In so many more levels than you’re imaging. Two more entries and it’s over. R07 the ever notorious writer behind the Naku Koro Ni series is one of the few writers who calls me names, trolls me, kicks me in the balls and still manages to have my respect. But there’s a good reason for that – he can write.
What I thoroughly enjoy about the Umineko stories it that they always have a way of pumping me up for the best parts. When they start out little happens then a bit happens then a bit more happens then we learn some more details then a few more THEN suddenly the lights go out there’s cackling and we’re where in the world of When they Cry. There are illogical elements, there are questions, there are trolling witches, there’s master plans being constructed behind the scenes. There’s this world that obeys only its own logic and has the best way of pulling you in it.
The hammer was going to come down no matter what and I’m glad it did. EP8 had been getting real, too real, we probably had realized this since Bernkastel showed up at Battler’s party and kidnapped Ange. Let me tell you the action in this chapter is up to the challenge of beating any other action scenes in the saga. The character interactions are top-notch. I previously mentioned the synergy writing was fantastic then right now it was up to its zenith. This I say because we’re talking about a deadpan voyager who Red Bull does little more serving as a sour drink. A theatergoer with a poker face for most regular and abnormal situations. The writing is so ridiculously enticing that this ought to be consider a genre of its own. Ryukishi07’s was bringing his A-Game to Twilight in all departments. Believe what you wish because this entire chapter is basically shameless “fanboy mode”, but if he were to write like this for a whole EP I don’t think my organs could take it. There aren’t many titles that can create such tremendous adrenaline rush. Some are when I’m solving a complicated problem • when painting and designing • Higurashi • some Kojima cinematic cut scenes • delicious puzzles • End of the Golden Witch • The first time I read Mirai Nikki. My face when I read this Umineko Twilight Chapter.
Furudo Erika’s return and what hat it would mean for big finale had me giggling to an almost detrimental level more than you ever would like to know. I was expecting so much of the final chapter that a finale without Erika would’ve been a total disservice to the fandom. Let me tell you that Umineko needed Furudo Erika. Since Chiru started Erika had been carrying the show for me in a way that I can’t imagine Umineko without Erika’s involvement. Sure she isn’t as main character as the Battler, Beatrice or Ange but she had managed to be a fundamental part of the game and of the story. It wouldn’t have been truly Umineko and a proper finale without Erika as far as it concerns me. The best news that Twilight brings is Ryukishi-goddamn07 putting her back in the show. What can I say? The guy really nailed it this time. What did you think, everyone?
One, two, three, four. Repeat after me: Debauchery is back.
I am very much positive no one would switch places with Ange. Ange’s tale wasn’t over yet but very soon it was going to be for 6 yr old Ange after the goats were done with her. There were no more nice parties and no more gold medals (and cake, very important). Instead a world of hungry goats and overwhelming truths too much to handle was what happened. Ange being massively mind screwed by her crappy childhood (and similarly crappy school life was) was a common thing but somehow it got even creepier thanks to the goatmen dressed as her classmates turned creepy into weird creepy. You see, I never thought of the goatmen as terrifying figures but portraying them as hungry flesh eating creatures always managed to get me.
In reality, I expected something else from Twilight Erika-wise. I expected Erika to come bursting through the MAIN door crashing Battler’s party but I soon settled for this glorious turn of events. Erika saving little Ange was something else, Ange AND Erika meeting, and Erika similarly saving said former Miko? As if it wasn’t enough to give the readers get headaches I loved the way EP8 kept throwing twists at the audience like there was no tomorrow (there was no tomorrow)
It cannot be forgotten who else was back – EVA Beatrice. Last time we saw her she was trolling Battler in the tea room. Last time we saw her she not really was trolling Ange in Rokkenjima. Last time we saw her she was telling his son come back into her womb. I know. That sounded too wrong, but that’s EVA B for you. It’s like Eva only Bitcher I figured back then, but that was dead wrong. It’s like Eva but with CAPS but still with the inexplicably sexy Takano voice. Still dead wrong. For better or for worse, EVA B was back. The most shocking part was EVA B coming to also protect Ange from the goats with her AoE Red Spider Webs of Doom. So why EVA B? What was happening?
