Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou (ひぐらしのなく頃に業), licensed in English as Higurashi: When They Cry - New, is a 2020 sequel to the visual novel and 2006 anime created by Studio DEEN. The new project, animated by Passione, began airing on October 1, 2020. A sequel, titled, was announced on March 18, 2021.

Plot
The story was initially marketed as a remake of. On one hot summer day in 1983, a transfer student named Keiichi Maebara comes to a peaceful rural village in Hinamizawa. There, he befriends his classmates Rena, Mion, Rika, and Satoko. Accepted as a full-fledged member of the "club," Keiichi and the gang plays all sorts of activities ranging from card and board games to hide-and-seek. But just as Keiichi was beginning to be assimilated in simple rural life, he stumbles upon the dark history of Hinamizawa. As Keiichi dives deeper into the mystery, he finds that his new found friends may not be all what they claim to be.

Eventually, the story was revealed to be a sequel rather than a remake. Rika Furude, the hidden protagonist of the original story, is forced back into the cyclical June of 1983, despite her success in. Rika endeavors to discover why she is being tormented again and learns the dark truth about what occurred after she previously escaped the endless loops of Hinamizawa.

Production
The anime project was announced by 07th Expansion and Kadokawa on January 6, 2020. Akio Watanabe serves as the new character designer and Keiichiro Kawaguchi serves as director. Kenji Kawai is returning as music composer and the original cast from the 2006 anime all reprise their roles. The series was originally slated for release in July 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An official trailer was released by Funimation on July 3, 2020, citing a Fall release date. On July 6, 2020, the release date was narrowed to October 2020. On August 21, 2020, a collaborative event promoting the release of Higurashi: When They Cry - New and the mobile game SINoALICE took place. On September 19, 2020, Hong Kong distributor MediaLink Entertainment Limited announced it would simulcast Higurashi: When They Cry - New.