Umineko: When They Cry

One must remember that the Umineko no Naku Koro ni anime is an adaptation. While the anime in itself may not necessarily warrant harsh scores of 2 or 3, in comparison to its source material, it is extremely, extremely lacking. I find it inconceivable that anyone could give this series, even if they never read the sound novel, a 9 or 10 out of 10 rating. While the sound novel may not have been a masterpiece, it was intriguing, exciting, and, at times, moving. In its adaptation into an anime, the entire thing was turned into something disgustingly shallow and one-dimensional. I doubt that anystudio or director would have been able to cram every single detail of the sound novels into 26 episodes. However, the way it was done was nothing but uncouth. I was looking forward to Umineko from the moment I heard of it. I wasn't a big fan of Higurashi, but the synopsis made it seem reminiscent of my favorite book, And Then There Were None, and more fitting to my tastes in general. After the first five episodes, I couldn't describe it in any way other than "shallow." I hadn't heard of or read the novels at the time, but from the very beginning it felt as though something was missing. I heard the novel really was amazing, though, and sought it out. While there were flaws, the first four episodes of the novel felt much more complete than the anime. The story is mostly reading and the atmosphere is set more by the music rather than the visuals. Despite this, R07 managed to make the experience very enjoyable. After finishing it, I then continued with the anime, hoping it would at least somewhat meet the level the sound novel did. Of course, it didn't come close. The anime really has no continuity or flow whatsoever. I found myself asking as the episodes progressed, "Wait, did they cover event X?" and holes simply cannot be left in a mystery story (what Umineko is presented as), other than intentional ones. Small things, such as Battler and Beatrice's reactions to each others' actions were left out or glossed over, making the story incredibly superficial. A lot of fun from the sound novel came from these moments between them. The meaning behind events happening and secrets slowly unfolding is completely lost. In fact, the fight between Battler and Beatrice, anti-fantasy vs. anti-mystery, might as well not exist in the anime. It's supposed to be a detective/mystery story, albeit a strange one, and not simply that of a fickle witch murdering over a dozen people for fun, which is what the anime turned it into, at least until the very end where it does a rapid, poorly timed 180. Of course, the end was the "same" in the sound novel, but then it was clearly thought out and planned. The anime made it seem as if the producers/director forgot all about the end until the last five minutes of the final episode, then shoved it in. By the end of the fourth game, one should be able to determine the culprit. By reading the sound novel, I believe this to be possible. I don't see how it could ever be done watching the anime alone. The art is something that is clearly hit-or-miss. The main reason people seem to be put off from the sound novel is the "horrendous" art. Yes, different heads put on the same body and then turned into different characters. Yes, boxing glove hands. The art of Ryukishi07's works is clearly all about the faces. Whether the art of the anime is better or worse is something I'll let you decide for yourself. However, I think it's unquestionable that the facial expressions of the sound novel are exponentially better than the anime. I won't say that they are drawn well, but something has to be said of bad art that can manage to send chills down spines and make someone not want to read it at night because of frightening expressions. It would be hard for any animator to capture the riveting expressions of the sound novel, however I think they definitely could have tried harder, or at least have done a wider variation. Of course, the faces weren't the only things animated. Some characters (Rosa) clearly look better than others (Battler), however no one looked totally dreadful, though some people would beg to disagree with that point. In some cases I actually found myself preferring it (Maria actually looks like a nine-year old), but I can't understand why they felt the need change nearly everyone's eye color to blue. The sound was the most decent thing. The sound of the sound novel was excellent, as to be expected. The music really makes the setting, and even some scenes. The anime remixed some of the songs and used some of the original sound effects. Some fan-favorite songs were left out, but overall they did a decent job in this department. The song for the opening was very good; I was happy to see they used Akiko Shikata, who did the opening for the sound novel. While, other than "yami o kirisaku OH DESIIIIRE," I disliked the ending song itself. I found it very fitting for Kinzo, however. While many characters aren't expanded on in the sound novel until Episode 5 and the anime goes up to Episode 4, the anime made it seem as if no one, aside from Battler and Maria, had a personality. Several scenes left out of the anime expand on many of the characters, mainly the adults. Every adult in the anime, aside from Rosa, the cruel, heartless, "mother of the year," might as well have been there to simply add to the body count. For instance, a scene completely left out of the fourth game in the anime, known as the "Krauss Counter," made Krauss (the only adult I actually disliked at the time) likable. While the scene itself was probably the most over-the-top out of them all and not vital to the story (though it actually was part of the group held underground escaping), it made it harder to be suspicious of Krauss, who seemed to care about money more than anything else beforehand. Several scenes that were included were done very poorly, such as Rosa and Maria at the end of the second game and the Sisters of Purgatory, Kyrie, and Rudolf fighting in the third game. It was these many moments centered around the adults that actually made them seem like people rather than warm bodies existing for the sole purpose of dying. The characterization is so important to the series. A mystery has three parts to answer: the whodunnit, the howdunnit, and the whydunnit. In this series, its easiest to focus on the whydunnit, as opposed to many other mysteries. Beatrice says that witches exist and that everyone is being killed by magic. Battler refuses to believe in the existence of witches and magic but can't deny that the murders are happening. If it's not magic, then one of the eighteen has to be the killer. One of the reasons the sound novel is so compelling is that every one of the possible culprits is likable in some way. As the it progresses, you don't want to believe it's any of them, but you know someone has to be guilty. Watching the anime alone, I wouldn't mind suspecting nearly anyone; I'd have no attachment to any of the characters, and therefore the story. The saddest thing about this series is that it ruined what is an, if not great, at least enjoyable, story. Those who hated it are missing out on a story they could have gotten to really like. Those who loved it should definitely start reading the sound novel, if anything to read Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru, which will probably/hopefully never see an anime adaption.

In my own perspective, "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" is a very entertaining and enjoyable masterpiece. It's just sad that it has been quite underrated because of its comparison to Higurashi and that the Visual Novel was still a lot better. First of all, don't go thinking it would be close to Higurashi 'coz its plot is a lot different though similar. Higurashi's main point is horror while Umineko is more of a thriller or rather something like a mind battle like "Death Note" and even includes witches and magic. For me, this is one of the most unpredictable anime I've ever watched and doesnot deserve being underrated. It's a series that would actually even make you want to rewatch the whole series after completing it. Story: 9 Now this is what you call an anime with a "really deep" story. Before enjoying this anime, let me tell you that the first 4 episodes were introduction only to the anime's plot. After that, episode 5 finally reveals the plot of the story so I suggest don't go dropping it before that if you think you already know the plot (well, if you really want to know the plot before you can continue, all I can say is this: Human vs Witch). Episode 6 will make you think this is getting boring, but let me tell you after watching Episode 7 you might finally like this anime. The major breakdown of the series is episode 10, as it would probably make you say "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE!?". Being unable to bear such breakdown might finally make you want to drop this anime, moreover, that the protagonist seems to have no chance (0%) in winning. However, let me tell you that the protagonist was just unprepared in those episodes and will finally show off his true might for the rest of the series. Regarding the breakdown in Episode 10, there'll be an explanation for that too. The last episode was satisfying, though you might think many of the mysteries were left unsolved, they were actually answered but in a way that you can already logically think how and just think of them yourself. Art & Animation: 6 There's nothing special about the art and animation, but it's actually very good enough since I think it was given quite the budget. Sound: 8 Though I've heard other anime with really good bgms, this has actually good ones. It has a very thrilling background when the protagonist shows off, and I love it. Most of the sounds were taken and remixed from the visual novel it has a good variety of sounds and all... Characters: 8 Aside from the protagonist and antagonist, all the other characters were also given spotlight to know their story and even sometimes see a cool side of them, which is a plus actually. The thing I didn't quite like was the inconsistency of Beatrice's character (the antagonist), you may think of her as one of the most evil creatures but she also sometimes makes a character of a good person and even gets a bit feeling of romance between her and Battler (protagonist). Another one with an inconsistent character would be Maria, she's cute and adorable in normal situations and you might even cry for her when you see her being abused by her mother. However, her character often changes into an annoying evil brat. My favorite character is of course Ushiromiya Battler, he's cool and funny. Enjoyment: 9 I really enjoyed the scenes in Umineko and I was very satisfied. If you enjoy a battle of wits, you'll enjoy this too. The only reason I didn't rate the enjoyment 10 but 9 was because there are also some boring scenes. Overall: 10 I liked it so much. It's a gem that should be appreciated more.

