Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Episode 2: Turn of the Golden Witch
Umineko When They Cry Episode 2: Turn of the Golden Witch

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Just a notice, I have also read Episode 2 of the visual novel, but I have not seen the anime. This is also my first review. I'll try to be as descriptive as possible. If you have not read Episode 1, spoilers from it WILL be included in this review.

Story (9) - Welcome to the second question arc of Umineko. If you're reading this review, then that means you know the story already: The Ushiromiya family is called to a family meeting, a typhoon shows up, and the people of Rokkenjima start dying off in a sick ritual to revive a witch.

The first part ... of Episode 2 has a very slow start compared to Episode 1, but we get to explore the relationship between Shannon & George, and Jessica & Kanon. There's also the fact that Beatrice plays a major part in developing both of these relationships, and she actually has a main role now(as in you actually see her). It really sets the stage for the later parts of Episode 2. It's basically a romantic sub-plot.

The story, at its heart, is a mystery. While people of Rokkenjima are dying, Battler and Beatrice are watching this "game" from the parallel world. This is where Umineko really shines, as I've never seen such a debate of the likes of what Battler and Beatrice have. Every time someone dies, Battler must explain to Beatrice a human's way of the death, as he has to deny the witch in order to win.Beatrice's goal is to convince Battler that witches exist. The logic both Battler and Beatrice use are twisted, and some of the most complex arguments I've read in anything. Argument terms such as "Devil's Proof", a argument where something cannot be proved or disproved, are used and reversed in quick succession. It's almost like the words themselves are bullets, as they fire out as quick as a machine gun.

Art(7)- I'm not one to really care for art, so I'll be really brief here. The facial expressions of characters are really amazing, and capture the freaky moments of the visual novel in order to make up for the lack of music. Overall though, it's passable in every other area.

Character(9)- I'm not gonna go into much detail here, as that would be very spoilerific of who survived the first twilight. I'll go ahead and say that most characters get A LITTLE more depth. It seems Umineko wants to develop these characters slowly, as to keep the story fast-paced.

Now, I really want to discuss Beatrice. Beatrice is a magnificent villain. Her insane laughter and facial expressions will give you the creeps, and her actions will make you hate her. Her dialogue is great, as she really seems she's offering a view from someone who is not human. It's obvious that she's better than Battler in this game, as she's quicker on the argument than Battler himself. She's definitely among one of my favorite characters of all time. Her magic is explained a little bit more, but not much as to keep it mystery until the Answer arcs.

Battler is 10x better here than in Episode 1. He's a badass fighter who uses words like a pro. It's really hard to believe he's 18 years old, as he knows many more things than any 18 year old I've seen. He's the underdog of this game, and you can't help but root for him, because you WANT Battler to win. You want to see Beatrice's cocky attitude crumble. His lines are of the "never give up" sort, but it's really inspiring when you're looking at his odds. He's practically fighting a god, and it's still surprising how he's able to get back up time-and-time again.

Enjoyment(9)- The main enjoyment of this manga is the conspiracies of the people of Rokkenjima is picking out culprits, and Battler and Beatrice's battle. With the insanity and mysteries, this manga is incredibly enjoyable. It was a great thrill ride for me, and I read the Episode 2 in the VN before the manga. I was biting my nails with the suspense.

Overall(9)- If you liked Episode 1, Turn of the Golden Witch is going to flip you on your head. Legend of the Golden Witch was just a prologue. Turn of the Golden Witch is where the real story begins. It may have a slower start, but when it gets going it never stops! I'm still picking my head up off the floor after reading that explosive ending. Episode 3 isn't fully translated yet, so I'd suggest you start the VN after you finish this manga. You'll be clawing out your throat to see what happens next.

“From now on when I speak of the truth, I will use red.”

Story: (9)
After the incident of EP1, Battler accepts Beatrice’s challenge in the meta world. To deny the existence of the Golden Witch, he must once again solve the mysterious murders on Rokkenjima which somehow has completely different events and outcomes.

In EP2, the murders occur around half way of the story. The first half focuses on some of the characters relationships, their feelings towards each other. Also some events prior to the family conference have been revealed which are important tips. Some may see the romance parts sort of unnecessary but do keep in ... mind everything in Umineko has a purpose and meaning.

A major difference in “Turn” compared to EP1 is it tilts towards a fantasy story than a formal mystery, resembling Beatrice making her turn of actions. There are magical battles, a corpse controlled by magic and appearances of magical beings. Readers must decide whether to accept the witch’s illusions or not. That being said, there are still bizarre deaths and locked room murders that seem impossible. Some I found even more challenging than the ones in EP1.

In my opinion, the highlight of EP2 is the debates between Battler and Beatrice in the meta world. They formed a rival relationship and begin their endless torture. During their debate, Beatrice created a new rule: that when the truth is spoken, it will be in red. I’m really glad they kept this from the Visual Novel, not only is it a creative idea, it gives a degree of fairness to readers. With the Red Truth, readers could gather important tips more easily and challenge the witch’s game side-by-side with Battler.

Characters: (8)
As the first half of the story focuses on the character’s relationships, some of them received an amount of character development. Shannon’s struggle to be with George and also Jessica’s puppy love feeling’s towards Kanon. We could understand their feelings and beliefs through the events.

Beatrice is the most complicated and memorable antagonist I have ever seen. Though she is cruel and childish at times, she believes her duel with Battler is noble and the rules must be followed. The moment when she is involved is always fun to read.


Art: (7)
First I have to point out that the artist of EP1 and EP2 are different. Battler’s face is more simply drawn and his hair style looks sort of different. Personally I like his facial designs in EP1 better but that’s just my preference, others might like the new designs more. Beatrice’s expressions are drawn really well, especially when she laughs and when she becomes twisted.

