Umineko Tea Party Podcast: Legend of the Golden Witch

07th News Blog Discussion
#1

Umineko Tea Party Podcast: Legend of the Golden Witch

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, witches and goats, for our very first edition of the Rokkenjima Umineko Tea Party Podcast. Joining me Aspirety are three newcomers to the world of Umineko: Rabla, NotKyon, and Seraphitic. As your host, I'll be guiding our three guests to share their first impressions of their stay at Rokkenjima, and engage them in a bout of mystery solving. But worry not, because the Witch's game has only just begun.

My humble thanks to all the forum members for their discussion of this Episode. Notable posters include Rabla, Renall, EisenKoubu, ghagler, Seraphitic, Yerian, stevenharryw, NotKyon and Karifean, terrific stuff. And special thanks to gogopri for their Episode 1 Fanart, you'll be able to see it in the podcast video above. I anxiously await more fanworks for the Episode 2 Tea Party, which has already commenced right now on the forum. We'll be seeing you in two weeks for our next Podcast episode.

If you'd prefer to download it and listen to it offline, you can find an mp3 here.

For more information about the Umineko Tea Party, including links to relevant forum topics and future episodes, keep an eye on our Umineko Tea Party Page.

All music used in this podcast are the property of their respective rights holders. Feel free to message me if you'd like to know the source of a music track.

Be sure to let us know what you thought of the Podcast in the discussion below, we look forward to hearing from you.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://rokkenjima.org/umineko-tea-party-podcast-legend-of-the-golden-witch/
6 Likes
#2

Hm, the stream seems to be broken and the download page just shows a 404 error. Anyone else who has this problem?

#3

You need to go to the article (link at the bottom) to view video.

Seems like the mp3 isn’t working, I’ll look into it when I get home.

#4

Ok, I missed that. Thank you

#5

MP3 link should be working on the article now.

#6

Uuuuurrrgh. Why do you insist on confusing me more!?

Here is my problem with Umineko at this limbo between Episode 1 and 2: If a story is a fantasy, then it establishes itself as a fantasy so that the reader doesnt spend the whole story thinking “This is stupid; none of this could actually happen, so its pointless.” And when something obeys the rules of our own reality, then it establishes itself likewise and the reader never questions it.

SO HOW CAN IT BE BOTH? WHAT THE HELL. I came into Umineko knowing that Beatrice exists. She has a sprite, so she exists. But then the game insists on forcing you to prove to yourself that Beatrice doesnt exist. Beatrice herself implies that the murders MIGHT have been committed by human(s), and challenges you to prove it.

The conflict between these two things that both appear to be true bothered me throughout the whole of Ep1, and then with the Tea Party and ???, its even worse. The confusion, illogic, and paradox of it all is so intense that its distressful.

I think this podcast really just cemented my feelings about Ep1. You four did an outstanding job at picking through the story and pointing out some things I was happy to be reminded of, and others that made me angry, reminding me of just how twisted every aspect is.

One last thing: suggestions on what the best mindframe is for starting Ep2? Like, obviously I think I should listen to Bernkastel and focus on the rules of this game, but Im finding it hard to even get to that when ???'s very existence just does not compute with me…

4 Likes
#7

Literally my thoughts when I first read it. “Is it magic? Is it all because of Beatrice? Or is it a classical mystery? But why is Beatrice even here? DOES BEATRICE EXIST?!”

To be honest, part of me was frustrated; I kept wondering whether a solution really existed to the mysteries, or whether they were fantasy and committed by Beatrice the witch.

The other part of me was insanely hyped that I actually was wondering the same thing as Battler. I was crying out, right alongside him: “Does Beatrice exist? Of course not! Of course not…but…is this closed room really solvable? Is there really a solution? DOES BEATRICE EXIST?!”

That, I think, is one of the greatest and most beautiful aspects of Umineko that Ryukishi achieved for me (and, likely, countless other readers): that true sense of uncertainty whether or not this is a mystery or a fantasy - real or magical - a human or a Witch.

At the same time, that uncertainty is bloody infuriating. lol

BEATORICHEEEEEEEEEEE

EDIT: should probably state what, exactly, made me feel that sense of uncertainty. I actually think Beatrice having a sprite wasn’t that big of a deal - or, rather, that wasn’t the thing that really threw me into uncertainty.

From just Episode 1: the music. Good Lord, the music. But also what Ryukishi chose to focus on and highlight in the writing: the constant “BEATORICHEEEE”, “Beatrice exists! uuuuuuuuuu”, “…and that’s another terrifying story about the witch”, [creepy markings on the wall], [MURDER], [surprise! a letter from Beatrice with awesome BGM], and then that final scene in front of the portrait. It all lent itself so well to a fantasy atmosphere…but the murders were convincingly closed room mysteries that should be solvable. And then the Tea Party drove it into overtime.

And then comes Episode 2…whew.

2 Likes
#8

I’m listening to this after reading Episode 2, not that it really matters. :stuck_out_tongue:

Overall, this is a good, if rather long, podcast. I took some notes while listening, paying particular attention to Aspi’s red herrings, and comparing some of the members’ predictions with my recollection of Episodes 1 and 2. Some of the theories made quite a bit of sense, to my surprise, and it’s enough to make me suspect that there’s some credibility to the witch not being the culprit. (Still think the witch exists, though. :stuck_out_tongue: )

I’ll mix these notes in with the rest, and hopefully I can apply them to Episode 3 when I read it in two months.

#9

I listened to the podcast about three seconds after I finished Legend, which made everything so confusing…

I read through it in the mindset of “why can’t these muggles just believe in magic already” and it never even occurred to me that the witch might not exist. But the podcast “set me straight” and now I guess I should make an active effort to solve the mysteries. Unfortunately my active imagination is gonna lead me to solutions like (Legend) designs for stupid pneumatic snakes that shoot spikes

If anything, now I’m more excited to test my de(f)tective skills.

1 Like