Umineko WHEN THEY CRY Episode 7: Requiem of the Golden Witch, Vol. 1

Umineko When They Cry (Manga English Numbering ) #16

by Ryukishi07, Hinase Momoyama (Illustrations)

The time for logical debate and magical feints has come to an end; the revelation of the truth about Beatrice the Golden Witch is at hand. To facilitate this, game master Bernkastel has chosen Will Wright the Mage-Hunter to step onto her board and answer a single question: Who killed Beatrice? Joining him in the game is Lion Ushiromiya, Krauss's firstborn and heir, whose role is a mystery in its own right. Will's line of questioning draws together the stray strands from all the previous games, twisting them into a thread of truth, revisiting Kinzou's first encounter with the young Beatrice and working through the legends that have since sprung up around her...

Genres: Manga, Horror, Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural, Comics Manga, Drama

828 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2011

About the author

Ryukishi07 (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.

Reviews

[✨Rebel Fairy Hiatus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: abuse, violent death, and mentioned incest.

The seventh game has opened with an introduction to a new character, Lion. but in truth, is Lion a new character or not?

Slowly, the fragments piece together the underlined truth of what truly happened on the island in 1986.

Van Dine's twenty rules are introduced as Bernkasteel opens the game with new twists and turns. Who Killed Beatrice?

For the first time, we learn more about Kinzou's background.

Now, we will see if we can reach the truth.

Each fragment gave us hints.

Full thoughts at vol 21.

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is quieter than the others, fitting for the chosen arena: Beatrice's Funeral. The series moves on from Knox's rules to Van Dine's, and this particular "game" has no real opponent. New characters Will and Lion investigate Beatrice's life and death without flair or drama. Dots are connected and the muck is cleared for the reader. For the first time, I felt like I actually understood the overall picture. I gave up so long ago trying to solve the games and just went along for the ride to see where it winds up. The author is amazing at keeping track of all of these threads. As an author, I understand the process of taking a bare bones concept and building a confusing and purposefully convoluted story around it while still tracking the important bits. But - over time it gets harder and harder to keep everything straight. It's pretty cool to see all this getting tied together. This might be one of my favorite volumes so far.

[Renan Fontes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible start to Episode 7. Will's a MUCH better detective and PoV character than Erika, Lion is a fantastic addition who has great chemistry with Will, diving into Kinzo's past is a highlight of the entire store, and I love the premise being Beatrice's funeral and Bernkastel essentially wanting to do a post-mortem on the mystery. It's a great way of tackling a bunch of complex threads at once, and that is all feels perfectly cohesive is amazing.

This really is just a strong volume. Amazing atmosphere, tense, funny, sad, and setting the stage for the finale. The extra chapter count is a big plus while still moving at a fast pace.

[Nicole Mello · Rating 4 out of 5]

i miss my friend battler! but this is a lot of fun! i do love lion....... they're just like me fr. i really am figuring out lots now. and a lot of theories i had were right but some i truly don't think i ever would've figured out on my own. i want more right now. i may not understand everything but fuck i'm on the ride now. i have to know everything now. tell me everything or else

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was particularly disturbing - from finding out how Kinzo and Beatrice met (yes, indeed, Italian women are dangerous) to Lion . . . geez, Lion. this is a hot mess in a totally different way now, one that does not involve disembowelment and decapitation. next volume, please.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad that Ryukishi07 has moved on to Van Dine's rules - it gives him more to work with, and that means less opportunity to troll the readers.


Full Review Eventually Appearing on ANN.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak fiction

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al fin se puso bueno

[Gemma Martín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta este WHAT IF que responde todas las dudas excepto la de que pasó aquella noche. Es genial!

[Libbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨

✨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.