Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni 14 - Rika
This episode was as priceless as always again. We go back in time, 4 years ago, when the Dam was still constructed. A lot of protest came from the population of Hinamiwaza. The prologue starts with the White little bus (Remember from the first arc) kidnapping a boy, Inukai Toshiki. Toshiki is the grandson of the one that is the Chief of the construction. We already know where we must look. They want to get it away from the media, and keep it quiet. The National Police sends one guy, Akasaka Momaru, to Hinamiwaza. Asaka will be the new main character of the anime. No Keiichi, because Keiichi will arrive four years later to the village. But I have to say, this guy sure looks like Keiichil, only he has a different haircolor, don’t you all agree with me? His wife is in the hospital for a delivery of their daughter. I think we might learn more about that wife during the coming episodes. I wouldn’t be suprised if they were murdered.
Arrived in the small town, Akasaka goes to the police station and meets Oishi. We all know Oishi very well at the moment, and Oishi gives Asaka a tour in the town. He told Akasaka a few things that are concerned in Hinamiwaza. There are three Great Houses in that town. All we know, is the family of Mion. The other is the family of Rika. The power of the Sonozaki family (Mion’s) is the greatest power of them all. We already were informed about that one. The grandmother of Mion commands the protest against the dam.
Oishi is interested in the investigation of Akasaka, and we know this can’t be good. Akasaka rejects the offer that Oishi gives him and calls some people, saying that he is a tourist and would like some sightseeing. The man that he talks to is just delighted to give him some sightseeing the other day.
Meet the younger version of Rika! One has to say, she is incredibly cute at the moment. When Akasaka got off the bus, he saw Rika there, sleeping. She woke up and she became even MORE cuter. I just love her.^^ Akasaka is picked up by the guy that would give him some touring, and Rika comes along. She likes Asaka somehow. Rika asks Akasaka if he is the youngster that wants to get some touring, and calls Akasaka Tomitake#2. We know the photographer of the previous arcs and always gets killed. Well, this is a nice way to call Akasaka. While they are touring, Akasaka takes pictures of almost everything, claiming that it’s interesting to see. Rika asks if Hinamiwaza is fun for him, he answers with yes. That is something that he better not had said.^^ They go to the last place, the Shrine. The Shrine is highly built and you can get some great view there. That’s the moment that Akasaka realises that Rika is the daughter of one of the Three Great Famillies.
The signs say: ‘No dam!’ and ‘Beware! Oyashiro-sama’s curse!’.
Akasaka tells them his political view. He is no activist, because he believes in the power of democraty. If you are against something, find a politcal that is against that too, and vote for him. That is all nice, but votes are once in the four years. Idiot. Activist have no choice to go do something like this. 
At that moment, cute Rika clungs at him and says that she doesn’t understand him. How would he stop the people for sinking this town under water. They have no other place to live, it’s their only place. They can’t live in the city. At the Shrine, Rika takes him to the greatest and her favourite spot of the place.
She takes him where the view is the greatest, and Akasaka begins to feel that he doesn’t want this town being sunk under water. And then, Rika get’s a bit scary. She says that it has been decided that the dam project will be gone. Asaka doesn’t understand her, and asks for more. She repeats the same. It’s been decided that the project will be gone this year. Akasaka doesn’t still understand her, and that’s the moment Rika gets really scary!
Oyashiro-sama uses her to speak. He warns Akasaka that he should go back to Tokyo, otherwise he would seriously regret his decision. Rika faints after giving the message.
Akasaka gets new information about what happened the last night before he got here. It was really revealing. 
A meeting was there last night, with the important members of the Great Three Families. We see Rika, we see Mion. We see the village Elder. They talk about the construction of the dam, so that’s why Rika said that the dam will be stopped. They talk about the kidnapping, and its logical that they did it because they don’t care about what happens to the kid. It’s quite interesting because they shouldn’t have known because the police didn’t inform the media yet. They say that Hinamiwaza is just like their mother. No one should lose their mother, and they want to fight for it. They also talk that there will be a young man arriving in the town, to investigate it: Akasaka. That’s why Rika already knew that he would be here. Rika was again too cute, drawing a picture of her and Akasaka. The rest decides that they should leave him be, and when he is troublesome, they are taking care of him. The only thing that bothers me is how the police was informed about this meeting.
The next day, Oishi calls Akasaka and says that they found a wallet of the kidnapped kid. Akasaka is right on their way, they go to the place. The last moments of this episode were Oishi putting on a knife proof jacket, and offering Akasaka also one, because when one sticks his hand in a beehive, one has to be prepared. A scared face of Akasaka is the last of the episode.^^ We shall see what will be going on. This was merely the introduction. I loved it.
