Oooh, the topic is back!
I have to say I disagree with you on this one, Aspirety. I actually think Umineko would make an amazing animation work, even with some details (such as those you mentioned) needing a bit more liberty to be adapted. Hell, I was pretty much imagining in my mind how well it could be animated while reading the whole thing.
Itās just that Deen and particular screwed up. I donāt think the anime was outright bad, far from it, but it undeniably failed to convey the actual āspiritā of the VN, so to speak. Also, a bit rushed for its own good.
If ufotable did a similar treatment to what they did to Kara no Kyoukai, for example, Iām pretty sure it would turn out great. And hey, why not dream, right? They already managed to snatch Fate/Stay Nightās animation rights from Deen anyway.
Iāve always thought that Umineko would much better suit a movie series format than a TV series one. A movie per episode would be fantastic.
Yeah, I canāt imagine liking Umineko nearly as much if it wasnāt released in a serial format (I joined once EP5 came out). I usually tell people to wait a week or so after completing EP2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 so they get at least some of the experience
I really liked the journey of talking with people on AnimeSuki between releases. Compared to Higurashi where I really liked reading it in one go.
I think the movie idea would be great!! Too bad the anime already ruined half of it
Hey, sounds like you had a very similar experience to me! I joined around when EP5 was released too, and really got into the Animesuki discussion around EP6.
Well I just started rereading this novel. In hindsight, I canāt even really say Iāve finished reading it yet. Going through it all over once more suddenly feels like itās a part of reading Umineko in the first place ^^
Still using the old sprites and voiceless version. I donāt think I could get used to the change.
yeah I could never get used to the update patch, the original sprites are charming and expressive
and while the character voices are AMAZING, the music is even more amazing and the overlay messes with the epic scenes
EDIT: Also, the beginning of EP2 makes me want to cry now
I actually always opt to read a VN without voices most of the time. I think it kinda helps in the ābook-likeā mood. Also, even though I still consume a lot of japanese geek culture, Iām getting kinda tired of Japanese voice-acting. Most of the female and infant characters kinda sound the same (very high-pitched), and a lot of times the acting can be over-dramatic and corny as hell. I just couldnāt really enjoy Remember11, for an example, with the voices. So I donāt really care if they added voice acting to the ps3 version and subsequent pc patch, since Iāll never really use it.
One thing I canāt help but disagree is with the visual update. It just looks MUCH better to me, hands down. The original sprites were expressive, but I still think they were pretty bad no matter how you looked at it. Sure, after a short while you do get used to it as you get invested in the story, and the fact that the soundtrack is just phenomenal also helped me overlook the visuasl. But the PS3 visuals? Damn, I think the art looks just awesome.
Also, actual event CGs are a very nice plus.
So I just wrote this up in an attempt to establish a basis for people to create their own Umineko Gameboards to challenge others with. Iām interested to hear peopleās thoughts.
Iād really love to create a game of my own sometime in the future.
The manga definitely confirmed Yasu=Shannon=Kanon and the Yasu birth sex as a male.
A friend and I established a working system for creating Umineko gameboards, and we used them to roleplay against each other. (Basically exactly what you said.) The model we used is ālogic game 1v1 with assistant roles.ā
Sadly due to his inactivity we couldnāt finish, but I think the framework is pretty solid. (We made this around EP6 or EP7 release IIRC)
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/series-related-miscellaneous-role-play/umineko-no-naku-koro-ni-episode-a/t.66370011/ is the game he made. This one is legit Umineko-tier. He got me big time. (He eventually told me the solution and I wanted to beat the shit out of him)
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/series-related-miscellaneous-role-play/umineko-no-naku-koro-ni-episode-b/t.70447329/ is the game I made. He got pretty close, but he didnāt have enough love 8)
(In particular, the EPA rules work pretty well, but you might want to mold them based on your vision.)
Basically there are 4 roles: The Detective, the Witch, the Impartial Judge, and the Watson. The detective and the witch basically play in Umineko fashion, pretty easy. The Watson is there to act as an assistant to the detective. The Impartial Judge receives a copy of the Witchās solution is and there to make sure the Witch doesnāt violate any reds. (The solution is allowed to contain contingencies, a la EP6.)
The Witch controls all the non-detective pieces and molds the story. The Detective controls both the Game-Piece Detective and the Meta-Detective and is allowed to ask questions, but the Witch ultimately forces the events on the gameboard. (No bullshit duct-taping doors basically.)
