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Aug 23, 2021
"Silverware Princess. From this moment on, I'm stronger than my future self."
It's a battle between existences standing at the top of the world which only gets better as the series goes on. Ragna Crimson is treated as a hidden masterpiece by its Japanese and Korean readership, but has comparatively low recognition and sales by volume, so I'm doing my part to spread the word about an underrated series.
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Story: 8/10
It puts a twist on the fairly common premise of 'returning to the past with future knowledge/powers in order to save the world', i.e. the second chance genre which is so prevalent today. However, this alone is
...
only a tenth of what makes the story so good.
Ragna Crimson treats all of its characters with respect and is unafraid to craft unavoidable, yet meaningful deaths. It avoids the skill-collecting, system, and grinding tropes found in most similar works, and instead focuses on action with a dash of human connection.
You can think of it as a kind of makjang version of Kimetsu no Yaiba: the dragons are fiercely loyal to their king but become humans at the end of their lives, except a lot more is going on in each arc and predicting where a battle is headed is simply impossible.
The themes of returning from the future and of hunting dragons are admittedly weak, but the theme of meeting and parting is well-done. So it takes a while to get there, but if you can ride out the early chapters then you're in for a treat.
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Art: 8/10
One of the highlights of the manga lies in character designs, and another lies in action scenes. Later in the series, the action becomes so appreciable that fans can't help but drool over what it would look like if it were animated by ufotable - when the main character goes nuclear, it's that good.
Admittedly, the artstyle also isn't for everyone; some angles for certain characters look a lot worse than others, and there's generally a sense that many features appear overly sharp. Backgrounds aren't particularly inspired, and the mangaka often leaves them out. But how many mangaka do you know who've ever produced chapters 50 pages long which are zero dialogue and full action? Ragna Crimson is a seriously exciting action manga where victory and defeat aren't ever close to predictable.
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Characters: 8/10
The series follows two main characters with a solid supporting cast, and throughout the story the antagonists develop as characters due to the main character's actions. However, describing their transformation would be spoilers, so I'll just mention a few.
In all honesty, the main character isn't particularly the most interesting character. His turmoil originates from events which haven't yet happened, reducing relatability to his motivations and personality a lot. From most points of view he's nothing special. He does experience character growth later in the series, but this is primarily a reflection of how much more interesting the other characters are.
The second main character, Crimson, is an embodiment of chaos, evil, and destruction - and he/she/they are a protagonist. Rather than fighting dragons alongside humanity, or fighting dragons for humanity, Crimson is more about expending humanity as a resource to hunt dragons. Their outlandish plots and schemes within schemes are pure entertainment, especially when everything goes wrong. Crimson is one of the main appeals of the second half of the manga so far, and the most likely one to hook you.
Finally, we come to one of the primary supporting characters - the Silverware Princess/Starlia Leese. Her character design, personality, and name are already top-tier, but it's actually what happens to her, and between her and the main character, which has made the third part of the manga so amazing. This character is the one responsible for developing the male lead into a human being rather than a weapon... but I'll stop here to avoid spoilers.
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Enjoyment/Overall: 8/10
Ragna Crimson is seriously overlooked. It's a series which ramps up the further you read, and one of the only series where I can't help but follow raws. Incredibly, given the latest developments, I don't think it's even peaked yet.
The mangaka has a talent for tragedy and characterization, so I hope that this review does his work some justice.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 23, 2017
"...a story should be like a roller coaster. That is to say before writing a really cruel scene, I have to lift the people's spirits, for example, with a fun scene... Before writing a scene of pure despair, we must go through scenes of hope. And indeed, when I write, all of this amuses me very much."
- Sadist07
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Story: 10/10
A witch is born when human reasoning is incapable of explaining a mystery.
A witch is born out of the need for escape.
The previous episodes explained that the difference between reality and fantasy might only be paper-thin, at the same time only ever giving part of an increasingly
...
bleak truth. In the same way, Ryukishi07 never ceases to toy with the reader - exploiting the desire for a fantasy, making them see something which isn't really there.
Similar to Higurashi, only after reaching the ending does it become possible to appreciate the scale and intricacy of his work. At first glance, it seems that each episode of Umineko is 90% fiction and 10% fact, like a jigsaw puzzle where many of the tiles don't fit anywhere.
Or, it could also be compared to an onion, because I have no idea how he managed to include so many LAYERS BUT I'M CRYING ANYWAY.
