[Game] Umineko - Spoilers, Theories, Interpretations

[Judoh]

Ryuukishi ran away from that final step in the duel. The traditional handshake between writer and reader at the end of the novel, no matter the result, just didn't happen. Because he didn't show up for the last showdown.

Well Ryukishi07 has a weird definition of what a duel between reader and writer is. It's something I've reflected on after Ep8 Spoilers.

I wrote this episode as a duel between you the reader, and me the writer.

If you think you created a better resolution (world) than mine that means you've defeated Ryukishi07 in this duel- Higurashi Kai final staff room

[KnightOfTwo]

Originally Posted by Renall

Won't somebody please think of Gohda's mom?

I say this needs to be made into a banner.

[Used Can]

Originally Posted by Renall

Stop and think for a second: Put yourself in the shoes of Gohda's mom. Your son dies when his employer's home literally blows up. The police are not inclined to provide significant details. He gets very little media attention because he wasn't rich or famous like the people he worked for. And some asshole teenagers on the Internet, goaded on by irresponsible jerks like Professor Ootsuki, start spinning nonsense about he was a witch, no he was the killer, no he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!

If she only knew her son is chillaxing in the Golden Land... ;_;

[Chron]

Originally Posted by Judoh

Well Ryukishi07 has a weird definition of what a duel between reader and writer is. It's something I've reflected on after Ep8 Spoilers.

So what he's saying is that fanfiction is superior to him?

That's either disgustingly blatant coddling or the biggest inferiority complex I've ever seen.

[luckyssol]

I hope Ryukishi says something about episode 8 soon. I mean, it's not like he's forgotten about this diary since he posted this 2 weeks after episode 8's release:

Originally Posted by Ryukishi

My home PC that I was using up to last year crashed.
I urgently brought in a new PC but I didn't know the email password and could not read my email.
In the case of contacting us, please use bbs@07th-expansion.

Hey, I guess he will be missing any hate mail that went his way.

Originally Posted by Judoh

Can you provide a source for this quote?

[Renall]

He forgot his own email password? Maybe I've been too hard on him. He isn't failing to address things, he's just plain forgotten about them.

[AuraTwilight]

Is Gohda's mom even alive...? I mean it's not like Gohda is fresh out of college or anything. Not that he's pushing 50 either, but he doesn't ever pull the "I have a family!" card or anything when he's about to be offed. And unlike Kumasawa or Nanjo, Gohda's family is never contacted by Ange or anything. Neither is Genji's, but I think it's pretty obvious he has no actual family to speak of.

And yea, Ryukishi's a pretty forgetful person. I've read that he has to keep a lot of lists and stuff to keep track of things he needs to remember in daily life. If a PC problem destroyed Umineko notes or something it'd explain a lot (not that it would excuse him for not keeping backups).

[Judoh]

Originally Posted by Ssol

Can you provide a source for this quote?

It's in a letter from Ryukishi that you unlock after finishing Higurashi Kai's Matsuribayashi chapter.

[luckyssol]

Originally Posted by AuraTwilight

Is Gohda's mom even alive...? I mean it's not like Gohda is fresh out of college or anything. Not that he's pushing 50 either, but he doesn't ever pull the "I have a family!" card or anything when he's about to be offed. And unlike Kumasawa or Nanjo, Gohda's family is never contacted by Ange or anything. Neither is Genji's, but I think it's pretty obvious he has no actual family to speak of.

Of course she's alive. Motive for her is easy.
"My son used to come over and cook dinner for us. Now I hardly see him since he spends so much time on that isolated island. Kill them all."

Originally Posted by Judoh

It's a letter from Ryukishi that you unlock after finishing Higurashi Kai's Matsuribayashi chapter.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

[Chron]

Originally Posted by Renall

He forgot his own email password? Maybe I've been too hard on him. He isn't failing to address things, he's just plain forgotten about them.

Oh my, a kindred spirit then.

[AuraTwilight]

"My son used to come over and cook dinner for us. Now I hardly see him since he spends so much time on that isolated island. Kill them all."

I can now only imagine the culprit looking exactly like Mrs. Skinner from The Simpsons.

[Leafsnail]

I wrote this episode as a duel between you the reader, and me the writer.

If you think you created a better resolution (world) than mine that means you've defeated Ryukishi07 in this duel- Higurashi Kai final staff room

Actually... assuming I'm not misinterpreting, I do see what he means.

If you can come up with a solution that fits all the clues presenting equally well or perhaps even better than the author, then they have truly failed in making a solvable mystery (after all, your reasoning was correct, but you were still wrong! Unfair!). Which would be why blue stakes pierce a witch's heart.

Although this aspect doesn't really need so much emphasis, I guess.

[Kylon99]

Originally Posted by Leafsnail

Actually... assuming I'm not misinterpreting, I do see what he means.

If you can come up with a solution that fits all the clues presenting equally well or perhaps even better than the author, then they have truly failed in making a solvable mystery (after all, your reasoning was correct, but you were still wrong! Unfair!). Which would be why blue stakes pierce a witch's heart.

Although this aspect doesn't really need so much emphasis, I guess.

