Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Miss_Ety
I am appalled at how many reviews are actually a comparison with the original material.
I watched Umineko without any bias, and I don't remember being that hooked at the end of each episode. That says it all!
Characters are varied, stakes are real, suspense and interest is just everywhere! I loved it.
It was very interesting to follow all the logic behind the crimes, and the very concept of a scene replayed several times in different ways is wonderful. Murders themselves are gore, but the gore is logical, usually subtle, and globally not overdone, unlike the new shocking trend for teen anime. It's the first time I'm able to watch such scenes, focusing on the suspense - they are well made and they just make sense.
The evolution of each setting, the new characters introduced... It all was s…
Read at the sourceK2xSER
This doesn't exist. Please read the novel or manga instead.
The only thing worthwhile in this adaptation is the music, and you can just listen to that without subjecting yourself to Studio Deen's mistakes.The character songs are worth looking up if nothing else, though the OP/ED hit like a truck if you've read the VN. But the worst thing about all this is that Deen rushed through key parts of the story and characters that almost completely ruins it for anyone trying to solve the mystery. And this isn't even mentioning the AWFUL animation.
One of the greatest stories of all time did not deserve this treatment
Read at the sourceZ1ggy
Story = 8/10 The plot itself was very unique, exciting, and original. However, the score went down a bit because of the confusing moments that occurred throughout the anime.
Art = 10/10 The art work in this anime was phenomenal. There was so much detail to everything (especially the golden butterflies) and the colours they chose for the anime truly creates an creepy and dark atmosphere.
Sound = 8/10 The music was done very well. The score is actually what attracted me to this anime. Also, this anime has one of the best openings I have heard in a while. However, my main problem with the soundtrack was that, apart from two songs (Thanks for Being Born and Katayoku no Tori), the music wasn't very memorable.
Characters = 7/10 The characters' designs were amazing and all of the characters ha…
Read at the sourceVVayfarer
Please, do yourself a favor and avoid watching this anime. Even if you have zero interest in VNs (I was like that), just forget about the series, since you might someday change your mind.
The original is a masterpiece. I personally gave it a 10/10 in vndb; the story is among the best I've ever seen in any medium. The anime, on the other hand, is nothing special; you'll run into entertainment of similar value everywhere. It's barely worth 6/10.
I was introduced to Umineko through the anime. I had watched (and liked) Higurashi and had never read VNs before, so the idea of doing so here never even crossed my mind. I was amazingly lucky, though, as after the first 9 or 10 eps I decided to try the VN for no real reason (I wanted to check whether it had a certain type of gameplay - it didn't)…
Read at the sourceinvalidcharacter
I'll warn about spoilers, but they're pretty much identical to most complaints already listed here so not much in the way of spoilers. They relate to the completeness of the anime.
You've been warned.
Ok, so this anime doesn't actually have an ending. It's such a mess you can hardly tell if you're still looking at the same anime from episode to episode, as things such as alternative timelines, alternative realities, fake scenarios and pure and simple lies appear on screen for most of the run time. I am purely an anime viewer; I don't know where this came from, and to be completely honest I don't really care either. I heard quite a lot was cut out of this show, and that originally it did follow some resemblance of structure, rules and viewers could actually tell scenarios apart. However,…
Read at the sourceDemi_V
This review is based solely on the anime.
The Umineko franchise has a huge fan-base as it’s based upon a popular Japanese murder mystery game and visual novels (VNs) made by 07Expansion. Most people who played the games and read the VNs are disappointed with the way Studio Deen presented Umineko to the big screen, particularly changes in the story and animation of the characters. My rating changed constantly throughout the series and resulted in a 5. It appeared as a show incredibly unique and original in the beginning but resulted in something totally bland and deficient in the end.
Story (4):
Umineko has an incredible plot consisting of a philosophical war between fantasy and reality. The anime began on an intriguing note as it introduced a murder mystery, but it progressed into somet…
Read at the sourcekorison
Umineko no Naku Koro Ni could be considered the little brother of the oh so high praised Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. This being, the expectation were exceptionally high for this series. Many say though, that the Adaption itself was shit. I, who hasn't read the Visual to neither Higurashi nor Umineko can't tell. But what I can tell is what I got as an Anime itself. And that shall be presented here:
Story: The story of Umineko is just as Higurashis really complex and seems to quite equal to it. But as soon you reach a certain episode you might realize, that it is not!