This is the story of a young creator named Ryukishi07 whose hit visual novel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni became a hit anime and put him in the spotlight for great things. Hoping to capitalize on Higurashi's success, the same director and studio went to work adapting his spinoff visual novel series, Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Surely we could expect great things would come of it. We were dead f*cking wrong. This is anime at its most disgustingly deceptive, dragging you through 26 episodes of "mystery" and I cannot stress those quotation marks enough because half the time the mystery doesn't even exist. Hell Icould hardly tell what was the meta-world, the real world, the alternative world, THERE IS NO PERSPECTIVE! None! I don't even know where I am half the f*cking time so how the hell would I be expected to know what's going on?! The characters are a mess. We're rivaling Geass and Nanoha levels here in characters, and as such signifies, half of them have no personalities. Hell, you see them all die so many times over and over again that you just come to accept that's their purpose in all of this. In fact, there are some characters so f*cking annoying you cheer when its their turn to take the grotesque spill, but it's not even half as enjoyable as it could be because this anime is spammed with so much violence that it makes it seem uninteresting. I have never seen senseless violence become so BORING! The art is laughable. Studio Deen has clearly learned nothing from Higurashi, kept the same production values and amped up the facial distortions to a saturation point that makes them entirely unremarkable. Fortunately they kept the original music of the games which is quite good in some case if you can hear it over blood splattering and insane laughter. Oh, and another rare prop to this series for Sayaka Oohara's performance. I wonder if she got drunk before coming in on days to voice Umineko. I hope so. She at least made it halfway entertaining. But the real kicker is we aren't even close to solving any of the mysteries by the end of this and it ends with WAIT FOR SEASON 2 LOL. Now some of you may say "Hey Splitter! You gave Higurashi's first season a 9 and it did the same thing!" Yes it did, but it also got closer to the truth every episode and eventually made the big reveal that puts the whole series into focus while Umineko didn't do anything even remotely close to that. I've heard the games are better (more times than should be heard) but this adaptation does nothing to make me want to invest days on end into playing them and the adaptation certainly doesn't make me want to stick around for 24-26 more episodes as I care nothing about anyone in it and could care less if they all stay trapped in this game for all eternity. In fact, put Chiaki Kon and her staff in this game for all eternity with the characters. That's a suitable punishment for making this grotesque travesty of a "murder mystery". Seriously, all you've got is a good OST, a solid backstory with Maria and Ange (F*CK WHAT THEY DID WITH ANGE), and Beatrice's seiyuu performance. After that you have 22 eps of inane shit and characters you just want to see permanently shut up. Overall, I give Umineko no Naku Koro ni a 4 out of 10.

