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The thing you said about the games' 'edgy' reputation due to its use of violence really stuck out to me. Most of the people I know that have heard of Higurashi immediately think of the blood and gore of the anime. Similarly, Rena and Shion are seen as nothing more than one-note murderous psychopaths which, while isn't hard to believe given how they are in their most infamous depictions, completely undersells the depth of these characters. The (in my opinion) underrated-ness of Umineko is just another matter altogether. I'm already really glad that the When They Cry series is extremely popular already, but I just wished that it was known for more things than just its violence, like the importance of bonds and perseverence.
The when they cry series (referring to Umineko, Higurashi and Ciconia as a whole) has to be one of the most complex stories ever made. And it is honestly a hidden gem. This story isn’t for everyone. It takes very dedicated people to understand.
I just finished reading the manga for Higurashi, and all I can say is amazing. Between the amazingly written characters and the art style that can go from cutesy “adowable” mode to genuinely unsettling, perfectly showing the mental states of the characters at the time, it’s one of the best manga experiences I’ve had
Sounds great, it's just that I find mixing "cutesy adowable" mode and "genuinely unsettling" - kind of unsettling by itself. I'm not a fan of horror and the few times I watch it I don't want cutesy "adowable" in it. From not having watched it, it sounds like yet another factor to add shock value and horror with the stark contrasts. Is this true or false?
@@Cloud-dq1mr Higurashi is a galge subversion, so it's very deliberately meant to seem unremarkable and tropeish or cutesy before turning that on its head, not to shock, but to challenge the audience -- mainly their perceptions of the story's female characters and how they engage with them. Higurashi is a horror series, but it's also a lot more -- the VN is roughly 100 hours long. So there are also cute or funny scenes of the characters' lives that allow you to bond with them -- huge chunks of the story contain no horror at all, and it dabbles in a number of genres as the story is told across eight arcs. I think this commenter is just referring to the manga artists' range in being able to convey these varying tones when you rarely see that in the same manga or from the same manga artist -- usually a horror mangaka is a horror mangaka and you wouldn't see them drawing comedic scenes, for example, but the Higurashi manga artists excel at both. Higurashi's horror is handled extremely well. That's the VNs/manga, though -- the anime does feel shock value-driven imo.
@@Cloud-dq1mr it’s adds an initial shock factor for sure, but it doesn’t just do it for the sake of it. It uses the cutesy moments to endear you to the characters and makes you start asking the questions it wants you too. Namely, why are they causing such horrible things to happen? Was it their choice, or were they being manipulated? What is happening? As you read you will appreciate the lighthearted moments more and more and it will give you the time to think about what you’ve learned and appreciate things that have happened
This video actually changed my life. After hearing you talking about it in such a passionate way I decided to watch the Higurashi anime while studying the characters and plot. I became obsessed with When They Cry and now I am reading the sound novels from both Higurashi and Umineko. The way the franchise changed my way of viewing the world is awesome, but what got me most was... The way it made me know myself even better. From all of the characters I know, Ryuuguu Rena is definitely the one I most relate to and it was so good seeing someone so close to me, somehow. I bought her sadness to me, her sad backstory and most of her actions... Because similar things happened to me once or are happening until today. It's not like Rena is the only one I feel love to, of course. Like I said, I studied ALL the main cast + other characters + Takano. The way they are well writen, their way of expressing themselves and how life influenced their actions are so sad and SO human. One of the things I most love about this AWESOME franchise are the human traits on almost every character. I never knew I could relate to a character as much as I did to Rena, in the same way I never knew it was possible for the other When They Cry characters to stole my whole heart. I appreciate you for making this video and helping me in my way to know more about humanity's way of thinking/acting and also... My way to know more about myself. You are my favorite TH-camr and these are just few of the reasons.
Thank you so much for this comment! I feel completely the same way about Rena--if you've yet to get to her arc in the sound novel, you're in for a real treat. Enjoy the rest of your time with the series, I'm so glad I was able to convince you to check it out.
It takes only a little bit of practice to do, I learned how to do it a while back and I dont even remember how XD, probably through trying to sing anime music
Well, rolling the r is only hard if you're an English speaker. I wouldn't want to compare how the Japanese roll their r's with the spanish though. More with how the Dutch roll them. The way the Spanish roll them is way harder, it's so fucking loud. With Dutch you only have to roll it slightly so we can hear it, otherwise every word with an r in it sounds fucked up
Good job spreading the word! There are some factual mistakes here and there (for example, Ryukishi didn't create the term "sound novel", it was already used much earlier by Chunsoft for their Sound Novel Series (games like Otogiriso and Kamaitachi no Yoru), which had a big influence on Ryukishi), but they are not that important. The overall job on the video is great, I wouldn't be able to talk about WTC's themes better myself (probably it's because I usually more interested in the structure and how the story is made then its themes, and all WTC games are hugely interesting in that regard as well). And it's awesome if more people will become familiar with 07th Expansion's works. I would also add that Higurashi and especially Umineko are HUGE love letters to mystery fiction, containing lots of references and deconstructing its tropes, so if names like Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen orJohn Dickson Carr mean something to you, definitely try out these games.
i need help i’m so confused, i’ve been watching it on kissanime and on ep 4 they kill themselves then on episode 5 they’re still alive. I’m just so confused
@@iuqs229 oh that .well it is set on a multiverse . So you will see them again and again . That's the very crazy part . And also as you are watching it .
I watched the anime of higurashi a few years ago and fell in love with it once I got to the answer arcs, my mind was blown with each revelation and how it meticulously it was written and how everything had a pay off even the minute details I didn’t think too much of at first. Now I’m hearing how higurashi as a visual novel is actually a lot better than the anime and I’ve heard many great things about umineko that has gotten me interested in it. The only one I’m not too interested in is ciconia because I’ve never been able to engage in stories with political/war settings. I don’t have a computer to play these games though, I wish they would have console ports or even mobile ports as I’ve seen some visual novels get ported to mobile phones. Either way this video was very well made and put together, I really felt the passion you have for this series and if I weren’t already wanting to experience these novels you would have convinced me with this video. I’m sure everyone who watched would love to see more content from you. Hope you have a good day!
Thank you so much! The TH-cam channel LAMBDADELTO has uploaded 7/8 of the Higurashi arcs and I believe all of Umineko if you want to watch them over there. :-)
well, you really need to get a computer because there are SO MANY good visual novels that can only be seen in computer, so yeah consider saving some money to buy at least a cheap computer because it's definetely worth it.
i mean Umineko does have console ports but pretty sure thats for like the PSP and shit. It may have a ps4 port as well but don't quote me on that. ciconia as far as i know, no other ports and higurashi not sure
I loved Umineko religiously. That's why I am a firm supporter of the original Japanese (And Italian) pronunciation of Beatrice - For canonical story reasons. Spoiler-free. I think it's important to the story, especially in the answer arc. As in why it is the Italian ベアトリーチェ (Be-ah-tri-cheh) instead of English ベアトリス (Be-a-tris). I know others think it's not important, but I feel it is.
@@riccardogusso I think we're talking about the same thing? "Be-ah-tris" as opposed to "be-ah-tri-che"? That's the official Japanese kana on the name, I assumed it was the Italian way.
This video is great! "When They Cry" is an amazing series and deserves to reach more people. You did a great job with this introduction for newcomers. :)
Recently completed Ciconia phase 1. At first it gives a completely different vibe with a global scope, international cast and complex political and social issues; but gradually one realizes that the core essence is similar to its predecessors. In other words, the pervading atmosphere of a gruesome inevitability against which the characters keep struggling; and like Higurashi and Umineko, all things may not be as we perceive them.
When they cry has always existed in the background for me. Throughout my life I've heard bits and pieces here and there music, scenes, characters and topics in the corner of my eye. I've always put it off but I really want to get into it. Though the violence does somewhat scare me but I can understand the importance of such things when it comes to carrying a story and upholding its themes with the right gravitas. Anyway I recently really got into visual novels which brought me to this video, thank you for it. I'm planning to dive into this soon thank you once again.
It's funny, my only experience was the anime, but I could tell there was so much more to see. I love long stories, so hearing that there's an affordable, longer, better version of the story is stellar news.
