Higurashi Meguri 3 is a difficult read because it’s unclear what the series’ purpose is.
Higurashi Meguri 3, also known as Higurashi When They Cry: Meguri 3 , feels so bleak and raises questions about whether there’s something else going on underneath the surface. While it’s easy to enjoy the series, what kept it fascinating—alongside its yandere elements—was the mystery. The Hinamizawa group of kids would have fun, weird things happen, and they all died, and then it would repeat. But the why and how teased readers to return. Unfortunately, unless there’s something else, Higurashi Meguri 3 is violent antics with no purpose.
With the story by Ryukishi07, art by Tomato Akase, translation by Alethea and Athena Nibley, and lettering by Katie Blakeslee, the volume begins with Satoko enjoying winning the game. Since Rika is dead, Satoko takes her own life to reset the world. That’s what the volume consists of. Satoko plots inventive new ways to torture and kill her friends and foes, and then it starts again. Without something more, the Yen Press manga loses its allure.
Higurashi Meguri 3 Has Fun, Deadly Games and Schemes
For fans of the violent chaos in the series, Higurashi Meguri 3 does not disappoint. Bloodshed is around every corner, courtesy of Satoko’s bloodthirsty quest for destruction. With Satoko injecting folks with Hinamizawa syndrome to make them snap, it’s no wonder. There’s strangulation, mutilation, and more.
Still, the series doesn’t skimp on the fun. So, there are games—non-violent ones—and lighthearted, slice-of-life fun as well. If readers only saw those sections, one would assume this is a wholesome series. What stood out in the original was the trust this group of friends shared. It was that trust that allowed them to break free from the loop. Unfortunately, with Satoko scheming, it’s unclear what the end game is for the series.
Not Enough Headway
While the original had violence and bloodshed galore, it had the mystery to keep readers engaged. By Higurashi Meguri 3, readers know the culprits: Satoko and the Goddess, Eu-san. So, the series drags this volume. It’s like watching a show where you wait for someone you dislike to get their comeuppance. If the others make some progress, it’s fine because the tension is there. But if there is no progress, it drags. As such, the volume consists of Satoko creating chaos and then laughing and bragging with the goddess. So, it’s not quite the entertaining page-turner one expects from the series.
Comeuppance for An Abuser
Forgiveness may be divine, but asking someone to forgive an abuser is another thing. Satoko’s uncle put her through hell. Arguably, it might be why her personality is so warped. The section in the manga where she manipulates her contrite uncle and her friends to pit them against each other is darkly comedic. As she pretends to her friends that he’s abusing her and feigns bullying with him, it’s understandable if not acceptable. But Higurashi Meguri 3 still has no hint of what’s to come.
Higurashi Meguri 3 is a difficult read because it’s unclear what the series’ purpose is. Rika is nowhere near figuring out that Satoko is responsible for the loops now. Even if she did discover it, she’d forget with the next iteration. While side effects to the loop might usher in some unforeseen wrench in Satoko’s plans, Higurashi Meguri 3 drags too much with little progress, just bloodshed.
