Higurashi Q & A

[Yirba]

I think in the VN, the background photo does show bars on the bridge, although the actual text implies there are no such bars. 07th Expansion probably didn't think to Photoshop the bars out.

When DEEN made the anime, they probably just used the background photo as reference and added the bars in.

[Sir Maddy]

Well that's pretty dumb for DEEN to do that. Because it is not possible for a person to slide between bars when pushed.

[Yirba]

But actually, when I first read that in the VN, I thought that was one of the "mysteries" to be solved. There wasn't really an answer, so I guess it's not really a "mystery" as Ryukishi07 intended…

[Sir Maddy]

Yeah, it was more like a "What the fuck just happened" moment.

[Kishin]

maybe a bar wasnt connected at the bottom, he fell through and the bar fell back into place (keep in mind its been a while since i last watched/read )

[Ithekro]

Maybe he was so delusional he really jumped and Satoko wasn't really there.

[Sir Maddy]

Or maybe, Satoko has special powers. You never know.

[Blackwings55]

Hello Heres the question, within the Higurashi visual novel Tsumihoroboshi while just after oishi finishs talking to Doctor Irie he reflects on his situation and calls it a maze as an example he says he wants to find the culprit but alludes to the fact that he can remember the past worlds by saying "but...................... No matter what path I choose to get to this point, Tomitake Jirou always dies" along with this and his past thoughts it appears to me that he does remember the past lives he has lived or at least right then like Keichi does. I also no that maybe in every world he doesnt remember but in this one he does or he just alluding to his past actions in the last for years failing at catching the culprit. Im just not leaving all possibilities out all possibilities.

[PBsaffran]

"No matter what path I choose, Tomitake always dies" is a thought from Rika. How did you get that it was from Ôishi?

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Blackwings55

Hello Heres the question, within the Higurashi visual novel Tsumihoroboshi while just after oishi finishs talking to Doctor Irie he reflects on his situation and calls it a maze as an example he says he wants to find the culprit but alludes to the fact that he can remember the past worlds by saying "but...................... No matter what path I choose to get to this point, Tomitake Jirou always dies" along with this and his past thoughts it appears to me that he does remember the past lives he has lived or at least right then like Keichi does. I also no that maybe in every world he doesnt remember but in this one he does or he just alluding to his past actions in the last for years failing at catching the culprit. Im just not leaving all possibilities out all possibilities.

Well I don't remember Ooishi ever remembering his past worlds. Are you sure you're not talking about Rika? I mean, she IS the only one thanks to Hanyuu who can remember past worlds (excluding Keiichi), and that thought sounds like something she would say. I think you got your characters mixed up or something.

[Kishin]

Yeah, I can't say for sure cuz its been a while but I'm pretty sure that was a quote from Rika. She's the only one I remember who described fate as a maze with no exit

[Draugur]

Hello, thanks for this thread which already gave me some very helpful answers.

Some things seem easy to figure out once you read them. But I would never have thought of them myself because it's so confusing to look at from Keiichi's point of view in the question arcs. I watched the anime first, then read the manga (at least all which is translated into English until now, as far as I know) and now I'm reading the Sound Novel, having reached Minagoroshi so far.

There is one question about Meakashi (anime version) which I'm unsure of:

Spoiler for Shion - Meakashi:

What or who makes Shion fall in the end? In the manga she seems to lose balance in some way. In the anime version there's an "invisible nail" tearing her shirt which has been made fun of in discussions sometimes, but I also read some people say it's Hanyuu. But if Hanyuu can do that (touching people, influencing their movements), why doesn't she do more to prevent the "L5" victims from killing others? Apart from that, is Hanyuu really ready to kill for revenge or to prevent further violence? Or is it Mion's ghost which has been following Shion telling her to die in her apartment (I think Mion's ghost can also be explained as Shion's bad conscience and her longing to put an end to herself).

Also I would like to know if there are more Higurashi mangas translated into English than the main arcs, Onigarashi, Yoigoshi and (partially) Hinamizawa Bus Stop.

[Ithekro]

Spoiler for Shion:

I am under the impression she slipped normally. The nail was only their to give the audance a look at her back...that does not have a tatoo. Thus confirming it is Shion, as it is Mion that has the tatoo. Thus if Rena had called her bluff and had Shion show them her back there wouldn't have been a tatoo there to see.

[Guernsey]

Spoiler for Tokyo's Plan:

This more of 'what if' question but what if Tokyo was successful in fulfilling their goals for a biological weapon? They were just using Rika, Takano and the Hinamizawa Syndrome for their own purposes but what if it was successful?

[Ithekro]

Spoiler for Plan ?:

If their was actual something real they could weaponize? Will techically they would be in violation of Japan's Constitution since the end of World War II. My guess it was designed as something they could use as leverge against the United States and the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s when Japan was sitting fairly high economically. But using something like that would likley be considered a WMD and the UN might warrent dragging Japan over the coals so to speak because of it. While it isn't nuclear, I doubt the Japanese people would have been all that happy with the idea of a rather nasty biological weapons that drives people insane. Such a thing could easily backfire, as the targets could go L5 on their attackers before they die, and we saw how hard it was to stop even a young teenage girl at L5 (Rena). Assuming it doesn't just make them kill themselves in minutes by scratching out their own thoats.

