For probably the first time in Higurashi, an episode totally focuses on one character. And all of the events happening center around this character, perhaps meeting up with Tomitake and Takano is the only scene that didn’t involve her in some way. Keiichi also plays for narrator again, which is interesting, seeing the nature of the show. And yet again, each of the characters acts a little bit different. I’ll get to this at the end of the post, when I discuss the differences from the previous arcs. Tomitake is perhaps the only one who really stayed the same. In any case, you just can’t help to feel sorry for Satoko. I’m no exception to this, and I loved the episode.
We start out one morning, three days before the Watanagashi, and Satoko seems to have called in sick. Everyone is worried about her. Keiichi, Rika, Mion and even Rena (we never get any paranoid actions from her). Then the OP rolls. Keiichi helps a couple of kids get their football back, and then Oishi runs into him. This time, Oishi isn’t looking for Keiichi, but he’s looking for Satoko. Keiichi refuses to tell Oishi about Satoko’s condition, and then Oishi gets evil for the first time in the anime, trying to strangle Keiichi. He eventually manages to get his information from a couple of little girls.
It also becomes clear that Keiichi’s the heir of the Maebara-estate. Apparently, his father is a rather famous artist. Anyway, Irie, or the Director, manages to save Keiichi. Apparently, Oishi and Irie aren’t friendly with each other. Later, Irie tells Keiichi a few facts about Satoko’s past. Apparently, after their parents’ death, she and her brother were taken in by her aunt and uncle, though they were heavily abused. Apparently, the aunt was the victim of last year’s Watanagashi, being beaten by a drug addict. Her uncle then moved away. Though he still visits them (this becomes clear when Keiichi hears a rumour from a couple of boys).
That evening, Keiichi decides to pay a small visit to some kind of house. I seem to have missed something here, as it’s not the same house that was shown in the sixth episode. Or do Rika and Satoko live apart after all? Anyway, then he manages to run into Irie and Satoko. Apparently, Irie met up with Satoko while she was bringing some groceries homewards, and it was just too much for her to carry, so he offered her a lift.
Satoko then looks too sad. It’s not done in an over-the-top way, so it’s just perfect. You just can’t help to feel pity with her. Especially when you see her bruises, and you see her begging to Keiichi to not interfere and compares Keiichi with Satoko (apparently, the two had a lot in common). Still, at that moment, she is in disease/demon-mode. She just reacts totally different from Mion, Rena and Shion when she does.
Irie also has problems with this, but he manages to convince Keiichi to stop. The two of them talka bit later. Apparently, Satoko wants to survive on her own against her uncle, without anyone’s help. This is why the child welfare agency hasn’t interfered yet. Apparently, she really lives on remembering Satoko.
Keiichi then wakes up at the next morning, and then he runs into Tomitake. Apparently, he was planning to go with Takano to the shrine two days before the Watanagashi. This was the first time that Takano talks about the fact that she has seen him before. She also mentions that Keiichi’s the heir of the Maebara estate. As the two of them don’t have to fill in Keiichi about what happened at the Watanagashi, the three of them could speculate a bit. Takano suggests that someone could be using the Watanagashi-murders as a cover.
At school, Keiichi confronts the others with the fact that he knew that Satoko didn’t have a cold. And yes, everyone knew what was happening. They decided to cover it up with a lie, in order to not make other people worried. Still, they get sad when Keiichi mentions it. Then Keiichi asks Mion to listen to him for a bit. He then asks her to make the next Watanagashi-victim Satoko’s uncle. I’ve got some small problems with this. He just knows too little in this arc to be suspecting Mion to be the murderer. He also just assumes that Mion’s a murderer, and thinks about totally other things. Still, it was adorible to see him wanting to safe Satoko. The great thing about Keiichi is that he’s crazy enough do all kinds of things that people would normally consider incredibly risky.
In any case, Mion refused. And she told Keiichi that she’d never do anything as killing. This brings up an interesting issue. Remember episode eight? In there, Mion confessed that she was the center of all of the Watanagashi-murders. Sometimes, she was directly involved. At other times, she wasn’t. At one of these times, she was lying. At the moment, I’m guessing that she was lying when she told Keiichi that her family had nothing to do with the murders. After all, we know that she’s able to lie in order to hide truths that don’t need to be known.
The next day, Satoko seemed to have returned. Apparently, someone called the child protection agency. She and her uncle managed to convince them that there was a misunderstanding. Satoko did this willingly. This only makes her case even sadder and more awesome. It is then revealed that the uncle isn’t even blood related. Satoko’s mother seemed to have remarried another guy, whose brother was the uncle. Even her father used to abuse her.
