QUOTE (Kid-Wolf @ Jun 29 2009, 08:09 PM) Although if you think about it in the world she actually won her life she made a few mistakes here and there, but she wanted to have it where she didn't make one mistake. Not only that, but this was to prove a point ot Rika on how she shouldjust keeep going in life even if she has made mistakes.
I think the prefect world was to state that the group never had to go through the hardships they went through in her actual life. In the real world they overcame it so that's something to keep working on even if there were faults along the way. Although truth be told there is no such thing as a sinless world unless you've passed on I guess.
Aside from that she even gave up her title as a witch over all of this as well. So I guess she decided to just life her life instead of trying to constantly try and fix her life.
Okay, this will be my last comment on this, because I don't want it to seem like I'm constantly questioning everything (though I do question a lot of things).
I do agree with pretty much everything you wrote. It was interesting to see Rika be faced with the ultimatum of staying in the perfect world or going back to the world she and her friends fought so hard for.
However, and this is my critical criticism for this episode: Rika never had to choose.
What is the whole purpose of the ultimatum if Rika doesn't choose? She just wakes up and is told that it was all a dream. Now, whether or not it was a dream is not for debate, as even if it wasn't a dream, Rika's moment of decision was never shown. There was no corpse of Rika's mother or a scene with Rika with a bloody knife or anything.
It was all left vague. Why? What is the purpose? This is Higurashi. Little girls killing people is a large part of what fuels this franchise. I'm not bloodthirsty though, I just crave consistency. If they never intended Rika to kill her mom, then put the fragment elsewhere. Make it instead that she has to burn down some random building located near the shrine. Just for crying out loud, show her moment of decision.
Isn't that the most pivotal moment? When she finally makes the decision that despite all the perfection of the world she was in, she still wanted to be back with her friends who were so much closer than the students who calmly invited her to join the Games Club.
By having Hanyuu saying "Oh Rika, it was just a dream" was just about the stupidest and most inane thing that could have happened.