A new trailer for Higurashi: When They Cry – SOTSU has been released, offering another preview of the upcoming anime and its Answer arc as well as the opening song “Analogy” by Ayane. The anime is set to premiere in June.
A new visual for the anime was also released, featuring the teenage versions of Rikka and Satoko in their school uniforms while the other main characters stand in the background with their faces ominously obscured.
Two previous trailers were released in March and April respectively. The anime was announced in March.
Higurashi: When They Cry – SOTSU is the continuation to Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU, which premiered in the Fall 2020 anime season. GOU premiered as Higurashi: When They Cry – NEW, before revealing its actual title to be GOU after the release of the second episode. The anime initially seemed like a remake of the 2006 anime adaptation of the Higurashi When They Cry visual novels but has since introduced new story elements and deviations.
In a blog post, Funimation wrote, “The kanji for SOTSU and GOU together is sotsugyou 卒業, which means ‘Graduation,’ and is a big part of the story in GOU.”
For GOU, Funimation gave the following explanation for its title: “Gou, or 業, is a Japanese kanji that has multiple meanings and usages, but can be used to mean karma, or the fate resulting from one’s actions in past lives, based on Buddhist concepts.”
The returning staff from GOU includes Keichirō Kawaguchi as director, Naoki Hayashi as series composer, Akio Watanabe as character designer, Takashi Ikehata as assistant director, Kusanagi’s Kazuhiro Inōe as art director, Graphinica’s Yūichirō Tozawa as photography director, and Kenji Kawai as music composer. Passione is in charge of the animation production.
The cast includes Yukari Tamura as Rika Furude, Mika Kanai as Satoko Honjō, Soichiro Hoshi as Keiichi Maebara, Mai Nakahara as Rena Ryūgū, and Satsuki Yukino as Mion and Shion Sonozaki.
Netflix describes GOU as:
Keiichi moves to a rural village harboring deadly secrets alongside its old-fashioned festival. As he makes friends, he’s drawn into the local curse.
Source: Funimation YouTube channel
