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Umineko read-through thread


Sunshine Jesse

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no spoilerinos pls
@
@@Featherine Augustus Aurora
I'm going to make a play by play of this here so I'm not spamming Hina's DMs with my thoughts on it. I'm going to update this after every reading session (which is about 5-7ish hours a day depending on what else I need to do) so expect a lot of WORDS per post.

  • The introductory sequence is really good. Like, really, really good. The amount of raw emotion they managed to fit into this sequence is impressive and makes me eager to see what's coming next. I hope the series can consistently maintain this.
  • I already really like Battler. He's a really charming and fun character. 
  • lol did that jabroni just call out his dad's porn habit? what a god
  • They're really frontloading a lot of characterization here, for better or worse. This is the kind of thing that'll only be good or bad in retrospect, but it's something I'm taking note of.
  • I don't speak glorious nippon tongue but this is some great voice acting regardless of how well I can understand it. 
  • How are these basic and cliche' interactions still so charming and fun? 
  • ok this is actually starting to drag on a bit, but I get the feeling I'm going to need to pay attention to every bit of this 
  • It got a bit more interesting during the boat ride though. 
  • I have the strangest feeling that there's a FUCKTON of subtle (and not so subtle) foreshadowing going on. 
  • It got a LOT more interesting.
  • That tonal shift when Jessica stopped Kumasawa from telling the story was really sudden.
  • funk this story has actually me so interested that i want to sleeplessly binge it but i can't because i'm an adult T_T
  • oh my god the music
  • it's so good
  • why is it so good 
  • Eva looks cross-eyed in this sprite and it's really hard to ignore 
  • I swear that portrait of Beatrice is like the most iconic thing from this series.
  • This is the second time it started to drag on but almost immediately became interesting again. 
  • this family drama is intense
  • what the funk Eva 
  • I don't have much else to say but this got really heavy really quick. 
  • and suddenly this series is about business and economics. okay then. 
  • "But with money, anything can be settled. Long live capitalism."
  • bernie 2020, dismantle capitalism, seize the means of production
  • (not really, i'm not like that anymore)
  • I don't think talking about such a gruesome prophecy to a 9 year old is a good idea... 
  • That scene where Maria was looking for the rose was heartbreaking. 
  • The servants are really talking about furniture a lot. I wonder how much of that is supposed to be literal... 
  • Okay I'm not gonna lie I'm actually way too lost in this story to actually update this 
  • D'aaaaw that marriage proposal (I think?) was really cute
  • Whoo finally looks like I'm done with episode-...
  • >Day
  • >...6.7 hours in

 

I guess I'm in this for the long haul

 

...I need a nap first though. I don't want to burn out.

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the beginning of this and the next episode kinda drags on a bit but i'm glad you found it as interesting as i did. i'm pretty sure i wasted like at least 2 weeks on the entire series overall reading all day.

 

i don't think i really have any advice to say except to really feel free to post theories whenever. that's the most fun part of reading a mystery.

 

also after every episode you'll unlock a tea party post-episode scene. those are unbelievably important and generally not that long and you actually do need to read them before proceeding to the next episode(and aren't as much of a distraction from the main plot as you might imagine) so definitely read those.

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SEVENTY HOUR PLAYTHROUGH

E

V

E

N

T

Y

H

O

U

R

P

L

A

Y

T

H

R

O

U

G

H

Legend is the shortest part, so if it takes her 10 hours here and every other part is 12-13 hours, we can expect a 100 hour read followed by 1000 hours of pondering the plot and philosophy and 1000 more hours listening to the OST while posting/DMing about how absolutely sublime the story is.

 

@@vla1ne

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  • Natsuhi is one of the most miserable characters I've ever seen. Every time I think I can't possibly feel any worse for her, I'm proven wrong in the very next scene, or sometimes even later in the same one. I just want to give her a hug.
  • i want bad things to happen to eva
  • she was amusing at first but now she just makes me upset
  • I'm probably not treading any new ground here because the internet loves this subject but I'm pretty sure Maria is autistic 
  • Okay where did this come from. Why is Kinzo being nice? What's he up to? As much as Natsuhi deserves someone being nice to her, this just makes me suspicious.
  • I'm also pretty sure she's going to die soon. I rarely see focusing so much on someone who's obviously not a main character if it doesn't mean they're going to die. 
  • I'm pretty sure Krauss is dead too
  • I'm pretty sure that all of these people are going to die
  • I'm so eager to see how this is going to go horribly wrong.
  • Yeah it's all going horribly wrong
  • oh my god
  • everyone is dead
  • i was right
  • why was i right 
  • ...holy... holy sheet 
  • The idea of someone being desensitized to death in media but losing your sheet when you actually see it in person really hits close to home. Same thing happened to me and I haven't been the same since. This is the kind of thing that you take for granted in fiction until it's actually explained with such a visceral, detailed view into the minds of the people involved. It hit way too close to home and has actually left me shaken.
  • ...a...aniki... T_T

I normally wouldn't post before ending a reading session but... god damn. I needed to get this off my chest.

 

I need a funking break but I can't tear my eyes away from this.

 

This was so easy to see coming, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

I can already see that almost everyone else here is going to die, but thinking that it'll happen clearly doesn't make it sting less.

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Natsuhi's my favorite aunt as well(Rosa comes close later on). She's truly a tragic character and I love her for that.

 

Maria is well, they never fully confirm it so that matter is vague, but she's handled incredibly well.

 

Don't stop thinking with Kinzo.

 

EP1 really is a solid drama and mystery. A lot of people forget it for the hijinks in later episodes but I hold it quite fondly in my heart myself.

