Kagurashi-hen Part 1 (神楽し編 其の壱 God-Entertaining Chapter Part 1) is the twelfth episode of Higurashi: When They Cry - SOTSU and the first episode of Kagurashi.
Synopsis[]
Japanese[]
終わらない惨劇に、梨花の精神は限界に達しようとしていた。
今の雛見沢がかつての姿とは違うことを感じ取った羽入は、梨花に与えた不完全な力を修復することを決意する。
English (Translated)[]
Rika's spirit is about to reach its limit due to the never ending tragedy.
Sensing that the Hinamizawa of today is not the same as it once was, Hanyuu decides to repair the incomplete power she gave Rika.
Preview Gallery[]
Plot Summary[]
Prologue[]
Hanyuu sits in the Sea of Fragments and waits, her hands clasped together. Rika materializes in the area with her eyes closed and Hanyuu goes up to her, seeing that a tragedy has occurred again. Hanyuu pets Rika and reminisces on how a thousand years ago, she took on the sins of the human world after despairing over the cruel nature of the world of men and cleansed them when she offered herself as sacrifice.
Hanyuu entrusted her own daughter with that sacrifice. In the thousand years that followed, Hanyuu continued to despise the world of man. Nothing lasts forever however, including the power that kept her sealed. The Furude family believed that the eighth consecutive firstborn female would become Oyashiro-sama's reincarnation, and with Rika's birth, Hanyuu regained her view of the human world. She realized that her hatred of the human world was just a cage created by her loneliness, seemingly punishment for making her daughter kill her.
Fragments showcasing Hanyuu's memories with Rika appear all around her. Hanyuu says that Rika was her first friend in a thousand years and was like her own daughter, but that very first June of 1983 changed everything. A flashback occurs of Rika being held down by Mountain Dogs as Takano knocks her unconscious with chemicals. Hanyuu committed another sin by turning Rika into a looper and averting her fated death. However, Hanyuu's power was imperfect, owing to her cracked horn; Rika faced a hundred years of suffering, and her spirit ached. Even so, she never gave up.
A flashback occurs to the Matsuribayashi world where Hanyuu introduces herself as a new student. As Hanyuu narrates that Rika's strength turned her from a bystander to a participant, more Fragments appear. The scene jumps to the final confrontation with Takano, where Hanyuu offers to take the bullet for the club members: the joker in this game of Old Maid. Hanyuu's eyes glow red, and the scene cuts to black as Takano shoots.
Yet more Fragments appear, and Hanyuu says that after witnessing a miracle in the world of man, she returned to the Sea of Fragments. A ghostly Hanyuu stands over Rika sleeping in a bed and wishes her sweet dreams before fading away. All of the Fragments Hanyuu summoned shatter, and Hanyuu's horn fills in with a glow. Hanyuu says that despite what it meant, she was happy to see Rika again.
First Half[]
Rika jolts awake after remembering the sensation of being killed by Ooishi and realizes that she remembered her death this time. Eua and Satoko watch them with the former yawning, saying that Hanyuu could've helped Rika if she stayed to the end. Satoko takes note of this new development with Rika remembering her deaths from now on. Rika rants about her misery as Hanyuu's form flickers. At the mention of the Onigari-no-ryuuou, Satoko wonders about it. Hanyuu disappears into the Sea of Fragments as Rika tearfully cries out.
In the next world, Rika asks to play hide and seek across the entire village. Satoko searches for her in the Furude Shrine and then tries to get into the ritual storehouse. She climbs up onto the roof and remembers that before, she fell into the shed while playing hide and seek and got Rika punished by her father. Satoko wonders how many centuries ago that was.
Satoko jumps into the storehouse and opens up the Oyashiro-sama statue to find the Onigari-no-ryuuou embedded in it. Satoko chuckles and pulls it out, but she trips and accidentally breaks off a fragment of the sword. The sword leaves her grasp and flips in the air before landing in the floor right next to her, cutting Satoko on the cheek. Satoko says she needs to keep the sword hidden from Rika, failing to notice the broken tip.
Rika goes into the storehouse that night and opens the statue, lamenting that Hanyuu's parting gift isn't even there. She notices the broken fragment. The other club members gather at the shrine, having looked everywhere for Rika, and start calling out for her. Rika is dissuaded from committing suicide with the fragment and swears to try for 5 more loops.
Second Half[]
Wednesday, June 15. Akasaka overlooks Hinamizawa from the shrine lookout when Satoko goes up to him. Satoko sees he's well acquainted with Rika and says he needs to know the real reason Rika is suffering. With the H173 syringe hidden behind her back, Satoko says that Rika is being controlled by parasites and needs help. Akasaka promises to do what he can.
A deranged Akasaka stabs Rika and blows up the shack with gasoline. Satoko watches the blaze, hoping that Rika will eventually realize this is Oyashiro-sama's curse.
In the next world, a deranged Akane kills Mion and Rika. Satoko shows up and confirms that Rika is dead after looking at her severed head. Akane tries to kill Satoko with her katana, but Satoko effortlessly dodges her swings and puts her gun up to Akane's head. The woman sees that Satoko truly is a demon before getting killed. Satoko says she isn't a demon as she puts her gun to her own head.
In the next world, Satoko watches as a deranged Kiichirou drowns Rika in Onigafuchi Swamp. As Kiichirou prays for forgiveness, Satoko times Rika with a stopwatch, musing that Rika can beat the world record if she can hold her breath this long.
In the next world, Rika watches as a deranged Keiichi wreaks havoc at Angel Mort. Eua enjoys the spectacle, saying there is no better storytellers than this lot. The children of men will have cured her of her boredom. As Eua cackles, suddenly the Furude Shrine scenery around her cracks and shatters, their pieces coalescing into Hanyuu's form. Eua greets her "darling failure" as Hanyuu says she's found her at last.
Soundtrack[]
Start Time | End Time | Track | OST | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
0:46 | 3:19 | N/A | N/A | Hanyuu reminisces on the past |
3:47 | 5:43 | N/A | N/A | Hanyuu talks about how she left the human world |
5:44 | 7:13 | Analogy | Analogy | Opening |
12:19 | 12:40 | N/A | N/A | Satoko steals the Onigari-no-ryuuou |
21:41 | 22:11 | N/A | N/A | Hanyuu appears before Eua |
22:12 | 23:41 | Missing Promise | Missing Promise | Ending |
External Links[]
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Kagurashi-hen Part 1 |
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