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Umineko When They Cry (Manga English Numbering ) #1
Umineko WHEN THEY CRY Episode 1: Legend of the Golden Witch, Vol. 1
Each year, the Ushiromiya family gathers at the secluded mansion of its patriarch, the elderly Kinzo. It has been six years since Battler joined his cousins at the annual event, but their happy reunion is overshadowed by worsening weather and an eerie premonition from his youngest cousin-not to mention their parents' feud over the inheritance. Battler doesn't hold much stock in dark omens, nor does he believe the tales of the witch rumored to have given his grandfather a fortune in gold...and who walks the halls of the mansion to this day... But when the eighteen family members and servants are trapped on the island by the raging typhoon, the grisly events that follow leave Battler shaken to his core. Is one of his relatives desperate enough to kill for the family fortune? Or is this the work of the Golden Witch?
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2008
37 people are currently reading
803 people want to read
About the author
Ryukishi07
299 books320 followersRyukishi07 (竜騎士07, Ryūkishi Zero Nana?, born November 19, 1973) is the pen name of a Japanese man originally from Chiba Prefecture who is well-known as the original creator for the idea of the visual novel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Umineko no Naku Koro ni. He is the representative member of the group 07th Expansion. His pen name originated from the Final Fantasy series, "Ryūkishi" being the Japanese term for "Dragoon", and "07" goroawase for the name "Lenna". His illustration style is recognizable from the large hands he draws on people.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 18, 2020
Fuck goodreads. Add the real visual novel you coward fucks.
dnf
September 21, 2019DNF on page 51
This failed for me on two fronts.
1. The manga formatting.
This is all on me. This was my first physical manga read, and I thought it was just "read it backward. But no, you have to sort of read the panels backward too. I didn't understand this well, and I found it becoming a genuine struggle to read. But this is on me, not the book. I just need to improve my manga reading. However...
2. The creepy protagonist
This is what really sank the book for me. I was almost willing to ignore when the MC joking grabs his cousin's breasts and jokes about touching his younger cousin's breasts when she's old enough, but when he did the same thing to the maid, I couldn't read anymore. This should be the behavior of a dislikable side character who gets killed off early on, not the MC.
I'll try manga again in the future, but not this one. Sorry.
This failed for me on two fronts.
1. The manga formatting.
This is all on me. This was my first physical manga read, and I thought it was just "read it backward. But no, you have to sort of read the panels backward too. I didn't understand this well, and I found it becoming a genuine struggle to read. But this is on me, not the book. I just need to improve my manga reading. However...
2. The creepy protagonist
This is what really sank the book for me. I was almost willing to ignore when the MC joking grabs his cousin's breasts and jokes about touching his younger cousin's breasts when she's old enough, but when he did the same thing to the maid, I couldn't read anymore. This should be the behavior of a dislikable side character who gets killed off early on, not the MC.
I'll try manga again in the future, but not this one. Sorry.
April 5, 2014
Yen Press was correct to release the manga version of Umineko no Naku Koro ni (aka Umineko When They Cry) in massive 500 plus page omnibus formats. It's a series best read in bulk, because the building suspense and nerve-wracking drama will have readers flipping through the pages at supernatural speeds to see what happens next. As the first half of the Legend of the Golden Witch arc opens, the stage is being set for even more chaos and blood in this supernatural game of cat and mouse.
You can read my complete review of the first UMINEKO WHEN THEY CRY omnibus here at my blog.
You can read my complete review of the first UMINEKO WHEN THEY CRY omnibus here at my blog.
January 19, 2023
this shit is better than dang and ronpa😭❤️🔥
December 20, 2025
This is the adaption of the visual novel game with the same name. This is a supernatural mystery horror.
Trigger warnings: Abuse: child and emotional, violence, profanities, murder, gore, and sexual harassment.
Once a year, the Ushiromiya family gathers on a secluded island. Including the servants, there are 18 people on the island, and the patriarch Kinzo dabbles in the occult.
A portrait of a witch hangs in the grand entrance with a creepy epitaph. The siblings squabble over the inheritance while the children distance themselves from the adults.
The first night delivers a murder of six of the 18 people and rumours about the witch spreads, who committed this monstrous act?
Was it one of the remaining 12, or was it the work of the golden witch?
