Can you believe this visual novel is good? Maybe if we all believe... UMINEKO VISUAL NOVEL, EPISODE 1 REVIEW AND THOUGHTS (SPOILER FREE) I'm going to be using this to log my experience with the Umineko VN; I just finished episode 1 and the first tea party. I have to say I am just so blown away by the writing and the absolutely incredible build-up presented in just one episode. No, like, seriously. I can't believe im even making this comparison, but it's on par with Disco Elysium with the writing so far. Don't get me wrong, Episode 1 of the Umineko VN is incredibly slow, and there was a point I considered just dropping it because of a scene so bad. If you've read it, you know what it is: Battler with his whole boobs thing. I can't believe I'm going to say this, BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY PLOT RELEVANT TOO, AND IT COMES BACK IN A REALLY INTERESTING AND COOL WAY WITH SHANNON???? It's baffling, It sets up a lot, and trust me, it took me 2 hours to actually become fully engaged with the plot, but when it does, it gets you. Would recommend to mystery lovers and those who believe in magic. Honestly, I don't even know where to start, but I love all the character relationships. My favorites ended up being Natsuhi and Eva. Both of them bicker like all the time; Eva will take literally any chance to discredit and to smear Natsuhi, and I find that so interesting. The whole family is so ruthless, like the first diner. It's like the curtain is pulled back, and we see the true nature of these characters. The whole discussion about the inheritance had me thinking about it all and making theories, especially when the whole thing with the gold came up. Coming back to Eva and Natsuhi, I was so engrossed by the way these two women are constantly at each other's necks; it tells you so much about the family and how truly messed up they are. Like, don't get me started on Rosa. Anyways, anyways, so yeah, this VN does tension and uneasiness so well. Like when it starts getting weird, when you start seeing weird stuff and someone isn't accounted for... it gave me chills at moments. The big one with being the... storage. Like wow Anyways, I also love the whole discussion on belief and ***** discussion. I'm keeping this fairly spoiler-free, but seriously, I can't recount the last time I found something this pretty well written. Hopefully, the next episodes don't disappoint. Also, I love Battler. I can't believe im saying this, but he's actually so good, especially during the Tea Party I didn't even get into the servants and Kinzo, and you know who... Anyway, I'm just going to spin the chessboard around and say I give episode 1 of the Umineko Visual Novel my full recommendation.