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![]() October 4th, 1986, 1:30 PM ![]() BGM: Doorway of Summer However, because the sons and siblings had been lent a great fortune, in the Ushiromiya family, which considers only those that achieve success in business adults, it literally was a conference. How much of the fortune was invested? What kind of business was conducted? How much was earned? As a result, how much of the fortune borrowed from the main family can be repaid? Or, possibly, how much will be borrowed for future business ventures? What lessons have they learned, and what could they learn from their mistakes? It seems that topics like these had been discussed very seriously in the past. My dad called it a bed of nails. Apparently, it used to be a very serious family meeting, bathed in harsh and angry voices. Even on a good year, it was common for someone to get slapped. However, that had become a thing of the past. Now, with everyone pursuing their own business ventures and achieving success, it was a normal yearly get-together. Even so, hearing about Grandfather's condition caused a significant amount of stress, so while to us grandchildren it was nothing more than a simple meeting, to our parents it was still a real stomachache. I guess that since the ringleader was absent for various reasons, today's lunch was even more delicious. The phrase 'while the demon is not around, everyone can relax' comes to mind. Well then, let's introduce Jessica's father, whose face I hadn't seen for six years. The man sitting to my father's left was his older brother and the father of Jessica, uncle 蔵臼. ![]() Just like with aunt Natsuhi, I didn't have many memories of speaking with uncle Krauss. He had never been one to talk to children, and I felt like he was always talking with the adults, just like aunt Natsuhi. From my father's gossip, it seems that he was a pretty spiteful and unreasonable person. If what my father said is true, he used to be very domineering as the oldest sibling, and was hated by aunt Eva, aunt Rosa, and the rest of the family. Huh? It looks like he's having a friendly chat with the rest of the family, doesn't it? Oh, well. Even if their relationship was bad when they were children, sometimes when people grow up and go their separate ways, their relationship changes. That's probably what this was. After all, they all had children of about the same age. By sharing the same family environment, they probably profited by exchanging opinions. Maybe because of that, a short while ago the circle of parents began to discuss the exams Jessica and I were taking. Jessica, in order to escape the discussion of exams with my father sitting on her left, purposefully faced right while firing off a rapid series of comments, so as not to show any weaknesses. Moving on, let's look at the end opposite from Krauss and the others. In the very last seat at the table, an old gentleman with a sturdy physique sat facing Kyrie-san. This was my first time meeting him. ![]() He had known Grandfather since the very beginning when the mansion was first constructed on this island, and had built up a relationship over several decades. I thought that he might be Grandfather's companion in his suspicious hobbies, but, surprisingly, it seems that he is Grandfather's chess partner... I see. That kind of hobby seems very like our Grandfather with his love of western style. You could probably say that he was the only person who could enter Rokkenjima and was neither a family member nor a servant. He gave an impression of a calm old gentleman as he listened to Kyrie and the other women's conversation. After staying by our short-tempered Grandfather's side for so long, his big heart was nothing to laugh at. Still, even if he was the head physician, having anyone outside the Ushiromiya family attend the family conference was a little odd. I imagined that because Grandfather's condition had grown much worse, it may have become one of the major topics of discussion. George was just saying it, too. Reports that Grandfather's remaining life was very short had been appearing continuously since around a year ago. It was a nasty story, but Grandfather was an extremely rich man. At the time of his death, his wealth would suddenly be released, along with our parents' stomach acid, and would probably lead to ulcers. With this kind of thing, the greater the share, the more trouble would be caused. This would probably also be included in the family conference. Oh well, it's not like it had anything to do with us children. Finally, even though he was absent, let me introduce our Grandfather. ![]() As you can probably guess from the topics that have been raised, he was a frightening person with an extremely short temper. Because I was one of the grandchildren and hadn't met the family since elementary school, I had no memory of being beaten, but it seems that our parents were raised with an iron fist. That earlier conversation between my father and uncle Krauss about who should go try to convince Grandfather to come out seems oddly funny if we take this into account. In order to tell Grandfather's story, you have to first go back and recount that episode that occurred before the Showa era (1926-1989). Until the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taishou (1912-1926) eras, the Ushiromiya family was great and prosperous. They owned several spinning mills, so while they just laughed heartily every day, the money kept rolling in, making them very wealthy. ![]() BGM: Rose Even so, during the Great Kanto earthquake in the year Taisho 12 (1923), the mansion owned by the Ushiromiya family in Odawara was flattened. The spinning mills in Tokyo were all burned down in a huge fire, and the Ushiromiya family lost most of its wealth and family members in an instant. It then became a matter of who in the main family would become the heir, and it seemed as though no one except the branch family, which included Kinzo, was left. Kinzo himself later said that it was such good luck, it was as though fate itself had been turned upside-down. With that, Grandfather's normal life did a 180. He was entrusted with reviving the wealth that the dying Ushiromiya family had almost completely lost. Naturally, just because he had been entrusted with this task didn't mean he could accomplish