This really turns on the mystery factor. The murders are graphic and make you question everyone's intentions with every conversation and the turning of the chessboard.
What happens when beliefs outweigh all logic? And where did Kinzo disappear to?
Second time reading this series, and it will always be one of my favourite mangas.
Trigger warnings: Abuse: child and emotional, violence, profanities, murder, gore, and sexual harassment.
Once a year, the Ushiromiya family gathers on a secluded island. Including the servants, there are 18 people on the island, and the patriarch Kinzo dabbles in the occult.
A portrait of a witch hangs in the grand entrance with a creepy epitaph. The siblings squabble over the inheritance while the children distance themselves from the adults.
The first night delivers a murder of six of the 18 people and rumours about the witch spreads, who committed this monstrous act?
Was it one of the remaining 12, or was it the work of the golden witch?
This really turns on the mystery factor. The murders are graphic and make you question everyone's intentions with every conversation and the turning of the chessboard.
What happens when beliefs outweigh all logic? And where did Kinzo disappear to?
Second time reading this series, and it will always be one of my favourite mangas.
April 13, 2020
Umineko is a murder/mystery that I’ve been wanting to read since I watched the anime adaptation, like 10 years ago. And despite the fact that these volumes are +500 pages big, I devoured it completely.
In this first arc we get introduced to 18 characters that are inside the mansion, placed in the Rokkenjima island: The Ushiromiya family, plus the people at service. They’re all gathered after six years because, apparently, the head master of the family has little time before he passes away.
But the thing is that Ushiromiya Kenzo has always been drawn to supernatural things and occultism. Even his employees believe that the island is really owned by the Golden Witch called Beatrice, instead of him: there is a rumor that the fortune Kenzo made was all thanks to Beatrice.
So, we have all these 18 people inside an island and who can’t get out because there’s a typhoon outside. There is no communication to the outer world and on top of that, after the first night, 6 people are brutally murdered.
Who is the responsible? Battler, our protagonist (and one of the cousins) will have to search for the clues that were left behind, since he doesn’t want to believe the witch Beatrice was responsible for this so called 'sacrifice'.
Now, I must admit that the art style is not really my favorite, but the story is one of those that I haven’t forgotten in over 10 years (for me that’s a lot to say). It has some minor issues (like the non-existent anatomy proportions and Battler being a pervert), of course, but aside from that the story is quite something. I would totally recommend you to read this manga, but be aware that this should be read by a mature audience (it has explicit content of the murders).
In this first arc we get introduced to 18 characters that are inside the mansion, placed in the Rokkenjima island: The Ushiromiya family, plus the people at service. They’re all gathered after six years because, apparently, the head master of the family has little time before he passes away.
But the thing is that Ushiromiya Kenzo has always been drawn to supernatural things and occultism. Even his employees believe that the island is really owned by the Golden Witch called Beatrice, instead of him: there is a rumor that the fortune Kenzo made was all thanks to Beatrice.
So, we have all these 18 people inside an island and who can’t get out because there’s a typhoon outside. There is no communication to the outer world and on top of that, after the first night, 6 people are brutally murdered.
Who is the responsible? Battler, our protagonist (and one of the cousins) will have to search for the clues that were left behind, since he doesn’t want to believe the witch Beatrice was responsible for this so called 'sacrifice'.
Now, I must admit that the art style is not really my favorite, but the story is one of those that I haven’t forgotten in over 10 years (for me that’s a lot to say). It has some minor issues (like the non-existent anatomy proportions and Battler being a pervert), of course, but aside from that the story is quite something. I would totally recommend you to read this manga, but be aware that this should be read by a mature audience (it has explicit content of the murders).
August 2, 2014
There's a lot of things I didn't care for in this manga, but the basic premise and the focus of the story (once you get past all the sexist and disgusting comments by Battler) makes for an interesting murder mystery with elements of the paranormal. I doubt I'll continue the series, but who knows?
February 8, 2024
➺
4.5/5 🌟
This is unexpectedly so good! The mystery is very engaging and the art is incredible! Still have no idea who Beatrice is and if she's really the murderer, if she's really a witch and not a human or if she's even real or her identity is just a cover-up used by the real murderer who's hiding among them. The mystery is really gripping.
