SERIES
Don't be sad.
Even if the world won't forgive you, I'll forgive you.Don't be sad.
Even if you won't forgive the world, I'll forgive you.So please tell me.
How do I make you forgive me?— Frederica Bernkastel
Higurashi When They Cry (ひぐらしのなく頃に), alternative know as When They Cry for North America, is a mistery visual novel made by the japanese dōjin 7th Expansion, released in August 10th, 2002 for PC.
Higurashi: When They Cry takes place in the village of Hinamizawa (雛見沢) in June 1983.
Our main story revolves around Keiichi Maebara, a young boy who transferred to Hinamizawa because of his dad’s job. As he becomes familiar with the village, Rena Ryuugu walks with him to school everyday, a cute girl he got to know not too long ago. His class consist of: Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, Satoko Hojo and some other npc we don’t care about. As there’s no much to do when class is over, the small group play tricks for each other and many board games with punishments to the poor loser— usually making them wear embarrassing clothes.
Soon enough Keiichi gets to know the annual festival called ‘Watanagashi Festival’, where the villagers give thanks to their local deity called Oyashiro. Our protagonist meet a photographer called Jiro Tomitake and a nurse called Miyo Takano, where they tell him a mystery behind the festival: since four years, someone either gets killed or just disappear during the evening when the festival is hold. The two explain these mysterious crimes are called Oyashiro Curse, as they remain unsolved.
This fated night in summer is where protagonists’ adventure begins— yet another unsolved crime happens at the Festival, and is Keiichi paranoia what makes us in edge every meeting with his friends. Knowing the unsolved crimes has to do something with the village, our protagonist realizes this village has some secrets nobody want to tell, not even his beloved friends.
There are many story arcs in the saga: they are referred chapters called "question arcs" and "answer arcs". The question arcs are chapters that contain mysteries and endings without resolve, and the answer arcs are chapters with different perspectives that use different protagonist to solve the mysteries of the question arcs.
- Higurashi no naku koro ni (ひぐらしのなく頃に)
- Higurashi no naku koro ni Kai (ひぐらしのなく頃に解)
- Higurashi no naku koro ni Rei (ひぐらしのなく頃に礼)
- Higurashi no naku koro ni Matsuri (ひぐらしのなく頃に祭)
- Higurashi no naku koro ni Kizuna (ひぐらしのなく頃に絆)
main characters
adaptations
There have been various adaptations: drama cds, eight mangas titles, four light novels, eight anime seasons, two live actions films and two television series.