#hinamizawa bus stop

[variouspolltournaments]

Propaganda

Mion Sonozaki/Rika Furude: For Higurashi fans: please read Hinamizawa Bus Stop! It's the original story before Higurashi, the script of a play that Ryukishi failed to stage. He reworked his ideas into the visual novel medium, and the rest is history.

It's the story of two girls, called Mion and Rika, who wait for a bus that's not coming. They meet several people at the stop, we discover that there is a dam project that could overflow the village where they live, and that there is a curse killing people working for the project (does it ring some bells?).

The script was adapted into VN and Manga, and it's extremely good!! And most importantly...

It's extremely yuri

[hotdyke-hardstyle]

mion really said "just kidding... unless?" lmao

[nadekofannumber1]

No way hinamizawa bus stop is gonna return from war (to steam)

yuri time

Realistically it’s gonna be the gradient sprites tho lol

[satoshi-mochida]

Visual Novel ‘Higurashi When They Cry Hou+’ Gets November Release on PC

Noisy Pixel Source

MangaGamer announced they will publish the 07th Expansion-developed visual novel Higurashi When They Cry Hou+ on PC via Steam and MangaGamer on November 9, 2023.

Pre-orders for the game are currently open. Higurashi When They Cry Hou+ is a sound novel. In this interactive novel, the harmonious blend of music, backgrounds, and characters constructs a vivid world where the player assumes the role of the protagonist. The user experiences the story from the protagonist’s perspective, enabling them to laugh, cry, get angry, and immerse themselves in the narrative.

The shadow of Hinamizawa’s tragic past has finally lifted, releasing those ensnared by its harrowing mysteries back in June 1983. However, the tale of Hinamizawa remains unfinished, with many uncharted worlds yet to be explored.

Higurashi When They Cry Hou+ marks the concluding chapter of the Higurashi When They Cry Hou series, offering four new chapters to the narrative.

Higurashi When They Cry Outbreak: Keiichi and his companions confront a fresh tragedy, this time involving a peculiar virus and the ensuing panic. The bizarre events continue. Higurashi When They Cry Kamikashimashi Chapter: The tragedy extends its grip to Okonomiya, with no apparent end in sight. The question lingers: who is orchestrating these events, and what’s their purpose? Can it be halted? The narrative of Higurashi Outbreak reaches its resolution here. Hinamizawa Bus Stop: Higurashi When They Cry Origin: A visit to Hinamizawa in a somewhat unconventional fragment. This fragment serves as the origin of what would later evolve into Higurashi When They Cry. Higurashi When They Cry Mehagashi Chapter (Hou+ Additional Scenario): A looming tragedy threatens not only humanity but the entire galaxy. Keiichi Maebara stands at the center of this impending catastrophe. He must transcend the confines of girls’ swimsuits to safeguard the universe. However, can Keiichi, in solitude, overcome the challenges posed by the club members?

We’ll keep you updated on future announcements from this publisher.

[sorairoknife]

.

[bernkastel-ao3]

I'm tempted to screenshot a lot of bus stop Mion being super gay to bus stop Rika and to throw some highlights up once I've finished this story.

There's something about starting a when they cry vn and hearing the music, particularly when other sound effects are going on in the background too, that feels like getting a welcome back embrace.

[kittyvannyart]

Hinamizawa Bus Stop TomiTaka~

[minty-muse]

No one told me she was real

[dicekilling]

HOU+ DROPPED LAST MONTH AND I NEVER KNEW LETS GO

[lunartearsss]

Yesterday, I finished Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou+, and with that I'm officially done with the series unless I decide to do the console arcs someday but prob not. Started for my own mini Halloween celebration. Hinamizawa Bus Stop was a decent spooky story, Outbreak was kinda fun, Kamikashimashi was... something. Mehagashi was awful. The 2022 After Party was really sweet. Really something for everyone here(?) I've got mountains of issues with Higurashi, but I still love the series all the same. Probably gonna start my Umineko reread within the next year. There is something quite bittersweet about this being the final celebration of Higurashi (to an extent lol) and being optimistic about the future to come. It's been 5 years since Ciconia Phase 1 released, and with no news in sight (and various random Ryukishi07 projects being announced), it makes the future of the series look... bleak.

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 4 Himatsubushi pt. 3

The first of the TIPS in chapter four gets rather philosophical. It's a lot about how intertwined people truly are, simultaneously not at all, but could be connected in a big way.

