The first part of Umineko was promising for me. While I didnt love everything about it I thought it showed promise. I assumed that the first part was to set the stage for the parts to come and I was more than correct. This isnt just a mere alternate version of the previous events. It also provides a lot of insight into the characters and their roles. Part 2 of Umineko is an alternate retelling of the events in part 1 as Battler and Beatrice engage in the battle of wits they began at the tea party in the first part. Battler is set to prove that Beatrice is not a witch and that magic was not used to kill the Ushiromiyas. This part also follows Shannon and Kanon and their respective love lives as well as their attempts to grapple with their own humanity and whether they have the right to be considered human at all. Rosa takes Natsuhis place as the mother figure and her fraught relationship with Maria takes the place of Natsuhis struggles to find her place in the family. I really liked Shannon and Kanon this time. Shannon solidified herself as a favorite. They both share the same interpersonal struggles. How can someone who was raised to be less than human love someone who they are supposed to serve? Shannon herself is more proactive taking risks and is more easily assured of her place in the world. Kanon is more hesitant and in denial of his feelings. He doesnt believe he deserves love let alone to be considered a human being. Jessicas character was explored too in how shes different from her mother instead of their similarities and how she craves parental recognition. She feels like she isnt seen as who she really is. In fact this part shows a lot of the family patterns. George Jessica and Maria were all expected to be perfect children to follow in their parents footsteps. Rosa the parental focal of this part also gets explored. She really is a horrible and abusive parent both physically and emotionally. She is unable to provide the love her daughter wants and blaming her outbursts on a witch terms Maria could understand. I did get the feeling she wants to break out of her abusive patterns but she cant quite do it always having violent outbursts at the end. I think the ending she received was terrible and I pitied her since no one should have to endure what she did. I do think it really made her think about her parenting choices and filled her with regret making her reflect on her actions and how she really felt about her daughter. Battler was also way less creepy this time around which was a win. Its interesting to watch him as he is tested. When you enter the story you wonder if he will maintain his cocky skeptical viewpoint or if he will eventually break and give into Beatrice. Beatrice herself is still shrouded in mystery. She is revealed as a confident psychopath. She enjoys the suffering of others and she relishes in the pain she puts the others through. Her cruelty is unmatched. Her actions at the end made me feel pity for some of my least favorite characters in the story. I wonder about what her role really is in the story. I like the art in this part better. It feels more polished and the character designs were less sexualized. I could not get over Shannons design in part 1 as a girl designs like that perplex me and make me feel sorry for the characters but I thought she looked very cute in part 2. I think everyone looked nicer actually. The only issue is the deranged faces. Beatrice and Maria both make faces that look like Dr. Seuss characters mixed with Muppets on drugs. Probably throw some alchoholism in there for good measure because those were the ugliest faces I have ever seen any character make. The first murder scene was also disgusting and made me want to throw up and I had to skip through because it made me feel dizzy to look at. This part was a definite upgrade in both art characters and story. I actually felt scared and emotional while reading it. I think this is going to be a truly compelling mystery and I look forward to seeing what it has in store for me.