CJ’s jumping on the “Manga Monday” bandwagon! Each week she’ll cover a new manga series that’s either got her begging for a license or has her spitting fire at the screen. Either way, it will be entertaining, because she will likely drop all administrator pretentiousness and just speak the truth. (Interpret that as you wish.)
Half of me could never understand why Higurashi’s separate arcs were released as totally different manga series. Half of me doesn’t care because having different artists’ depictions of the characters (and resulting violence) is rather spiffy.
Unfortunately, the Higurashi series’ biggest draw for me is the thrills and action – which is best delivered in anime form. But Tsumihoroboshi-hen’s manga is one of the best of its genre; between its awesome art, pacing, and character dynamics, the Rena-centric arc is truly a gem. The chills and thrills are stunningly delivered, and its only real flaw is the relative lack of Rika-chama (thus far.)
After some silly school antics for most of chapter 1, the next two chapters cover Rena’s backstory, home life, and Oyashiro-sama-ing, and it’s actually not as boring as one would expect. I would love to delve into it without spoiling it, but it’s not really possible without a tl;dr annoyingly vague paragraph. It’s safe to say, though, that her story adds tons of complexity to an otherwise somewhat shallow character. (Come on, admit it – most of y’all just like her for the cleaver and thigh-highs, amirite?)
Eventually, another truth about her home life comes out: someone close to her dad is actually completely evil. And so Rena sets out to right wrongs; though she originally plans to do so without the use of her cleaver, things go awry and she ends up killing someone. And doesn’t care much. (Why? ‘Cause this is Higurashi.)
Though only three chapters have been scanlated (and no North American release scheduled yet, though it’s technically licensed) the ending has already been revealed by season one of the anime. I accidentally spoiler’d myself on someone else’s blog earlier, and things do take a bizarre twist away from the direction readers may think it’s going. I sort of hope the plot of the manga ends up differing from that of the anime – though the anime’s ending to the arc includes the most epic part of the season, it doesn’t make any sense. (Still, this is Higurashi, so… it’s to be expected.)
If you’re not already a fan of Higurashi or similar thrillers, such as Umineko no Naku Koro ni, then Tsumihoroboshi-hen’s not likely to change your mind much. But it is one of the strongest parts of the series, despite the baffling logic (and lack thereof.) If you’re not too scared of blood or prone to nightmares, this is a great read thanks to its superb execution and art. When I’m done with this (or maybe before, depending on the release schedule) I’m checking out Utsutsukowashi-hen, which is more Shion-centric and looks just as epic.
CJ’s Rating: 8.5 out of 10 California rolls