Also, the art is absolutely incredible! There's also some unexpected gore, which was very graphic and eerily stunning.
This is unexpectedly so good! The mystery is very engaging and the art is incredible! Still have no idea who Beatrice is and if she's really the murderer, if she's really a witch and not a human or if she's even real or her identity is just a cover-up used by the real murderer who's hiding among them. The mystery is really gripping.
Also, the art is absolutely incredible! There's also some unexpected gore, which was very graphic and eerily stunning.
April 9, 2025
This is my review for the Questions Arc Visual Novel. I have not read the manga. I will not be reading it.
Ryukishi needs an editor so so so bad but this is so so so good. Using murder mystery as the conduit to tell a story about love and how truth is, at the end of the day, only as real as how the recipient interprets it is classic. Murder mysteries create - in the words of Umineko - a Schrodinger’s Catbox where everyone is guilty and innocent, and Umineko uses the additional uncertainty of magic to tell a really gripping story about how belief and love are the most human emotions and sentiments that one can feel. It’s a beautiful, compelling story.
But seriously, man, you need a fucking editor. It’s so dense, and there are times when the narrative really wants to hammer home if you get a point. It *can* be subtle but many times scenes go on for excruciatingly long just because the characters go into extreme depth explaining things the reader either intuited or already knows, or really wants us to understand the character’s headspace.
3 > 2 > 1 > 4
Ryukishi needs an editor so so so bad but this is so so so good. Using murder mystery as the conduit to tell a story about love and how truth is, at the end of the day, only as real as how the recipient interprets it is classic. Murder mysteries create - in the words of Umineko - a Schrodinger’s Catbox where everyone is guilty and innocent, and Umineko uses the additional uncertainty of magic to tell a really gripping story about how belief and love are the most human emotions and sentiments that one can feel. It’s a beautiful, compelling story.
But seriously, man, you need a fucking editor. It’s so dense, and there are times when the narrative really wants to hammer home if you get a point. It *can* be subtle but many times scenes go on for excruciatingly long just because the characters go into extreme depth explaining things the reader either intuited or already knows, or really wants us to understand the character’s headspace.
3 > 2 > 1 > 4
February 27, 2016
The artwork for the manga was... weird. Something was off about it for most of the book, and there were just some panels that looked absolutely bizarre. Batler, especially, had a bit of what I'm going to now call "elasto-face." You know, when faces stretch in weird ways or the jaw seems to be going in a different direction in a way it didn't before?
So far, the story was pretty good. I knew what to expect, having seen the anime a while back, and that kind of killed some of the "shock value" of the initial "grisly events" mentioned in the description (if you've ever seen anything with Higurashi When They Cry, you have an idea what these are).
I feel like this would have made a better mystery light novel series than a manga, but that's just me.
So far, the story was pretty good. I knew what to expect, having seen the anime a while back, and that kind of killed some of the "shock value" of the initial "grisly events" mentioned in the description (if you've ever seen anything with Higurashi When They Cry, you have an idea what these are).
I feel like this would have made a better mystery light novel series than a manga, but that's just me.
May 5, 2020
When I first watched this anime I couldn’t help but think that Higurashi was better. But we’re here to talk about Umineko, one of the longest visual novels ever made; and, in my opinion, one of the most interesting ones out there.
A là And then there were none, this story follows a bunch of characters (18 of them) heading to the Rokkenjima island, which will soon be closed because of bad weather. They’re the extremely wealthy Ushiromiya family, and our main protagonist is Battler, an 18-year-old guy who is seeing all his relatives after six years.
Anyways, they’re reunited cuz the head of the family is old and is gonna die soon, right? So they wanna know where the gold is and how much they will receive. BUUUUT the old man made a pact with a witch called Beatrice and now she’s gonna have her gold back and also everything else, which includes human lifes of course. A là When they cry franchise.
"Oh no", our rich and soon-to-be-dead people think, although there’s a condition: if anyone solves the witch’s riddle everything’s gonna be ok and no one will really die :)
So, magic is real? Maybe no. Who knows?? These people think "well, well, maybe there’s an outsider?? That should be! Let’s find that scammer soon so we can leave as soon as the storm calms".
This manga has a lot of boobs-related jokes that weren’t never my jam, but they’re there so I roll my eyes every time I see any of them.
