Higurashi licensed by Geneon (June 2011: license expired)

[Kensuke]

Originally Posted by QBnoYouko

Ooh, wait, Higurashi 2 is in April?! :O

Maybe ANN knows something, but according to MoonPhase, it is still listed only as 2007, no other information. And April is only a month away, so I really doubt that Higurashi 2 will air then.

Anyway, Geneon is rapidly becoming my favorite R1 company. I'm glad that Higurashi is licensed, maybe a bit surprise thought. My poor wallet...

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

How do you draw that conclusion?

... Because they mentioned it almost as an afterthought and made no allusion to it being licensed along with the first series?

[Aya Reiko]

Same reason AS assumes Rozen Maiden Ouverture is unlicensed, there's no mention of it being licensed.

[QBnoYouko]

Oh, well no, I wasn't implying season 2 was licensed or anything. Sorry for the mishap. I was just surprised they mentioned that it's airing in April, especially since there was hardly any news about it at all lately, so I'm grateful for that if were true.

[Icehawk]

This is awsome, two of my alltime favorite anime series coming back to back, Haruhi in May, Higurashi in June. Never expected Higurashi to be licensed this fast.

[kj1980]

Its great to hear! The effort that we did on translating the TIPS and Pieces were not in vain.

[Sorrow-K]

Hate the name change. Should be either "When they cry" or "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni", not a mix of both. Obvious attempts to compromise like that irk me.

Oh well, dubious as the name change is, Geneon generally put out quality local releases. But, I dare say they have their backs against the wall as far as a dub is concerned on this occasion. To reiterate what I said elsewhere, it'll be tough for them to produce a comparable dub, given the seiyuu cast, their performances, and the massive amount of dialogue and terminology in Higurashi that's unique to Japanese culture.

LOL @ the reactions on ANN, btw. Did people really not pick this, or are they just being sarcastic?

[Bloodseeker]

I don't like the English name... I don't mind the idea of a name change, but "When They Cry" makes me imagine one of those boring slice of life movies or some romantic chick flick or something. Higurashi is a dark, brutal drama, and the English title definitely doesn't bring that kind of show to mind.

[theacefrehley]

Originally Posted by Bloodseeker

I don't like the English name... I don't mind the idea of a name change, but "When They Cry" makes me imagine one of those boring slice of life movies or some romantic chick flick or something. Higurashi is a dark, brutal drama, and the English title definitely doesn't bring that kind of show to mind.

well...
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni translates into "When the cicadas cry" and it doesn't bring those feelings either

[Bloodseeker]

But it doesn't make me think of a slice of life or romantic movie either.

[SpaceDrake]

Originally Posted by Bloodseeker

I don't like the English name... I don't mind the idea of a name change, but "When They Cry" makes me imagine one of those boring slice of life movies or some romantic chick flick or something. Higurashi is a dark, brutal drama, and the English title definitely doesn't bring that kind of show to mind.

Uh, "When They Cry" is the English title 07th Expansion uses in Japan releases. It's the one officially endorsed by the creator of the series. It hasn't changed at all.

(I'll agree it doesn't have quite enough "oomph", but Geneon can't be faulted for altering anything.)

Originally Posted by kj1980

Its great to hear! The effort that we did on translating the TIPS and Pieces were not in vain.

Yeah, thanks for the work you guys put into that - I have a feeling a lot of the buzz surrounding the show stemmed from the work you guys (KJ, Sushi, Freakman, and Lost Blue) put into translating all the extra stuff the TV broadcast didn't show. (I found links to that TIPS thread on multiple sites, so you were being seen well outside the core AS community.)

Though I wonder: did the JP DVDs come with TIPS? It'd be nifty if a lot of that material is included on the U.S. DVDs.

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by theacefrehley

well...
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni translates into "When the cicadas cry" and it doesn't bring those feelings either

Cicadas cry just before night, during the sunset or twilight. Has a much more ominous feeling. When you see the title "When They Cry" on an anime featuring cute loli-style girls on the cover, you don't get that same reaction...

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Mirrinus

Cicadas cry just before night, during the sunset or twilight. Has a much more ominous feeling. When you see the title "When They Cry" on an anime featuring cute loli-style s on the cover, you don't get that same reaction...

Heh. Well, it still remains to be seen just what will be on the covers. If Geneon goes after the cute, slice-of-life stuff, then yeah, it'll look like a poor-man's MariMite to someone who knows nothing about it. Hopefully Geneon will play the the horror angle, as I think it'd be better to be expecting that and get some cute stuff mixed in than to expect cuteness and fluff and the first thirty seconds feature two female students being beaten to a bloody pulp with a baseball bat . If the horror aspect is emphasized, then I think "When They Cry" is kind of vague and ominous.

