Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira (2011, Studio Deen, 4 OVAs) on 01/16/2015.

With the Hinamizawa murder mysteries long gone and out of the way, the show has no other option but to resort to the legendary powers of fan service for the series 10th anniversary! Watch as your favorite Hinamizawa heroes don themselves in controversial magical attire to fight evil syndicates or just for the sole purpose of serving your questionable moe entertainment needs!

8/10 - Hahahah! This show was a f**king ride from start to finish! A friend of mine warned me about some sort of weird concept called "jail bait" if I were to watch this show. But I've no idea what she was talking about, honestly, this show was unbelievable! I recommend it! Now excuse me, some angry men at violently knocking on my door shouting my name for some reason.

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei (2009, Studio Deen, 5 OVAs) on 01/07/2015.

With the Hinamizawa murder mysteries solved, Furude Rika and her friends are finally able to enjoy peaceful lives without worrying about watching their backs. But suddenly things turn sour when a horrifying accident sends Rika yet again back in time to another timeline. However, something is very different from the usual time travels she's done before. Rika finds herself in a world with no conflict or conspiracy to be solved. But when presented with a choice, she struggles to choose between going back to her own timeline or to stay in the new 'perfect' one.

7/10 - This was an interesting little side story. However, I don't feel it necessarily contributes much to the series as a whole. The first episode is very out of the left field considering the story for the rest of the episodes, but I suppose they were just trying to show how Hinamizawa is peaceful again, albeit in a questionable way. The animation quality has improved, and the soundtrack didn't quite standout that much. I'd say Rei is not a necessary watch. Just interesting.

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (2007, Studio Deen, 24 episodes.) on 12/29/2016.

The Hinamizawa mystery murders of 1983 continue to take place over and over again from the same point in time as Furude Rika struggles to break the endless cycle of death that keeps sending her back in time to save the village. But this time, light is shed on the darkness of these events as we and Rika herself learn more about the sinister minds that pull the strings from the shadows. Is this the chance she's been waiting for?

8/10 - I LOVED this series! And I like to think I should've just skipped the original series and just watched this one, but I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this one as much if I hadn't. Either way, it really sheds a lot of light on everything that wasn't explained in the original series, and I really liked that. The animation quality is a lot better with a lot less weirdly distorted facial features and body anatomy. No more stick legs. And the soundtrack is good too with some returning tracks.

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2006, Studio Deen, 26 episodes.) on 12/08/2016.

Hinamizawa is a secluded little country village with a horrifying mystery on its hands. For the past four years some villagers have died while others have mysteriously disappeared during the town's popular Cotton Drifting Festival held every year to appease Lord Oyashirou, the deity which the locals say cast the curse that killed and spirited-away the recent victims.
But the truth behind Lord Oyashirou's Curse might just lie with the town's youth. Five young girls and an energetic young man named Maebara Keiichi find their friendship tested by the curse of their town's legend.

7/10 - Higurashi has quite the fame within the community. A cute little story about middle and high school friends sharing good times in their after-school club activities that soon turns sour when something snaps and suddenly they're out to murder eachother.
What's really interesting about Higurashi is the order in which the story is told. Nevermind the fact that the first few episodes, if not the whole season itself will leave you mind boggled about what exactly is going on with Keiichi and friends, but the story seems to continue as if following different universes where things happen differently than previous episodes. For first timers like me, we might just have to watch the show a second time paying closer attention to details.
It's really an interesting story but the show's animation quality is not quite as great with character's often drawn with weird proportions or strangely drawn facial features. But the soundtrack is alright with an opening theme that would sure bring vivid memories to fans.