– Like a good neighbor Aunt Eva is there. I mean Umineko Twilight didn’t shy away from twists at all. If anything was more shocking than Erika saving Ange it had to be EVA B protecting Ange at that point. EVA B’s line got me for sure, “Your aunt will always be on your side, Ange.” Even EVA B being nice > What exactly was I even reading?
This probably sounds strange coming from me but how slow pace EP8’s been surprisingly pleasing. This probably sounds strange coming from me but I found the Battler and Bern moments somewhat heartwarming, if not pleasantly character-wise informative, for a lack of a better term. This probably sounds strange coming from me but for someone who doesn’t enjoy repeating things I sure enjoy occasionally repeating myself.
I’m the type of Theatergoer who would say this cup of tea is too sweet. Bernkastel’s unique situation (aside from her personality) is probably one of the best reasons why she’s such a great villain without being too cliché and boring like so many others. There’s the fact that she and Lambda are so deeply connected to Higurashi that automatically any bit of information on them gets my attention right away. Of course, every time Bern or Lambda talk about the worst kakera I think of Higurashi. It’s also fair to point out that it also gets me whenever Battler, an “Umineko” character, asks about it since he’s asking about basically “Higurashi”.
I considered this a perfectly damn good moment and by that I mean the perfect opportunity for both Lead and Villain to (actually) sit down and talk about what is up with their profoundly complex and bizarre situations. Battler finally explaining his take on his misadventures in Beatrice’s game and how he brushes off the past and be cool with it was kinda expected of him. In contrast with this there was Bern whose worst Kakera was so damaging that forgetting it was impossible. Battler and Bernkastel are basically polar opposite. I was siding with Bernkastel here for the moment because even after reading this much and into his character I still don’t get Battler or his argument. Let me phrase that. How do I say this.. I do, but I also don’t. But that’s probably because there’s probably no argument, that’s probably just how Battler is, and that’s just how things are.
Indeed, it was an strangely heartfelt moment. Bernkastel must’ve been really losing her touch if she got sympathy from a former game piece, I figured. I also figured that Bern must be losing her touch for giving them such an easy to mid-level puzzle for BB Team (Battler and Beato) to solve. Despite the insanely long post – in fact so long that I took time off – Bernkastel’s Puzzle was too easy, so solvable that it make me realize halfway there was something off from the start. That said, It wouldn’t be Bernkastel and it wouldn’t be Umineko without the keikakudooring element.
–
Bernkastel’s game was never over anyway. She did say she’d free Ange. Nothing was mentioned about putting ideas in her head and turning her against big onii-chan being a big no-no. Battler and Bern routes.. I can actually see how both sides were partly right. Battler’s route was definitely demonized more than it was by Bern. Not without some truth to it though. Battler only showed the good parts of the Ushiromiya and the events on Rokkenjima but nothing about *that* day and nothing nearly about a solid solution. Battler was basically the “good guy” in this play hiding the truth from everyone and keeping everyone away from it as much as possible. He was biased as hell to be a serious impartial party. On the other hand, Bernkastel’s side wants to learn the truth that Battler is hiding. I had to say at the moment Bernkastel’s way made the most sense because it was exactly what the readers trying to solve the big mystery have been doing, that is, uncovering the truth.
Aha. Then again because it makes so much sense it also feels strangely off. Why? Because a) Bern is behind it and likely has some agenda. B) Because Battler’s side was way too discredited without hearing his side of the story. C) Because something had to happen for the story to move on. Battler’s “chummy” tale was too good to be true. So yeah, I could see Bern raised some good points but I also saw how despite the points were valid the interpretations weren’t necessarily true. Granted Battler was biased as hell. Granted he did want to Ange to pick a certain choice and granted he doesn’t want her or the readers learning the truth. I’m no Ange and neither in her situation and aiming to learn the truth from day had been my goal. That hadn’t changed at all, thus I was inclined to follow the path to learn the truth even if goatmen were to rain from the sky. Still.. Still.. You couldn’t help but wonder Battler’s motives were. Even they can be theorized to a degree, there was still something off.