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  • I like how much thought Battler is putting into this.
  • "...in a novel I read recently, called Higurashi."
  • Talk about drawing attention to pervasive literary themes in your work. 
  • God damn he's really putting a lot of thought into this. 
  • ...woah maria that smile what
  • WHAT
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING 
  • WHY IS SHE SO CREEPY
  • oh no I did that thing where I got too lost in the story to comment again
  • I love Battler more and more with every passing scene. The spinning the chessboard thing is amazing. 
  • Oh look they're making Eva sympathetic, I guess she and/or Hideyoshi are next on the chopping block. 
  • okay this scene with the two of them is actually really cute aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnd they're gone 
  • Poor George can't catch a break. He's too pure for this world. I really wanna give him a hug too :( 
  • I'd like to reiterate the point about me loving Battler more with every scene.
  • KANON WHHHHHHHHYYYYYY HE WAS ACTUALLY TOO PURE FOR THIS WORLD 

God damn, I'm ridiculously captivated by this story. I really don't want to stop reading. I know I'm almost done with episode 1 too but it's getting hard to stay awake, so I guess I have to call it here.

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  • ...well that's one way to end the first episode.
  • This whole tea party thing is surreal. I funking love the metafictional aspect of it. 
  • I'd go as far as to say that metafiction might be my favorite genre, but I've never seen it done that well in any work of fiction outside of bits and pieces strewn in, left for the viewer to interpret.
  • ...wait
  • 5a9ec18c8844b78b05debcc35c05914e.png
  • ...I'm in for a wild ride, aren't I?
  • If this doesn't all go horribly wrong I'm reasonably sure that this will be in my top 3 favorite works of fiction. It's already a solid 8/10 and they just introduced a layer to it that I absolutely adore. 
  • Oh god more tea parties
  • "Whoever the opponent may be, I'll make them surrender with certainty." 
  • "Boredom is the only poison that can kill me."
  • ...that's... huh.
  • I think I've found my aesthetic character for when I finish this series. Not only do I love Bernkastel's design, but everything she's said resonates with me in some way. I can't wait to see what she does from here. I have a feeling I'm going to have to take an uncomfortable look in the mirror when all's said and done given how much I relate to some of the things she's said already.

ALRIGHT TIME FOR EPISODE 2

  • I wish I could just absorb everything this story had to offer in one fell swoop. I really want to get to the intense parts but even the non-intense parts are charming. 
  • >george
  • >happy again
  • ...T_T 
  • The focus on romance is making me feel things I didn't feel last episode. I always forget how much of a sucker I am for well-written romance.
  • ....aaannnd Eva is being a jabroni again. That heartwarming feeling of longing turned venomous really quick. 
  • Holy sheet. I didn't fully realize just how dehumanizing being a servant was. This is just terrible. I wouldn't be so upset if it wasn't shown how much she hated it. The idea of absolute dedication at the expense of your own dreams is something that always pissed me off on some fundamental level. It's one thing if you live for another person- it's another thing entirely if they get in the way of what you want. But maybe that's just how I am. I'm perfectly okay with being subservient to someone, as long as I'm not told to be subservient to anyone else. 
  • I have to say, though, the way Umineko strings along your emotions is absolutely brilliant. Even the slightest bit of perspective given to another character makes it easy to feel what they're feeling. 
  • Beatrice's speech about love was brilliantly written. 
  • I'm getting a weird feeling from Beatrice. Something about her personality and dialogue feels... I don't know. I can't really think of a word to describe it. I just get a really strange feeling whenever she's on screen that's unlike anything I've ever felt from a character. It feels like things are starting to fall into place, but I haven't actually figured out what those things are, or at least put words to them. I know this is really vague, but I don't know what it is either. This inexplicable feeling just naturally crept up and came independent of thought. 
  • Shannon is also too pure for this world. Seems to be a recurring thing with the servants. 
  • I can't get over how good Umineko is at fostering sympathy for its characters. Episode 2 has put every character in an entirely different light without changing much about them. I'm just so used to digesting characterization in much smaller doses (aka in less than 12 hours) that I thought I had everyone figured out. 
  • The talk of wavelengths in this context makes me think of them as a metaphor for something inherent within certain people that allows them to interact with, accept, and understand people(/ideas?) greater than them. I might be overthinking this, but wavelengths in Umineko really don't seem to just be a power to see and perceive the supernatural. Shannon's ability to understand is making her happier and better as a person, whereas Kinzo's lack of talent in understanding meant he was never happy, and all he could do was mindlessly chase his desires and coast by on luck and knowledge. It definitely comes off as a "stare into the abyss" kind of thing. Shannon saw the "abyss" (Beatrice) and sought to understand it (her), whereas Kinzo saw the abyss and was driven mad in his pursuit of it.
  • It doesn't explain why Maria was "driven mad" when she apparently has a sense for that kind of thing, but maybe it's just due to the fact that she was too young. Without the sense of self that was develops through age, (as was explained in the last episode), Maria viewing the abyss caused her to either lose said sense of self, or base it entirely on another person, which is why she became a messenger for Beatrice's words rather than her own person with her own personality. Without Beatrice involved, all she amounted to was being a stupid kid and her verbal tics were just her trying to project a sense of uniqueness on her own without the foundations that Beatrice had laid, hence why they were so weak, feeble, and desperate. Beatrice was all that she is. An intense desire to understand (the wavelength) is natural to people on the higher end of the autism spectrum, too, as well as a complete dedication to a certain desire or task (the Golden Land)...
  • :thinking:
  • I know there's an extent to which I'm overthinking this and just viewing characters through my own perspective rather than their own, but hey. This episode is giving me a hell of a lot more to think about, and I look forward to seeing what changes when I read further on.
  • "By knowing love, Shannon had learned what it was to be human."
  • One of my favorite lines so far.

