Umineko When They Cry - Answer Arcs

BEATRICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH BEATRICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Peak Cinema. Must Read. One of the best thing in my life is able to read this masterpiece!

Great game - complete lack of actual playing aside

Beatrice (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)
I haven't played the full VN, not at all. But I
have played the prologue as well as watched
the most important scene in the VN, and I
have context behind it. And I can
confidently say this is my goat, without being
my goat; once I fully play it, I will rank her
#1, but as a critic I do not think that I can
do it yet given that I haven't played most of
her arc. Either way, I think she blitzes my
current #1, and is absolutely the best, as well
as the most important character of all time.
When I play her I shall rank her

Peak fiction. Zenith of the medium. Greatest to ever do it. Once in a lifetime experience. Neg diffs the Bible.

Can I log this on my goodreads?

(Same review of Question and Answer arcs)
I feel like my understanding of storytelling as a whole has been improved for the experience. It changed how I approach stories and characters, and put the relationship of the reader to the author in a whole new light. I don't have the words to describe Umineko, one day I want to write up a long and heartfelt review, but until then:

Without love it cannot be seen.

Very hard for me to give 5 stars to a visual novel but this game delivers on every aspect. Story was great. Game had very few choices but made you actually think. This story could only be told in a game like this. The voice and music (I used 07th mod for japanese voices) was some of the best I've heard in any game. Artwork was good and there are a few different styles you can pick from with the patch I used. (I chose the pachinko sprites because it gave the females the largest breasts).

1. How To Play
There are a few ways to play umineko (Played mine on Deck with 07th)
- 07th (Options between Classic, PS3, Pachinko Sprites, argueably the Pachinko sprites are the most lifelesss, like what they were made for)
- Umineko Project (More Animations, Different translations)
- Umineko Switch (More Contents, you get Tsubasa, Hane and Saku)

Regardless of what ways you play, make sure you have the japanese audio, they have a lot of legendary VA in this, Miki Itou (Android 18), Horie Yui, Rie Kugimiya and Sayaka Ohara (Yuko Ichihara) are my favorites in this, and voiced their characters perfectly.

2. Game Review
Umineko is a masterpiece and way ahead of it's time considering when it was released. I would recommend the game for anyone who's a fan of the mystery genre, if you love Higurashi like me, you would love this as well. If you have watched the anime, forget the anime, the anime didn't do the game any justice.

Game Length: Quite long and hence worth every money you spent.
Characters: All characters are written and voiced well, loved the work that Miki Itou, Sayaka Ohara and Horie Yui did in the voice acting.

3. Closing Rant
After playing a few of his games, I can say that Ryuukishi (Director/Writer), is a what-if, if George Lucas has actual talent and skill to direct and write the story, to back up his world and character building. He does have his faults, like George Lucas, some of the filler conversations are awkward (it's not the translation, i listen to the JP audio as well), not as bad as George Lucas "I hate sand, it's course and it's rough", but this is also me nitpicking. He also has a habit of pushing a character to the wayside after building them up. My poor favorite character have nothing to do after her arc than acting stupid and shouting supporting lines, I also have some peeves on ending B as well, but he did warn us we won't like the end. In the end. But i am pretty glad i played both main games.

simply incredible

didnt care about it

best game ever

UOHHH BEATOOORICEEEEEE

Your honour... I know this trial has been going on for what feels like forever, but I request that this case be dismissed. It is completely unfair that my lawyer is a horny teenage boy, and the defence keeps bringing in gothic lolitas and bunny girls as witnesses to distract him.

Umineko Chiru, also known as the Answer Arcs (Episodes 5-8), is a peculiar case in that it contains some of the highest highs of the series but also some of my least favorite parts. Similar to Episodes 1-4, or the Question Arcs, I wasn't very into the series when I first read it in the late 2000s when the fan translations were being released episode by episode.

Thanks to Umitweak, now upgraded to 07th Mod, the PS3 sprites and fully voiced acting made things much more enjoyable on a re-read. The manga adaptation also shed more light on aspects of the series that weren't in the visual novel, which I'll discuss later.