Maria creeps me out, like… can you imagine one of your cousins going crazy from time to time? And then they act like nothing happened?
A là And then there were none, this story follows a bunch of characters (18 of them) heading to the Rokkenjima island, which will soon be closed because of bad weather. They’re the extremely wealthy Ushiromiya family, and our main protagonist is Battler, an 18-year-old guy who is seeing all his relatives after six years.
Anyways, they’re reunited cuz the head of the family is old and is gonna die soon, right? So they wanna know where the gold is and how much they will receive. BUUUUT the old man made a pact with a witch called Beatrice and now she’s gonna have her gold back and also everything else, which includes human lifes of course. A là When they cry franchise.
"Oh no", our rich and soon-to-be-dead people think, although there’s a condition: if anyone solves the witch’s riddle everything’s gonna be ok and no one will really die :)
So, magic is real? Maybe no. Who knows?? These people think "well, well, maybe there’s an outsider?? That should be! Let’s find that scammer soon so we can leave as soon as the storm calms".
This manga has a lot of boobs-related jokes that weren’t never my jam, but they’re there so I roll my eyes every time I see any of them.
Maria creeps me out, like… can you imagine one of your cousins going crazy from time to time? And then they act like nothing happened?
January 6, 2023
i said ren could pick what i read next and he picked the series "umineko when they cry" and i'm starting now and i am incredibly intrigued!! it's an interesting mystery with compelling characters, cool art, and a lot of promise. i'm looking forward to seeing how all this potential plays out through the story. also what makes this great is knowing how much ren loves it and getting to discuss it with him as i go. i am having a great experience so far!! good start imo!!!!
June 4, 2022
Más que nada es la introducción a la historia, pero aún así tremendos asesinatos los que aparecen.
Vi el anime hace tiempo y se que María no es mala (creo), pero que sospechosa se ve.
Vi el anime hace tiempo y se que María no es mala (creo), pero que sospechosa se ve.
January 21, 2025
✨Writing a grouped review for the entirety of the manga and copy/pasting. I started reading this 6 months ago at the time of writing and read over a few months and don't remember specifics about every single volume except what I rated them ✨
Umineko has an intriguing premise and good execution which does a lot right. The author manages to create such eerie and scary atmospheres and have the reader on edge wondering what is going to happen next. I particularly enjoyed a lot of the locked room scenarios and discussions and explanations.
Where this manga fails is it's extreme repetitiveness. It wears down on the reader very quickly. As a result I'm not sure this is a manga I would recommend to many people.
I will eventually watch the anime, whilst a short run this may be something I'd be inclined to recommend more as the premise itself is well done.
Umineko has an intriguing premise and good execution which does a lot right. The author manages to create such eerie and scary atmospheres and have the reader on edge wondering what is going to happen next. I particularly enjoyed a lot of the locked room scenarios and discussions and explanations.
Where this manga fails is it's extreme repetitiveness. It wears down on the reader very quickly. As a result I'm not sure this is a manga I would recommend to many people.
I will eventually watch the anime, whilst a short run this may be something I'd be inclined to recommend more as the premise itself is well done.
April 1, 2019
Twenty years ago, I never would have imagined reading a story that is intricate, mysterious, and fantastic as a visual novel. This story was very interesting, and kept me guessing throughout the entire episode. What starts as a traditional Japanese family conference, soon escalates into something sinister, dangerous, grotesque, and mysterious. Marrying mystery with fantasy, it has its chilling moments along with its mystery. I would strongly suggest checking out this story, whether in book form, or visual novel. For those who believe that a story can only be told through a book, it is proof that the story is what makes us follow along and want more...not the medium with which it is told.
February 5, 2016
LO AMÉ!!
Una mezcla de romance, suspenso, gótico, psicológico, dramático, etc. Lo tiene todo y por eso es genial!
PD. La que leí es una novela gráfica, se instala por laptop y mientras transcurren las historias, te transportas en su mundo con música de fondo, muy bueno!
Una mezcla de romance, suspenso, gótico, psicológico, dramático, etc. Lo tiene todo y por eso es genial!
PD. La que leí es una novela gráfica, se instala por laptop y mientras transcurren las historias, te transportas en su mundo con música de fondo, muy bueno!
