Rena swallows a red Magatama and the others must deal with her falling in love with various Hinamizawa citizens.

Impressions:

Well after that serious string of episodes it’s probably right to end the Rei OVA series with a fun episode. Higurashi has been an interesting mix of the fun moments and the tragic ones. Now I personally do enjoy just seeing the characters have fun and perhaps that has to do with knowing what they have all gone through. Anyways having Rika fall in love with Tomitake, Takano, and Oishi was pretty hilarious. Really any of them getting with her would probably be a crime in most places. Of course it’s hard to resist Rena and especially when she hits on reasons why you should be with her. Loved using that mode which was a scary thing in the first season in a comical way here.

I feel a little for Rika in all of this. She gets her ass kicked and has to chase Rena around to find the stupid Magatamas. Besides Rena can really pack a punch if she gets serious as shown by the bodies of the others laying in the street. Maybe she was bothered a little bit by the end with Rena making her confession to Keiichi. Of course that can be excused due to outside influence, but I’m sure RenaxKeiichi fans were loving it. You wonder what Rika thinks about relationships considering how much she’s experienced. It probably hasn’t been something on the front of her priorities list since she was just trying to survive. At least she wasn’t the one between Takano and Tomitake at the end. So in that regard she got off pretty easy in this one.

Anyways it was good to see Akasaka again. Sure it was only for the mahjong game, but it’s still good to see him. Well I guess Higurashi decided to take on Saki a little bit with that match taking up the last third of the episode. Got pretty funny with Hanyuu being used to look around and investigate. Not to mention the apparent telepathy between Keiichi, Mion, and Akasaka. Who needs to speak when you can send your thoughts to the others? They really made it a big event with the crowd getting focused on it. Definitely a lot of pressure on Keiichi since he wasn’t as good a player as the others. Of course you have to be impressed by Rena’s ability to get into things quickly. I think Rena was right at the end though. Sure she might be different in changing herself to have the same interests as the person she liked, but really everyone just wants the person they like to like them.

This was just a fun episode to follow along. I mean the rockets from Satoko, Rena combat, and a mahjong game with serious background music just made it really enjoyable. Though at the same time I feel a little sad that this might be the last Higurashi anime we get to see. I really hope they decide to make another series down the road even if it’s just with episodes like this one. Considering all that has happened I don’t think it’s bad to just see the characters have some fun and see some interesting punishment games, haha. Anyways glad I decided to blog Rei.

Final Words:

This OVA was short in number, but it really took some time in order to reach the end. I was glad to hear that there was going to be an OVA made for this series. Really it was one of my favourites overall so anything more was great in my mind. I think they did the right thing here mixing the lighthearted episodes at the start and finish with the serious arc in the the middle. That arc was really focused on Rika and showed us a world that hadn’t been seen before. Since Rika was my favourite character there was nothing to complain about for me. It was hard to see her going through a difficult time that wasn’t so much about risk of death, but of being stuck in a place that felt alien to her.

I have to say they did a good job with the animation here. The way they did Kai and Rei just worked a lot better with me in comparison to the first season. It may all be subjective but I really liked how the eyes looked in Rei. Now perhaps some fans of Satoko wouldn’t be happy that her character got beaten up by both Rika and Rena in this OVA. Still I think anyone who liked Higurashi was glad that these episodes were made.

So here is hoping this isn’t the last we see of Higurashi anime. Of course there will always be the first two seasons and now Rei to reflect on no matter what.

Hanyuu’s past is revealed and Rika must choose the world that she desires.

Impressions:

Well I must say the ending of this arc wasn’t exactly what I had expected. After tossing Rika into that strange world they pretty much spent the first half of this episode dealing with Hanyuu’s past and emphasizing the importance of choices. The other half was Rika being back in the world we started this arc off in and seeing what Rika learned from the experience.

Oddly enough I was expecting to see Rika go after her mother if that ended up being her choice. Of course it’s much easier to accomplish than going after Shion was in one of the previous worlds. In this case could just kill the woman in her sleep and end it simply. But after finding out this was a dream shown by Hanyuu then I guess the important thing was the fact that Rika made a choice. No matter how good that world is for some people it can’t be the world she really wanted. Maybe Rena had it right in comparing it to flowers grown in a greenhouse to those in the wild. Rika was a wild flower and just couldn’t be fully satisfied living in that other world.

I agree that the world that they won would have the most worth for Rika. For a long time previously she had been waiting for that perfect world that would lead to a victory. But what they learned was the value of struggling and winning their own futures. Random chance wasn’t going to hand them the future, what was important was that they stood up and took hold of their own futures. Of course everyone is biased by their own experiences. They can see value in how they suffered through the dark points in their lives. While the Keiichi in that dream might have been happy the other Keiichi had endured the pain and grown in a different direction. Which one is better really can be left to personal opinion, but there is nothing wrong with how he turned out in the end. He became a key piece that could create miracles after all, haha.