"Ciconia part 2 is slated to be released in 2020" This was painful to hear in 2022... But if the new Silent Hill f is worth the hype then I can wait. It's awesome to see how far R07 has come in his career.
To answer a frequently asked question, the definitive way to experience Higurashi is in my opinion the Steam release with the 07th Mod patch applied (07th-mod.com). It's extremely easy to download this patch and apply it to the games. This gives you the voice acting from the console releases, multiple graphics options and the choice of restoring some of the original music removed in the Steam release due to copyright reasons. I do not recommend playing the console versions of the games as they have a lot of extra content interwoven with the main story that benefits most from being read afterwards. You can download this content for free separately from 07th Mod in the form of a patch if you have the Himatsubushi Steam game as a base. I also strongly advise against watching the 2006 Higurashi anime. For those who want to know my reasoning, I go over my major issues with it in this video (not spoiler-free): th-cam.com/video/ng2BRcDLB3E/w-d-xo.html
As I take it tho they arent related at all? The 3 different when they crys(higurashi, umneiko and the newer one)? So someone can just be a fan of higurashi and never have to experience the others if they so chose not too?
@@fateanddanganronpafanatic5212 They are explicitly related! Just not in the typical sequel structure. But there's no reason you have to read them all if you're not interested. Higurashi and Umineko definitely enhance one another though.
@@_bess oh people kept telling me they weren't really related. Ones about witches and one was about curses. The only relation being the writing style and berkenstal lol. But I'll check out umneikos anime after all these years now lol
To the credit of the original anime adaptation of Higurashi, I feel like its reputation in some circles drastically oversells how much actual violence is depicted onscreen, but I also think that this exaggeration speaks to how well the series uses clever direction and sound design (and, of course, excellent writing) to *imply* far more than is actually shown directly. Unrelatedly, a close friend of mine recently finished and adored Umineko, and I recall her mentioning early on that it nails the claustrophobic feeling of crowded family reunions of large, far-flung wealthy families uncomfortably well.
this might be one of the best videos about 07 and WTC that i've ever seen, i often have a hard time explaining the series to other people because it just comes out as disorganized cacophony of fanboying. now i can just send them this video
Great video, I have been trying and failing to get people to read the series for years its a really hard series to recommend without spoilers or to even explain the experience of reading as it seems to defy explanation by its very nature you did a better job than I ever could.
You’re literally the perfect person to make this video. I can’t think of any other way to convince people how good WTC is except for just giving them this video.
I was already interested before going into this video, but the way you passionately talk about it makes me even more hyped to play!!! Thank you for this video!
Nice video! It really felt like you were talking about a series you love. Now you've convinced me to start Higurashi even though I was already playing Umineko, at least I didn't get too far into it. Looking forward for your next video!
Way back when I saw the Higurashi anime, and I was hooked. Then, around the release of the 3rd Umineko I learned about that, and fell in love with it. This series means an awful lot to me, so this kind of video is wonderful to see.
I initially started watching your When They Cry videos simply because I'm a sucker for analysis of media I've never seen or don't plan on seeing. However, when you started talking about the series' depiction of friendship and the importance of bonds, I started to feel like I had to play/read this series. Some of the most personally influential media I've experienced has been about those themes. If this series is anything like those pieces of media, I'm sure to really enjoy and learn from it. So you've most likely convinced yet another person to try this series!
Yes! This franchise is well worth it for exactly what the video mentioned. Higurashi specifically is what I've been trying to get others into for this reason. Its emotionally powerful and beautifully profound with its themes and messages of friendship. The way it handles individual personal struggles taking advantage of its VN format it forces the reader to empathise with their struggles and understanding the desire for pushing us all to reach out for help. The value of empathy and the need for us to come together and trust each other and help one another in order to overcome our own personal demons is something I will always treasure with this series. Sure these personal messages don't on its own sound unique or something , its more the execution of it. Its a story that is best experienced yourself. I can't emphasise praises for it any clearer. Please. Go read it.
@@Filimaua13 Not yet. As much as I'm enjoying it, I have other stuff on my plate. Similar to a book, I try to make a habit of making just a little progress each day. I definitely will check out Umineko after I finish Higurashi!
I'm glad that you did this. I too wish to try and make my own 'how to watch Higurashi' one day in my own words. As you said, yes Higurashi changes people, and to say I love Higurashi is an extreme understatement. I love it with ALL of my heart. To say something will come close to Ryukishi's writing will be when I get married and have my own kids. I owe everything to Ryukishi for saving my life. To 'e x e c u t i o n'-(Dlanor) of the high points to the art work of every release I love. I still haven't gotten to everything but to say I've might have gotten my full is true to the most extreme cases. It really is an amazing story and I wish for more people to read first. But let me tell you a odd thing. Umineko is literally one of the oldest memories I have. A little fan dub of Umineko and with Marie saying "Uuuu, Marie wants to watch tv!" That was my brothers email address and I've used it for a long time before finding Higurashi. I really don't know why but when I saw Rika [You know...] I wanted to watch it. I've only seen a few anime and before then but I knew wanted to know why Rika did [You know...]. And then, I found myself loving, crying, and just unconditionally following Higurashi after Rena. I could to a whole paper on Rena by herself but I kinda did do one on Higurashi. Both Rena and Rika are my favorite character of all of Higurashi for so many things but mainly I see myself in them. With Rena's kindness and her being the most idealistic person you can ever hope for to her illness that I saw in me. I love Rena just as much as Higurashi. She saved me and even thought I'm still young I might be able to say my life is complete with her, but knowing her she'll want me to keep on going and see it till the end with my real family. And Rika, with the light sickly interest in finding out what happened to her I find out she's like me, quite, reserved, but also smart. I have this thought in me when ever I get mad now that mostly calms me down. "Rena wants to you to be happy and Rika wants you to 'Fight on!'." Rika is in my mind my hopes to keep seeing past June 1st, 1983. I am the eyes of Rika, a fake girl with natural purple hair and eyes. And I have extremely bad memory so having Maria in my when I first saw Satako was bizzar but I knew I had to keep watching. When I came back to the USA I had to ask my brother if he remembered Maria and we had a week or so just talking about other anime from Sgt.Frog to Rozen maiden. But to put it simply Maria and Umineko were his favorite things on 4chan for awhile especially "Oh, desire!" I think I've been going on for too long but to say simply, I would do anything to read it first, Higurashi and Umineko. They, to me, are the worlds most perfect story for me. To you, TH-cam Mion, if you would like to know more from me I go by: [ @ulta_nagenki ] on Instagram my main way of online talking. I have a little art redue of the Rena pfp of Ciconia's main character after I learned he was a trap. Yes dumb, but I do anything for Ryukishi's work. I'm also doing a project of obtaining all of Ryukishi's writing and putting them into a Google doc. I got Onikaushi and currently trying with Higanbana after my computer kinda broke but I'll manage and get it fixed to do that again. I just want to say thanks for getting other into Higurashi. I hope my little bit of writing can inspire how much Higurashi might change people. This very small to my feeling and she is right as to When they cry being so hard to explain. I say it's impossible to explain these feeling but I can try and take that impossibility. That's what everyone in Hinamizawa did.
I too see myself in some of the characters in Higurashi. Like, Shion, going insane because os Satako's older brother in the first season of the anime. Not the killing part, but more of her yandere characteristics. After watching the first season, Higurashi did indeed change me. There was some quotable life lessons in there. I learned a lot I might even say.
Hi to everybody here because of the Silent Hill announcement 🙈 This video is quite old now and I'd like to remake it at some point but in the meantime I hope you enjoy it!
Coming back to this video after reaching the end of the series so far, this video makes so much more sense once you know. Words surely aren't good enough to understand what those games are about.
Come from the LAMBDADELTO post.Great video,ive just been a fan of this series for several months,there are still things that i havent know about the franchise,your video is beyond great for the fans.You earned a sub,keep up the contents.
I remember watching this video and being impressed of how passionately you spoke of the When they cry series, and how much you made me want to play it. I could see the work and love you put in it. I saw the novels on discount and immediately thought of this video. I was looking for it for a whole hour and im glad i found it again. It really made an impression of me.
