07th Expansion Wiki
Register
Advertisement
This article is about the story arc in Higurashi When They Cry. For the phenomenon in that same series, see Oyashiro-sama's Curse.
WTC1logo
This article is about a story arc in
Higurashi When They Cry.
WTC1logoE
Overview

Onikakushi (鬼隠し編 Onikakushi-hen, lit. Demoned Away Chapter), also known as the Abducted by Demons Arc in the manga, is the first story arc of the Higurashi When They Cry series. It was first released on August 10, 2002 at Comiket 62. It is the first of four Question Arcs, and is followed by Watanagashi.

Introduction[]

Onikakushi
~Opening~

Welcome to the world of Higurashi: When They Cry.
The Onikakushi arc will be the opening inviting you into this world.
Don't play tough-please just enjoy life in Hinamizawa to the fullest.

The difficulty is extremely high, but I hope you will enjoy the reward.

Plot Summary[]

Main article: Onikakushi/Summary

In June of 1983, Keiichi Maebara moves to the rural village of Hinamizawa and makes some new friends while learning of the villages' culture and their guardian deity Oyashiro-sama. After hearing that annual deaths and disappearances happen because of "Oyashiro-sama's curse," Keiichi begins to uncover dark secrets about his new friends and his new home.

Characters[]

Release History[]

Original Release (Comiket 62)[]

Onikakushi was first released at Comiket 62 on August 10, 2002.

Comiket 63[]

Onikakushi was rereleased with Watanagashi at Comiket 63 on December 29, 2002. There are some changes made to the arc:

  • Miyo Takano was given a sprite when she previously didn't have one.[1]
  • The Ootaka Clinic was renamed to the Irie Clinic,[1] due to Ootaka and Takano's name having a similar "taka" kanji and causing confusion.[2]
  • A poem by Frederica Bernkastel was added to the beginning of the arc.

Comiket 64[]

Onikakushi was rereleased with Tatarigoroshi at Comiket 64 on August 15, 2003. The poem that was released with the previous version of the arc was changed to a different one.

Comiket 66[]

Onikakushi was rereleased with Himatsubushi at Comiket 66 on August 13, 2004.

First English Release[]

MangaGamer translated the entire Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Question Arcs into English and released it on December 15, 2009. Changes include:

  • Porting from NSCripter to BGI.
  • The Renapan minigame that was included in previous versions would be removed from this version and subsequent releases.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou[]

This arc was rereleased with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou on August 17, 2014.

Second English Release[]

MangaGamer retranslated this arc and released it individually on May 15, 2015. Changes include:

  • Porting from NScripter to Unity.
  • New character art by Kurosaki.

2020 Demo[]

A new demo of Onikakushi and Watanagashi was released on July 15, 2020 for free download on 07th Expansion's demo page. Changes include:

  • Porting the arc from NScripter to PONScripter.
  • New music tracks composed by xaki.
  • Higher-definition sprites.

Hou+[]

Onikakushi was released with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou+ on January 28, 2022.

Ports[]

Onikakushi has been featured in the following console games:

These ports add new character art, CGs, and voice acting. There is also some censorship done:

  • Many sexual jokes are rewritten or removed.
  • Some other parts of the script are changed. For example: "Keiichi-san's lunch box is most assuredly filled with nothing but bread crusts like some sort of destitute plebeian~!" (圭一さんのお弁当はきっと貧乏臭くパンの耳に決まってますわ〜!) is changed to "Keiichi-san's lunch box is most assuredly a plain, miserly rice and seaweed~!" (圭一さんのお弁当はみみっちく日の丸弁当に決まってますわ〜!).
  • Colonel Sanders is changed to Colonel Randy.
  • Mentions of violence are toned down. For example: "...It was quite a disturbing incident... They still haven't found one of the arms." (……嫌な事件だったね。…腕が一本、まだ見つかってないんだろ?) is changed to "...It was quite a disturbing incident... They still haven't found it, have they?" (……嫌な事件だったね。……………まだ見つかってないんだろ?) Most if not all occurrences of the word "axe" (斧) are also changed to "hatchet" (鉈).

