History VisualNovel / HigurashiWhenTheyCry

''Higurashi: When They Cry'' (Japanese title: ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'', which roughly translates to "When the Cicadas Cry") is a series of eight [[KineticNovel Kinetic Novels]]/sound novels by [[Creator/Ryukishi07 07th Expansion]], released between 2002 and 2006 and later adapted into both an anime and a manga series. It is the first series in the ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'' franchise, followed by ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' and ''VisualNovel/CiconiaWhenTheyCry''. While primarily a murder mystery series in terms of genre, it also frequently crosses over with FolkHorror and PsychologicalHorror, and even dips a bit into ConspiracyThriller at times.

''Higurashi: When They Cry'' (Japanese title: ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'', which roughly translates to "When the Cicadas Cry") is a series of eight [[KineticNovel Kinetic Novels]]/sound novels by [[Creator/Ryukishi07 07th Expansion]], released between 2002 and 2006 and later adapted into both an anime and a manga series. It is the first series in the ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'' franchise, followed by ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' and ''VisualNovel/CiconiaWhenTheyCry''. While primarily a murder mystery series in terms of genre, it also dips quite a bit into FolkHorror and PsychologicalHorror.

The year is 1983. When Keiichi Maebara and his family move to the sleepy little rural village of Hinamizawa, everything seems peaceful and rustic at first. Keiichi has quickly befriended two local girls from his class, the gentle and nuturing Rena Ryugu (who is crazy for cute things) and the boisterous and cheeky Mion Sonozaki, who eventually invite him to join their after school club, the "Games Club", where the other two younger members are the bratty prankster Satoko Houjou and the quiet Rika Furude (who often proves to be [[WiseBeyondTheirYears wise beyond her years]]). But Keiichi quickly learns that there is more to the four girls of the school's game club than meets the eye... and more to the town as well. Revelation follows revelation, and brutal murder follows brutal murder in this enigmatic tale told from a variety of viewpoints and scenarios.

The year is 1983. When Keiichi Maebara and his family move to the sleepy little rural village of Hinamizawa, everything seems peaceful and rustic at first. Keiichi quickly befriends two local girls from his class, the gentle and nuturing Rena Ryugu (who is crazy for cute things) and the boisterous and cheeky Mion Sonozaki, who eventually invite him to join their after school club, the "Games Club", where the other two younger members are the bratty prankster Satoko Houjou and the quiet Rika Furude (who often proves to be [[WiseBeyondTheirYears wise beyond her years]]). But Keiichi quickly learns that there is more to the four girls of the school's game club than meets the eye... and more to the town as well. Revelation follows revelation, and brutal murder follows brutal murder in this enigmatic tale told from a variety of viewpoints and scenarios.

The year is 1983. When Keiichi Maebara and his family move to the sleepy little rural village of Hinamizawa, everything seems peaceful and rustic at first. But Keiichi quickly learns that there is more to the four girls of the school's game club than meets the eye... and more to the town as well. Revelation follows revelation, and brutal murder follows brutal murder in this enigmatic tale told from a variety of viewpoints and scenarios.

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler:The revelations of later chapters retroactively makes the story of ''Onikakushi-hen'' into this. It turns out that in that timeline Keiichi was barking up the wrong tree regarding the actual conspiracy in Hinamizawa, and he ended up brutally killing his two best friends over a misunderstanding in a fit of madness and then dying himself without accomplishing anything of value for the police investigation.]]

** In Onikakushi, Keiichi freaks out when he finds a needle in the ohagi Mion gave him, and gets enraged when she sheepishly passes off the surprise content as a prank, [[spoiler:because she only put tabasco sauce while the needle is just in his head.]]

''Higurashi: When They Cry'' (Japanese title: ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'', which roughly translates to "When the Cicadas Cry") is a series of eight [[KineticNovel Kinetic Novels]]/sound novels by [[Creator/Ryukishi07 07th Expansion]], released between 2002 and 2006 and later adapted into both an anime and a manga series. It is the first series in the ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'' franchise, followed by ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' and ''VisualNovel/CiconiaWhenTheyCry''.