I lost many, many hours of my life watching all of Higurashi because of you (out of order, even lol) and now I'm obsessed. After hearing a lot about Umineko, I come to you to find out if I should sink more hours into this insane franchise. Seriously, I didn't get any of what you got out of my personal watch of Higurashi, but I see what you mean perfectly after watching your vids. Love your Japanese pronunciation, too. Makes me smile.
Excellent video to prep me for my introduction into visual novels. I'm a longtime Silent Hill fan and Ryukishi07 was just announced as the writer of the next mainline game. Time to brush up on his previous work.
Well, they're longer then they should be, because they really like to drag. Useless scenes (Hi, club activities from Higurashi! Battle scenes from Umineko, you're here too!), repeated over a dozen of times statements (even in a single scene) and boring struggling are all here for you. Although, Ciconia is mostly cured from these. Characters say that they're comrades supporting The Walls of Peace too many times, but that's pretty much it. Even fighting scenes are rare, short and nice, who would've thought with such premise.
Very well done! This is great to encourage someone to get into the series, besides the spoilery stuff you put there that I hope such people will easily forget. Your summary of the qualities near the end was brilliant, personnally I would have added "if you like well-thought symbolism in stories" or something like that, especially for Umineko and Ciconia, less Higurashi. You can never emphasize enough how this series is life-changing!
this is one fo the most underrated videos on a singular topic made by a below 10k youtuber, Im so glad it exists. I hate it when I cant find proper videos explaining a popular phenomenon game or ip, and this video really helped with the explanation. Higurashi seems to have a rabid fan base and cult following similar to Toho, and now I understand why. Its crazy how small it all started in comparison to how famous it got.
I read umineko fully 4 times and i'm currently on Higurashi ch 8. It's the peak fiction and i cannot believe only one person made this. I do not regret spending over 300+ hours on the series so far.
Hey I wanted to come back here to thank you because I started reading the umineko manga after watching this video almost year ago, after I finished Umineko I couldn't keep it out of my mind and it is now one of my favourite stories of all time. Thank you so much for introducing me to such an masterpiece. Without love it cannot be seen.
The latest episode of Higurashi Gou made me find my way to this video because I need to know about Ciconia and see if it's the origin story of Lambdadelta for real
Discovered your channel researching this series. There's a sale on Steam but I don't know what to buy first. I have Higurashi, now I want Umineko. Thanks for making this video.
thank you for this video, I was desperate for a guide like this, and I couldn't find anything but this video. This is fantastic, and 100% sold me the series! I would look forward to play this novels
I found this video 6 months ago and decide to read Higurashi and Umineko. You convinced me to give it a try. Thank you, it was one of the best decision I ever have. It changed my way of thinking about family, friend and love. It has literally changed my life. I have desperately consumed all form of version, media of When they cry series over the past 6 months and now I'm feeling empty. When they cry series impact me in a way that no other piece of fiction has. Now only ciconia can fill the void. It sucks that it's delayed for so long due to the epidemic.
I have officially finished the second chapter of higurashi and although I am extremely confused this is most definitely one of the most well written series I have ever read! Also RIKAAAAA AND SOTAKOOOOO MY BABIES IM SO SAD
I love how you manage to give an overview of such a complex yet amazing franchise. I will always remember that time when Umineko was just translated by the Witch Hunt and all the speculations Comiket after Comiket about the game story. Ryukishi07 is such a master in setting a story you would like to follow, and all the details added to it just offer such a breath of realism (e.g. I will always remember I learn chess partially thanks to some of the comments in Umineko). I am actually doing Higurashi for the first time as a visual novel now that MangaGamer released all of them and it is just excellent. Thanks for doing a video on the whole franchise, I think you did an amazing job in explaining why it's worth to spend the time reading the visual novels.
His is really interesting, I watched this video bc I was to give up the anime because I found it weird how it repeats over and over, I’ll give it a second shot
Higurashi is very special to me. I was first introduced to the Anime as a beginning teen from... weirdly enough, an MLP Naraku no Hana parody, and a few weeks later, a chapter from one of those manga collections you can get from conventions and the like. Fittingly, it was the the start of Keichi's paranoia, the scene where he slams the door on Rena's fingers. A year or so later, I watched the dub on TH-cam, going in completely blind without realizing it was the same series, and was floored. I later discovered that our Highschool Library _somehow_ had the Demon Exposing Arc in the mnaga section(to be fair, they had a bunch of crazy stuff like AKIRA too) and I fell in even more love with the manga. I never got to see Kai, but now I finally own it for myself, and I've been steadily hunting down the manga to the horror of my bank account. Gou is ome of the things that helped me through the first few months of a pretty bad family tragedy. Then I discovered this series of yours right after that, and as of right now I've just finished Sotsu, and therefore am obligated to rewatch your videos again lol Thank you for these essays, as they did really help me to be reintroduced to a series I forgot about merely because of accessibility. I plan on downloading steam for the sole purpose of reading the Sound Novels.
"When They Cry Is An Dephly Complex Series That Dives In The Narrative Realistic Human Individual Psychology And The Will For The Better Growth For One's Self And For Others As Well. . ." "What My Dum @$$ Only Got To Understand About The Author": th-cam.com/users/shortsTodDfVa8XSQ?si=HTKDzInn9yGzFP7k
Agreed The fan engagement and their creations got even me going! As an amateur I cannot be a match for 07th But hopefully I will share KUMA NO NAKU KORO NI Qma no NAKU koro2 (At the time that two bears call)
For those interested in Umineko The anime you can find looks good but is incomplete The PlayStation/Steam? Version has the best visuals for the content because the music is ACES in any version you go for. And if FGC is your thing Ougon Musou Kyoku is a good fighting game. And everything is in character!
I’m 2/3 through Umineko and am so addicted. I can’t wait to read the manga and start on Higurashi. I’ve probably started consuming when they cry out of order but I just can’t stop. 🤣
Just finished Umineko a couple weeks ago after having watched the Higurashi anime last year and now I am going back to read the Higurashi visual novel and might I say what brilliant pieces of fiction these have been.
After watching it, I can understand how you would discourage anyone from watching the anime, I do think for both Higurashi and Umineko, the manga is a nice middleground between the visual novel and the anime :p
Ryukishi really has this very strange talent, even besides the main point of each of his stories, for teasing you with something greater in the background - "lore" or "worldbuilding", I should probably call it. Like (spoilers) how you know Bernkastel looks like Rika, sounds like Rika, openly states she used to say "mii, nippah", and you have and are communicated a general idea of who or what Bernkastel is - but never openly, never at face value, never directly, never simply, never with all the jigsaw pieces put neatly where they belong. And she is just one example for this, just one of those elements of When They Cry you might call lore or worldbuilding; never shown openly and clearly, always glimpsed at through a foggy window, distorted and just out of clear sight.
Thank you! I’d add that the other 07th Expansion novels (Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni, Rose Guns Days and Trianthology) are also worth a look − Ciconia largely builds on RGD’s themes in fact. TRT isn’t entirely written by Ryukishi but it sure is… an experience.
@@_bess Higanbana is weird, I hated the manga but loved the VN (though it was still hit and miss) even though it’s the same stories, characters and writer…
It may be a bit of an over exaggeration to say this, but this video changed my life. I got into this series in probably one of the weirdest ways possible. I'm a huge fighting game fan and I was browsing Steam one day for fighting games since there was a sale going on and I always tend to nab any fighting games I can during sales to just mess around in them. I eventually came across Umineko: Golden Fantasia and I thought "Hey this looks really cool". I looked at the Steam page for it and I noticed it was based off a visual novel named Umineko (Yeah, I somehow had never heard of When They Cry at all before this despite being a huge visual novel fan as well, shocking huh?). So I was like "Oh a cool looking visual novel? I'll check it out." I did a bit of research and came across this video. It convinced me to try out the games but the length kinda scared me for a bit so I didn't end up starting my journey until just recently. Now, I'm sitting here on my computer writing this comment after finishing Higurashi. Higurashi has to be my favorite story of all time. NEVER has any piece of media gotten me this invested into it's characters and gotten me to cry as much as I did while reading it. I don't see it ever leaving my mind and I honestly already wanna go back and reread the question arcs to see how everything falls into place. Shion Sonozaki (Unpopular choice I know lol) is probably my favorite character of all time right now, I love her so much. I honestly cannot thank you enough for making this video, it got me into this series and I am absolutely in love with it. I was honestly expecting to take a little break but I think I'm gonna jump right into Umineko. I absolutely cannot wait! Again, thank you :)
Shion is super popular! One of my faves too! Thank you for the lovely comment, so happy to hear Higu was such a positive experience for you and please enjoy Umineko! Edit: Just thought to add, there's a short ninth arc to Higurashi called Saikoroshi-hen just released on Steam as part of Higurashi Rei that's best read before Umineko, just so you know!