July 26, 2019
La combinación perfecta entre Agatha Christie, chicas mágicas, bucles temporales, dramones góticos y fantasmas del pasado.
Read
May 7, 2020magic is not real
Also just putting the first volume of each of these manga adaptations which I did not actually read in place of the proper visual novel, since my weeb vns are still reading too.
Also just putting the first volume of each of these manga adaptations which I did not actually read in place of the proper visual novel, since my weeb vns are still reading too.
November 13, 2024
Looked island murder mystery mixed with the occult. Always fun.
March 29, 2024
Lo que me he leído ha sido la novela visual, pero lo marco aquí así.
Em... leedlo, no tengo más que decir.
Em... leedlo, no tengo más que decir.
March 21, 2025
So I give this book a 4.5/5 stars; this book is so fucking good. A little bit of background. this manga series was originally a Visual novel (a type of video game that consists primarily of reading text with some art and music to enhance the experience.) I have already read a good chunk of the visual novel (specifically, I got about halfway through episode 3 and then had to take a break for college). Even though I have not finished the visual novel, I became utterly obsessed with the story (and seriously, if you like murder mysteries, holy shit, is this one of the greatest). I was able to buy every volume of the manga (a manga that is now out of print, so it took me quite a while to find them all,) but since it had been so long since I had read the series and the VN was quite long I decided to use read the copies of the manga as a bit of a refresher before I continue on my VN journey. I also didn't take notes the first time, so I will actively work to solve the mystery and even have a few theories on the culprit. Overall, I am enjoying my experience and want to talk about it.
First, this manga is terrific; seeing iconic moments drawn in absolutely stunning art is incredible, and its quick pace allows me to get through the stuff I already read in a way that does not conflict with my busy college schedule. If I had a few complaints, it would be these.
1) the main one is that as a man with visual processing issues,s manga has always been brutal for me to process what is happening and where I look, thankfully I have found a way to get through it with this story because it's just so damn good that I had to.
2) Battler in the early parts. I know I'm pretty standard anime-blushed, but it's still good to let people who may read this book know that there are some "jokes" about Butler being a perv. Honestly, if you can get through the early parts of the book, this becomes less common as the story goes on, and he is an excellent MC besides that.
3) the truncated story loses some of the emotional moments. I admit this could be because I had already read the Visual novel and knew it was coming. Still, for example, when the first murders started happening, they weren't as emotionally impactful as in the VN, likely due to their shortened word count.
4) no music. This one is less serious, but for real, most of Umineko fucking slaps, and I am sad there is no way to adapt it into this medium.
Final thoughts: If you like Agatha Christie or any murder mystery in which part of the enjoyment is figuring out who the killer is, this might be one of the greatest mystery novels and one of the most significant pieces of fiction ever written. (I also recommend taking notes and trying to solve the mystery yourself; it's a lot of fun.)
I hope I have convinced you to try it. The manga is fantastic, and the VN is even better if you believe it. I will be happy if I have convinced at least one person to try this transcendent series.
manga rating 4.5/5
VN rating: 4.9/5 (It starts a bit slow, but when it picks u, dear God, od, does it like. It seems like each episode improves upon the last one, so I can only imagine what the later episodes are like.)
First, this manga is terrific; seeing iconic moments drawn in absolutely stunning art is incredible, and its quick pace allows me to get through the stuff I already read in a way that does not conflict with my busy college schedule. If I had a few complaints, it would be these.
1) the main one is that as a man with visual processing issues,s manga has always been brutal for me to process what is happening and where I look, thankfully I have found a way to get through it with this story because it's just so damn good that I had to.
2) Battler in the early parts. I know I'm pretty standard anime-blushed, but it's still good to let people who may read this book know that there are some "jokes" about Butler being a perv. Honestly, if you can get through the early parts of the book, this becomes less common as the story goes on, and he is an excellent MC besides that.
3) the truncated story loses some of the emotional moments. I admit this could be because I had already read the Visual novel and knew it was coming. Still, for example, when the first murders started happening, they weren't as emotionally impactful as in the VN, likely due to their shortened word count.
4) no music. This one is less serious, but for real, most of Umineko fucking slaps, and I am sad there is no way to adapt it into this medium.