Regardless, as fragments of 1986 are finally pieced together, it seems inevitable that the completed jigsaw is painted with a tragedy.
At first, each character's story throughout the series appears to relay a certain message: love is a source of madness which distorts the truth. Though somebody might want to live in a magical fantasy forever... eventually, it's time to grow up. It's a cold reality which is incompatible with the idea of a golden witch who you can blame all your problems on.
That's what this episode is really about - growing up without losing your magic. More than hunting down the truth in the previous episodes, this one confronts the need to overcome and accept the truth, instead of escaping to a blissful golden land when, really, you just died in a rather ugly way.
Beyond probability and fantasy, beyond delusions and forgeries, this episode remains a search for a golden land which shouldn't, by all logic and reasoning, be allowed to exist. The last game isn't just a sibling dispute between Ange and Battler - it's a war between 1986 and 1998.
And it's thrilling.
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Art: 8/10
Coming fresh out of the other episodes, the difference in art style can be a little jarring... but if you're binging then you might not notice, considering that some earlier episodes had the same artist. Character designs are still on-point (i.e. seriously adorable, the hell is this), backgrounds are comfortable as usual (i.e. so much class), and the highlight of this episode is probably one of the most satisfying punches ever thrown.
It's the grand finale.
It's the return of cats and crazy frog eyes.
The art is as cutesy as it is psychotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Characters: 10/10
The hallmark of a strong cast is the potential for a thirty-page essay to be written about the characters alone. Nobody would read it if I wrote one, though.
In this episode, the spotlight returns to our favourite shredded meat girl. There's a comparison to a child soldier who marches in single-minded pursuit of an obsession, eventually left with nothing but themselves - well, that sums up Ange nicely. Her story reveals the dangers of a fixation with only cold, callous logic.
Throughout the series, finding the truth of 1986 has meant rejecting all the fictitious fragments from the previous episodes. However, rather than rejection, this episode is a reconciliation between the witch of the future and the girl trapped in the past - and it's all tied to the idea that whatever lies on the jigsaw tiles isn't the whole truth. It's absolutely the truth, but there isn't just one truth.
Don't understand? Ange doesn't either. That's where all the other characters come in, and how all of their arcs link together to present the truth that she needs, not just the one that she wants.
At the end of the day, Umineko really isn't 90% fiction and 10% truth - in a sense, everything is real. An emotion which is never conveyed can be truth, whatever the reality may be... and with that realization, the second central message hidden in each character's arc finally begins to make sense:
"Without love, [the truth] cannot be seen."
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Enjoyment: 10/10
Honestly, Umineko is a must-read for anybody who wants to spend their time thinking for far too long. Eva, Maria, Shannon; though their stories seem to be unrelated at first, by the end it's clear that they were wrapped in layers of o̶n̶i̶o̶n̶ allegory. Unlike this review, many of these ideas are actually digestible.
For instance, the idea that it takes two to complete a universe - it's like the concept of a catbox and an observer. A story can't be completed if the writer is the only observer; somebody whose work is never seen isn't an author.
To create a story, you only need a writer. To complete it, you need somebody else to act as a reader. Otherwise, who knows whether or not the story actually exists? Like Schrodinger's cat, the truth only exists within your catbox, not outside of it.
Expanding on that idea of duality, this final arc of Umineko ultimately reveals that the entire series was not about a deathmatch between reality and fantasy, truth and lies, or love and hate - it was about reconciliation and acceptance.
It takes both truth and lies to approach the whole truth.
It takes a detective and a witch to protect a golden land.
"Without love, the truth cannot be seen."
"Love is a source of madness which paints over the ugly truth."
Are these two statements truly incompatible? Given Battler and Beatrice's positions in this episode, along with their actions throughout the series - actually, aren't these two ideas the same thing? That complex symbolism, that dichotomy and contrast and battle between two extremes, is really what makes Umineko so great.
It takes two to complete a universe. After all's said and done, isn't that the true central message of this series?
There are innumerable stories (at least 8) which can be uncovered through inference and deduction, and though they should never be a replacement for reality, neither should they be ignored. The truth may be ugly, and it may be reprehensible. However, if it isn't shared, then it remains forever locked within the catbox... and the infinite possibilities which arise?