–
Call me Yasu Crazy but I thought for sure lil Ange was going to tell Beato to go F herself when she went quiet after being brought back by Bernkastel. Back then it was showing how much of too nice guy Battler’s been and how some naivety of his part didn’t let him see the bigger picture behind the scenes. Trollkastel has just returned Ange, freed Erika roughly an hour ago, and no one knew what happened between that time-frame. What did you think it was going to happen? It goes without saying that Ange who returned to them had already been brainwashed by Catkastel, who still has a hard-on to get in even with Battler and Beato, into going against Battler and his game. It took EP8 a while to get where it was going but the action was just around the corner. I was just surprised that Ange put up with so many hours of game-play around a golden trolling witch who killer her family, trolled her from the past and stole her onii-chan to top it off.
In a way, it was too bad lil Ange was no more because I liked her character more than regular Ange. Good run I’d say in turning Ange into a more likeable character. I had to side with EVA B on this one. I admit that it was pretty dickish of Battler (and of Beato) to not invite EVA B to the Rokkenjima Party just because there’s been some bad blood between them like keeping secrets to themselves, having each other killed and whatnot. I know. Crazy. If it wasn’t enough to tipped them off EVA B made her big entrance to Battler’s party by bringing the whole army of Goatmen to raid the island. It also about time Battler and company realized that Bern was buying time for the Witches to execute plan “Violate Rokkenjima” perfectly.
Sure, I’ve been enjoying the calmness of it and the PG-13 games but I also wanted Epic outrageous Umineko, you know the one where there is craziness, the one where action goes together with Umineko. One of the things you ought to know is that I don’t use the word epic so often, but Umineko Twilight forces me to use it. Umineko is about the psychological, mystery, and drama genre. I’ve never thought of Umineko as an action show because it really isn’t, however, Chiru makes Umineko sound like a fantastic action story. Take it from me, this segment is not for the faint of heart.
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From the Internet to rock bottom youtube comments to /a/ to casual forums to seacats to animesuki to intellectual grand masters – they’re goats in their own way. I’ll say this. This section was a huge kick to the groin than a slap to the face. The goats who merely spouted whatever they heard from others represented the readers who don’t reason by themselves. The goats wielding some theories were those who only reasoned halfway. The goats trying to come up with better theories represented people still wanting to solve the Rokkenjima mystery. The goats who actually gave Will a fight were the theorists who constantly tried to solve R07’s mystery. Pretty much Ryukishi07 divided the readers in all categories who attempted to solve Umineko.This was one of those moments when R07 made perfect use and made reference to the readers’ theories and also separated them in groups by its approaches to his work. So, how did you like that?
This. THIS. If happy cows come from California then hungry goats come from Rokkenjima. The [Goat Legion of Anons] attacked Rokkenjima. The Goat Legion attacked the mansion and I never thought I’d lived to see this game be attacked by goatmen butlers. I’d like to say the furniture did their best but the power level of the goats was practically over 9000. Ronove couldn’t, Virgilia couldn’t, let alone the Ushiromiya, let alone the Sisters of Purgatory. This entry wasn’t going to forget mention how Wizard HuntinBro Wright was a total bro in Twilight. Taking both Will and Dlanor at the same time sounds like a suicide mission for almost anybody and it is no surprise that Will and Dlanor A. Knox team had to undoubtedly be everyone’s favorite. This team had so many good parts that they could fill this whole entry. I know I hadn’t jumped onto the “We All Love Wright” bandwagon back in Umineko Requiem but Umineko Twilight sure was making me fan after so many inducing acts of fangasm. The music was pure icing on the cake. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were comments in image boards with messages saying “Will is right”. This whole chapter was definitely heavily action-centric.
Let it be known that all magic characters got their well earned time to SHINE. Let it be known I was excited. Let it be also known that everything felt so damn real that it almost felt like I was practically on Rokkenjima that day striking down goats with red and blue swords. I am not even kidding. This was the the continuation of the many epic moments in the history of the Umineko series that have been before it. The writing and action was so top-notch that Umineko Twilight was quickly rivaling the better Umineko Episodes and working its way up.
