Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei OVA - Episode 3 Discussion / Poll

[Ekul]

This is a great display of what the average Higurashi episode is (Besides the lack of Keiichi): Kids savaging other kids, gruesome splattered bodies, friends confronting friends to stop violence and contemplating the murder of adults to make things better.

The chair scene became ten times creepier when I realized that technically this is an old lady smashing a chair against a little girl she doesn't know.

[Ichy]

Originally Posted by izmosmolnar

There is already a semi english-translated version on the internet. It only translates the options, the quotes/textbubbles are still untranslated though.

edit: Found the link http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OK0GDKWV.
Note: I haven't tested that version myself, I don't even know whether it works.
By the way does someone know how to get Rena to omochikaeri Rika? . I've been staring at them for hours, but they ignore each other. :/
And Rena goes ~L4 when you keep clicking on her .
----

Spoiler for Rika's family again:

Uhm... I'm sorry, I maybe stupid or something, but I still don't really understand that thing with Rika's mother.
Just because there isn't any murder here in that world, why is it different here, and why Rika's mom is the chosen one? Do they kill some relative still in embryo-state in the usual worlds? (I refer on abortion or something).
Even in normal worlds, before any killing occur, Rika still knew about Hanyuu (at least it was stated somewhere she was able to see her all her life, and that's why her relationship weakened with her mom, because she didn't believe her).

The other problem (and that's why I didn't mentioned the surname Furude anywhere), is that as far as I know Rika's mom isn't even Furude in the first place. I've thought Rika's father is the shrine priest, and the shrine is called Furude shrine. Or is there such a tradition, when... for example I'd marry a shrine maiden, and because of that I'd have to take on the priest duties and the shrine will be renamed with my surname (ergo before his involvement it was called "-somethingelse- Shrine")?
Or did Rika's dad marry inside the Furude family and his surname was different before the wedding?

Thanks for the link!

Spoiler for Rikas family:

The murder is not the only difference. There are certain condition to be Oyashiro-samas reincarnation.
There is more but I`m not sure if the next episode will clear this up. So I better shut up for now.

Spoiler for Sorry:

for SUPER english.

I myself found this episode amazing. A little rushed and no Bernkastel. Everything esle was great. 9/10

[typhonsentra]

God I can't wait a month to see how this ends.... any chapter synopses out there for this storyline?

And a small observation: Was it just me or did Mion come off as way too catty here? Perhaps from their perspective she needed to be scolded for her behavior but they also kept pretending to know what she was thinking when obviously they didn't, I hate it when people do that.

[Nochgo]

Mmm that was great. I was craving for some violence since the first two episodes, and this episode nicely satisfied that for me ^^. Just like the Higurashi feel I used to get from it. (of course, this isn't mainly why I watch Higurashi)

Anyhow, more and more things are being revealed. Can't wait for the next episode.

[kingsky123]

10... just for that chair shot

[Orophin]

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

God I can't wait a month to see how this ends.... any chapter synopses out there for this storyline?

Well, you can always read theacefrehley's rough translation of the Sound Novel if you want to.

Chapter: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

You only have to read chapter 5 if you want to continue where this episode ended but I would advise you to read it from the beginning to see what they left out in the anime.

[Eryops]

Originally Posted by izmosmolnar

Note: I haven't tested that version myself, I don't even know whether it works.
By the way does someone know how to get Rena to omochikaeri Rika? . I've been staring at them for hours, but they ignore each other. :/
And Rena goes ~L4 when you keep clicking on her .

The Rena program has Rena hug Rika by itself. They don't interact.

Originally Posted by izmosmolnar

Spoiler for Rika's family again:

Or did Rika's dad marry inside the Furude family and his surname was different before the wedding?

He did marry into the family. Rika's mother is the descendant of the family.

[izmosmolnar]

I see, thanks for the answers.

[Fujikira]

I gave it a 9.

Spoiler:

From me playing Daybreak my expectations were met, but in the motion graphic didn't Rika only hit Satoko once with the chair?

[kk2extreme]

is rika gonna chair her mother too, or something else

[Orophin]

By the way izmosmolnar, I had not seen the episode yet when I anwsered your question about the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama but now I understand why you were confused since the anime got it wrong.

