Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Episode 2 Discussion / Poll

[MeoTwister5]

That's not the weakest part of it all though. First I may be overstepping and missing something here, but is it just me or did nobody really seem overly concerned that their was BLOOD ON THE FREAKING DOOR ACROSS FROM JESSICA'S ROOM?! I mean Genji is all non-chalant at the fact that he noticed it on the way there, and it seems like his and Jessica's biggest concern is that he clean it up before she gets back. WTF? Next time they see blood though it's at the shed and wow, for a murder scene....I didn't think this was actually possible, but it somehow managed to seem simultaneously overwrought (Battler's screaming and head clutching) and underwhelming (Just how quickly it was all over and of course this shows consistent use of panning and scanning distracting from the scene at hand as if it refused to focus on any given aspect of the scene at hand and give it any time to sink in that something horrible had happened). I'm reminded of Jerry Bruckheimer's abuse of camera cutaways, but usually those actually serve to create or accentuate dramatic effect as opposed to take it away like the odd visual focus kept doing throughout this episode and the last one. And that's your episode climax too so that's really not good.

That's not necessarily blood. IIRC none of them know what the red stuff actually is.

The problem with the presentation is due moreso to of course the format and the attention span of the viewers. Obviously in the VN you had more control of the pacing and the progression at your leisure, but like any adaptation to TV you're still constrained by time limit and the amount of time a viewer is willing to spend to watch character expositions.

As it stands it comes off to me that the director is chopping up character expositions and revelations and distributing it per episode and probably even per arc. I'll say that the original exposition in the VN was really really long, and that never really translates well animation. It's either you show it all now or show it in bits and pieces.

As long as the series doesn't drag it out throughout the season it's fine, but they really shouldn't compress it so small either.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Alaya

Do you mean Natsuhi's room

They believe it's a prank and they are not even sure that the marks on the door is caused by blood. It could be thick red paints or something along that line too.

Yes, sorry. I'm really bad with the names at the moment. Been over a year since I read part of the first novel. Anyway yeah, with the level of detail put into the pictures it's hard for me to decide whether either of them could reasonably believe it was paint as opposed to blood. I suppose anything is possible though and that it could be a red herring.

Anyway I think they are doing a decent enough job at laying the framework for this mystery tale, but really it feels like that's all they have been doing so far. Everything else just feels incredibly lacking, from the character interactions and creating the right atmosphere (second half more than the first) right down to the uninspired animation and the nature of the stories exposition. I keep getting left with the feeling that there is so much more they could be doing to help bring what looks like an incredibly interesting story to life. And yet this is the second time I've come away from this show with the word "uneven" as the best way to describe it. I really do hope they can do something to kickstart this story, but when I consider that this episode by all rights should have been the one to do that and probably was supposed to be the one to do it with the events that took place I grow uncertain.

[Jan-Poo]

Natsuhi didn't think it was blood, that's why, else of course she would have freaked out.

[maximilianjenus]

Nobody think that is bloods, they think it is paint that looks like blood.

I actually find it funny that vn readers complain about the lack of character development-explanation when a lot of people compained that the novel has way too much of that to the point it gets really annoying-boring. That's the problem with going to the extremes I guess.

I still hope they are saving some of those explanations for the later Episodes I-III to I-V , as the events of those episodes might lose impact if they don't have some interruptions between them.

[k//eternal]

Well, it's not like nothing exists between "too slow" and "too fast"; personally, I think the manga has it down perfectly.

[Umineko]

About the painting/blood, I guess Natsuhi doesn't react that much, after she is told that her husband went missing. I, at least, would care more about that fact, than about some strange thing on the door..

[golthin]

Originally Posted by Alaya

Do you mean Natsuhi's room

They believe it's a prank and they are not even sure that the marks on the door is caused by blood. It could be thick red paints or something along that line too.

I might be wrong as I have not played the game, but the reason that Natsuhi didn't die was because she had the charm that her daughter gave her.

[Umineko]

Yeah, I think so, too, actually... but I forgot who the other charms were given to? does anyone remember?

[chounokoe]

Maria gave 1 charm to Battler and 1 to Jessica when they were at the beach, as protection against evil powers.
And Jessica decided that her mother deserved the charm better, because of her pitiful state.

That makes it exactly 2 charms.

[Umineko]

Ah, thanks. I really can't remember things well, gonna lose my head one day, I know it... Guess Jessica decided well to give the charm to her mother, wish Battler had given his to Shannon ;_; well, but it shall be like that after all =/

[fish eric]

I havn't played the VN so I am totally new to this series

The scene with battlers dad was weird. He is all "i've got to talk to you when I get back" then "im probably going to be killed tonight"

If he is going to be killed why would he not tell him right then what he had to say? Also why didn't he press his dad further upon hearing this?

When everyone here keeps referring to "Golden Slaughter" are they talking about the scene in the shed or the background music from the VN?

[Klashikari]

1) The scene was supposed to be extended a bit and Rudolf's behavior explained by Kyrie to Battler.
2) Golden Slaughterer is the title of the BGM.

[Sylphic]

I guess I only really have one reflection on this show at this point.

The maid is 100% not dead yet! Kugimiya Rie cannot possibly only have a role that is only 2 episodes long!!!

Unless Umineko has some sort of reset mechanic like higurashi.

[Jan-Poo]

The scene with battlers dad was weird. He is all "i've got to talk to you when I get back" then "im probably going to be killed tonight"

If he is going to be killed why would he not tell him right then what he had to say?

Funny, that's the same thing that I said recently on a VN thread.

[jeroz]

naturally, Kugimiya Rie + big boob characters = premature death.

I knew people are going to die, and I knew 6 will be sacrificed first since I actually bothered to pause the anime and look up the Epitaph in detail. But I really don't want Shannon to be killed in the first night, especially not like that. The Epitaph really lays out the framework of what's about to come, and I guess the anime studio decide to skim over it to save up for the shock factor.

and yeah, the delayed reaction from Battler is really hilarious.

[Yami Sonozaki]

Ugh, I can't say how hard I've been bothered by Battler's reaction.
It made a good looking episode fail a bit right at the end.
He's like a bad actor, and I didn't even know you can have that in an anime. Not until now.
Ah geez, words can't describe this xd.

[orion]

Well if it's blood, then the killer(s) drained a lot of living entities beforehand. But you know, blood changes color differently depending on the substance it's on. So Kanon's comment is already suspect imo.

[Volcanic]

Originally Posted by Umineko

About the painting/blood, I guess Natsuhi doesn't react that much, after she is told that her husband went missing. I, at least, would care more about that fact, than about some strange thing on the door..

I was quite concerned about that as well. Both events are pretty disturbing, and having them happen at the same time should double the factor.

Also, Rudolf's "I'm going to die" was kinda explained by Kyrie in the magna, but it still bugs me to this day. I really wonder if he knows more than we see.

[maximilianjenus]

If you don't see it coming out of a body you can't really tell blood apart from red paint.

[TheForsaken]

Originally Posted by Umineko

About the painting/blood, I guess Natsuhi doesn't react that much, after she is told that her husband went missing. I, at least, would care more about that fact, than about some strange thing on the door..

It's not that he went missing for several days
It's just she woke up and didn't see him. If he was not at the mansion, he might be out for a walk, there is no need to worry.
About the marks, Natsuhi thought it's a prank. In the manga she suspected Eva (they had a very bad relationship)