The talented team over at 07th Expansion knows how to make a masterful, complicated, and engrossing story. The folks did it with Higurashi first, and then soon after again with Umineko. More importantly, everyone involved is a master of Japanese horror, which not enough visual novels and anime do well. As such, it is high time for Umineko, one of the best horror anime of all time, to make a long-awaited return.
Umineko has a pretty straightforward initial premise with an execution that is anything but simple. It tells the story of a family that gathers on an island, only to become stranded there. Thus ensues some wild and horrifying murders that can’t be easily explained. Is it supernatural? A human serial killer? Therein lies the true mystery of this anime.
I would argue the premise of this series and the spooky vibes are, at times, more compelling and intriguing than even Higurashi, which I also adore. It has a structure quite similar to its predecessor in the original visual novel, too, splitting between its four question arcs and four answer ones. Unfortunately, the original anime focused solely on the question side.
As such, fans are left with some of the worst lingering questions with no answers and it has been like this since the anime’s release in 2009. That is quite a long time to wait without any resolution whatsoever. Of course, you can play the original visual novels, read the manga, or even the novelization series for the answers if you’d like.
But I think it is a shame to make fans go that route, especially since Higurashi is complete in anime form. In fact, it is so complete that it got a full-on two-season sequel, despite being seemingly finished, from 2020-2021. This makes the situation all the more worse for Umineko that has nothing but a single 26 episode season.
At this point, it feels necessary to do a full-on Umineko remake. And this would be great since it would have much better animation and usher in a new audience. This remake season could be a precursor to a second season finally diving into the answers. I hate to get my hopes up, but it actually feels like the right time to do this as well.
After all, we got Higurashi’s surprise return fairly recently. Then there is the almost renaissance of whodunnits in recent years. The likes of Among Us, the Knives Out series, and Hercule Poirot’s recent trilogy all help to popularize this genre. And given how unique Umineko‘s take on murder mysteries is, it can stand out even further.
The one possible hitch in this plan is who would make the Umineko anime. Passione created the recent Higurashi sequels, so it seems like a likely candidate. However, it is quite busy right now with a lot of upcoming and current series like Chained Soldier Season 2, Nukitashi the Animation, and Loner Life in Another World.
Fans would likely either have to wait even longer for this legendary horror anime series to return or another studio would have to handle it. Regardless, I do hope it returns and gets the justice it deserves. The intense murders, locked room mysteries, and surprises would fit so well in today’s landscape. And this is before the epic and memorable characters like protagonist Battler and the evil witch Beatrice, who might even more be iconic than the Higurashi cast. Hopefully, we finally see one of the best horror anime series of all time, Umineko, return soon.
Umineko: When They Cry is not currently available to stream on any legal service in North America.
Published: Oct 17, 2024 03:00 pm