Well I'm back! It took me a while due to college and other stuff, but I finished Umineko yesterday! As you can expect, I cried like a baby once again at the ending haha. I can't even pick a favorite because both Higurashi and Umineko were life changing experiences for me and the only two pieces of media that have made me cry this much. I just wanna thank you again for this video, I love Higurashi and Umineko with all my life and it hasn't even been a year since I've first played Higurashi yet. I wish I could erase my memories and experience these stories again for the first time, I really envy my past self now lmao. I've gotten all my close friends to read Higurashi and Umineko too, I even own a Rena figurine and a Shion plushie that both sit next to me as I type this lmao. I started Ciconia earlier today and I'm loving it so far, though I still incredibly miss the Hinamizawa gang and the Rokkenjima gang. I know there's still extra content for both to tackle so I'll be doing those eventually and I also wanna read the manga for both eventually as well! There's also Gou and Sotsu but...I've heard all about the criticisms everyone has for that anime lol, I might have to watch it eventually though just for more Higu content (And Umineko too kinda, since you know who appears in it!). Just, again, thank you so much for this video because without it, I wouldn't have gotten into my now favorite series of all time. Let's just hope Ciconia phase 2 isn't too far from now!
Crazy to think about it, i used to see scenes from Another, higurashi, corpse party and shiki and think, "how can people watch this, there is no reward" but now after 250 animes watched higurashi has stayed in the number 2 spot or 1, its really a tie for me...really sad those who i mention are the only true horror anime's (without corpse party, the gore overshadows everything)
Legitimately the best when they cry video I've seen, I've subbed and looking forwards to more! Out of curiosity, have you read the house in fata morgana? That visual novel reminded me heavily of when they cry and it's one of few visual novels that I love just as much as when they cry
thank you so much for your comment! i want to read fata morgana but have been planning to write a vn myself for a while and when i read the synposis it sounded like it had some similar elements so i decided to stay away from it until i'm done so i don't end up too influenced by it. it goes without saying it sounds very interesting to me, i hope i can get to it sooner rather than later!
The part about the 100 hours time to read each question arc and answers arc it's no joke, you really need to go DEEP into the story and enjoy it from within and keep your mind working to catch some tips about the mysteries or read between lines for some hints. Fortunately the game it's good at creating the right atmosphere with the BGM when the characters are happy you know it but when they are afraid, scared or went full bonkers the sound alone will scare you.
I remember watching Umineko and Higurashi anime adaptations in 2010 or something like that. I have never come across another series that was as memorable as this one. I am so happy to hear someone else talk about it and introduce it to people! However regarding Umineko, I kind of felt like people missed the point with it, which made it very missunderstood. Umineko seemed to carry a theme of "Want and dreams" and how these things could be affect by other people, materialistic needs, ideals, values and mental health in comparison to Higurashi, but that might just be me? To me Higurashi was more about psychology with a focus on relationship, trauma, grief and perserverance.
The problem with attention deficit disorder is that 100 hours of something is an insurmountable challenge. I will inevitably reach a point where no matter how much I want to experience more of the thing, I just won't be able to convince myself to do it.
I personally caught onto all those themes you listed in the anime and have found that the visual novel, while better, doesn't change the experience all that much for me. It never changed my fundamental understanding of the story. Maybe it's just because I'm good at picking up on overarching ideas that aren't super apparent. To me at least, it was clear through the plot alone in the anime that deeper ideas were at play. It feels like people who watched the Higurashi anime didn't watch Kai, or at least fail to completely understand it. While not completely fleshed out, I found the themes easy to call out and apply elsewhere in narrative. I've always appreciated When They Cry for its narrative structure and mystery more than its themes anyways. When I first read Umineko, I was far more invested in the actual story than the themes. While I do pick up on these elements, I usually consider them icing on top of the cake.
Thank you so much for this video! I watched this last year, with only having knowledge of the Higurashi anime. I was so intrigued with your descriptions of Umineko and Ciconia that I bought the entire When they Cry series on steam and I'm almost finished with Umineko. I'm even playing Higanbana and Rose Gun Days. This video made me OBSESSED! Edit: I forgot to mention that you completely spoiled Umineko by using a clip from episode 7 and other spoiler clips. That completely ruined my interpretation of some of the characters.
oh wow this helped me sooo much!! i plan on watching the 2006 anime of Higurashi, i do enjoy gore horror and i feel that appeals to me more, to get me hooked into the story. then i will read the visual novel. i feel this order will help me more with getting into the story and really engaging with it.
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i love series ( When They Cry ) Dawn of the Golden Witch I like this anime
@@ThePreschiste chad
“Do you like brilliantly written characters?”
*shows Beatrice in the video*
Oh god..... I love that foreshadowing
Beatrice is one of the most complex characters i have ever known.
Beatrice is one of the most complex characters i have ever known.
ONE MORE GOD REJECTED yeah! ‘Characters’ being the root word of her complexity
@@onemoregodrejected9369 we could say she's a... golden standard?
@@npc6817 DAMN THATS GOOD
Only five minutes in, but just wanted to say that Higurashi is one of the most amazing stories I've ever seen or read.
i can second this
Nine minutes into the story or video
@@Roloki454 Into the video, would've been impressive if I could tell what it's like and be right in 5 minutes 😅
The best Ryukishi07 work by far
@@diegoseba12 imma have to disagree and say its umineko
The thing you said about the games' 'edgy' reputation due to its use of violence really stuck out to me. Most of the people I know that have heard of Higurashi immediately think of the blood and gore of the anime. Similarly, Rena and Shion are seen as nothing more than one-note murderous psychopaths which, while isn't hard to believe given how they are in their most infamous depictions, completely undersells the depth of these characters. The (in my opinion) underrated-ness of Umineko is just another matter altogether. I'm already really glad that the When They Cry series is extremely popular already, but I just wished that it was known for more things than just its violence, like the importance of bonds and perseverence.
The when they cry series (referring to Umineko, Higurashi and Ciconia as a whole) has to be one of the most complex stories ever made. And it is honestly a hidden gem. This story isn’t for everyone. It takes very dedicated people to understand.
I just finished reading the manga for Higurashi, and all I can say is amazing. Between the amazingly written characters and the art style that can go from cutesy “adowable” mode to genuinely unsettling, perfectly showing the mental states of the characters at the time, it’s one of the best manga experiences I’ve had
Sounds great, it's just that I find mixing "cutesy adowable" mode and "genuinely unsettling" - kind of unsettling by itself.
I'm not a fan of horror and the few times I watch it I don't want cutesy "adowable" in it. From not having watched it, it sounds like yet another factor to add shock value and horror with the stark contrasts. Is this true or false?
@@Cloud-dq1mr Higurashi is a galge subversion, so it's very deliberately meant to seem unremarkable and tropeish or cutesy before turning that on its head, not to shock, but to challenge the audience -- mainly their perceptions of the story's female characters and how they engage with them. Higurashi is a horror series, but it's also a lot more -- the VN is roughly 100 hours long. So there are also cute or funny scenes of the characters' lives that allow you to bond with them -- huge chunks of the story contain no horror at all, and it dabbles in a number of genres as the story is told across eight arcs. I think this commenter is just referring to the manga artists' range in being able to convey these varying tones when you rarely see that in the same manga or from the same manga artist -- usually a horror mangaka is a horror mangaka and you wouldn't see them drawing comedic scenes, for example, but the Higurashi manga artists excel at both. Higurashi's horror is handled extremely well. That's the VNs/manga, though -- the anime does feel shock value-driven imo.