Twilight is practically madness and the better type of madness. The biggest obvious minus to the whole chapter is the of being branded a “mindless anonymous goat” after coming this far. Because my masterpiece is so great you can’t all grasp it. There’s many different sides to this issue and it’s not like the author was 100% wrong either, but how this point was made (some may say inevitably) left sour lasting taste considering it came from the very author. I know this much, make no mistake, I’m positive R07 made some enemies after this and turned some fans away after EP8. After all no one could miss the can of worms that was Umineko Twilight mainly the whole goat-calling section. I’ve been called many things before but a goat ain’t one. Personally, I wasn’t that insulted because I have taken the author’s challenge since day one and played the game according to the story and thus to me:
> Anyone who has seriously tried to solve the author’s mysteries, has been successful at it, and understood the story is no goat.
When all is said and done I think all readers all know how we all fare in Tohya’s elite percentage scale without the author having to say it. The major thing that really got me – and for the life of me I have to mention – was the writer contradicting himself when he laid down the original challenge when he asked readers to solve Umineko’s mystery then in the final chapter tell the readers the opposite. I’ll say this much too, if it were any other author there would be bigger backlash. Trust me on this, there would be.
I would import the latter. Erika’s Return to Umineko – I Want to Believe – No child of man can say that Twilight doesn’t know how to keep the ball rolling when they actually start rolling it. No one can say their heart wasn’t racing when Will and Bronove were fighting hordes of goats after goats. I can’t say the showdown [Erika vs. Battler] didn’t do it for me. See, Battler and Erika’s battles are the best there are in Umineko next to Battler vs. Beatrice old battles. I had come to expect so much from this deadly and classy reunion since EP6 that I couldn’t wait to get this chapter.
Battler taking on Erika. Ange taking on Beato. Whatever had world come down to where good guys were the bad guys and the bad guys were the good guys. Furudo Erika was back and I was ecstatic at how Twilight was properly handling her return to the show. Nothing says Furudo Erika like dishing out theories left and right. Nothing says 1st rate intellectual rapist like mandatory facial distortions. Nothing says cliffhanger like sorry this is where the 1st patch ends. Erika as usual was up to the challenge. I can’t say that the massive DAWN close-up shots and Erika’s “Batttttler Schwannnnn” and everything that followed in this clash weren’t exactly what I always consciously and subconsciously desired. Oh, I wish you wouldn’t know me so well, Ryushiki07.
Of course Erika being back could only mean that there was already a plan to crash Battler’s party and expose the truth. Of course she was there to finish her intellectual duel with Battler and pay him the necessary respects to the host a la proper Umineko way. I loved how Battler got rid of the GM cape because he said it’d get in the way against Erika. I loved how both of them are totally pumped to go at each other’s throats with their mystery battles and their locked rooms. It was like good old times when Battler was just old plain Battler and there was nothing of this got-to-be-GM business. I was growing more excited every time they threw their theories, COUNTERing, at each other like it was some type of lethal dance with swords. What am I saying? That’s exactly what I’m saying. The Erika vs. Battler’s Mystery Showdown was amazing reading material for the books. It may have been subtly mentioned but – Did I possibly forget to mention I was intensely loving the writing in this chapter? Intellectual Umineko battles are a hell of a drug. If such things are wrong I don’t want to ever be right.
I’ve always been wondering what Hachijo does in the human world the other 90% of the time she isn’t with Ange. What does she do? What can she do? Wait, she can do a lot assuming what she does currently affects the present.. I mean, future.. past? We’ve been really getting our time lines screwed up in Twilight. Not really, but it can be confusing when you’re looking at it from different directions. Usually in the When they Cry series the stories feel like time has stopped due the time resets (not actual) so we don’t tend to think about the actual future because it may never come. Still, regardless of the assumption that the characters are stuck in the past, time still “moves” for the rest of the world as it should. That’s one aspect that the story had purposely been ignoring (until EP4) because nothing in the future had affected the main story we’ve been reading. EP8 comes along finally proving that the decisions made in the future matter because they will determine the end of this story when this is all said and done. This is what EP8 Umineko Twilight, the final chapter, is about.
