What I’ll kick start might be my most challenging reviewing goal, Umineko When They Cry. Due to its complexity and current influence on me I have yet to fully digest Umineko’s overall majesty. Also, it happens that I’ve read both the original visual novel alongside the manga adaptations.
Nonetheless, I will review as precisely as possible, individual episode level and holistically. Also included is an "extra" section connected to the VN, limited to this sole review.
Umineko is the second installment in the When They Cry visual novel franchise and considered a spiritual successor to Higurashi. It is structured likewise in eight episodes, divided between question arcs and corresponding answer arcs of “Chiru”, the last four of which cover more clearly what is established on the question arcs.
Episode 1 functions sort of as a prologue, establishing characters, introducing the reader to key ideas and setting foundations for an overarching narrative that will only become more and more complex and intriguing with each succeeding episode.
At this stage, the story is a whodunit crime mystery with horror elements, modeled heavily after Agatha’s Christie’s “And Then There Were None”, a novel the creator Ryukishi07 cited as one of his major influences in his overall writing.
Set during October 1986, the extended Ushiromiya family gathers together in the island of Rokkenjima, where the head mansion is sited, for their annual meeting yet end up stranded due to a monsoon. Similarly to ATTWN, a series of mysterious murders occurs until little by little less and less people remain.
So what is the twist? Those murders’ executions occur in certain circumstances that hint towards the supernatural, leaving the reader and the characters in ambiguity: is it the work of a human culprit or a great witch?
Deductive reasoning is pitted against fantasy, and many people describe Umineko overall as a fight between the mystery and the fantasy genres (although this statement is not quite correct).
The rest is to be experienced and I can assure you, the mystery is all out from this very early stage.
At this stage, they are far from the strongest card, the reader being initiated to nineteen of which all remain underdeveloped at this stage, yet it’s fair to note this is more than justifiable for three reasons. First, all are easily recognizable and memorable. Second, development is left for the next episodes.
Third and connected to the above, almost nobody introduced at this stage remains what they appear at a superficial level. One factor connected to that is the overarching theme of family. Without digging into too many details, I confidently claim that Umineko is the most radical treatment of family I’ve experienced in Japanese fiction; for example, parents are not step-sided by their offspring and are portrayed as people with warts-and-all, while running the gamut from abusive yet troubled to sweet if strict to dysfunctional but caring. On top of that, mothers assume main or even protagonist roles in various parts of the overarching story. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Ushiromiya Battler as a protagonist is goofy, upbeat and rather perverted at first glance, but also compassionate, quite rational and intelligent. He’s driven to confront the culprit and prevent more murders from occurring. He’s also more than meets-the-eye and should not be judged solely according to this episode.
Umineko’s story is progressively evolving and literally improving in quality with each episode. What does remain inconsistent though is artwork, for the manga adaptations are not all drawn and illustrated by the same artist. Apart from the object of the current review, its artist also drew and illustrated the 8th episode.
Character designs can be hit-or-miss and most backgrounds are simply functional, yet some powerful panels can be found and expressions are one of the strong cards of artwork. When the artwork really does shine though is during transitions to crime scenes and more disturbing expressions. Those shifts match perfectly to their corresponding scenes, and are not for the squeamish or weak of heart.
And that should be kept in mind for the whole of Umineko: be prepared for very nasty horror scenes that could shock and/or nausiate even a seasoned spectator, among others.
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