a 10 out of 10. Sophisticated blazer and tie juxtaposed with a miniskirt and high socks. The yellow ribbon says, “I’m cute!” Would be an 9 if she wore loose socks or a visible garter instead. Am I sharing too much now?)
Shion starts recounting her history and relationship with Mion. Mion was picked to become the heir while Shion became the black sheep sequestered away. No bitterness here…
(The typical “Shion” outfit gets an 7 out of 10. Tight top + skirt = win. The typical “Mion” outfit gets a 3 out of 10. I have a long list of complaints about this outfit… the yellow does nothing to flatter her melonpan… the gun does nothing for me… the jeans are plain… and she ties a sweater around her waist like an European tourist. Even the ponytail seems more functional than moe.)
As Homer Simpson would say… “Wow! A boy! And what a boy!”
The Sonozakis were supposed to kill the twins as having dual heirs would only lead to tragedy. What are the chances that fifteen years or so later, they’ll both fall in love with the same dumb ass boy and cause a series of cold-blooded murders? Anytime tragedy is foreseen and a baby is not killed, the tragedy usually occurs… Scrapped Princess (novel version)… Oedipus Rex… Earthsea cycle… just to name the first three that popped into my mind.
For some strange reason, Shion wants to go back to Okinomiya and tempt the chance that she could be discovered by her relatives, which would pose a problem. I’m wondering what Shion is thinking… why would she go back there is she knew how screwed up the town and her relatives are? For Mion? And now that she dropped out of school, what is she going to do for the rest of her life? Sure, being a moe waitress is fine when you’re young, but it’s depressing thinking about a 50-year-old, 230-pound, chain-smoking, hepatitis-infected Shion still working as a waitress… oh, well, it’s not like she’ll see even her twentieth birthday let alone fifty.
The goon actually sets her up in a nice apartment, and she just dismantles her convenience store bento like how Kobayashi crammed down 52 hot dogs this past Fourth of July. If they ever made an anime about Kobayashi’s eating contests, I’d watch it. Shion can even make scarfing down food cute.
(BTW, who is this goon, why is he secretly taking care of Shion, why is he emasculating himself by wearing an apron, and why does he have a modern-style goatee… would people in 1980 Japan sport the goatee style popularized by Andre Agassi?)
Mikuru… is that you in a wig?!? I demand a wallpaper of this!
(Shion tells her goon that she plans on getting a job and has a way of not getting caught. If the goon asked, “How?” with Shion replying, “Classified information,” I would have laughed up my pancreas.)
Shion calls up Mion does her best killer loli impersonation… so this is how they greet each other. It all makes sense now.
Of course, they’re just joking. Shion and Mion seem to be very close at this stage of the game as Mion seems happy that her sister escaped the Ouran Academy.
(Though it’s probably a sign that the animation quality has majorly slipped if I’m wondering, “Mmm… how many lines did the animators need to draw for this scene? 20? 25?”)
(Have I ever mentioned before that I like Shion’s winking? I don’t recall. I’m Jello right now.)
LOL FANG-TAN… is that you? Whoa. Symmetrical laughter 4tw. Love how Shion has that fang, but Mion doesn’t. Ever wonder sometimes what level of moe could be achieved through a Mikuru-LOL FANG-TAN-Yuki hybrid? We’re 2/3rds of the way to that dream.
(The “loosened up” boarding school outfit is an 8.5. One more button loosened would push it to an nine. But she’s still nowhere as, uh, overflowing as the penultimate avatar.)
Even though Mion and Shion are rehashing old plot points and stuff we already know, the big difference between them and Ooishi explaining the same type of thing to Mamoru is that would you rather see (a) Mion and Shion with obligatory tight tops or (b) Mamoru and Ooishi with obligatory tight tops while the old plot points are rehashed?
Put me down for (a).
Shion dons the Mion outfit and goes to Angel Mort to ask her uncle for a job. Her plan to keep herself secret is to have everyone call her, “Mion”… and the uncle rehashes the strings of Watanagashi murders for Shion. From the looks of things, it appears to be a year prior to K1’s arrival.