Also, I would love to play if you ever host a game
I love the idea of including assistants and judges. I think thatās something I neglected to suggest in my post.
The idea that only two people are needed to make the game work is pretty naive, especially with all the variables floating around. At the very least, you need a judge or judges to make sure the gameboard is solid, and call the GM up on any violations. Without it, the game could end up a disaster.
Strictly speaking you could operate on a trust system within the game and keep it 1v1, I donāt think the GM would try to cheat, considering how easy it would be to call them out at the conclusion of the game. But it takes the stress off him a little to know that there are people whose job it is to make sure he doesnāt screw up.
At the very least the GM would want to confer with somebody about his own scenario for proofreading purposes.
EDIT: I mention the first part because I was worried when I was playing that the ājudgeā role might be unfulfillingā¦ they pretty much sit and watch the 2 main characters, and occasionally troll if they want to. But most of the action happens between 2 people in this model.
One thing we considered was having a separate HIDDEN āTea Partyā subforum where any non-detective characters could discuss the game while itās happening. So you could laugh at the incompetent detective while he screws up
My Umineko experience began with the anime, after a friend of mine sent me a link to the opening theme. (Katayoku no Tori is still one of the best opening songs I know.)
I got hooked pretty fast since I like mystery stories. I read some books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Cristie back in the days. But after the first arc was over, Umineko got magicalā¦ and very confusing. My greatest āwtfā moment was the entrance of bunny girls who could fire beams by holding hands.
Even though Umineko remained in my memory as an unfinished confusing mindfuck anime, I never forgot its good parts. So when I found out that the original is a VN, I knew Iād read it one day, which is exactly what I did a few months ago.
I canāt say I enjoyed all of it. The first four episodes were more of a chore than anything since I already knew what would happen. On the other hand, that knowledge granted me a different viewpoint on the events and a slightly more advantageous starting point to close in on the mysteries.
I actually pretty much marathoned the VN. I didnāt make breaks in-between the episodes. Instead, I made txt files where I wrote down everything that seemed important or suspicious to me, as well as some of my own theories. (I still have those files on my pc.) And I used those notes to ponder about the mysteries while reading. It worked pretty well for me.
Iām not sure what to say about Umineko overall. The concept was amazing. The voicing and OST were among the best Iāve ever heard. The mysteries were really good and there were enough of them to keep you more or less interested all the time.
What rubbed me the wrong way, though, was the length. 8 Episodes were a bit too much. 6 would have been sufficient with better text management. There was just too much text, many passages were repetetive or even downright pointless. So were certain characters, like the two demons of love farce (I give you a trial of love and grant you immortality). Some of the āfunnyā passages I didnāt find funny at all, they merely broke immersion. I think Ryuukishi needs to work on his comedy placement, because letting things take a ridiculous turn during a life-and-death situation (and then switch back whenever) just ruins everything. Iām referring to the āloser flag countā inā¦ I think it was ep4.
I love philosophy, so I can confidently say I learned some interesting stuff by reading Umineko. Trying to solve the mysteries was fun. I felt a sense of accomplishment whenever I guessed something right, but I sometimes got overwhelmed by the amount of confusion thrown at the reader. Overall, it was certainly a good read.
Strangely, I thought the Krauss fight was one of the most awesome ones in the series, I might just be weird though
Read the manga for EP8, itās waaaaaaaay better and leaves a better taste in your mouth
Has the manga finished in Japan yet?
Iām about to start reading this VN since I saw how much @Aspirety seemed to love it in another thread.
From what Ive gathered, we have a pretty similar tastes, and Iāve been meaning to check out Umineko since a lot of people say this VN is pretty great. (That and Iām looking to find an interest in this franchise since I didnāt really like Higurashi anime all too much, and the author of both wrote Luciaās route [Rewrite] if I remember correctly)
Speaking of game boards, thereās actually a subreddit that does something similar. Not exactly a game board, but /r/murdermysterygames has a narrative, followed by Blue/Red truth duels. Though itās definitely not fast paced lol. And itās inactive.
Itād be awesome to have a live-action game. It would take time to set up and a lot of interest. The GM would have to be really crafty to predict and make sure the pieces donāt go crazy and ruin everything lol. Still, Iād love to see that someday. Just need players.
Iād love a game thatās like (Umi 8 spoilers:) the part where Bern/Ryukishi challenges the reader to a game, where you get a story, a set of rules, and a list of statements, and then have to figure everything out, I had so much fun with that that I wanted more
Going all out with the shameless plugs!
In other news. Glad I started this novel, addicted already.