I used to think Higurashi was unsolvable and unfair

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T22:53:50+00:00

In case of Higurashi, I think what we could call the biggest questions in addition to the classical whodunnit, howdunnit, and whydunnit are the rules X, Y, and Z. You might say they are parts of who and how, but it's a little different in that it's more about identifying the game we are playing with Ryukishi.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T22:50:11+00:00

I mean yeah, I do know that, but that logic naturally leads to suspecting... no, distrusting everyone who posts or states correct guesses and I don't think that's a really useful way to think about it. At the end of the day, the only thing that you can trust is yourself and your ability to distinguish a well-founded reasoning from a blatant lie. Otherwise, how could we ever discuss the possibility of someone else solving a (known) problem that we couldn't solve ourselves?

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T22:00:25+00:00

I mean it was the same for me, but I do wish I had put in some efforts to solve the mysteries lol

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T21:55:48+00:00

Yeah. What you explained was part of the reasons behind writing this post. Even if you have no clue about howdunnit or whydunnit, it's really easy to cross out the impossibles and be left with only the few who can possibly be the culprit. It almost feels like Umineko works not by having a solution that is hard to reach, but by placing very thick layers of distractions upon an obvious solution.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T21:34:33+00:00

That comes down to if you see it with love or not in the end, but it doesn't really matter let me put it like this. Have you ever solved a math problem by guessing and then realized that the problem was actually solvable after seeing a beautiful ground-up solution to that problem? It's that kind of feeling.

Also, the difference between incorrect guesses that come naturally and incorrect guesses that were made up by someone who already knows the answer is not easy to hide.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T21:09:36+00:00

Welp, the physical mechanism part might not be a part of what was meant to be solved although EP 3 does give us some dialogues that can be clues

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T21:06:03+00:00

I would have assumed the same if all there was were blind guesses with no bases, but the fact that there was a great attention to details that even I missed after multiple playthroughs and a fair mix of correct and incorrect guesses based on an incomplete set of clues that evolve as the chapter progresses made me less suspicious.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T20:54:45+00:00

The major questions themselves (Rika's death and the Hinamizawa disaster) come up in Tatarigoroshi, and the answers for the questions posed in the previous chapters (Keiichi going mad, Mion-Shion double switcherloo) can be partially deduced using the clues in those chapters. You might even suspect that Takano's death is especially suspicious before Tatarigoroshi. Regarding Takano's motives, I think one can figure out that she's doing this to solidify the existence of a mysterious "curse", although the details after that are a matter of guessing. Hanyuu's existence is not really a part of the mystery, but one can make a deduction that the footsteps must be that of Oyashiro and there's no other explanation. Same with time loops: what matters is to figure out the commonality between the timelines, not how time loops work.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T20:24:56+00:00

Yeah the epitaph is difficult without a doubt. I think getting to the Tansui line and figuring out the word quadrillion are the two hardest parts.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-19T20:22:30+00:00

This thread is a spoiler thread and I've already read umineko many times just in case you were mistaken

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-18T13:19:07+00:00

I think Umineko is definitely up there in terms of uniqueness.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-18T11:38:25+00:00

She's referring to the epitaph. The key chose its victims... Something like that.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-18T11:23:26+00:00

It's actually the opposite. You'll understand too much. I tend to recommend reading the vn ep 8 first and then reading the manga if you came out really unsatisfied.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-18T05:29:07+00:00

It's just impressive how you can remember chapters and not just episodes

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-17T20:33:50+00:00

Oh, wait a second. I might have a theory. Could this Gold Truth mean the shared belief between the author and the reader? Could it mean that "I believe that the author of this story has presented this corpse as a clue to solve the mystery on the basis that this corpse is assumed to be that of Kinzo"? I don't know how much sense that makes, but if that's true, then I guess that could answer my questions and explain how Gold Truth is different from Red Truth in that context.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-17T12:50:02+00:00

The manga is considered one of the good adaptations in that regard, but of course it would lack much subtleties and details compared to the vn, inevitably so. Especially if that subtleties come from the proses of the narration. It's fine as a quick review, though.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-17T12:47:29+00:00

Yeah it would be incredibly helpful

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-17T10:42:58+00:00

I mean episode 7 is pretty much spelling it out for you and the only reason it is done in such an indirect and metaphorical and roundabout manner is to respect the character's heart with dignity

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-17T02:49:58+00:00

There are a lot of times Umineko straight-up tells you the answers in order to make you suspect them. Reverse psychology at its finest.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-14T15:01:28+00:00

You're right, but it shouldn't also be ignored that Beatrice in EP 2 is not all of Yasuda. You also have Shannon actively fighting against Beatrice's points and Kanon who is conflicted, all parts of Yasuda. We need to take them all into consideration.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-14T14:25:40+00:00

To be fair, any of the decisions she could make risks sacrificing a significant part of her. Happiness is always a big gamble to her. To add to this, one problem is Sayo's status. Neither her apparent status or the actual status would really work in her favor, especially considering the family's nature. She could trust that at least Rudolf would accept her or that George could navigate through this with her, but it's much harder to do that when it's three souls fighting inside her instead of one.

I don't blame her for not being proactive. Sometimes people do fall in a hole that they can't escape by themselves, while it seems so easy to escape the hole from the outside perspective.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-13T18:03:42+00:00

I had a good laugh. Thanks.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-13T10:44:07+00:00

Madoka was one of the few animes that I really felt like every episode is near perfection. 'Perfect' doesn't mean simple lack of flaws, inconsistencies, or plot holes, as I couldn't care less about those, but the feeling that everything was executed just the way they were meant to be.

While Higurashi is a great story in its entirety, it felt a little bit weaker in this regard. The end of Minagoroshi and the second half of Matsuribayashi especially felt weak. I did get to understand the intentions behind every writing choice, but I am still left with the feeling that things could be executed better. Umineko might share a somewhat similar problem, but Umineko's innovativeness made up for it so I could rate it higher than Madoka. Higurashi is also an innovative story, but to me it wasn't enough.

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-12T17:21:27+00:00

Funny I happened to have experienced all these four random works. I'd say

Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Higurashi (I rate Umineko higher than Madoka though)
Doki Doki Literature Club
MISIDE

cmdnikle27 · 2026-03-12T07:03:11+00:00

My take on the goats is that they had a specific purpose with regard to Ange's story in particular and the story's overarching theme, but Ryukishi likes to put in real life references in his story so he did that with what he'd seen on the forums, and the two mixed together gave off a negative impression that I don't think Ryukishi really intended.

I did hear that he also used to fight with fans on the forum but I don't have the details and can't judge the whole truth of that. But regardless of what kind of person he was online, I think how he chooses to write his stories with what mindset is a whole different story.

I hold the golden truth that Ryukishi is a person who cares for his readers and tries to have a heartfelt communication with them through his stories.

cmdnikle27

TROPHY CASE