"When the seagulls cry, there are no survivors."
Now this is how you write the beginning to a manga series.
Set in a scenario that might remind some of Agatha Christie's forever-cliched classic "And Then There Were None", Umineko, similar to its sibling Higurashi, is another mystery masterpiece spawning from the mind of Ryukishi07.
Now I myself am not the mystery fanatic. Frankly put, I am largely disinterested in the genre due to all the boring dialogue and uncountable, ever-present cliches. However, this takes the classic whodunnit plot and adds several layers of intrigue into it, most notably with the witch herself.
The characters don't have overly complex backstories to them (it's a 23 chapter manga, what do you expect), but have been properly introduced and have had their mannerisms expressed. In a three-volume with a variety of characters characters, providing enough detail to allow the reader to form connections and not enough detail in order to bore them with some drawn-out crybait is a great approach from my perspective.
Furthermore, the action in the story involving these characters is surprising to say the least.
The manga artist did an incredible job, almost too good at showing us character outcomes (you'll see what I mean) and gave Maria some of the creepiest goddamn looks I've ever seen on a manga girl.
The cherry on top for me was how it ended with Battler's resolve. It is truly awe-inspiring to see someone as plainly human as him stand up to an entity who could easily rip him into shreds. I hope he kick ass next arc.
It's my first time picking up anything Umineko-related, so I'm very optimistic as to what the manga series will offer.