Then, the fivesome has lunch, and the best scenes since the first arc are shown. Everyone who couldn’t feel pity with Satoko after that scene should be labeled as an emotionless bastard. Rena gets giddly first (awesome as well ^^), and then Keiichi pets Satoko a bit. This reminds her of Satoshi, and Satoko gets paranoid, pushing Keiichi away with enormous force. She also throws up a bit. The episode ends with Satoko repeating “gomen nasai” over and over. I absolutely loved this. 🙂
A thing I wonder is about Rena. She has been infected/her demon has awakened. Then why isn’t she chasing Keiichi with a large machete, or something? What causes her to react differently from the first arc? I guess it would be Keiichi pushing her. After last episode, Keiichi totally stopped suspecting her, which was something that he did during the first arc. In that case, her reaction is totally different from Mion, who just needed the slightest emotional disappointment in order to literally slaughter the entire neighbourhood.
I’m wondering what’s up with Irie. This arc shows that he really is a nice guy, without any malicious intentions. In that case, what were his intentions at the fourth episode? Why did he send so many men in order to save Keiichi? Cos’ disease theory would fit right in. Keiichi had the disease at that time, and couldn’t think clearly. At that time, Irie was trying to cure him, and he asked the help of Mion and Rena in order to inject some antidote, though he completely misunderstood them, and beat them to death with a club. But still, this does leave some open holes. Even for hallucinations, some of them were just too natural.
But then again, if Keiichi really was infected, this would also explain what drove Satoshi away. Satoshi just had the exact same disease Keiichi had in the first arc. There was nobody to support him, so his disease kept getting worse. Then, at the night of the Watanagashi, he killed his aunt, then he realized that he was going into the wrong direction, and ran away from Satoko. Probably trying to protect her. He also took his saved money, as he did prepare his trip. At the moment of the anime, he either died, or he’s still alive somewhere. Living his life, thinking of Satoko.
If you view it like that, then it appears that the first arc was actually a crucial introduction to the anime. It didn’t focus on Rena at all. It focused on the disease! It showed how someone, infected by the disease loses himself more and more. When you compare this to the following arcs, at which Keiichi doesn’t become paranoid AT ALL, you can deduct that the disease can actually be prevented, provided that there are other persons who actually treat you with care. In the first arc, Rena and Mion tried, but failed. Their last attempt, to use the syringe, failed miserably. In the second arc. Mion never got any support out of anyone, so ever since Keiichi gave the stuffed toy to Rena, she’s been fighting against her disease, and losing. That means that during this episode, Satoko already was awakened because of her uncle, but she managed to fight her disease, and she managed to not lose herself in the process. Now, with what happened at the end of this episode, this balance has been destroyed, as Keiichi reminds her too much of Satoshi. Keiichi will now have to do his utter best in order to be able to save Satoko from killing herself by means of the disease. I also fear for the uncle now.
There’s just one part about Higurashi I hate. You just KNOW that the next arc will focus around Rika. There is no other way. Even though I’d love to see that, it’s just too directed, which is not good for a show like Higurashi. We’ll probably get to know more about her mother who commited suicide, and what the mysterious illness was that struck her father. (any bells ringing at your end as well? *wink, wink*). The fifth arc will then focus on Rena. The more I see this, the more I begin to believe that she indeed did not enjoy sufficient background. This will probably be given in the fifth arc, so that the sixth arc will be the one to tie all strings together.
I’m also wondering. When Satoko’s mother and step-father fell off the cliff, only the step-father’s body was found. What happened to the mother’s? There’s also no clue about what happened to Satoko’s real father. Has he died in the meantime? It would seem logical, after all, otherwise Satoko would’ve moved in with him already.
Differences with previous arcs:
– Keiichi actually values Satoko’s life above that of his own. He’s even more humane than he was at the previous episode.
– Rena is either paranoid, worried or giddly. She never has serious- or detective-mode on like in the second arc. Her disease actually fades. We don’t see any paranoid reactions from her, when you compare it to the first arc.
– Rika’s even cuter than before.
– Satoko is acting more and more angsty. Her disease gets active, in contrast to the previous arcs.
– Mion is actually concerned and serious, in a non-angry way.
– No Watanagashi during the second episode of the third arc.
– Rika does not mention the fact that she participates in the Watanagashi.
– Takano mentions that she’s seen Keiichi in the hospital (interesting note: there has yet to be a mention of the link between Irie and Takano).
– Keiichi meets up with Tomitake two days before the Watanagashi, instead of the day before in the second arc.
– Oishi does not want to talk to Keiichi this time. Oishi is also seen working on a case before the Watanagashi has taken place, and his personality is totally different. After all, the case involving Satoko is more personal, so he doesn’t have to be nice, and fill Keiichi in with information, like he did in the previous arcs. I’m wondering what will happen after the Watanagashi. After all, Keiichi will be an important witness again, having seen Tomitake and Takano whilst at the temple.
– I’m not too sure about this one, but does Takano carry a camera in the first two arcs? In any case, this is the first time she mentions it.
– The fact that Keiichi’s the heir of the Maebara family, and that that gives him some status, is mentioned for the first time.
– Chie-sensei is actually shown and mentioned. She played an incredibly small part thus far, I believe she was only mentioned in the first episode. And is it me, or does she looks a suspicious lot like Rena? Wasn’t she some kind of relative to Rena?