There’s a time for everything and Tohya deciding to finally revealed the “Book of Truth” with the solution to the Rokkenjima tragedy (a diary which used to belong to Eva) was another of Umineko Twilight twists. Think about it, from the theorist’s perspective looking for the truth, it could not have gotten any better than that. The fact that someone was going to reveal the secret once and for all would mean that there will be nothing else in the dark, meaning no magic, meaning no theatergoing hijinks, meaning, meaning not good things for the magic side which totally relies on the cat box mystery. What this meant for the world outside the box and for us readers was learning the “one” truth of the great mystery that we’ve been reading about looking for since forever. As I figured and – what I have been saying all along – that regardless of the outcome it was going to be a Lose-Win, Win-Lose situation in which one be that Magic or Mystery would overshadow the other one – leading to one solution and truth. Of course, I wanted to read that diary.
As a side note it was also fascinating how the “world” around Hachijo functions, this I mention. You see, only characters such as Maria and Ange had been able to constantly interact with the Fantasy side. When Tohya closes the door after she has that interview claiming she was going to reveal the truth the world turns into the world of witches and magic, Bernkastel even showing up. When human Hachijo is alone the world distorts and welcomes the magic side. I’ve seen it happen before but it never got any easier seeing reality interact with fantasy so blatantly. I wondered about what were the readers supposed to think at that point. I gathered many things from this episode at that point. I gathered that Hachijo was deeply psychologically disturbed from a crude realistic point of view. I also gathered that she was probably a real witch messing with the real world from a more supernatural point of view. What I truly gathered was that like most things in the Umineko world the “human Tohya” was an interpretation, a counterpart, of someone else in the real world with neither of them necessarily aware of their existence (though apparently they are aware). The magic part just happened to be there to explain what was happening from the other side of the mirror so we could follow what both sides do. For anyone who wants my real take on it and I’d say I was inclined to buy more into the “both sides of the mirror” approach but according to the full story there are too many details in Umineko that suggest, if not entirely confirms that Hachijo is, in fact, a witch posing as a human.
Yep, that is really messed up. Non, non, I’ll tell you what is right, mon ami : [Battler vs. Erika Showdown], Battler vs. Erika Showdown, Battler vs. Erika Showdown, Battler vs. Erika Showdown.
Ellery Queen’s Calamity Town was too easy. This whole chapter and what followed was simply ensured for maximum sexiness being a theatergoer’s wet dream. It wasn’t the wait! It wasn’t puzzles! It was this writing that killed me! 07thExpansion ought to be on the back cover of their games: “Warning: Organs may explode while reading.”
Battler and Erika were still going at it. The counters, the comebacks, the red and blue truths, the outrageous mystery indulgence, the level of intellectual masturbation in the Battler vs. Erika SHOWDOWN was out of this world. I wished there could be more. Did I ever. It was such a damn shame that the two never fully finished their duel. But I can see why it ended so abruptly. Still, I so wanted to see so much more of this that I would vote for any poll so they would write another extra fan disk episode only about Battler vs. Erika. They are such good rivals, I’d say more than Bern or Beato (who’s no longer a rival since Chiru) because the two can fight on equal grounds.
I mean it when I say that I respected how R07 didn’t make Battler to be the ‘superior player’ just because he’s the main character of the show. I am really not into that. I’m no fan of writers who make their leads be overpowered and who always make the good guy win no matter what. It feels cheap and much of a cop out any of the seven days of the week. That’s why this outrageous showdown was like a real duel between two who were almost evenly match. On that note, I was terribly disappointed that Chiru has been nerfering Beato to hell as if it was a ritual of passage for everyone to beat the Golden Witch. see. Ange. Erika’s apparently been training hard all of this time – in the mountains of the worst Kakera – solving and creating mysteries to destroy Battler. Erika coming back to finish her fight with Battler after he appealed to her detective side was just plain gold. For a moment there I thought Battler got Erika for sure when he figured out her mystery’s trick and supposedly tricked Erika into not leaving once Ange had beat Beato, however, it turned out that Erika had seen through Battler’s trick already. In the end, I think I can say that Twilight showed Erika as the final winner for Battler vs. Erika’ showdown. Mysteries are The Detective’s thing after all.
