I think the most painful moments in Higurashi are when Rika gets her hopes up…

So far, this Satoko arc seems to be progressing quite similarly to the most recent anime version (I think it was in “Kai”?) if I’m remembering correctly.  A little more rapidly, maybe – this could end in four episodes and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case last time.  And I don’t remember Oonishi having a major role in the denouement, as the final shot of this ep suggests he might.  It’s not the most exciting or interesting of the question arcs if I’m honest, but as a dissection of the inadequacies of local bureaucracy in Japan it’s certainly effective.

It seems pretty clear that the basic structure of “Gou” is following that of Kai (the best of the Higuranime, in my view).  That is to say the first cour representing story arcs that set up what happens in the second, which is where the real root causes of the Hinamizawa mystery are explored.  As such I would expect we’re going to see much bigger changes in the second cour of Gou than the first as a sort of butterfly effect kicks in, with small tweaks in the setup causing larger ones in the resolution.  There have certainly been differences (like Keiichi surviving “Watadamashi-hen”) but they’ve mostly been subtle ones.

Shion getting so worked up that she actually whacked K1 over the head with a chair always struck me as kind of a stretch, and that was no different this time.  But it certainly illustrates how worked up she gets where Satoko is concerned (though there are other reasons for her intensity of feeling here, as this version has only hinted at).  And I confess I would be pretty cheesed off too I were one of these kids, seeing how little use child welfare services has been in Satoko’s case.   Ever recruiting Chie-sensei to go to the CWS office only nets a cup of weak tea and even weaker response – “her case is still being worked on”.

The key element of this ep in the big picture, I think, is Keiichi standing up to Shion and preventing her from doing something she can’t take back, and (especially) Rika’s reaction to it.  K1 is a sort of wild card here, the outsider – and it seems that Rika sees possibility in him.  The possibility of breaking the cycle, of creating a new world.  It marks quite a contrast from last week, where Rika seemed pretty much resigned and ambivalent.  That, and all this talk of “Hinamizawa spirit” and unity, which is ironic to say the least (and intentionally too) – talk about a double-edged sword…