All’s fair in love and war.
Creative Staff
Story: Ryukishi07
Art: Hinase Momoyama
Translation/Adaptation: Stephen Paul
What They Say
Umineko WHEN THEY CRY Episode 6: Dawn of the Golden Witch Part 2
George and Shannon, Jessica and Kanon: Only one couple will be permitted to fully realize their love. To prove the strength of their feelings, each person must sacrifice the life of someone on the island. George uses the opportunity to confront his mother, who for too long has confused acts of love with her own manipulative desires. She is but the first to fall, and with every sacrifice, the bonds between the lovers grow. Even so, only one couple will emerge hand in hand from the trial of the demons!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
If there was ever a meandering middle chapter to a series, then this arc of Umineko is surely it. While I’m sure it was designed to make the youths in the story more flawed to match their deeply flawed parents, it doesn’t come across as genuine and I find myself far more invested in the ongoing events at the meta level.
In the previous arcs we were given a better look into what Battler was thinking, yet in this arc he seems to be a completely different person. He is almost serenely detached from the game he has set up, even going so far as to kill off himself in it. He has become emotionally desensitized to the trials and murders facing his family. His sole goal now appears to be trying to get Beatrice back. He has come to the conclusion that she is the key to the entire mystery, but if he wins this game against Erika and her witch backers at least everything will come to an end, or so we think.
Battler isn’t the only one who seems to have undergone a major personality switch. His cousins find themselves tasked with killing their family members if they want to have any hope of being with their significant others. The story goes to great lengths to justify the mental state they would have to be in to accomplish such a goal, and yet I don’t buy it. It all ultimately boils back down to ‘a witch did it’ because none of their actions make sense when the contest itself makes zero sense. Maybe it’s because the typical adult perspective is that it’s better to live apart from your loved ones as long as they are healthy and alive then this teenager Romeo and Juliet nonsense.
As for Battler’s opponent, Erika, I have more questions than answers. We find out exactly what she thinks of love when were given her backstory. Her witch creator went so far as to give her a motive for her hatred? Or is she a real person in this timeline? The layers have grown so deep that at this point it’s impossible to say who is real, who isn’t, and if any of that really matters. Existential crisis aside, her backstory does nothing to humanize her and makes her only look more jealous, vindictive, and untrustworthy.
What this volume does do well is clarify the rules of the game in a simple and straightforward manner. It shows that under Beatrice’s rules the game field was far more level than it appeared in earlier volumes. Not that any of that realization improves Battler’s chances when he takes the advantage he had over Erika and tosses it out the window. Battler is truly his own worst enemy, and he likely sealed his own fate by falling for Erika’s pity party.
I still question this story’s need to pander with all the scantily clad demons. It feels like a crutch to see the manga by its cover and doesn’t make much of any sense for its origins as a strictly nonsexual visual novel. Add to that the fact that one of those demons on the cover keeps teasing that they’re gendered male, which has nothing to do with the story at all, and it all just feels like a distraction. I could do with far fewer crotch shots in a murder mystery series, is all I’m saying.
The extras in this volume include several pages of gag comics, some opening color illustrations, and a page of translation notes along with the author’s notes.
In Summary
This arc of Umineko continues to drag as Battler learns that the odds weren’t as stacked against him when going up against Beatrice as he thought. Erika uses her manipulative skills to lure him into giving her a late game advantage which might be all it takes to give her the win in this reversed fortunes game. Erika is given a past and a reason for her behavior, but that just raises more questions about the nature of this game. However, the contest of love isn’t as convincing as the story wants us to believe it is. Ultimately, the outcome of the love battle doesn’t matter. Only getting to the truth about Beatrice matters, and this arc is trying to keep us away from that mystery as long as possible.
Content Grade: B –
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A –
Age Rating: Teen +
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: September 27, 2016
MSRP: $20.00 US / $26.00 CAN
