#but obviously i'm not one of those people who believe ryukishi had everything about the sequel planned from the very start

[onewholivesinloops]

This bit in From Frederica to You has GouSotsu and GouMeguri vibes

[endlessame]

higurashi ch3 tatarigoroshi thoughts

Yesterday i finally finished Higurashi's third chapter, "Curse Killing/Tatarigoroshi".

I have lots of thoughts about this chapter. So let me put them all in this post.

Obviously, spoilers ahead!

Let's begin by coming clear. I figured that Tatarigoroshi was gonna be a Satoko revolving chapter... and I wasn't super into it. Not that I dislike Satoko, obviously! But at first, it seemed to me like a chapter around her wasn't gonna be as interesting as one revolving around the Sonozakis or Rika. I was proven SO wrong SO fast.

The silly atmosphere of the beginning of this chapter was one of the best, but when we got to THIS part?

This trope is one that always gets to me. The trope of "seeing the ghost of someone in someone else" always gets me so emotional, specially in fraternal contexts. This chapter gave so much depth to Satoko's character... the whole Nii-nii part sealed the deal. I was crying.

Seeing Keiichi in a light that wasn't just "silly mc burdened with the horrors" was also really nice. His role in this whole chapter was amazing, honestly. He felt really genuine and human with his reactions.

As I said, the silliness was peak this chapter. Not really fond of the Coach though, he's a weirdo in a lot of ways that I dislike.

But enough of the silliness, because like every Higurashi chapter... those fun days had to end.

The whole deal with Satoko's uncle was devastating to read. It really drove home the point of Ryukishi's line of work, because this depiction of abuse and reaction to it is so harrowingly realistic that I, who don't really sob much with fiction, I usually just shed a tear or two quietly... was sobbing on this part. Like, a whole lot. When Satoko said that line? I couldn't hold back the tears.

Then you see Keiichi's reactions, and you're with him. Like, how are you NOT gonna be? You want to act as soon as possible, obviously... but everyone's telling that's not possible. You act, and you might screw everything up.

So when you get to Satoko's breakdown in class... it was one of the most terrifyingly real things I've ever read. Satoko's reaction to contact... it broke my heart. I was devastated for her.

Which was a great way to make me, and I'm sure that a lot of people as well, get on board with Keiichi's plan.

From here, we get a really interesting insight in Keiichi's/the killer mind. It's creepy in a way Higurashi never really showed us before, which I think it worked great. Keiichi's plan and murder scene were written in a way that made me go the whole time "something's gonna go really bad, isn't it?" Sure, Takano's apparition was bad enough as it was, but I was pretty sure she was gonna end up... well, like every other chapter.

But aside from that... everything started going badly. It was terrifying to read and imagine myself in Keiichi's shoes. A new you is going around. You killed someone, right? He's still alive. There's proof that you killed him. Yet, there he stands. You feel like you're going crazy, because you probably are, right?? But no. Satoshi's bat is gone. You really did do it.

But there's no body. You confess to someone you believed you could trust, but at the end... he doesn't believe you. You go to save the reason behind this entire murder... and she calls you a murderer. She tries to kill you.

And then, they're all gone. Just like that, a curse killing.

This chapter's ending rounded up perfectly. Everything, everything kept going up, and up... until it burst in this chapter, where no one was left alive, except for Keiichi.

And well, something I noticed... was that even now, Satoko's uncle didn't figure as dead on the credits. He's just... gone.

So now, let's jump into a fun part: theories! I'm really self-conscious of talking about theories, because I'm always afraid of messing something up badly, but whatever. I think it's better to push myself.

What happened? The difficulty of this chapter was said to be impossible, and it truly seems like it. Now, this may be the little Ushiromiya Battler inside of my mind, but I believe there has to be some human explanation to all this, right? Like... I was one of the people who, although believing in the magic of Umineko, still liked to try to unveil the mysteries. I want to fight the witch that's presenting me these challenges, so... what are my thoughts?

The most worrying part is the whole Two Keiichis Situation. At first, I believed that everyone knew that Keiichi murdered her uncle, so lied in order to protect him in case someone (Ooishi) saw the body. But then, the uncle turned out to be alive, because Satoko really didn't seem to be lying...

Could this whole thing be just... a delusion from Keiichi? The whole "murdering with a curse" thing just seems unlogical. Yet again, there's nothing impossible in Hinamizawa...

My best theory right now is that everything we see since Keiichi decides to murder until the great Hinamizawa Disaster... is in some way or form, a lie. I don't know why, but that's my biggest bet. Probably wrong, but oh well.

Also, who murdered Rika? That's another thing to be asking.

To end things, I also noticed how in the Review, they mention the next chapter to be Meakashi, and part of the Answers Arcs. Yet... the next chapter is Himatsubushi. That... really peaked my interest.

I can't wait to continue reading.

I saw a lot of people be excited watching someone reading Higurashi for the first time, so... feel free to send asks or whatever! I love to engage with people as I read. And thanks for reading this far, of course!

Let's see... what this mysterious chapter... this Final Mystery... wants me to think.