Another insane chapter, consitent highs some amazing writing throughout and is able to continually introduce new characters without it becoming overwhelming and have them all fit in quite nicely. It's also able to grow and develop the main cast in great ways even when they have minimal interaction with the plot eg Beato

Now for whatever random ass thoughts I come up with:

Erika is simutansley a character I really love because shes very funny, but also I hate her with my whole being she is a being of evil and she deserves the worst in life, which I guess she got during the ending anyway tbf. Also Bern is messed up, like if my theory that isn't really a theory because there isn't really any other explanation that she's Rika because she clearly is, what happend to her man... Rika was like a bit insane sure but like this is just evil on another level, also the witches are confirmed Lesbians, Lets go Lesbians! I still hate them both though they are EVIL and they are too cruel to my man Battler he don't deserve this. (or doesss hee.?>?>??> wowoowo idk yet I guess)

Battler is amazing in this Episode, and his relationship with Beato is very sweet, and the ??? with Battler and Beato was amazing no matter how short it was. And there relationship going the way it is was defintley not something I anticipated when I started Umineko, esp with Ch2 and such but like it just works better that it has any right to. My main question now is if Battler will be able to through with killing her, I feel he prob can but I'll see I'm not confident rigth now.

Battler becoming a witch in the ??? was crazy too I still don't know what Gold Truth is though if I'm being truthful, I have a rough idea but I could not explain it to you if you asked.

Music was as always very very good, so is the VA just amazing performances all round.

Cool seeing a focus on Natsuhi again after Ch1 Shes a very interesting character and the way you perceive this episode defintley showcases alot about her, and the ending is so sad because Erika you didn't need to do all that...

Also Erika Furude is like come on, Bern she has a 1 letter dif from Rika like messed up, she got lazy.

Also the chapter made me cry again, which is the second time Umineko has been able do that, I teared up a bit during the ending of the Main Episode but during the ??? I actually full on cried.

Overall another amazing chapter that I feel doesn't have the highest highs of Umineko, I think Ep4 still has the best moments so far, but Ep5 is so consitently amazing and well written that it deserves 5 stars, because there was never a point in the pacing where I felt we focused too much on one story, I thought the pacing here was actually incredible especially compared to Ep4.

Also Higurashi Spoilers for a little while as a bonus to my review:
I 100% agree that Higurashi should be read before Umineko, because it doesn't tie fully into the plot and it's even treated as both a book and a VN to the characters, but Umineko defintely uses ideas and concepts from Higurashi quite well, like all the mentions of miracles for example is talked about semi frequently in Umineko and the ideas behind that are explained in Higurashi quite well and what it takes for it to happen and the ideas that game holds and shares. Also fragments kinda feel like something that isn't explained very well in Uminkeo but it's done perfectlly if you've read Higurashi. I feel even if you hadn't read Higurashi you'd figure it out relativly quickly what they meant but it kinda doesn't go into much detail. And finally my main thought about this, is Bern. In some ways I feel it's very sad to read Higurashi then go to Umineko just because I can see what's become of Rika, like maybe she did get to live out a happy life sure in Hinamizawa until like she died or whatever but seeing her basically become Takano is kinda sad. I hope she has some sort of redemption becuase she is so god damm cruel and mean it's unreal. Anyway random rambling over

anway Umineko so far is amazing and I'm not good enough to sum up my thoughts in a way that people would like to read but oh well. it's actually one of my favourite stories ever and I've not even finished it yet, so I don't know if that says more about me or the game(book)(whatever)

I wish I could give this 5 stars but I kinda had my issues with the first half, it wasn't bad but the pacing was kinda horrible, Anges start was kinda slow and I wasn't too interested and the stuff on Rokenjima was kinda more treading over the same ground that was already done in previous episodes, and there was barely any Battler Beatrice stuff so all sides of the story were kinda just feeling slow and not too interesting for me.

The second half of the Episode, I'm not too sure when I'd say it happened but with Anges story it really started to interest me around when she summoned Mammon and her story very much began to take form, it defintely adds a lot of new mysteries to be solved but the best moment was very much Ange on the Rokenjima with Kasumi and the scene with Marias book was honestly heartbreaking, I actually cried during that scene (the fact it was 3am might've also helped, but it was a very sad scene) especialliy the reveal of Marias uu ing because god damm that destroyed me. The ending with Battler and Ange was great too.

The stuff on Rokenjima was interesting but honestly it wasn't until after George and Jessica were killed that it became like 10/10 it was still good before then but it just didn't feel right, I don't really know how to explain that but like Gaap and Ronove being so easily beat just felt wrong and I mean it's on the player if they decided to trust the game again and I wasn't wrong. The prisoner group escaping was a fun scene and the stupid loser flag bit was very funny, also those rabbit girls are very clearly Marias chess pieces that Rosa broke the 4th one, I don't know what implications this really is going to have other than I guess they're Marias furniture? or magic is all toys? very much a focus on like Childhood and innocene here with magic and Beatos only friend in the golden land being Maria reinforces that, Beato defintley does seem to be kinda stuck in a child like kinda way? idk how to put it but that's my theory for now.

Battler and Beatrice don't really interact much this chapter, blue truth is very interesting but I kinda felt it was introduced super early and then since there's no arguing during the game itself it's just kinda pushed away until the very end of the game in the tea party basically, I feel if maybe it was used a bit in the game it could've been better maybe? but idk not like I forgot what it was I just thought it was odd how little it was used I guess? idk. Tea Party was crazy, with like the real ending being hidden away there, nuts, the bit with Battler alone on the island was really cool and then the game with Battler and Beato at the end was great and it was nice to see what actually appeared to be genuine feelings from Beato even if they were all just being thunk, but she very much seemed like she wanted to die with the intentional provking of Battler, the ignoring the fact the some of the blue was just factually wrong due to the red (as pointed out in the ??? anyway but still) but right now I very much believe she just wants to die, she still confuses me but it feels like Beato is being forced in some way or something akin to that, I can't say for sure but alot of lines kinda make it feel that way, idk if it's lambdatletla(I have ZERO clue how to spell her name) but that would make sense, the punishment game mentioned in the ??? as well seem to point to something like that too. The final scene of Battler and Beatrice was sweet but I still don't trust it, I get Beatrice want's to die, so she lays her heart bare, whatever that means here and the mystery is Battlers own death but I don't fully understand it all tbh, I guess for now I'll interpret it as it seems but I have doubts. also the bombs in the food !! (sucked that I got spoiled on that amazing theory but oh well)

Lots of cool reveals and information and twist and turns etc that I don't have the writing skills or brain to fully write and comprehend in a way that anyone else would care about, which is fine though tbh. A amazing chapter that I feel has ass pacing which kinda ruins the first half but the second half was so good I feel it mostly makes up for it. Very very excited for the Answers arc.
(also uuhhh, Music was insanely good as always, they used some Higurashi SFX which they hadn't before like the phasor lots of cool stuff here, and I played with Umineko project too btw)