This chapter is very difficult for me to speak about because of how many emotions it made me go through. First and foremost, I was absolutely touched by the emotional bond that Keiichi and Satoko shared at the beginning. I was quite close to tearing up a few times when Coach Irie was talking about her life while "Sunrise" was playing. And Satoko calling Keiichi her Nii-nii just got me all 🥺🥺🥺

I should've despaired more then when all those wonderful emotions came to an end. Instead I found myself screaming at my computer yet again as Keiichi railroads himself into another horrible situation. I thought maybe he would be a bit more bearable after seeing him decide it's not best to pry into Satoshi's disappearance or avoiding Ooishi, or even the whole act of getting to know Satoko. He still has a lot to grow from, and while I can't call it bad character writing at all considering the nature of who he is, I found it too unbearable personally. I'm looking forward to him hopefully continue his growth! But until then, thank GOD for Rena for calling him out on his shit sometimes.

Again, this is by no means a bad chapter. While Onikakushi provided a source of horror and Watanagashi provided me emotional resonance, Tatarigoshi provided a complete gut-punch with its sheer mysterious elements coming out of left field. I was expecting a twist on the formula this time around with Keiichi being the harbinger of the curse by a simple murder. While it...kind of became true, I'm still reeling as to what kind of curse Hinamizawa is facing.

The end especially leaves me with a bunch of questions I'd like answered. And of COURSE that's what Ryukishi wanted. He, say it with me now, played me like a damn fiddle. Is the toxic gas part of fate? The curse? Part of Keiichi's wish? God knows. This is the perfect chapter to lead into the second half of the saga. I'm also finding out now that there are WHOLE ARCS from the console releases. God damn what did I get myself into.