Adaptations[]

Drama CD[]

A drama CD adaptation of Onikakushi was released on May 27, 2005 in a 3-disc set.

Manga[]

The manga adaptation of Onikakushi was illustrated by Karin Suzuragi and serialized in Square Enix's Gangan Powered magazine from March 24, 2005 to March 24, 2006. It was later collected into two volumes, and then as a single omnibus release. Yen Press published the arc in English under the title "Abducted By Demons Arc".

Chapter Name Magazine Release Date
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 1 Gangan Powered Spring Issue 2005 March 24, 2005
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 2 Gangan Powered Summer Issue 2005 June 24, 2005
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 3 Gangan Powered Fall Issue 2005 September 24, 2005
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 4 Gangan Powered Winter Issue 2006 December 24, 2005
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 5 Gangan Powered Winter Issue 2006 December 24, 2005
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 6 Gangan Powered Spring Issue 2006 March 24, 2006
Onikakushi-hen Manga Chapter 7 Gangan Powered Spring Issue 2006 March 24, 2006
Vol. Cover Release Date Chapters
1 OnikakushiVol1jp December 22, 2005 (JP)
November 18, 2008 (EN)
2 OnikakushiVol2jp June 22, 2006 (JP)
February 17, 2009 (EN)
  • Chapter 4
  • Chapter 5
  • Chapter 6
  • Chapter 7
N/A OnikakushiOmnibusEncore July 9, 2007
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 3
  • Chapter 4
  • Chapter 5
  • Chapter 6
  • Chapter 7

Anime (2006)[]

The 2006 Higurashi When They Cry anime by Studio DEEN adapted Onikakushi in the first four episodes.

  1. The Beginning (aired: April 4, 2006)
  2. The Secret (aired: April 11, 2006)
  3. Suspicion (aired: April 18, 2006)
  4. Disturbance (aired: April 25, 2006)

Light Novel[]

The original light novel adaptation of Onikakushi consists of two volumes. It was originally published by Kodansha and republished by Seikaisha. It may be also be read for free (in Japanese) on Seikaisha's website.

  1. Onikakushi Light Novel Volume 1 (Kodansha: August 2, 2007; Seikaisha: January 12, 2011)
  2. Onikakushi Light Novel Volume 2 (Kodansha: September 4, 2007; Seikaisha: February 10, 2011)

Novel versions of Onikakushi intended for junior students were published by Futabasha, consisting of two volumes. Both volumes released on October 21, 2020.

Gallery[]

Credits[]

These are the credits as seen in the original Comiket release.

  • Supervision and screenplay: Ryukishi07
  • Principal offender: Yatazakura
  • Scripting: Yatazakura (main), 4U (intermission and TIPS), BT (group logo and installer)
  • Scripter used: NScripter (Naoki Takahashi)
  • Technical advice: 4U and BT
  • Directing: Yatazakura
  • Graphics: Ryukishi07
  • Background locations: Kameya Mannendo, Yatazakura, Ryukishi07
  • Location scouting: Kameya Mannendo
  • Music and sound effects: Music Studio, Yumenoshima Development Office, Ekaterina
  • Renapan minigame: BT
  • Homepage management: 4U
  • Crunch friends: Tsubaki Naruse, Touyuki Ai, Tokihi
  • Test players (We’d like to thank you all for your cooperation!): yama2, uudy, O2G, Soraemon, Komiyamantarou, Tooru Mizukami, Denim, yosio, takuya, reshizou22, Minami, M. R. Works, Akihiko, K2@Yumemi, Iekano, Yoshinori Yano/Acha, Ayurin, Hitoshi, Shirushi
  • Special Thanks:Sho Yakufukuro, EIJI, KLEZ
  • Production: 07th Expansion

References[]

Trivia[]

  • Onikakushi (鬼隠し, Demoning-away), also translated as "Abducted by Demons", refers to a concept similar to Spiriting Away within the context of the Hinamizawan lore. However, if the word is taken literally based on the Kanji characters, the word could also mean "Concealing the Demon".

External Links[]

Advertisement