it. It seems that the surrounding people weren't really expecting much. However, from this point on, Grandfather began displaying his extraordinary talent and good luck. Grandfather used all of the family funds and everything from the hair on his head to his toenails as collateral to borrow a massive amount of money, created a gigantic supply of funds and soon revived the family's business. It was like tumbling down a hill on a bike without any brakes. And then, jumping onto a neighboring bike, and then another one! Just like some crazy street performance. Probably, anyone would have thought that Grandfather had no business ability. Even so, with an unbelievable amount of good luck and miracles, with coincidences piling up and every chance taken advantage of, before anyone knew it, he began to make connections with the occupying forces. At that time, McArthur and the GHQ were in charge. Grandfather, in a twinkle of the eye, began succeeding in business under the protection of the occupying forces, quickly becoming very rich. At this point, it was no longer luck but information that won the day. He must have made some seriously thick connections with the occupying forces... Grandfather knew beforehand about emergency demands that would be made for the Korean War. No, on the contrary, he must have foreseen these special procurements from the very beginning and started eating into his businesses. As we read in the history books, all of Japan made a large profit off of the emergency demands for the Korean War, but in actuality that didn't happen. Only a very limited number of the super rich played the money game and made an easy profit. Most of the citizens remained poor. In other words, Grandfather was an extremely lucky member of this group of winners. This all happened... during the year Showa 25 (1950), I think. And, since the year following the Great Kanto Earthquake was Taisho 13 (1924)... That means Grandfather was able to revive the near-dead Ushiromiya family in only about 20 years to a level even higher than it had been before. With that, you'd think that he would revive the main family in Odawara, but for some reason, he went and did something as crazy as buying an entire small island in the Izu archipelago. ![]() After the war there were prevention measures against food shortages, and, furthermore, having the sponsorship of the GHQ meant that nobody could oppose him. It seems that Tokyo Metropolis had almost no money at the time and offered this land. Later, Tokyo made difficulties by telling Kinzo to return the land, but the pushy GHQ intervened. Anyway, it seems as though under the table bribes worked perfectly. In the end, the city gave up in frustration. Grandfather, with considerable skill and blessed with good luck, managed to weather the stormy seas of that period, obtaining a vast fortune and his own island. Of course, it wasn't all luck. He was skilled with English, and this was cultivated by his western obsession. Using this as a weapon, he was able to take a bite out of the GHQ. A mansion was immediately built on the island. That would be this mansion. Grandfather, with his western style, made this once uninhabited island, Rokkenjima, a canvas upon which he could realize his dreams to his heart's content. With the western mansion that he had always imagined, overflowing with emotion, to the beautiful garden where various roses had been planted, and a private beach where nobody other than himself would ever be permitted to leave a footprint. ...If a boy could have this much, it would be a dream come true. After that, making good use of his huge fortune, he became a large stock holder in the extremely stable iron and steel industry and was able to live an easy and comfortable life just using the dividends. Well, he's just that incredible. This kind of person usually has the ability to foresee and predict the future, or at least that is how they are portrayed. Grandfather denies all of that, repeatedly saying that he was simply blessed with extraordinary luck... Anyway, even a lord like that, with all of his dreams made real, can't help but grow increasingly odd when locked up alone on an island. ![]() Did his love of black magic begin way back when he became fascinated with everything western, or, possibly, did his miraculous stretch of good luck which allowed him to revive the family cause him to feel a mysterious power in himself? At some point, Grandfather began to make the research of black magic his life's work. He filled his study up with suspicious books, chemicals, and magical items as he became increasingly bizarre. I heard that, as a successful man, he had the right to decide how he wanted to live the rest of his life, and those surrounding him warmly watched over him, but... That's definitely a lie. They probably were just driven away, thinking 'that's disgusting, I don't want to get involved.' Well, that agitated period was like a big gamble, with both opportunities and risks. Let's say Grandfather was born in this time period. He would've had no opportunities and would probably have advanced like a chess piece from mandatory education to college at a leisurely pace, never becoming more than an average salary man. If that happened, he'd probably have sat somewhere, happily talking behind his boss's back. No, no. Not in a mansion's dining hall. More like a table at some bar. If that were the case, I'm sure that this would be a more comfortable family conference. ![]() BGM: Novelette ![]() ![]() Everyone let out a big laugh. drat it, you say that even though you love those cheap pubs. ![]() ![]() Gohda lowered the empty plate and, without losing his smile, began to recount his own uneven past. ![]() ![]() ...Oh man, why does aunt Natsuhi always have to speak so frankly. If only she spoke more gently, she might give off a different impression. Shannon-chan and Kumasawa-san entered from the hallway with a serving cart. ![]() ![]() Gohda-san and the others laid out the beautifully adorned dessert. I guess it's true when they say you have another stomach for dessert. I'd thought that being fed all that delicious food had totally filled me up, but as soon as I laid eyes on the dessert, my stomach started yelling 'More!' I don't know much about desserts, but this looked really good. A white pudding-like substance was garnished