@@Cloud-dq1mr it’s adds an initial shock factor for sure, but it doesn’t just do it for the sake of it. It uses the cutesy moments to endear you to the characters and makes you start asking the questions it wants you too. Namely, why are they causing such horrible things to happen? Was it their choice, or were they being manipulated? What is happening? As you read you will appreciate the lighthearted moments more and more and it will give you the time to think about what you’ve learned and appreciate things that have happened
Where do you go get the manga
@@blackmarvel5493 bought them on bookwalker
This video actually changed my life. After hearing you talking about it in such a passionate way I decided to watch the Higurashi anime while studying the characters and plot. I became obsessed with When They Cry and now I am reading the sound novels from both Higurashi and Umineko. The way the franchise changed my way of viewing the world is awesome, but what got me most was... The way it made me know myself even better. From all of the characters I know, Ryuuguu Rena is definitely the one I most relate to and it was so good seeing someone so close to me, somehow. I bought her sadness to me, her sad backstory and most of her actions... Because similar things happened to me once or are happening until today. It's not like Rena is the only one I feel love to, of course. Like I said, I studied ALL the main cast + other characters + Takano. The way they are well writen, their way of expressing themselves and how life influenced their actions are so sad and SO human. One of the things I most love about this AWESOME franchise are the human traits on almost every character. I never knew I could relate to a character as much as I did to Rena, in the same way I never knew it was possible for the other When They Cry characters to stole my whole heart. I appreciate you for making this video and helping me in my way to know more about humanity's way of thinking/acting and also... My way to know more about myself. You are my favorite TH-camr and these are just few of the reasons.
Thank you so much for this comment! I feel completely the same way about Rena--if you've yet to get to her arc in the sound novel, you're in for a real treat. Enjoy the rest of your time with the series, I'm so glad I was able to convince you to check it out.
There is another one more close to the visual novel coming October 2020.
Kudos for being able to pronounce the japanese/spanish R
It takes only a little bit of practice to do, I learned how to do it a while back and I dont even remember how XD, probably through trying to sing anime music
Learned how to pronounce all the japanese changes for letters actually
Bravo from Puerto Rico :)
Well, rolling the r is only hard if you're an English speaker. I wouldn't want to compare how the Japanese roll their r's with the spanish though. More with how the Dutch roll them. The way the Spanish roll them is way harder, it's so fucking loud. With Dutch you only have to roll it slightly so we can hear it, otherwise every word with an r in it sounds fucked up
Dunno why specifically japanese or spanish, since many languages pronounce r sounds like that
Good job spreading the word!
There are some factual mistakes here and there (for example, Ryukishi didn't create the term "sound novel", it was already used much earlier by Chunsoft for their Sound Novel Series (games like Otogiriso and Kamaitachi no Yoru), which had a big influence on Ryukishi), but they are not that important. The overall job on the video is great, I wouldn't be able to talk about WTC's themes better myself (probably it's because I usually more interested in the structure and how the story is made then its themes, and all WTC games are hugely interesting in that regard as well). And it's awesome if more people will become familiar with 07th Expansion's works.
I would also add that Higurashi and especially Umineko are HUGE love letters to mystery fiction, containing lots of references and deconstructing its tropes, so if names like Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen orJohn Dickson Carr mean something to you, definitely try out these games.
i need help i’m so confused, i’ve been watching it on kissanime and on ep 4 they kill themselves then on episode 5 they’re still alive. I’m just so confused
@@iuqs229 oh that .well it is set on a multiverse . So you will see them again and again . That's the very crazy part . And also as you are watching it .
@@iuqs229 it eventually makes sense. Keep watching if you haven't already. Its on purpose and serves a purpose to the plot
I watched the anime of higurashi a few years ago and fell in love with it once I got to the answer arcs, my mind was blown with each revelation and how it meticulously it was written and how everything had a pay off even the minute details I didn’t think too much of at first. Now I’m hearing how higurashi as a visual novel is actually a lot better than the anime and I’ve heard many great things about umineko that has gotten me interested in it. The only one I’m not too interested in is ciconia because I’ve never been able to engage in stories with political/war settings. I don’t have a computer to play these games though, I wish they would have console ports or even mobile ports as I’ve seen some visual novels get ported to mobile phones. Either way this video was very well made and put together, I really felt the passion you have for this series and if I weren’t already wanting to experience these novels you would have convinced me with this video. I’m sure everyone who watched would love to see more content from you. Hope you have a good day!
Thank you so much! The TH-cam channel LAMBDADELTO has uploaded 7/8 of the Higurashi arcs and I believe all of Umineko if you want to watch them over there. :-)
well, you really need to get a computer because there are SO MANY good visual novels that can only be seen in computer, so yeah consider saving some money to buy at least a cheap computer because it's definetely worth it.
i mean Umineko does have console ports but pretty sure thats for like the PSP and shit.
It may have a ps4 port as well but don't quote me on that.
ciconia as far as i know, no other ports and higurashi not sure
@@DivineXPotato Yeah Umi has been ported to PS3/4 and Switch, Higu to PS2/3/4, Vita, iOS/Android, DS and Switch
Playing vn on a pc is the only, true way to play.
I loved Umineko religiously. That's why I am a firm supporter of the original Japanese (And Italian) pronunciation of Beatrice - For canonical story reasons. Spoiler-free. I think it's important to the story, especially in the answer arc. As in why it is the Italian ベアトリーチェ (Be-ah-tri-cheh) instead of English ベアトリス (Be-a-tris).
I know others think it's not important, but I feel it is.
I feel you have switched the Italian and the english
As italian native speaker myself we Say Be-a-tri-ce
@@riccardogusso I think we're talking about the same thing? "Be-ah-tris" as opposed to "be-ah-tri-che"? That's the official Japanese kana on the name, I assumed it was the Italian way.
I have just started Umineko, and I'm already pronouncing her as Be-ah-to-rih-che after hearing Kinzo saying her name like a million times lol
This video is great! "When They Cry" is an amazing series and deserves to reach more people. You did a great job with this introduction for newcomers. :)
"there is somehow literally everything here" should be the tagline for the series, i laughed so hard at the end of that summary. really great vid !
Nicely done video! I was planning to play the "When They Cry" series, but with after watching your video, I want to play it right now! Subscribed
Recently completed Ciconia phase 1. At first it gives a completely different vibe with a global scope, international cast and complex political and social issues; but gradually one realizes that the core essence is similar to its predecessors. In other words, the pervading atmosphere of a gruesome inevitability against which the characters keep struggling; and like Higurashi and Umineko, all things may not be as we perceive them.
When they cry has always existed in the background for me. Throughout my life I've heard bits and pieces here and there music, scenes, characters and topics in the corner of my eye. I've always put it off but I really want to get into it. Though the violence does somewhat scare me but I can understand the importance of such things when it comes to carrying a story and upholding its themes with the right gravitas. Anyway I recently really got into visual novels which brought me to this video, thank you for it. I'm planning to dive into this soon thank you once again.
It's funny, my only experience was the anime, but I could tell there was so much more to see. I love long stories, so hearing that there's an affordable, longer, better version of the story is stellar news.
Its just a shame that they're not available on ps4 in the west because unfortunately I dont have access to steam
@@topnotchcupoftea LAMBDADELTO has videos of all Higurashi and Umineko arcs on TH-cam.
@@fawful9992 ok
Thank you so much
"Ciconia part 2 is slated to be released in 2020"
This was painful to hear in 2022...
But if the new Silent Hill f is worth the hype then I can wait. It's awesome to see how far R07 has come in his career.
To answer a frequently asked question, the definitive way to experience Higurashi is in my opinion the Steam release with the 07th Mod patch applied (07th-mod.com). It's extremely easy to download this patch and apply it to the games. This gives you the voice acting from the console releases, multiple graphics options and the choice of restoring some of the original music removed in the Steam release due to copyright reasons.
I do not recommend playing the console versions of the games as they have a lot of extra content interwoven with the main story that benefits most from being read afterwards. You can download this content for free separately from 07th Mod in the form of a patch if you have the Himatsubushi Steam game as a base.
I also strongly advise against watching the 2006 Higurashi anime. For those who want to know my reasoning, I go over my major issues with it in this video (not spoiler-free): th-cam.com/video/ng2BRcDLB3E/w-d-xo.html
As I take it tho they arent related at all? The 3 different when they crys(higurashi, umneiko and the newer one)? So someone can just be a fan of higurashi and never have to experience the others if they so chose not too?
@@fateanddanganronpafanatic5212 They are explicitly related! Just not in the typical sequel structure. But there's no reason you have to read them all if you're not interested. Higurashi and Umineko definitely enhance one another though.
@@_bess oh people kept telling me they weren't really related. Ones about witches and one was about curses. The only relation being the writing style and berkenstal lol. But I'll check out umneikos anime after all these years now lol
@@fateanddanganronpafanatic5212 Bernkastel is the main link, but I would still encourage anyone to read both. I wouldn't recommend the anime.
@@_bess I see thanks
To the credit of the original anime adaptation of Higurashi, I feel like its reputation in some circles drastically oversells how much actual violence is depicted onscreen, but I also think that this exaggeration speaks to how well the series uses clever direction and sound design (and, of course, excellent writing) to *imply* far more than is actually shown directly.
Unrelatedly, a close friend of mine recently finished and adored Umineko, and I recall her mentioning early on that it nails the claustrophobic feeling of crowded family reunions of large, far-flung wealthy families uncomfortably well.
Jesus... Beautifully said and summed up. So glad these stories are all still being appreciated
You mean Rika, not Jesus.
XP
Jk
this might be one of the best videos about 07 and WTC that i've ever seen, i often have a hard time explaining the series to other people because it just comes out as disorganized cacophony of fanboying. now i can just send them this video
Great video, I have been trying and failing to get people to read the series for years its a really hard series to recommend without spoilers or to even explain the experience of reading as it seems to defy explanation by its very nature you did a better job than I ever could.
You’re literally the perfect person to make this video. I can’t think of any other way to convince people how good WTC is except for just giving them this video.
I was already interested before going into this video, but the way you passionately talk about it makes me even more hyped to play!!! Thank you for this video!
Umineko needs a lot more recognition.
facts
It needed a better adaption.
Honestly. If Higurashi was a 8/10 for me, Umineko was a 10/10 and bumped up Higurashi to a 9/10 for me.
God I love when passionate people speak! I'll sub, hope you keep making stuff.
Nice video! It really felt like you were talking about a series you love. Now you've convinced me to start Higurashi even though I was already playing Umineko, at least I didn't get too far into it. Looking forward for your next video!
Way back when I saw the Higurashi anime, and I was hooked. Then, around the release of the 3rd Umineko I learned about that, and fell in love with it. This series means an awful lot to me, so this kind of video is wonderful to see.
I initially started watching your When They Cry videos simply because I'm a sucker for analysis of media I've never seen or don't plan on seeing. However, when you started talking about the series' depiction of friendship and the importance of bonds, I started to feel like I had to play/read this series. Some of the most personally influential media I've experienced has been about those themes. If this series is anything like those pieces of media, I'm sure to really enjoy and learn from it. So you've most likely convinced yet another person to try this series!
Yes! This franchise is well worth it for exactly what the video mentioned.
Higurashi specifically is what I've been trying to get others into for this reason. Its emotionally powerful and beautifully profound with its themes and messages of friendship. The way it handles individual personal struggles taking advantage of its VN format it forces the reader to empathise with their struggles and understanding the desire for pushing us all to reach out for help. The value of empathy and the need for us to come together and trust each other and help one another in order to overcome our own personal demons is something I will always treasure with this series. Sure these personal messages don't on its own sound unique or something , its more the execution of it. Its a story that is best experienced yourself. I can't emphasise praises for it any clearer.
Please. Go read it.
@@Filimaua13 Don't worry. By the end of Onikakushi I was all in. Picked up all the chapters during the Steam Winter Sale!
@@lizardqueen273 Niice! Good to know. Have you already finished Higurashi then? How about Umineko?
@@Filimaua13 Not yet. As much as I'm enjoying it, I have other stuff on my plate. Similar to a book, I try to make a habit of making just a little progress each day. I definitely will check out Umineko after I finish Higurashi!
@@lizardqueen273 Cool! Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Finally a good (very good actually!) video of the when they cry series. You're really good at explaining a story spoilerless.
@@bushido3522 Ah ho letto solo adesso, si su telegram ci sono vari gruppi
Hoping for bern and lambda reunion on ciconia. Fucking love their twisted love
I'm glad that you did this. I too wish to try and make my own 'how to watch Higurashi' one day in my own words. As you said, yes Higurashi changes people, and to say I love Higurashi is an extreme understatement. I love it with ALL of my heart. To say something will come close to Ryukishi's writing will be when I get married and have my own kids. I owe everything to Ryukishi for saving my life. To 'e x e c u t i o n'-(Dlanor) of the high points to the art work of every release I love. I still haven't gotten to everything but to say I've might have gotten my full is true to the most extreme cases. It really is an amazing story and I wish for more people to read first. But let me tell you a odd thing. Umineko is literally one of the oldest memories I have. A little fan dub of Umineko and with Marie saying "Uuuu, Marie wants to watch tv!" That was my brothers email address and I've used it for a long time before finding Higurashi. I really don't know why but when I saw Rika [You know...] I wanted to watch it. I've only seen a few anime and before then but I knew wanted to know why Rika did [You know...]. And then, I found myself loving, crying, and just unconditionally following Higurashi after Rena. I could to a whole paper on Rena by herself but I kinda did do one on Higurashi. Both Rena and Rika are my favorite character of all of Higurashi for so many things but mainly I see myself in them. With Rena's kindness and her being the most idealistic person you can ever hope for to her illness that I saw in me. I love Rena just as much as Higurashi. She saved me and even thought I'm still young I might be able to say my life is complete with her, but knowing her she'll want me to keep on going and see it till the end with my real family. And Rika, with the light sickly interest in finding out what happened to her I find out she's like me, quite, reserved, but also smart. I have this thought in me when ever I get mad now that mostly calms me down. "Rena wants to you to be happy and Rika wants you to 'Fight on!'." Rika is in my mind my hopes to keep seeing past June 1st, 1983. I am the eyes of Rika, a fake girl with natural purple hair and eyes. And I have extremely bad memory so having Maria in my when I first saw Satako was bizzar but I knew I had to keep watching. When I came back to the USA I had to ask my brother if he remembered Maria and we had a week or so just talking about other anime from Sgt.Frog to Rozen maiden. But to put it simply Maria and Umineko were his favorite things on 4chan for awhile especially "Oh, desire!" I think I've been going on for too long but to say simply, I would do anything to read it first, Higurashi and Umineko. They, to me, are the worlds most perfect story for me. To you, TH-cam Mion, if you would like to know more from me I go by: [ @ulta_nagenki ] on Instagram my main way of online talking. I have a little art redue of the Rena pfp of Ciconia's main character after I learned he was a trap. Yes dumb, but I do anything for Ryukishi's work. I'm also doing a project of obtaining all of Ryukishi's writing and putting them into a Google doc. I got Onikaushi and currently trying with Higanbana after my computer kinda broke but I'll manage and get it fixed to do that again. I just want to say thanks for getting other into Higurashi. I hope my little bit of writing can inspire how much Higurashi might change people. This very small to my feeling and she is right as to When they cry being so hard to explain. I say it's impossible to explain these feeling but I can try and take that impossibility. That's what everyone in Hinamizawa did.
I too see myself in some of the characters in Higurashi. Like, Shion, going insane because os Satako's older brother in the first season of the anime. Not the killing part, but more of her yandere characteristics. After watching the first season, Higurashi did indeed change me. There was some quotable life lessons in there. I learned a lot I might even say.
Hi to everybody here because of the Silent Hill announcement 🙈 This video is quite old now and I'd like to remake it at some point but in the meantime I hope you enjoy it!
Coming back to this video after reaching the end of the series so far, this video makes so much more sense once you know.
Words surely aren't good enough to understand what those games are about.
Come from the LAMBDADELTO post.Great video,ive just been a fan of this series for several months,there are still things that i havent know about the franchise,your video is beyond great for the fans.You earned a sub,keep up the contents.