This anime needs a solid review from someone who enjoyed the visual novels and enjoyed this series. Now if you were looking for a masterpiece that was craftily made by a work of geniuses, fully-fleshed out with minor discrepancies, this anime is not for you. If you enjoy a good the-gore-is-all-over-the-place-just-to-piss-off-the-main-character kind of anime, you've found it. Let me begin my review by saying that this is not an amazing adaption, nor is it a terrible adaption, it's an adaption nonetheless and fans of Ryukishi07's other work will greatly enjoy this series. I also will be comparing the anime to VN (visual novel) quite frequently. Story:10/10 A very original story, but while it lacks the luster of the VN it still gets the job done. Battler, our hero, arrives on his grandfathers island after six years of absence with 17 other family members. A rumor a witch exists flies through the air that day and mysterious murders begin to occur at night. Your usual occult story? Not in the slightest. Battler encounters the witch and challenges her that he can prove that WITCHES DON'T EXIST *WHILE* playing with a *witch*. The idea is a little crazy, but it sure as hell is interesting! Battler tries to solve the witches riddles to save his family from Ryukishi07 aspect is that the story occurs numerous times, each time a different way, but unlike Higurashi, the main character is aware of what is going via a meta-world perspective. The game he plays with the witch is like that of a game of chess, in which the witch will set up her trap, and Battler will counter with a rebuttal to try and out wit the witch. Full of twists and turns, it is sure not to disappoint. Art: 7/10 Serious business here guys. Studio DEEN failed, but not too hard. It well... DEEN'd. The animation varies from time to time, and sometimes experiences moments of QUALITY - but not on a Kampfer level scale. The character designs are all adapted from the visual novel and fit perfectly (although the female characters bust sizes undergo extreme inflation, typical DEEN). The fight scenes are really nice, and often very exciting. For those of who've played the visual novel, watching your favorite battle scene surely won't let you down. The meta-world use of red text was applied really nicely and I was very impressed with the animators decision. The red text literally flies across the screen, because in the VN the red text is just said. A smart decision not to remove the red text (as it is very important to the story) and a smart way to use it. Some of the art was also imported from the VN, which is a really nice touch. Sound: 10/10 Hot damn. Great soundtrack, awesome opening, solid ending, sound effects and seiyuu's galore. A fair amount (more than eighty percent) of the BGM comes from the visual novel, a doujin (self-made) game that had a ton of doujin artists compose songs to accompany it. The use of the same doujin music is what makes the anime that much better. Your favorite (or soon to be) background songs make up for the sometimes silly animation. The opening "One-winged Angel" by Shikata Akiko (same voice of the VN OP) is really cool with a strong mysterious almost melancholic sound throughout. The ending "Kinzo' Madhouse of Divine Tragedy" by JIMANG is a good kind of creepy and loud, which gives off the right vibe for this anime. A lot of the sound effects came from the visual novel (SURPRISE) and work well with the anime. Pretty much every other voice actor/actress decided to play a role in this anime, since the cast of characters is MASSIVE. Beatrice's voice is awesome, Daisuke Ono plays Battler, Yui Horie as Maria, and a ton more (go check 'em out! It's no joke that a ton of prominent voices are in this)! Character: 10/10 Well you wanted sniper bunnies, right? How about trendy maids that represent the seven deadly sins? Oh, Victorian dresses and fancy-pants clothes? Come on down! Battler is a musclehead (poorly adapted by DEEN into a fabulous pretty boy in animation only) who probably isn't as intelligent as the nine-year-old cousin, but he's got guts. Rivaling Kamina in manly finger pointing and bro power levels, Battler yells, hits on his cousins and laughs in the face of death. A real manly man, who fights for his parents and his family. Beatrice is the epitome of "troll" in the animated universe. A bitch, a trickster, a murderer, a liar, a cheater, and everything else you can think of. You've really gotta see this chick in action to believe it. The rest of the cast is humongous, but there's a character for everyone (I think the author followed Tite Kubo with this: Not exciting enough? ADD A NEW CHARACTER), and I mean it in the best way possible. These are dynamic, interesting characters, not one-sided shallow flat designs. Enjoyment: 10/10 The enjoyment is the most important factor in an anime I believe, and seeing as how I really liked the visual novel, I was very happy with this adaption. If you were a fan of the VN, watching it get animated is really fun. Do I recommend this anime to everyone? No. This is NOT everyones slice of cake. I DO recommend the visual novel version of this to everyone though, which DOES flesh itself out (but actually game of the visual novel takes 10+ hours to play through, as oppose to the two and half the animators got to convert it). With what DEEN had, they did a pretty good job with the time alloted. Overall: 10/10 Fun to watch and interesting to talk about. This anime does great with what it was given. Do I think 26 episodes was enough to fit in more than 45 hours of reading? No. I don't. I think this series would have been even better as an OVA released over time or four separate TV Series, but with the nine hours the animators had to bring this whole anime together, I think they did a wonderful job. Before or while you watch this anime, you may want to play the visual novel, but don't steer away from this anime just because I said that. The visual novel fleshes out the plot, while the anime covers the dramatic scenes and between the two, a great product is formed. If you're on the fence about this anime, give it a try; it's different and it's exciting.