Despite the revelations from Higurashi New, SOTSU returns us to the hells of June 1983 as the cycle of “loops” begins once again. Rena Ryuuguu is the first victim of the Hinamizawa syndrome but now we see a new side of the story we know all too well. Watching Satoko inject poor Rena with the virus confirms that, all along, she has been the reason our residents of Hinamizawa have become insane. However, we also see something that isn’t usually shown so early on, Rena at full insanity.

By episode 2 of Higurashi - SOTSU, Rena is already a killer thanks to her infection. Killing off one woman—due to reasons we won’t spoil—Rena begins to breakdown quickly and sees almost everyone as a possible “threat” to her small family. Then by episode 3, Rena and a few others are involved in bloodbaths that are quite surprising to see so early on in the Higurashi world. If this new season is already this bloody we can only imagine the future of SOTSU will be even darker, more violent, and insane than the previous seasons!

Satoko Houjou, everyone’s favorite prankster, was outed as the main Higurashi antagonist last season and we’re finally aware of how much involvement she really has in this cruel world Rika has been reliving for 100+ years. Satoko has the same looping ability Rika has but, clearly, her powers are significantly stronger and that makes us fans wonder, how will Rika undo her never-ending hell? From the opening visuals we see Rika battling Satoko—literally—in that strange meta-world where they go upon dying but is this just a metaphoric series of images or will it end up being an actual fight? Higurashi - SOTSU is shaping up to be an epic conclusion and we hope it can deliver that sweet ending we all have praying for since the early 2000s.

The one fear we have with SOTSU is that this will be yet another dozen-episode parade of restarts till we get to the final arc. As much as we love seeing that dark horror Higurashi does so well, it was quite tiring to see the usual characters go through mini-arcs killing each other and then restarting back to the early days of June. SOTSU has been nice showing us numerous other perspectives—such as Rika observing Rena and Keiichi—but we wouldn’t enjoy just re-watching what we already saw in Higurashi- New. We pray to the otaku gods above that Higurashi - SOTSU does some different loops at the very least or doesn’t make us wait too long for some new content.

Rika and Satoko are the dominant forces in this Higurashi universe as evidenced so far but throughout the series, we saw other characters prove they had their own strengths overcoming the “loops”. Keiichi was often portrayed as one of the main factors in ending Rika’s pain as he seemed stronger than the others—due to his memories being able to shatter through the dimensions—but as of recent, it seems as if Higurashi only wishes to focus on Rika and Satoko. Yes, the others have been clear components as they kill each other, have fun occasionally playing their usual games and living in the twisted reality of Hinamizawa but will they become pawns ultimately to the supernaturally charged duo?

What would make Higurashi - SOTSU work flawlessly is if each character had a means to alter the battle between Rika and Satoko. Maybe have the kids—or adult versions of them—stop Satoko from attempting another loop or acting as a medium between the two to stop the horrible future arc that awakens Satoko’s powers in Higurashi - New. We just want every character to have a purpose in SOTSU and not end up as minor characters in this newest season.