Let's Play Umineko, Episode 4 Scene 2: The Diary

[prof]

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ANGE-Beatrice

The Endless Witch, who will live for one thousand years in the future. Or perhaps she is a witch hunter, who will fell all witches.

Without understanding witches, they cannot be killed. Even after understanding witches, they cannot be killed.

She understands, and denies witches. Only the power of that contradiction can give her a sword with which to fell witches.

---

Ange mistakenly replies to a greeting that she thought was aimed at her.



A school where the lofty elites can raise their daughters like proper aristocrats.

A prison to put someone in when you don't want them to go out into the real world.



It has just as much hierarchical bullshit as any school full of teenagers. Maybe even more!

Rumors spread fast here, which is a good part of the reason that Ange has no friends.



Ange was never given a questionnaire. Such quiet sabotage is part of her daily existence here.

She doesn't really care, though. This is pretty tepid, as Ange's bullying experience goes.



Ange's entire family was annihilated at the family conference. The only survivor, Eva, wasn't someone she had ever particularly liked, and that certainly didn't change after the tragedy.



If anything, Eva became even more evil following the Rokkenjima incident.

Eva never intended to make Ange the next head. From the beginning, all she wanted was to get revenge for the fact that the head wouldn't be George.



Compared to her life at home, the torment from her classmates is a joke.

She has but one thing that gives her solace.



It's Maria's diary.

Through the pages of this strange diary, Maria became Ange's only friend.



Maria Ushiromiya. Age 9 at time of death. She'd be 21 now.



Ange and Maria talk through the diary. Maria tells her stories.

Today's story is about someone named Sakutaro.



Maria resumes her story, and Ange enters Maria's world.



One of the good times in their relationship as mother and daughter. Maria's 9th birthday.



Rosa felt guilty about having to downgrade to this restaurant, so she's prepared to spoil Maria a little.



Rudolf would often come home for Ange's birthday, leave a breathtaking cake, then head right back out to work. She was sad at the time, but she understands a little more now.

They were happy memories.



Sakutaro is no ordinary stuffed animal! He was made with love by Maria's mother. Rosa runs a clothing line, and is quite good with her hands.



And "Sakura" because that's the name of the heroine from Maria's favorite anime, Card Master Sakura.



Eventually, Maria finishes destroying her meal, and gets her present.



Rosa says she can open it just for a moment now, to say hello, then Sakutaro goes away until they get home. Hurry, open it!



BGM: Sakutaro's Adventure



Rosa is a little uncomfortable being praised that deeply. From the sidelines, Ange congratulates Maria on making a wonderful new friend.

At school, Maria's life is much like Ange's - full of misery and isolation.



Maria's logic is that every class has one bullied kid, so if she takes that burden, someone else won't have to. Ange would rather just find the person who came up with that rule and hit them with a brick.



It's all part of an elaborate mythology Maria has made up, involving witches and angels.

A witch wanted to curse a class with sickness and injury. An angel wanted to protect it. The witch told the angel that she was protecting half the class by cursing the other half, and that she would protect the entire class if only one person could be sacrificed as the victim. The angel accepted this proposal.



Maria promises to let Sakutaro become Ange's new friend, so that she can be less lonely as her class's sacrifice.



It seems silly, but Sakutaro is more than a simple stuffed animal. Maria breathed a soul into it.



Two friends become three friends.

Maria was never allowed to have a pet, so instead she gets attached to things like this.



One night, Rosa calls Maria from work. She won't be home any time soon.

She's a little surprised by how easily Maria accepts it. Normally she cries and throws a fit - Sakutaro is indeed powerful.



When Maria says something about shopping with Sakutaro, Rosa admonishes her, telling her to leave Sakutaro at home. After she hangs up, Maria wonders why.



Maria isn't embarrassed, but Sakutaro says that the people outside are a little scary. Fortunately, Maria has a solution for that, too!



She's been told not to, but she takes Sakutaro with her to go food shopping. In the knapsack, head poking out to see.



A best friend who never has to go home, who can be with you every day. He even chases away the monsters under Maria's bed.



Maria and Sakutaro are always there with Ange. Along with her story, Maria left a fragment of soul inside her diary.

If Ange works hard, she should be able to become a witch some day.



Back in Maria's world, she heads to the store, around the time of night that most stores are closing up.



At the local 24-hour convenience store, Maria has fun shopping with Sakutaro, stretching



Taking sympathy in the young girl's plight, the man at the store lets her have a can of soda, on the house.



The two friends slowly make their way home, enjoying their time together.





The magic that makes this possible belongs to Maria alone.



A witch's magic is the power to notice the friends who were beside you all along.

Maria has the qualifications to become a witch, and so does Ange. They just need to study hard and believe.



It will be a little harder for Ange to learn, because she's older, but she's already done a little magic.

After all, how else could she be talking to Maria now?



Just a little more training, and they'll be able to be together all the time.



The first step is to try and burn Maria's image onto her eyelids. Create an image so strong that she can see Maria with her eyes closed.



Next step, instead of closing your eyes, close the diary.



But of course, she disappears immediately.



Or does she?

Maria is still there, invisible.

Without love, it cannot be seen.



Looking back towards the school, though, it's so hard to believe in that magic. It's like being told to step off the top of a skyscraper, and believe that you won't fall.





Three kids from Ange's class have found her hiding spot.



Ange beats a hasty retreat back to the school, as Maria's name is mocked by her peers.

Their shrill laughs chase her as she runs.


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