This season is a build-up to its conclusion, but it's a powerful conclusion, taking characters who have done horrible things and acknowledging their trauma and the ways they were wronged without dismissing or downplaying that horribleness. By the end, the relationship between the leads is gorgeously emotionally detailed, and the scale of what they're going thru really comes home. The pacing is a bit weird, and you gotta watch the rest of Higurashi first, but I recommend the journey in full.