Episode 2 review

Upon finishing this episode, all I could do was laugh. I couldn’t believe what I had just read. I can’t remember the last time a piece of media played with my emotions and completely flipped my expectations on their head the way Umineko has. The author has made it clear with the whole “flipping the chess board” thing that defying expectations is a big theme in Umineko, so I honestly shouldn’t be surprised by it as much anymore… and yet, I still am!

I’m especially surprised at how not entirely off-base I was with my previously mentioned theories. I might’ve been wrong about Kinzo and Beato eloping with one another at some point and that three of the four siblings were actually Beato’s children, but I was sort-of correct about making a connection with Beato and Eva. There was a reason why the two looked so similar and shared mannerisms, but it was more so a symbolic connection rather than a familial one. I was also sort-of correct about Beato being detached from humanity and how she views the world. I think the main point of this episode was to explain how and why Beato thinks and acts the way that she does, using Eva-Beatrice as a way to illustrate that. She’s a child who never grew up, and her power as an Endless Witch has caused her to completely lose any value in life, since she can just bring back anything that dies.

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but the voice acting has been tremendous so far. Even though I’m not the biggest expert on Japanese voice actors, I could tell that they brought in a lot of absolutely incredible talent for this game, and this episode has had moments where that voice acting has really been able to shine, my god. I know that this episode was more or less focused on Eva so of course she has a lot of stand out moments but still… her voice actress absolutely kills it. From her euphoric laughter upon finding the gold, to her tormented screams regarding Eva-Beatrice’s actions, this actress has such a wide range of emotion and it made all of her character’s scenes that much more impactful. The rest of the cast has been absolutely stellar as well. Rosa’s actress played a big part in making the torture scenes with Eva-Beatrice all the more gut-wrenching (side note: I really hope she gets a break in future episodes because I feel like Rosa has been disproportionally tortured way more than any other character aside from maybe Battler at this point. I know that she is a terrible mother to Maria most of the time but still, I don’t feel like she deserves to have it this bad.).

What’s really throwing me for a loop is the ending to the episode, as well as the subsequent Tea Party and “????”. I’m not going to lie, I was kind of suspicious in regards to how quickly it seemed like Beato was becoming “reformed”. It’s only Episode 3, I couldn’t imagine that she really learned from her mistakes this quickly. However, the execution was handled so masterfully that I eventually forgot those suspicions and completely went along with the act. Then when the ending came along, the rug was still pulled out directly from under me even though it really shouldn’t have been! God, this game is so good. I was completely swept up in what was happening. Beato really is one of the greatest villains ever. The author does such a great job of using the charming aspects of her personality to get the reader to care for her to the point that it feels like she’s not just toying with Battler, but the reader as well! It’s a type of evil and trickery that transcends the boundaries of the medium you’re experiencing, and it’s absolutely incredible.

The ending left me questioning just about everything that occurred during this episode. I was flabbergasted. Does the ending mean that a majority of the events that took place never actually happened? There was no Eva-Beatrice, Beato never actually gave up her title as Golden Witch, and Eva just found the gold and killed everyone herself? Based on her conversation with Ange during the “????”, I don’t think that could be completely true, as she still showed great remorse over her husband and George’s deaths. Still, it really calls into question what events actually took place and what didn’t. How much of what happened in this episode actually happened, and how much of it was an illusion by Beato? Do the characters that were introduced in this episode like Ronove, Virgilia and the Chiester Sisters even exist, or were they just a part of the illusion?

I’m left with so, so, so many compelling questions. I can’t wait to read more. Words to describe how excited I am to continue this fail me. Once Umineko sinks its claws into you, it really does not want to let you go, and honestly, this game can have its way with me all it wants. It has been an incredible time so far. I’m not even halfway done, and I’m really starting to think that this is the greatest visual novel I’ve ever played. As long as it doesn’t fumble the bag from here on out, this will definitely end up being a new favorite of mine.