Mion fills in more gaps for Shion, including how Satoko’s family were persecuted for supporting the dam project. I can’t get over this hat for Shion… I keep thinking… Y-M-C-A … just go to the Y-M-C-A…
(Mion’s normal school clothes would be a five out of ten. Like how the tie matches her hair color, but the outfit is not kawaii enough nor does it properly accentuate her assests. It’s like she’s trying to hide her figure. Maybe I should watch less America’s Next Top Model.)
Shion claries that she admires her sister’s ability to babysit their matriarchal grandmother as well as how she holds no resentment towards Mion for being the chosen one. It’s not like a year from now Shion’s going to get revenge by seducing the boy that Mion loves or anything Dawson Creek-ish like that.
9 out of 10. Sometimes, simple is good. I need a cold shower.
(When I was watching this scene, I was thinking, “I bet someone’s going to leave a ‘Hey, you forgot to mention that Shion wasn’t wearing a bra when she was drying herself off’ comment.” The scary thing is that I’d be disappointed if no one did.)
Mion lets Shion know that their grandmother is onto them, and her grandmother is screaming for Shion’s head. Emo grandmothers… this show has everything except pacing and animation quality… who needs those when the viewers are too pre-occupied with Shion drying herself off?
“Let me have one of those porno magazines, large box of condoms, a bottle of Old Harper, a couple of those panty shields, some illegal fireworks, and one of those disposable enemas… eh, make it two.”
Shion goes shopping, and this scene has the spirit of the invincible postergirl.
(I’m getting confused with the outfits… wasn’t Mion just wearing the yellow & gun during their phone call?)
Even pulls a Miki and loses her pr0n and condoms.
I dunno… I think Muteki Kanban Musume has usurped the emo facial distortion title from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. This starts looking real tame compared to this, this, or this. That’s the real reason why the cicadas are crying… they’re no longer emo enough.
In her anger, Shion knocks over a few bikes, and they just so happen to believe to some hooligans ripped from Shonan Junai Gumi. The Higurashi team decided to give them Charlie Brown-style dialogues, and Shion can’t understand them. Based on my vast prior knowledge of anime, I’m guessing that they’re saying stuff like this to Shion:
(a) “You’ll pay for that with your body.”
(b) “In the name of the Moon, I will punish you! I will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you!”
(c) “How am I supposed to buy my Gunpla now ~de arimasu?!?”
(d) “I believe it’s time for attack. Let me put my entry plug into your Eva and fill it up with viscous fluids.”
None of this fazes Shion, who reaches for her taser. Shion’s a bad-ass, ninja gangsta. Anyway, Satoshi shows up and saves the day. Well, if “getting ass kicked = saving the day.” Sagara would have wiped the floor with these days.
Satoshi has left a very positive impression on Shion. Her knight in shining armor! I immediately am looking forward to a most horrible death for Satoshi.
So this is what they mean by “heavy petting”.
Enjoy the next three screenshots. I won’t spoil them by inserting my typical banter:
Shion and Mion discuss the day’s incident, and Shion wants to know more about Satoshi. Mion talks a bit about Satoko and Satoshi’s relationship. I honestly didn’t mind that the dialogue wasn’t very interesting nor did I mind that they’re telling me stuff we already know. In fact, I enjoyed this sequence. Why, I wonder? Why, I wonder?
Shion pretends to be Mion (?) and goes to Satoshi’s baseball game to flirt with him. It would have been hilarious if Mion showed up and inserted herself as the pitcher against Satoshi as Shion went emo in the background. The manager explains the trials that Satoshi and Satoko have been going through and how the stress has gotten Satoshi to consider quitting the team. And he does.
A brooding Shion meets Rena afterwards who asks her if she loves Satoshi. Shion says she does. I’m wondering if Rena knows it is not Mion… after all, she was surprised when confronted with this back in Watanagashi.
