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New Higurashi: When They Cry Anime Delayed Due to COVID-19

The official website for the new Higurashi: When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) anime project announced on Friday that the anime has been delayed from its scheduled July premiere due to the effects of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the production schedule. The staff will announce the new premiere date on the anime's official website and Twitter account as soon as a decision is made.

Ryukishi07 and 07th Expansion are credited with the original work. Akio Watanabe (Monogatari Series anime franchise) is designing the characters, and Passione (Citrus, Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers, High School DxD Hero) is animating the project. Infinite is producing the series. Naoki Hayashi (Black Fox, Citrus) is in charge of the series composition for the anime. Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Mobile Suit Gundam 00) is returning as the composer for the series.

Returning cast members include Sōichirō Hoshi as Keiichi Maebara, Mai Nakahara as Rena Ryūgū, Satsuki Yukino as Mion Sonozaki, Mika Kanai as Satoko Hōjō, and Yukari Tamura as Rika Furude.

The new anime will have a manga adaptation by Tomato Akase.

The first Higurashi: When They Cry television anime series aired for 26 episodes in 2006, and the When They Cry II: Solutions (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai) anime aired for 24 episodes in 2007. Geneon Entertainment Inc. released the first anime on DVD in 2007-2008. Funimation then released the anime on DVD in 2009 and 2010. Sentai Filmworks most recently released both anime on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in 2016.

07th Expansion launched the first chapter of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni visual novel software in 2002 at Comiket. The story revolves around murders that coincide with an annual festival in a quiet rural village. Ryukishi07 and 07th Expansion released Higurashi: When They Cry Hou for PC in Japan in 2014 as a "thank you" to series fans (the kanji used for "Hou" is used in the word "hōnō," "dedication").

MangaGamer released the original visual novel in 2009, and has been releasing Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou as 14 individual chapters.

The software also inspired several video anime projects, two live-action films, and manga adaptations by several artists. The game most recently inspired a stage play that ran last July.

Sources: Higurashi: When They Cry anime's website, MoCa News