I remember watching this video and being impressed of how passionately you spoke of the When they cry series, and how much you made me want to play it. I could see the work and love you put in it. I saw the novels on discount and immediately thought of this video. I was looking for it for a whole hour and im glad i found it again. It really made an impression of me.
Thank you for this beautiful 'love letter' to the When They Cry universe!
Yo, was on the fence with this series but you convinced me to give it a go. Keep up the good stuff dude
I lost many, many hours of my life watching all of Higurashi because of you (out of order, even lol) and now I'm obsessed. After hearing a lot about Umineko, I come to you to find out if I should sink more hours into this insane franchise. Seriously, I didn't get any of what you got out of my personal watch of Higurashi, but I see what you mean perfectly after watching your vids.
Love your Japanese pronunciation, too. Makes me smile.
Excellent video to prep me for my introduction into visual novels. I'm a longtime Silent Hill fan and Ryukishi07 was just announced as the writer of the next mainline game. Time to brush up on his previous work.
Nice video. I’ve been putting off the when they cry novels because of they’re length, but you’ve made me want to finally tackle them.
Well, they're longer then they should be, because they really like to drag. Useless scenes (Hi, club activities from Higurashi! Battle scenes from Umineko, you're here too!), repeated over a dozen of times statements (even in a single scene) and boring struggling are all here for you. Although, Ciconia is mostly cured from these. Characters say that they're comrades supporting The Walls of Peace too many times, but that's pretty much it. Even fighting scenes are rare, short and nice, who would've thought with such premise.
Very well done! This is great to encourage someone to get into the series, besides the spoilery stuff you put there that I hope such people will easily forget. Your summary of the qualities near the end was brilliant, personnally I would have added "if you like well-thought symbolism in stories" or something like that, especially for Umineko and Ciconia, less Higurashi. You can never emphasize enough how this series is life-changing!
this is one fo the most underrated videos on a singular topic made by a below 10k youtuber, Im so glad it exists. I hate it when I cant find proper videos explaining a popular phenomenon game or ip, and this video really helped with the explanation. Higurashi seems to have a rabid fan base and cult following similar to Toho, and now I understand why. Its crazy how small it all started in comparison to how famous it got.
I read umineko fully 4 times and i'm currently on Higurashi ch 8.
It's the peak fiction and i cannot believe only one person made this.
I do not regret spending over 300+ hours on the series so far.
Latino here, Damn that's a very good pronunciation that you have, I really like higurashi, but umineko is on another level
Hey I wanted to come back here to thank you because I started reading the umineko manga after watching this video almost year ago, after I finished Umineko I couldn't keep it out of my mind and it is now one of my favourite stories of all time. Thank you so much for introducing me to such an masterpiece. Without love it cannot be seen.
The latest episode of Higurashi Gou made me find my way to this video because I need to know about Ciconia and see if it's the origin story of Lambdadelta for real
Discovered your channel researching this series. There's a sale on Steam but I don't know what to buy first. I have Higurashi, now I want Umineko. Thanks for making this video.
Molto interessante che questo video sia sottotitolato in italiano, vedo che la community italiana di umineko è sempre molto attiva
Just convinced one of my best friends to read Higurashi thanks to your video! Thanks! I'm so excited!!
Aww I hope they have fun (and you have fun seeing them read it)!
thank you for this video, I was desperate for a guide like this, and I couldn't find anything but this video. This is fantastic, and 100% sold me the series! I would look forward to play this novels
I found this video 6 months ago and decide to read Higurashi and Umineko. You convinced me to give it a try. Thank you, it was one of the best decision I ever have. It changed my way of thinking about family, friend and love. It has literally changed my life. I have desperately consumed all form of version, media of When they cry series over the past 6 months and now I'm feeling empty. When they cry series impact me in a way that no other piece of fiction has. Now only ciconia can fill the void. It sucks that it's delayed for so long due to the epidemic.
This editing is *chef's kiss *
At first when I started watching this video, it was not too interesting but oh my! It really got interesting.
I have officially finished the second chapter of higurashi and although I am extremely confused this is most definitely one of the most well written series I have ever read! Also RIKAAAAA AND SOTAKOOOOO MY BABIES IM SO SAD
i havent read them why are you sad
I love how you manage to give an overview of such a complex yet amazing franchise. I will always remember that time when Umineko was just translated by the Witch Hunt and all the speculations Comiket after Comiket about the game story. Ryukishi07 is such a master in setting a story you would like to follow, and all the details added to it just offer such a breath of realism (e.g. I will always remember I learn chess partially thanks to some of the comments in Umineko). I am actually doing Higurashi for the first time as a visual novel now that MangaGamer released all of them and it is just excellent. Thanks for doing a video on the whole franchise, I think you did an amazing job in explaining why it's worth to spend the time reading the visual novels.
your voice is really soothing
You're a really good content creator! Keep up!
His is really interesting, I watched this video bc I was to give up the anime because I found it weird how it repeats over and over, I’ll give it a second shot
Don't know why I'm here I was already addicted on the When They Cry Series LOL
Higurashi is very special to me. I was first introduced to the Anime as a beginning teen from... weirdly enough, an MLP Naraku no Hana parody, and a few weeks later, a chapter from one of those manga collections you can get from conventions and the like. Fittingly, it was the the start of Keichi's paranoia, the scene where he slams the door on Rena's fingers. A year or so later, I watched the dub on TH-cam, going in completely blind without realizing it was the same series, and was floored. I later discovered that our Highschool Library _somehow_ had the Demon Exposing Arc in the mnaga section(to be fair, they had a bunch of crazy stuff like AKIRA too) and I fell in even more love with the manga. I never got to see Kai, but now I finally own it for myself, and I've been steadily hunting down the manga to the horror of my bank account. Gou is ome of the things that helped me through the first few months of a pretty bad family tragedy. Then I discovered this series of yours right after that, and as of right now I've just finished Sotsu, and therefore am obligated to rewatch your videos again lol
Thank you for these essays, as they did really help me to be reintroduced to a series I forgot about merely because of accessibility.
I plan on downloading steam for the sole purpose of reading the Sound Novels.
"When They Cry Is An Dephly Complex Series That Dives In The Narrative Realistic Human Individual Psychology And The Will For The Better Growth For One's Self And For Others As Well. . ."
"What My Dum @$$ Only Got To Understand About The Author":
th-cam.com/users/shortsTodDfVa8XSQ?si=HTKDzInn9yGzFP7k
Awesome video. @Bess continue making more videos like this
I've experienced this entire series and am definitely not a beginner I just like to hear this channel talk about when they cry
Great video, hope you continue with WTC content ;)
i certainly will! right now i'm planning to make every second or third video wtc-related and intersperse them with other content.
Umineko is, absolutely, a novel that changed the way I look at religion and spirituality. it's incredible.
Agreed
The fan engagement and their creations got even me going!
As an amateur I cannot be a match for 07th
But hopefully I will share
KUMA NO NAKU KORO NI
Qma no NAKU koro2
(At the time that two bears call)
For those interested in Umineko
The anime you can find looks good but is incomplete
The PlayStation/Steam? Version has the best visuals for the content because the music is ACES in any version you go for.
And if FGC is your thing Ougon Musou Kyoku is a good fighting game. And everything is in character!
I’m 2/3 through Umineko and am so addicted. I can’t wait to read the manga and start on Higurashi. I’ve probably started consuming when they cry out of order but I just can’t stop. 🤣
Just finished Umineko a couple weeks ago after having watched the Higurashi anime last year and now I am going back to read the Higurashi visual novel and might I say what brilliant pieces of fiction these have been.
At 6:50 the music resonates perfectly with Ciconia´s opening
I loved every second of this analysis. : )
After watching it, I can understand how you would discourage anyone from watching the anime, I do think for both Higurashi and Umineko, the manga is a nice middleground between the visual novel and the anime :p
Ryukishi really has this very strange talent, even besides the main point of each of his stories, for teasing you with something greater in the background - "lore" or "worldbuilding", I should probably call it. Like (spoilers)
how you know Bernkastel looks like Rika, sounds like Rika, openly states she used to say "mii, nippah", and you have and are communicated a general idea of who or what Bernkastel is - but never openly, never at face value, never directly, never simply, never with all the jigsaw pieces put neatly where they belong. And she is just one example for this, just one of those elements of When They Cry you might call lore or worldbuilding; never shown openly and clearly, always glimpsed at through a foggy window, distorted and just out of clear sight.
