WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou, "CottonDeception - Part 1" now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Higurashi Gou resets the clock with the beginning of the “Cotton Deceiving” arc and, as the name implies, things will be a little different this time around. Following the wild conclusion of the “Demon Deceiving” arc, fans know to expect the unexpected, especially with the new format. The first episode of the new arc doesn’t waste time changing things around. But just how much this will affect the outcome of the arc is up in the air.
In Episode 5, Keiichi wakes up to a phone call from Mion and Rena, and the two urge him to get dressed and meet them at their usual spot. The three then go into town and meet Rika, Satoko and a bunch of other kids from their school at a local game shop run by one of Mion’s uncles. They’re then promptly split into groups as part of a gaming tournament.
Keiichi, Mion, Rena, Rika and Satoko are all put in different groups. The rest of the club members advance with ease, but Keiichi struggles. After some harsh words from Mion, he gains the resolve he needs and comes away with a win. However, things are cut short when Mion announces that she has to go to her part-time job. Mion’s uncle gives the club members condolence prizes, with Keiichi receiving a doll. Everyone agrees that the prize doesn’t suit him, so Keiichi decides to give it away. Taking a hint from Rika, Keiichi offers the doll to Mion. Though she’s initially bashful, she eventually accepts it with a smile.
The next day, Keiichi and his dad go to Angel Mort for lunch and Keiichi runs into a girl resembling Mion. Surprised to see her working as a waitress, Keiichi teases her about her uniform. As the conversation goes on, Keiichi learns that he’s actually talking to Shion Sonozaki, Mion’s twin sister. Though he questions why he’d never heard about her from Mion, Keiichi apologizes for the misunderstanding before Shion leaves for her break.
The next day, Keiichi walks home with Rena and Mion and lets it slip that Mion works as a waitress, but corrects himself once he sees how flustered she is. Keiichi starts to talk about Shion, and Rena comments that she’d never heard of her before, despite having known Mion for so long. Later that evening, Shion shows up at Keiichi’s door with a boxed lunch from Mion as thanks for the doll. After some pleasantries, Shion leaves for her shift at Angel Mort.
The episode then shifts back to Keiichi and friends in class. Rena tells Keiichi that some people are the opposite of what they seem, using their friends as examples. He asks whether the same is true of Rena, but she simply asks him what he thinks the answer is. Though he gives her a favorable reply, the question does cause Keiichi to question what Rena’s really like. He then goes back to Angel Mort after class to talk with Shion but accidentally knocks some motorcycles over when parking his bike. This draws the ire of some local delinquents who threaten Keiichi until they're stopped by Shion – who Keiichi assumes is Mion – and a group of locals.
Following the events of the “Demon Deceiving” arc, Higurashi fans now know that the new series will be throwing some unexpected changes into the events of the original story. The “Cotton Deceiving” arc continues this trend by having Keiichi forgo the mistake of not giving the doll to Mion, which he initially made in the “Cotton Drifting” arc. Rika has once again subtly intervened in the interest of avoiding yet another violent tragedy, though whether or not her efforts will bear fruit this time remains to be seen. Fans can expect her to continue to actively try and change things around as the series progresses. Rena is another character worth monitoring, as her actions during the previous arc make her the most suspect of the group by default.
