It’s perhaps taken a long while for this series to really get fired off. Especially how the first two arcs were merely introduction and build-up with hardly any conclusion, wrap-up or answers, But seriously, for me this is a show that just gets more intriguing with every episode. This episode didn’t necessarily contain any new plot twists, but it excellently continued building further upon the plot twists of the previous episode.
We also learn what was up with Beatrice’s sudden change of character in this episode. It wasn’t just that Battler’s words hit her so deeply back then, but while that definitely had its effect, a lot of the blame also seems to lie at the title of “endless witch”. Since for an Endless Witch, the concepts of time really don’t mean anything, and this gets reflected in her personality, turning her into a homicidal maniac. This then brings us back to the element of risk in magic: Beatrice wanted to become a real witch. It seems to me that in order to become the Golden Witch, she needed to make Battler accept her, however it felt to me that if she also wanted to continue being the Endless Witch, she had to give up her personality and become a psycho killer. That makes me wonder about Lambdadelta and Bernkastel.
The thing I liked most about this episode was the powerful dialogues, though. I think that this was the episode most focused on dialogues, as it portrayed a lot of characters, symbolizing their change through this dialogue: Eva rejecting her younger self, Krauss on how he stopped treating his siblings like trash, Beatrice as she tried to make up with Battler by reviving Shannon for George, Battler as he grew up and used his mind much more, instead of his emotions, and Jessica as she lost her parents and her mind. That’s really a lot of development!
And through all these red herrings, you’d almost forget that there’s an actual human killer on the loose, who’s operating under the guise of Beatrice and Evatrice. Why did the killer bother moving Shannon’s corpse? Since it’s also very likely that there are two killers (to match the six locked doors mystery). Right now, it seems very unlikely for any of the eighteen suspects to really have been able to pull off these murders, unless you start to look a bit further.
MAJOR HIGURASHI SPOILERS in the paragraph below.
Remember how in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, one major culprit behind the murders was a simple disease that drove people to insanity. While I doubt that Ryukishi07 is going to use the same thing in both his stories, I do think that we need to look in that kind of a direction. Up till now I’ve simply thought this story to have the simple formula of your average detective novel (you know, “the butler did it!”, and things like that), but what if the real killer never even touched the corpses, and simply poisoned the victims with a strange kind of potion that would make one mentally delusional? I mean, for one thing, it is common for mentally delusional people to see conspiracies everywhere, which could explain the presence of the magical circles drawn in blood.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Again, do note that I reserve the right to delete any comment that spoils what happens after this point in the visual novel.
There was talk about wierd experiments preformed by Kenzo. Servants could have been brainwashed. This makes the character of the doctor as someone with knowledge to be able to do it. Also would explain the attack of ”fake Canon” on the servants in the second arc.
It appears, baring any major plot twists, that my guess in episode 15 was correct and we’ll see the end of Eva-Beatrice or regular Beatrice, perhaps even both very soon. It sounded like she’s getting ready to pull off one of hose sacrifice herself to nullify the enemy type thing. Her butler hinted at it.
Of course since her purpose is to get Battler to acknowledge her, it may not go that way… There’s also the possibility that everyone but Eva dies and we play groundhog day again, repeating this.
I’m also wondering about the first Arc’s opening had some scenes the ocean and someone’s face I didn’t recognize… that could lead to another iteration of this.
Nothing to do but wait till the next episode.
As you can see ‘Endless Witch’ it suppose to bring happiness, but because there is no limitations of life and death one can just keep tasting the forbidden fruit without worries of punishment. Just look at Eva-Beatrice: the girl tortures people for fun, because she has no limits. Like Hideyoshi said – Eva understands the fragility of life. Evatrice has seemed to abandon that sense of humanity, making the two truly different from each other. Perhaps like a split personality of sorts.
Jessica was always going around saying she’ll kill the culprit and all – DEEN just finally decided to express that. Still with the entire Eva thing: Eva did not shoot Jessica in the face intentionally. They got into a fight and Eva fired off the gun by accident. The bullet missed Jessica but the discharge from the gun powder is what damaged Jessica’s sight.
“I mean, for one thing, it is common for mentally delusional people to see conspiracies everywhere, which could explain the presence of the magical circles drawn in blood.”
That’s an interesting idea, but then the answer would probably still be “the doctor did it!” or something along those same lines. What Kessler has mentioned above could also be part of the possible explanation, whether we assume poison, drugs, brainwashing or some other similar trick was involved in these murders.
That scenario hasn’t been ruled out so far. Of course, that would also tend to imply we have not just one or two culprits but a series of willing or unwilling collaborators as well, since even with some sort of mental manipulation leading to paranoid delusions this doesn’t look like the kind of situation where a single person could pull all this off without help.
Back in the world of Higurashi the circumstances were very different, as many of us should know.
Anyway, that’s enough of that kind of speculation for now. The episode continued building up and had some good emotional moments but we’re still waiting for the climax of the arc. I agree that Beatrice looks like she’ll go ahead and put her life on the line to save Jessica, which should be enough to get back in Battler’s good graces, but then what? Will that simply make them re-start the game on friendlier terms?
We did get one bit of completely new information though, the revelation that Battler had a sister, which seems to solve the mystery of that unseen girl in the opening if that flashback is any indication.
As an Umineko veteran, even I don’t know for sure what 07 has in store for the future, which is what makes Higurashi and Umineko much more memorable. But I assure you, once the answers become more apparent, write about them here I will not.
I’ve also suspected psychotropic drugs (esp. hallucinogenics), and possibly hypnotism. It seems to me that these would also be necessary for Battler to perceive himself as being in one place, and then to will himself into the Metaworld. Thinking about it this way, I’d suspect it to be a plot of Kinzo’s carried out with the assistance of his doctor. I don’t know what the reason would be, unless Kinzo thinks that his direct heir should be determined through survival of the fittest.
I’m still not sure whether I think the killer(s) are human or whether it’s done through magic. I mean, I’m open to either possibility. But I wonder what makes you certain that the killer(s) are human–is it because Battler believes that and he’s the main protagonist? Or is it something else that you’ve noticed?
All this speculation and thinking is one of the things that makes this series great.
Great episode indeed!!! The change in Beatrice’s personality is quite something, hardly recognizable! This series , even more than Higurashi, has been for me the most unpredictable one ever! Just each episode introduces something new, something surprising and incredible and plays with our common sense and rationality.
If there are any drugs involved, then Beatrice must have had some: her attitude has completely changed in less than eight hours! :O
@Jenny
I think it is a human culprit mainly because if you try to think from that perspective for awhile and try to twist every event as much as possible to get around the red truth, you actually end up with some really sensible solutions… and some not-so-sensible solutions xD
However to me it doesn’t seem like magic at all now. Everytime something new happens, im trying to think of ways to explain it…
omg, look at this :
http://umineko.tv/web/main/onair/index.html
it’s the preview for next week,
I think next episode is going to be EPIC.
I think I solved the closed-room mystery from the beginning of this arc!
I came up with this myself, so there it’s no spoiler, just my thoughts.
What if Kumasawa’s dead body , possessed by Virgillia, made the closed circle, and then Virgillia left the body. So that Kumasawa’s body is at last the final closed room!
Sorry for my third post in a row, but.. 😛
Doesn’t anyone else think the episode titles got switched up ? That Episode 16 = promotion, and Episode 17 = Isolated Pawn ?
It makes more sense that way, doesn’t it.. ?
Next week is going to be the climax of this arc (final episode of Banquet of the Golden Witch).
And yes, it promises an epic mindscrew.