WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou, "Cotton Deception - Part 2" now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Higurashi Gou’s “Cotton-Deceiving” arc continues to mirror the events of the original “Cotton Drifting” arc with some slight variations here and there. Part 2 continues to set things up, and if the original series is anything to go by, things are about to get serious in this timeline.
Picking up right where the last episode left off, in Episode 6, Shion and various villagers advance on the delinquents harassing Keiichi. Things calm down when Ooishi passes by and takes the delinquents in for questioning. After this, Keiichi and Shion go back to Angel Mort where Shion tells him about the Dam War and the hardships the Hinamizawa villagers went through as a result. As Shion excuses herself to get back to work, Keiichi once again calls her Mion, but she shrugs it off.
The next day, Keiichi is called back to Angel Mort by Shion to taste test some sweets. Keiichi notices a customer harassing Shion and intervenes, but is knocked out cold in doing so. After Keiichi comes to, both he and Shion walk around town, eventually passing by the game store he and his previously held their tournament at. Shion asks him to buy her the same doll he’d given Mion that day. Still thinking that she’s just Mion in disguise, Keiichi is confused but agrees to do so. Inside, he runs into the real Mion and finally puts it all together.
The day before the Watanagashi Festival, Keiichi is helping the townsfolk with their preparations. He runs into Shion and Mion and Jirou and Miyo, as well. The five of them are soon interrupted by Ooishi when Shion mentions that she hopes that the festivities occur without another incident. This gets Keiichi’s attention, but just as he inquires as to what Shion means, Mion tries to pull him away from the conversation. After a few unsuccessful attempts at drawing him away, Mion leaves and Shion, Jirou and Miyo reveal that mysterious deaths and disappearances have occurred during the festival over the last few years.
On the night of the festival, Keiichi struggles to get a good view of Rika performing her ritual dance. Shion pulls him away from the crowd and promises to bring him somewhere with a better view, but instead leads him to the Ritual Equipment Temple where they find Jirou and Miyo trying to sneak inside. The three convince Keiichi to stay and peek at what’s inside as the rest of the village watches Rika’s dance.
With two episodes accounted for, the “Cotton-Deceiving” arc is playing out a lot like the original. But fans now know to expect the unexpected from Gou’s alternate retelling of these storylines. Shion seems like she’ll play a similar role in this version of the arc as well, but just like Rena at the end of the “Demon-Deceiving” arc, there’s no telling who will break away from what’s expected and when. One thing is for sure: Keiichi’s trip into the Equipment Temple is about to make things a whole lot worse.
