Higurashi Episode 25 Discussion / Poll

[theacefrehley]

Judging by Rena in this episode... Oyashiro-sama curse is an Acid Hallucination

We can now be sure that Takano's Notes weren't to be taken seriously, but I still believe tha some parts here and there can be taken as true (the part of the curse being a disease)

About Keiichi on Onikakushi-hen; Ooishi told K1 about the police suspecting Tomitake used some kind of drug. To associate drugs with a syringe is a quick blink.

I don't know about you but, to think that Mion and Rena were just trying to paint/scribble his face with a crayon, just for fun (or to save time till Irie comes), and were killed for that, made me feel very bad...
And the scene where Keiichi smash Rena's fingers on the door... brrr... bastard... poor Rena...

Now we can say that the videogame in real life is for sure
Rika is going through this, spending her coins and can remember the last games, but the others not... except keiichi...
Quite a pity the anime will most likely not answer anything once and for all....

[]'s

[GyroidFanatic]

Quite a pity the anime will most likely not answer anything once and for all....

There's still hope for Minagoroshi-hen and Matsuribayashi-hen to be OVAs, or perhaps a second season if they include some original stories like the manga and PS2 game do.

[LuckyCat]

Originally Posted by theacefrehley

We can now be sure that Takano's Notes weren't to be taken seriously

Sonozaki Akane said that the scrapbooks Rena borrowed were still missing so Rena's wild theories could be partially true. Just throwing that out.

[MarthX]

Originally Posted by Shiosai

Sonozaki Akane said that the scrapbooks Rena borrowed were still missing so Rena's wild theories could be partially true. Just throwing that out.

Spoiler:

Revealing there's multiple books tells me the theory Rena read is pure BS. As if she's written them for different scenarios to mislead people for whatever reason. Such manipulation leads me to believe she's the one pulling the strings behind everything.

[GundamZZ]

Multiple story books are cool.
[spoiler]
That nurse should get the PhD in children's literature instead PhD in biological weapon research(is there such degree^0^). The next episode better show the glimpse of the worst ending: Rika sees everyone gets shot and she swears she will remember it in the next round.

Get the joke, now?
[spoiler]

[Killer Loli]

Originally Posted by theacefrehley

Judging by Rena in this episode... Oyashiro-sama curse is an Acid Hallucination

We can now be sure that Takano's Notes weren't to be taken seriously, but I still believe tha some parts here and there can be taken as true (the part of the curse being a disease)

About Keiichi on Onikakushi-hen; Ooishi told K1 about the police suspecting Tomitake used some kind of drug. To associate drugs with a syringe is a quick blink.

I don't know about you but, to think that Mion and Rena were just trying to paint/scribble his face with a crayon, just for fun (or to save time till Irie comes), and were killed for that, made me feel very bad...
And the scene where Keiichi smash Rena's fingers on the door... brrr... bastard... poor Rena...

Now we can say that the videogame in real life is for sure
Rika is going through this, spending her coins and can remember the last games, but the others not... except keiichi...
Quite a pity the anime will most likely not answer anything once and for all....

[]'s

Yea i feel kinda guilty too for cheering for Keichi in onikakushi when he snapped and smashed Rena's fingers

So is the groundhog day/videogame/reset theory prevailing to explain these multiple stories?

[yakuri-moe]

Spoiler:

In the TIP for ep. 25, Rika's talking to someone -that is not Satoko- I suspect is Mion? And if she isn't, then I'm in dark waters again -_-

How...?? what??? K1 remembers something that's supposed to happen in an alternate universe?? how messed up is this ok now I'm completely lost @_@ (but is darn interesting)

Cool mature voice Rika has here. BTW she seems to be the only one remembering the "resets", how's that possible, why? (yeah lots of questions)

[LostBlue]

Before any more speculations go on about, I suggest reading TIP #129.

[MarthX]

Originally Posted by LostBlue

Before any more speculations go on about, I suggest reading TIP #129.

I can't believe that scene was cut.

[chrno_the_sinner]

Originally Posted by LostBlue

It’s very itchy, but don’t scratch it. The more I scratch, the itching will increase, ...and in the end I will repeat the same mistake as Tomitake-san! Shit, shit shit...!!

Well, that's a particularily nice fact. While I'm pretty sure the parasite theory is complete BS, the itching probably provides a good reason for Tomitake and Keiichi's deaths in Onikakushi.

That tip is really mysterious too. It's a shame Minagoroshi-hen won't be animated.

[Quajafrie]

...This episode was better than episodes 1-24 alltogether.

[Deathkillz]

amazing...simply da best
but i have 2 questions...
1) the worms or whtever that came out of rena's neck...are they real? or just imaginary?
2) wtf? k1 remembering from an alternate universe? anyone explain?
nooo last ep next time im really gona miss this series!!

[kj1980]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

amazing...simply da best
but i have 2 questions...
1) the worms or whtever that came out of rena's neck...are they real? or just imaginary?
2) wtf? k1 remembering from an alternate universe? anyone explain?
nooo last ep next time im really gona miss this series!!

Read TIPS #125 regarding delusional parasitosis.

[raikage]

Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind when I saw this ep.

Spoiler:

Was I the only one who actually laughed when I read this?

I know it's supposed to be representative of just how off her rocker she is at this point, but it was so over-the-top ridiculous it just came across as rather funny.

The alternate-reality theory is in full effect, apparently, which just makes me go, Huh?

No new clue as to what causes the gas tragedy.

I'm wondering just what will or will not be resolved by the end of 26.