 

I'll post more later on, but I have a lot to say already and don't want a wall of text that's too large.

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  • I also just realized that Shannon, as of now, is the only character with a defined sense of "self" with their own desires and goals who can see Beatrice on her own, at least in the game world. Is Umineko trying to say that a strongly defined sense of self often removes someone's ability and/or desire to understand and perceive things? What happens when you manage to maintain both? Is it even possible? Is that what Battler is trying to do: to understand what's going on without losing himself in the reality that others seem so eager to define for him? It sure seems like it, given that he's rejecting the "obvious" truth in favor of his own while still trying to understand the nature of what's going on. He's trying to truly learn and know the truth, not settle for accepting it.
  • Or am I just projecting the exact same thing I'm doing right now on to him?
  • If my theory holds, he'll probably discover some sort of truth about Beatrice and just why she's doing this that nobody else could figure out because he wasn't content to settle for the idea that she's just a witch- even though she is. He'll learn about who Beatrice truly is rather than what actually happened, solving the mystery on a level that nobody else could because they settled for the obvious. Battler is rejecting the obvious and instead searching for the most fundamental, core truths behind what's going on. Everyone else thinks the mystery was already resolved, but it's clear both in-story and out that it hasn't. The reason is what'll solve the mystery, not the actual, literal cause.
  • SUDDENLY, JPOP AND FANGIRLS 
  • This scene created a really interesting comparison between Shannon and Kanon. Shannon has her own desires because she actually views herself as a person, while Kanon simply doesn't. He rejects the desires of all others in favor of the cause and person he's dedicated to. He has no sense of self because of how strictly he adheres to his own reality, where there's no room for growth or understanding, just a strict adherence to rules and regulations. There's no room to imagine or dream, because they've "settled" for what they view as real.
  • In light of this, it seems like a form of dramatic irony that people so deeply engrossed in an objective, unmoving perception of reality are the only adults that can see the truth. Meanwhile, the one with no grasp on reality at all (Maria) can also see her. It makes me wonder whether or not extremes in either direction are the only way to actually see the truth, but I have no other evidence for this (both in-story and logical) so I can't really think much further on it. This happens to line up too conveniently with my own philosophical and political views for me to think I'm viewing this clearly enough.
  • beatrice is a jabroni 
  • ...wow her take on love suddenly took a dark turn 
  • Now they're really emphasizing just how badly Rosa treats Maria. It's actually really sad, especially considering the view they're giving into how badly she feels about it.
  • Now they're even managing to make Krauss seem sympathetic. It seemed like he was just being arrogant despite being desperate, but painting it as insecurity and fear makes him far more relateable and human. Can't wait to see how they do that with Eva.
  • I'm eager to see how the game between the two of them will be different.
  • jesus funk the interactions between rosa and maria are really heavy 
  • I love how Umineko fluctuates from deep, engaging characterization to 5deep7me philosophy without every layering both on too heavily at the same time.
  • The fact that Beatrice just showed up makes me wonder how many of the "rules" she set for herself are simply self-imposed. I've had this impression for a while now tbh, but it also puts a bit of a damper on my idea that a lack of a sense of self is the easiest way to see and understand the truth. It doesn't discount it entirely, but it makes it a lot less... "obvious?"
  • >No truth exists at all
  • >Everything will now be ruled by lies alone
  • Okay this just recontextualizes what I said about Battler earlier. Seems to further drill in the idea that the "truth" is just straight-up irrelevant in this series, and the actual solutions to mysteries and problems lie in the reasons behind said problems.
  • There's something strangely poignant about watching these servants desperately try to become people.

 

Okay I'm getting too tired to maintain focus so imma just call it for the night.

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  • They even managed to make a scene involving Kinzo heartwarming. What the hell. 
  • Shannon went from a Literally Who to one of my favorite characters. 
  • ...this is a really gross death scene what the funk 
  • Oh my god they KEEP GOING
  • They DON'T STOP EXPLAINING
  • WHAT THE HELL  
  • I actually got a bit nauseous at this scene. 
  • I wasn't expecting an action scene.
  • ...y-you became human in the end, Kanon ;_; 
  • They're really playing up the horror aspect in this episode, which is something I appreciate. 
  • Battler is just getting more and more endearing with every scene. He's already quickly creeping up my top 10 characters (ever) list, and apparently he gets even better? What is this. I'm also starting to like Beatrice significantly more, too, although she doesn't quite hit my top 10 list yet.
  • You are incompetent!
  • clutches chest