with two shades of red sauce, and elegant rose petals adorned the dish. With such magnificent food distributed in front of everybody, it was time for the chef to extol the virtues of his creation. However, Maria, who was completely indifferent to this strict rule, got excited by this beautiful and delicious looking dessert and jumped into the fray as soon as it was placed before her. Aunt Rosa scolded her, calling it bad manners, but George responded by saying 'Now, now, it's alright.' ![]() Maria exclaimed as she sampled the two colored sauces. ![]() Apparently the sauce was a blend of sweet and sour. Despite it being bad manners, I also stuck my little finger in and licked it. Whoa, half of it was sour enough to make you pucker up. If it were yellow, I'd have suspected lemon, but I couldn't guess what kind of sourness would be red. I decided to ask Shannon, who was putting away the serving cart behind us. ![]() Maybe she was just setting the table and doesn't really know. Man, she's at a total loss... did I ask something wrong? Or did they use something that we'd be better off not knowing about? While aunt Natsuhi acted as though she had a headache, Kumasawa-san, who was setting the table at the opposite seat, began to laugh with a 'Hoh-hoh-ho'. ![]() ![]() ![]() Kumasawa-san leaned across from the other side of the table. I leaned forward too when she asked me to listen. Their interest caught, Jessica, George-aniki, and, of course, Maria also put their ears closer. ![]() ![]() """HAAAaaahh, mackerel?!?!""" "That's crazy," we all thought, horrified. Only Maria accepted it, nodding with an 'uh-huh'. ![]() ""...ha, Wahahahahaha...!"" When Maria started clamoring that mackerel were sour, the adults were unable to contain their laughter. Only aunt Rosa, her face red, told Maria that mackerel is sour only once prepared, in a small voice. ![]() ![]() ![]() Gohda looked a little put off about his masterpiece being laughed at in such a strange way, but after clearing his throat once, he introduced the dessert to us. ![]() ...Ha... Man, I almost want to applaud before eating. Just like with medicine, reading the instructions seems to work better than just drinking it. As Gohda-san elaborated on the details of this dessert, it started to feel even more appetizing. Seriously, should you call him subtle or just talented? The dessert was probably planned from the beginning, but taking the hint when we all stopped in front of the rose garden earlier today, he displayed an incredible and timely awareness by just adding a few rose petals from that garden. This combination of sweet and sour was also exquisite. If it was just sweet, you'd just get used to it and bored halfway through. But if you reached the sour sauce at that point, you'd get a really vivid taste. And then, once you returned to the sweet sauce, all of the sourness in your mouth would be replaced with an enjoyable sweetness. I'm sure everyone else felt the same way. Every time Gohda-san passed by one of the seats, someone praised the taste and his creation. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kumasawa-san often claimed that mackerel had a precious nutritional value that could do things such as prevent aging and make people smarter. It seemed that while it couldn't stop the outward signs of aging, it helped prevent aging on the inside. Since she was still healthy enough to tell these kinds of jokes at her age, that benefit must be the real thing. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() """Wahahahahahaha!!!""" Kumasawa-san, together with Shannon-chan, bowed and pushed the serving cart away. Amusingly, Gohda-san, who looked just as though his stock had been stolen from him, explained very seriously that tonight's dinner would actually be calf steak. ![]() ![]() Kumasawa may have played dumb, but she had obviously understood and saved Shannon in the nick of time. Back when Battler had asked for the details of the dessert, Shannon had unfortunately hesitated. There may have been several ways to dodge the question, but all of them would have been tricky. Shannon, who hesitated when hard pressed for a response, was always suffering because of this small weakness. If only Shannon, like Gohda, had a little of the craftiness needed to skillfully shake off a mistake, her days would be a little more comfortable. As far being able to flawlessly handle her work, this weakness was especially unfortunate. Naturally, those whose knew of Shannon's meek nature and her inability to gloss over a mistake and deceive people would understand this. Therefore, Kumasawa came to her aid without hesitation. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() To Shannon, Kumasawa was like a mother among the servants. ![]() BGM: Steady Pace Maria insisted that she also wanted to drink the black tea, but was rejected by the old bastard, who told the children to go play outside. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The children flew out of the parlor. They were replaced by Genji, who pushed a serving cart in and prepared the black tea. The parlor was filled with a sublime aroma which entertained everyone while they waited to appease their thirst... ![]() ![]() ![]() Natsuhi answered coldly. With that, the conversation halted, and the parlor became silent. Possibly because he couldn't stand it anymore, Hideyoshi broke the silence with an exaggerated gesture. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Rosa smiled with an uncertain face. Whether she agreed or disagreed, she knew that she would earn the displeasure of her brother or her sister. It was a bit of worldly wisdom she had needed to learn as the youngest sibling. ![]() BGM: At Death's Door ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Nanjo, standing by the window and staring out at the rose garden, let out a single cough when he realized that he was being called. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Krauss laughed sarcastically, and Eva, smiling sweetly, returned an identical chuckle. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Nanjo sighed deeply. The purpose of an examination was to determine what medical treatment was appropriate. Receiving an examination and then not following the advice given made the whole thing pointless... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As Natsuhi resentfully responded in a low voice, the already dark atmosphere grew even more hostile... ![]() Hideyoshi, tried to smooth things over by glancing at both with a forced smile, but it only resulted in making the hostility between Eva and Natsuhi even more intense... Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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# ? May 4, 2024 13:37 |