Final thoughts: If you like Agatha Christie or any murder mystery in which part of the enjoyment is figuring out who the killer is, this might be one of the greatest mystery novels and one of the most significant pieces of fiction ever written. (I also recommend taking notes and trying to solve the mystery yourself; it's a lot of fun.)
I hope I have convinced you to try it. The manga is fantastic, and the VN is even better if you believe it. I will be happy if I have convinced at least one person to try this transcendent series.
manga rating 4.5/5
VN rating: 4.9/5 (It starts a bit slow, but when it picks u, dear God, od, does it like. It seems like each episode improves upon the last one, so I can only imagine what the later episodes are like.)
January 24, 2019
So, I feel like I just completed a climb up a mountain. Ya'll should see the colossal stack I've made out of the first 12 volumes of this. Before I committed to reading this series (I already owned the first two volumes and have for several years), I had no idea how long it was. Whoof. Well, I made it through the first volume, so that's the first great hurdle--and I'll admit it might have been a bit more of a slough than it would've been since I'm already a bit familiar with the series, so I felt like I was rehashing events just waiting for things to really heat up.
Kind of an unfair reason to give it three stars, so let me get into it a bit more. I had two major problems with the writing, and I remember these being problems for me when I saw the series as well (and I know, series doesn't count, etc): Battler's misogynistic attitude toward the underage women around him--I mean, basically all of them, but especially the children?--and Maria's...well, just her. I hate to say it, because creepy children are usually my favorite horror device, but the way she switches from innocent to unsettling is handled so poorly that she just reads as poorly inserted exposition machine and cheap scare tactic. Then there's just in general how grating her presence is when she's not being spooky--usually just adding opportunities for Battler to make inappropriate comments.
Seriously, I could've taken a shot every time he talked about tits and I'd have been plastered before the end of this volume--really doesn't bode well. I'm hoping that they pull away from that "humor" before too long, because it really takes me out of a story that I would otherwise enjoy much more.
Still, for anyone who's a fan of the When They Cry series as a whole or into horror and murder mysteries, this'll definitely be up your alley--just prepare for a long, long read. And a wild one, at that. I'm gonna truck along and hope that my three star rating gradually increases.
Kind of an unfair reason to give it three stars, so let me get into it a bit more. I had two major problems with the writing, and I remember these being problems for me when I saw the series as well (and I know, series doesn't count, etc): Battler's misogynistic attitude toward the underage women around him--I mean, basically all of them, but especially the children?--and Maria's...well, just her. I hate to say it, because creepy children are usually my favorite horror device, but the way she switches from innocent to unsettling is handled so poorly that she just reads as poorly inserted exposition machine and cheap scare tactic. Then there's just in general how grating her presence is when she's not being spooky--usually just adding opportunities for Battler to make inappropriate comments.
Seriously, I could've taken a shot every time he talked about tits and I'd have been plastered before the end of this volume--really doesn't bode well. I'm hoping that they pull away from that "humor" before too long, because it really takes me out of a story that I would otherwise enjoy much more.
Still, for anyone who's a fan of the When They Cry series as a whole or into horror and murder mysteries, this'll definitely be up your alley--just prepare for a long, long read. And a wild one, at that. I'm gonna truck along and hope that my three star rating gradually increases.
May 18, 2024
"Sleep peacefully, my beloved witch, Beatrice".
After years of strange troubles, I finished the visual novel 'When Seagulls Cry.'
What I liked about ('When Seagulls Cry') is that each witch is essentially in a fight against each other as authors, yet in service to one another for the sake of the plot, the story, and the uncontainable boredom.
The boredom is confined within the boundaries of the story, characters, an island, and several pieces of information upon which the mystery is built. In each episode, their tales unfold, reflecting a part or a shard of their universe and their selves, in the form of massacres and unraveling puzzles filled with gore, depravity, and stunning artistic touches.
Ryukishi actually whether it's intentionally or unintentionally competes not only against himself, but against all of us. much like how the witches compete among themselves. Each witch tries to create the desired world, whether through miracles, certainty, truth, or through endless possibilities, all observed and preserved in a greater place.
