[Meri-chan]

Originally Posted by XGeneral2000

Sometimes I feel like there should be some kinda of legal maximum to the amount of "extra" content a franchise can generate. I've seen too many studios corrupt a series by milking it after it's essentially finished. Higurashi is done. The mystery's solved and everyone earned their "happily ever after." Rei was a nice lighthearted take I enjoyed. This...is more or less unacceptable.

I saw nothing but tasteless fanservice in this OVA. I understand that this is not always a bad thing, and that people enjoy it, but none of the characterization and atmosphere that made me love Higurashi was present here. I could have replaced everyone with random unknown characters and the result would have been mostly the same. I've seen fanservice and random comedy done well many times in other anime. This was not one of those times.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Higurashi should be solely confined to mystery and violence. But anything with Higurashi in the title should be distinctly Higurashi. The characters are flawed people with inner demons they're trying to overcome. And despite that, they're amazingly close friends that'll do anything for each other. That's what makes them them, not their hair color and outfit. If DEEN's going to make more Higurashi, they've got to live up to this, and keep the essence of Higurashi intact. Otherwise, it becomes no different from the third-rate drivel I try so hard to avoid every season.

I don't hate this OVA for being bad. A lot of stuff is. Objectively speaking, this could have actually been a lot worse. I hate it for simultaneously being bad and being Higurashi, and I hate DEEN for trying to get away with a complete lack of soul and effort by packaging it in Higurashi-flavored wrapping paper.

Rated a 4 purely on the terms I've seen far worse in the past. Here's to hoping the next one will be better.

I uh... hate to mention it, but this arc isn't DEEN's fault. It's an original arc by Ryukishi. It was included in Higurashi Rei but wasn't animated until now.

On another note...

Spoiler for does anyone else notice this:

I don't get why everyone is saying that it's so terrible for all the degrading fanservice and how they automatically think it's DEEN's doing. I've seen around 10 people do this, and it's starting to wear down my nerves. Doesn't anyone take a look at the source material when they watch adapted anime...?

Many people are getting pissed off and talking about how this new arc was terrible because of the huge amount of blatant fanservice that wasn't "higurashi" enough for them. Essentially Higurashi IS fanservice when you take away the main part of the plot (which is already over, so what other original arcs can they animate?) - a club with fanservicey punishments that intentionally degrade the person who loses a game. The entire arc was about that and that concept taken to the extreme, and for those who knew about the arc beforehand it was no big deal. Yet it seems a lot of people are getting so worked up about things that came from the original source itself - does that mean you can't respect Higurashi anymore considering how Ryukishi thought of this arc and the original plot?

Is it so wrong to have an arc dedicated to fanservice when the rest of the story is pretty heavy stuff? And is it wrong to have that arc animated for a decade anniversary OVA special?

Aha... don't kill me with harsh responses, please. My weak little heart won't be able to take it and I'll die and never be able to watch Higurashi again.