Anime:
There was multiple reincarnations of Oyashiro-sama. The legend says that after the present reincarnation dies, the next reincarnation will be the first firstborn child in the family that is born a girl.

Sound Novel:
There is only one reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama as Hanyuu said that she was waiting for Rika's birth for 1000 years. The legend says that when there will be eight consecutive firtborn childs that are born as girls, the 8th one will be the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama.

I really don't know why they decided to change that.

[KoiYuki]

Originally Posted by Fujikira

I gave it a 9.

Spoiler:

From me playing Daybreak my expectations were met, but in the motion graphic didn't Rika only hit Satoko once with the chair?

No, she hit her 3 times or so, as you can read from this:

Spoiler for Visual Novel:

爪を、指の付け根に折り込むようにしながら拳を握りしめる。
I grasp her fist tightly, making sure to tuck in my nail into the joint of her finger.
沙都子に、とても重要なことを極めて短時間で説明し、かつ理解させて反論を許さないには、この方法が手っ取 り早いと思った。
In order to explain a very important thing to Satoko in an extremely short time, make her understand and not allow any rebuttal, I thought this method was the fastest.
私の右拳を沙都子の顔面にくれてやる。　
I punch Satoko's face with my right fist.
拳の先端が沙都子の、左目の下淵に叩き込まれ、当分消えないだろう刻印をくれてやった。
The tip of my fist was driven deep into below Satoko's left eye and gave her a seal I guess won't disappear for some time.
すぐさま髪の毛を鷲掴みにして床へ転げさせると、近くの誰かの席の椅子を振り上げ、それで二度か三度、打ち 付けてやった。
I promptly grabbed her hair and made her tumble to the floor and then, I raised the chair of someone nearby over my head and then, hit her two or three times.
何が起こったかも理解できない沙都子は、突然の暴力に混乱し、亀のように縮こまるしかなかった 。　
Without being able to understan what happened, Satoko was confused by the sudden burst of violence and all she could do was to curl herself like a turtle.
…こういう状態のところへ椅子をくれてやったって、ちょっと迫力があるだけで、そうそう怪我をするもんじゃ ない。
... Even though I had hit her with the chair in such conditions, since I didn't use much strenght, she was not that much injured.
その椅子を振り上げ、沙都子の上半身を跨ぐような形で叩き置く。
I raise the chair and leave it straddled over the upper half of Satoko's body.
それはちょうど、床に転がる沙都子を拘束するかのよう。
It's just as if restraining Satoko tumbled on the floor.
私はその椅子に足を振り上げて、まるで杭を打ちつけるように踏みつけた。
I raised my foot and placed it over that chair, and treaded on it as though nailing a stake.

Something I found interesting was that when Rika hit Satoko, Satoshi didn't come running to save her. I guess that's more expected in this world, as neither of them are so drained from being bullied like they were in the other worlds.

[izmosmolnar]

I see now. I started to fear, there might be something wrong with me not to understand.
I also remember the part about waiting for 1000 years and the 8th girl being the reincarnation. I believe it was stated somewhere in the anime too (I mean not in Higu Rei, but somewhere earlier), since I haven't played the VNs apart from the first ark, but I still remember something along those lines.

Spoiler for overanalyzing theories:

I find it a bit controversial how Rika's mom bears this title now. If I understood everything correctly so far, and try to theorize how is that even possible with the information I believe I know, I have to assume there was another female born in the generations before Rika, and that someone died while still being an embryo here, but in the normal worlds she lives usually.
Or the other way around, and that certain girl in the previous generations has born here in the present world, but in the usual worlds she dies in embryo-state normally.
But how could they squeeze in another generation without messing up the timeline (and the genes)?

Spoiler for umineko joke spoiler:

It has to be magic! Obviously it was done by Lambdadelta!

Or if I take both accounts together, theoretically it could be possible, that Rika's mom somehow timetravelled back 8 generations, killed her great-great-great mother (who was the Reincarnation at that time) and her daughter (so she won't inherite it), and by doing that she somehow directly inherited the title and the powers, since she is the last living daughter in that timeline. But for crying out loud, that's a crazy theory! There are so many point wrong with that. Not to mention it would be a true, genuine Grandfather Paradox itself!.

