Higurashi When They Cry: Atonement Arc, Vol. 1 - manga (Higurashi, 15) (Volume 15)

The first time, I think to myself, well, it's only this once. The tragedy I couldn't avoid.The second time, I am shocked that it happened again. The tragedy I couldn't avoid.The third time, it goes beyond shock to agony. Once it reaches seven, it starts to become a comedy—Frederica BernkastelThese lines open this arc, accompanied by Rika talking to someone lamenting another hot summer. Because it's 1983, and we're once again in Hinamizawa. Will it end in tragedy this time?At the school, an epic game of water guns is underway. The entire school (which consists of a single class of all the school-age kids of Hinamizawa) is at it. Keiichi and Rena are both committed to win. They are fired up, taking out their fellow students, including the other members of their club. Rika, Satoko, and Mion all fall.It's down to Keiichi and Rena. An epic showdown. Water is flying left and right and—Lunch ends. They'll need a rematch. They return to their lives, Rena heading home where we discover her divorced father is dating again. Rina is flight and vivacious, dressing in revealing clothing. It's clear Rena's father is besotted with her. Rena hates it. She wants her gone.The stress triggers a relapse of her mental breakdown she had a few years ago. Once again, mental instability haunts our characters. We've had hints of Rena's past before, learning that she'd assaulted male students at her school with a bat and shattered windows. She believed she was cursed by Oyashiro and only survived because she and her father returned to Hinamizawa and she recovered.But now it's coming back.The answers of Rena's past are flowing. We get to meet some other characters, getting an idea how things change between the arcs. In this one, Rika starts dating her father. In Curse Killing Arc, her criminal activities leads her to getting killed and Teppei Hojo fleeing to Hinamizawa to abuse Satoko.This one ends on a dark note, but you can't help but root for Rena. Where will her madness lead her? How does this connect to the dark agent working in the background? It's time to dive into one of the best arcs of Hinamizawa.Fans of horror and mystery need to check out this graphic novel series!

Rena has always been my favourite character, the fact we get to see her story is even more amazing!

One of the first things I've noticed from the anime to the manga is the depth. The manga goes into such grater detail and you understand Rena's feelings a lot more. If you are a Higurashi fan who loves Rena, then this Manga Arc is for you!

Great quality!

I've been pretty excited to read this, having faithfully followed the series up to this point. The series is still far from over but this is where we start getting the clues towards who or what is causing this.I really enjoyed this glimpse into Rina's life. Up until this point the manga has portrayed her as a mostly happy-go-lucky and easygoing girl, but this arc really dispels that aspect of her. This Rina is a worrywart and is just as capable of doing horrible things as her friends were in their arcs. She's a dark and tormented character, but we really shouldn't expect any less from any of the inhabitants of Hinamizawa.The artwork in this is nice and as always, I loved it. I'm pretty easygoing as far as artwork goes and I'm a sucker for anything Rina related, so it's pretty obvious that this volume would be something I liked. This is an absolute must-buy for fans of the series.On a side note, if you're someone who has just decided to pick up the series and is looking at the various volumes marked "1" for the Higurashi series, be aware that this is actually volume 15 and you will absolutely have to start at the true volume one, which is in the  Abducted by Demons arc .