They form Umineko.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 2, 2014
*Slapped by a hyper-realistic wet fish*
"Yuuka!! Don't you dare... ever let the world beat you!!"
A masterpiece in examining the human condition. Don't be mistaken by the genres listed here! What you'll get is not a watered-down gag comedy, but a raw tale of survival in a fish-eat-fish world - one which will keep you hooked until the end.
Our MC begins with a fiery personality and lofty aspirations ill-suited for someone who was only ever a big fish in a small pond. He struggles against the monsters of the outside world, wrestles with the monster growing within, and even contends with the crushing pressure of nature
...
itself. His story is one about turning the tide despite being out of your depth, even when the game is rigged against you. A story about snatching happiness from the jaws of despair. A story about making waves or being swept away.
Crimsons.
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Story: 7.5/10
The series starts to reel you in around halfway through, although the premise itself is a little dry. Our protagonist and his chums dive headfirst into uncharted waters, but almost immediately begin to flounder. The eternal trawl for their personal utopia causes them to get baited by various fishy individuals who turn out to be little more than pond scum, similar to what you'd expect from a zombie apocalypse story. Yet, even when all of his efforts net him nothing, our MC refuses to sink to their level, and does his best to protect his school against their predatory tactics.
Disappointment! The shellfish desire for more! That's how the characters develop a sense of porpoise.
After a relentless stream of developments, many will feel that the last two chapters were a complete wash. The developments did end short of turning stale or wearing fin - even with all the unexplored plot potential. In any case, the manga scales back rather than jumping the shark or inundating readers with too much of the same, unlike this review.
The ending itself is rather unique in how it tackles self-determination, free will, and eternal recurrence, suggesting that there's a flow in all things yet without discarding the value of 'resistance'. It's hard to say whether the mangaka was angling towards a tragic or happy ending, and some readers might even think he was straight-up trolling the characters, though this review only touches the surface. If you enjoy those kinds of ponderous thoughts, you'll make a nice water flea.
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Art: 7/10
The most notable aspect of the art is that character designs often swap between hyper-realistic and stylized fish. This generally occurs during moments of high intensity, and adds an interesting dichotomy of reality and fantasy to the situations occurring throughout the story.
Or, well, the mangaka might just be showing off.
You might laugh whenever a glassy-eyed, hyper-realistic fish starts talking about his feelings, but many of the antagonists are actually impressively drawn. It's no joke when something with too many teeth turns your childhood friend into sashimi.
Most emotions are conveyed through expressions and poses... but these are fish! Without noses! The mangaka uses stylized fish faces to bring out a wide range of emotions effectively, but the differences can be jarring and sometimes inhibit the atmosphere.
The scenery is generally unremarkable, considering that it's an underwater world - but it's also reasonable to expect more random deep bodies of water than coral reefs or precipices, since salmon don't go that deep anyway. Unfortunately, that reasoning does little to deny the lack of immersion.
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Characters: 7.5/10
The character development is predictably centered on our MC, but there are definitely others worthy of mention - every encounter catalyses development, and all of them make a splash. Indeed, some fish are so GAR that they make humans in other series look like water fleas.
The MC experiences a shift in principles as he grows his sea legs. Consumed by his desire to fight against those who would go with the flow and the pier pressure which comes with them - he himself is soon enveloped by the laws of survival. Floating at the surface of troubled waters is his own metamorphosis into that which he hates! Even as this emo fish plunges into the abyss, even as he drowns in despair... he grapples with the corruption of his humanity!
The other fish in his school always remain a little wet behind the ears, but there isn't any undeserved salt. While the characters are kinda shallow, they're believable and difficult to hate when considering their 'sink or swim' ultimatum.
There's also a concurrent storyline following a professor and his student. The problems explored here mirror those of our protagonists; the struggle to overcome barriers, the search for utopia, and the taboo. Their narrative provides a more relatable side to the pursuit of happiness, but more to the point, it runs parallel to the commentary on pointless resistance...
...or I might just be overthinking it again, and it's all just about the struggle to seal the deal.
Finally, there are the existentialist water fleas. Where did man come from? Where is he going? What does that have to do with anything? Their monologues are both humorous and thought-provoking; interpret them to be the mangaka's footnotes on the themes of the story.
Vested in their tiny bodies is the undeniable proof that still waters do, indeed, run deep.
"The world is the will to power - and nothing besides!"
- Nietzsche, 'Crimsons' fanboy
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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