  • Nevermind. She's top 10 now too. That was a complete and total victory the likes of which I've rarely seen before.  Normally I don't have two top 10 characters from the same series but Umineko looks like it's going to break trends all around. I'm literally going to have to redefine my scale for this series- it's already setting standards. And if it really gets even better? Hina was right.
  • "They thought they were using their brains,... but they were actually thinking only of their greedy selves. In the end, chessboard theory is a thinking technique where you project yourself on your opponent. ...So greedy people see their greedy selves inside of their opponents."
  • I can tell that this dialogue is going to be extremely important later on. It's also one of my favorite lines so far. Battler is a human, so it makes sense that flipping the chessboard wouldn't work as well if his opponent wasn't one. They simply do not think alike enough to make the same moves for the same reasons. Is this another case where a sense of self- or maybe more accurately, simply one's humanity in general- is getting in the way of seeing the truth? If Battler is to discover, does he need to reject his humanity or ascend beyond it? And what does that entail, if true? Oh man, I'm getting more and more eager to see. I already know he becomes something in the second half (the art when I was buying it spoiled that), but I want to see how it happens more than I want to know that it does.
  • "go turn yourself into a bean" made me laugh and I don't know why.
  • I think I can see the main differences between witches and humans now. Witches aren't so much people as they are abstract concepts that have to follow a strict set of rules. If people don't believe in those concepts, they might as well not exist- so they don't. I think this was explained in ???? but I didn't really connect the dots until now. Gods as concepts rather than people is a pretty recurring theme in fiction though, but it didn't become so obvious that witches were supposed represent gods until now.
  • One of the things I love most about good metafiction is that it expands your suspension of disbelief so far that it makes you feel strongly for characters that are technically fictional even in the context of a fictional work. Umineko has succeeded with flying colors at this and it's part of the reason i love it so much so far. 
  • ...sh-shannon? Oh my god, I wasn't expecting this.
  • "No matter how much your torture us with your wicked magic and your malice, you cannot disgrace eternity!!"
  • SHANNON IS SO COOL 
  • i'm not crying you're crying
  • it's just raining out
  • ...please let him say it this time please let him say it this time please let him say it this time please let him say it this time 
  • ...no
  • No...
  • NO
  • NO!
  • NO!!
  • NO!!!
  • NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
  • WWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY 
  • Watching Battler get in on the accusing thing is kind of surreal. It's clearly ripping him apart but he's pretty desperate right now. 
  • Man. Kinzo is crazier than me. And that's saying something. He's a really good view into the dark side of absolute devotion. Or rather, a good view of the exact wrong reasons to be devoted. Most works of fiction don't really delve into this kind of thing and just show that it happens. It's displayed as creepy or horrifying, but here... it's pathetic and sad. Just how it should be.
  • This is a recurring thing with Umineko.
  • ...I think... I think I'm going to throw up
  • I get really invested in works of fiction I like, and this is taking that investment and... doing things. 
  • ...Rosa
  • ROSA
  • HOLY sheet ROSA  
  • FSDGWRHFDGFFDGREFSFWEGFDFW
  • qCGBtmH.jpg
  • Okay, just needed to take a quick breather. Now on to the tea party. 
  • "To know the joy of healing, you have to know the pain."
  • This hits really close to thoughts I've been having lately.
  • ...so is the rest of this exchange. 
  • this is funked up
  • what did she do to deserve thi-...
  • ...HOLY sheet
  • GET REKT BEATRICE
  • Every time this man does some sheet like this, he moves up my list a little more.
  • I don't have much to say about ???? other than the fact that I really can't wait to see more of Bernkastel.
  • I also keep thinking of the layers of irony meme when I watch ????.
  • "hey battler, how many layers of meta are you on?"

    "like 1 or 2, my dude"

    "you are like a little baby. watch this."

    "????" 

  • The comparison between how Beatrice and Lambadelta play games was actually SUPER interesting.

  • I've seen Bernkastel for all of 2 scenes but she's already the character I want to see more of the most. 

  • Lambdadelta is incredibly charming too and I want to see more of her, but Bernkastel just has this air of mystery that makes me want to learn everything about her. She's also a character type I've roleplayed dozens of times, right down to the hair color, so maybe I'm a bit biased.

 

Okay this sheet really is getting better and better by the episode. Episode 1 was an 8/10 and 2 was a 9/10. I'm really eager to see what episode 3 has in store.

 

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EPISODE THREE TIME
I can't wait to see which characters Umineko will make me love this time.

  • This is already getting off to a really strong start. I liked the backstory.
  • Poor Battler just can't catch a break. His VA is really good at the whole pained screaming thing. 
  • This episode as a whole got off to a much stronger start than the other ones did, so I'm optimistic. 
  • ...Huh. I love when they expand a throwaway line of dialogue (male-dominated family) into an entire plot thread. 
  • I'm glad we're finally getting some perspective from Eva. 
  • ...I mean the sympathy's kind of there but I still think she's a huge jabroni. It's not at all like Krauss where I legitimately pitied him.
  • SUDDENLY BEATRICE
  • almost scared the sheet out of me 
  • I wonder how much they're going to expand on demons and hell in general. I'm not super curious about it but this could move in a pretty interesting direction. 
  • The meta world segments are like an endless escalation of ever-evolving logic and I love it. Umineko is literally teaching people how to think. I can't wait to see how deep this rabbit hole goes; I think I could really gain a lot from this series if it keeps going down this route other than just the emotional rollercoaster I've been on so far. 
  • I guess I need to pay a lot more attention now.
  • I've seen nothing but absolute top-tier writing from this series. There are points where it's dragged on, sure, but that's literally been its only "flaw" so far. 
  • "They have a fragile existence, curled up in these cracks, frantically trying to protect themselves from the brutal winds of truth, and they can only barely exist like a mirage by surviving on falsehoods and illusions."
  • this is SO GOOD
  • The idea of a perceived, "obvious" reality giving way to a deeper truth is my favorite thing about this series so far. 
  • >some Beatrice backstory
  • I've been waiting for this moment
  • I'm smelling some sexual tension here. 
  • "If I don't consider myself lucky to see that sexy ass, I won't be able to keep up with their torture game" lmao what a god 
  • "There's a witch" in red text is too conspicuous to not be relevant later on.
  • Beatrice's voice actor sounds so different when she's like this.
  • oh my god her backstory ;_;
  • wait...
  • oh 
  • Well sheet.
  • That was a pretty decent fight scene.
  • ...
  • >all 6 at once
  • ONOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 
  • Wow, even Kumasawa can do cool things now.
  • ...I wasn't expecting a VN to have such cool fight scenes wtf 
  • ...I wasn't expecting that either
  • I definitely wasn't expecting an "I was only PRETENDING to be retarded" line from Beatrice.
  • DID THIS jabroni JUST USE KYOKA SUIGETSU
  • IS BEATRICE LITERALLY AIZEN
  • 10/10 best character, holy sheet
  • battler that line of reasoning was some Alex Jones sheet
  • Beatrice is literally a better Aizen/Madara in every way 
  • The added focus on the family is a really nice change.
  • Battler's new line of logic after meeting Virgilia is the funniest sheet. Like, it's actually hilarious.
  • Watching Beatrice get jealous is also the funniest sheet, especially since her voice changes in tone so much. Her voice actor is actually brilliant.
  • I'm sensing even more sexual tension here. 
  • Battler what are you doing
  • holy sheet he's destroying her
  • You can hear the desperation in her voice.
  • SPIN THAT MOTHERFUCKING CHESSBOARD 
  • WHERE IS HE DRAWING ALL OF THIS POWER FROM
  • oh my god beatrice is SO TILTED 
  • >main family left alive instead of servants
  • >they immediately start trying to solve the epitaph instead of ripping each other apart
  • really makes u think 
  • I can already tell that Kyrie is going to be a lot more important later on, albeit not main character status. Her presence alone bolsters the confidence and cohesion of the group, which is something that was lacking in the prior episodes. Even if she doesn't appear that often, it's evident that she'll be very important every time she does.
  • omg beatrice is so cute when she's like this 
  • I'd tell Eva to chill the funk out but I'd react the same way with that kind of money.
  • Why does a speech about how important money and success are make her so much more sympathetic
  • You know, the tone of the music is triumphant and positive, but... I get the feeling i'm being misled. Eva-Beatrice has a really cool design though.
  • Hideyoshi and Eva are actually the most adorable couple.
  • ...holy sheet poor Rosa
  • ...this is more horrifying than anything in the last episode...
  • why
  • why does it keep going
  • WHY DOES IT KEEP GOING
  • NEdGTf3.jpg?1
  • YAMEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
  • Battler is PLATINUM MAD
  • ...and beatrice legitimately doesn't understand... what the funk.
  • it just keeps drawing itself out
  • it's not letting me rest
  • please stop
  • no more
  • they didn't deserve this
  • it's... finally over...

