This was my first review request I recieved and since it was from a very dear mutual I could not pass it up. I love murder mysteries and this is an eight part series so I was super excited to read it. I am glad that I was not disappointed. My favorite mutuals rarely disappoint. I will preface by saying I have no prior experience with Umineko or even Higurashi. I havent watched either anime and I dont game. I dont even fully understand what visual novels are at the moment or how this series is being adapted. So I will not be comparing it to the visual novels at all. Do not expect any sort of analysis of how good of an adaptation this is. The story so far is that the Ushiromiya family is meeting up for their yearly family reunion on their private island. Our protagonist Battler has been away for quite a few years so its been a while since hes seen his family members. Unfortunately this isnt exactly the most wonderful of gatherings since Battlers youngest cousin is behaving strangely and the adults are constantly arguing over the impending issue of inheritance. Their patriarch is busy studying the dark arts and continuing to stir the discord amongst the family. Then the murders begin. Murders that dont seem like they were committed by humans... I was very invested in the story and I still dont know who killed everyone if it wasnt Beatrice. This story leaves you trying to decide whether or not witches exist. I feel like they do just from reading this arc. My impression may change as I read more of the arcs. I feel like this arc is mostly setting the stage and providing context for the later parts. Umineko leaves us with a lot of characters eighteen to be exact without counting Beatrice our hypothetical witch. We have the Ushiromiya family which consists of the grandfather the patriarch the four children three spouses and the four grandchildren. We also have a variety of servants the most prominent are Shannon Kanon and Genji. Battler our lead was actually my least favorite character. He actually made my entry to Umineko a bit more rough than I expected. Hes a perverted character trying to grope girls including his cousin and getting his younger cousin whos like nine and very naive for her age to promise to let him grope her when she gets older. So... yeah. Fortunately hes more bearable later on though his stubbornness was a bit annoying. Hes a realist who refuses to believe in the supernatural which was a more interesting facet to explore. I was more invested in his cousins. George and his forbidden romantic feelings for Shannon the maid was compelling and left me with some questions about Shannon. Jessica and her loud tomboyish personality was a character who really drew me in. I loved her relationship with her mother Natsuhi which was a highlight of the series. Natsuhi herself was actually one of the highlights of the series as her psyche is deeply explored. And I cant talk about Umineko without talking about Maria who is craving parental love and seems to have multiple sides. Shes creepy as heck at times but I really am concerned for her. I dont think all the characters were super developed but I think this did a good job for just twentythree chapters. I love stories that focus on family and intergenerational trauma and this will certainly not disappoint. From Maria and Rosas fraught motherdaughter relationship to Natsuhis isolation from the family to Evas obsession with getting the better of her older brother... Theres so much to unpack with the family dynamics and it leaves you waiting to see the full picture. As for the art I liked some designs more than others. I think there were some really cool designs like Battlers Eva and Natsuhis Evas outfit is gorgeous and I love it. However some of the female characters are definitely fantastically proportioned which was a bit weird for me... I think this manga really shows a lot of potential and seems to be a good entry into the Umineko mystery. I want to know whats going on and the story sucked me in. I think this could be a great read for mystery fans. I cant wait to read part 2