Cliffhanger 2: Electric Boogaloo
What They Say:
Hanyuu is rendered helpless by Eua’s power and suffers a fate worse than death – becoming an audience surrogate.
The Review
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The world of fragments come together as Hanyuu sets her sights on Eua. The battle of Gods is about to begin (and no, this one doesn’t involve Goku). But it isn’t much of a battle. Using context clues, it’s easy to surmise that Hanyuu is a lesser god than Eua. It’s been hinted at that the two are related somehow, whether they are individual fragments of a greater entity or Hanyuu is a piece of Eua. Either way, Hanyuu is no match for Eua in their magical melee and is swiftly subdued. There are some subtle references to Ciconia: When They Cry, but as things stand that’s all they are – references to excite fans, but overall don’t pertain to Sotsu’s plot (as of right now anyways). With Hanyuu bound and helpless (and by the graces of studio Passione, bustier than I remember her being…), she’s forced to watch as Rika suffers at the hands of her best friend Satoko.
Unfortunately, that’s about all there really is to say about episode 13. As I’ve mentioned previously, Sotsu has had an issue with retreading rather than reimagining. The only shred of new content we’re given is that Rika’s fragment memories are rising to the surface, trying to subconsciously warn her that Satoko is the baddy. Aside from that and the addition of Hanyuu’s perspective, this episode is completely a recap of Nekodamashi-hen from Gou. And just to kick us while we’re down, the ritual sacrifice scene is censored this time around. Hanyuu’s desolate screams carry the weight of the Higurashi fanbase as we’re forced to rewatch a clip show of events we’ve already seen. Eua laughs mockingly at Hanyuu, convinced that this is the end of the road. And seeing as it took us to episode 13 of Sotsu to reach the same cliffhanger from Gou, it might as well be.
In Summary:
It’s a real shame that in many cases Sotsu turned out to be a glorified spark notes of Gou and this episode is a blatant culprit. Things aren’t looking good for the Hinamizawa squad, but after facing defeat so many times alongside Rika, Hanyuu has learned to believe in miracles. With only two episodes remaining, it truly will take a miracle to pull off an ending worth this season’s buildup.
Grade: C-
Streamed By: Funimation
