do you have too much free time?
are you looking for THAT piece of long form media to just sink your teeth into?
do you like media that gives you emotional whiplash?
boy do i have the think for you...
When They Cry is a visual novel series consisting of two (Ciconia doesn't count) stories, Higurashi and Umineko.
They mostly function as mystery stories, but they also encompass so many other different genres.
Higurashi mostly functions as a slice of life mystery/psychological horror story. It follows a group of close friends get their friendship tested after a sudden and highly unusual murder takes place in a small town. I finished this story a few months back and it hasn't left my head since. One of the most unusual, surreal, gripping, and emotionally potent pieces of fiction I've had the pleasure of reading/playing/watching (idk what verb to use).
Umineko is one I'm still in the midst of reading/playing but it is just a good. Far more ambitious in scale and themes. One of the biggest stories I've ever experienced. Will prob talk a bit more when I finish it but it's something that feels beyond what a normal human could make idk.