And actually, Higurashi cry at twilight, whereas American cicadas are at it all day. "When the Cicadas Cry" probably won't make the same kind of sense to Americans.

[MarthX]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Heh. Well, it still remains to be seen just what will be on the covers. If Geneon goes after the cute, slice-of-life stuff, then yeah, it'll look like a poor-man's MariMite to someone who knows nothing about it. Hopefully Geneon will play the the horror angle, as I think it'd be better to be expecting that and get some cute stuff mixed in than to expect cuteness and fluff and the first thirty seconds feature two female students being beaten to a bloody pulp with a baseball bat . If the horror aspect is emphasized, then I think "When They Cry" is kind of vague and ominous.

And actually, Higurashi cry at twilight, whereas American cicadas are at it all day. "When the Cicadas Cry" probably won't make the same kind of sense to Americans.

I don't see this ending well.

If they don't use the original covers, they're going to be bitched at. None of them really use the horror angle either.

[BakaOnna]

Well... maybe people will wonder why there's a blood trail in the logo. I hope Geneon at least keeps the blood trail in the English logo since it's actually an important clue. Infinity symbol!

[grgspunk]

Originally Posted by MarthX

I don't see this ending well.

If they don't use the original covers, they're going to be bitched at. None of them really use the horror angle either.

I highly doubt they'll be able to use those covers if they're pursuing the horror angle and condensing the number of DVD volumes. However, I'm pretty sure they can always include the cover art in the form of postcards/pencil boards/reversable covers or in an art gallery in the extras section of the dvds.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Village Idiot

Buy the DVDs! And we might in a long shot get the game translated as well.

Of course i'm going to buy the DVD's, though i don't think for a second that'll help the game be released outside of America. Its not like that'll happen anyway.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by MarthX

I don't see this ending well.

If they don't use the original covers, they're going to be bitched at. None of them really use the horror angle either.

There will be fewer volumes than the R2 release (I'm betting on six volumes), so they may make their own cover art, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
If they only use a few of the original covers, the horror element can still be emphasized on the back cover.

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Of course i'm going to buy the DVD's, though i don't think for a second that'll help the game be released outside of America. Its not like that'll happen anyway.

Well, Tsukihime got an American release, and we all know how everyone loves to compare Higurashi to Tsukihime (even though the former has no pr0n). I think whether or not we see a release stateside depends more on 07th Expansion than the American market.

[MarthX]

More information

Geneon Acquires When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku Koroni)
Mar 6 2007
GENEON ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES ANIME MYSTERY THRILLER SERIES “WHEN THEY CRY (HIGURASHI NO NAKU KORONI)”

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. announced today the acquisition of the television anime series, “When They Cry (Higurashi no naku koroni).” Based on the popular visual novel series created for PC and video game consoles, “Higurashi no naku koroni” was made into a 26-episode anime series which first aired April 2006 in Japan. Reminiscent to the likes of Director David Lynch's “Twin Peaks” and “Blue Velvet,” with psychological shades of Director Satoshi Kon's “Paranoia Agent” mixed in, this rivetingly suspenseful and disturbingly bizarre series is animated by Studio DEEN (Fate/stay night, Read or Die, Fruits Basket) and scripted by Rika Nakase (Bleach) and Toshimfumi Kawase (director of Tenjho Tenge).

Synopsis:
It's tough being the new guy in town, having just moved into the small rural village of Hinamizawa, but when Keiichi joins an after-school club and befriends four cute girls, life doesn't seem too bad. That is, until he learns about demonic cults and a failed dam construction project, plus the grisly murders and disappearances that have occurred every year after the town festival. As shocking past events are unveiled through different viewpoints, Keiichi learns that things and even people aren't what they appear to be. How many of his club “friends” are involved and what are their plans for him?!

The first volume of “When They Cry (Higurashi no naku koroni)” is scheduled for a domestic DVD release on June 05, 2007. With the English language version to be handled by audio post production studio Bang Zoom! Entertainment, volume 1 will contain five complete episodes (125 minutes) and will be available in two formats: DVD and also a DVD in a slipcase collectors box, with room for the remaining five volumes.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pres...no-naku-koroni

[QBnoYouko]

Huh, Bang Zoom! Entertainment again.... I hope JYB doesn't get the role of Keiichi.

And it looks like they were wrong on Higurashi 2 after all. =/