Umineko 10th anniversary

[Pandora]

Hello one and all, and welcome to the birthday thread of one of the most revolutionary Visual Novels of all time.
After creating Higurashi, many in the VN community wondered how Ryukishi would surpass the surprising success of the iconic mystery-horror, and during the hustle and bustling on a summer night during Comiket 72, it was noted that one VN sold out in 30 minutes-its name was Legend of the Golden Witch, the first novel in Ryukishi’s new WTC series known as Umineko:When They Cry.

While the plot initially appeared to be little more than an “And Then there were None” ripoff, a surprise twist at the end of the first novel revealed what would be the beginning of an intrinsic meta murder mystery that would challenge its readers to become detectives, and what began as a regular murder mystery evolved into a game between the author and his readers.

As the series progressed and the mysteries became more and more complex, the inclusion of themes and messages that many praised the Higurashi series for became much more integral to Umineko’s story. Themes of love and examinations of what constitutes a mystery took hold in Chiru, but unlike Higurashi, the prominence of these themes in the plot seemed to polarize readers who favored the simple ‘logic battle’ approach the earlier novels had, and in a result that seemed to echo the ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion or The Great Gatsby in the west-many fans became detractors after the series end.

And yet, seven years after the final novel’s debut, people in the visual novel community have once again taken an interest in Umineko, and a revival of sorts has taken place within the fandom-especially after Mangagamer announced it would arrive on Steam after Higurashi’s updated re-release.

Often compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion or Revolutionary Girl Utena, Umineko is an ever evolving series that perhaps could be set alongside the greats in western canon, and certainly has a story to tell for the ages. Happy 10th birthday Umineko, and may you continue to live on.

-The Witch will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures.
One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land
One shall be, the resurrection of all the souls of the dead
One shall be, to put the witch for all time
Sleep peacefully, my most beloved witch Beatrice.

As usual, this thread is one to celebrate all things Umineko related whether its fan art, retrospectives, essays, music, or posting images of the manga, or people reading the Visual Novels. Just don’t forget to tag your spoilers.

[Pandora]

And just like the Higurashi thread, here is some music for you all to enjoy

[MagusVerborum]

Gohda = best girl

[Aurora]

Goddamnit, beat me again.

[MagusVerborum]

As Seacats’ anniversary is the same as my own birthday, I feel it is firstly my duty to become the Chosen One, and secondly to evangelise Ryukishi’s work as hard as I can, here goes.

Umineko is an incredibly unique story, I don’t think there’s another story like it that I’ve ever heard of, certainly not one that’s as well written. It’s clearly written in response to Ryukishi’s previous ‘Higurashi’ and borrows heavy inspiration from other works, including the work of Agatha Christie but is entirely its own entity, it critiques and pays tribute to the mystery genre and the Golden Age o Detective Fiction in equal measure, producing something familiar but also refreshing.

From the Red truth to Purgatorio, from Battler’s antics to the brutal murders of each and every chapter. Ryukishi constantly subverts expectations of the genre(s?) and medium in an intelligent way, seeking to reframe how we view previous events and this to me is its strongest design aspect of the story. I think that you could read the story an endless amount of times (heh) and still find something new to discover by looking at events through a different lens, discovering new things about the characters.

The requirement of the reader to understand the author (both Beatrice and Ryukishi) is integral to Umineko. If you look at each of the characters like little murderbots and Beatrice as a soulless murderer then you won’t get anywhere. The only way to truly understand everything is by seeking to understand the characters, each of which has aspirations and flaws and is undeniably human even when we suspect the characters of doing terrible things. We still must take into account who they are, and consider their ‘heart,’ their humanity. I’ve mentioned before that I prefer well-written villains over heroes, and Umineko does a great job of making many of the characters both at once, blurring the line between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ and producing something critical of human nature.

Without Love it cannot be seen.

The words repeated throughout the series, they encourage understanding and acceptance. I truly believe that if you engrave these words into your heart as you travel through this series you will interpret it fully as Ryukishi intended. I don’t think there’s much more I can say without diving into spoilers, I hope to travel through Umineko Chiru with you all once it’s been re-released by mangagamer, and together we can finally put the witch to sleep for all time.

…Although of course I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility of such a thing…

And now I leave you with something silly, the ultimate guide to a perfect Beatrice impression:

TUTORIAL: How to give a perfect Beatrice impression

1. Make sure to make your voice sound voluminous, confident and most of the time also condescending, even when talking calmly.
2. When putting emphasis on words, put strong, over-swelling emphasis instead.
3. To get her laugh right, knowing the sound of the german letter ä / Ä helps a lot. If you don’t, inform yourself, then follow step 3.1).
   3.1) Perform her laugh like “IÄÄÄÄÄhähähähähähähä!!”, changing your voice to
   be a shrill and more high-pitched version of what you learned from 1).
4. When saying the title and name “Ougon no Majo, Beatoriiche!”, it is only allowed to say it like “Oouugon no Majo, Beeeatoriiche!!” while showing a fitting kind of grin, ideally a big one.
5. When saying the name of another person on a non-neutral sentence, and especially when the name comes in the end of the sentence, it is important to stretch syllables out a LOT. “Ushiromiya Battora!”, for instance, becomes either “Ushiromiya BAAHttora!” or, when in need of something that is over-the-top even for Beatrice, “Ushiromiya BattoraaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!” with it starting normal and becoming an aggressive, rough yell in the end.

And that’s how you do a perfect Beatrice impression. ^o^
- Ani Ga (on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUJfeXeIqc )

[danpmss]

I know I screwed up some time ago by accidentally posting spoilers in a spoiler-free topic (I ultimately restricted myself of ever using Rokkenjima again since that day), but I’m making an exception today.