The second of the TIPS is about the Inukai child who was kidnapped. The kidnappers talking around him about how he needs to calm down, and also if he doesn't vague threat vague threat.

The next morning Akasaka tries to wrangle a little tour of Hinamizawa using the cover of being a photographer who wants to capture the natural splendor of Hinamizawa before it gets submerged by the dam construction.

And just like that he's invited into village under the guise of a simple tourist. Quite surprising that those in charge of the village and the Onigafuchi Guardians would just let some rando in, but hey we need the plot to progress somehow. On his way through town he spies all manner of anti-construction/anti-government protest signs along the roadside until he arrives at his stop.

If you ever feel the need to ask yourself if you seem suspicious, you probably do. Nine times out of ten it'll just be nerves, but it's that one time you have to worry about. Especially when you're conducting a wee bit of espionage.

I'm surprised we didn't get the eyes at any point during chapter three. Seems like during the many many many many many many many many many many scenes of Keiichi going on about how he needs to kill X Y or Z it would've popped up, but surprisingly they didn't. I missed them, I missed the feeling of dread they gave. I don't think they're really wise to the fact that he's a cop, I think they're probably just giving him the suspicious stare because he's an outsider. The villagers seem certain that every person from outside Hinamizawa isn't on the level, so it makes sense they'd be untrusting of this random yahoo from Tokyo who just so happens to be wanting to have a poke around during such a sensitive time.

After getting off the bus filled with suspicious villagers Akasaka finds a small bus stop, which is filled to the brim with Rika and posters and such with protest slogans.

Akasaka, you're now two for two on saying things someone who isn't suspicious should say out loud. Stop it.

Seems even six years ago in the past Rika is fully aware of what's going on in the narrative. Although her calling Akasaka Tomitake Mk. II makes it seem like she's aware of the fact that Hinamizawa seems to be stuck in a time loop going back even further than the constant looping of June 1983. Since Rika is the physical reincarnation of Oyashiro, does she experience time non-linearly? Was I wrong about the notion that everyone knows about the time loop except for Keiichi?

Thinking about it I think I might be able to work out how it's happening, to an extent. Rika is the one going through the time loop. For whatever reason she keeps getting plonked back into June, 1978 and is forced to relive the events going from then until the end of June, 1983. Since she's relived these events however many times she's gone through them she's tried influencing events in an effort to escape it. Only for June to end, only to find herself back in 1978, and repeat the whole process over and over. And each chapter is a new wrinkle in the ever repeating process. This, for instance, is the first time she's interacted with a cop pretending to be a nature photographer. Hence: Tomitake Mk. II.

Akasaka suffers from the same instantly trusting of a person he just met disease Keiichi has (I almost described it as falling in love, but that felt wrong). It's explained away it's because Rika is his vision of what the perfect child would be, and his own wife is about to give birth to their own child. Brief tangent, and I apologize in advance, but I just thought of an absolutely wild theory that has no chance of being correct. What is the subplot of Akasaka having a child is somehow tied into the cult of Oyashiro? What if Rika is somehow trying to impart the spirit of Oyashiro into the unborn child of Akasaka and his wife Yukie, in an attempt to break the cycle?

After a nice drive around Hinamizawa, Akasaka is taken to the Furude shrine where he is able to do some light reconnaissance into the inner workings and strength of the Onigafuchi Guardians. He also meets the mayor of Hinamizawa Kimiyoshi (I want to say his first name is Keiichirou, but I don't remember off hand). Who is now slightly more relevant to the plot, as he now has a character art. Also there was this:

Which, I would like to thank the internet for making innocent terms sound extremely dirty and wrong. Also:

Anyway, during his brief wander around the Furude shrine grounds, Rika pulls him aside.

This particular chapter seems to be speed-running the usual song and dance of the chapters by getting to the central plot creepiness quickly.

"The girl I had spent time with... Rika Furude... would not speak like that." Akasaka, you've known this girl for maybe four hours. You don't know her, at all! How can you honestly stand there and say there's no way she'd act like this? For all you know, this is how she'd normally act! Just because you're mentally trying to imprint the idea that this unknown child is how your unborn kid will act doesn't make it so. Also, that's kind of a weird thing to do, but then again I'm not a parent, so who the hell knows, maybe expectant parents act like this all the time.