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![]() After the doctor had exited and his footsteps had disappeared into the distance, Krauss recrossed his legs. ![]() ![]() Rosa shot a glance at Eva and Rudolf. As the youngest daughter in the family, being cross-examined by the eldest was harsh. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Natsuhi's forehead creased as she rose from the sofa. Eva, paying this no heed, stared at Krauss with a confident smile. Krauss, who also maintained his confident appearance, told Natsuhi to sit down. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Natsuhi, who had already reached the limits of her anger, shouted at Eva in a rage. She then pointed alternately at Eva and the hallway, indicating that she should leave. Eva took out a folding fan and fanned herself with it, glaring maliciously at Natsuhi as though silently daring her to repeat what she'd said. However, her mouth was still smiling, curved in the shape of a crescent moon. In that unpleasant silence, Rosa gulped. ![]() ![]() ![]() Eva folded the fan with a snap and rose powerfully. Compared to the elegance and playful behavior she had shown until just now, she was unimaginably aggressive. ![]() ![]() There were a hundred ways Natsuhi wanted to respond. However, her anger and sorrow crushed her throat, and not one of them managed to make it to her mouth. The anger which had lost any place to go became a single hot tear which slowly dripped down... ![]() Eva faced her with a provocative gaze. However, Natsuhi's fist was shaking; she trembled all over, unable to do anything... Krauss quietly broke that powder-keg tension. ![]() ![]() ![]() Natsuhi was already unable to hide her tears. She flew from the room in that state. After that, all that remained was an somewhat embarrassed mood about the parlor... When the sound of footsteps grew distant and silence returned, Krauss shrugged his shoulders slightly. ![]() ![]() ![]() Natsuhi flew into her room and bent over the bed, lamenting... Those heartwrenching sobs reached Kumasawa in the hallway... ![]() There is a deep enmity between her and and Eva-sama. Explaining their relationship would be very tiresome for a woman such as myself... The Ushiromiya family held blood in high regard, but if someone married outside the family, they were normally removed from the family hierarchy. Thus, under normal circumstances, Eva-sama should have been removed when she married Hideyoshi-sama. However... this was not anyone's fault. Madam definitely bore no guilt. There's no way to say it other than calling it a whim of god. Krauss-sama and Natsuhi-sama were not blessed with children for some time. Anyways, this was the male dominant Ushiromiya family. A wife was just a tool to create a heir. If that wife could not fulfill her only duty, she would not be treated as a human. It is painful to remember how much the Master tortured Madam during that time... During that time, Eva-sama and Hideyoshi-sama's wedding was discussed. Eva-sama was sly. Taking advantage of Madam's inability to become pregnant, she gained the favor of the Master. She inspired him to allow her to marry and give birth to a successor herself, making sure to avoid transferring her name out of the Ushiromiya register. There was a vast difference in the Ushiromiya hierarchy between Madam, who married into the Ushiromiya family and was treated like an outsider, and Eva-sama, who was related to the family by blood and whose husband took on the Ushiromiya name. And beyond that, Eva-sama was the first to give birth to a boy... As for how much weaker Madam's position was compared to Eva-sama, I believe you could see for yourself... I'm sure Madam is tormented by the thought that if only she had gotten pregnant earlier, the Master wouldn't have accepted Eva-sama's request to keep her last name after marriage, and Eva-sama wouldn't have been permitted to act as arrogantly as she had today... However, that was not Madam's fault... All of the blame lies with god's whims and the stork that delivered Jessica late... Even so, Madam won't allow herself to see things this way... She probably can't help but cry bitter tears at her inability to carry out the duties expected of a wife... ![]()
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Holy poo poo, this family is hella loving assholes. Two things I want to say though: first, I forgot Battler had a sister, and what year did this take place?
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bman in 2288 posted:Holy poo poo, this family is hella loving assholes. ![]() "Little Ange-chan" was very briefly mentioned in the introduction at the airport. She's currently sick and can't attend.
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tiistai posted:
Thanks, and sorry for forgetting everything. Don't know why that's the case for me right now.
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![]() I wonder how this typo slipped through? (They're referring to Tokyo Disneyland which was established in 1983, and which is apparently stupidly successful.)
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I imagine the 'typo' slipped through because Ryukishi didn't want to mention Disney by name in his game, just in case.
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Yeah, that's one of those "writing around trademark" name spoofs, like how in D&D you don't have hobbits, you have halflings because otherwise the Tolkien estate will sue.
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bman in 2288 posted:Thanks, and sorry for forgetting everything. Don't know why that's the case for me right now. I couldn't blame anyone for missing the Ange mention, it feels almost deliberately hidden among the sea of other character introductions. And yeah Japanese copyright/trademark/whatever laws are a little weird in some respects, R07 is avoiding a potential lawsuit by not using the actual name.