Twilight positively was – to what I have termed as – “Intellectual fanservice” see. Intellectual Masturbation. Chapters such as this tell us a lot of things. Some really crystal clear and some other rather subtle ones. Battler and Erika’s mystery showdown was much about two things: 1) Two prominent rivals meeting once again for a final duel. 2) the Limits of the mystery genre. Their duel (and tricks) started out as your classic mystery solutions then it got more extreme by the second eventually becoming ridiculous and insanely unorthodox with the solutions still being plausible. In a nutshell, that’s the path that Umineko and its mysteries have taken in more than on one occasion. In a nutshell, that’s pretty much what the Umineko magic battles have been. Umineko and its mysteries: unusual, orthodox, outrageous, and fascinatingly entertaining making readers unable to look away.
Inevitably the whole army of goats overpowering the Umineko magic side was a result that was going to happen anyway. The goats represent the readers and the multiple levels of their reasoning, this is basically what the narration tells you. By that reasoning, there are hundreds of readers (people) who had already found their truth about Rokkenjima mystery and are willing to expose it. Whether this is the truth or not it doesn’t matter as one of those theories can be eventually believed to be a fact simply by general consensus. Just think of all those times when an event or a claim was believed to be true because 99.9% agreed on something. Just think when a case was closed because the police “found all evidence” and there was only one verdict, thus “one truth”. Think about history and those who write it – whoever wins. This is the truth that people will believe years from now.
There might be one “actual truth”, however, “this is only known to those involved.” There is no way for the rest to 100% know this for a fact. Everyone else have to choose whether or not to believe. In some cases, such truths are considered to be [facts] by the dominant group. In my opinion, that’s why Will, Dlanor, Virgilia, and the rest no matter how great they are they cannot win. It meant that no matter how strong a counter is, unless there is an absolute solution (truth) to present as final counter the match will go on. Will, Dlanor and everyone is on the defense side who can only counter. That’s the reason why it is only possible for Battler’s group to only delay the inevitable. They’re fighting against uncovering the truth instead of using the truth as their weapon as one normally would. They’re fighting a whole world who wants to know the truth and who eventually will learn the truth once Tohya reveals the truth thanks to Eva’s diary anyhow. Such incredible feat was impossible.
Lambadelta helping Battler’s group was the surprise in all of this, or maybe it isn’t because Certainty is what it was needed on their side to delay the world uncovering the one truth behind Rokkenjima. Certainty or lack thereof, is what defines what is considered a fact and what isn’t. There’s something remarkably ironic about the most ambiguous character in Umineko, Lion, asking the Witch of Certainty for help. There’s something remarkably ironic about Higurashi’s villain lending a hand in the final chapter of Umineko. But it wouldn’t be Umineko without that type of developments.
There’s an intellectual tea party orgy always going on in my mind.
When you can’t trust the red after you’ve come this far it means that you’ve dug yourself into a hole. Still, I think it was reasonable for Ange to be distrustful of Bern running off with the book of Truth after she would give her the key. This is Bern after all, this is Umineko after all, and situations tend to go wrong. Ange trusting Bern was the only path once she chose to learn the truth instead of listening to Battler. That said, the worst mistake was letting Bernkastel keep the key so she could do whatever she wanted with the book. Really, bad mistake, people.
I hardly imaged I’d see the day where Erika and Ange would meet and on top of that – interact. Why should they anyway I thought, but this turned out to be very very different from expected. I don’t know about character chemistry but this is a comparison worth mentioning, the two being both witches: The sister of Erika’s rival, Erika being the only other non-Ushiromiya human to set foot and was involved in the Rokkenjima tragedy in some stories. According to some of the stories Erika experienced what Ange only read about. The major similarity is that they’re both involved in learning truths. They’re similar in some ways but totally different characters and probably none of them would normally get along.
Ange being called a cheap woman and Ange getting back at Erika with a remark about Erika being off in the head refers to an unspoken agreement we all have that Witches and people prone to become witches aren’t proper people, to learn disgust for your own kind, how to be good at making tea terrible. Please, don’t overthink those words. All self-deprecating humor aside, the “City of Books” section was another disconcerting part of Umineko Twilight. It was so enormous that it could make anyone feel less than an ant when you think about it. There was something really disturbing about knowing that their whole tale – the whole story we’ve been reading – is only one tiny book compared to the thousands of books in the library of the Witch of Theatergoing.
