There will be unmarked spoilers for the entirety of Umineko in this topic.
This was a topic of discussion that popped up on the Discord last night, and I’d like to go further with it. It was mentioned by Ami that Umineko Chiru lost Ryukishi a lot of fans because, comparing it to the first four episodes, it suddenly went off the rails and ended up surrendering everything it built up to that point, to paraphrase.
I’m interested in exploring this further. Why do you feel this way Ami? It’s not the first time I’ve encountered this opinion, but I can’t say it’s one I wholeheartedly agree with. Throughout my reading of Umineko I never felt like it was going back on itself or suddenly changing. I’ll admit, Chiru does feel very different to the core arcs for many reasons such as the changes to the cast, the more structured mystery games, Battlers pursuit and defence of Beatrice’s heart, etc. But to me it felt like a natural progression, not anything out of left field like I’ve heard a few people argue.
I suspect this might reflect a difference in how readees approach Umineko. With its multifaceted nature, there are so many differing interpretations presented in the VN that it can become difficult to reach a conclusion on how to approach the story. But throughout the whole thing, these key elements of protecting the dignity of the individual over blindly pursuing the truth continue showing up. If you approach the story from the perspective that it’s just a mystery to be solved, I can see why people would be disappointed with Chiru. But maintaining that viewpoint would be the same as ignoring all the scenes displaying character development, all the magical scenes with some very touching messages to be found. It’s as if the reader is tunnel-minded, focusing only on their own interpretation of the story and ignoring anything contrary. It’s only when you take a more wholistic perspective that you can see that maybe it’s not ALL about the mystery, and the mysteries are just some neat flavour. When you realise just how much Beatrice played the villain, and how the game boards were constructed not just to be solved, but to teach Battler a lesson, it all makes sense. It’s like luring your child with the promise of something they love, but using the time gained to communicate something very important to them. Sure, we come for the fun, but we stay for something more.
At least, that’s what I can say about my experience reading Umineko. I’d love to hear some differing opinions.
EDIT: Didn’t realise this conversation was also happening in general, moved some posts here.