[Echoes]

I'll pretty much echo what's already been said about Kai. It's breathtaking, not as breathtaking as the first season, but not that far off either. The first half had some unforgettable episodes, I was especially spellbound by the episode when Ooishi rushed to the hospital just to find Satoko to have just passed on, simply excellent. The ending was good, though at this point I'm forced to mention the only problem I had with the second season. I hate to mention something negative when the impression on the whole is so overwhelmingly positive, but I too felt that some of the scenes in the final episodes were a bit weird. I thought they wrapped it up nicely in the very end, though.

The voiceactors did a splendid job, each character was distinct, consistent and just a pleasure to listen to, everything from Rena's well-known phrases to Keiichi's inspiring speeches sounded just right.

Higurashi's art is just lovely, as it was the first season, and some improvements in the animation didn't hurt either, though I don't put much emphasis on this considering the show gets by just fine without flashy stuff. The characters do look great, though, and that really helps.

The new was excellent, it didn't top the one from the first season in my opinion, but I didn't expect it to either, as the original opening is one of the absolute best (perhaps even the best) openings I've ever heard. The ending theme was fantastic, the eerie feeling at the end of each episode just transitioned perfectly into the calm, yet still a little eerie vocals.

Emotional involvement? Absolutely. Higurashi grabs a hold of me and won't let go.

On the whole, I think the second season is well worthy of a 9, (The first season is one of the few shows I've given 10) and I can't wait to see how they'll manage the third installment of the series. Though I realize it might be a while, it is well worth waiting for.

*Listens to the opening from the first season and falls into nostalgia*