Miken: ……..

Angel: Ugh, my throat is sore. -tries to sing Happy Birthday to the emo girl above but fails-

Quite the “Last Supper” Scene

Well, it’s pretty damn obvious now that Kinzo knows exactly what’s going on with all the repeated killings and stuff. Not that we didn’t think he knew that stuff in the first place anyways. At the chapel, a group of people stand before the bloody mark on the door. This time, below the marking is a note — “Happy Halloween for Maria”. Genji also informs the others that the only key to the place is currently missing, as well as Krauss, Natsuhi, Eva, Hideyoshi, Rudolf and Kyrie. Inside, Rosa checks up on the children, who are all sleeping soundly. Then, she reaches into Maria’s bag and draws out an envelope from Beatrice, which contains the missing key. Battler then wakes up, but Rosa tells him and the others to stay put. With the chapel now unlocked, the adults enter and find the missing people all prepped up for dinner…with their innards showing. Then, the kids show up and freak out.

Miken: Thinking now, Rosa’s the first in line for the family inheritance — isn’t that lucky? Well, lucky for as long as she manages to stay alive in this round. Then again, everyone should focus on saving their skins rather than the family treasure…Beatrice’s treasure, on the other hand, is fair game.

Angel: I’ve tried watching this episode twice and I can’t pay attention. Two things piqued my interest: the ominous and bloody Happy Halloween scribbling and the stuffing candy in the corpses’ stomachs… Well, you must know how my mind works by now. I’m fascinated with the strangest things. ^_^

Trying to Confront Beatrice

In the Meta-World, Battler comments on the gruesomeness, and Beatrice explains that since the faces were ripped off in the first game, leaving room for questioning if one was actually alive (and the corpse was just a dummy). However, their faces are fully visible this time, thus proving their deaths and whittling down the number of suspects. Back to the story — Jessica runs out of the chapel, and George finds gold bars in the Jack o’ Lantern centerpiece. Maria then comments on how it has all started, and she asks for Beatrice to quickly take her to the Golden Land. Back with Jessica, she’s gone to pick a fight with Beatrice only to find her room empty but for a letter sitting on the table in which Beatrice all but outright states that she was the culprit and taunts the reader. In a fit of grief and anger, Jessica’s asthma acts up and Kanon says that he’ll take care of things, and sends Jessica off to her room.

Miken: Like last time, the kids show up at the most inopportune moment. This time, all but Maria are parent-less. Jessica looks like she wants to tear Beatrice a new one too…

Angel: Beatrice sure is trying to prove to Battler that her magic is causing these outrageous murders. I believe that Maria learned how to laugh from Beatrice.. Duh. Oh, and is there anyone else in the Meta World besides Beatrice and Battler? What happened to the others? Just dead?

Suddenly — GOAT BUTLERS!!

After Jessica is calmed by her inhaler, she begins crying. Kanon decides to go out into the hall, but Beatrice shows up and comments that he has no understanding of a woman’s heart and calls him furniture. This time, she arrives with her butterflies and in her frilly dress~ She says that the witch is supposed to appear when the Knight and Princess are together, and eggs Kanon on to show her how much power Kinzo’s furniture possesses. Then, she summons forth Goat Butlers [I kid you not]. Somehow, this series decided to have some more fighting, so both the butlers and Kanon summon forth these energy-sword-things. When Jessica asks just what that is, Kanon says that he didn’t want to show her. Then…FIGHT!!

Miken: More explication on the term “furniture”? It seems that it means more than just servants, but also ~magically enhanced~ ones too. Is it safe to assume that the other servants have a similar power? The Goat Butlers were pretty creepy — and the new fighting aspect of this arc is really weird. Almost like a Mahou Shoujo series…Anyways, it’s nice seeing Kanon ready for action again. Of course, with Beatrice still around, this can’t end well…

Angel: Magically enhanced servants, oh my! This is like Kuroshitsuji, where the servants have special combative talents and aren’t just normal servants. Seriously though, is Kanon some sort of super.. Android.. Thing..? Maybe he was created by Beatrice’s magic, as his weapon is similar to the goat butlers’ weapons. Speaking of goat butlers.. Why. Why.