Trying with all his might to surpass them with a greater story to add to the great library. He persists against all the certain, truthful, endless possibilities in search of a miracle that is meant to be his destined opponent. Attempting amidst the rebellious, mature, beautiful, refine, carnage of all the non-human entities to write a story that does not stray from its human identity and essence. However, because certainty and miracles exist in the world, his story -of which i was a spectator- is unaffected by the passage of time; it remains eternal, forever remembered, and enduringly narrated to us, the audience.
After years of strange troubles, I finished the visual novel 'When Seagulls Cry.'
What I liked about ('When Seagulls Cry') is that each witch is essentially in a fight against each other as authors, yet in service to one another for the sake of the plot, the story, and the uncontainable boredom.
The boredom is confined within the boundaries of the story, characters, an island, and several pieces of information upon which the mystery is built. In each episode, their tales unfold, reflecting a part or a shard of their universe and their selves, in the form of massacres and unraveling puzzles filled with gore, depravity, and stunning artistic touches.
Ryukishi actually whether it's intentionally or unintentionally competes not only against himself, but against all of us. much like how the witches compete among themselves. Each witch tries to create the desired world, whether through miracles, certainty, truth, or through endless possibilities, all observed and preserved in a greater place.
Trying with all his might to surpass them with a greater story to add to the great library. He persists against all the certain, truthful, endless possibilities in search of a miracle that is meant to be his destined opponent. Attempting amidst the rebellious, mature, beautiful, refine, carnage of all the non-human entities to write a story that does not stray from its human identity and essence. However, because certainty and miracles exist in the world, his story -of which i was a spectator- is unaffected by the passage of time; it remains eternal, forever remembered, and enduringly narrated to us, the audience.
June 29, 2025
Writing this review now that I’ve just finished Umineko’s EP 1–4 (my episode ranking: 3 > 4 > 2 > 1). Even though I’d already heard about the Rokkenjima truth, the mastermind, and subsequent plot points, the game and manga still sent pleasant shivers down my spine. Since everyone raves about EP 5–7, I should probably dive into the final four chapters, but for now, let’s focus on this manga (EP1, Vol. 1).
The opening is a bit lengthy, but it superbly sketches the Ushiromiyas’ personalities. Battler’s obsession with women’s boobs and his interactions with Jessica and Shannon are cringeworthy, though this misogyny felt par for the course in games of that era (and beyond, like Danganronpa). Once the family arrives on the island, they encounter a mysterious portrait of the forest witch, Beatrice.
When six people are missing and Eva demands Natsuhi make Kinzo leave his room and clashes with her, Kinzo tells Natsuhi that while her dress lacks the one-winged eagle, she carries it in her heart—a moment that later drives Natsuhi to protect the younger generation.
“I am Natsuhi Ushiromiya…And I bear the one-winged eagle on my heart!”
Then they discovered bodies. Four with faces hacked off, and the remaining two with half their heads mutilated. Everyone was devastated and Battler sank into confusion while Maria became creepy. Since this is just the setup, there’s not much to dissect yet, but it brilliantly piques curiosity—otherwise, I never would’ve finished the rest of the game. 7/10.
The opening is a bit lengthy, but it superbly sketches the Ushiromiyas’ personalities. Battler’s obsession with women’s boobs and his interactions with Jessica and Shannon are cringeworthy, though this misogyny felt par for the course in games of that era (and beyond, like Danganronpa). Once the family arrives on the island, they encounter a mysterious portrait of the forest witch, Beatrice.
When six people are missing and Eva demands Natsuhi make Kinzo leave his room and clashes with her, Kinzo tells Natsuhi that while her dress lacks the one-winged eagle, she carries it in her heart—a moment that later drives Natsuhi to protect the younger generation.
“I am Natsuhi Ushiromiya…And I bear the one-winged eagle on my heart!”
Then they discovered bodies. Four with faces hacked off, and the remaining two with half their heads mutilated. Everyone was devastated and Battler sank into confusion while Maria became creepy. Since this is just the setup, there’s not much to dissect yet, but it brilliantly piques curiosity—otherwise, I never would’ve finished the rest of the game. 7/10.
November 1, 2022
Note: This is my rating and review for the entire series.
Umineko is a manga series I went into with absolutely no expectations or even an idea about what was going to happen. It ended up becoming one of my favorite series of all time.
