If ch. 1 is all about dread and paranoia, ch. 2 is about pure horror and regret. There are moments like the first chapter with a sudden pointed question that destabilises us; some aspects of the plot purposefully misdirect us and throw our sense of reality for a loop. But it doesn't finish off with a sort of inevitability, anxiety; it stops and stops and stops — each new ending in the story just ramping the horror up and asking more and more supernatural questions about the world as a whole. In this story it didn't feel so much like "are we crazy?" as "how true are these outrageous things in every other story?" Nearly the entire cast is dead, and the bleakness of the story and its resigned laughter play better with the world than the last story's ending, I think, which just asked some questions that happened after the events of the story, offscreen...

Between that and the slice of life having a nicer balance (though still somewhat outstaying its welcome...) it executes more strongly than the first chapter, though the first chapter had to introduce these characters; this chapter can just hit the ground running, after all...

I slept with the lights on last night.

Accompaniment: Televisions by Current Joys

It's becoming more clear that attempting to treat these chapters as if they were their own self-contained entity is folly, but I think I'm still able to say a few words on it as its own story.

For one thing, it's obvious that you should be playing Chapter 1 first to get introduced to all the characters and put you in the right mindset, but besides that I found Chapter 2 to be a heartbreakingly sorrowful tale of a best friend losing her state of mind to a powerful demon. While Chapter 1 is meant to make the reader feel paranoid, Chapter 2 sends them in a state of denial with you learning so much about one particular character and just how deep their emotions and sins go.

Watanagashi stands head-and-shoulders above Onikakushi for me, and earns the oh-so coveted title of Alliecore for one particular reason, and that's Mion's struggle with identity. When Mion first mentioned that sometimes she wonders why she wasn't born as a boy, I joked about it with my friend going like "Mion trans arc??? Based Ryukishi07???" But then the story went on. And as it went on, her struggles with femininity became more than just a simple line and I found myself relating heavily to that.

Mion is for the most part a tomboy, but as Rena mentions, she has an unseen feminine side. I may be different in that I am a trans woman, but I have trouble expressing that I am that. I myself do prefer androgynous clothing simply because it's easy to wear and comfortable, but that means that my identity is invisible to the naked eye of the random observer. The pain I feel in never getting to be called miss or ma'am is enough to break me into tears at night. Especially when my own family thinks I don't make sense. That pain rivals what Mion feels when Keiichi treats her as a boy. While she has different reasons for feeling pain (namely, romantic interest), the message is the same. It's not that she's blaming Keiichi for not treating her the way she wanted, but it doesn't take away from the fact that she's hurt and she wants him to know the pain she feels. I don't want to blame anybody either for their ignorance, but sometimes it's a bit hard when I give clues like my trans-designed sweatshirt or a pin showing my pronouns.

Another point of emotional pain I sustained within this scenario was Keiichi trying to give the doll to Mion after she was fully consumed by her demon. After finally recognizing her and him trying to make up for his blindness, it's too late. Mion stabs him and he drops the doll, soaking it in a pool of its own blood. The doll is a representation of Keiichi seeing Mion for what she is, and it being ruined by blood is a ruin of that perception, the beauty of caring for a best friend marred by the blood of a relentless evil.

I compare that scene to my current state of mind, my deep desires to cut contact off from my non-understanding family and friends that have greatly hurt me clashing against my meek and forgiving personality not wanting to go through with it. I fear that Watanagashi is a reflection of my intrusive thoughts and what happens when they fester. In my case, it is the desire to hurt with words, and with the intensity of hammering 30 nails into one's fingers.

I'll talk real quick about the horror. Definitely not as unsettling as Chapter 1, maybe because I could sort of expect what was to come this time around but the CGs of Mion going insane are going to keep me up at night lmaooo.

Everything just made me yearn much more to want to have a good ending for everyone. But at the same time, I'm also hoping the Chapters 3 and 4 live up to the attachment that Watanagashi had for me towards Mion. I'm also hoping, like, the ending isn't terrible either because this is a goddamn 60 hour time investment and I would be FURIOUS if the ending sucked lmao. Also I find Keiichi to be a massive shithead. I hope future chapters show him growing as a character. But, overall, still very much into this series and I can't wait to finish it!

The final hours of Watanagashi are my favourite part of the question arcs. Keiichi’s character in this episode is like a foil to himself in Onikakushi. In that chapter he is consistently paranoid and mistrusting of his friends, while Watanagashi shows a Keiichi who is intensely trusting and loving. Throughout the chapter he prioritizes the other over the self, experiencing intense guilt over what is essentially a silly action. It’s easy to look at Keiichi’s decisions in this chapter and make fun of his stupidity as many have, but I think this is missing the climax’s point. Keiichi’s decisions are questionable when looked at with reason, but Keiichi is operating on the principle of faith. One of the themes in Higurashi is applying this religious faith in the secular worlds of love and friendship, and from my memory this finale is the first time where it becomes especially evident. Keiichi’s journey with Mion into the basement of the Sonozaki house is a leap of faith, and Keiichi maintains this faith even when he is confronted with what appears to be pure evil. Even when he is told that he is being deceived he continues to have faith in his friend, outright denying the murderer in front of him as Mion. The whole climax is basically Keiichi being tested to maintain his love. Higurashi creates a really interesting mix of childish innocence and total bleakness. They’re often viewed as separate, but the series’ best moments are when these two modes synthesise into one.

While the climax is the standout, the rest of the chapter is also great. I don’t think it’s quite as gripping as Onikakushi’s second half is, which comes down to Keiichi having a much-needed ally in Rena this time around. That doesn’t mean it’s worse though - this chapter is where I really began to love Rena as a character. Here she continues to get more complex than her cutesy “hauuuu!” persona without ever betraying Keiichi like in Onikakushi. She’s also really fun in the detective mode, especially when she basically pulls a Columbo bit on Mion near the end. One thing I love about Higurashi’s time loop setup is how we learn more about the characters in their different variations, and how these variations suggest that the characters’ actions are driven by circumstance rather than anything innate to them. The paranoid Keiichi of Onikakushi and the trusting Keiichi of Watanagashi are not two different people, despite the apparent contradiction. For a first time reader I think the most key thing to pay attention to is the differences in characterisation between chapters. I think the most important thing to ask is what circumstances could resolve these contradictions.