I must at least say Happy Birthday to one of my favorites literary works ever during the proper day it deserves. And there’s no better place to do so then in here, so… Happy Birthday Seacats!

And congratulations for writing this masterpiece, Ryukishi <3

My Letters and Philosophy university theses (for both formal and magister degree) will be surrounding Umineko and its very specific take on the mystery genre (which is actually part of an interesting literary movement as of now isolated in Japan).

Depending on me, I would even bring the whole novelization to my country and maybe others, given the opportunity. Mark my words, I’m also going to Japan in December this year, and hopefully I’ll be able to talk about this with the man himself (and of course hug the hell out of that magnificent mastermind he is, while telling him just how much he is loved outside Japan).

Now then, back to my self-induced but well-deserved restrictive ban. Keep the amazing discussions too, you all. I’m always lurking around and watching all of your threads. You guys are the what remains of the absolute best part of our once gigantic (yet very VERY toxic) community from way back then.

Bless you all, and 07th Expansion as a whole too (including BT, of course)!

“When They Cry, nobody see the time pass by.”

[danpmss]

Would you be able to share your theses with us? I’m aware universities host theirs in databases to allow for future reading and, as an (informal) student of philosophy, I have both a duty and desire to read other ideas on Umineko’s dynamics with philosophy (though I, as mentioned in another post, would relate its magic more to Schopenhauer/Spinozism).

When I finish them, sure thing (I’m starting the first one in September, if all goes well). I’ll link them in here (not gonna happen any time soon however, I might remind you all).

[FlareNetworkC]

Goodness, where do I even begin.

Umineko has taught me so many things. It’s taught me what it feels like to be fully engrossed in literature. It’s taught me about perspective and seeing things from other people’s points of view. It’s taught me that sometimes, all someone needs is love. It’s a beautiful tale, one that everyone should read. It has profoundly changed my life, and I doubt I ever find a piece of media as engrossing, unique, or profound as Umineko.
And, you know, the soundtrack.

Happy 10th anniversary, Umineko. We shall meet again, when the seagulls cry. I’ll make sure that this fragment isn’t forgotten for the next hundred years, because this one deserves to be remembered.

[Pandora]

Well I thought I’d give my piece since its been a few days since I’ve posted this topic.

Anyway, I suppose I can start off with praise, Umineko, like Magus said, is an extremely unique and multilayered story. Its use of narrative devices and literary elements would make even the most accomplished authors blush, the writing is mature and engaging and the message of it all is truly a heartrending one.

Umineko isn’t a story that you can read just once. In order to fully appreciate it you at least need to read it twice to fully understand the deeper meanings of the metaworld or how the murders were carried out. EP6 for example, becomes a million times better on a reread, and the writing (while still a bit heavy handed at times) really shines when you understand the double meanings, representations, and things it convey’s and explores, and how it all ultimately relates to the culprit and the other characters of the island-one example in being how the episode explores the relationship between magic and its wielders in the family.
In other words, its the most introspective of all the episodes baring the second.
But I think what makes Umineko so beloved for me is not its fantastic writing (especially in 5-8) or its incredibly human characters, it was the impact it had on me when I read it during a tough time in my life. I fully resonated with the various themes, and appreciated the complex story it gave, but most importantly, I felt as if though these characters were friends that I had grown up with and understood.

Anyway, I guess that’s my ramble. Hopefully Umineko will begin to get more appreciated throughout the years.
P.S. Funny thing is, the most interesting thing about Umineko is the fact that the poems in Higurashi become much deeper when you apply them to Umineko.

[U4ea]

Man I feel old when I learn that Umineko is 10. Of course, I also felt old when Higurashi reached 15. Maybe I’m just getting old?

In all seriousness though, I love this story through and through. I love everything about it, really. I love how it initially starts as a great mystery novel basing itself off of And Then There Were None. But I also loved how Chiru moved away from the mystery a bit, instead choosing to focus on the characters behind the story, and the motives behind the characters. It acts almost as the perfect antithesis to the Sherlock Holmes way of solving mysteries. It even acts as an antithesis to And Then There Were None. Instead of focusing on the whodunnit, Umineko wants you to understand the whydunnit. Almost every single character has something driving them to act the way they do and to take the actions they take. And because every character has a good, complex reason behind them, they feel incredibly organic. Brilliant writing here, and my hat is off to Ryukishi for being able to pull it off so effortlessly.

As you said, @Pandora, Umineko absolutely requires at least one reread to truly understand and appreciate everything going on. There are a lot of little things that are easy to gloss over in the earlier portions of the story that add to the motivations behind the characters. So many of the little interactions between characters may seem meaningless at first, but when looking back on them you begin to realize how much weight is put behind the words they say. And that applies to almost all of the characters in Umineko. All of them are caught up in a dense web of complexity. Sometimes it will even take multiple rereads before you are able to truly unravel everything there is to learn about Umineko’s characters. Those layers upon layers of complexity make these characters incredibly human. Ryu’s character writing was strong in Higurashi too (though I think it was stronger in Umineko). It makes me excited for all that is to come in the next When they Cry.

Speaking of When they Cry, I just want to take a moment and thank the people who brought Umineko to Steam. Thanks to Witch Hunt, Manga Gamer, and our very own @UsagiTenpura for retranslating this story I so dearly love and putting it on Steam. Now that Umineko is on Steam, it’s reaching a bigger audience than it ever would before thanks to all these people. I mention this a lot, but I can’t read Japanese, so I’m really thankful whenever things are translated into English so I can read them. Thank you all for the hard work.

And now that it’s on Steam, I hope it continues to grow an audience. Perhaps someday, everyone will get to enjoy this beautiful tale that I’ve grown so attached to.

After all, Beatrice said it best.

“Without love, it cannot be seen.”

Here’s to hoping Umineko gets all the love it deserves.