i think i'm done for tonight

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  • oh gee i wonder why he hates you
  • She legitimately doesn't understand (remember?) what it means to be human.  That's... really interesting. Did she ever know, or is a thousand years enough to forget?
  • "He thought his argument had been valid, but for some reason, his mood didn't clear up."
  • something something politics something something
  • I could probably extrapolate some hidden/nonexistent meaning from all I know about belief and magic so far but I'm actually too tired for that.
  • "It was just a social experiment" ~ Beatrice trying to cover her ass
  • Eva-Beatrice has had this job for like 12 hours and she's already more vicious than Beatrice. That's creepy.
  • YESSS THEY'RE PLAYING THAT SONG AGAIN
  • Rudolf is pretty badass. 
  • ...and so is Kyrie. 
  • With parents like this, it's no wonder Battler is so cool.
  • ...KYRIE IS A funking SAVAGE 
  • "Try harder next time, little girl."
  • is he going to shoot himself to get to her
  • nope that's even better 
  • aaaaaaaaaaaand they're dead
  • ...Eva-Beatrice is funking horrifying. She's actually terrifying.
  • man... that was sad. Hideyoshi is such a good person.
  • Beatrice is cute when she's submissive.
  • I feel so bad for George.
  • I FEEL SO HAPPY FOR GEORGE 
  • ...at least they're together in death
  • There are so many touching romantic moments in this series that almost immediately get funked up by someone :(
  • I just want to feel happy for someone god damn it 
  • (other than myself, life is pretty good rn)
  • I hope I don't immediately get murdered by demons next time I try to share a tender moment with someone I love. 
  • what's Beatrice about to do
  • She's refusing to die. Oh my god.
  • This CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
  • this EVERYTHING 
  • it's raining out again 
  • ...funk YEAH BATTLER
  • THIS MUSIC
  • THIS EVERYTHING
  • "On your behalf, I'll teach her that the name of the Golden Witch definitely isn't that cheap!"
  • THIS IS THE MOST SATISFYING THING OH MY GOD
  • THE BULLY IS GETTING BULLIED 
  • I love Battler. I love Battler so much. Over the course of only 3 episodes he's become one of my favorite fictional characters ever. He's already second on my list, and unless he gets a lot worse in future episodes, he'll probably become my favorite. 
  • Is it time for a counterattack...?!
  • COME ON BATTLER, YOU CAN DO THIS! THIS IS CHILD'S PLAY!
  • "No answers will be given to those who stop thinking for themselves. ...Think. Think in your own way!"
  • Now... Now Beatrice is the one who's spinning the chessboard?!
  • He's going to use the cigarette...?!
  • CORNERED
  • What's she about to do...?!
  • How can he counter that?! Th-... this barrier of red!
  • Is there anything he can do...? That was so brutal and straightforward. 
  • Can he win by acknowledging the existence of another witch? Like the real Beatrice?
  • ...or is Beatrice herself about to take the blame?
  • Wait... what? 
  • ...wait
  • no
  • stop
  • STOP
  • THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY
  • i'm gonna fullscreen this and just take the sads
  • ...okay
  • This is really suspect. The Golden Land? No, I don't buy it. I don't buy this happy ending, and neither does Battler., I don't think There's something off about this. 
  • That, and we're at episode 3.
  • This is supposed to be a happy scene but it's too suspect to take at face value. This music also never plays for a happy scene despite its tone. 
  • This series has conditioned me to not accept a happy ending.
  • Don't sign it Battler. This is a trick. I don't know who's trick it is, but it's a goddamn trick.
  • there we go
  • Umineko has taught me well. 
  • Beatrice's reactions when being asked if she was really this kind of person also lead me to believe that this isn't actually who she really is. There's a hell of a lot more to it and now I want to know even more.
  • No, there's absolutely no way that this game didn't affect Beatrice. These pained, hesitant reactions are not the ones of someone who's actually a villain at heart. Even that evil laugh wasn't as strong as her normal ones. None of them are.
  • Okay, Tea Party time.
  • I'm noticing that every witch (except Bernkastel but she probably will too) acts like a child. I don't know why.
  • I didn't really grasp how central the struggle between Bernkastel and Lambdadelta actually was to the story until now.
  • ...okay Lambdadelta is actually really cool.
  • And now for ????
  • ...why does this all involve humans
  • God, Eva keeps bouncing between being awful and being someone I have pity for.
  • Oh, this is how Bernkastel found Ange, isn't it?