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Guernsey

Spoiler for Tokyo's Plan:

This more of 'what if' question but what if Tokyo was successful in fulfilling their goals for a biological weapon? They were just using Rika, Takano and the Hinamizawa Syndrome for their own purposes but what if it was successful?

Spoiler for Plan:

Well if they were successful, Takano would be dead and so would Rika and alot of people would be dead.

[Draugur]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Spoiler for Shion:

I am under the impression she slipped normally. The nail was only their to give the audance a look at her back...that does not have a tatoo. Thus confirming it is Shion, as it is Mion that has the tatoo. Thus if Rena had called her bluff and had Shion show them her back there wouldn't have been a tatoo there to see.

Thank you for answering. I always thought another scene about the tattoo is very interesting.

Spoiler for Shion - Meakashi:

Is Shion willing to expose her back because at that point she's already sure that she's really Mion? Or is she sure Rena and Keiichi don't want to see her body? What would she have done if they would have looked at her and found out there's no tattoo?

[Sir Maddy]

Originally Posted by Draugur

Spoiler for Shion - Meakashi:

Is Shion willing to expose her back because at that point she's already sure that she's really Mion? Or is she sure Rena and Keiichi don't want to see her body? What would she have done if they would have looked at her and found out there's no tattoo?

Spoiler for Kind of an answer - hope it helps (sorta):

Well considering how delusional Shion is at this point.
I'm not surprised if she would of thought that she was Mion.
And if she did show them her back, pretty sure that would conclude she was Shion.

[Draugur]

Thanks, Sir Maddy.

Now by reading through a wikia article, another question came up to me.

Spoiler for Himatsubushi - Okonogi:

Who is really behind the kidnapping of Toshiki Inukai? Is it the Sonozaki family (I always thought so) or is it the Yamainu force? I know they wear the typical Yamainu suits, but I thought these suits were some kind of work suits which anyone could get to seem like some kind of forest service worker.

Is one of Toshiki's guards really Okonogi? This would be confusing to me because Okonogi seems to walk around later on in Tsumihoroboshi, Minagoroshi and Matsuribayashi. So Oishi, who also comes there from time to time, might recognize him. At least provided that everything has happened in this world as it did in Himatsubushi.

In case the Yamainu did it: Why don't they kill Akasaka and Oishi? I thought this tactic (avoid killing anyone) would rather fit the Sonozaki family and their codex of honour than the Yamainu who never seem to have any scruples as far as killing is concerned.

I never thought about the Irie Clinic already being in Hinamizawa when the dam project was still active. This would, of course, be a reason for the Yamainu to prevent the dam from being built because the Irie Clinic would also have to be submerged. But why don't the leaders of Tokyo use their political influence to stop the dam project, rather than taking the risk of a kidnapping that might go wrong?

[Daisu]

Spoiler for Okonogi:

Originally Posted by Draugur

Who is really behind the kidnapping of Toshiki Inukai? Is it the Sonozaki family (I always thought so) or is it the Yamainu force? I know they wear the typical Yamainu suits, but I thought these suits were some kind of work suits which anyone could get to seem like some kind of forest service worker.

Yamainu were the kidnappers.

Originally Posted by Draugur

Is one of Toshiki's guards really Okonogi? This would be confusing to me because Okonogi seems to walk around later on in Tsumihoroboshi, Minagoroshi and Matsuribayashi. So Oishi, who also comes there from time to time, might recognize him. At least provided that everything has happened in this world as it did in Himatsubushi.

In other worlds Akasaka followed Rika's warning and went back to Tokyo and Oisihi never got that close to culprits again. It did not matter if they rescued the boy or not, the boy was in midst of being returned and dam conflict was already resolved.

Originally Posted by Draugur

In case the Yamainu did it: Why don't they kill Akasaka and Oishi? I thought this tactic (avoid killing anyone) would rather fit the Sonozaki family and their codex of honour than the Yamainu who never seem to have any scruples as far as killing is concerned.

Killing a cop would cause an investigation, leaving them alone lets the Yaminu let their superior officals drop the case. Various military and government bodies are behind Yamainu and would cover things up to prevent blame.

Originally Posted by Draugur

I never thought about the Irie Clinic already being in Hinamizawa when the dam project was still active. This would, of course, be a reason for the Yamainu to prevent the dam from being built because the Irie Clinic would also have to be submerged. But why don't the leaders of Tokyo use their political influence to stop the dam project, rather than taking the risk of a kidnapping that might go wrong?

The dam offical was not blocked earlier enough with his overzealous to create a dam. Yamaniu showed what they could do and dam offical was finally persauded. It was matter of pride and stubborness that he continued to fight through red tape. You can persaude the public behind you to make those perventing look bad.

It reminds me of mayor rob ford of Toronto, Canada and his subways, it like almost exact same o_O There so many cartoons of him on the internet now.