I'm now envisioning that scene from Disco Elysium where Cunoesse is taunting the detective into shooting her. Only replace the detective with Akasaka, and Cunoesse with Rika.

I think the Rika who was warning Akasaka to go back to Tokyo was the "real" Rika, the cute child with the meeps is an act. It's a facade she puts on to make other adults trust her, and disregard her as a helpless, safe creature that they can safely ignore and speak candidly around. I reckon, that in the future, 1981 and forward the only ones who see the "real" Rika are the other heads of the three families.

You can't really tell, but I'm pretty sure behind the text box here is the good old soulless stare. Also, I have to say, even looking at the box art (I know it's not an actual boxed game, but I don't know what you call the art on Steam and so on that have the title. Key art? I know there's an actual term for it, I'm just blanking on it.) I wouldn't have guessed that the chapter would take place six years before the other chapters and be the Rika and Ooishi chapter.

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Higurashi Month 2024, Day 18: Anticipation

Higurashi Month prompts archive: AO3 

Mamorou Akasaka's presence in Hinamizawa in 1978 was one of those things that only might happen –the chance, in fact, was not actually that high.

Rika had to assume, swinging her little four-year-old legs back and forth so that her sandals nearly slipped off her feet, that it was because his superiors only sent him here as an outside bet –Hinamizawa was an unlikely loose end that it was best to have some eyes on, so they might as well send the rookie with a pregnant wife. Safest place to put him.

She still came to wait for him, of course, in every fragment. That was why she was here right now, tucked in the rickety shelter of the bus stop, papered with a thousand old advertisements and, with the summer sun beating down, filling the air with the warm scent of wooden planks.

It was a hot day, but not unbearably so –just like always. The texture of the metal-grate bench beneath her sundress was cool and bumpy –just like always. The insects hummed and the cicadas buzzed from the distant trees –just like always. The road was deserted –just like always.

Rika swung her legs some more and sighed. Her parents were still alive, so even if she was the darling of the village, her very presence taken as some sort of auspicious good luck, she'd have some explaining to do for why she'd slipped off later.

Whatever. Her mother always overreacted about everything.

Akasaka, though. She could count on him. He was the only person with no possible ties to Hinamizawa whatsoever, the sole person she could trust to act without ulterior motives or biases.

Just because Rika couldn't understand the mystery she was mired in didn't mean she couldn't make some educated guesses. The curse was clearly perpetrated by someone in the village, someone familiar with the local legends. An outsider might know about the legends, but they'd stand out so incredibly keenly that they wouldn't be able to get anything done without a dozen people remarking on it. Keiichi always ran into that problem when he moved in –sometimes to great misunderstanding and sorrow.

And Rika had a unique ability to pick out outsiders. She'd relived each of the five years of the curse how many times, searched the crowd for anyone ominous or unfamiliar for how many festivals? She could practically walk through the whole thing blindfold.

The churning, rumbling sound of a bus engine grew louder in the distance. Rika closed her eyes and leaned against the wall in the corner where she was, feigning sleep in preparation for Akasaka to arrive.

She waited until it stopped, until she heard someone –large, adult– step off and land on the hard-packed gravel, until footsteps stopped in front of the bus stop near her. Rika opened her eyes and yawned cutely, watching Akasaka leap back and sputter apologies. She pasted a sweet smile on her face and forgave him.

A day later, she warned him to go back to Tokyo.

He didn't listen.

A night later, she warned him about the curse, asking him for help.

He didn't listen.

A few years later, Rika died.

~*~

Rika swung her little four-year-old legs back and forth, so that her sandals nearly slipped off her feet, and yawned.

It was a hot day, but not unbearably so –just like always. The texture of the metal-grate bench beneath her sundress was cool and bumpy –just like always. The insects hummed and the cicadas buzzed from the distant trees –just like always. The road was deserted –just like always.

She'd stayed up late last night, trying to think.

She could never manage to drive it though Akasaka's head that he needed to go back home. His presence here was useless in terms of solving the case, and it was going to get his wife killed.

The problem was, she could never figure out a way to tell him that. If she warned him obliquely, he didn't listen. If she told him to his face that his wife was going to die, he didn't believe her.

And if she didn't cut all the phone lines around and inside the clinic after he and Oishi got hurt fighting, he'd learn about his wife's death and be too distraught to even hear her when she asked for help.