Rena tells Shion that Satoshi quit the team to focus on his job and that it’s somehow related to Satoko’s birthday. Shion blames all of Satoshi’s troubles on Satoko and seems quite bitter about her. But Rena knows different. Rena enters her Oyashiro-mode and tells Shion…
… of the feeling of being hunted by Oyashiro. About how she has experienced it. About how Satoshi is sinning by wanting to run away from Hinamiyazawa, probably using the money that he earned from his job, which we learned previously already. One thing that has characterized this anime is that trying to escape your fate leads to tragedy and disaster.
Shion begs Mion to let her go to school in her stead the next day. Shion tries to get close to Satoshi, but he doesn’t seem like himself… and she starts hating Satoko more. This seems to be the “conflict” of this episode, and it kinda reminds me of a vicious Valerie on 90210 going all out on some harmless girl because of some perceived slight.
Satoshi completely brushes off Shion, much to her dismay. Shion is wondering oh why, or why not, did she fall in love with this guy. It doesn’t help that she has seriously misplaced some hostility to Satoko…
… who is crying because she dropped her lunch. And this causes Shion to snap…
… and start beating the crap out of Satoko…
… telling her how it’s her fault that Satoshi is being this way. What her sin is. How Shion wants Satoko to just go away. Would you want to be friends with Mion after this if you were Satoko?
(Who’d thunk that Shion would be the crazy emo one… ? She was nothing like this in Watanagashi… she was honestly scared of Mion in that arc…)
The remainder of the Killer Loli SOS Brigade put up a defense for Satoko. Do I want to see a climatic Machete Rena vs Hammer Twin Sonozaki showdown? Yes, yes I do.
Satoshi returns and tosses Shion aside to help his sister. Satoshi spits some bile at Shio about how the Sonozaki family can’t seem to stop bulling them, since they’re the kids of the dam supporters. I can understand now how close Satoshi and Satoko were, but I don’t understand why Shion was still helping out managing the baseball team during tatari goroshi. Wouldn’t she, uh, stop now that Satoshi wasn’t there anymore?
(Yeah, she definitely screwed up.)
Mion lectures her about how now everything thinks that Mion went crazy and beat up a ten year old girl. I think she’s going through a lot… and wishes for Satoko and her aunt to be spirited away at the next Watanagashi. Shion has become the new (or old) K1.
Most of this episode has been old stuff. There’s not a lot of new material presented beyond “how Shion ended up living and working where she did.” While Sonozaki fanservice is enough to distract me from the main failings of the series, I still can’t help but wonder how much better this anime could have been. There’s a lot of promise in the harem, comedy, mystery, and horror aspects of the show, but it needs to pick one and do it well. It’s a shame to see this series so poorly executed.
23 Responses to “higurashi no naku koro ni 16 (meakashi 1)”
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Whoa, whoa, whoa. The Great Hope is a Mikuru-Tsuruya-Yuki-ASAKURA hybrid.
I have theory on how to differentiate the twins during the 2nd arc.
Shion is the one with the Satoshi can do no wrong mentality. Whenever you see her ranting about Satoshi and Satoko it’s Shion.
Mion is the one that snapped when K1 gave the doll to Rena.
In conclusion, both are nuts, but for different respective persons?
OK, it’s too early to start discussing the overarching plot based on this arc, but here’s a new issue for us to ponder.
In the 3rd arc, Satoko for some reason has the ability to toss K1 around the classroom like a ragdoll. Meanwhile, here in the past, We’ve got Shion giving Satoko the same treatment. Granted, it’s more realistic, but now I find myself wondering? Can anyone working out their emotional issues toss people across the room this way, or is it a werewolf sort of thing? Once you get tossed across the room, you gain the power to do it to others.
I suppose the more rational alternative is just that K1 weighs surprisingly little. Random Cop didn’t have any trouble giving him the old heave-ho either. Must come from not eating his pin-puffs and taking all those throat-rippy drugs.
