Casey no!!! The anime tries to shove 150+ hours of VN into 24 episodes!

VN?

visual novel

Should have guessed it. But thank you.

Visual Novel

Ah! Thank you.

Minor spoiler: In the game, one of the character's enchants their textboxes to appear red when they're telling the truth. It's a fun, Metal Gear Solid type of playing with the fourth wall. The anime adapts this directly by suddenly adding subtitles to the same character just so they can be red.

*characters

For the VN, install the patch that gives voice acting and more options for character and background art. The added art is "better" but more generic than the original, but the voice acting has an all-star cast and adds A LOT to the experience.

I'd ultimately recommend the VN. It's long but umineko really gains from not going through it too quickly. If the VN is too daunting the manga is good. But take it at a measured pace. It's a mystery that wants you to actively engage with and think about the text.

When I read through the VN earlier this year I'd set aside about an hour of reading a day where I'd also liveblog my thoughts and ramblings so I really wasn't reading that quickly but boy howdy was I thinking about it.

And also this is personal preference. Keep the original sprites. I really don't care for the PS3 versions even though they're objectively pretty good. The OG sprites are just so charming to me I can't do without them lmao.

Okay, don't watch the anime.

Oh uh I'm currently going through it with vods by Nezumi VA who voice acts the character very well. They also did Higurashi and are currently going through Fate Stay Night

I liked the Higurashi anime tho

You should read Higurashi too, the VN is pretty different!

I’m going to second this as the VN is very much a different experience and it comes right from the author himself.

If you end up reading the the Umineko VN (the manga is also a solid alternative), then look up the 07th Mod: It adds voices and (optionally) sprites from the PS3 version to Umineko and Higurashi, and the voices in particularly *significantly* elevate the experience

play umineko then watch the NEWEST higurashi anime that is what @nerdskull.bsky.social told me

I can't speak of the Higurashi anime but definitely seconding playing Umineko. The anime never finished the story I'm pretty sure and I think they mess up setting up a twist or something? I've heard the manga adaption is ok though but still you may as well consume the original VN.

the Higu anime is far, far better than the Umi anime. it is not even remotely close.

It's a really interesting mix of "oh hey we're going for something really weird and high concept aren't we?" with a menacing Colonel Sanders statue and amusingly sloppy animation. Does have me curious about the source material which I assume is a little better put together and even weirder.

If it helps to deter you: The Umi anime isn’t remotely finished

Never replace a VN with the anime, hahaha

I think the only one that works is Steins;Gate 0 hahaha

Wait, if S;G0 anime is better than the VN how shit the game is? Because I hated the anime when I watched it years ago.

I'd rather go for the VN, even in this case, hahah

The manga, on the other hand, is excellent

Imma be real, I can't do the Umineko VN. I cannot deal with the glacial pace and large cast of unlikable (albeit on purpose) characters. I know it means a lot to a lot of people but for me it was just 4 hours of assholes being assholes until something interesting happened.

Higu has a better anime than Umineko in terms of the story, but yeah, VN first, THEN anime, if you see it at all

The anime is terrible

No.