In which I felt the same way Battler did only without the dang part. I mean pirate ships in Umineko? Whose idea was that? Where were all of these details coming from? Common questions arose such as how is this going to play out, what did the ships mean, what did the pirate thing actually mean, and what was Ryukishi07 smoking this time – all expect the last part. In terms of writing Umineko Twilight is well thought out as all the events follow a sequence. In terms of the explaining everything it doesn’t do a great job. There are many sections in Twilight that are metaphors of events and groups, which not everyone might get. Then there are others which seem like they were written to meet the Umineko insanity-o-meter. I am not really complaining. I’m saying that I probably would criticize Umineko Twilight harder if the writing in this chapter wasn’t as exhilarating as it was. In fact, that’s what makes EP8 a strong experience.
It came as no surprise that the last place Battler’s group could escape was to the Golden Land. Same as it came as no surprise that Shannon and Kanon were the ones guarding the entrance to the Golden Land. Similarly, it came as no surprise (if we needed more reassurance that SKanon is cannon material) that Beatrice had to stay behind to close the doors to the Golden Land before going in. I have to admit that it was kind of hilarious how Battler had been pretty much ignoring Shannon all the way throughout Twilight and in the games where he was GM. The truth about Yasu and you-all-know-who-she-is is practically out and still no one gives a damn about Shannon in this Episode, but then again I didn’t either. But Battler and George would probably do as they are her only loyal fans. As shown Umineko Twilight still follows Umineko’s #1 and #2 rule. We do not talk about Yasu.
A couple of other points: 1) In all of this I was fervently waiting for Captain Pirate Erika to show up. 2) Those +6 months waiting for the final patch were insufferable. 3) Rudolf was still a rejected cowboy. 4) For being over-the-top-Seakitties, BB’s team was surprisingly realistic in all of this since after seeing the power of the armada they were up against they knew they were screwed beyond a doubt. What they needed was an actual, good, all-or-nothing plan. The furniture being faithful as ever for not bailing out on such as suicide mission called Operation Save the Golden Land was a nice detail for all they’ve done. I really didn’t think that they’d actually ask a Voyager Witch for help to bail them out. Desperate times called for desperate measure call and they still called for more desperate measures. Having their entire world destroyed by ships of thousands of hungry anonymous goats sounded like it fitted the bill.
Lambda also became the New Kinzo telling everyone to shut up (repeatedly to shut up) and shutting up they all did. I was just glad that Battler admitted that asking Lambda for help before they had tried everything else they could was pushing it too much. I wouldn’t exactly expect a witch to be that eager to jump to the rescue. I wouldn’t expect such development to happen so easily. I did not think that they expected to see Lambadelta get that angry either, but she did, oh she did. You can say that Lambda is sane enough to not want the world of witches and whoever else are friends with Featherine as her enemy. Even for Lambda standards getting needlessly involved in such train wrecks isn’t something she’d do. The way I always pictured Lambda and has been depicted is more of a spectator watching from the side lines, throwing popcorn, and sneering and applauding or the opposite. Nothing in the Theatergoer’s description stipulates that they have to actually jump into action and much less in such dangerous situations.
From here the story continued explaining Lambda’s character. That she’s clever and makes good judgements despite the inherent Voyager insanity. That she’s a key character to the final battle and this is what it has all been leading up to.–
Let me tell you that Umineko Twilight did too well the back-and-forth from the human world to the world of magic becoming the predominant feature that drove the story. What happened in reality (the present) affected the past (the main story what the readers are currently reading). This was the opposite to all the other EPS where the events of the future were very much separated from the past as if the two were entirely different stories unable to affect the other one. Being far from a hardcore Ange fan EP8 can be hit-or-miss. Nevertheless, the way that Ange dies (for the 99th time) was miserable. What was more miserable was that she wouldn’t be able to really die once she learned “the truth”.
