Forum - View topicWhen They Cry -- did it work for you?
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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I finished the box set for When They Cry last week and looked around on the web for discussion and haven't seen much. I wonder if any of the readers here have anything to say about it.
It definitely delivers the unexpected, which I like. I almost quit it in the middle because it wasn't making sense to me, but it did such a good job of presenting paranoia and insanity that I somehow ended up watching it all the way through. This (repeated) story works its characters in very unusual ways: another strong point. Yet the ending which provided an "explanation" of what is going on seemed very unsatisfying. Too neat. Would it have been better to just leave that out? Or perhaps a more thoughtful resolution? I can't decide. |
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ZenErik
 Posts: 392 Location: Boston |
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Did you watch the 2nd season and OVAs?
Well, either way, I'm not much of a fan. The balance of cute and brutal in this particular show doesn't work for me. And the artwork is quite subpar. I love the first season opening theme at least. |
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ArsenicSteel
 Posts: 2370 |
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There is a second season that provides answers to the questions of season one. I however have not seen it yet.
With the first season under my belt I have to say the art, story telling, and suspense worked for me. |
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Opera Floozy
 Posts: 238 |
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As mentioned before, the second season provides the rest of the explanations. The OVA is related but does not provide any more explanation.
Unlike a large percentage of viewers, the juxtaposition of the cute characters, the brutality, and the suspense do not enhance the atmosphere for me. However, it also doesn't detract from it. What is great is the contrast between the serene town and the underlying mystery--an often used contrast, admittedly, but one that works very well. |
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HaruhiToy
Posts: 4118 |
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To clarify, I have the USA DVD box set which has 6 DVDs with 26 episodes. I think that spans the first and second seasons, doesn't it? The last episode reveals spoiler[that Oyashiro, speaking through Rika, is basically playing with the characters for his own amusement.] I can't think of a more workable resolution, but this just seemed to pat for me. Was there something that happened after that? |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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Nope, the 26 eps is still just the first season.
Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai(Sequel) has 24 more episodes. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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I absolutely love this series. Like you, I was confused with the first viewing, wondering why in the world they're retelling the same story plot. But after a while, it dawned on me there was more to it than that, which apparently gets tied up in the second season. The horror element was awesome and several scenes freaked me out for being completely unexpected. Who wouldn't when seeing a little girl taking a butcher knife and then spoiler[begin jamming her own head into it]. Excellent! Yeah, I love the gore. Between this and Elfen Lied, I just can't get enough of it. Not sure if anyone's willing to license the second season and OVAs, but here's to hoping FUNimation does. I'd buy them instantly. Yep, like Aria, once a series sells itself, it's impossible for me to ignore it and the "must... have... series" hunger seeps in and takes hold. |
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doctordoom85
 Posts: 2094 |
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I've yet to see Season 2 either, but I didn't see that at all. It seemed to me spoiler[that Rika knows about the time-resets/alternate worlds, and Keiichi (in the final arc "Atonement") inspired her to keep trying to save everyone from these tragedies. Where you got Oyashiro possessing her and messing with the protagonists, I dunno, that wouldn't make sense considering the "deep voice" Rika helped Keiichi and also cried at the conclusion of the climax when Rena trusted her friends. Doesn't sound like a mean-spirited god to me.] And no, the boxset is only Season 1. Season 2, which answers everything, has not been licensed yet. 
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Skylark
 Posts: 827 Location: ORE NO TSHIRT |
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Having seen both seasons I would say it was definitely a good series and interesting but is too long and drawn out for me to ever want to rewatch it. You guys are wrong about the conclusion of the mystery though. The ending (big spoilers) spoiler[shows that while Riku thought initially that sorting out their individual squabbles would put an end to the time loop, it is actually the blonde chick hanging out with the photographer causing the tragedy which makes the shrine spirit "reset the time". Eventually the shrine spirit forms materially to help push the Game Club in the right direction; the spirit basically doesn't want the city to be destroyed and everyone in it to be killed so she continually repeats the time to give them the chance to stop it. With Riku retaining the memories from each loop she pushes the Game Club into action and they stop the blonde chick from proceeding with her plans; everyone is saved, the end.]
