Forget it. Buy the Visual Novel instead.
It may be actually cheaper then the manga, even.
Just joking. I never fully read it, but, even in the Visual Novel fandom, the response to the manga is very positive, specially when compared to the anime. It probably worth a look. The few scenes I read (mostly the end of Watanagashi-hen) were very well done (specially, again, when compared to the anime).
I still recommend the Visual Novel, though. And I think it is cheaper then the manga, even though it is overpriced.
Oh, wait, just realized something.
Which first volume you are talking about Willbyr? The Higurashi manga has many "first volumes". It is divided in 8 'story arcs' and the number restart at the beginning of each. After a quick Google search, I think the English release organize it better then the Japanese edition (at last they are releasing each chapter in order, instead of all at the same time), but the number in the front cover is still related to the story arc, not to the major story.
Anyway, make sure you are buying the first volume of "Abducted by Demons Arc" and not some other arc.
Its numbered both ways, actually.
*turns and grabs a volume off the desk*
Alright, this is listed as "Higurashi Series Volume 11", "Eye Opening Arc Volume 1"
If you are confused, you can check on TRSI for the order, here
Amazon and other sites are less thorough, but TRSI can be used as a reference if you don't want to order from them.
edited 5th Jun '11 5:24:08 AM by SakurazakiSetsuna
From what I could see in the Google Images the big number in the front cover is still the one referring to the arc, isn't it? That seems enouth to confuses somebody, so I figured it would be better warn.
Willbyr is not ordering, but buying from a bookstore, isn't him? There is a risk the "First volume" he have been seeing is the one from Eye Opening, which is about the worst point he could chose to start, of the English released volumes.
edited 5th Jun '11 5:45:18 AM by Heatth
When I was in B&N yesterday, it looked like they had one entire arc in one volume...it might have been the Abducted by Demons arc, I can't remember for sure. Is there a certain order to the story arcs?
I don't plan on getting into the Visual Novel of the story; I can barely keep up with everything else I'm doing on the computer.
edited 5th Jun '11 5:53:17 AM by Willbyr
To bad you are not planing to get the Visual Novel. It is one awesome work. And, as much praise the manga get, it has the irreparable flaw of having no sounds, which is bad for a self described Sound Novel.
Anyway, yeah, there is a specific order for the arcs. For a few arcs, the order is not that important, I guess (partiularly in the beginning), however, the story structure is made to be read in a way, so reading in a different way may spoil some bits. Reading the "solution" arcs without having reading the "questions" arcs is a great way to spoil the story, though. Fortunately, only one Solution arc was released in English as for now.
There is no way you could have seem a volume with a whole arc on it. The smallest arcs are still two volume long. There is stand alone one volume Higurashi stories, but they are not released in English and I think they are not "arcs", but collections of short stories.
Anyway, here the order of the arcs, divided by "questions" and "solutions" (bold for not yet released in English arcs):
- Abducted by Demons Arc
- Cotton Drifting Arc
- Curse Killing Arc
- Time Killing Arc
- Eye Opening Arc
- Atonement Arc
- Massacre Arc
- Festival Accompanying Arc
There is also, in English, two side stories not based in the Visual Novel:
- Beyond Midnight Arc
- Demon Exposing Arc
Demon Exposing must be read after Time Killing, but otherwise it doesn't matter much. Beyond Midnight is apparently officially listed between Time Killing and Eye Opening, but I disagree (I've read that one). It has one element that may make the whole mysteries of the Quesion arcs more confusing. Worst, it may be misleading about its solution. I don't think it fit well in the middle of the original 8 arcs.
edited 5th Jun '11 6:28:36 AM by Heatth
There was a scene from the manga that still gives me nightmares. It involved chickens. Not joking.
I think it was Higurashi. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if it wasn't?
the pronoun system in Cherokee is just better. Need Scion GM.Matsuribayashi-hen (Festival-Accompanying Chapter). It fleshes out Takano and her fellow orphans' punishments after they were captured, whereas in the anime she was immediately rescued by her adoptive grandfather. Quite a tragic backstory, and definitely High Octane Nightmare Fuel.

I've been seeing a manga version of Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni at Barnes & Noble, and I was wondering if anyone's read it and would recommend it.