Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Watanagashi-hen 3

May 21, 2006 | 12 Comments

I have to say that I'm really impressed with this series so far. I like how every episode always manages to give a little bit of hints while asking a whole bunch of new questions. It's also amazing how the writers manage to make the viewers unusure if there is actually a rational explanation behind the murders or if they are actually achieved through supernatural means. The most frustrating part of the series is that it seems as if the answer is actually in front of your eyes and yet you can't figure it out yet because you haven't got enough clues to solve the mysteries. Anyway, next week's episode should wrap up Watanagashi-hen. Since this is episode 7, it seems the anime writers decide to designate 4 episodes for each arc from the game. This means the anime will either stop at Tsumihoroboshi-hen or Minagoroshi-hen. Anyway, I didn't have the time to do full summary so I ended up only highlighting parts which I think will have some importance to the plot.

The village chief has gone missing after a village meeting.
The question is, what was the meeting was all about. Shion also claimed that his disappearance is caused by her but is this the truth?

Rika believed that he may have become 'lost' like she does from time to time.
Since the village chief is a pretty active person, it is suggested that what Rika meant by 'Lost' is not the conventional sense of the word.

Keiichi realised that for some reason the curse hasn't affected him yet.
If supernatural reason is the cause behind the disappearance then someone must have done something to ensure that Keiichi still remains in the village.

Rika appearing out of nowhere while Keiichi was watering the plants.
Keiichi was watering the plants and thinking about the curse when all of a sudden Rika appeared in front of him. She wasn't standing but sitting down and looking shocked as if she had seen something horrific. The problem is, there wasn't anything outside the school that was terrifying.

Rika claimed that what happened to her is not important.
The thing is, nothing has happened to her at this point in time. Unless she was referring to an incident that will happen in the future. Or maybe it's a reference to the scene that was shown in episode 5.

Rika's 'cats' and 'dogs' metaphor.
Rika clearly knows that Keiichi had entered the storehouse. The question is, how did she know about this when she was busy performing on the stage?

Rika's promise to protect Keiichi
Rika thinks that a few 'dogs' merely misunderstood the situation. The word 'dogs' was used in correlation to Keiichi being a 'cat'. Naturally a cat is afraid of dogs. However, dogs are also symbolically known as guardians. Does this mean that the 'dogs' in question are the Hinamizawa's guardian? But who are these guardians? The girls? The villagers? And how will Rika be able to protect Keiichi?

The angry older sister 'cat'
Rika thinks that the older sister 'cat' is angry of her younger sister. Keiichi immediately assumed that Rika was talking about Mion/Shion. But if this was true, then the metaphor puts Shion/Mion on the same category as Keiichi: as those who are actually afraid of the 'dogs' (the guardians). Also, while it's natural to think that Mion will be angry at Shion's trespass, why would Shion be angry at Mion?

Rika wants to stay away from the elder sister 'cat' for now.
It's strange for Rika to do this since she hasn't done anything to upset Mion. Unless of course, Rika somehow knows or sees that incident shown at the start of episode 5.

Rika asked Keiichi to inform her if the misunderstood 'dogs' try to bite him
Rika's last word before leaving Keiichi was a request to contact her if the misunderstood 'dogs' who bit the Chief Village tries to bite him. The question is, what could Rika do to help Keiichi?

"There won't be club meeting anymore from now on"
Rika knew that there won't be a club meeting from this point forward. It felt as if she's aware of what is going to happen to her and Satoko later on in the story.

Keiichi's parents suddenly appeared again.
It's probably just a random element but all of a sudden Keiichi's parents are back to Hinamizawa again. Is there a particular reason for it? One would think that if the villagers would have notified Keiichi's parent about his trespass. However, they seem oblivious of the situation that surrounds their son.

Shion/Mion's revelation
Shion/Mion told Keiichi that the village chief went missing after she told him about her trespass. If this girl was Shion then it means the one who rang Keiichi in the previous episode was also Shion. However, later on Keiichi finds out that this person could be Mion.

Keiichi realised that Rika maybe missing
If the story leans on a supernatural angle and if Shion was telling the truth, this implies that those who are cursed might be spared if they tell the story to someone who sympathises with them.

Mion's facial contortion
This suggests that either there is a demonic influence at hand or that Keiichi maybe experiencing his paranoia again. But if it's the later, his fear seems to be limited to Shion only.

