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Higurashi When They Cry: Demon Exposing Arc
It's been almost a year since Natsumi and her family moved from the town of Onigafuchi. Her grandmother, a native of Hinamizawa village, fears that they will be cursed for abandoning the mountains, but Natsumi has never been happier, making new friends and enjoying school life. When a terrible gas explosion in Hinamizawa wipes out everyone in the village, her grandmother is convinced it is the wrath of the village god, Oyashiro-sama. Natsumi's family has never taken Grandmother's beliefs seriously, but her devotion to Oyashiro-sama has taken a frightening turn. Have the old woman's fanatical convictions gone too far?
408 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2011
4 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
Ryukishi07
299 books321 followersRyukishi07 (竜騎士07, Ryūkishi Zero Nana?, born November 19, 1973) is the pen name of a Japanese man originally from Chiba Prefecture who is well-known as the original creator for the idea of the visual novel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Umineko no Naku Koro ni. He is the representative member of the group 07th Expansion. His pen name originated from the Final Fantasy series, "Ryūkishi" being the Japanese term for "Dragoon", and "07" goroawase for the name "Lenna". His illustration style is recognizable from the large hands he draws on people.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 17, 2016
“Only two roads remain that lead to her. To be enveloped in her gentle madness and die a happy death... Or to be dragged into cruel reality and live in despair.”
May 29, 2011
This volume is a bit of a change from the previous way Yen Press has been releasing the series. While the previous arcs would be released in separate volumes, this book collects both volumes of the Onisarashi-Hen arc (Demon Exposing Arc). It's also a bigger size than the previous volumes are, so it won't match up with the previous volumes.
First off, you don't really have to have read the previous books in the series to be able to enjoy this volume. You'll still feel like you're missing a lot, but the tension will still be present. At this point in the series they haven't fully explained all of the mysteries behind Oyashiro's Curse, so you'll be just as confused as the average Higurashi reader is.
What I liked most about this was that it addressed what happened to the villagers who no longer lived in the village. This takes place immediately after one of the failed summers of 1983, so it's interesting to see the ex-villagers' reactions to everything. It's very much a new story point for people to focus on, although I'll admit it left me with more questions than answers. For some reason I feel like this volume was far more gruesome although it's no more or less violent than previous volumes. It's still well done, but it just seems more visible, possibly because this volume helps break up some of the repetition of earlier volumes.
I did enjoy this volume, although I can't help but wish that it was the same size as my other volumes. I love that the bigger size makes the artwork easier to look at but I'll still notice it on my shelves.
Well worth buying, though.
First off, you don't really have to have read the previous books in the series to be able to enjoy this volume. You'll still feel like you're missing a lot, but the tension will still be present. At this point in the series they haven't fully explained all of the mysteries behind Oyashiro's Curse, so you'll be just as confused as the average Higurashi reader is.
What I liked most about this was that it addressed what happened to the villagers who no longer lived in the village. This takes place immediately after one of the failed summers of 1983, so it's interesting to see the ex-villagers' reactions to everything. It's very much a new story point for people to focus on, although I'll admit it left me with more questions than answers. For some reason I feel like this volume was far more gruesome although it's no more or less violent than previous volumes. It's still well done, but it just seems more visible, possibly because this volume helps break up some of the repetition of earlier volumes.
I did enjoy this volume, although I can't help but wish that it was the same size as my other volumes. I love that the bigger size makes the artwork easier to look at but I'll still notice it on my shelves.
Well worth buying, though.
April 5, 2021
I really didn’t like this story. I will say I was not familiar with the story this one is associated with either. From the cover and the leading that there was going to be some kind of relationship between the boy and her, it was not that story. It’s a horror story. I get that. But the plot was really slow moving, and then the end is just a complete 180. The result doesn’t fit the characters at all. It’s like you’re looking at two entirely different sets of characters. And yes, you can say it has to do with the curse, but for at least one of the characters you can’t use that excuse. The only reason why this isn’t a single star is because it did make me continue reading til the end because I wanted something to happen for her. But overall this story was a disappointment for me. I don’t think I’ll be reading the other books.