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ProfessorProf posted:While it lays a lot of important groundwork for the amazing parts to follow, Episode 1 is definitely the weakest part of Umineko - which is a shame, because it's the part you see first. As I'm sure you've noticed, it suffers from a far-too-slow opening before the fun starts. While I totally agree, I noticed something very unusual a little bit further in the game: It's actually, to me, introducing the characters very well. I could list off all the introduced characters and remember important personality traits about them without them feeling like caricatures. Pretty standard for a classical mystery, but not so much for Japanese Animes. Qrr posted:I think this has been a yearly thing for a long time, but battler skipped the last 6 years because he was living with the other side of his family until they died. It's not him hitting on them, he's trying to play to a classic pop culture stereotype, and getting disappointed when they don't respond in kind. Like if he had posed dramatically and said "So, Chosen One... you have come to defeat me? You will find that the power of the Dark Lord is not so easily overcome!" and the other person responded with "uh yeah okay bro," he's trying to play around with his relatives and it's not working out. The fact that talking about their Sweet Tiddies is considered playing around is a one of those especially obvious cultural differences; it's just not as big a deal in many situations in quick edit: Oh yeah, I'd apply the updated patch for the stuff you don't have done, Prof. The updated translation and visual effects are totally worth it.
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bman in 2288 posted:Holy poo poo, this family is hella loving assholes. Hella sexist too. Why do they keep calling Krauss Aniki? I guess George is called George-Aniki too.
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Qrr posted:Why do they keep calling Krauss Aniki? I guess George is called George-Aniki too. It's literal in the case of Krauss being adressed by the other siblings, but Battler using it to refer to George is probably a term of endearment. Cobalt Zeroni fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Sep 22, 2016 |
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Qrr posted:Hella sexist too. It'd be like if you had a relative that everyone in your family called "bro", I guess, whether or not he was actually directly their brother. It's meant as a term of endearment, they're seen as the "big brothers" of the family. I mean, it's either that or the EDIT: I can't even with that last name. KataraniSword fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Sep 22, 2016 |
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KataraniSword posted:I mean, it's either that or the Uroshimiyas are a yakuza clan and George and Krauss are the higher ranking officers.
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From what little I understand this stuff Battler uses aniki for George because he feels close to him and/or respects him. Rudolf either is used to calling Krauss aniki since youth or he wants to be straightforward and a little rude about addressing his brother (since he doesn't even use his name). Probably both.
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tiistai posted:From what little I understand this stuff Battler uses aniki for George because he feels close to him and/or respects him. Rudolf either is used to calling Krauss aniki since youth or he wants to be straightforward and a little rude about addressing his brother (since he doesn't even use his name). Probably both. It's a fairly common way to address a familiar man in Japanese, even if he isn't literally your brother. John Lee posted:While I totally agree, I noticed something very unusual a little bit further in the game: It's actually, to me, introducing the characters very well. I could list off all the introduced characters and remember important personality traits about them without them feeling like caricatures. Pretty standard for a classical mystery, but not so much for Japanese Animes. The characterization is really good even in Episode 1, before the plot kicks off. Higurashi was your average VN with a mostly teenage cast, but Umineko gives a lot of attention to the parents. For someone coming from Higurashi it would be the most obvious difference at this point. I feel pretty bad for Krauss here at first. He had huge expectations piled on to him as Kinzo's firstborn and he's just so comically bad at business he can't fulfill them. Then he leaves Natsuhi in the lurch when she's trying so hard to defend him, and you remember he's also an rear end in a top hat.
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![]() October 4th, 1986, 1:30 PM ![]() BGM: Hope As we did, we once again saw that witch's portrait. However, the word 'saw' is probably not the best word to describe that experience. It was more like our eyes were drawn to it. That woman's eyes, with their sage-like glamor, definitely had the power to make those who viewed it stand rooted to the spot. ![]() Back when he had asked what this picture was, the first person to tell him it was Beatrice had been Maria. Therefore, when Battler showed signs of doubt, Maria must have felt that Battler didn't have faith in her. Of course, that's not what Battler meant. Maria ran up to the portrait and began banging on a plate hanging below it. Maybe the title of the portrait was written there. Maria, trying to prove that she wasn't lying, obstinately continued to hit the plate. ![]() ![]() When he patted Maria's head and apologized, she seemed to accept it, sticking out her chest and proudly uu-uu-ing. ![]() BGM: Rose The plate did have the title of the portrait written on it, but it was much too big to contain only that. Beneath the title, what looked like an long epitaph was also written. If you just skimmed over it, several unnerving words would jump out at you. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Grandfather succeeded the Ushiromiya family after it had been destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake and, by successfully riding the stormy seas after the war, managed to accumulate great wealth. That much of the story everyone knows. However, from here on, the strange part of the story begins. Part of it is closely tied to Grandfather's black magic hobby, so its credibility is extremely low, but... Well, wait until the end before you doubt or make fun of it. After the war, Grandfather correctly predicted what the future would hold and won in a huge gamble, accumulating a vast store of wealth, but there is a mysterious legend about how he gained the funds in the first place. Grandfather came from the branch family and had no connections in the business world or the financial world. Even though he later built connections with the occupying forces, in the beginning he was supposedly a nameless person who had not yet gained anyone's trust. Money can only be gathered based on trust. There's no way anyone would lend money to an untrustworthy person. How did Grandfather, whose trustworthiness was zero, manage to obtain the large amount of funds in the first place? It is said that, when asked that question, Grandfather answered like this... ![]() Grandfather then went on and on about how he continued to research alchemy and techniques for summoning demons in order to become a great magician... And the entity summoned as the result of the demon-calling ceremony was the Golden Witch Beatrice. He then said that he made a contract where, in exchange for his own soul, he would receive fortune and honor. The witch then granted Grandfather 10 tons of gold. Grandfather used this gold as collateral to prepare a vast quantity of funds, and then used that to multiply his wealth by several times and revive the Ushiromiya family... It seems that this story was so old that our parents had already been told it when they were still children. Therefore, while our parents were still young, they explored this island in various ways, believing that the gold that Grandfather had received from the witch might be hidden somewhere. However, since there was the danger of them getting lost in the abandoned forest, Grandmother began to spread the story that the witch lived in the forest and that approaching it was forbidden. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The epitaph carved into the plate was very mysterious, with something like a poem or a song written on it. That paragraph was incredibly disturbing, filled with the signs of Grandfather's black magic hobby, and its contents were in bad taste, but it could definitely be viewed as a puzzle which, if solved, could lead to the place where the gold was hidden. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Maria, who wasn't following the story and felt like she was being spoken to in riddles, finally found a place where she could ask us a question. A question which I also wanted to know right then. Whether I hear 10 kilograms or 10 tons, I know that it's an incredible amount, but I couldn't guess exactly how incredible each one is. George-aniki folded his arms and tried to remember the market price of gold. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() How much is 20 billion yen actually worth? ...We can only measure it relative to our own pocketbooks. ![]() ...So 100 times this sum is an unbelievable amount of money. If you work from age 20 to age 60, that's 40 years of work... so it's equal to 4000 years of work wages. It's like you worked every day starting from the Jomon period and finally accumulated this much money. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ...Furthermore, Grandfather later used that money to build a vast amount of wealth. Someone with such a great ability to judge people might also fittingly be called a witch. Also, since she went to the trouble of lending all that money, she might also have enthusiastically guided how it was spent. The decision to unexpectedly get involved with the occupying forces and profit from the Korean War demands might have been inspired in Grandfather by the witch. If you put those together, saying that he received wealth and honor from the witch might actually make sense. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As I made fun of the witch, laughing, I was trying to separate myself from the kid I was six years ago who was afraid of the witch of the forest. At that time, Maria tugged on my sleeve. The strength with which she did was filled with a little unhappiness. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I started getting impatient, not knowing why Maria was jumping on me like this. Then, Jessica tapped me on the shoulder and told me in a small voice. ![]() ![]() Maria nodded seriously. Tears started to run from the corners of her eyes. ...I see. To a girl who wants to become a witch in the future, the existence of Beatrice was proof that witches do exist in this world, and was therefore an image that she yearned after and admired. ![]() ![]() George-aniki kneeled down and held Maria's head. Watching this, Jessica poked my side. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I stuck out my hand and Maria grabbed it with her tiny hand, and we made up. Maria didn't grumble any more than that, so George-aniki and Jessica were relieved. ![]() BGM: Moonlit Night ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Shannon-chan received her instructions and gracefully bowed before retracing her steps. We headed for the beach on our own. Everyone headed for the entrance in a group. ...Feeling as though that witch was staring down at our backs, I turned around once more. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() BGM: Corridor of the Sands of Purgatory ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() If, as they claimed, Krauss was actually embezzling money, Krauss would be able to hide that fact. Besides that, it would also be possible for him to control the distribution of the inheritance in a manner favorable to himself. Krauss, also realizing that this sounded to good to be true, couldn't help but feel doubt. He had to worry about what kind of collateral they had to make this kind of a compromise... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Eva let out a high-pitched laugh. Krauss watched without even flinching. ![]() ![]() It was a play on words. The others, who were forcing Krauss to pay money for some nonexistent gold, would of course not ensure Krauss's portion if they actually found the gold. From the beginning, this deal had been nothing more than a threat directed at Krauss. While the truth might be different, the possibility that Krauss was embezzling his father's assets was extremely high. When at last Kinzo faced death and the inheritance would be distributed, surely some unpleasant facts would be established. That situation would likely be a fatal wound to Krauss. They had snatched up that weak point and, under the veil of compromise, were threatening their brother to try and wring out a huge sum of money. ![]() Krauss, noticing that Eva, sure of her victory, could not hide her smile, relaxedly let out a gloating laugh as he spoke. ![]() ![]() Rosa's expression dimmed. When her brother started talking like this, the conversation would never change for the better. Eva was also sensitive enough to realize this. Therefore, even though Krauss had obediently accepted the deal, she was unable to wipe away her feeling of insecurity. ![]() ![]() 'Just the same as all of you'. It felt as though only that part was emphasized. The color of Rudolf's face darkened. He heard it as 'I have an idea at the same level as yours'. That gave him a sense of urgency. Trying to bring this near-finished discussion to a conclusion, he rushed to wrap it up. ![]() Rudolf took four written contracts out of his breast pocket that had the details of their deal written on them. ![]() ![]() Rudolf took a fountain pen out of his breast pocket and offered it to Krauss. Krauss made as if to accept it, but then, with a small laugh, drew back his hand without taking it and spoke. ![]() When Krauss said that one sentence... All of the siblings felt as though something annoying was creeping up their backs at the same time. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Hideyoshi had a humble expression on his face and was rubbing his hands together, but his eyes were not calm at all. Krauss had already seen through the shadow in the depths of those eyes. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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![]() ![]() Krauss stared at each of the siblings. They avoided his gaze with animal-like instinct. Only Hideyoshi was slow avoiding it, so he was caught in Krauss's gaze. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Krauss grinned broadly. In contrast, Hideyoshi's face was turning obviously pale... ![]() The greatest advantage of being in the stock-holding system was that, by selling stock certificates, a large amount of financing could be gained. That amount was far greater than the actual profits from the business. This made it an extremely effective way to gather the massive funds needed to grow his company even further. However, in exchange for financing the company, the stockholders had certain rights. That was, in order to give the company that they had financed even greater profit, they had the right to observe and control it. That right was guaranteed to all stockholders, and they would sometimes use it to dismiss ineffectual management. It was the 'right' to prevent the money they had spent financing the company from going to waste by watching the management of the company. However, if they use this right forcibly, they can eject the former management and take over the company... Because the general body of all shareholders has the power to dismiss the management and nominate new management. That power is determined based on the majority decision of the stockholders, and people who hold more stock get to cast more votes. ![]() In many companies, their stock gets bought up by malicious people and, in order to prevent their position from being threatened, they make their own employees or people close to them buy a lot of stock certificates. To prevent hostile action from being taken by the majority, they try to take some kind of defensive measures. However, since Hideyoshi's company had only recently become stock-listed, he hadn't had the time to strengthen those defensive measures. No, maybe Hideyoshi himself was so engrossed in the management of his company that he couldn't realize the dangers of being stock-listed. It's hard to say whether he should be viewed as a kind-hearted and skilled manager immersed in management, or a foolish manager who had his feet swept out from under him... There were people out there who would not let him get away with that naivety unscathed. They began repeatedly buying up Hideyoshi's company's stock and suddenly gained such strength that they couldn't be ignored. They then sent anonymous documents to the shareholders and began to capture the majority. The documents read: 'The current management continues to make pointless investments and is ignoring the needs of the stockholders. Let us force the current management to retire, cut the current wasted investments, and let this company be born again as one that gives more back to the stockholders.' It is very difficult to make the actual state of a company's management known. The success created by Hideyoshi's tiny amount of sleep and his constant concern for his company was cruelly twisted, and he lost the trust of his stockholders. Their efforts had almost collected a majority of the stock in the company. At that point, even Hideyoshi noticed and started to buy back the stock, but the stock holders, who realized that the company was undergoing an acquisition maneuver, demanded a ridiculous price for the shares that Hideyoshi was trying to buy back. They continually tortured Hideyoshi, who had no leeway in the negotiation of the price. One of the certainties of capitalism is that value will rise when both parties vie for the same thing. And one of the certainties of democracy is that the majority controls everything. So in the end, whoever manages to buy up the most stock wins. So, whoever has the most money wins. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kyrie quickly recognized what Rudolf's complicated expression meant. Her husband had gotten wrapped up in some kind of trouble without her knowledge, and had been suffering alone. ![]() Rudolf had been building a large amount of wealth with a certain type of niche market. However, a niche is a niche. It's definitely not a sunny job. An American corporate giant was trying to accuse Rudolf's company of violating their rights. For various reasons, it was thought that winning the trial was extremely unlikely, and Rudolf went for an all-out surrender... But even that was a path resolved with money. If he could only pay that money, though it might be painful, he could still pick himself back up. ![]() ![]() ![]() Rosa uncharacteristically lay bare her emotions and yelled. There's no way he could know. As Krauss watched, he let slip a muffled laugh... ![]() In other words, the situation had been reversed. Because only Krauss, who they were threatening, had no urgent need for a large sum of money. Compared to that, the three who were threatening him wanted money quickly, no matter what the cost. So Krauss was able to control this deal however he liked. Krauss was very sly. He had known of their Achilles heel from the beginning. Even so, he had not been certain. Therefore, he had hidden that until the very end, and, upon closely and completely examining their attitude, he had struck back. ![]() Krauss's elated words were horribly blunt. The other siblings could do nothing more than listen, grinding their teeth. If they could think of a sponsor that convenient, they wouldn't have kept up this charade. They had entered this huge battle specifically because they had exhausted all other options. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kyrie grabbed her husband's hand. But that action made him feel even more pitiful, so Rudolf shook it off. Krauss laughed as though seeing that made him extremely happy. ![]() ![]() ![]() BGM: Rose ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kinzo set down his glasses and snorted. ![]() ![]() Kinzo choked, apparently in great pain. Kanon got closer and tried to pat his master's back, but Kinzo signaled that he didn't need to. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kanon bowed and left the study. As the door was closed, a heavy locking noise resounded. ![]() He was already unable to trust anyone excepting, not the sons who shared his blood, but those servants who called themselves furniture... ![]() For the most part, Genji also understood the family's situation. It must have made him want to frown, knowing that right now in the lounge, the master he served was being discussed so disrespectfully. But it would have been very difficult to gather that from his indifferent expression. ![]() Nanjo looked at the portrait of Beatrice. No, he actually directed his gaze beneath the portrait, at the plate with the epitaph. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() However, both Nanjo and Genji realized that at least that much was definitely impossible. As those who held the longest relationship with Kinzo, even though they were more trusted than his blood relatives, they could not guess at Kinzo's true motive... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As Nanjo lightly laughed in response, he once again looked at the epitaph. ![]() That which is written on the epitaph of the portrait of my most beloved witch Beatrice is as follows: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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This post is here because of a planning error Did you know that SA posts have a maximum length of 50k characters? I did not know this
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Man, I prefer these sprites over the Steam version's... not to mention the pretty backgrounds. It was around this point I actually started getting interested in the story - up until the inheritance discussion, I was bored out of my mind. Didn't really help that I had no idea what kind of story Umineko was supposed to be, just that everybody said it was good.
