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REVIEW: When They Cry DVD 2

Thank you very much for your e-mail regarding the erroneous episode descriptions for "When They Cry (Higurashi no naku koroni)" Vol. 2.
Geneon Entertainment will be reprinting the DVD wrap of volume 2 with the intended, original episode synopses and will arrange to have
a fulfillment agency disseminate the corrected DVD wraps to any consumer who had purchased volume 2. Once the wraps are ready
to go, additional details will be announced. We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience the erroneous Vol. 2 DVD wrap has caused
and thank you for your overall interest and support of this uniquely crafted psychological thriller/mystery/horror series.

For your reference, below is the original tagline and episode synopses for volume 2 (please note that they may contain plot spoilers):

Gruesome Murders, Demonic Possessions, Bizarre Disappearances…
In the sleepy rural village of Hinamizawa, people and things aren’t what they appear to be.
Everyone seems to have secrets and they will do anything to keep it that way--

“Cotton Drifting” Chapter ----

EPISODE 2: Takano (Series episode 06)
On the night of the town festival, Keiichi, Shion, Tomitake, and Takano sneak into a shrine, finding it filled with ancient torture devices… When Tomitake and Takano are reported dead, Keiichi fears that he and Shion are the next victims of Oyashiro-sama’s curse!

EPISODE 3: Lies (Series episode 07)
Keiichi indirectly confesses to Rika about trepassing into the forbidden shrine storehouse. However, by admitting this to her, he may have endangered her life as well as Satoko's! Soon after, the girls go missing…

EPISODE 4: Wish (Series episode 08)
At the Sonozaki residence, Rena and Keiichi confront Mion over the disappearances of Rika and Satoko. Chilling revelations then unfold regarding the dark origins of Hinamizawa, a cursed blood lineage and demonic possessions!

“Curse Killing” Chapter ----

EPISODE 1: Older Brother (Series episode 09)
During a visit from Satoko and Rika, Keiichi learns of the strange circumstances behind Satoko's older brother Satoshi, who one day, just simply left Hinamizawa. When Keiichi later mentions about Satoshi being "transferred," Shion and Rena each react in an unusual manner...

EPSIODE 2: Bond (Series episode 10)
Satoko has missed class for several days, as her violent uncle Teppei has returned back in town. Keiichi angrily witnesses the physical abuse inflicted upon Satoko, however her damaged psyche may have reached the breaking point…



Theron, just so you know, we immediately saw the error once the DVD wraps arrived. It was strange, because we proofread
the final text layout, which had the correct text, however it appears that a previous file with the old text was inadvertently delivered
to the printers.

We first had to act on this by notifying upper management, production staff, sales staff, etc., followed by an examination to
determine how such an error had occurred in the first place and the extent of the problem. Thereafter, arrangements had to be
made to do a reprinting, as well as making arrangements with a fulfillment center (most likely, The Right Stuf International) to handle
distribution of the corrected DVD wraps.

Unfortunately, all of this internal work takes time, so it may have seem like we were being inactive. Thanks for your patience
and understanding.

Studio DEEN, which is probably best-known to American fans for producing titles like You're Under Arrest, Fruits Basket, and Full Moon, thankfully decided not to be content with just that gimmick.

the series operates in four-episode Chapters, with each chapter resetting the story and retelling it from a different angle and with an emphasis on different characters, albeit with Keiichi always at the center of things.

At the end of the second chapter the storytelling does fall into the common slasher movie trap of going over the top, and one scene involving Mion flipping out while holding a ladder simply fails to work,

The ethereal opening song, with its heavy electronica beat, blends with its matching visuals to create an opener well worthy of repeat viewings,

All in all, I'm glad to see Higurashi Vol. 2 getting a positive review. The series is really thought-provoking and creepy, and the storytelling is pretty good despite some holes that Studio Deen didn't fill in (meaning things that the skipped/didn't animate from the games).

The "opening scene" for the arcs only occurs in the first three arcs, and the arcs themselves aren't necessarily four episodes. Though since (I'm assuming that) this is your first time viewing this series, it's not a big deal. Just felt like you need to know about that (if you didn't know about it already )

The opening scene for the second arc was actually a mistake in adaptation, and shouldn't be there.

biolizard_alpha wrote:

The opening scene for the second arc was actually a mistake in adaptation, and shouldn't be there.

I was wondering about that. So will that scene fit in with a different arc down the road or is it just a complete accident? (Please, no big spoilers.)

As someone who had never seen this series prior to it's release, I have to say that it's one of the more disturbing titles I've watched. I love the blend of cute and psychotic and the way that the characters interact. Some parts of this series are so eerie and others so heartwrenching that it's really enjoyable watching and wondering how things will turn out.

My only real complaint is the lack of extras. I'm hoping that we'll see them down the road, but it looks like downloaders and bootleggers are winning this battle. (i.e., the sales apparently aren't good enough for extras. Hope I'm wrong but I'm not hearing anything to the contrary.)

Quote:

My only real complaint is the lack of extras. I'm hoping that we'll see them down the road, but it looks like downloaders and bootleggers are winning this battle. (i.e., the sales apparently aren't good enough for extras. Hope I'm wrong but I'm not hearing anything to the contrary.)

Extras like on disc extras? Do any Geneon series have them? Like, Black Lagoon and Ergo Proxy had "bonus discs" with the special edition first volumes, but they weren't near worth it. I don't think any of the Geneon stuff I own has on disc extras.

The opening scene for the second arc was actually a mistake in adaptation, and shouldn't be there.

Buster Blader 126 wrote:

The "opening scene" for the arcs only occurs in the first three arcs, and the arcs themselves aren't necessarily four episodes. Though since (I'm assuming that) this is your first time viewing this series, it's not a big deal. Just felt like you need to know about that (if you didn't know about it already )

The fifth and sixth arcs have opening scenes as well, they're just not nearly as disturbing/bloody.

Five episodes on this disc, hm. Assuming the series is going to be spread over six discs and the next one will have only 4 episodes, the next volume is going to end in a weak spot. (Edit: miscounted, forgot the fifth episode of the arc, but the fourth arc is still a weak spot).

They always (other than here) at least have a clean OP/ED. Other extras vary, though Geneon is never as extras heavy as ADV and Funi. Shana had the Naze Nani Shana videos and Shana-tan, F/SN had a production gallery, music video clips, Rider's Diary, promo clips, Gankutsuou had a bunch of stuff, even Helling and Black Lagoon had a couple of things on the regular discs.