Quote:
Originally Posted by naikou
I wouldn't say that Ryukishi transcended the mystery novel. He just side-stepped it and wrote something different. After all, mystery novels are not art, while Umineko is.
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I'd beg to differ. Saying that Umineko is art while mystery novels aren't doesn't sit well with me in any way. But again that would depend on your definition of art.
As for that essay...I really, really hate it. In fact I hate it more than anything in the actual series.
He talks like Umineko transcends the mystery genre, but it can't hold a candle to it. He put emphasis on how the series was a game, but he never had the decency to actually play it.
His attitude towards the mystery genre is misguided at best and arrogant at worst. To borrow a friend's words, "he mistakes foreshadowing for clues." If you read his essay with that mindset everything makes sense. His idea that you can just change the final answer indefinitely is absolutely ridiculous if you are writing a story with a solid plot. Umineko is different in that it is intentionally vague. His rants apply more so to his own story than to the actual genre.
But see, having that mindset when talking about mysteries(or any genre that involves precise plotting) is just mind bogglingly idiotic. "You can change the answer as much as you want with the mystery genre!" No you cannot.
It boggles my mind how someone can actually think that. Twisting your own story for the sake of twisting it isn't worth of applause. It's...bad.