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ProfessorProf posted:Ushiromiya Nanjo There are so many Ushiromiyas in this story, even the character list is getting confused. (His first name is Terumasa, apparently:) ![]()
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That is easily my best fuckup yet.
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Uhhh, are all the posts in this thread supposed to be spread out over 71 pages. ![]() edit: Ok things are normal again, I just had to reset the thread. I'm not sure how you do that Prof.
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I generally prefer making the links from the TOC go to just that post, without the thread surrounding it. If people would prefer I didn't, I can redo the links.
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Time for the ground floor on this crazy train. Umineko is my favorite VN. So you go Prof.
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So from how I got it. Krauss (Who was clearly intended to be Claus.) is a failing businessman who is good at most of the steps of his plans except making them last and has poor timing for his ideas. Eva and Hideyoshi are doing fine business wise. But Hideyoshi's unfamiliarity with the stock market and shareholders is threatening to make him to lose control of his company, unless he gets enough money to quickly get enough stock back. Rudolf got sued and needs money to reach a settlement. Rosa appears to have co-signed on a loan and is now in debt.
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So Krauss is a gigantic rear end in a top hat who'd either steal from his family, or throw them under the bus just to save himself some money. Since this is a spiritual successor to Higurashi, I'm betting he dies first. It's not a spoiler to assume that people die, right? I'm not familiar with this story.
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I called it a murder mystery in the first post, so the cat's out of the bag on that one, yeah.
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I think I'd be quite fine with everyone dying in this story so far, with exception to Natsuhi. The Ushiromiya family is bonkers.
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EagerSleeper posted:I think I'd be quite fine with everyone dying in this story so far, with exception to Natsuhi. The Ushiromiya family is bonkers. Hey now, the kids haven't proven themselves utter assholes deserving of death. Yet. ![]()
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EagerSleeper posted:I think I'd be quite fine with everyone dying in this story so far, with exception to Natsuhi. The Ushiromiya family is bonkers. What did the servants ever do to you?
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Lord Koth posted:Hey now, the kids haven't proven themselves utter assholes deserving of death. Maria is moe in a time when anime moe didn't exist (the 1980s). The scourge can be stopped right here. Dire Wombat posted:What did the servants ever do to you? ![]()
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EagerSleeper posted:Maria is moe in a time when anime moe didn't exist (the 1980s). The scourge can be stopped right here. What is it about anime that compels writers to pen kids like they're imbeciles, anyway? Is it a cultural thing/language thing that people refuse to translate? I mean, most English-speaking kids grow out of talking in the third person by like, three. Four or five if they think it's funny/cute. Maria is 9, if memory serves. KataraniSword fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Sep 23, 2016 |
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Umineko has a lot of cards left to play. If you see something odd, there's probably a reason for it. I say this both because it's true and to jack up the general level of semi-justified paranoia.
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I knew a grown rear end college student who did the third person talking thing when I was living in Tokyo, so I guess it varies. (If you want an anime that does a good job of portraying a child as something other than a weird, stupid adult, maybe give Sweetness and Lightning a shot.)
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![]() Uuu~! Uuuu~!
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ProfessorProf posted:I knew a grown rear end college student who did the third person talking thing when I was living in Tokyo, so I guess it varies. Or known anime only series Bunny Drop.
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I really think this whining about Maria being an dumb, annoying child thing has become more annoying than Maria herself. Also 9 year olds are still pretty loving dumb and annoying. I get that it's anime where anyone above 19 years old is probably a grizzled war veteran for anime, while kids (in most fiction honestly) just act like insecure adults who are conveniently dumb when writers can't come up with conflict/suck. So Maria being a dumb, annoying child doesn't really bother me as much.
Fabulousvillain fucked around with this message at 06:39 on Sep 23, 2016 |
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On night number nine, EVERYONE loving DIES. On night number ten you're in the clear!
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# ? May 4, 2024 13:37 |
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If my math is right, this will push the update onto the next page by itself.
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