It also marked and revealed Eva Beatrice’s “true role” in Umineko, which is the total opposite of how she’s been depicted thus far. Banquet depicted her as nothing more than a horrible murderous power hungry villain while EP4 and EP6 depicts her an exaggerated personification from a person’s POV. Eva Beatrice feeling sorry for Ange’s tragic death finally showed that Eva B cared for Ange (this showed in the most twisted ways in the Question Arcs) and tried everything to keep her happy even if it meant playing the villain and hiding the truth. EVA B ultimately decided to aid Ange (unlike human Eva) to find the truth she sought – this tragically ended in the worst possible way resulting in Ange’s grotesque death after she found the one truth and was unable to accept it – falling to her death. It wasn’t even Ange burgers kind of unfunny tragic way. It was plain miserable dog’s death for an end.
In all of this the breakdown all of events still followed the magic = reality. If a person dies for sure in the magic side then she would die in reality as her human counterpart would. It is therefore believed that Ange’s death is the same (those towering book mountains looking like building weren’t a coincidence) as the theoretical Dead End in EP4. Tragically and outrageously meaning that Ange never made it and died back then she jumped off that skyscraper in EP4, opening the possibility that “everything had been an delusion in her final moments of thousand what if’s”. Ange’s death in Twilights brought the realization that after Ange almost died in EP4 everything is separated into two different worlds – then the latter one branching off into Good vs. Dead Ends : One in which Ange dies, meaning that everything results in nothingness since there is no future and nothing will be revealed when the story is over. The other one being the one in which Ange survives death thanks to a suspicious “miracle” and decides to embark on a quest to learn the truth. In this case what we’ve been reading is basically the one where Bernkastel saved her.
The most disturbing possible revelation in this case is that everything in Umineko happens while Ange is falling (remember that for the magic there’s no time). Imagine that for a second. Once Ange were to learn the truth Bernkastel would wake her up from her short dream and she would continue to fall to her death from a skyscraper into nothingness – same as the way she dies in this chapter. Despite the adrenaline rush in this chapter Ange’s final moments bring back to the darker side of Umineko and the beginning of the end. What is the truth? and is it worth dying over it? That is up to you.
For all it’s worth, the writing deserved recognition. Ryukihshi07 made sure that all the events would match perfectly, even Ange’s multiple scenarios of Good and Dead Ends were immensely thought out so they would lead to the same result no matter what direction the story end. There was no way to know for sure what really happened until the final moments of the story.
Final Thoughts
My favorite chapter of Twilight only rivaled by the actual finale. The story emphasizes the end the Rokkenjima’s mystery with all the magic side being erased from existence by thousands of starved to death goats of all calibers who want to learn the truth. The goats indubitably represented all the different types of Umineko readers from casuals, the average, to the well seasoned veterans, even then branching off into other tiers. One major common minus of this chapter shared by most readers is the blatant name-calling of the readers regarding Umineko’s big mystery.
After reading and spending time theorizing Umineko’s mystery, it’s not like I don’t understand where Ryukishi07 is coming from with his messages. There’s a difference between readers who read for the story and pure entertainment and readers who read to solve the mystery in addition to the story and characters. He had already expressed his opinions about the fandom, what he meant to create with his mystery, and the many possible ways that his work could be interpreted. Or misinterpreted via Tohya. Though these “opinions” may be exaggerated to drive the point to the highest possible way, part of the intent remains – “Umineko is not a work that everyone will understand even coming this far”. The tone in which the author’s message is conveyed, in the final game, would leave more than one readers offended. This is a reminder once again that Umineko, due to its nature, does get away with innumerable number of things I doubt any other franchise could. If such statements were from any other writer other than Ryukishi07 my reaction would’ve been immensely more negative.
In my opinion – as with every thing else in here – the writing when it comes to thrilling moments and action have gotten potentially more exciting and sizzling than ever was. I’d say that after writing for EP3, EP5 Ryukishi07 has mastered the art of enticing and thrilling writing. Every second was heart-pumping and an ecstasy inducing trip. The highest note of the chapter was the return of the intellectual, mystery-loving, chopstick-wielder, Furudo Erika coming back to have a final showdown with Battler and the madness of their final mystery showdown. This is exactly what I wanted to read. I believe this was also what many wanted to read. On the final positive note of this whole chapter, R07 gave me what I expected from the final game. I was far from disappointed – I was satisfied.
「 Just as Planned 」 