Overall, now I know for sure: there is a disease, not a demon. All of the events happening in Higurashi can be logically explained. Still, I do have a few questions. First of all, where did the disease originate? It appears that people already carry the disease, and that sad emotions are able to trigger it to become active, making the victim paranoid, causing visions and making them not afraid to kill others. Is this hypothesis true? And what are Tomitake’s and Takano’s part in this? And what about Mion’s tattoo? (Wild Theory: what if the Cicadas are actually the ones who spread the disease? It would at least explain the title of the series.)
I thought that it was established that Satoko tried to get her step dad on trumped up charges and was found out by the investigator. I find little pity for her as it seems that she is choosing to staying an abusive environment and refusing all help to the point of justifying it. Her “suffering” is mostly self inflicted since she wallows in her own cowardice to not take the first step in ending it.
She lied once and denied the second chance to get out, as they say lie to me once shame on you, lie to me twice shame on me. The teacher tried to do the right thing and made the third report only for Satoko to willingly deny the truth. Pity is wasted on such a miserable creature that doesn’t bother to try. She lacks faith in her friends and those that care, this is not the mark of a tragedy but rather of selfishness and idiot idolatry of martyrdom. No one can drag her out of her own abyss if she insists on crawling deeper into it, Sisphus would have better luck completeing his task than one would have in disarming her of her stupidity.
Jeepers Crusader, she’s a still a little kid. Remind me never to ask you to babysit
Just because she is a little kid around 5th grade I assume does not excuse stupidity. Even if the child does not understand all the reasons for doing things, by age 7 a child should have at least a sense of wrong and right. She is not defenseless she proved that when she concocted her scheme to frame her step dad. If she could do that much when she was younger she can certainly summon up that cunning again.
Adversity cares little for age, gender, or what have you. When it comes you have but two choices stand up and fight back or bend over. The trials of life spare none children can only be sheltered for so long before it becomes ridiculous.
Children can be as bad as a adults its just that a smattering of ignorance that makes it more insidious. Kids can bully one another and are more than capable of lying and cheating when it suits them. Part of growing up is realizing what what is right and what is wrong and acting accordingly. Recall your own past and think about what really went on back then, was there no discord? If so you were blessed, not everyone gets to look back to childhood with nothing but fond memories. The only thing kids have is the right to dream they do not have permission to perpetualy perform stupid actions.
Clarification:
Rika and Satoko lived (note the past tense) together, until Teppei came back to Hinamizawa. Legally, as he is her foster father, he can take Satoko away from Rika back to their house.
The human mind is a strange thing. Especially if you’re a kid. The fact is that Satoko’s world broke down when Satoshi left. She couldn’t process this fact and nobody was there to help her (I think). At that point, she made the decision to wait for Satoshi, and survive her uncle’s abuse on her own. I think Satoshi also had some influence on her before he left, though that’s never mentioned in the series.
The fact remains that Satoko managed to convince herself that that acting like this was the only option. Do you really think that you’ll be able to change from that point on? The fact remains that she is a seven-year-old girl. She’s pretty bright for such a small girl, but remember that young minds are exeptionally fragile. When little children get used to something, they really believe that, and they need another person to tell them that what they’re doing is wrong. And even then it doesn’t work out in most cases. When Satoko convinced herself that she didn’t need any help, she did make a mistake, yes. Though she does not realize that she did. It’s a vicious circle, in a way.
Oh, and kj1980: thanks for clarifying. 🙂
I won’t go into any speculations yet even if this episode leaves many door.
There is just something really bugging me in Higurashi it’s the overacted scenes who really contrast too much with the normal ones,sometimes it’s really laughtable.Also the voice doesn’t go well with the image since the seyuu keep a less loudable almost scary voice when the face have emo contorsions is if they were burning.This is why I would recommend the subed version,since while reading the subs you don’t concentrate as much on the coherence as without.
Also a traduction error,at the final scen Satoko word weren’t “No…no…noo…”but”No..It wasn’t me….no…”,even if I’m not too sure about it myself.
Hopefully I’ve seen episode 11 and it’s a lot better!
Also Tatagorosi will have 5 episode.
It also looks like that Satoko abuse treated so seriously made a lot of people mad,but after seing episode 11 I think i understand why it was so “crude”.
Well, the fact that they show her in that state at only the second episode of the arc. I can indeed imagine that things’ll only get worse. I’m hoping that things don’t become fake with this, expecially when you consider that this arc has five episodes, instead of the usual four. This suggests that this will probably the heaviest arc yet. I’m fearing as well for the future episodes. The fact remains that the series is low-budged. It’s based on an awesome game, though the creators mess up at a lot of different points. I would’ve loved to see this series being carried out with a lot of efford put into the emotional distortions. That would’ve been awesome.
If Mion and Rika were really tryin to save Keiichan in the first arc, why would they act so suspicious? Besides, they even insert needles into the food….