[chrno_the_sinner]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

amazing...simply da best
but i have 2 questions...
1) the worms or whtever that came out of rena's neck...are they real? or just imaginary?

Definitely in her imagination. In case you didn't notice, Rena is going bonkers right now.

2) wtf? k1 remembering from an alternate universe? anyone explain?
nooo last ep next time im really gona miss this series!!

As far as I know, the answer to that one is in Minagoroshi-hen, which will be fantranslated after the last episode is subbed next week. The game players are also going to be answering questions if you can't sacrifice the time to see the entire thing transated.

[myopius]

I thought about this last night and even dreamed about it briefly (dreamed about burning it to a DVD and showing it to some friends). So, I post again in this topic to say: man, I'm really looking forward to episode 26. Hatchet/Bat for the win.

That was an awesome shot that Sushi-Y posted of a scene involving Rena and Keiichi that was left out... This anime would completely and utterly win if the characters' faces were as beautifully detailed as in that screenshot. The art style is really interesting... I rewatched the last bit of episode 25 (among other parts) and saw Rena advancing slowly with hatchet in hand, and thought that she looked very skeletal and inhuman, like a reaper.

As I've been watching Rena in this arc I've realized how much like a shounen-style hero she can be. I mean, she has her trademark outfit and weapon and not only that, she's tough but her personality is also slightly mysterious. Keiichi's a bit shounen too since he's already killed her in an alternate reality with the same weapon that he may now use for the sake of good (maybe... lol). The shounen in me is looking forward to the hypothetical Keiichi vs Rena, bat vs hatchet, trust vs distrust fight/conflict that I feel is being symbolized in the preview.

Anyway, I really wonder if it's not too late for her... I really don't think this arc, and the entire series, can end with both Keiichi and Rena surviving. I also wonder if it's not just Takano's notes that is driving Rena to isolate herself, but also the murders she committed. A major theme of Higurashi is sin, and that was her sin, so maybe that's the root of what causes her to feel she "can never return" (to quote the introduction) to the trust and friendship she once had.

[aliensporebomb]

Geez.

Spoiler:

Parasites? I don't know. Aliens? Doubtful. Virus? Probably.
It's definetely something external causing mass mental disturbance.

Can we really trust that Rena is so off-her-rocker right now her perceptions
are completely wrong about what she thinks? We just don't/won't know.

HOW did she know about K1's indiscretions with the BB Gun. She said
it was Oishi but I have my doubts he would reveal that information to a
minor much less a mentally not-stable minor.

Re: Notebooks:
I believe the multiple notebooks may indeed be 'decoys' and this is why
the Sonozaki family had so many of them. Most of them are just junk
but there may be one or two with bits of the truth in them. Why are
the Sonozaki's so intent on getting them? I suppose any doubt in the
town religion might potentially harm the viability of their "three great
houses".

Re: Keiichi / Mion Hug:
The blushing Mion scene was worth about a hundred dollars. She nearly
turned purple there. Who knows, if you-know-who wasn't there she might
have actually returned it and then some. Moohaha.

[chrno_the_sinner]

Originally Posted by aliensporebomb

Spoiler:

HOW did she know about K1's indiscretions with the BB Gun. She said
it was Oishi but I have my doubts he would reveal that information to a
minor much less a mentally not-stable minor.

Oishi told Keiichi about Rena's wonderful window smashing adventures. I don't see how this is any different.

[Wanderer]

Crazy TIPS... As good as this show is (and it is very good) it is amazing how much better the game is. Really, I think this show should have been ~50 episodes including all 8 arcs. More animation budget (particularly for Meakashi-hen) would help a lot too.

It appears that I was onto things when I posted this a few episodes ago. The person Rena is talking to in TIP #129 is definately Frederica Bernkastel. I also think if you go back and look over all of the "cynical" TIPS that seemed to be from Rika's perspective, they are actually from Frederica's perspective.

The identity/nature of Oyashiro-sama still remains a mystery, however.

And we're seeing the theme of copies of people again. Still, perhaps both in this arc and in Tatarigoroshi-hen, it was always just Rena's/K1's friends covering them. Did perhaps Mion move Teppei's corpse in Tatarigoroshi-hen as well? She could have very easilly figured out what K1 was up to.

I also think that these green mercanary people do indeed work for the Sonozakis. However, I don't think that they're trying to do any harm to Onikakushi-hen K1 or Tsumihoroboshi-hen Rena. In fact I think they are/were trying to help them.

K1's memories of Onikakushi-hen in while he was falling from the bridge in Tatarigoroshi-hen make sense now.

What I am really wondering about is how this "disease" is "contracted". If indeed a shot will fix it then it must be a physical medical condition, rather than a supernatural disease. If that is the case, then there also has to be a mundane cause for the disease right? Is it really some kind of parasite that only can live in Hinamizawa? Or is the syringe just a placebo just to get Rena to trust her friends again? If that were the case, the disease may still be supernatural.

I've got a feeling we will see that door in the sky that appears in the opening credits in episode 26. And maybe the disease has something to do with all of those flowers we see in the intro as well...

[Wanderer]

Originally Posted by chrno_the_sinner

Oishi told Keiichi about Rena's wonderful window smashing adventures. I don't see how this is any different.

The question is still there though. Did Rena ask Ooishi about K1's past like how K1 asked about Rena's in Onikakushi-hen?

Ooishi sure has served as a catalyst for the mistrust between Rena and K1 in both of these arcs... in fact in both cases his story about the character's past seriously aggrivated the situation. An interesting question is: Why is Ooishi trying to undermine the trust between the 5 main characters?