I honestly don't know what to think now, and how did Rika's mom become the Reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama. I'd appreciate it, if someone would enlighten me about that "controversy" somehow .
Anyway, I hope next episode will shed some light on that.

[Orophin]

Originally Posted by izmosmolnar

But how could they squeeze in another generation without messing up the timeline (and the genes)?

Spoiler for a hint for the next episode (potential spoiler):

Things like that doesn't really matter in the sinless world.

[Klashikari]

Actually, there is no need for gene, but rather "timing".
Let's imagine that there was twins that were about to be born. What if, in the original setting, you have male X born before female Y? Y would still be a girl, but not a first born. What if in a very cuckoo world (that is actually beyond S rare, considering the only 1 occurence), that Y was born before her X twin? It would add a "first born" in the counter.

If we just take this possibility as the first of the chain of the 8 first born, it easily explains how the reincarnation wasn't applied on Rika.
Just a matter of a few seconds gap can change the whole ordeal, without screwing that much the timeline.

[Archon_Wing]

This is a great episode, as the choice to make here is very hard. Probaly the greyest moment of this series.

On one hand, we have Rika, who has tried over many lifetimes to reach a world where she and her friends would be alive together. After she finally achieves it, one mistake causes this world where everything is right, and in many ways, much better than the previous worlds except for her. But certainly she deserves better than this? But on the other hand, it seems like going out of this world and knocking off her mom who has done no wrong either is downright evil. She would essentially be ruining a perfect world for herself. What will happen to this world afterwards? It would truly suck for them, as to them they just got Rika to open up, but she just ends up killing her mom! It'd be messed up if killing her mom does not bring her back to the correct world, as Hanyuu doesn't seem really that certain about anything. And what if she's actually delusional and is just "seeing" hanyuu just because she wanted to? It's also established that Rika is dead in the previous world, so what's gonna happen there? Wouldn't they have to roll the dice again and perhaps create another world that may be worse the both?

This episode was also probably one of the most disturbing to me out of the Higurashi series. The first time she gets close to her mother, she's trying to figure out if she has to kill her, while retaining that childish guise. No wonder it breaks when alternate- bitch Satoko decides to mess with her. Oh yea, anyone find it funny that Satoko isn't really that messed up later in the day after she got beaten up like that by Rika? She still looks arrogant as hell; I'm surprised she's not limping or huddled in a corner somewhere. This Satoko may not live long. I can only conclude that ability to withstand massive amounts of pain has been passed down from the previous Satokos, given that she often gets the worst of it in the worlds we've seen.

Waiting for the next episode! This will be awesome, no matter how it ends.

[UnknownBeast]

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

Was it just me or did Mion come off as way too catty here? Perhaps from their perspective she needed to be scolded for her behavior but they also kept pretending to know what she was thinking when obviously they didn't, I hate it when people do that.

Well...

Spoiler for probably.. saikoroshi VN spoilers:

I think the OVA skipped the part where they explained Mion is technically Shion. Cause the switch never happened in this world.

Delete if inappropriate dear mods.

[aldw]

I've always wondered how the others would have reacted if they ever had a chance to know what Rika knows, how would they deal with it?

[izmosmolnar]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

Actually, there is no need for gene, but rather "timing".
Let's imagine that there was twins that were about to be born. What if, in the original setting, you have male X born before female Y? Y would still be a girl, but not a first born. What if in a very cuckoo world (that is actually beyond S rare, considering the only 1 occurence), that Y was born before her X twin? It would add a "first born" in the counter.

If we just take this possibility as the first of the chain of the 8 first born, it easily explains how the reincarnation wasn't applied on Rika.
Just a matter of a few seconds gap can change the whole ordeal, without screwing that much the timeline.

Oh yeah! That's a good possibility, shame on me for not considering something like that.

Also moving along with that logic, we could consider some kinda "genderbending accident". I mean the father of the previous Reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama 8th generation ago has born as a female instead of a male like in normal worlds. So the whole order goes one generation upward and that made Rika's mom to become the Reincarnation (since she is the 8th here and Rika is the 9th).

[SnowSong]

Poor Rika. However, can anyone reveal from their visual novel experience whether Rika was ever close to her mom before she died? Or how affectionate is Rika towards this mom?