What creeped me out and made a powerful blast of emotional thriller on me was the "oni & psycho" music played to emphasize Shion's trauma and horror at performing the
kejime. It brutally struck me when hearing the noise....
A powerful and ominous episodes; one of Higurashi's at its finest. Ironic coming from a guy like me that never has had played the game before.
After reading the TIPS for Meakashi-hen coupled with this episode and the previous one, I can start piecing how Wataganashi rolled to its haunting unfolding.
I have also make use of my knowledge gathered from Himatsubushi-hen.
Spoiler:
Meakashi-hen portrays not only the prequel of events preceding Wataganashi-hen but also Tatarigoroshi-hen as well.
Remembering how Oishii was menacing on Tatarigoroshi?
When he approached Satoshi to deliver his alibi at the station, Oishii was highly insidious for the subject and even felt intimidating, that is until Shion cut him short with her disclosing to be the Twin of the Sonozaki's heir.
Also on that particular scene there's another memorable Shion moment. The camera closely pans at Shion's face showing her eyes bugged out and contorted.
It makes me to reflect and to persuade me both that it was Shion back at Wataganashi-hen whose face became twisted, as if possessed, and suffered a brief fit of rage while she was holding the ladder for Keiichi.
Also remember back in episode 3 of Wataganashi-hen when Keiichi slapped who he presumed to be Mion at the other end of the phone about knowing the elder's kidnapping one day prior to his dissappearance, how Mion maniacally and insanely laughed?
In Meakashi-hen she derisively and sarcastically laughed the same way to challenge her Oni-Baba to outright confess cynically to the whole Sonozaki clan that she (Shion) loves Satoshi, a Houjou, without caring for her namesake or her family's legacy.
It was her maniacal laughter and how she laughed all open-mouthed, that makes me certain to acknowledge that it was Shion back at Wataganashi-hen during all those freak incidents with Keiichi.
I'm also speculating from Himatsubushi-hen, that actually the perpetrator or murderer planned all those killings with anticipation and expectance needing to make himself or herself of the right conditions (Wataganashi) and resources to pull out the stage of terror. Most likely made use of certain characters with grudges against mainly the Sonozaki family or generally to Hinamizawa as scapegoats to cover his/her motives.
For example, Satoshi who is presumed to have killed his aunt; likely the perpetrator took that murder on advantage or Satoshi unaware became a pawn to the perpetrator's needs to commit that murder.
What purpose to cement the locals phobia and hysteria of Oyashiro-sama deadly curse? A ruse to divert attention to the scapegoats. For the year 1982, it was Satoshi's turn.
It may also proves that the real culprit has been planning all the heinous crimes at least within a year of precedence.
So mainly back at 1978 after Akasaka's visit to Hinamizawa, the culprit started his/her machinations on planning the murders.
Meakashi-hen could cement my speculation that Shion would have had a hand on Wataganashi-hen at the year 1983, according to the culprit's calculations and predictions.
And indeed Shion is experiencing on raw flesh how she's starting to feel bitter and murderous about her own family and those who brought misery to Satoshi.
In her black list would be placed:
- Satoko (obvious, she's the interference between Shion and Satoshi)
- Oryou (Shion's Oni-baba whose wretched stance against the Houjou's have casted ostracism and enmity to Houjou Satoshi)
- Mion (Her elder twin who was more favored by the Sonozaki Estate and seemingly Shion witnessed her sister to be on collaboration with the rest of her wretched relatives)
- Oishii??
Could be, however, I think not. Reserving my opinions until obtaining more data.