[Disclaimer]: This entry might contain MINOR spoilers. However, while the analysis might push you to these minorspoilers, NO foretelling spoiler is present. Therefore, please follow the same guideline, and understand that any spoiler can just ruin this critical part of the story for any reader. (NO spoiler will be tolerated. Any borderline hint either. Don’t even try to test me, instant edit/delete might fall without your permission. You have been WARNED). Good reading!
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Matsuribayashi-hen Analyses: [Makuake], [Trap]
Be sure to have watched the episode before reading this!
Today, I will focus mainly on the following points:
- “Operation 48 hours”
- Queen Carrier Theory
- Intervention
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[Analysis]
I. “Operation 48 hours”
The club members were plotting a stratagem against Takano and her Yamainu troops. However, wasn’t there too much flaws in the plan?
Actually, they were cleverly set, to lay a complete waste and disorder in such organization.
First complete shock would be actually the questionable lack of basis to the queen theory. Even if they can prove later on that Rika didn’t die yet, the doubts created from the announcement can shake them off for a good while, giving them hard time to decide on anything.
Second point is actually the “flaw”: Rika was reported sick, because of a cold, and Irie checked on her yesterday. However, as we could see with Okonogi, the police is rather a serious and “reliable” source for them, and they can hardly imagine right from the bat it is a plot of the police as well, especially because of their spy.
This is even more stressed when Irie confirms that Rika was at home yesterday. They can’t even imagine that there are “betrayers” within their ranks, especially these two, Irie and Tomitake, are supposed to ignore completely the true objective of Takano and her Yamainu men.
Third is what the club members and Ooishi planned: dawn is actually a tactical choice, because they can’t have a proper awareness, while they can simply “extend” their day if it was done late at night.
As you can see, the second point is probably the most important one, as it increases the doubts of the first one. Even if they don’t doubt, figuring who is the “liar” between Irie (who can’t be an obvious suspect first) and the Okinomiya police (a complete “outsider party”) is nowhere near of a cake walk (especially that BOTH lied). This movement of back and forth is disrupting even more the effectiveness of their actions and investigations. The nature and origin of the information are so serious they can’t imagine, thanks to the third point.
Therefore, the first point is crumcling apart, giving inner conflict.
This plan was of course to buy time and shake them enough so they can’t act properly. Wasting them precious hours, despite the deadline with the festival is beyond effective.
Although they don’t know it, this situation actually worked much better, because Takano has her “true” supporters quite agitated because of the complete dud, exposing their plan.
Therefore, Takano was drawn as well in her own doubts and complete stress, though her will and determination were made of steel, which permit her to stay “cool headed”.
II. Queen Carrier Theory
This episode proved pretty much that Takano herself has some shades of doubt. This point is actually invaluable, not only for the “Operation 48 hours”, but to actually defeat her completely. What is actually her objective?
Carnage? No it is the MEAN for her goal, absolutely not the result she is aiming for.
To defend and glorify her grandfather, she has to lay waste chaos instead of resolving the syndrome mystery. She wanted to do the later first, but since the alphabet project allows them to carry on the research for only three mere years, she can only pick another way to do so.
Proving the hazardous and terrible effect of the syndrome is well enough to shatter the pride and “conceit attitude” of her higher ups, who ridiculed her and her granfather. This was of course offered by the third faction, who aims for the Koizumi’s downfall.
Takano ignores that but she doesn’t care at all. It is unknown if she actually “wins” when the plan is set, but what we saw in Himatsubushi-hen and Reunion are well enough to figure that even if she can’t go further in her research, Takano would succeed in her revenge.
To her, it is her goal, her motive. What would happen if this will is shattered?
To anyone, it might be a failure, but in Higurashi, especially for either Takano or Rika, losing their will is equal to utter defeat. As proved in higurashi, will is the sinews of war. Once they are taken out, the said person would be swallowed by the shadows of Fate. To Rika, she would die with all of her friends and villagers. To Takano, it would be back to square one, with no way to avenge her grandfather or herself.
This is actually the reason why Takano doesn’t give up and blindly goes further with her “I didn’t lose yet!”. She can’t afford doubting her own work. Not even once, it is rtaher she can’t do that at all, as she has “the truth” for herself, nothing else.
To her, it is impossible that the queen carrier theory is false. In such extent, it is how Takagi could actually manipulate her, as she perfectly knows that this thesis is everything Takano has dear in her life.