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November 26, 2013i dont like so much
June 5, 2025
Higurashi: Onisarashi-hen (Demon Exposing Arc) by Ryukishi07
This one was great.
Onisarashi is a side story set outside Hinamizawa and Okinomiya, revolving around Kimiyoshi Natsumi and her family--a part of the Three Families--trying to live separately from the villagers and find new hope in the bigger city. It's best to be read after Chapter 4 ( Himatsubishi-hen ) of the main series, for it contains major spoilers for Chapter 3 ( Tatarigoroshi-hen ) ending as well as uses the character of Akasaka.
Similar to many latter arcs in Higurashi, Onisarashi deals with the psychological and social topics, the primary being the ostracism and the resulting inability to properly integrate into society, the raising need to lie and conceal the truth. The major reason I like the arc is that it shows the aftermath of the main series and its effect on related parties, with the latter perhaps being even more serious than it was in the original. A less important reason is that local Akira is not a wimp but an actual gigachad ready to protect his girlfriend, unlike his counterpart from the Console Arcs. The final twist was also a good addition, flipping the entire picture upside-down.
It's a good, chilling story with some pretty messed-up panels, so if you wish to get more from the WTC Universe, go for it. And in case you want to read more about Natsumi, get more detailed exposition of her character, see the resolution of her story, and find out who is Madoka be sure to check the Console Arcs (Someutsushi, Kageboushi, Tokihogushi, Miotsukushi Ura) or, alternatively, the Kizuna manga.
This one was great.
Onisarashi is a side story set outside Hinamizawa and Okinomiya, revolving around Kimiyoshi Natsumi and her family--a part of the Three Families--trying to live separately from the villagers and find new hope in the bigger city. It's best to be read after Chapter 4 ( Himatsubishi-hen ) of the main series, for it contains major spoilers for Chapter 3 ( Tatarigoroshi-hen ) ending as well as uses the character of Akasaka.
Similar to many latter arcs in Higurashi, Onisarashi deals with the psychological and social topics, the primary being the ostracism and the resulting inability to properly integrate into society, the raising need to lie and conceal the truth. The major reason I like the arc is that it shows the aftermath of the main series and its effect on related parties, with the latter perhaps being even more serious than it was in the original. A less important reason is that local Akira is not a wimp but an actual gigachad ready to protect his girlfriend, unlike his counterpart from the Console Arcs. The final twist was also a good addition, flipping the entire picture upside-down.
It's a good, chilling story with some pretty messed-up panels, so if you wish to get more from the WTC Universe, go for it. And in case you want to read more about Natsumi, get more detailed exposition of her character, see the resolution of her story, and find out who is Madoka be sure to check the Console Arcs (Someutsushi, Kageboushi, Tokihogushi, Miotsukushi Ura) or, alternatively, the Kizuna manga.
August 1, 2022
Mamy rok 58 ery Shouwa. Natsumi jest zwyczajną nastolatką, która dopiero co przeprowadziła się ze wsi do miasta. Chłonie całą sobą wszystko, co miejskie, podkochuje się w koledze z równoległej klasy, upaja piękną pogodą, czasem kłóci z nieco dziwnie zachowującą się babcią. I to właśnie zachowanie babci będzie katalizatorem strasznych wydarzeń w jej życiu. Bo rok 58 to czas tragicznych wydarzeń z Himinazawy, a babcia była kiedyś mieszkanką tej wioski. Od tego czasu wciąż tylko wygaduje o klątwie czcigodnego Oyashiro. Chyba każdy by zwariował przy takiej staruszce, stąd rodzina przeżywa psychicznie naprawdę złe chwile. Jednak to dopiero początek złego.
Więcej na: https://www.monime.pl/gdy-zaplacza-cy...
Więcej na: https://www.monime.pl/gdy-zaplacza-cy...