This series is the best example of a murder mystery that has ever been crafted. What starts out as a pretty unnerving, but basic, murder mystery story is soon revealed to be so much more. A mental battle between humanity and witches occurs and seeks to change the very fabric of reality.
The ending is probably my favorite ending out of anything I've ever read or watched. It has my favorite female character of all time as well.
Would highly recommend this manga.
Umineko is a manga series I went into with absolutely no expectations or even an idea about what was going to happen. It ended up becoming one of my favorite series of all time.
This series is the best example of a murder mystery that has ever been crafted. What starts out as a pretty unnerving, but basic, murder mystery story is soon revealed to be so much more. A mental battle between humanity and witches occurs and seeks to change the very fabric of reality.
The ending is probably my favorite ending out of anything I've ever read or watched. It has my favorite female character of all time as well.
Would highly recommend this manga.
September 6, 2025
A love letter to whodunnits and the practice of thinking. An improbable wedding of mystery and fantasy. An impassioned argument for centering love in human epistemology.
(This is a review of the entire VN series, which is not on Goodreads).
Umineko has its stumbles — perversion in a narrator, arguable hand waving away of child abuse, passages of absurdly loose prose, and a rather fumbled denouement — but it’s so rich with masterfully engaging new forms of storytelling, and contains just enough reflection on the human condition, that I don’t for a moment regret digesting it in its entirety. Umineko is a one of a kind experience that any fan of fair play mysteries should undertake.
“Without love, it cannot be seen.”
(This is a review of the entire VN series, which is not on Goodreads).
Umineko has its stumbles — perversion in a narrator, arguable hand waving away of child abuse, passages of absurdly loose prose, and a rather fumbled denouement — but it’s so rich with masterfully engaging new forms of storytelling, and contains just enough reflection on the human condition, that I don’t for a moment regret digesting it in its entirety. Umineko is a one of a kind experience that any fan of fair play mysteries should undertake.
“Without love, it cannot be seen.”
December 26, 2025
I'm writing this review on Chapter 1 of the Question Arcs visual novel. Chapter 1 is fantastic. It starts off slow, but once it gets going, it gets GOING. This took me about 30 hours to read, and at the beginning I would read about an hour at a time. Toward the middle half to the end, I probably read 20 hours of this in like 3 days. It's mysterious, it's suspenseful, and it's hype!! Battler is such an interesting protagonist and the presence of the Golden Witch (Beatrice), is a haunting and mysterious entity that I can't wait to see further explored in the next parts. The other members of the Ushiromiya family are either hit or miss ranging from interesting to a snooze fest. Maria's smug grin will ever haunt me in my nightmares, goodness gracious that scene gave me goosebumps.
April 21, 2020
Tedious beginning, but when you notice that you have to pay attention to every single detail, it gets really convoluted real quick. The ending is worth the build-up and the pay off is fucking amazing.
I don't recommend this book to anyone that doesn't like strong opening, hate slow-burn plots, and dislike anime tropes(though after this book, you'll barely see them.) because it's spread out everywhere in this volume.
I don't recommend this book to anyone that doesn't like strong opening, hate slow-burn plots, and dislike anime tropes(though after this book, you'll barely see them.) because it's spread out everywhere in this volume.
September 30, 2020
I'm currently reading the third chapter.
This is an INCREDIBLE VN. It has a very slow start. I admit that I almost gave up before the characters arrived to the island. I'm glad I didn't. The reading has a high payoff.
I know that reading the whole saga looks like a lot but I say it's worth it. I think just the first chapter can be told as a complete story, so for the people who want to see a murder mystery novel Agatha Christie-style, this is for you.
This is an INCREDIBLE VN. It has a very slow start. I admit that I almost gave up before the characters arrived to the island. I'm glad I didn't. The reading has a high payoff.
I know that reading the whole saga looks like a lot but I say it's worth it. I think just the first chapter can be told as a complete story, so for the people who want to see a murder mystery novel Agatha Christie-style, this is for you.
November 30, 2022
I read the visual novel around 8-9 years ago and loved it. I've been wanting to revisit it, so I figured the manga would be a fun way to do that. Really rough start – Battler does not make a good first impression (which is a shame because he's a great main character when things get going) and the tone feels off. Once the parents have their first real conversation without the kids, though, things pick up considerably. Some low lows, but the highs are high.
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