For wut joy r these kids deestroying their life
Thank you! I’d add that the other 07th Expansion novels (Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni, Rose Guns Days and Trianthology) are also worth a look − Ciconia largely builds on RGD’s themes in fact. TRT isn’t entirely written by Ryukishi but it sure is… an experience.
I'm actually really not a fan of Higanbana. But yeah, I mention that all their works are kind of interlinked.
@@_bess Higanbana is weird, I hated the manga but loved the VN (though it was still hit and miss) even though it’s the same stories, characters and writer…
Ciconia ruined Christmas for me. When They Cry, We Cry.
I watched the trailer of Ciconia, but I'm so confused about what is the plot for this series? Is it still spooky and mystery vibes in this one?
I like how a lot of the comments are when they cry veterans.
Here after the Silent Hill F announcement.
Silent Hill F lets GOOOO
It may be a bit of an over exaggeration to say this, but this video changed my life. I got into this series in probably one of the weirdest ways possible. I'm a huge fighting game fan and I was browsing Steam one day for fighting games since there was a sale going on and I always tend to nab any fighting games I can during sales to just mess around in them. I eventually came across Umineko: Golden Fantasia and I thought "Hey this looks really cool". I looked at the Steam page for it and I noticed it was based off a visual novel named Umineko (Yeah, I somehow had never heard of When They Cry at all before this despite being a huge visual novel fan as well, shocking huh?). So I was like "Oh a cool looking visual novel? I'll check it out." I did a bit of research and came across this video. It convinced me to try out the games but the length kinda scared me for a bit so I didn't end up starting my journey until just recently. Now, I'm sitting here on my computer writing this comment after finishing Higurashi. Higurashi has to be my favorite story of all time. NEVER has any piece of media gotten me this invested into it's characters and gotten me to cry as much as I did while reading it. I don't see it ever leaving my mind and I honestly already wanna go back and reread the question arcs to see how everything falls into place. Shion Sonozaki (Unpopular choice I know lol) is probably my favorite character of all time right now, I love her so much. I honestly cannot thank you enough for making this video, it got me into this series and I am absolutely in love with it. I was honestly expecting to take a little break but I think I'm gonna jump right into Umineko. I absolutely cannot wait! Again, thank you :)
Shion is super popular! One of my faves too! Thank you for the lovely comment, so happy to hear Higu was such a positive experience for you and please enjoy Umineko!
Edit: Just thought to add, there's a short ninth arc to Higurashi called Saikoroshi-hen just released on Steam as part of Higurashi Rei that's best read before Umineko, just so you know!
@@_bess Yes, I just finished it! Ending got me crying all over again haha. I'm about to start Umineko!
Well I'm back! It took me a while due to college and other stuff, but I finished Umineko yesterday! As you can expect, I cried like a baby once again at the ending haha. I can't even pick a favorite because both Higurashi and Umineko were life changing experiences for me and the only two pieces of media that have made me cry this much. I just wanna thank you again for this video, I love Higurashi and Umineko with all my life and it hasn't even been a year since I've first played Higurashi yet. I wish I could erase my memories and experience these stories again for the first time, I really envy my past self now lmao. I've gotten all my close friends to read Higurashi and Umineko too, I even own a Rena figurine and a Shion plushie that both sit next to me as I type this lmao. I started Ciconia earlier today and I'm loving it so far, though I still incredibly miss the Hinamizawa gang and the Rokkenjima gang. I know there's still extra content for both to tackle so I'll be doing those eventually and I also wanna read the manga for both eventually as well! There's also Gou and Sotsu but...I've heard all about the criticisms everyone has for that anime lol, I might have to watch it eventually though just for more Higu content (And Umineko too kinda, since you know who appears in it!). Just, again, thank you so much for this video because without it, I wouldn't have gotten into my now favorite series of all time. Let's just hope Ciconia phase 2 isn't too far from now!
@@BombBomborawhen you finish umineko it will replace higurashi as favorite 😭
@@plethoraofstars I did finish Umineko! I loved it a lot but I think I like Higurashi a bit more. Both are peak fiction though!
This video is what got me to give Higurashi another shot so thank you for this!
I just saw the first anime made, and holy shit, i cant wait to start the second "season"
2 years out and no episode 2 for ciconia :(
Crazy to think about it, i used to see scenes from Another, higurashi, corpse party and shiki and think, "how can people watch this, there is no reward" but now after 250 animes watched higurashi has stayed in the number 2 spot or 1, its really a tie for me...really sad those who i mention are the only true horror anime's (without corpse party, the gore overshadows everything)
Legitimately the best when they cry video I've seen, I've subbed and looking forwards to more! Out of curiosity, have you read the house in fata morgana? That visual novel reminded me heavily of when they cry and it's one of few visual novels that I love just as much as when they cry
thank you so much for your comment! i want to read fata morgana but have been planning to write a vn myself for a while and when i read the synposis it sounded like it had some similar elements so i decided to stay away from it until i'm done so i don't end up too influenced by it. it goes without saying it sounds very interesting to me, i hope i can get to it sooner rather than later!
Dude, you're an absolute legend for this video! Thank you!
Ciconia Phase 2 waiting room.
What a great video! Exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
The part about the 100 hours time to read each question arc and answers arc it's no joke, you really need to go DEEP into the story and enjoy it from within and keep your mind working to catch some tips about the mysteries or read between lines for some hints.
Fortunately the game it's good at creating the right atmosphere with the BGM when the characters are happy you know it but when they are afraid, scared or went full bonkers the sound alone will scare you.
I remember watching Umineko and Higurashi anime adaptations in 2010 or something like that. I have never come across another series that was as memorable as this one. I am so happy to hear someone else talk about it and introduce it to people!
However regarding Umineko, I kind of felt like people missed the point with it, which made it very missunderstood. Umineko seemed to carry a theme of "Want and dreams" and how these things could be affect by other people, materialistic needs, ideals, values and mental health in comparison to Higurashi, but that might just be me? To me Higurashi was more about psychology with a focus on relationship, trauma, grief and perserverance.
If there is some hidden message in Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (2006) especially first 4 episodes then that one is lost on me.
Ima bookmark this, you really have an interesting channel. Great video
The problem with attention deficit disorder is that 100 hours of something is an insurmountable challenge. I will inevitably reach a point where no matter how much I want to experience more of the thing, I just won't be able to convince myself to do it.
The first one is still to this day one of my favorite anime and VNs of all time
I personally caught onto all those themes you listed in the anime and have found that the visual novel, while better, doesn't change the experience all that much for me. It never changed my fundamental understanding of the story.
Maybe it's just because I'm good at picking up on overarching ideas that aren't super apparent. To me at least, it was clear through the plot alone in the anime that deeper ideas were at play. It feels like people who watched the Higurashi anime didn't watch Kai, or at least fail to completely understand it. While not completely fleshed out, I found the themes easy to call out and apply elsewhere in narrative.
I've always appreciated When They Cry for its narrative structure and mystery more than its themes anyways. When I first read Umineko, I was far more invested in the actual story than the themes. While I do pick up on these elements, I usually consider them icing on top of the cake.
this video was really convincing ^^ i was originally watching higurashi but fell out of it, but i think now im gonna give the games a try
This video is very well worded. Subscribed.
Thank you so much for this video! I watched this last year, with only having knowledge of the Higurashi anime. I was so intrigued with your descriptions of Umineko and Ciconia that I bought the entire When they Cry series on steam and I'm almost finished with Umineko. I'm even playing Higanbana and Rose Gun Days. This video made me OBSESSED!
Edit: I forgot to mention that you completely spoiled Umineko by using a clip from episode 7 and other spoiler clips. That completely ruined my interpretation of some of the characters.
oh wow this helped me sooo much!! i plan on watching the 2006 anime of Higurashi, i do enjoy gore horror and i feel that appeals to me more, to get me hooked into the story. then i will read the visual novel. i feel this order will help me more with getting into the story and really engaging with it.
What a GREAT video!