April 1, 2020
A standalone side story to Higurashi that I just really didn't find interesting. It spends a lot of time going over the curse, which is probably fine if you haven't read any other Higurashi volume before, but I've already read everything else so it's just filler for me. The new material just didn't feel as well executed to me either, but maybe that's partly because the characters don't have a chance to develop.
Personally I'd recommend just sticking with the main volumes.
Personally I'd recommend just sticking with the main volumes.
November 16, 2022
It's an alright story.
June 14, 2015
I really love this story line so much, and I was so glad when it was adapted into the main Higurashi visual novels. This volume really has all the best aspects of the first arc of the series while further developing and establishing that the individual arcs of Higurashi aren't simply Game Overs once Rika dies - there really is a future that goes on afterward, and it extends into eternity, with all the consequences thereof. Natsumi is so stinking adorable, even if she does plant an immediate death flag with her "I like stories with happy endings" comment. Regarding the horror elements, for the most part, they're well-done. There is one scene that set me off originally and that I still almost always skip over because it's just too much for me to handle, but that's really a personal thing. The point is that the gruesome parts are generally done for a clear purpose, no more and no less, and they help the story develop into an ending that........
OK, here's my one complaint (that isn't just a personal issue), and I think it only holds for the English translation. Originally, there was an epilogue to this arc that took place five years later. I've read a translation of it. That epilogue really creates amazing closure that capitalizes fully on the bittersweet ending. For whatever reason, that epilogue was cut from the English release. The result is an ending that can lead to some fridge horror once you stop to think about it. At a bare minimum, Natsumi needs some sort of mental health treatment. Akira probably does too (The epilogue establishes that he's just fine, but I'm speaking about my own thoughts when I originally read the English version sans epilogue). Natsumi may still have issues with the police, depending on how the government decides to handle her case. She has no family to go back to. She's only, what, 16? 17? She's not exactly in a state to make it on her own. And it felt like the story was forced to halt right after Akira stops her because they felt like, "Wait, if we go any farther, people will see just how little this actually fixes." It sort of runs contrary to what I considered to be one of the main points of the arc.
I originally rated this 4 stars when I read the English adaptation. When read in its full version including some translation of that original epilogue, I feel like it deserves the full 5 stars. The epilogue really satisfyingly brought the entire story to closure in a way that I thought was very intelligent and made full use of the plot threads left dangling. I'm rating the manga here in its entirety, so 5 stars it is with one major asterisk.
OK, here's my one complaint (that isn't just a personal issue), and I think it only holds for the English translation. Originally, there was an epilogue to this arc that took place five years later. I've read a translation of it. That epilogue really creates amazing closure that capitalizes fully on the bittersweet ending. For whatever reason, that epilogue was cut from the English release. The result is an ending that can lead to some fridge horror once you stop to think about it. At a bare minimum, Natsumi needs some sort of mental health treatment. Akira probably does too (The epilogue establishes that he's just fine, but I'm speaking about my own thoughts when I originally read the English version sans epilogue). Natsumi may still have issues with the police, depending on how the government decides to handle her case. She has no family to go back to. She's only, what, 16? 17? She's not exactly in a state to make it on her own. And it felt like the story was forced to halt right after Akira stops her because they felt like, "Wait, if we go any farther, people will see just how little this actually fixes." It sort of runs contrary to what I considered to be one of the main points of the arc.
I originally rated this 4 stars when I read the English adaptation. When read in its full version including some translation of that original epilogue, I feel like it deserves the full 5 stars. The epilogue really satisfyingly brought the entire story to closure in a way that I thought was very intelligent and made full use of the plot threads left dangling. I'm rating the manga here in its entirety, so 5 stars it is with one major asterisk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2013
This arc made absolutely no sense to me!
October 8, 2014
I am a big fan of the original Higuraahi series, & to me the original Higurashi no
March 19, 2015
Man the ending of this.....I honestly don't know how to describe it other than saying it threw me for a loop!!! It was a great read and I highly recommend it!!
May 3, 2016
Really good book, very gory
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews