When They Cry fans got a much welcomed surprise when the announcement of a new Higurashi anime project was announced back in January 2020. Initially presented as a remake of the original anime under the name Higurashi – New, the series was revealed to be a sequel to the original story during the second episode. Going under the name Higurashi Gou, the series had some vague similarities to the original but managed to present various story elements with a new twist.

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Gou definitely tells its own story, though there are tons of call-backs to events in the original. Aside from that, it really does feel like a sequel, doing tons of things differently from the first series. As fans went through every episode trying to decipher elements of Gou’s mystery, these differences are what really stuck out the most.

10 The Remake That Never Was

Key-Art-For-Higurashi-New

When what would be known as Higurashi Gou was first announced, everyone involved with the project tried to pass it off as a simple retelling of the original story. The Deen anime is solid in its own right, but series creator Ryukishi07’s involvement with the Studio Passione project had fans thinking that this new series would be a more faithful adaptation of the VN.

Gou certainly feels like a remake at times, but the show only uses that sense of familiarity as a way of deceiving viewers. Passione has done an amazing job with telling the sequel narrative so far, and would have likely done just as good a job with a remake should that have been the plan.

9 Rika Is Alone This Time

Rika In Higurashi Gou

Rika turned out to be the real protagonist of the original series, constantly looping from timeline to timeline in order to prevent her death and live a happy life. Hanyuu stayed beside her through all of this, both aiding her with her looping and serving as an emotional support for the young girl.

In the current set of loops, Hanyuu is nothing more than a lingering trace of herself. She can’t do much to help Rika, save for giving her the ability to remember her deaths post “Curse-Deceiving” arc. Without Hanyuu there to support her, Rika will have to rely on her own strength of will to beat Satoko and Eua.

8 The Watanagashi Festival

Rika Performing The Watanagashi Ritual Dance

The Watanagashi Festival has always served as the point of deterioration for each loop. The continuation of Oyashiro’sama’s curse in the form of Takano and Jirou’s deaths are what push whoever of Rika’s friend group closer towards insanity, bringing about an irreversible tragedy.

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In Gou, the events are subverted. Takano and Jirou disappear during the festival, escaping Hinamizawa before the usual events can go into motion. Despite this change, Satoko’s intervening in each loop guarantees that the tragedies continue. With all of these external elements now in play, the events of the festival aren’t significant in the same way they were in the original.

7 A Stronger Emphasis On The Supernatural

Eua From The Original Higurashi Gou Opening Sequence

Higurashi has always had supernatural elements to it. But the initial mystery of Oyashiro-sama’s curse served as a mere red herring that obscured the true mystery of the series. Rika is caught between these two worlds, with the practical mystery of who kills her being her reason to keep looping, and Hanyuu’s assistance serving as her means of doing so.

Satoko’s connection to Eua mirrors this dynamic in some way. With Satoko serving as the new primary antagonist, and her primary means of instigating Rika being their shared looping ability, this new series has placed a much stronger emphasis on Higurashi’s supernatural elements.

6 The “Deception” Element In Each Arc

Rena Trying To Get Into Keiichi's House

Four of the five arcs presented in Gou revolve around deception, as indicated in the name. Each of the first three arcs play out similar to the ones they’re based off of from the original. But when it comes to the crucial moments in each one, a massive divergence occurs where something unexpected turns things upside-down.

Audiences later learn that this subterfuge is due to Satoko’s knowledge of past fragments, leading to her direct intervention in their events. At least that’s how it seems so far. With Satoko’s secret now exposed, it looks like Rika won’t be so easily deceived in Sotsu.

5 Rika Knows What To Do This Time Around

Rika Giving Keiichi Advice

From the audience’s perspective, the original series seemed to be a hectic set of inexplicable events. That’s how the question arcs were supposed to appear. When it came to the answer arcs, fans see Rika trying to intervene and stop these tragedies from occurring directly.

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Treating each new fragment similar to how she normally would, Rika attempts to stop things from escalating with knowledge gained from the original loops. Of course, things don’t exactly go as planned. Though she has all the right answers, a certain someone is actively manipulating things to play out much differently.

4 Changes of Heart

Teppei Trying To Reconcile With Satoko

A particularly interesting element of Gou that could very well play a big role in Sotsu is the how certain characters have experienced the events of past fragments in dreams. This has brought about some pretty interesting changes of heart for some of the series’ most villainous characters.

Miyo experiencing her death and seeing all the terrible things she does throughout the original fragments inspires her to come clean to Jirou, leading to their escape during the Watanagashi in the new loops. Teppei seeing his various deaths has him rethink his lifestyle and drives him to redeem himself and try to make amends with Satoko. Both of these will likely play into Sotsu’s narrative, and this phenomenon could very well affect other characters as well.

3 A New Culprit

The tragedies of the original series were its driving force and could all be traced back to Miyo and the secret organization, Tokyo. When the new series of loops begin, Rika rightfully suspects Miyo’s involvement though she gets cleared of any suspicion down the line.

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Gou’s biggest surprise was the reveal of Satoko being a looper alongside Rika. Despite being part of the main cast, Satoko always felt like she was forced into a more overly supporting role compared to the other club members. With Gou and Sotsu set to flesh out her character, Satoko happily took on the role of villain this time around. Whetherr or not she can redeem herself is yet to be seen.

2 Post Festival Accompanying Events

Rika and Satoko After The Events Of The Original Series

The original VN ends with the “Festival Accompanying” arc, and while there is some content that explore some of what happens after the main cast’s miraculous win, Gou truly expands upon the series narrative. Fans are introduced to the reality of Rika attending St. Lucia early on in the series, but it’s only when Satoko’s perspective is given that audiences really get to see what happens between the two friends after the original story.

It’s a bitter-sweet sequence, as Satoko and Rika’s friendship is continually reinforced while the other club members grow older and the group gradually drifts apart. This era could very well play a role in the upcoming season, depending on if and how Rika gets out of these loops.

1 St. Lucia School Life

Rika And Her St. Lucia Friends

A big part of establishing why Satoko ended up how she is in these new loops was exploring her and Rika’s differing experiences at St. Lucia. While Rika’s demeanor and book smarts make her a perfect fit for the school’s academic life, Satoko struggles in both regards and is thoroughly ostracized by her peers.

Satoko’s confrontational attitude certainly doesn’t do her any favors, but Gou does a good job at showing just what kind of school St. Lucia is and highlighting the problematic atmosphere the institution encourages.

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