Hojou Satoko is a tainted child who received the full curse of Oyashiro-sama
Mion seems to believe that Satoko was cursed by Oyashiro-sama and therefore everyone in the family receives the brunt of the curse including her parents and her brother, Satoshi. Mion also believes that if one gets too close to Satoko you'll either disappear or got killed. She then blames Rika's disappearance on Satoko and tries to convince herself of this.

The empty soy bottle
This is an important clue that would not be revealed until later on Rena plays detective and reveals some important clues to Keiichi.

Keiichi shows that he cares a lot for his friends
This is one major difference between this arc and Onikakushi-hen. Keiichi's remorse for his deed and his concern for both Rika and Satoko leads Rena to reveal that she actually knew that Keiichi went inside the warehouse. Having said that, she thinks Keiichi is not guilty. Keiichi is also worried that Rena will disappear because of him but Rena assures him that she won't disappear like the other two.

Rena's detective work
Rena believes that Rika and Satoko disappears around dinner time. She was told by a tofu seller that Satoko bought some tofu from her. Rena also revealed that she found a not finished miso soup inside a pot as well as some untouched foods inside the fridge at Rika's house. She believes that this means the two were missing around dinner time. Judging from the empty soy sauce bottle, Rena thinks that Rika may have took the refill bottle to ask someone for more soy sauce while Satoko came to follow her.

Keiichi has no need to lie to Rena about Oishi
Unlike in Onikakushi-hen, Keiichi has no reason to deny that he was approached by Oishi because Rena was with him when Oishi wanted to talk to him. While this does not explain why Keiichi saw Rena looking crazy back in Onikakushi-hen, it suggests that in that scenario, there was a misunderstanding between Keiichi and Rena which does not exist in this version.

The mystery behind the Village Chief's disappearance
This is a little bit hard to understand so I decide to lay it in a table format:

Now, Shion told Keiichi that she informed the village chief on the same day that he disappeared. That means it happened on the 1st day after Watanagashi. The question is, when did she had the chance to do it? The chief was in the city and then got stalled somewhere due to train accident and then went to a meeting. While it's not out of the question that Shion could find him in between the meeting and him returning to the village, it seems unlikely.

Oishi's theory regarding Keiichi's survival
Oishi tells Keiichi that he knew the four of them went into the warehouse that night. He also believes that the reason Keiichi survives up till now is because he didn't see whatever it is that the others saw.

Shion if confirmed missing by Oishi
This is what I've suspected ever since last episode. The possibility that the one who made the phone call wasn't actually Shion but Mion.

Shion's last phone call
Keiichi finally figures out that Shion could not possibly have told the village chief about her trespass because she didn't know which hospital the guy went. The chief also went back at the last minute before the meeting thereby making it impossible for him to see Shion beforehand. Because of this, Keiichi believes that Shion was talking to the village chief after he disappeared.

Questions
1. What did Rika see that made her look so horrified?
2. Why is Keiichi still alive and well?
3. Who are the 'dogs' referred by Rika?
4. What can Rika possibly do to protect Keiichi?
5. What's the circumstances behind Rika and Satoko's disappearance?
6. Did Mion's face turn strange or did Keiichi just imagine it?
7. Who was the girl on the other side of the phone? Mion or Shion?

Important points
1. Rika knows more than she reveals but she also seems to be sympathetic towards Keiichi.
2. Rika put Shion/Mion on the same level as Keiichi, that of 'cats' instead of 'dogs'.
3. Rika implied that Shion did something bad while inside the warehouse.
4. Rika knew that there won't be a club meeting from now on.
5. Rika and Satoko's bikes are also missing, suggesting that the two went somewhere before they disappeared.
6. 'Mion' said that Hojou Satoko is a cursed child who brings bad luck to those around her.
7. Mion's face turned demonic while mentioning the above point.
8. Unlike in Onikakushi-hen, Keiichi showed his concern for his friends in this arc.
9. Because of point 7, Rena ended up working with Keiichi instead of against him in this arc.
10. Oishi's information lead Keiichi to realise that there are discrepancies between Shion's story and the facts.
11. Oishi believes that the reason Keiichi survives is because he didn't see the thing that others saw.
11. The girl who's been calling Keiichi is either Mion pretending to be Shion or Shion trying to mess his mind.