Maybe that's what he meant when he developed the idea of logic errors... 8) I remember how absurd it was in EP6 that the story kept getting ret'conned...


Actually, one of the parts in EP8 that bugged me was Bern's game. I thought I came up with a solution for where George and Maria were the killers, rather than Battler. I think there was an assumption made that the kids would never kill their own parents... There's an argument for not portraying the pieces out of character but then Bern made Battler the culprit anyways, so there goes that idea. Maybe I was thinking too deviously. 8)

[Renall]

Originally Posted by AuraTwilight

Is Gohda's mom even alive...?

I know you're just joking, but does it actually change the moral calculus of concealing the truth about what happened to Gohda if he does or does not have someone who cares about him?

[AuraTwilight]

Well I wasn't entirely joking. I legitimately am curious about the existence of Gohda's family now, since Ange contacted other families and shit for information. Is Gohda just getting that much of the shaft, or does he have no next of kin whatsoever?

Also the Truth of Rokkenjima would've started a war. I'm so holding onto that because it both answers things seriously and is totally funny.

[Sherringford]

Just wanted to drop one final quotation about what Umineko feels like, and I'll never bring it up again(...yeah right).

"Come, now!" the author seems to be saying. "I’m really a straight novelist, you know, indulging in this funny little medium of the detective story because nowadays it's become respectable. It's true I haven't got much of a mystery, or any very clear idea of how to handle it; but, if i give you strong characterizations and much talk-in-a-mist, you won't mind that?"

To which the answer is: Sir or madam, we do mind.

[Kylon99]

It's funny to see how people, especially mostly on the English side have totally made up their minds on what Ryukishi has done with EP8, despite it not really it having been translated yet and have begun to form a tar and feather party.

I'm sorry, but to quote a favorite doctor of mine, those guys are going to give the word 'mob' a bad name.

EDIT: Probably wouldn't get cleared up after translation either, witness how the idea of Erika being a dead body that floated to Rokkenjima refuses to die...

[Sherringford]

Originally Posted by Kylon99

It's funny to see how people, especially mostly on the English side have totally made up their minds on what Ryukishi has done with EP8, despite it not really it having been translated yet and have begun to form a tar and feather party.

I'm sorry, but to quote a favorite doctor of mine, those guys are going to give the word 'mob' a bad name.

Most people in this topic have read episode 8 already y'know. It's not going to get much worse than this, the people trying to remain unspoiled and waiting for the translation usually complain less than those who read it as soon as it gets released. Mostly because they have the people who have read it already calming them down and explaining the theories behind the episode.

EDIT: Probably wouldn't get cleared up after translation either, witness how the idea of Erika being a dead body that floated to Rokkenjima refuses to die...

I'm not quite sure what you mean here.

[Kylon99]

Originally Posted by Sherringford

Most people in this topic have read episode 8 already y'know. It's not going to get much worse than this, the people trying to remain unspoiled and waiting for the translation usually complain less than those who read it as soon as it gets released. Mostly because they have the people who have read it already calming them down and explaining the theories behind the episode.

Actually, I found out some people didn't actually read it even though they're on this thread... 8) But yes, luckily we have some people who actually did.

Originally Posted by Sherringford

I'm not quite sure what you mean here. [About Erika's body]

Oh, this popular misconception seemed to have come from the Umineko Wikia, I think. What happened was after the release of EP6 (Japanese), someone translated Erika's TIPS and posted it. I remember seeing the translation on the wikia, with an added line that Erika's dead body that floated to Rokkenjima. But it was really nothing more than a theory.

Since it was on the 'translation' people took it as confirmed fact, even though the English translation came out later. Once in awhile we kept seeing it appear on here and elsewhere on the internet, despite a few people correcting it several times. I think it refuses to die.

Or perhaps we can say it became gold truth. 8)

[Sherringford]

Originally Posted by Kylon99

Actually, I found out some people didn't actually read it even though they're on this thread... 8) But yes, luckily we have some people who actually did.

Oh, really? My bad, thought most people here had read it. We should probably organize a picture with the most common misconceptions about episode 8 though. Some people probably don't even know about the author theory and will be arriving blindly and confused.

Oh, this popular misconception seemed to have come from the Umineko Wikia, I think. What happened was after the release of EP6 (Japanese), someone translated Erika's TIPS and posted it. I remember seeing the translation on the wikia, with an added line that Erika's dead body that floated to Rokkenjima. But it was really nothing more than a theory.

Since it was on the 'translation' people took it as confirmed fact, even though the English translation came out later. Once in awhile we kept seeing it appear on here and elsewhere on the internet, despite a few people correcting it several times. I think it refuses to die.

Or perhaps we can say it became gold truth. 8)

Interesting, I didn't know about that. I mean I knew about the theory, but I didn't know people thought it was a fact.

The gold truth is interesting. I mean, I can safely say now that "Erika is the boat captain" in gold if I want to. Which is sort of nice.

Stiiill don't like how the series ended, but the episode was nice.

Will become the prince of badminton and Erika becoming Jack Sparrow made the entire thing worth it.

I'm still hoping for a sequel where Will aims to become the world's greatest badminton player. I know it won't happen, but I'm hoping we at least get to see him go Prince of Tennis on people in Rei.