Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 1: Reunion ]

We’re going to just jump right into the episode and waste no time on pleasantries.

Just so you know who’s speaking, it’s all color coded:

Leon
Youko

It’s simple for now but it’ll most likely get a little more involved and mixed up as the series progresses.

Higurashi has returned and with it the unique atmosphere. Higurashi is a show where no detail can be overlooked. If you do, then you might miss an important piece of an answer or question. This episode is basically what the title describes it as. It mainly sums up the events that took place in Tsumihoroboshi-hen and tells what happens after Keiichi saved Rena. To get this done we have [adult] Rena, Akasaka and his kouhei, and Ooishi return to Hinamizawa to investigate on what occurred almost 30 years prior to the present. They discuss the theories of the gas incident being false, the three families being the real cause of the disaster via a lethal pathogen they were developing and failed, and the supposed origin of Oyashiro-sama (lol aliens).

I really liked the OP but I still miss the old one. Nevertheless, Shimamiya Eiko sung beautifully and I can’t wait to grab the full version so I can spam it (the TV Size will have to do for now). The sequence was very nice as well. I particularly loved the part with Rena crying. I don’t know why but I just love that particular part so much (part of it may be because she’s my favorite character in the series). The new ED is good but why, or why not is much better in my opinion. The piano was beautifully done and the way it led into the next episode preview was flawless. I’ll miss it.

Personally, I’m glad that Higurashi is back for a second season to wrap everything up. Also, I’m quite interested in seeing the anime-original arc, Yakusamashi (which begins next episode). Of course, there’s a whirlwind of questions swimming around in my head from the first season. Just how many Rika’s are there? Does “Rika” move to another Rika [in an alternate reality] when she dies? Who is Rika’s friend who appears in both the OP and ED (I know her name [Hanyuu] but beyond that…eh)? Maybe the other Rika that awakens is Hanyuu. I can only assume as much given my own observations and even looking at the ED sequence. Or maybe the other Rika is actually a cumulation of all the Rika’s across the alternate realities [who've died]? Another thing I found myself wondering about is how did Rena survive the disaster? I’m not sure if I ever knew or not but if I did then I’ve forgotten.

I probably need to sit down and think a bit on everything that happened in the first season…

First impression on OP: zOMG RIKA-CHAN! This is one hell of beautiful song and from Shimamiya Eiko, no less. I really love the beginning part before it starts going into chorus. The song fits perfectly with the scenes, I thought. The little static bit was a certain surprise but I don’t mind it. It reminds me of the many Higurashi MADs I’ve seen, particularly the style of the song used, and because of that I really like this OP a lot, though I’ll always like the first one too. No one can forget the eeriness of that one.

First impression on ED: Hmm, it’s very good. I like it, but I can’t really say much about it. I still like why, or why not a lot more than this, especially the way it shifted toward the next episode preview with that brilliant piano piece. It’s very different now, but I guess it was a one time thing? Well, we’ll see.

Now this episode was mainly just to clear up most, if not all, the stuff that wasn’t explained from last season, which is good to those newcomers and also to veteran naggers. Swish. I didn’t expect there to be a huge time jump. Everyone’s about 30 years older. Mr. Delicious, Akasaka, and…. Rena? Whoa, she still looks healthy as ever. Well, her physical appearance, anyway. Can’t say much about her psyche. I might have missed this but I never recalled any Roswell-esque plot. UFOs and alien parasites? Well, I can understand the parasites, but UFOs? This whole thing started to remind me of RE/Biohazard games with the virus outbreak and stuff. But it just makes me wonder how exactly Rena survived all that, and what exactly is it that Rika was talking about? I’ll just assume it’ll be more explained later. But next it’s time for the anime-original story, hopefully with some more batting.