"Kai" was interesting, but a little unstable. (i.e. eventful happenings over the course of two episodes, and then a long strand of semi-filler.) Better than many, worse than few. The several excellent episodes made it well worth the watch.
The story had a few plotholes, however ultimately, it came full circle. The two most intriguing elements of the series are the analogy of Rika being a chess player, and the characters' transition from despair, to hope. Of these two, the latter is profound, while the first is immediately captivating.
The only "plot device" I could see was the "Deus ex Machina" at the end of #22. Even the last scenes; the shot at the end, had logical explanations if examined. The writing was, (with very few exceptions), excellent. Just look at the scene were Rika is descending the ladder, and starts mumbling to herself, for reassurance. Sounded like me. xD
Better animation quality than last season, however as is inevitable with this style, there were a few stick limbs, and deformed faces.
All the character were well designed in my opinion, and none of them seemed contrived.
The only DVD footage I want to see is when Satoshi opens his eyes. It will be
criminal if they don't add this…
For me, this wasn't just some random show, nor of passing interest. I was enthralled by the story, engaging in countless hunts for doujin, and fanfiction; I
idolized it. Shion is the character who really drew me in however; her actions near the end are heroic (and romantic). In other words, Higurashi genuinely attached my emotions.
The creators probably could have done better with the animation. And evened out the plot a little. However only thing that actually irritated me was constant repetition of "miracle". A concrete resolution might have helped, but… This is Higurashi after all…
And after all… tomorrow is another season.