It was interesting to learn about Hanyuu and her past. Her origins really hadn’t been something I thought much about. Since I was more focused on the characters surviving that can probably be forgiven. Dying and being killed by her daughter were things she did after careful consideration. Something to be learned from this is respecting that people make their own choices. While we may not agree with them, we can’t just say they made those choices lightly. All people can do is live and make the best choices they can.

Overall this was a pretty tough situation for Rika. Having to choose to abandon the world they fought so desperately for or to destroy that innocent world where her friends hadn’t suffered. I’m not sure what to think of Hanyuu even though I understand her thoughts. Rika had given up on her family and distanced herself from them. Her focus was on surviving and saving her firends. Her family were just seen as people who died and weren’t a focus to be saved. She went back to the point where they were alive many times and just somewhere along the way lost her bond to them.

I’m just not sure if it’s more comforting to know this event was a dream created by Hanyuu to teach Rika a lesson or not. If it was just a twist of fate there would be no blame, but instead the difficulties endured can be pointed at Hanyuu. In the end it worked out and Rika has grown as a result. She has accepted herself as part of that world and can remove herself as a being who can just restart when bad things happen. It’s her life now and she has to live it in that way. But it just makes me feel a little mixed that things were done in this way just to make Rika learn this. Maybe because the bond between Rika and Hanyuu is so tight they can accept what happened.

This was a pretty well done arc to add to the conclusion of Kai. The group have won their future and now have to live. Whatever happens their futures belong to them now. How long they live doesn’t matter. There will be no more chances to try again. I think this was a good addition and helped to develop Rika’s character further which is fine by me since I really liked her character.

The OVA isn’t quite over yet though. Looks like there will be another less serious episode like how Rei got started. Looking forward to it.

Rika contacts Hanyuu and learns the details behind her situation.

Impressions:

I suppose the positive thing is getting a sense of direction for things. Before there didn’t seem to be anywhere Rika could go or any actions she could take to get out of this mess. At least now she has an understanding of the situation and what happened with the truck. I have to say that was a pretty chilling scene even if we didn’t see much other than the blood and horrified faces. Surviving so much only to get decapitated by a truck is just cruel. Suppose it is a case of being paid back for reckless behaviour. It does seem a little extreme to die just because you were having a little reckless fun.

Finding that the fragment is likely in her mother was a hard development. Of course Rika would have to choose between the two worlds if she found that fragment eventually. Still now she has to decide whether to settle with that world or kill her mother. It’s not like that world is the worst one she has ever encountered. Sure there are some rough spots with Mion and Satoko. Not to mention the fact that Keiichi isn’t around and Hanyuu is only a voice that can be contacted rarely. But the club is going to be started again, but this time its just for a different reason. Rika could build up good friendships with the friends that are available and see how things go. Satoshi is a good guy that would help make things work. Plus Rika’s family is alive which gives her the chance to have a connection to them that she missed out on before.

It was interesting to find out about the Rika of that world. She sounded like quite the different character from the one we are familiar with. I guess without the tough circumstances she grew up in a pretty elitist manner and even had some henchmen. Not really surprised that people around didn’t like her that much. It’s not like they know that Rika isn’t the same person. A very strong difference when it comes to the club being created. Before it existed to keep Satoko from her abusive home, but this time it is being used to integrate Rika into the class. If Rika decides to stick around she could change opinions about her and slowly make friends. That incident with Satoko might slow the formation of bonds though.

What a revelation from Rika’s mother. Following what she was saying if the first born of a generation after the previous Oyashiro-sama has died is a girl, that girl becomes the next reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama. So Rika was mistaken for the reincarnation when her mother was supposed to be it. Rika didn’t even get much time to absorb this information before getting hit with the fragment business.

In the end I wonder what Rika will decide? She managed to dodge the issues with the doctor by using her solid ability to lie. It’s not like she expected him to believe everything she said anyways. In the end it is just nice to let things out and talk about them to someone. If Rika wants she can ignore the fragment business and enjoy life in that world. But at the same time she fought desperately for a very long time for that other world. I can’t imagine she would give up on it so easily. In the end it comes down to comparing life with her family to life with her friends. Neither world is a wrong choice it just comes down to what Rika wants the most and what steps she is willing to take. I mean will she kill her mother who hasn’t done anything wrong? It is all on Rika’s shoulders this time. There is no Takano to force her to act here. Only Rika’s will can decide how things will occur.

I’m a little curious about how Hanyuu will settle things. Rika did die in that other world after all. Is she planning on sending her back before the accident or something? From the conversation between Rika and Hanyuu it seems like they would just be going back to that specific world.