The story takes place on an island called Rokkenjima. One day the head of the rich Ushiromiya family, Ushiromiya Kinzo, invites all his children and grandchildren to come to his island. Here the actual story is going to get sta…
Read at the sourceSii_Kei
A few things before reading this review:
-yes, I am one of those who have played the sound novel before watching the anime;
-no, I will not make this an essay of comparison between the two, nor will I praise the novel over the anime; however, it is inevitable that certain comparisons will indeed appear, in order to explain the flaws of the anime;
-this review might seem a bit unfriendly to someone who has no clue what Umineko is about. In fact, it's much more addressed to those who have partially or completely watched the anime/read the manga/played the game.
Let me begin with a simple assertion. Umineko as an anime is a bad experience. Note that I did not say horrendous nor terrible. The Umineko anime is not at all a complete train-wreck, despite all the hatred it receives from the fando…
Read at the sourcemyrrhcat
I'm writing this review without having played through any of the sound novels.
I went into Umineko expecting something similar to Higurashi- inexplicably creepy behavior from otherwise trustworthy people, grisly murders, etc. What I didn't expect, though, was that Umineko would be EXTREMELY CRACKED OUT.
That was a mistake. Because I've got to say, out of all the anime I've ever seen, Umineko is one of the most cracked-out of all time. Just when you think things start to make sense, they throw in something that will make you spit your drink all over the screen. By the end of the series, it only made a modicum of sense.
STORY: 7/10. I wish I could rate the two parts of the story separately, because I enjoy one far more than the other. I didn't like the whole "Battler tries to solve the my…
Read at the sourceravenrage
I'll start off with that i have not read the visal novel. This will be a review from someone who just watched an anime adaption without knowledge to its origin. The other review scores on MAL for this anime is such a rollercoaster, you have to make a choice. Is this really worth it to watch? I enjoyed this anime more than i hated it, hence the low overall score. But there are many things about this anime that is good if you count it as "another anime" and not an adaption.
I'll skip the intro and get to the points:
Story:
What appears to be a simple murder mystery turns into a mind battle of lies and truth in death note style. As in higurashi, you have several scenarios. One person go crazy, kill all, then it restarts with another person etc. In umineko's case it works the same. Just tha…
Read at the sourceMikeOnHighway61
Something has to be wrong with the author of both Higurashi and Umineko no naku koro ni, since both series are extremely twisted, violent and have some kind of sick focus on violence against kids...
...BUT, at the same time this guy has quite a talent to get people hooked up to his visions of mystery and horror and that's what makes his works pretty outstanding from many other mystery anime series. Once you started the first season of Higurashi no naku koro ni you were fascinated by the tension surrounding the secrets of Watanagashi. That's exactly what happened to me watching Umineko, I was completely sucked into this world of terrifying witches and gruesome murders.
To make one thing clear, I never read the novel or anything, so I basically had no background information on the story o…
Read at the sourceCatnis
There were two reasons why I decided to watch Umineko: [1] I heard it was a "sister" anime of Higurashi (I liked Higurashi) and [2] I was expecting a lot of killing and blood and killing and blood and...oh you get it :) Umineko no Naku Koro ni revolves around the Ushiromiya family, who have gathered in the family's island for the first time during the year 1986 to discuss the inheritance of the family-head-status.
Suddenly, someone from the eighteen people - the family, five servants, and the family doctor - is murdered after every few hours or minutes. These murders seem to be point to the fictional character (to the characters in the anime, of course) Beatrice the Golden Witch. Battler Ushiromiya (the main protagonist), who doesn't believe in magic but doesn't want to blame anyone of t…
Read at the sourceVerneJules
In my own perspective, "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" is a very entertaining and enjoyable masterpiece. It's just sad that it has been quite underrated because of its comparison to Higurashi and that the Visual Novel was still a lot better. First of all, don't go thinking it would be close to Higurashi 'coz its plot is a lot different though similar. Higurashi's main point is horror while Umineko is more of a thriller or rather something like a mind battle like "Death Note" and even includes witches and magic. For me, this is one of the most unpredictable anime I've ever watched and does not deserve being underrated. It's a series that would actually even make you want to rewatch the whole series after completing it.
Story: 9
Now this is what you call an anime with a "really deep" story. Befo…
Read at the sourcePanty
Just read the visual novel. The anime itself is a train wreck as an anime, but as an adaptation, it's even worse. Still, it does some justice with the talented seiyuu and beautiful artwork, but it's just better to read the visual novel.
The story and character development are better in the visual novel, as is the audio. If you actually find the time to read all of it, it's also more enjoyable than the anime. The anime is only superior when it comes to art, but after awhile, the visual novel's art becomes attached to you.