The ending was tied in really well and they did a good job of answering pretty much all the questions posed by the anime, and the intrigue did a lot to push the story and keep the tense atmosphere going. The atmosphere is lost a little on rewatch though because you know what the mystery is... and as such there's very little mystery left. I personally thought the brutality coupled with the overly cute moe characters made for a refreshing change from the norm and gave the series awesome points. How I would love to see an episode of K-ON where Yui spoiler[supports a knife on a wall and impales her throat on it over and over]. Or maybe I just have a sick mind. >.> |
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Parsifal24
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The first season is a masterpiece of suspense and psychological tension that I think ought to be watched at least once by anyone who likes Anime. In short it's just superlative.
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Mushi-Man
 Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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I really loved the first season. I thought it was very unique in it's approach and it was able to genuinely scare me. I made the mistake of always watching it in the middle of the night and I'd end up getting pretty paranoid. It has a really good way of turning the story on it's head over and over again. And each story arc keeps feeling different and fresh.
Sadly I haven't watched the second season yet. Although I know the second season is suppose to answer the questions left behind in the first season, but I don't find it that necessary. I enjoyed the first season because of the paranoia and and horror of it all. Honestly I could care less about the mystery. In fact I think it's a situation where I'd like it better if the mysteries were left unsolved. |
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Gewürtztraminer
 Posts: 1029 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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I have seen the first season, and played through it and about halfway through Minogoroshi, the third of the Answer arcs available from Mangagamer.
I was shocked that the visual novel was able to convey more story and more suspense than even the anime, using just background music, sound effects, text and (somewhat crude - do not look at the hands) cut out chars. Notice that voice is absent. These visual novels are LONG, and you tend to hit a point after 15 or so hours (per arc!) where you can not take any more. Minogoroshi is the first arc that was not presented in the first season, and kind of lets you know why things are happening. After a couple of weeks hiatus, I look forward to reading it to the end. In one of the developer chats in the game, they stated they were shooting for a Key (Air, Kanon, Clannad) level of involvement, but with mystery and horror as the purpose instead of true love. I think they succeeded splendly. The anime was really good, but they left out a very crucial point about the last arc of the first anime season. (it did not ultimately end as portrayed). The anime did not change anything, just neglected to include the epilogue with the shocking revelation about what happened next. The visual novels are expensive, but if you are into it, worth the price. |
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BMJ
 Posts: 28 |
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While the series is not for everyone, I enjoyed it immensely. People into moe shoes generally don't like watching their favorite characters get torn to shreds, and people who watch horror flicks generally don't enjoy shows that can give you diabetes from watching 2 episodes. People from either group can probably enjoy the series, but only those select few people who are into both will really love the series. I'd imagine a Venn diagram would show that to be a pretty small group though.
As others have said, the animations suffers at times, but that's never particularly bothered me. There are plenty of highlights to the series. For starters, the OPs from the first and second season are two of my favorite OPs from any series. They do a phenomenal job at setting the tone. The first season's horror elements are well done with only a few exceptions. Notably, spoiler[Shion's ladder scene was more funny than anything else.] I think spoiler[Rika stabbing herself in the throat, and Shinon's fingernail punishment] more than make up for it though. The latter especially had me sweating bullets. The intensity of that scene is something else. The second season is more mystery than horror, and it's also pretty well done. I think it's worth watching if only because of the exact moment everything turns around. spoiler[Akasaka's triumphant return was one of the most epic moments I've ever watched. By that point in the series you've seen 45+ episodes of unrelenting horrific failure for the cast, then out of the blue Akasaka single handedly saves the day. ] I was literally out of my seat cheering. |
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I've only seen the first season as well, but was aware of a second season when I finished it. I think the ending holds up just fine as a 're-openable ending'... something that allows them to come back for another season if they get the chance, but still gives closure if they don't. At the very least, it lets me wait paitently to see if/when we get the rest.
As for the show itself- the formula worked very well for me. I don't typically watch horror. I don't like it. My mom, on the other hand, adores it. This show ended up being something we could watch together... the resets (and occasional comical failure at being scary) helped break up the more horrific elements for me. It also made those moments more effective... everyone expects the kids in the creepy dark haunted house to get axed. We don't expect that to happen to the happy normal kids going to and from school... or for them to do that to each other (or themselves.) |
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IncompetentOverlord
 Posts: 139 |
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Hell yes. I normally don't go for Moe or horror stuff, but when you combine them, it makes horror less inherently ugly and moe less inherently sugar-coated. The whole meta-commentary of the show also totally grabbed me.
Oh, and the character designs are probably the cutest things this side of pokemon. |
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