File 142056903411.jpg - (165.02KB , 1000x655 , by_sousui_hani.jpg )
Meta World Explanation Ozaki 15/01/06(Tue)18:30:34 No. 230

So I thought I'd just put this down here since I don't really see a full explanation else where, although I imagine someone else has already come up with it so call me a slowpoke or whatever. Naturally spoilers for whole series should be expected.

-

First and foremost what we know as the meta world, and what I'm talking about in particular is how the actually story unfolds as the reader first picks up Umineko. Mostly Battler vs Beatrice in the tearoom and all those scenes that follow afterwards.

When you think about some theories that are made by readers, you may recall a few radical ones that choose to ignore all of the red and meta world and only focus on the fragments, as they believe those are the only pieces that are real in the prime(world of 1998). But once you think like that, the logic would then become, aren't the EPs1-6 also just written by individuals and shouldn't also be taken seriously? At which point it becomes pointless for there is no longer anything to explain the game.

So while thinking this, concluded that the meta world surely has a place within the realms of Prime. We know that, well at the very least the events in Ep1-2 were written by Yasu. Then the next 3 were written by Ikuko (Ep6 was Touya I recall). While some argue they may be the same person, let's skip over that for now. What matters is that during the early episodes red truth is giving out with confidence that there is an answer to be solved, so Ikuko simply taking the role of the witch would work too.

So to get to the exact explanation, the events in the meta world seem to follow a pattern that can fit into the Prime world. We know later on that Battler gets amnesia and lives with Ikuko, so its a fair assumption that the meta world is just a dramatization of future events. To be more specific, Battler reading the games over and declaring that it can't be a witch and there must be a culprit to the fate which befell his family. Over the course of the next few games in the meta world Battler meets other characters who take the name of Beatrice, or at least is a witch spawned from the gameboard. Notably Ange and Eva, who both just happen to be some of the few individuals who are known to survive the incident. We also have Erika who most likely represents an individual who has created a popular theory regarding the Rokkenjima Incident, which, as we see in the meta world, causes Battler to get defensive, stating that this is his game to solve. As he should since it is the truth regarding his family. Then EP6 shows his take on it, which if not for Erika would have been a happy tale without any death.
So tl;dr the meta world can be explained as amnesia Battler reading over the letters and forming his own theories in the real world.

-

Now that all being said, there are a number of counter arguments and other questions that I've thought of in regards to this.

1. If you say that Ikuko played as a witch and was the one giving out red truth to Battler, what are her reasons for doing so?
Knowing her personality you could imagine her using it as a form of therapy, or perhaps just her entertainment. At the very least it's not that hard to assume she would do this for one reason or another.

2. Wouldn't Ikuko = Yasu make more sense? Why would she appear as Beatrice through out the story if that wasn't the case?
Sure it might, I know some people who make it their business in saying that Yasu wasn't as crazy as she seems and would argue that she wouldn't become Ikuko. While I don't believe that, I can see alternatives. We are lead to believe that Ikuko does know the truth. So it's fair to assume she can play as the witch without issue and thus give red out.

3. What about scenes that would seem extremely out of place for Ikuko? Like in Ep3 where Beatrice tries to make Battler sign the contract?
There are a few answers to this I think.

a. Most of what actually happens is a representation of Battler's inner turmoil while reading these games. Perhaps he faintly recalls the truth and such characters are fabricated from those memories. The red truth is still from outside sources of course, but they are presented as he sees fit. This could also explain the rest of the meta characters, as well as Bernkastel and Lambdadelta (since he does say his favorite novel is "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" after all)

b. Ryukishi retroactively added this plot after a certain point and there are simply some finer details that are weird. This is the only time I think the "BT affected the plot" theory could make sense. If you think about how their relationship must have been, one person showing their mystery to the other and asking their ideas and theories, you can see why Ryukishi might have taken the story in the direction he did, and with Ikuko and all as a character it strengths said idea.

c. Ikuko took her role as the witch during the game very seriously...Which personally seems unlikely, but hey is a possibility.

4. What if Ikuko was wrong with her theory, and the whole story is made to solve her Yasu theory, thus the truth is something else completely?
Giving everything that Ikuko does I think its obvious that she wasn't wrong. However such a possibility isn't impossible (unless I'm forgetting something). In fact the teaparty of Ep7 might have been very close to what actually happened. The point is that Yasu was still a factor in that tale, even if not the 'culprit'. I believe that the other tales (Ep3-6) can also function like this; with Yasu being a bystander that causes events to happen while another culprit takes the stage. After all the story is mainly about Yasu and Battler.

-

To conclude, the meta world has enough parallels with prime that this idea seems to be more or less rock solid. Whether or not all the other angles are valid would require a bit more depth, but as of now it seems to make sense. I'm interested to see if anyone has anything else to add (feel like I forgot one my own counter arguments actually).

Last edited at 15/01/06(Tue)13:34:06