Speedpost: Further thoughts on Higurashi no naku koro ni rei

WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR HIGURASHI NO NAKU KORO NI REI. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Welcome to the very first speedpost. These are basically stiff that I personally wanted to talk about but didn't think it was good enough for an actual post for whatever reason.

A long time ago, I reviewed Higurashi. In that review, I merely glanced over the episodes of Rei. I want to talk about this season in a bit more detail.

Though I still consider Kai to be the best season of Higurashi, Rei is probably the deepest of the 4 seasons. I gave some thought to the story Rei established and came to the conclusion that the true beauty of the story can be understood if you put yourself in Rika's position.

You fight hard and strive for centuries. You died and watched your loved ones die countless times in a fight to obtain a peaceful world. You win at last and now happy days are ahead of you. Suddenly, you are thrown out of the world you fought so hard for into a new "perfect" world. Your friends are there but they aren't. Their personalities are unfamiliar to you. It like they are complete strangers who only resemble your dear friends. You are left friendless. Your parents however, are alive. You saw your mother die countless times before. But she's alive and there for you now. Your home town is about to be destroyed but there's no need to fight. Everyone relocated to other places and are living happily.

In this unfamiliar world, you find a way back. To get back to the "imperfect" world you and your friends fought so hard for, to reunite with them, you must kill your mother in this world. You have 3 days. Doing so will push you back to your familiar world. Your home and your friends are there. But you're an orphan. Everyone has gone through a lot of pain. And there are some who still aren't fully happy. But you will have to leave this new "perfect" world behind. Alternatively, you can choose to stay in this world and start with a clean slate. Your dear friends and your home town is gone forever. But you can start a new life with your parents elsewhere. You will have to say goodbye to the world you fought so long and hard for, the world you sacrificed so much for.

So, will you do it? Will you destroy the perfect world and kill your mother to go back?

This helps us understand the message Rei was trying to convey. There isn't any wrong or right decision. Whatever you chose, it's your choice. You are responsible and it's your life. Be proud of what you chose and don't look back on what could have been.

Thanks for Reading.