As far as characters go, the Answer Arcs introduced Erika, who is by far my favorite character in Umineko. Even during my first readthrough of me "hate-reading" of the series, Erika was far more entertaining than everyone else, being a savage troll who reveled in NOT being a good person. Will, the protagonist in Episode 7, was also a much better protagonist than Battler. He was competent while still being emotionally perceptive enough to see through the "hidden messages" of the Ushiromiya family.

Sadly, most characters besides those two were an overall downgrade for me. Outside of Natsuhi and Shkanon getting their moments in Episodes 5 and 6, and the "culprit" reveal of the Tea Party Episode 7, I wasn't a fan of the reveals of a bunch of the other characters from the Question Arcs. In Episodes 7 and 8, some reveals came too late or were too vague in the visual novel (though this was fixed in the manga adaptation).

Battler and Beatrice were particularly disappointing since they are central to the story. Battler's "flip-flop" felt abrupt, and his preachiness without explaining what he learned made me like him less (I already had mixed feelings about his idiot shounen personality). Beatrice faded more into a supporting role; while her reveals are interesting on paper, Ryuukishi07 chose not to reveal details in the visual novel—you have to read the manga for that. Ange received both a huge upgrade and downgrade simultaneously. In theory, I liked her role regarding morality—"caring too much about a tragedy you can't change"—but it focused too much on this aspect to the point of being preachy. If Ryuukishi07 had combined the mystery reveals from the manga with Ange learning to cope, Episode 8 would have been significantly better.

In a cast already bloated with characters, not giving enough time to develop human characters resulted in way too many forgettable meta/magic characters introduced in the Answer Arcs. Many of them are even more forgettable than those already present in the Question Arcs.

As for the plot, it's still similar to the original, a solid mystery, but with additional reveals that were quite great! The implications in Episodes 5 and 6 were particularly strong. While Episode 7 was mostly boring and vague, The Tea Party stood out as easily the best part of the entire series. A certain reveal in the MANGA of Episode 8 was very well done.

However, Umineko's Answer Arcs continue Ryuukishi07's unfortunate trend of godawful pacing. Many scenes contained excessive fluff that could easily be cut, especially during flashbacks. Even the magic fights felt ridiculous when Battler had already discovered the "truth," making them seem pointless; only Erika's presence made things remotely entertaining.

As I've mentioned multiple times, the manga adaptation finally reveals truths that should have made Episode 8's conclusion godly and helped make re-reading the visual novel fully worthwhile. However, that's ONLY in the manga. In the visual novel, Episode 8 is perhaps THE biggest waste of time for 95% of its story. The beginning "Halloween Party" dragged on too long, with the rest of the episode featuring some of the worst and most pointless magic fights in the series. The VN version never explicitly states the actual truth; instead, it goes on WAY TOO LONG about some preachy nonsense about focusing too hard on tragedy and moving on.

Despite all my complaints, Umineko's Answer Arcs VN version is ultimately still enjoyable and entertaining—especially once you know the full truth through re-reading and understanding what Ryuukishi07 aimed for. The music remains god-tier and is by far the best aspect of the series, enhancing mystery and emotional scenes significantly.

It's just a shame that Ryuukishi07 still struggles with pacing issues and seems to have adopted an obnoxiously preachy tone in these arcs. If he had just executed the end of the story better and had an editor to cut out 50% of the fluff, I could have joined many others in praising this as one of the best visual novels of all time.

As it stands now, I can only call the series... good-ish.

7.5/10

Peak fiction

Honestly, one of the most captivating pieces of media I've read. I've managed to somewhat figure out a few "howdunnits" in the ep1, but i didn't give much effort beyond that, though i doubt i'd have figured out the truth even if i gave it more time. Despite, not solving the mystery on my own, this was absolutely a blast to read through.

What i want to say is that this is worth the time, regardless whether you have or have not the capacity to solve the mystery yourself. The finale hit home.

pretty sure they meant the player in the title "When they cry"...

...cuz I sure did cry more than the times Kinzo said "BEAATOORIIIICEE"

Without love, it cannot be seen.

kamige

deeply unfortunately, extremely good

10/10 powerpoint

.....

"you've changed"
Bro, I've read the Umineko When They Cry Sound Novel released by 07th Expansion written by Ryukishi07.

