Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei Episode 1

Hajisarashi-hen
羞晒し編
Story arc	Hajisarashi-hen
Released	February 25, 2009
Script	Toshifumi Kawase
Storyboard	Toshifumi Kawase
Episode director	Shunji Yoshida
Animation director	Chieko Miyakawa
Sound director	Hozumi Gôda
Editor	Masahiro Matsumura
Producers	Hiroyuki Oomori; Mika Nomura; Takeshi Okamura
Theme music
Opening theme	Super scription of data
Ending theme	Manazashi
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei Chronology
← Previous; —	Next →; "Dice Killing Chapter One"

Hajisarashi-hen (羞晒し編, Embarassment Chapter, or Shame Exposing Chapter) is the fifty-second episode of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime and the first episode of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei anime.

Summary

Keiichi Maebara wakes up late and hurriedly bikes to the pool where he is supposed to meet Rena Ryuuguu, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, and Satoko Houjou. On his way, he realizes that he forgot to bring his swim trunks. Luckily, Yoshiro Sonozaki approaches him and gives him swim trunks that are said to possess magic properties. Yoshiro claims that, if Keiichi writes his name on the trunks and swims around for three hours, Keiichi will be given "ladies' man magic." However, over the course of that three hours, Keiichi will be faced with a series of trials as people will attempt to take the trunks from him. Though skeptical, Keiichi takes the trunks and writes his name on them.

Keiichi arrives at the pool, right before he would be counted late. When the group goes up to a large water slide, Rika pushes Keiichi down the slide first. Mion decides to go down the slide next, though the PA system announces that there is a call for her. Over the phone, Yoshiro informs Mion about the magic trunks and how he misread the manual for their use; in actuality, the person wearing the trunks is going to magically fall in love with the person whose name is written on it. Thus, Yoshiro insists that Mion take the trunks from Keiichi before he falls in love with himself. Mion returns to the pool and informs the group about the situation regarding Keiichi's trunks. Keiichi doesn't believe Mion and instead believes that this is one of the trials Yoshiro was referring to. As such, Keiichi runs away from the group. In order to save Keiichi from impending narcissism, the group joins together to try and remove KEiichi's trunks. Rika calls upon Hanyuu to assist them in this matter, offering her cream puffs and Angel Mort's Jumbo Platter. Hanyuu agrees to help.

As Keiichi escapes the group, Hanyuu stops time and turns Keiichi so that he runs back into the pool. The group notices Miyo Takano sunbathing nearby. Satoko approaches Miyo and tells her that Keiichi's trunks are a highly-prized treasure from the Saiguden. Furthermore, Rika tells Miyo that, if she helps the group take Keiichi's trunks, Rika will give her a personal tour of the secrets of the Saiguden. Miyo agrees to help, brandishing ten syringes.

The group then notices Rumiko Chie eating curry at a three-star restaurant by the pool. Again, Satoko approahces her. Satoko claims that Keiichi put powdered curry in his trunks as a form of deodorant. Enraged by this blasphemy, Chie joins in the fight, brandishing T-squares.

Mion sees her twin sister, Shion Sonozaki, is working as a lifeguard at the pool. Mion whispers in Shion's ear and Shion agrees to join the group, brandishing a stun gun.

Shortly after, the fifty-strong Angel Mort fan club arrives. Rika tells the fan club that Keiichi stole the groups' school swimsuits and stuffed them in his trunks. This convinces the fan club to take Keiichi's trunks.

At this point, Miyo is attacking Keiichi with her syringes and Chie is attacking him with her T-squares. AS Keiichi evades their attacks, he is confronted by Shion and her stun gun as well as the Angel Mort fan club. As Keiichi begins to feel that the situation is hopeless, Kyousuke Irie, Jirou Tomitake, and Kuraudo Ooishi join him to form the Soul Brothers. Miyo calls upon the Mountain Hounds, who are hiding underwater nearby, and Ooishi counters by calling in a riot squad. Shion calls upon Tatsuyoshi Kasai, who stands at the top of the water slide with a large gun. Kasai fires a stun grenade at Keiichi, though Jirou intercepts the shot and stops it with his chest. As a last resort, Rena, Satoko, and Mion approach the Soul Brothers and lure them away from Keiichi. Rena tells Ooishi that, though the pool normally opens at 10, today it opened at 9. This causes Ooishi to believe that the magic trunks should've taken effect by now. Satoko tells Irie that Keiichi is happy being the only one with the ladies' man magic, with Irie sees as a betrayal. Mion tells Jirou that there's only one more dose of magic in the trunks. Thus, all three turn against Keiichi and attack him. During the fight, the Soul Brothers manage to take the trunks from Keiichi, though they are still fighting over which one of them gets the trunks. The group rejoices that Keiichi has avoided narcissism. For the group to continue playing in the pool, Keiichi is now forced to wear swan swim trunks Mion had purchased as a punishment. As the Soul Brothers continue to fight over the trunks, Rika tells Hanyuu that, in three hours, Keiichi will meet a "wonderful buddy."

Characters

Trivia

When the group imagines Keiichi as a narcissist, he appears reminiscent of a bodybuilder, with larger muscles and a very dark tan.