Umineko no Naku Koro ni Episode 12: Impressions

I couldn’t express in words how excited I am about Umineko’s latest chapter. New characters, a new story, a re-energized Battler, and a more heated argument than the previous two chapters!

I have yet to read Chapters 2-4 of Umineko’s visual novel, so right now, I’m feeling a bit hung up on what’s in store for the following anime episodes. The third chapter has a new angle on the Ushiromiya massacre, that’s for sure. And looks like Battler knows what he’s doing now. He’s off to a good start against Beatrice’s tactics. He saves the face of the 18 people on the island by theorizing the existence of X number of other people apart from the 18. Seriously, he should’ve stuck with that theory from the beginning. But I suppose this was typical of a Ryukishi07 novel; that the better theories would be proposed as the events kept on replaying.

Another Beatrice was introduced in the first quarter of the episode. It seems that a different “alchemic consultant” existed in a distant Ushiromiya past. This indigo-haired Beatrice looked more elegant than our current Beatrice. In the visual novel, she’s named Virgilia (after Virgil from Dante’s Divine Comedy). Plus, our current Beatrice is as old as Maria, showing her desire to be a witch and thus becoming a student of the Virgilia. Sounds confusing? Yeah, I’m confused on how to explain it too.

The latter half of the episode shows all the adults in their usual debate for inheritance and the appearance of the first letter about the Ushiromiya gold. Upon reaching the end, you’ll be shocked at what Rosa will scream… I won’t spoil that one for you!

Compared to the other 2009 anime lineup, I’ve never been too excited and too giddy as much as I did in Umineko. The cliffhangers keep you asking for more, wishing that the next episode would already come. Episode 12 is no exception. The start of the third chapter gave a very brief but “meaty” re-introduction. But it still leaves enough room for speculation on the next episode altogether.

For readers of the visual novel, do us a favor and don’t spoil us. We’d love to watch it ourselves and feel our hearts race as the Battler-Beatrice debate goes on until the end.

If you haven’t watched any Umineko episodes, I suggest you do so now.

Does anyone have the guts to cosplay as one of Beatrice’s seven stakes of purgatory?

Sieg