Life changing novel, best story I've read in my life, insane soundtrack, but without love, it cannot be seen

Very good and confusing hahaha! I figured out the answer eventually but man is it confusing in a good way

finished this via Umineko Project (please use that instead of this version)

took me like 135 hours to complete both arcs within 7 weeks

I thought it was great, actually a 10/10 ending

I won't say much for spoiler reasons, but its absolutely worth the read

kappaneko

While it's very long-winded at times, I think it's considered a classic in the VN space for a good reason.

I LOVE ANGE USHIROMIYA!!!! RAGHHh!!!!! also sayo yasuda u will always be famous

DIE THE DEATH, SENTENCE TO DEATH, GREAT EQUALIZER IS THE DEATH!

started: 28.11.2023
finished: 02.12.2024

when i cry

best thing I've ever read

Literally life changing if you can manage to complete it.

A Witch using Magic.

i think everyone should read umineko, im not good enough at writing to even describe how much & why i loved it, & theres so many other reviews doing a better job :p
ryukishi07 sprites >>> btw

absolute cinema

I've never seen a writer shoot themselves in the foot this hard. There's dropping the ball, and then there's Twilight Of The Golden Witch. Save yourself 120 hours and read literally anything else. Listen to the Japanese fanbase when they tell you Ep8 is unreadable garbage that ruins the entire series.

this is a 10/10 masterpiece. one of the best things i've ever read. it's well written and has great characters and soundtracks

i very much like the colorful murderous witches and their mindgames, erika and bern are my favorites in these answer arcs.
the story combines metaphysics and philosophy with magical murder mystery. it's a very unique story and well worth reading

Still haunting my memories after all this time

BE AWARE: this is THE FINAL FOUR CHAPTERS of Umineko, and should not be read through until you've read through all of the "Question Arcs" (Chapters 1-4).

It's also best played with the 07th Mod which adds voice acting, better artwork all around, and a lot of other things that make it significantly better for modern audiences who might not be used to the very oldschool way that Ryukishi07 created/presents his works.

All of that being said: Umineko is one of the best pieces of fiction I've ever read. I won't soon forget my time on Rokkenjima and spent with the Ushiromiya family and all of the other characters that show up.

It’s the kind of game that can sometimes make you sleepy, but just as you're about to close your eyes, you read something shocking that pulls you right back in—and then you have to keep reading. It's SO addictive! I'm hooked on Umineko! I wish i can snort umineko god please read this even if it's longer than the bible

As my friend Marty once said "This is ABSOLUTE CINEMA!"

definitely could be shorter

Took me 350+ hours to finish Question Arc and Answer Arc from Umineko Project which I've played on itself. The Answer Arc is brilliantly written, Battler + Cape = hottest shit ever. Beatrice shows different emotions in this arc and we really get to know her past life, which is disturbing as hell I'd rather not speak. Erika is such a fun antagonist (especially when beefing with Maria over believing magic LOL). Bern... she really unleash something I've never really seen before but I did saw it coming. Last but not least, Ange is still my woman to protect from day 1. Umineko wouldn't be the same without Ange. She is a terrible person I'll admit..But I'm amazed by her opportunity to offer a nuance & overarching narratives that could bring new perspectives to the murder. What she conveys implies both her own and the readers lesson. Likewise, the soundtrack and voice acting is one of the best I've experienced in a visual novel, period. Ah.. it's been a long while since I've sobbed so hard over an ending that made me have a breakdown for weeks, 白夢の繭-~Ricordando-il-passato~ HITS ME ON ANOTHER LEVEL. Even though the series leans more fantastical, I find that Umineko portrays human emotions and family dynamics very realistic that it made myself think back of my own relationship with the ones I've grown up with: my family.

lambda and bern are the poster couple of toxic yuri and i love them so much

xccooolll coolll!!!

As someone has spent many, many hours on this game (mainly in the music box) I can safely say, PLAY THIS GAME! It is a masterclass in story telling. It's one of the most epic and emotional stories I have ever read in my life. This series has had a great impact on my life for the past few years now. I don't know where I would be without it.

magic is real.