With Higurashi celebrating the 20th anniversary of the anime this year, the franchise is once again back in the spotlight after so long. Written by Ryukishi07 of Silent Hill f fame, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is one of the most important visual novels and horror anime of the last two decades. The series’ legacy can still be felt to this day and continuous spin-offs & sequels prove that Higurashi fans are hungry for more Hinamizawa.
Following the announcement of a new anime back in June, Higurashi is also releasing a brand-new remaster of a forgotten fragment in 2027. Unlike with Higurashi Gou, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Jong is taking cues from the original three Question arcs and putting Keiichi back in the spotlight through one of the series’ oddest timelines yet.
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A New Higurashi Release is Coming Soon
Even though no fan in their right mind asked for it, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Jong is getting a remaster. Jong is based on a Higurashi arcade and PSP game called Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Jan. Jan and Jong take place in an alternate fragment where Keiichi has to desperately prevent an outbreak of Hinamizawa Syndrome from spreading by defeating his fellow friends and villagers at a game of mahjong.
The description for the game reads, “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Jong arrives as a mahjong game! Harness your mahjong skills to face the tragedy! Featuring an original scenario supervised by original creator Ryukishi07 and animated cutscenes with over 7,000 frames! This is the ultimate Hinamizawa mahjong experience!” Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Jong has no confirmed release date, but is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Steam.
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Higurashi Jong is Already Reviving Old Controversies
The story will often go out of its way to get characters into various states of undress. In most cases, this is done to add another layer of uncomfortably, vulnerability, and horror to certain moments, but Ryukishi07 has a very bad habit of just playing fan service straight. It’s particularly egregious in Higurashi as the mistreatment of children is a major, intentional theme of the visual novels, anime, and manga.
The fact the series includes so much fan service, and scenes designed to objectify the female characters (no matter how young) has given Higurashi something of a reputation. Higurahi Jong is only adding more fuel to the fire by insisting that “All appearing characters are 18 years of age or older.” This is despite the fact the main characters are clearly pre-teens to young teenagers and no effort has been made to revamp their designs.
CITY CONNECTION seems to be trying to preemptively cover their bases given Higurashi Jong’s racier content. The dev description reads, “This title is a 2D animated illustration mahjong battle game. In-game match animations contain mild exposure and fan service elements (such as swimsuits and cosplay). Additionally, story and match cutscenes include mild blood effects, weapon depictions, and dark narrative themes (fear, paranoia, and implied death).”
The devs do stress that no actual explicit or adult content is shown, but even fans who watched the anime back in the day might feel put off by the sheer volume of scantily clad anime girls, the oldest of which is only 14. Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Jong can be wish listed on Steam now, but make the game itself will have no official English translation and will release exlucisvely in Japanese & Chinese.
