The first 13 episodes are recap filler that wastes your time before Sotsu finally reveals what it's actually doing. What it's doing is nihilistic, maybe even cruel: taking the characters you watched suffer through Gou's deconstruction and deciding their worst impulses were always who they really are. By the time the final episodes arrive with answers, the show has already dismantled any reason to care whether those answers are true or kind, leaving you to decide if a reveal that gutted the entire cast was honest storytelling or just destruction for its own sake.

A sequel to Higurashi: When They Cry - GOU, Sotsu centers on Rika Furude and Satoko Houjou, lifelong best friends from the small village of Hinamizawa who spend their days happily alongside their other friends. As the two grow up, a chance to change their lives arrives. Rika is set on chasing her dream and wants Satoko with her, and Satoko, despite her doubts, agrees to come along. That choice pulls them apart: Rika thrives and finds new companions, while Satoko becomes increasingly alone. Aching for their old days in the village, Satoko falls into despair until a meeting with a supernatural being alters how she sees Rika. It sets her on a path to claim the future she wants, whatever it takes. The result is a supernatural horror mystery with the tension of a psychological thriller.