It wasn't fair. If she was a grown up, if she looked even a fraction as old as she actually was, people wouldn't hesitate to believe her, or at least to check what she told them. She could prophesize someone's day step by step and they'd only blink and pat her head, telling her what an active imagination she had. Even after it came true, they'd only look at her oddly for a few weeks before their minds papered the incident over.

Rika sighed, but it was with an edge of gritted teeth.

This time, she'd ask for his phone number, then call the woman and lie. Oh yes, Akasaka-san is so brave, so cool! I'm the daughter of his landlord –no, no, hotel manager, he stayed in the hotel– and he said to call you if he didn't make it back from the store in time. Surprise! He says lots of love and he'll be back soon.

If anything, that should at least push her death back a couple days. She only went to the roof on days when she didn't hear from him; she'd be fine if she just stayed away.

The churning, rumbling sound of a bus engine grew louder in the distance. Rika closed her eyes and leaned against the wall in the corner where she was, feigning sleep in preparation for Akasaka to arrive.

She waited until it stopped, and she heard someone –large, adult– step off and land on the hard-packed gravel. She looked up and gave her cutest smile.

A day later, she called Akasaka's wife.

The woman was polite –and didn't listen.

A night later, she was dead.

Akasaka didn't listen, either.

And a few years later, Rika died.

~*~

It was a hot day, but not unbearably so –just like always. The texture of the metal-grate bench beneath her sundress was cool and bumpy –just like always. The insects hummed and the cicadas buzzed from the distant trees –just like always. The road was deserted –just like always.

Rika swung her little four-year-old legs back and forth, so that her sandals nearly slipped off her feet, and stared listlessly at her toes.

Another failure.

It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have to repeat her whole life with each mistake –if she didn't have to crawl across five, six, seven years until she actually reached the problems she was trying to fix. Akasaka was a valuable ally if she could actually get him on her damn side, but she was still no nearer to actually solving the problem of being killed every June 1983.

She was just… killing time until the curse started up.

The churning, rumbling sound of a bus engine grew louder in the distance. Rika closed her eyes and leaned against the wall in the corner where she was, feigning sleep in preparation for Akasaka to arrive.

This time, the bus didn't come to a halt, instead wallowing past her stop in a haze of gritty dust and a cloud of gasoline fumes.

So… Akasaka wasn't coming to Hinamizawa in this fragment, then. He always took this bus and he always got off at this stop; it seemed that this time, she was alone.

Rika sighed and sadly opened her eyes, before sliding off the bench.

She began to trudge back home, to her mother's lectures and her own impatience.

A few years later, Rika died.

[agathathetransmechapilot]

Happy new year! Here are my favourite manga reads of 2022.

-Innocent Rouge(its gay,its brutal and i fell deeply in love with the authors oc who has sex with historical figures)

-Oyasumi Punpun(its as heartwrenching as you heard)

-Boys run the riot(a nice coming of age about a transman written by a transman)

-Houseki no kuni(you want to protect Phos but Ichikawa will laugh at you every chapter)

-Slam Dunk(watched the anime as a kid and still love it!)

-Hinamizawa bus stop(higurashi has always been gay and i love it!)

-Jujutsu Kaisen(shibuya arc hits different man)

-Goodbye Eri(the work that introduced me to fujimoto and made me check chainsawman)

-Witch hat atelier(not caught up yet but the magic is awesome,the art is beatiful and the worldbuilding is intriguing)

[yasudasayobutactuallyunlovable]

So it seems that the Higurashi Hou+ arcs being released into english soon on the 9th of November are those two zombie outbreak plots Outbreak and Kamikashimashi, which I imagine are where the light blue haired girl on the cover is from.

There's the Origin arc or Hinamizawa Bus Stop which is basically the prototype version of Higurashi where proto Mion and proto Rika are being gay at a bus stop, you might have seen or heard of the manga adaptation first.

And then there's Mehagashi which according to MangaGamer has Maebara Keiichi "Strip the girls of their swimsuits to defend the universe! However, can Keiichi possibly win against the club members all by himself...?"...might skip out on this one for that alone but I can just rapid click or skip through that one at least and there's still the others.

[satoshi-mochida]

Higurashi Hou+ releases today on Steam and MangaGamer's website.

Contains the following arcs:

Higurashi Outbreak

Kamikashimashi-hen

Hinamizawa Bus Stop

Mehagashi-hen

[sorairoknife]

Hinamizawa Bus Stop is really something else