So Close, Yet So Far

Out in the parlor/living room, the others are deciphering Beatrice’s note. Doctor Nanjo also produces a letter from Beatrice that was found on the dinner table at the chapel. Battler comments on the absurdity of the letter and then resolves himself to find the culprit before the police even arrive. Back with Kanon, he’s making handy work of the Goat Butlers. When they’re all gone, Kanon attacks Beatrice, who quickly teleports herself to the other side of the room and starts berating Kanon as “furniture”. However, Jessica declares that he isn’t furniture and that he’s human with his own will. Amused with how they’ve acknowledged one another, Beatrice decides to sacrifice them and summons forth Asmodeus of Lust, who she orders to carry out the Second Twilight.

Kanon charges forth, but Asmodeus dodges swiftly and transforms into a stake, and propels herself around the room. When the stake stops and aims for Kanon — Jessica ends up taking the hit! Beatrice doesn’t stop there, either. After a bit of taunting, she summons forth Satan of Wrath to finish off Kanon. Kanon, meanwhile, finally declares for himself that he is no longer furniture. Naturally, Kanon gets stabbed anyways. The two lovers share a touching last moment just barely out of each other’s reach. When Jessica says that she wanted to hear Kanon’s true name, he begins to tell…but then she dies before he can finish. With all this carnage, Beatrice is having a fun time and decides to continue with the torment and humiliate the dead~ The smoke from her pipe then transports Kanon’s corpse away.

Miken: I swear that I could tell the moment I heard Asmodeus speak that she was voiced by Aki Toyasaki. I guess all that pain from watching K-ON! was worth it (not). Also, Asmodeus and Satan’s designs are both so cute~ Their costumes are nice too. Add that to the 6 dead in the morning, and now we have 8 unfortunate victims.  The battle with the goats was nice too, though really awkward.

Angel: Cute witches, but were they necessary to summon to kill Jessica/Kanon? I think Beatrice could have handled them. o_O Anyways, I liked the touching moment but Kanon is still a bit too stubborn; maybe in round three, they’ll have more progress and reveal his real name. I wonder what Beatrice will do to Kanon’s corpse.. Don’t mutilate his pretty face. ;;

The Devil’s Proof

When Kinzo is informed of the deaths, he decides to write a will. Meanwhile, the others are discussing the fact that the phone line won’t connect. When George wonders what the scribblings on the door of the chapel meant, Maria (once again) explains that it is the 7th pentacle of the sun, but her laughing earns her another slap. Maria says that the pentacle symbolizes the breaking of restraints. When George also wonders about how the culprit made it into the chapel (and then locked it) despite the key being in the envelope since the day before, we return to the Meta-World. Battler is pretty pissed off about another closed-room murder. When Beatrice inquires his explanation on how the culprit got into the Chapel, Battler replies that there is not enough information and points out that there might have been a duplicate out there somewhere or a hidden door — the Devil’s Proof.

Miken: More Higurashi-watching for Maria and more (re-)explanation. Other than that, I have little more to comment on here.

Angel: Aaa, Maria’s lol faces. She needs a spanking, not a slap on the head. She is losing brain cells and it’s worsening her behavior, guys!

We Speak the Truth in Red

Beatrice then brings in a nice mechanic in that whenever one speaks the truth his/her words will be displayed in red letters so that Battler can form an argument. This mechanic now prevents Battler from declaring that there is too little information/evidence. When Battler asks her why she doesn’t just blurt out “These crimes were carried out with magic” in red. Of course, Beatrice says that she’s competing against him and plans to watch him struggle till he gives up on his own. Battler then asks her to declare that the victims where carried through the door — and sure enough, she says it in red. When Battler asks for proof, she says that the truth will show in red, but she does not need to provide proof. Now, when asked, Beatrice also declares in red that there is only one key to the chapel. When Battler says she could have opened it by other means, but Beatrice’s next run of red letters disproves that. When Battler asks how, then, Beatrice restates that it was magic and asks if Battler will believe now, but he still refuses. Then, Battler hypothesizes that Maria was given a fake key first, which was replaced with the real one after the murder. Beatrice finds that ridiculous and her run of red letters proves that the key given to Maria was the real one.