Hey, you forgot to mention that Shion wasn’t wearing a bra when she was drying herself off
>(Who’d thunk that Shion would be the crazy emo one… ?
>She was nothing like this in Watanagashi… she was
>honestly scared of Mion in that arc…)
Oh, is that it? Because the intro of this arc and the clear difference between the twins’ personality leds me to believe that Shion was the one doing all that stuff in Watanagashi. Also, do you remember back in Watanagashi-hen when Mion stated that she was possessed, and told Rena and K1 that she had a tattoo on her back, but when she was about to show it Rena said that it was not necessary? I actually think that “Mion” was expecting that, and thus made use of this to clear Rena’s doubts about her identity. And she kept talking about herself on third person. And at the end of that scene, after K1 has asked her to release Shion and to leave Mion’s body, she puts him to sleep with her taser.
1 I see a relation between the ammount of melonpan and the size of your posts.
2 I’m glad satoshi doesn’t say much, he has an really annoying voice, like “turn the volume down” annoying.
3 this must have been my fav “snap” so far, not only did we see a loli beating the crap out of another loli, it was filled with nice story pieces. Note that from her reaction, satoko prolly dropped it on purpose to get attention (as mentioned earlier she did).
Well, I am very happy that we won’t be seeing Keiichi for the second arc in a row. Beside the very first arc that started this series, he had been such a drag on the show.
On the other hand, I really wish they would give Rena back some real screen time. She was the reason I fell in love with this series during the first arc. However, since back then, she has had almost no significant screen time. At least not the OP’s Rena with her dragging machete or licking blood off her hands.
And I agree with Jason here: we need some matchups between the killer loli’s. How about turning the plot into one where Oyashiro-sama has become sick of the recurring Watanagashi-festival, and is thus insinuating the killer loli’s to kill each other so that the last-standing killer loli will become his bride to start humanity all over again? :)
>On the other hand, I really wish they would give Rena back some real screen time. She was the reason I fell in love with this series during the first arc. However, since back then, she has had almost no significant screen time. At least not the OP’s Rena with her dragging machete or licking blood off her hands.
Tsumihoroboshi-hen will more than satisfy all of your Rena needs. Please look forward to it
Those uninterrupted screenshots gave me a killer business idea. All I need is a couple of seiyuu’s and a 1800 number. I’m gonna be rich!
At the end of the first Arc, I suspected the series to be a really interesting Hound of Baskerville-ish type of murder mystery. I was really looking forward to a well thought out Doyle plot.
At the end of the second Arc, I suspected the series to be a not so typical murder mystery where every aspect of the mystery will be shown to the viewer through the different choices that K1 makes, where in the end, the mystery won’t be solved by one person in the storyline, but by the viewer who was shown all the clues and info, which any character in the story won’t be able to solve because of the branch like non-linear progression of the story line. This new theory was actually really exciting because it would add a whole new perspective to the mystery genre.
Now, 16 episodes in, I have to ask myself why am I still watching this show. Obviously, the first theory at what this story is, is out. The second option is still up for grabs, though with how the show is progressing, the possibility of the show being the second theory is extremely low, let along the show executing the second theory successfully. Nothing is making any sense at all, the information being presented is something the viewer already knows or can guess easily, or if the information is new, it has nothing to do with anything.
There are two more options… either nothing is going to make any sense at the end or it was all a dream/everyone is some diety’s plaything/the setting is actually the holodeck of a spaceship/something completely ridiculous. Once the show starts to be not a drag again, give me a call.
If I’m wrong about the show, every Higurashi lover get’s +10 bonus Beo points.
I’m starting to think “is this comedy series or horror one?”. I was laughing like hell at the beat-up scene what reminded me of Super Smash Bros. game (seriously) and all that was missing was the Akira Yuki-like lines (from Virtua Fighter) shouted by Satoshi. Or Sol Badguy-like intrusion, of course with his “gurlfriend” (aka Gun Flame, from Gulity Gear game).
