Yeeeah, I get to feel clever, even if I'm not. It was probably worth watching Umineko just for that. Original Satoko is surely not gone for good, unless they're going for the darkest of all possible endings.
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall, and "Eua" is doing altogether too much gloating over Hanyū than is good for her health. It's funny, isn't it, the difference character development makes? "Eua" is probably not any worse than Beatrice but because Higurashi made me care about Rika, Satoko and friends I
don't want her to win and I am hoping Hanyū, Satoko, Rika or all of them together
do kick her arse. These are characters I've seen struggle time and again with pain, loss and psychosis which wasn't their fault but revealed their innermost fears and frustrations. I'm aware of all the terrible sh*t they've been through. That's the kind of thing I never got for the Ushiromiyas. It's not enough to just say that well, they're human so they must have those thoughts and feelings, it needs to be
shown. There's not much point in serious storytelling if it doesn't make you feel things.
Once again, new things were very cleverly worked into the original arc here. Having Satoko's classroom breakdown happen as a result of her inner conflict with her "witch" rather than PTSD from her uncle's abuse as in the original was quite brilliant. Satoko manipulating Teppei into thinking social services targeting him was just a continuation of the village's harassment of their family was perfectly believable. Much as I like detective Ōishi, watching him come down with Hinamizawa syndrome was a particular highlight because there's something appealing about seeing the good cop become the absolute worst cop. Sotsu continues Gō's brutality in showing in pretty graphic detail things that earlier seasons didn't, that brutality is good because it also makes me feel things. Mostly horror and sympathy, but occasionally humour, which is also good. Now I'm just really hoping it ends with some closure, because it's been three years and as far as I'm aware there's no more Higurashi in sight.
