Chapter 1: Rokkenjima
The (single page) prologue of chapter 1 is comparatively short compared to what we see in Legend of the Golden Witch, but overall I think this is fine. We get our first look at the presence Kinzo evokes, as well as his madness, and I would say it does the job succinctly well.
While starting out, I did start thinking on who Kinzo really is ranting about, knowing that ‘Beatrice’ is a rather common name in Umineko. Is it Beatrice Castiglioni, the love of his life who seems to have spiritually saved him, or is it the Kuwadorian Beatrice, the tragic victim of a mad Kinzo hell-bent on not letting go of her mother?
In a narrative and moral sense, the distinction matters little, as Kinzo commits the despicable act of forcing himself upon his daughter either way.
Looking back (or perhaps forward?), in Requiem of the Golden Witch, when Sayo finds the gold and is taken up to Kinzo’s study, we get a pretty good look into what the target of Kinzo’s raving was about.
No matter. I do not fault you, Genji… Considering the sin that I committed, every single day until now has been necessary for my atonement…
Contextually there is really only one possible sin Kinzo could be referring to, and what follows makes it clear that the source of his more recent madness is none other than the regret over not only raping his daughter, but subsequently losing her child (thought to be dead).
However, in most cases, there are none in this world capable of giving such forgiveness. It was like that for Kinzo. There was no longer anyone in this world who could forgive him. Instead, that forgiveness had been woven together by a miracle, and now, Kinzo had received it…
Kinzo cannot be forgiven by any person, and he also recognizes that while the miracle of Sayo actually being alive and finding the gold is incredibly meaningful in the face of his ‘sin,’ that he has in no way received true forgiveness, or gotten close to atoning enough, and imagines himself continuing to atone within the pits of hell.
So with this glimpse from a later episode, I think it is clear that the only one Kinzo could be despairing after is Kuwadorian Beatrice, rather than her mother. But I think it is interesting that the madness we are shown so much of in the early parts of Umineko, is separate from the madness that drove Kinzo to violate his daughter in the first place. The grief of loss is replaced by the grief of another loss, and a realization that there’s no possibility for redemption. If only Kuwadorian Beatrice could have her say. Fortunately Kinzo’s unsatiable desire to see Beatrice Castiglioni again doesn’t stubbornly persist to the bitter end.
For a new reader, the Beatrice Kinzo refers to will quickly appear to be the legendary witch, rather than any particular real person. Speculation as to Kinzo having had a mistress kept secret from the family pops up soon enough, but until much later who Beatrice actually is is kept under wraps. Thinking back on my experience with the VN, from a newcomer’s point of view, Kinzo is a somewhat entertaining madman- obsessed with the dark arts, magic, and witches. What lies beneath all of this is hard to grasp without reading later chapters, but having come to understand the truth, it’s difficult to look at Kinzo in the same way.
This difficulty is part of what makes Umineko, for me, such a fantastic experience. Chances are if you’re an Umineko character, that you are complex, and very human (excluding literal demons of course). Very few characters if any truly get left in the dust in this regard, and the process of looking back on them after having gained all manner of insights is a very fun thing to do.
To be continued…