I liked this show very much, but it’s going in wrong direction. It still shots, only in wrong goal.
Nyuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!
@Beo: You’re not going to be satisfied with the ending – the game hasn’t even finished coming out yet. The chance of getting all the answers in the anime is virtually nil. It is clearly intended to be your second option and it has clearly suceeded in its real objective. I desperately want to play the game and am now planning on purchasing it after the last answer arc is finished – but the anime just drops the ball way too much.
Also, it’s pretty clear to me at least that the person who’s behind everything in Watanagashi is clearly Shion, not Mion. My curren theory is that Mion is the one Shion blames for demoning away Satoshi and the bit with Keiichi in Watanagashi is her revenge. Though now I’m starting to wonder if maybe Shion is unbalanced enough that she’s behind Satoshi and his aunt’s disappearance as well.
Curious, I wonder if the Mikuru and Fang-tan cos-play is worth catching up for. As for the San Jose heat wave the So-Cal one is decidedly worse, and I have to stay in a green house of a class room.
I can see why they’re calling this an answer arc, its given out a lot of clues already.
First, we see that Shion was in fact the one that went insane at the end of Watanagashi-hen. We already had some evidence for this, due to the facts that
1: We knew the real Mion died in the pit when “Mion” was shanking K1.
2: The “Mion” who was denied the kawaii stuffed bear didn’t seem to work at the toy store like the real Mion, but somewhere else (AngleMort’s).
3: Shion is supposed to be the crazy one.
but its nice to have it confirmed.
Antipathy towards Satoko and going slightly bonkers over Satoshi seem to explain why Shion was shaking that later K1 was on in Ep 7.
I’m guessing that antipathy over Satoshi is what starts to drive a wedge between the two twins later on. Maybe Shion thinks Mion killed him? Maybe she did? Who knows.
Rena’s guess about Shion-pretending-to-be-Mion liking Satoshi makes me think that Mion likes him also.
>Maybe I should watch less America’s Next Top Model
>It’s not like a year from now Shion’s going to get revenge by seducing the boy that Mion loves or anything Dawson Creek-ish like that.
>it kinda reminds me of a vicious Valerie on 90210 going all out on some harmless girl because of some perceived slight.
I’ll assume that you got these references from wikipedia and were not involved with the watching of these shows….
This show is beyond saving now. I was just treated to 23 minutes of sonozaki action and i was bored out of my mind. Im gonna go download the manga and pray it is as good as Shion’s boarding school outfit. (Although i will continue to watch the anime for Shion/Mion despite how bad it is)
(d) “I believe it’s time for attack. Let me put my entry plug into your Eva and fill it up with viscous fluids.â€
^ OMG, you used it! I personally thought that was the worst one I came up with. Anyway, this episode alone had sparked my hope for more Higurashi awesomness. Shion awesomeness to be more specific.
Ever wonder sometimes what level of moe could be achieved through a Mikuru-LOL FANG-TAN-Yuki hybrid?
I don’t think it’s possible for three girls to successfully breed, but I sure as hell would like to see them try.
Lots of clues that support the “Mion is actually Shion” theory in the 2nd arc. Also, Keichi’s resemblance of Satoshi would explain why the girls “adopted” him.
Loved the top image; most of the hands in the right places.
Translation of review:
I wish this show was Shuffle!
I wish it was only a boring, cliche’d, and predictable harem comedy where Keiichi lives with all the girls and Mion beats him up.
>>> I don’t think it’s possible for three girls to successfully breed, but I sure as hell would like to see them try.
Dude, better living through science! It’s amazing what geneticists can do these days. (As Dr. Irie well knows, I wager)
>I wish it was only a boring, cliche’d, and predictable harem comedy where Keiichi lives with all the girls and Mion beats him up.
If Mion could do it with a manchete, Dokoro style, though, then that’d be awesome.
We need a Haruhi Fujioka in the show to help us tell the twins apart.