Anyways I can’t wait for the next part of the OVA. It’s pretty tough to just wait for the next part when it is months away.

Rika gets into an accident and finds herself in a very unfamiliar Hinamizawa.

Impressions:

Just what on earth is going on here? This world is just so weird it’s hard to believe that its possible. I mean Rika went through a ridiculous number of worlds and never came across anything close to this. Sure a world where Keiichi didn’t transfer has happened before. But a world where absolutely nothing went wrong is just so far gone its hard to believe. The Dam War didn’t happen, no murder, Rena’s family life is perfect, Satoko gets along with her step-father, and I’m sure things are fine with Mion and Shion. It’s almost like someone tossed the dice out the window and pulled out a new set. Takano’s will managed to force certain events every single time without fail. It’s bizarre that none of it happened this time.

It seems like Rika was hit by that truck which means she is stuck like this. If nothing is going to go wrong then what is Rika going to do? Things are going to be fractured and there is really nothing for her to stand against. The preview is even showing her mother to be alive!? Not to mention this world is so foreign she is going to have trouble fitting into it. After going through the same events so many times she could reasonably react to whatever came her way. But now it’s a completely different world and its hard to know just what will happen.

It’s even a wonder if the Hinamizawa Syndrome exists in this world. Everything is so twisted its kind of hard to know just what to base our knowledge on here. Not only for Rika but the viewers are stuck in a pretty tough position of trying to figure things out. The only hope is that memories from the previous worlds will pop up in certain characters which will give Rika some help. Speaking of help where the heck is Hanyuu? You’d think with how messed up things are that the girl would show up to make a scene.

At any rate this whole thing has me pretty baffled. We are definitely back in Higurashi with the light hearted portion having passed. Honestly wish that Rika could get some support since she must be feeling especially isolated. It’s just a pretty tough place for her to be right now. The girl has gone through hell and somehow still has to find her way through this latest challenge. Fighting against fate just got a lot more difficult.

The OVA begins with a lighthearted pool episode where the goal is to retrieve Keiichi’s ‘magical’ swimming trunks.

Impressions:

Have to say it is good to have Higurashi back. When I saw that the OVA had come out it wasn’t a difficult choice to make an entry about it. Higurashi remains one of my favourite anime so will definitely cover the OVA episodes as they become available. It was nice to start things off in a light hearted pool episode. Really fits with the Higurashi pattern of things starting off nicely before everything starts going bad.

The OP for this was really quite nice visually and in terms of the music. Really does fit Higurashi and so I’m pretty happy with it. Getting to see some memorable places like the ritual shrine. It really does remind you that Rika is the heroine of this story and one that has gone through many tragedies. Still seeing everyone get their moments does send the message that she isn’t in it alone by any stretch. Even Satoshi got to appear in the OP so will be interesting to see how he will fit into things. Really was just a beautiful song and lines like “you’ll swallow a thousand needles if you lie” give off a completely different meaning after seeing this series.

The ED was a pretty soft song and definitely lets you know it won’t be a journey of all laughs. It showed some really nice images slowly from Rika to Satoko and Satoshi. Definitely was a peaceful song that carried a hint of sadness to it. Hopefully things will work out for the group no matter what the challenge ends up being.

I couldn’t help smiling during this as everyone made it their mission to recover the ‘magic’ swimming trunks from Keiichi. Was just hilarious as Takano and Chie got pulled into it and Keiichi soon found himself in a ridiculous amount of trouble. Even Hanyuu got involved with the promise of cream puffs. The way to Hanyuu’s heart is most definitely through her stomach. Guess Keiichi should count himself lucky that she only used time manipulation instead of those swords she had. Really Rika was a key piece in getting everything going. She really was taking one for the team in promising a school swimsuit for the Angel-Mort fanclub. For some reason I wonder about Rena’s motivations in trying to get the trunks off. At any rate it was a pretty funny event.

Personally can’t completely blame Keiichi’s perverted thoughts at the start of this. Is in a club with some cute girls and they definitely went all out for the swimsuits. Of course he ended up paying for his thoughts with a nice hip check from Rika down the slide.

Oddly enough I was surprised at the ‘allies’ he managed to gain to help turn the tide back to his favour. Even brining a riot squad into play, though I have to wonder what they thought about the bizarre situation. Of course Keiichi made the mistake of underestimating those girls and thus it turned into a loss for him. He is a man that can create miracles, but when all the forces turn against him there is little that can be done.

It was nice to get a fun episode since you know things are going to be much more serious in the next one. Hard to predict the story from that preview, but Rika’s expressions don’t seem to make it a pleasant one. Still she managed to overcome fate in a massive struggle so have faith she can make it through this as well. Honestly looking forward to this since it should be one amazing event.