Impression and analysis:

This episode seems to suggest that there is some supernatural force involved in the death and disappearance of the villagers. Rika's out of nowhere appearance at the start of the episode also suggests that there's more to her than meets the eye. Rika seems to know about Keiichi's trespass even though she was involved in the ceremony during Watanagashi festival. This could either mean that she heard gossip from the townsfolks that Keiichi entered the warehouse or she somehow has other means to find out about this. For some reason, I find it hard to believe that Rika could be so sure of herself if her information was based purely on rumour. On top of this, Rika seems to know that even though Keiichi did enter the warehouse, he didn't have any hidden motive, which the other three seemed to have. Oishi also believes that the reason Keiichi has been spared is because he didn't see the thing that the others saw while inside the warehouse.

The thing is, Tomitake didn't actually enter the warehouse. He simply sat outside that night. Unless of course, back then Tomitake, Takano, and Shion already went in first to do what they wanted to do before Shion went to fetch Keiichi to implicate him. The easier explanation, however, is that unlike the other 3, Keiichi didn't have malice intention when entering the place. Either way, it's highly likely that some kind of supernatural power caused the death and disappearance of these people. It's especially strange that some supposedly innocent people end up disappearing as well. The episode also suggests that some trusts and loyalty go along way to clear up misunderstanding. Keiichi's concern for his friends seems to be one of the biggest difference between this arc and Onikakushi-hen. Because of this, he didn't feel like he has to lie to Rena and in return, Rena seems to trust him a lot more in this version.

Last but not least, there is the continuing issue of Shion's status. Oishi and other people seem to believe that Shion has disappeared. But if that is the case, then who has been making the phone call? The first possibility is that Shion did not actually disappear. She simply hide herself away from other people's knowledge. But in that case, her phone number could have been easily traced. The second rational explanation is that Shion is dead and the one who's been making a phone call to Keiichi all of these times is actually Mion pretending to be her sister. However, if it was really Mion who called Keiichi to find out if he was involved in the breaking and entering, she already got her answer the last time she made a phone call. So there's actually no reason for her to call Keiichi again in this episode. I have a theory about this but decides to put it in the speculation section instead because I feel it's a bit too outlandish to be true.

Wild Speculation:

The majority of what will be laid out here are wild speculations so please don't take this at face value. Having said that, it's hard not to suspect that a paranormal influence may have a role in the death and disapperances. Especially after the last phone call from Shion suggests some kind of Twin Peaks-ish alternate world where someone can make a phone call to another person in the real world.

Rika has the ability to see/travel into the past/future

I realise that this has gone towards the SOS-Dan side of the storyline but it could be a possibility so I thought it's worth mentioning. Rika told Keiichi during their meeting that what befell her is not important. This makes me wonder if she can actually see the past and the future. I'm wondering about this because prior to this event nothing has happened to Rika. Unless, of course, she somehow can see that she will disappear soon or she saw a vision of her stabbing herself with a knife while confronting Mion. This could be why that part from episode 5 looked dream-like and hazy.

Someone tries to protect Keiichi

Rika tells Keiichi that he did nothing wrong despite the fact that he committed a trespass. In addition to this, so far nothing has happened to him. If supernatural explanation is behind this, then it is possible that the reason why so far Keiichi hasn't disappeared yet is because someone (most likely Rika) makes an active effort to spare him. However, maybe in exchange of his safety other people end up disappearing, thus explaining Rika and Satoko's disappearance. In addition to this Rika also told Keiichi to 'see her' if one of the misunderstood 'dogs' try to 'bite' him. In a sense, Keiichi did 'see' Rika or rather, he visited her house due to his concern. Maybe this showed to Rena and probably other villagers that he really regrets his action and is concerned for his friends.

The existence of an alternate dimension

Maybe it was all Keiichi's overworked imagination but he seems to believe that he is actually talking to Shion on the phone. He also believes that Shion talked to the chief after the guy disappeared. If the person on the other side is not Mion, this could mean 2 things. The first one is that Shion has taken the chief as hostage before messing with Keiichi's mind. The second one is more supernatural and that Shion and the chief met in some sort of alternate dimension after they both got 'ogred-away'. That means the phone calls Shion has made to Keiichi originates from another dimension. For those of you who have seen Twin Peaks, think of it like the Black Lodge/White Lodge/Red Room in that series. Also worth a note, 'Shion' laugh sounds similar to Rena's laugh back in episode 4.

© memento 2003