Umineko When They Cry: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Umineko When They Cry: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Murder was just the beginning. . .

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 15, 2012

Don’t panic—there isn’t a second disc. Those of you who have been collecting the deluxe Premium Edition sets that NIS America has been churning out with a fair degree of regularity over the past couple of years might initially have the concerned reaction I did when I opened this second volume of Amineko When They Cry. To my recollection, all previous NIS America Premium Editions have come with at least two Blu-ray discs (sometimes two Blu-ray discs and two DVDs, in fact), but when I pulled everything out of the slipcase, I was surprised to find only one slimline case with a single BD inside it. But then I remembered that when I had been researching this anime while writing my Umineko When They Cry Blu- ray review of the first volume, I had noticed that there really weren’t that many episodes in total and I had in fact wondered how NIS America was going to spread whatever remaining content there had been over two discs, which I simply assumed was the unalterable norm for the label. And so in one way, this single disc release really shouldn’t come as a major surprise. But in another very real way, consumers who might have balked all along at paying the sometimes hefty prices for these Premium Editions now probably have something really major to tick them off, as they’re only getting one disc (plus the hardback book) for what amounts to more or less the same price. So before we go any further with an actual review of the content of that single disc, savvy prospective customers might want to remember that age old adage caveat emptor.

As was discussed in Umineko When They Cry Part 1 Blu-ray review, the series is split up into what might be thought of as different “chapters”, as evidenced by different numbering schemes differentiating interrelated but kind of self-contained story arc, which also correspond to the various "games" that Battler and Beatrice are involved in (chess imagery floods this series just in case the viewer misses the intellectual battle angle). The single disc in this second set contains the fourth chapter, which starts with the nineteenth episode of the series. As was also discussed in the review of the first section of the series, Umineko When They Cry is fairly bursting at the seams with various characters, and even while watching the show it can be hard keeping track of who’s whom and how various stories relate to each other.

While the first couple of episodes of Umineko When They Cry might lead some to believe they’re going to be watching a murder mystery taking place on an isolated island with lots of “locked room” subplots unfolding, the series takes a rather dramatic left turn part way through, and by the time this fourth chapter has come along, the actual murders have almost taken a back seat to both a sort of philosophical debate between Battler and Beatrice, as well as several unfolding stories that start to reveal further interrelationships between various characters, probably most notably the little girl named Maria.

The other major conceit of this final arc of episodes is a sort of quasi-time traveling gambit where we get things unfolding side by side in both 1986, when the first set of episodes took place, and 1998, where the ramifications of what did happen in 1986 have had some unexpected repercussions. Battler’s (secret) sister Ange plays into several unfolding developments in 1998, and there’s also some almost brutal information given on Ange’s life after the series of murders took place. Ange also has the ability to help her brother in his metaphysical “debate” with the witch Beatrice.

As becomes clear part way through the first volume of episodes, what Umineko When They Cry actually turns out to be about is the age old battle between the “scientific” and the “religious”, for want of better terms. The occurrences on the family island in 1986 can be explained rationally by Battler, or one can accept the supernatural insistences of Beatrice. Had the series concentrated solely on that aspect without the huge amount of tangential subplots and sidebars that crop up (even throughout the fourth “game” or chapter), it would have been a much more focused and perhaps visceral entertainment.

Like many an anime that has sought to become a broadcasting phenomenon, Umineko When They Cry was culled from the sort of videogame called a visual novel, and some of those who have played the game version (something I frankly haven’t) have decried the anime for not following the original intent of the franchise’s creators nor even following some of the major plotlines that occurred in the game. Even those without any experience with the game version may find this a too sprawling and kind of confusing enterprise that seems to be one thing and then turns out to be something entirely different. One of the things that becomes clear in this final chapter is that the mystery that Uminkeo When They Cry seems to be about is not actually the ultimate mystery that the anime wants to solve. The final episode attempts to provide some answers, but the fact is by that point many viewers may have ceased to care anymore.

Umineko When They Cry: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Umineko When They Cry Part 2 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of NIS America with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Much like the first half of the series, this final set of episodes offers an often lusciously beautiful image, crisp and well defined, with precise line detail and gorgeously saturated color. Character designs are really well done as well and provide a lot of visual interest as the series progresses. There are some nice motifs which differentiate the two timelines that make up the bulk of this arc, and overall Umineko When They Cry has a wonderfully sharp and clear presentation in high definition.

Umineko When They Cry: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with Umineko When They Cry Part 1, this second volume also includes only the original Japanese audio track delivered via an uncompressed LPCM 2.0 mix. This suffices surprisingly well for the bulk of the series, which is awfully talky at times, but some audiophiles might be wishing there had been a surround track to more artfully handle some of the supernatural elements that crop up with a fair degree of regularity. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented, and the Japanese voice cast has some very distinctive actors who sound great and inhabit their characters with a lot of panache. Dynamic range is generally quite wide within the confines of the 2.0 mix.

Umineko When They Cry: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As discussed above, this is another deluxe Premium Edition from NIS America which may only have one disc (which some people may find a major drawback, if not an actual ripoff), but which does feature a beautifully illustrated hardback book that contains character sketches as well as little "articles" about various mysteries in the series. Unlike the first set of Umineko When They Cry, however, there are some minimal supplements on the lone disc of this set:

• Clean Opening (HD; 1:32)


• Clean Closing (HD; 1:32)

Umineko When They Cry: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Umineko When They Cry when what I had assumed would be a murder mystery turned out to be a sort of alternate universe battle of the wits between Battler and Beatrice. But the show maintained enough interest through that first volume to make me wonder what was going to happen next, though I had a bit of a niggling concern when what seemed to be the hint of a time travel escapade showed up at the end of that volume. With this last "chapter" or "game" playing out in two distinct timeframes, even as Battler and Beatrice continue to discuss how the various nefarious events of long ago could have occurred (were the forces rational or irrational?), there were simply too many other stories going on to ultimately care about. This is a series that really needed to do one of two things: either drastically cut down the content to allow for proper development over this relatively paltry number of episodes, or kept the vast array of characters and taken a lot more time in getting the viewer hooked on various elements. The whole show, and especially these closing episodes, seem rather rushed and ill conceived at times, almost as if the adapters had some sort of quota they needed to fill, bringing in as many of the characters from the original game version as possible without really caring what happened to them. The series does get into some really interesting debates and some of the mini-mysteries that make up individual episodes or arcs are in and of themselves very well done, but taken as a whole Umineko When They Cry ends up being too much of a mishmash to ever really gel.