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This article is about a story arc in Umineko When They Cry. |
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The Witches' Tanabata Isn't Sweet (魔女達の七夕は甘くない Majo-tachi no Tanabata wa Amakunai) is an extra arc of Umineko When They Cry. It was first released as a booklet on June 28, 2009.
Plot Summary[]
Maria writes a Tanabata wish asking for Rosa to come home from work every day. She knew Rosa was busy at work all the time, but she was still lonely. Beatrice takes notice of Maria’s wish and talks to her in a dream, explaining that if she were to grant that wish, Rosa would indeed come home every day, but not necessarily in a good mood. Rosa’s company was small, and they were in a bad financial position and needed to fulfill any order they could get. Maria’s wish might result in Rosa losing her job or the company going under, ensuring she could be home every day. Beato was sure Maria didn’t want this and says that her true wish is what comes after the fact: Maria wants Mama to come home and make dinner with her, then watch TV and laugh together. Maria then wakes up to her alarm clock and remembers Beatrice expanding her wish, and that as a witch apprentice she can make it happen in reality. Maria thanks Beatrice for fulfilling her wish and gets started.
Bernkastel and Lambdadelta watch this unfold. Bern mocks the idea that Beato didn’t grant any wish at all while Lambda quite enjoyed how sweet the story was. Beato explains that she just showed Maria a fragment of the world she wanted and then gave her the ability to make it happen. Bern says Maria was still the one to grant her wish herself, and Lambda reminds her that a wish cannot be granted without a strong desire to make it come true. Beato and Lambda explain how they give their power to people with certain wills and determination to make their wishes come true. Lambda talks about how she's granted wishes for people to become powerful and avoids granting those kinds of wishes to everyone in equal measure, but also watches over those who keep up their efforts just as equally. Lambda promises that certain resolution will allow a person to fulfill their wish, even if they were a young girl wanting to be a god. Bern is asked to go out and grant at least one Tanabata wish, but she refuses and disappears. Even so, Bern thinks about what kind of wish she would grant, finding heartwarming stories to be very sickening. She then finds a wish to grant, promising to make it truly witch-like.
A young Ange writes on a piece paper that “I wish for my family to come home.” Bern visits her when she goes to sleep and offers to grant her a miracle. However, Ange is told that she must work hard at it and follow Bern’s instructions every day in order for it to come true. Ange recounts that Eva had become her new foster mother after the Rokkenjima incident, and she told Ange to think of her as her mother so they could mend their scars and smile. Ange being as young as she was, she didn’t know what to make of those words. Bern tells Ange that if she wants her real mother Kyrie to return, then she mustn't allow Eva to take that position from her. The young Ange then believed that if she accepted Eva as her new mother, there would be no room for Kyrie. Ange is told to never call Eva “Mom” and to never smile, for if she fails, Bern can never guarantee the miracle of Ange’s family coming back home. Bern reminds her that Eva is a demon who will try to take Ange’s family away, or rather, that she already did. Ange swears she will keep her promise and tells the “magic words” to Eva the next morning, stealing their smiling faces away for eternity.
Bernkastel thinks this kind of Tanabata is much more entertaining for a witch, finding much entertainment to be had in the coming years.
Background Music
- Worldend (Tanabata's origins)
- apathy (Maria wishes for Rosa to come home)
- くるり [About Face] (Beato never granted a wish)
- 命のパン [Bread of Life] (Witch of Certainty)
- 久遠 [Eternity] (Ange writes a wish)
- 生まれてきてくれてありがとう [Thanks for Being Born] (Eva converses with Ange)
- soul_of_soul (Bern grants Ange's wish)
- 蒼色の冷笑 [Deep Blue Jeer] (Ange voices her hatred of Eva)
Release History and Adaptations[]
Original Release[]
The Witches' Tanabata Isn't Sweet was originally a text story released as a booklet at the Hinamizawa Village Assembly 2 event on June 28, 2009.
Tsubasa[]
The Witches' Tanabata Isn't Sweet was adapted into visual novel format with Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa, released for PC at Comiket 79 on December 31, 2010.
Manga[]
The Witches' Tanabata Isn't Sweet was adapted as the first chapter of the Umineko Tsubasa manga and was first published in Special Edition Young Gangan Big Vol. 2 on June 25, 2011. It was later published with Tsubasa Volume 1 on April 21, 2012.
In the manga, when Beatrice speaks to Maria, she speaks to her witch form MARIA. When Lambdadelta says she granted a wish to become a god, she does not specify it came from a certain girl.
The First and the Last Gift[]
This arc was rereleased in Umineko no Naku Koro ni: The First and the Last Gift on December 16, 2015.
Saku[]
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku is a rerelease containing all previously-released Umineko content, which includes Tsubasa and thus this arc. Saku released on October 4, 2019.
Ports[]
Symphony of Catbox and Dreams is a PS4 and Nintendo Switch port of Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku, which released on January 28, 2021. The console port includes voice acting.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
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