 

 

Well, I'm really looking forward to episode 4, but that goes without saying. I'm going to take a short break before I get started.

 

Episode 3 was a 10/10, no contest.

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  • It's pretty obvious that Beatrice hates doing this now. She doesn't truly want it.
  • I really do love how Umineko constantly drills in the "never stop thinking" idea. Every time you just accept something and allow it to happen, something terrible happens, both to the characters and your perception of a scene. I really like it because most themes in other works are just there. They exist. They're told, laid out, and presented. In Umineko, however, its theme is one that requires actual input from the reader. You need to be the one who thinks. Nothing is laid bare. This kind of thing has a lot of value. The idea of a pervasive theme requiring constant input is exactly like an actual game. 
  • EVAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
  • This whole sequence is really sad.
  • "Truth is unfixed. It can be like a particle, or like a wave, and it can hold conflicting forms at the same time."
  • Hey look Bernkastel is talking about the exact same sheet I've been thinking about and saying recently. 
  • >Krauss might've been lying about Kinzo being alive
  • Holy sheet. I've been bamboozled this whole time. The thought never actually crossed my mind. Even if it's not true, that perspective never even came to mind. 
  • I like how every truth presented so far has been dismantled at a later point. Everything I take for granted has been proven wrong, or pointed out in story to not be as absolute as I might think. What other absolute truths have been presented that I'm not even thinking of....
  • ...Maria's interactions with Sakutaro are actually some of the most depressing things I've ever seen.
  • This episode is really laying it on thick with the characterization. I love it. Maria's interactions with Ange are just... really touching.
  • "Please don't take this happy truth... and paint it over with a new, different truth."
  • rosa what the funk
  • I really like learning about how the mechanics behind witches work. 
  • ...
  • oh
  • that's what bernkastel did
  • ...that's bad
  • That scene was really well-written. It created immediate investment in what Lambdadelta said and offered, because you, the viewer, more or less just wasted your time (as it appears now) if Ange doesn't accept. It turns the whole scene on its head and I love those kinds of moments. 
  • ...Ange's life is so bad.
  • Holy sheet, she's so mad. She's actually snapped.
  • ...and then she snapped in the other direction
  • This is so sad. It's a whole episode dedicated to funking over people who never did anything wrong.
  • I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT ROSA ANYMORE
  • This is really hard to read. This kind of sheet hits a nerve.
  • ...i just actually really want this to funking end already
  • and even funking beatrice is trying to console her
  • This episode is pretty much carried by how thought-provoking it is. That, and the horrible, soul-crushing depression.
  • I'm starting to realize that the mechanics of magic in Umineko are a 1:1 mirror of how I view truth these days. It grows stronger the more you understand it, it's irrelevant if people don't accept it, other truths become irrelevant/fictional the more knowledge you have access to, and searching for it is more important and effective than just accepting what you're told. I wonder how far this metaphor will go from here.
  • It almost feels like a really roundabout "might makes right" message, except that the might in question is only truly useful/appreciated if you earn it.
  • Or, to word it differently and put it in more general terms, the message might be "true strength(/knowledge) is something that cannot be denied."
  • We'll see, though. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but this is what I'm being led to believe so far and I don't see it changing until/if a differing perspective is offered.

 

So far episode 4 isn't as good as 3, but I do love how it's a lot more outwardly philosophical.

