Higurashi Poems by Frederica Bernkastel

13 more days until Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kira File.01! And to keep fans like myself from going crazy over the agonizing wait, here are some rare Higurashi stuff I’ve found online – specifically the English translations of the poems presented at the beginning of each chapter in the original visual novel game. I never was able to play the game, but I loved the anime like family. If you were able to watch the series as well, I bet these poems would take you to a nostalgic high – if you still remember the chapter titles, that is. If you don’t know Higurashi yet, maybe these poems might interest you in watching as they are the precursors that describe every arc’s situation via the point of view of Frederica Bernkastel.

Don’t know Higurashi: When they Cry? Read the review I wrote about it here!

So who is she? Even for a hardcore fan, you still may not come to know her. If anything, she looks like an older Rika and is only briefly seen at the last episode of season 2, talking to a young Takano Miyo. You may also have seen her in Umineko No Naku Koro Ni (When the Seagulls Cry) as the Witch of Miracles, but her existence begins in Higurashi’s Atonement Chapter, when Rika Furude loses herself to despair, hopelessness and lost of interest in overcoming her and her friends’ tragic fate.

Coming Soon: The All New Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kira!

The anime production company Frontier Works announced in their official Twitter account that a new OVA series, Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kira, is going to launch to mark the Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni horror franchise’s 10th anniversary. There will be 4 new episodes in this OVA.

Of course, the original creators Ryukishi07 and 07th expansion produced the story while having Toshifumi Kawase again supervise the scripts. Hideki Tachibana will be the new director. I hope he won’t stray far off from the Higurashi feel. That is – killer lolis!

Based from Wikia:

The first volume will adapt the original software’s Batsukoishi-hen storyline, while the remaining volumes will have all-new original stories. There will be limited edition volumes with deluxe bonus extras, as well as regular edition volumes.

Higurashi Daybreak: Kai (PC Game)

To all avid fans of loli-killers: I am proud to present to you Higurashi Daybreak: Kai! A really awesome 3D PC/PSP doujin fighting game + expansion based on Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, starring almost all of the anime’s cast. If you haven’t watched the series yet, click here and get going!

The game is officially produced by 07th Expansion and Twilight Frontier. Using the Gundam shooter/fighter game engine, the game can cater up to four human/AI players both online and offline. Higurashi Daybreak definitely won’t let you take your hands off your keyboards and controllers for awhile!

Upon launching the game, you can choose between ‘Story Mode‘, wherein you’ll choose from a selection of preset character team-ups and gain access to said team-up’s ending movie after beating all enemies; ‘Versus Mode‘, for a quick skirmish with your friends and/or computer AI; and ‘Net Play‘, where you can play with others around the world.

14 Things You’ll Almost Always See in Anime – Part 2

Here’s part 2! You can read part 1 here.

8. Repetitive name yelling

Ever see characters spending quite some time and effort emotionally yelling their names to each other? The more they say their names, the more intense the scene becomes. The photo above comes from a parody in Minami-ke where the heroines watch a TV drama centering on the forbidden love of Ninomiya-kun and her Sensei. Their script would be nothing more than Ninomiya-kun saying ‘Sensei!’ and the Sensei shouting ‘Ninomiya-kun!’ all the time until they embrace. It’s hilarious!

Higurashi: When They Cry Review

I never really watched anime that much anymore after high school, but this got me hooked me up again. I found out about Higurashi when a friend who went to Japan gave me Deformation Maniac Figures of some of its characters. I got curious on what kind of anime it was, and voila! I was watching again before I knew it.

Synopsis: The story is set in a fictional rural village of Hinamizawa of 1983. Our protagonist Keiichi Maebara, who recently moves in, befriends his new classmates (Rena, Mion, Satoko and Rika) and participates in after-school club activities comprised mostly of card and board games. The village may seem peaceful and ordinary at first, but that all comes to an end at the village’s annual Watanagashi (Cotton-Drifting) Festival – to pay homage to their local god, Oyashiro-sama – when Keiichi discovers that for the past four years, one is always murdered and one disappears on the day of the festival. Keiichi is then drawn to the strange events happening, and the truth is slowly revealed.

14 Things You’ll Almost Always See in Anime – Part 1

Upon watching series after series, I’ve noticed recurring patterns in anime that would almost make them rather stereotypical. They’re fun, and it certainly makes watching a new batch of series with a sense of familiarity. On the downside of course, one would know what to expect next. It’s just a matter of how they’d play out the scenes. I bet you’ve noticed these X-factors of Japanese cartoons already. Here’s my list!

1. Japanese Etiquette

This is a given. Since anime is from Japan, proper etiquette and social behaviors are prominent within the characters. Such as bowing, saying “itadakimasu” (I humbly receive) before meals, “okawari” (More, please) and Gochisosama-deshita (Thank you for the food) after. A dramatic scene would include the heroine say “Okaeri” (Welcome home) to the hero after a life-deciding battle, and the hero would respond a heart-warming “Tadaima” (I’m home).