The aftermath of this? Takano is simply blind and will drag anyone in the dark, as long as she can get what she wants.
This is actually crashing with her “other feelings”. This episode hints that Takano “cared” about Tomitake. It is unclear if she was really attached to him, but it is sure that she is not totally “cold blooded” to kill off Tomitake. However, Minagoroshi-hen and the others arcs proved that she has to kill him and will do it without any much problem. This is proving once again that Takano is beyond dangerous and she can betray almost anything to get what she wants (this reminds me a bit of Fei Wong Reed, from Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE).
Now, she is desperately trying to clear any cloudy spots about “Rika’s Death”, despite the very strong points against her, such like point two, the police report. She is fighting so hard that once her “dominating” position is restored, she is making sure to trample the resistance in front of her. As she is doutbing of her surrouding, she assures herself that no one aside of her trusty toys can disrupt her plan, and so, her objective.
III. Intervention
The yamainu use their spy within the ranks of the Okinomiya police, to actually make sure their target, Rika, is really dead or not.
This shows how far they are infiltrated in the surrouding and how their connections can give them outstanding advantage.
This is actually what Ooishi wanted, as I already proved that the police report isn’t actually a mean to stop Takano. Instead, they are trying to bait them, exposing them even more: the yamainu, stalking Rika’s house and the whole village, while the spy within the police is checking this.
Such intervention is hardly possible to do without being noticed at all. This is how Ooishi could expose Okata, because his position makes his call and arrival quite unusual. Ooishi didn’t hit the spot blindly, that’s the other way around: much like how Okonogi figured that the police report about Rika’s death was too “perfectly timed” for the festival, Ooishi found out quickly that the spy cannot be anyone else than Okata, who was calling specifically the coroner.
The plan was actually sly enough to reverse the advantage of the yamainu into a serious handicap: proving corrupted party within the area is sure another solid point to demonstrate that Takano party is guilty, and so they can have much better arguments to call forth the Banken troops. The mention of Sonozaki is even bigger, because this bait was the perfect way to smash once again Rule Z, as they can’t be related to fishy and massacre plans. Therefore, it is strengthening the bounds of the “defenders” and so on.
Now, the other excellent aspect of this fake report is to give a proper reason for an investigation, putting the Banken troops on standby. As seen in this episode, Tomitake realized that even the Identification Departement in the main HQ took the information quite seriously. Considering how the very severe consequences of the Queen Carrier’s death might be, Tomitake can dispatch the Banken if there is further others reasons around. Even if it is a false alarm, they can notice the stress and chaos within the Yamainu ranks, giving even further suspicions towards them, and so, towards Takano as well.
Now, it is quite harder for Takano to silence Tomitake. Why? Such like the timing is “too perfect”, if Tomitake dies quite soon after requesting investigation on the Irie institute, it wouldn’t be left unoticed at all.
Tomitake’s death was required for the disaster plan, along with Rika’s, as to leave no choice for the higher-ups aside of the massacre plan. Since it is giving obvious fact that even the dispatched troops aren’t in safety either, while the queen carrier is dead, they will have no other choice but to clean everything before the outbreak can emerge. Even if Takano believes in this theory herself, she can’t let herself losing time or letting investigation to crippled her own operation (let’s not mention about Takagi and her clients).
Same goes for Irie, as he was always killed in the arcs when the disaster takes place. Since it might be linked to his failure as a doctor and researcher (“Tomitake’s death due of the syndrome”), the investigation of his “death” is often discontinued.
Everything is shaken off, and the intervention of either the Yamainu or the Banken can balance the victory of either side… or maybe there is another chess piece?
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For the last time, Fate of June 1983 is resumed
…a conceit will is crumbling
…while heroic spirits are fighting all their might…
…retaliating forcefully against their foes…
Now… Doom is inevitable? Will everyone be happy?
This is your decision to witness the possible arrival of a miracle…
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai continues…
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Not “that late” for once, this entry was quite satisfying as I could resume some usual “size” for once, while it was rather short and tasteless last week.
The climax of the story is coming around, and I hope you are sitll enjoying the ride!
Next episode will be covered shortly after this entry. Things are going even faster, for our pleasure!
When Anime Past Meets Present 
Mm. Personally, I didn’t think Takano was lying when she said she loved Tomitake in Minagoroshi-hen. But if he got in the way of her goal, she was willing to sacrifice him.