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  • Kinzo is in high spirits today. 
  • At the very least, he's always entertaining to see on screen.
  • So basically he thinks that being the best isn't about working the hardest or being born the best, it's about beating everyone better than you. I mean... I don't know if I agree with that take, but it sure is an interesting one. I don't think it's necessarily wrong, I just don't know if it's the best perspective.
  • Kinzo is crazier than I thought. 
  • Aaaaaaaaaaaand everyone is dying.
  • I bet they call her Gaap because there's a gap in her clothes
  • sorry i'll escort myself out
  • >beatrice in Gaap's outfit
  • hrrrrng
  • wait what
  • her... fists broke?
  • ...This should be cathartic but it's actually pretty horrifying.
  • I don't have anything to say about Rosa's rant. I actually can't think of anything to say about it.
  • Maria holy sheet
  • maria holy sheet
  • Maria HOLY sheet
  • THIS IS LIKE THE REVERSE OF EPISODE 2'S ENDING
  • THAT FACE WHAT THE funk
  • That was one hell of a vivid daydream. 
  • Gaap sure loves her BDSM.
  • (it's okay i do too)
  • >George picked the 3rd option.
  • "Murder yourself first."
  • oh my GOD
  • i love George
  • He's literally calling out his attacks and what they do. This is so goddamn anime.
  • "Determination with certainty becomes magic."
  • "If you give up because something's useless, that's when your life ends! You'll get through. ...You can be sure of that...!!"
  • i love Jessica too
  • Even Krauss is getting in on the action. 
  • "We're Human!"
  • Even Virgilia is losing her sheet.
  • ...SHANNON BLOCKED THE ATTACK
  • this whole scene is PERFECT
  • Just the completely non-ambiguous TRIUMPH after all the sad and depressing bullshit that happened earlier.
  • they're literally talking power levels and probability without even being metaphorical about it
  • If Krauss actually does something cool here I'm going to lose my mind. 
  • WHY ARE THE GOATS GETTING A BACKSTORY
  • tfw loser flags
  • inb4 "your power level multiplies by the number of loser flags"
  • ...yep
  • CROSS-COUNTER
  • This episode went from really depressing to ANIME AS funk and SUPER HYPE
  • KRAUSS HOLY sheet
  • >WIN THE FIRST TENKAICHI BUDOKAI
  • OH MY GOD
  • OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
  • I LOVE EVERY MOMENT OF THIS
  • THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SERIES ABOUT PHILOSOPHY AND TROLLING AND MAGIC 
  • AND THEN I GOT THIS
  • and then the despair comes back lmao
  • and then everyone starts dying again 
  • >all his friends and family have died
  • >last request is for him to accept magic
  • "no jabroni"
  • Battler is a god.
  • "no more tying me to the bed with a collar, 'kay?"
  • heavy breathing
  • I'm not going to pretend that this isn't my fetish
  • "Rule over me just like Kinzo did, 'kay...?"
  • The BDSM subtext in this episode has me feeling some things.
  • "Remind me of the day I was taught the joy of being controlled, surrendering and being reduced to furniture!!"
  • you did this to me
  • (and i have no regrets)
  • "Tell me the name of the person you have feelings for."
  • I know where this is going.
  • Is his sin not believing in magic?
  • Battler is getting tilted. I have no idea what he actually did, either.
  • ...Was the whole game up until now just an attempt to get Battler to repent? To see what he did wrong...? Were ALL of them up until now that...?
  • What the hell...
  • Beatrice is pissed.
  • Wait... Battler is using a red truth? What...?
  • Oh no. This music is playing. This can't be good.
  • ...This really isn't good. She's trying to get him to disprove himself.
  • WAIT WHAT
  • WHO'S KID IS HE
  • WHAT'S GOING ON
  • Umineko takes the "don't take anything for granted" idea to ridiculous extremes.
  • ....and there's pity for Eva again.
  • AND BACK COMES THE DEPRESSION
  • SAKUTARO NOOOOOOOOOOOO
  • ...God Eva-Beatrice makes me so tilted.
  • ". ." "."
  • ...brutal.
  • "...It was probably the birth of the smallest universe in the world. ...The smallest universe in the world, which a pair who needed each other could give birth to."
  • Beatrice and Maria are adorable together. 
  • "You have a duty to make the best moves possible."
  • Oh hey Lambdadelt-...
  • oh, she's actually here now lmao
  • >please kill me quickly
  • wait...
  • Th...the episode ends here...?
  • That's... actually kind of frustrating. The episode ended at the height of anticipation and hype. All of the episodes had some kind of definitive resolution that also happened to set up the next episode but this just didn't. 
  • I guess part of the problem is that I just straight up wasn't as interested in Ange's story so seeing it resolved didn't strike an emotional chord with me. I like her as a character, but outside of learning how the mechanics of being a witch work, I just wasn't interested.  There were too many lows and not enough highs, and after a while, I just stopped caring.
  • I feel really bad for Beatrice though. It's clear that she's not doing this because she wants to, and now I really want to know why.
  • On to the tea parties. 
  • I guess this is the perspective of Game!Battler after everything ended.
  • This tea party is really playing off the somber, quiet feel that the end of the last episode left. 
  • I pity Beatrice. I don't want to see her taken down. All I want is answers, which...

  • ...I guess is why the next 4 episodes are called the answer arcs.

  • huh

  • Battler is so sick of this sheet lmao 

  • "Battler's cry burned the world with a white light. And, if you opened your eyes amidst the darkness, ...the two of them would be seen in a rose garden..."
  • this is going to be the 50th time i've complimented the narration/dialogue in this series and i'm running out of ways to word it 
  • ...Nevermind, that complaint about the ending has been slashed. 
  • This scene should be really hype but it's actually just bittersweet. 
  • AWWW YE BATTLER RESTORED HER WILL TO FIGHT 
  • "My twisted logic isn't finished yet!! Then what about this?!!"
  • Battler has gotten really strong.
  • He's using crazier and crazier logic to deny witches. Is this strength to him? Is this the power of Endless Nine...?!
  • ...oh man
  • ...that hug...
  • :(
  • Time for ????
  • They're actually really cute together despite being evil, nigh-omnipotent, inhuman monsters.
  • "I wonder what little sister tastes like" what the funk
  • Lambdadelta's attitude is so endearing. 
  • Bern's evil laugh and grin are also both amazing. I really want to see more of her.

 

This episode had a lot of really good moments, a lot of thought provoking dialogue, and a lot of really good character development. I feel like it had a better foundation than even 3 did and it just didn't suit my tastes in some respects. It was also the most blatantly sexual episode so far, and in a way that wasn't actually annoying. The heavy BDSM subtext in some of the dialogue actually had me a bit... uh... heated at times. Three was still a little better but both tea parties completely redeemed any problems I had with this episode.

 

10/10

 

On to Chiru.