Similar to EP1 the corpses are drawn very detailed. There is a certain “Halloween” scene filled with bloody corpses which is even gorier than the ones in the previous episode. Again, I treat it as tips; such as “could the culprit have decorated the exaggerated scene by himself/ herself in such a short period of time?”

Enjoyment: (8)
I had a fun time trying to hunt down the culprit just like in EP1. However with the interference of Beatrice and her magic tricks, the difficulty of EP2 raised a bit. The locked room murders and the master key debates are also challenging. The Battler and Beatrice debating scenes are really entertaining to read, just when he believes he found the correct solution, Beatrice destroys his theories with the Red Truth. Red Truth is a great addition to the story; it acts as reliable tips making the mysteries more solvable.

Overall: (8)
For those who enjoyed EP1, you are in for a treat. Turn of the Golden Witch provides more complicated locked rooms, disappearing corpse and other surprises. Though you are challenged by the Golden Witch Beatrice herself and resisting her magic tricks seems futile, never stop reasoning. Believe me; becoming the witch’s furniture is not pleasant...

“The witch expects a lot from you, and is more than ready to launch an assault right from the start. I also look forward to seeing your strategy.”

Those lines belong to the visual novel and correspond to the option of playing Turn of the Golden Witch. Why mention them? Because they summarize well what is being introduced to Umineko’s formula.


[1. Let's elaborate with an introduction.]

After Legend of the Golden Witch introduced the whodunit mystery element of the narrative, the readers were also barely initiated to two other elements as well:

* The fantasy element is connected to the Endless Witch Beatrice herself coming to the spotlight. ... Unlike her previous ambiguous presence, she confronts Battler flesh-and-bone (or is it) in the “tea party” and poses him an intellectual challenge. And Battler agrees, his goal being to disprove the existence of magic, whereas Beatrice intends to make him accept witchcraft as behind everything. For more, see section [2.b].

* As for the metafictional one: this conflict between Battler and Beatrice takes place to a parallel plane of existence, from which both can observe the events of 4 October 1986 on Rokkenjima, where the serial murders repeat on different circumstances. As such, the island whodunit acts as an embedded story to the one of the parallel plane. I cannot tell more, for some things are best experienced or in our case, deduced.

Episode 2 builds upon those foundations, essential in order for the overarching narrative to function as ultimately intended.


[2. And on the story...]

[2.a] Τhe narrative begins with an extended flashback, before the events of 4th of October and focuses on a romantic subplot, that builds on certain characters' personalities and joint chemistries, and sets a solid foundation for later parts.

And gradually, this subplot transits to the 4th of October, involving preparations for the family’s annual meeting at both meta and island level. Retracing to my Episode 1 review, I had mentioned how mothers assume main roles in parts of this story. For the current episode, the torch passes to Ushiromiya Rosa, a little more on section [3].

[2.b] And on to Rokkenjima events, where the highlight is the intrusion of fantasy elements that complicate matters and raise the difficulty bar of the mystery.

Retracing to section [1.], Battler must deny the existence of magic while Beatrice aims to making him accepting it. To do so, he needs to debate with her and solve individual mysteries, be it locked rooms, bizarre circumstances, etc. Yet she wastes no time or energy in crushing his reasoning, making resistance seem futile. Those parts are entertaining, to say the least, as well as an exciting mental challenge for the reader/player.

Often employed by both opponents is twisted logic, however: as abusing it could lead to stalemates and to an unfair treatment of both Battler and the readers, Beatrice introduces a tool named the Red Truth. When a surefire truth is to be spoken, it is said in red letters. Of course, Beatrice uses that tool in crafty ways, yet nonetheless readers/players can more easily challenge the witch and solve the puzzles.


[3. Continuing with characters...]

As mentioned in section [2.a], certain characters receive more focus and as such, more needed development. The romantic pairings in particular show elements of potentially star-crossed lovers, their relationships complicated by both intrapersonal and interpersonal factors, as well as the involvement of Beatrice. Ushiromiya Rosa is also among the main cast, her complicated relationship with her atypical daughter and occult savant Maria as well as her own personality being equally important to the narrative’s progression.

Needless to say perhaps, the star of the cast is Beatrice. Cruel, whimsical, playful, majestic are only some of the words one can use to describe her. She’s one stellar antagonist, with a larger-than-life presence and highly entertaining dialogues. And this episode is not even the tip of the iceberg for her highly dynamic and multilayered character. As for Battler, he does not falter way too behind. He remains determined and passionate yet also rational and quick-witted, and despite being at a severe disadvantage he is trying to use his reasoning to plow his way through Beatrice’s trolling and games and pin her down, alongside invested readers/players who vouch for his victory. And given the odds, he certainly can stand his ground.

I’m obliged to be fair though, and note that not all characters receive development and those who do don’t display too much depth, at this stage the narrative focuses elsewhere. However, there are still interesting and entertaining moments involving even less-developpend ones, and next episodes are going to uncover more layers of characters.


[4. And closing with artwork...]

I prefer the current artwork to that of Episode 1. Character designs are more polished and there is a bigger ratio of highly memorable scenes (the one below is among my favorites). Expressions remain one of the highlights, especially mocking but also some fiendish ones.

And of course, lovely horror scenes. Hey did I mention that this episode fits like a glove with Halloween doubly than the previous one? Won't be hard to find out why. Outside those aspects, the mere presence of Red Truth elevates the artwork, for sentences spoken/written are highlighted in bright red text.

One of the drawbacks of artwork are backgrounds though, as many often lack enough detail, being merely functional rather than rich enough. Also, sometimes characters at long distances can miss key details here and then. Nonetheless, the artist more than makes up with portraying poignant scenes with exactly what is required at a given time.

Hope you enjoyed my review!