When They Cry, Vol. 1 [DVD]

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Product Description ------------------- It's tough being the new guy in town, having just moved into the small rural village of Hinamizawa, but when Keiichi joins an after-school club and befriends four cute girls, life doesn't seem too bad. That is, until he learns about demonic cults and a failed dam construction project, plus the grisly murders and disappearances that have occurred every year after the town festival. As shocking past events are unveiled through different viewpoints, Keiichi learns that things and even people aren't what they appear to be. How many of his club "friends" are involved and what are their plans for him?! (Contains Episodes 1-5) .com ---- Based on a popular amateur murder-mystery game, When They Cry (2006) conceals an eerie story inside a sugar coating. In June 1983, Keiichi Maebara comes to Hinamizawa, a village so small it has only a one-room school. Keiichi quickly befriends four cute local girls: Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika, all of whom belong to an odd club that Mion runs with an iron fist. The set-up initially suggests a harem comedy along the lines of Tenchi Muyo or Love, Hina, but the tone quickly darkens. For the last four years, someone has been murdered during the town's Cotton Drifting Festival. Is the murderer the demon Oyashira, who was angered by an attempt to dam a stream that would have flooded Hinamizawa? Are the girls more involved in these deaths than their ultra-cute appearances suggest? Is Keiichi being set up to become the next victim? Keiichi--and the viewer--can never be sure what is and isn't real. The juxtaposition of moe elements and dark secrets makes When They Cry far more unsettling than conventional gore-fests. While it's not for the squeamish, When They Cry is an intriguing, highly original series. (Rated 16 and older: violence, use, risqué humor) --Charles Solomon