Higurashi When They Cry

The summer of Showa 58. The daytime chorus of cicadas and the evening song of kōro (autumn field crickets) echoed through Hinamizawa, as if welcoming the early June heat. Hinamizawa is a remote village nestled deep in the mountains, far from the cities. In this village with a population of fewer than 2,000 people, a boy named Keiichi Maebara recently moved in from the city. Cheerful and sociable, Keiichi quickly fit in with his classmates at school. His closest friends included Rena, who liked to take care of others; Mion, the class president with leadership qualities; Satoko, an underclassman and expert ball player; and Rika, the daughter of the Kotegiri shrine who brought an air of mystery... He spent his days living a mundane daily life with his companions, believing it would continue forever. The annual festival held in June—the Watanagashi—yes, that day should have been a happy one too. However, after learning about a certain mystery surrounding Hinamizawa, everything changed... On the day of the festival, tragedy struck again. Every year, supposedly, one person dies and another goes missing. What was the truth behind the string of mysterious deaths that had begun several years ago? Who was the culprit? Driven by curiosity, Keiichi stepped into the darkness of the village. From that day on, subtle but undeniable changes occurred around him. Yes, everything... Only the sound of the kōro remained unchanged, heralding the arrival of early summer in Hinamizawa.