When the seagulls cry… (II)
…there are no survivors.
So Episode II should provide some character development that was pretty lacking from the first arc. In particular, the focus is on the relationships between Kanon and Jessica, Shannon and George, and Rosa and Maria. We also move into the real main story thread of Umineko and we learn some more about the mechanics of the world.
The biggest adaptation challenge for this Episode was the meta-world stuff, particularly the red text. The in-world meta stuff worked pretty well, with the greying and freezing, and I guess it’s a good excuse to use the CG golden butterflies. The red text is more interesting. When the first screencaps came out, the assumption was that red text would only be indicated by the red tint on the screen. Obviously, that would make what the exact red text was a lot more fuzzy. It turns out they chose to have the red text flying around, which I found that I didn’t mind so much. Of course, it’s amusing when it flies in weird paths.
The most surprising thing about this arc has been the censoring. I guess slit necks, fingering a deep chest wound, and disembowelment aren’t very broadcast friendly.
Overall, Episode II was pretty well adapted, other than some rushing near the end. Again, most VN readers’ whining are because of some really minor details or inconsequential stuff, like music choices. Wah, wah, wah, Dread of the Grave didn’t get used until the end of Episode II, so the Umineko anime must be terrible.
Everything before the first twilight was pretty spot on, with bonus Jessica silly faces. The first scene that I really wanted to see animated was Kanon vs. goats. It actually turned out better than I expected, although the magical blades could have used some work.
The biggest problem with the anime so far is that even though all of the major events and main points are able to fit in, the dramatic pacing has been lost. Just about all of the moments that made me drop my jaw (Kanon’s furniture reveal, Rosa Musou, etc.) didn’t make as much of an impact.
Other than the timing, the portrayal of the events that took place has been fine. Kanon’s fight was exciting enough and Rosa Musou was Musou enough, even if it was shortened. I was most impressed with Rosa’s scene at the tea party, which was pleasantly and surprisingly disturbing. It makes me look forward to the more creative murders in the next Episode.
tl;dr – there was no にぱー☆ from Bernkastel, EP2 is ruined.
Tags: Anime, umineko no naku koro ni
Bronove to the rescue! Rosa Musou was kinda disappointing, but I guess they couldn’t have had it go too long really. Honestly I think one of the things that bothered me most about Episode II was Shannon. Kugimiya Rie kinda fell back into her screeching tsundere voice a little too often, which felt like it really didn’t fit Shannon at all. Like everyone else I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for Episode III-I, although I get the feeling the true star of the first twilight won’t be seen until Episode III-II. Oh and we’ll get to see how Oohara Sayaka does the other side of Beatrice, something I’m really looking forward to, but slightly concerned about.
Really? I guess it’s because Ohara Sayaka is Alicia “ara ara” Florence to me, so going to insane Beatrice was what I was most worried about. After looking her up again, I found out she’s Rika from Honey and Clover, so she should be able to be sad Beatrice too.
Hmm… is that Aria? I don’t think I’ve actually seen ANYTHING she’s done, so I was just concerned all around, because I had never heard her in anything.
Yep, that’s Aria. Alicia is pretty much the polar opposite of Beatrice in every aspect.