However, when Battler tells Beatrice to say that no one touched the envelope between the time it was given to Maria and the time it was opened, Beatrice hesitates and Battler takes it that she cannot. Therefore, Battler brings up the scenario of the culprit reaching within Maria’s back before the murders and returning it to the bag afterward, making the crime possible even without magic. This earns him some laughing and praise from Beatrice, but then she says that if he still wants to refute magic, he’ll have to suspect one of his relatives. Then she proclaims that he cannot defeat her.

Miken: Battler has the same sense of logic as Phoenix Wright…then again, with Phoenix’s track record [barring that one case 7 years prior to Apollo Justice and the final case of Justice for All], he might as well stick with that line of logic. The Red-Letter mechanic feels like something that would fit in much more in the game and comes off as both awkward and cool in the anime. For now, Battler worms his way out of defeat here…I wonder what Beatrice has in store next?

Angel: I’ve never played Ace Attorney, poor me. Oh, I thought the red letter mechanic is cool and I liked the music played throughout this scene. Eh, Battler is fighting a lost cause. His ideas are practical, but he really is torturing himself, as he cannot defeat Beatrice. She may not have proof, but neither does he, and he won’t get any.

The Return of the Gun

Back in the real world, George asks if Beatrice wants them to find the gold. However, Maria says that it’s just Beatrice trying to see if they can solve the riddle of the epitaph. When Battler asks if Maria can solve it, she states that she doesn’t care and just wants to go to the Golden Land. Then, Shannon and Genji enter along with a gun-toting Rosa, who declares that she’ll protect them.

Miken: Sorry for having such a short section here, but it just didn’t fit in with the last one. Anyways, we have the reappearance of the gun! Hopefully, she’ll be more level-headed about using it than Natsuhi. Then again, with what she’s shown through her parenting skills, Rosa should probably be kept away from that gun.

Angel: Hey hey, the gun is mighty important and demands to have its own section! The gun is in Rosa’s hands, huzzah. Maria should be offed next episode, if I’m still alive in one piece to see it. I must make it.. Must see.. Heads.. Blown off.

Conclusions and Ratings

Miken: This game reminds me of what I play with my little sister…It seems like Beatrice is making the rules up as she goes, not only to win in the end, but to also ensure enough drama to keep her amused. Still, I’m glad the carnage and suspense is back with this episode~ I particularly liked Kanon and Jessica’s death scene. To say the truth, Kanon was getting kind of annoying with his “I am only furniture” act. Thankfully, he dropped that…and it was kind of touching on how they both realized their love, but it was cut short. To be honest, I like the scenes in which Beatrice and Battler fight over the logic, since it adds a nice sense of depth and makes one wonder more about the series. Here’s a toast to more carnage next week too!! [Also, the sins are so cute~<3 -shot-]

Angel: I think Beatrice is concocting this whole story for her own entertainment. They’re all puppets and it appears that Beatrice has been calling the shots for a long time. The humans can only wish to break out of this vicious cycle. Kanon’s level up from noob is impressive as he hold his own in battle against the goat men. However, it’s a shame that he doesn’t deck Beatrice. At least Shannon and George are alive. Honestly, why do they kill off most of the adults first? When will the adults have some character development? I don’t even know George’s dad or Jessica’s dad.. This episode’s highlights were certainly the candy filled deaths and Kanon’s battle, but I don’t know, Umineko is getting somewhat repetitive.. It may just be my horrible mood, but it did take me a while to concentrate on watching this. :/

Miken’s Enjoyment Level: 8.8/10
Miken’s Anticipation Level: 9/10

Angel’s Enjoyment Level: 7.5/10
Angel’s Anticipation Level: 8/10

Next Time: II-IV – skewer