Story by Ryukishi07, art by Yutori Houjyou
Yen Press, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

I’m not too familiar with supernatural curses in manga, but if they make you relive the best parts of your respective series, albeit in alternative ways, I’m all for them.

Such appears to be the case with Higurashi When They Cry; last year, I reviewed the two-part Abducted by Demons arc, which ended with protagonist Keiichi Maebara appearing to meet an ugly fate. Imagine my surprise upon picking up volume one of the Cotton Drifting arc and discovering Keiichi alive and well. True, serialized media often feature cliffhangers that are undone with the following installment, but this time it’s the entire previous arc—not just the ending—that seems to get nullified. It’s as if writer Ryukishi07 hit a “reset” button at the start of Cotton Drifting: we’re back in early summer, 1983; Keiichi has only recently moved to Hinamizawa Village; and his best friends aren’t trying to kill him.

The author’s decision to rewind time means this volume, technically the third of the series, can be evaluated as the continuation of a previous storyline, and as a jumping-on point for new readers. As the former, it’s quite fascinating: all the same characters from the Abducted by Demons are in Cotton Drifting as well, but it doesn’t take long before history starts repeating itself differently. Two pivotal characters from the prior arc are back, but how Keiichi first meets them has changed entirely. Meanwhile, his relationships with members of his close circle of friends—especially the tomboyish Mion—also develop contrary to the last series.

So why all this retroactive continuity, readers of Abducted by Demons may find themselves asking. Are we to assume Oyashiro-sama’s curse—the source of all the conflict in the last arc—has somehow caused Keiichi to be trapped in some kind of temporal loop, doomed to repeat summer 1983 and its misfortunes? Or maybe, even though the Cotton Drifting and Abducted by Demons narratives don’t exactly fit together like puzzle pieces, they are somehow parts of the same larger story? Ryukishi07 and artist Yutori Houjyou toss in a few red herrings indicating there could be a connection; in particular, the introduction of Mion’s identical twin sister puts details from Abducted by Demons in a more complicated light.

But even if one has never read a word of any Higurashi When They Cry series, the Cotton Drifting arc stands quite well on its own. If volume one is any indication, new readers will not need to have flipped through Abducted by Demons beforehand. True, those with prior knowledge of the series will notice inconsistencies between narratives or may experience surprise at unexplored depths revealed in certain characters—all part of a deeper, richer understanding—but there’s plenty of entertainment value for those without background, too. What they’ll see is a screwball romantic-comedy manga with instances of mistaken identity due to Mion’s twin sister, and lots of wacky antics courtesy of the playful chemistry shared between Keiichi and friends. The general tone is light and comedic; a sense of dread creeps in the middle and end, but no shocks measure up to Abducted by Demons yet.

Overall, Higurashi When They Cry’s new arc is highly recommended, even if I have no idea where it’s going and why, mainly because the creators are so proficient at what they do. The characters each have distinct personalities, and when the story resembles harem comedy, it’s rendered with appropriately sparkly backgrounds; meanwhile, the spooky parts are shadowy and atmospheric. I’m going on faith that if I stick around the series long enough, I’ll figure out the secrets of Himanizawa Village. But it may take a few summers.

Volume one of Higurashi When They Cry: Cotton Drifting Arc is available now.