History YMMV / HigurashiWhenTheyCry

** [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J0WKMcO7akQ&feature=youtu.be AND HERE COMES THE GIANT FIST!!!]][[labelnote:explanation]]The infamously [[TearJerker depressing]] scene where Shion stabs Satoko to death had an edit of it made in 2009 where the audio is replaced by the scene in the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E5MermaidManAndBarnacleBoyIVDoingTime Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy IV]]" where Patrick plays with a shrunken Squidward, subjecting the original scene to CrossesTheLineTwice for how disturbingly fitting the audio is.[[/labenote]]

** The final showdown between Rika and Satoko in ''Sotsu''. while no one will argue that it very out-of-place, some thought it was entertaining for what it was, while others believed it was the moment the show officially JumpedTheShark.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: [[spoiler:**SATOKO.**]] As mentioned above in BrokenBase, fans will either find her to be an interesting villain with a good FreudianExcuse, or believe that she is a bland, one-dimensional villain that is an example of badly written character assassination, and that her motivations are extremley petty and flimsy. Sotsu did not help matters at all, especially towards the end where it basically summed up her FreudianExcuse as [[spoiler:"I don't like studying."]]
** Then there's the debate of whether she deserves redemption. Her defenders will say that the point of Higurashi is that it's a world where all sins are forgiveable and that she was only acting that way because she was mentally broken. Detractors however believe that she is irredeemable and is a borderline CompleteMonster. They feel like the show made go way too far in her atrocities and failed to humanize her in a way that would make the audience understand her, especially considering that she [[spoiler:tortured Rika over a petty promise and dragged her friends and everyone else she knows along with this without a hint of remorse, and getting away with it in the end.]]

** Shion, despite having subplots that would fit well into Satoko and Rika's journeys, was DemotedToExtra. ''Meguri addresses this by having her not only appearing in the time-skip, but also having her openly state her objections about Rika going to St. Lucia with Satoko, since Shion being student at said academy is a rather important plot point in the series.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: ''Meguri'' addresses the fans' complaints on Shion being DemotedToExtra, by having her not only appearing in the time-skip, but also having her openly state her objections about Rika going to St. Lucia with Satoko, since Shion being student at said academy is a rather important plot point in the series.

* CatharsisFactor: [[spoiler: After spending nearly the entire show torturing Rika and killing everyone with no remorse, Satoko finally get what's coming to her when Rika manages fights back in an epic Dragon Ball Z-esque battle. And Rika even brings back "Chair-kun" from ''Saikoroshi-hen''!]]

** So how does it all end? [[spoiler:Rika and Satoko talk it out. Fans feel that this happy ending is out of place and unearned, given that Rika was willing to [[EasilyForgiven make amends]] with Satoko after the latter had essentially tortured her and everyone they knew for multiple loops, and that [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot the ending]] doesn't add much to ''Higurashi'' as a stand-alone beyond Rika and Satoko's relationship being tainted. Even the seeming build-up to Rika and Satoko becoming Bernkastel and Lambdadelta is still unclear, although may be addressed in the future.]]

** "She wants revenge for the chair."/"They should sic the chairs on her." and "Maybe Teppei had a point this time."[[labelnote:explanation]]Jokes about Satoko's increasingly suspicious behavior throughout ''Gou''. It is joked that her motive is to get revenge on Rika for beating her with a chair in ''Saikorohoshi-hen'' or that everyone should just use the chairs to fight her if she turns out to be the culprit. There's also BlackComedy jokes that Teppei's abuse was to keep her in check or that ''Satoko'' was the one abusing Teppei, which gains more credence in ''Sotsu'' when Satoko is clearly in charge of situations and makes Teppei her dupe via outright lies and emotional manipulation. And then in ''Sotus'' Episode 14, Rika brings back the return of the chair, much to the fandom's delight[[/labelnote]]

** Air conditioning[[labelnote:explanation]]In ''Onikakushi'', when Ooishi invites Keiichi into his car, he emphasizes that "it's air conditioned". This led to jokes involving Ooishi and how much he loves air conditioning.[[/labelnote]]

** Not My Satoko [[labelnote:explanation]]A statement that was quite popular in social media during 2020 and 2021 that tells how the big part of the fandom disliking ''Gou'' and ''Sotsu'' because they thought both series were derailing Satoko, therefore treating it as FanonDiscontinuity.[[/labelnote]].

** Not My Satoko [[labelnote:explanation]]A statement that was quite popular in social media during 2020 and 2021 that tells how the big part of the fandom disliking Gou and Sotsu, therefore treating it as FanonDiscontinuity.[[/labelnote]].

** In the eyes of some, [[spoiler:Takano's]] FreudianExcuse loses all sympathy when you realize that their machinations have caused [[spoiler:Rika [[EternalRecurrence ''centuries'' of torment]].]]

* TheyChangeItSoItSucks: How several fans who read the Visual Novel or Manga feel about the anime. Mainly the fact that the blood and gore was more emphasized at the expense of the emotional moments of the series. The anime version of the end of Meakashi-Hen is a particular sour note as that version in the anime had [[spoiler: Shion falling to her accidental death trying to get back to her apartment after stabbing Keiichi with only one line about her regretting her actions.]] Where as in the original version [[spoiler: Shion has a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind while under the Hinamizawa Syndrome in her apartment yelling at a hallucination of Mion, and throws herself out the window. She survives the fall on top of a roof but feels [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone completely regretful]] about all of the things she's done in the arc and decides to [[DrivenToSuicide roll off the roof]] while reminiscing about being part of the gang while the iconic theme You plays in the credits]], which is considered to be one of the highpoints of the series.

** Rika bashing Satoko with a chair in ''Higurashi: Rei' which was brought back for ''Higurashi Sotsu''.

** Also in the same series, for fans who thought that Rika was being Rika was being rather oblivious to Satoko's wellbeing, this was also fixed by showing her actively try to reach out to Satoko.

*** Satoko in Wataakashi-Hen. While she injected Mion with the H5 syringe just to see what she would do under the illness, she also egged Mion on about Shion being in love with Keiichi. Could Satoko also have wanted to get revenge against the woman who brutally beat her up in class and tortured her to death in Watanagashi-Hen and Meakashi-Hen?
*** When she saw how much her uncle was willing to go out of his way to ensure she was safe, [[spoiler:Satoko]] has a moment of sadness on her face. Could it be that she felt remorse for her actions even for a moment? [[spoiler: The reveal in episode 10 that Looper!Satoko has a split personality puts this into question even more.]]

* ArcFatigue: The first half of ''Gou'' and especially the first part of ''Sotsu'' has been criticized by fans for just largely rehashing the first original arcs before adding sudden twist endings.

** Wataakashi-hen is kicked off with [[spoiler:a wide-awake Mion not noticing an ''injection'' simply because she's using a soda dispenser.]]

** Much like in ''Gou'', episode 14 of ''Sotsu'' has [[spoiler: Rika]] dying in increasingly ridiculous ways up to and including: being struck in the face by a frying pan; stabbed with a fork; getting smacked by a book; and getting punched bloodily while she was trying to sleep.

* AssPull: So how does it all end? [[spoiler:Rika and Satoko talk it out. Fans feel that this happy ending is out of place and unearned, given that Rika was willing to [[EasilyForgiven make amends]] with Satoko after the latter had essentially tortured her and everyone they knew for multiple loops, and that [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot the ending]] doesn't add much to ''Higurashi'' as a stand-alone beyond Rika and Satoko's relationship being tainted. Even the seeming build-up to Rika and Satoko becoming Bernkastel and Lambdadelta is still unclear, although may be addressed in the future.]]