Long story short, the anime feels like a cut in half experience of the visual novel. Hence why I rate this a 5/10. Despite how I said this was worse as an adaptation than a standalone anime, if it was a standalone anime, I would probably rate it much lower.
Then again,…
Read at the sourceJulyNo9
An ingenious concept executed excellently in a visual novel and adapted poorly in an anime. I watched the first 6 episodes of this anime without having read the VN. At first I hated it because it confused the hell out of me. When I started to understand at least some bit of what was going on, I started really wanting to like it. But so much seemed missing while watching the anime. I decided to do what I have never done before, and I read the VN. That is when I realized that the story is not at fault, but the anime adaptation itself. Now after completing both the anime and the VN (1-4), I can see why so many people are upset.
Story (5/10)
The pacing. YOUR GOING TO FAAAST. SLOOOW DOWN! This was what really brought down the anime, there were so many cuts to essential bits of information, tha…
Read at the sourceafhdihgad
One must remember that the Umineko no Naku Koro ni anime is an adaptation. While the anime in itself may not necessarily warrant harsh scores of 2 or 3, in comparison to its source material, it is extremely, extremely lacking. I find it inconceivable that anyone could give this series, even if they never read the sound novel, a 9 or 10 out of 10 rating. While the sound novel may not have been a masterpiece, it was intriguing, exciting, and, at times, moving. In its adaptation into an anime, the entire thing was turned into something disgustingly shallow and one-dimensional.
I doubt that any studio or director would have been able to cram every single detail of the sound novels into 26 episodes. However, the way it was done was nothing but uncouth.
I was looking forward to Umineko from t…
Read at the sourceEmilio_Rodo
Alright, let's do this:) First thing I have to say about Umineko , it really lef me with some mixed feelings.Since there's an enormous amount of hate going around regarding this anime, let me clarify to which part of the fanbase I belong. This way, it would be easier for you to spot any bias that might seep in later in the review:)
1) I am a HUGE Higurashi fan: I breathe Higurashi, I think it is the best thing since hot water, blah, blah , blah, you get my point:)
2) I have NOT read the Umineko Visual Novel , so I won't have any complaints of the sort "OMG, they left out ____"
Alright, with that being said, here's my opinion:
Story:
For me this is the most intriguing story that was never told.Why? I believe the setting of the novel is perfect for a mystery.Sure, it might be a blatant…
Read at the sourceDetective
This anime needs a solid review from someone who enjoyed the visual novels and enjoyed this series. Now if you were looking for a masterpiece that was craftily made by a work of geniuses, fully-fleshed out with minor discrepancies, this anime is not for you. If you enjoy a good the-gore-is-all-over-the-place-just-to-piss-off-the-main-character kind of anime, you've found it. Let me begin my review by saying that this is not an amazing adaption, nor is it a terrible adaption, it's an adaption nonetheless and fans of Ryukishi07's other work will greatly enjoy this series. I also will be comparing the anime to VN (visual novel) quite frequently.
Story: 10/10
A very original story, but while it lacks the luster of the VN it still gets the job done. Battler, our hero, arrives on his grandfathe…
Read at the sourceSplitter
This is the story of a young creator named Ryukishi07 whose hit visual novel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni became a hit anime and put him in the spotlight for great things. Hoping to capitalize on Higurashi's success, the same director and studio went to work adapting his spinoff visual novel series, Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Surely we could expect great things would come of it.
We were dead f*cking wrong.
This is anime at its most disgustingly deceptive, dragging you through 26 episodes of "mystery" and I cannot stress those quotation marks enough because half the time the mystery doesn't even exist. Hell I could hardly tell what was the meta-world, the real world, the alternative world, THERE IS NO PERSPECTIVE! None! I don't even know where I am half the f*cking time so how the hell…
Read at the sourcenicepants
Please note: This review will be the review of an anime-only reviewer. I will not be comparing/lamenting the adaption quality.
Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a fantastic story. Taking elements of both Eastern and Western mythologies, we are thrust into a battle between witches. A battle of fantasy vs reality, where we can trust nothing we see, and are forced to reason our way out of a labyrinth of lies.
The music is strong, if not particularly noteworthy. It supports the scenes well, but one will not be humming the themes walking down the street. The OP/ED are excellent, though. By now, we know that DEEN is not a fantastic animation studio. It would come as no surprise that occasionally, there are some art problems.
A very large part of the appeal of Umineko though, are the characters. By…
Read at the source