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  • The first scene in episode 5 has Miragecoordinator and trollface Beatrice.
  • Fantastic start.
  • Even Bernkastel is getting in on the "having a personality" thing. Both of them are really entertaining when playing off of each other.
  • This new intro is FANTASTIC
  • I think Natsuhi is still my favorite sibling.
  • But I also think she might be hallucinating right now.
  • New crazy theory: Natsuhi is a schizophrenic. Not sure which subtype.
  • Assuming a "no magic" base for each episode, this would've been at least the second hallucination she had.
  • ...I thought that Higurashi was supposed to be about mental illness.
  • do these two like... actually eat each other
  • or is it a metaphor
  • I guess it gives off the idea that they're crazier and more extreme than Beatrice rather well.
  • You know, Lambdadelta is a bit of a jabroni sometimes, talks like a villain, walks like a villain, and has a villain theme song, but her dedication to certainty and honesty actually make her portrayal seem more positive than negative. Doesn't look like she's going to be an antagonist for long.
  • I like how Bern is endlessly trolling Battler over not thinking.
  • ...but she's also insulting me because I actually stopped thinking about the riddle too.
  • Well sheet, I just got meta-trolled.
  • The riddle is probably significant because it's the key to finding out who she is. It's the key to her identity, which is why Kinzo wanted it so bad.
  • ...is the answer to the riddle supposed to be Beatrice's real name or something. Like, her first or last name.
  • Like, it'd explain why the names the Ushiromiya family members tend to have are so oddly western, maybe?
  • I say "like" a lot
  • They seem to be emphasizing the 18 characters part a lot, though, and the idea that it's possibly in English.
  •  Either way, I'm not sure if we've been given any actual indication as to what the ans-...
  • ...wait...
  • WAIT
  • WAIT A funking MINUTE
  • ...I JUST REALIZED...
  • "WHEN THE SEAGULLS CRY" IS 18 CHARACTERS LONG
  • HOLY 
  • sheet 
  • "Sleep peacefully, my most beloved witch, Beatrice."
  • "...When the seagulls cry."
  • There are probably 500 more answers to the riddle, but god damn it, I figured one of them out.
  • "Umineko When They Cry" is also 18 characters. It looks like people were really careful in keeping the "18 characters" as part of the translation.
  • I wonder what else the riddle can solve... that's probably not the only thing, but the idea that Ryukishi was giving us an answer all along is really cool.
  • I want to believe.
  • Also, Bernkastel seems like she might be trying to disprove her own concept considering her actions. I'm pretty sure this episode is going to end with people (Battler) losing faith in miracles, aka losing faith in the concept Bernkastel is supposed to represent. I think Bernkastel might hate miracles because, as long as someone believes in them, she can't get them to "surrender with certainty." If this is true, I think her final loss might come when miracles are definitively proven possible, rendering her unable to get a certain, total victory ever again.
  • :thinking:

 

I wonder if I can finish the episode by tomorrow.

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  • They really are setting Battler up for a crushing loss.
  • "I've almost forgotten the pleasure of grabbing that cute hair of yours and wiping the floor with it as I roll around laughing...!"
  • lewd
  • Erika is really fun too.
  • Beatrice is getting her sheet kicked in by Dlanor. I haven't seen this before.
  • I know that engrish was supposed to be imposing but it was actually hilarious
  • Are... Kinzo and Battler teaming up?
  • Oh my god. I never expected this.
  • This is SO COOL.
  • >This is your answer!
  • >in blue text
  • HE JUMPED OUT OF THE funking WINDOW TO PROVE A POINT
  • HE'S A funking LEGEND 
  • These two are so funking cute.
  • Is Erika laughing or crying? It's hard to tell. Maybe both.
  • Virgillia's speech to Beatrice is really nice.
  • "No greater torture exists than the single pin known as hope..." 
  • Huh. There's an actual trial.
  • I've got a bad feeling about this. 
  • "I listened to him breathing in his sleep all night long. Got a problem with that?"
  • ...oh
  • They're getting crushed.
  • One by one, their means of escape are...
  • I wonder if Battler can win off of that knowledge. Red truth or no, he's being boxed in.
  • I'm just watching their chances of victory being slowly torn away before me. It's literally hopeless.
  • This is getting painful to watch.
  • Come on, Battler. Come on...
  • ...Bernkastel...
  • I... that...
  • That's just...
  • You know, I like almost everything about Lambdadelta more, but the way Bernkastel just... drove that stake into Natsuhi's heart was just...
  • The way she just ruins people might actually make her more entertaining than Lambda. That was legitimately one of the most excessively cruel and hateful things I've ever seen a character do.
  • I love it. And I know she's going to do worse in the future.
  • C-can it be...? Hope?!
  • ...this scene isn't hype
  • It's the opposite
  • It's filling me with dread and hopelessness
  • ...battler please
  • that's enough
  • please stop
  • ...even the red couldn't save him
  • I... I don't even feel sad. I just feel... defeated.
  • "You know that one thing you could've taken solace in? That one thing that made you feel some sense of comfort?" "LET'S funk THAT UP TOO LMAO" 

  • This has been episode 5 in a nutshell.

  • Holy sheet. This goes beyond being cruel and overflows into being hilarious.

  • "maybe you were just dicking each other down :thinking:"

  • ...So Natsuhi was... actually responsible for that murder 19 years ago? She... did it on purpose?

  • oh

  • that's really sad

  • >zen zen dame da

  • >episode ends

  • If the tea parties didn't exist this would've driven me insane.

  • I don't have much to say about the tea party but the engrish was hilarious

  • Time for ????

  • ....3 minutes in and this is already really sad

  • This is actually the cutest love story in the world. 

  • oh man it's the "cool sheet is about to happen" music

  • oh my god

  • this is so cute

  • and the music...

  • ...

  • That was...

 

 

At first I "liked" this episode solely because of how much it crushed me, but then...

 

that funking ending

 

They slowly and painfully tore everything down and then built it all back up even higher than it was before in the most glorious possible fashion.

 

This was my favorite episode so far.

 

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