When They Cry/Awesome Music

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni / When They Cry 1 & 2

• The defining song of the series would have to be You ~Destructive~. For added awesomeness, watch Akasaka's fight scene with this music.
  • As well as the original "You," one of the most heartbreaking songs in the series.
• The instrumental version is just as powerful.
• Of the Dear You character song remixes, Dear You ~Kizuna~ really stands out as the most beautiful and moving.
  • Runner up is Kokoro Musubi for most emotional, especially Shion's part at the end.
• Yui is pretty powerful
• Assault Operations is Crowning Music of Awesome for Akasaka and Kasai, but Crowning Music of Funny for Tomitake.
• The reason some of the scenes in Tsumihoroboshi were so powerful was because of Birth and Death.
  • That, Uro and LIVE from Minagoroshi are otherwise known as the Crowning Music of TearJerking (And yes, Uro was in the fanmade Onikakushi video)
• Naraku no Hana is one of the most powerful and epic Anime Theme Songs ever.
• Don't forget the two songs played in the climax of Tsumihoroboshi: Mienai Nanika ni Obieru Yoru and Samayoi no Kotoba wa Ten ni Michibikare.
  • Or Zero, which played at the end of Tsumihoroboshi.
• Two of the most touching pieces in the soundtrack - Tsugunai no Kotoba and Hitori.
• Fearlessness lives up to its title.
• Incredibly badass music titled Cross-Examination? I guess Umineko isn't the only part of the series that's been playing too much Ace Attorney.
• The first opening appropriately titled Higurashi no Naku Koro ni shows exactly what the mood of the first season is like.
• Kizuna's Angelic Bright and Matsuri's Complex Image.
  • Don't forget Matsuri's Nageki no Mori!
  • Also from the Kizuna series, we've got Tsuisou no Despair, Place of Period, and Hikari no Sora no Qualia
• The lack of "Fascism" on this page is sad. Really sad.
  • Also from the original visual novel, we have Gear, Rainy Days (for the feeling of "something's fishy here" done very, very well), and Silver Mirror, and Demonic Institute.
    • Dancers7. You can really feel your mind running at the speed of light along with with Keiichi's, when it plays during his planning of Teppei's murder in Tatarigoroshi.It is surprisingly cold and dark, with a hint of fury, as a murderer needs to be.
    • Saigo No Cycle^[1] from Matsuribayashi is pretty epic, and Shukusai from the nail-ripping scene in the Visual Novel is ear-gratingly awesome.
    • Utu helped make already creepy scenes that extra touch to really scare the players.
• Many of the image songs are also Crowning Music of Awesome material, like Rika Furude's Mugen Kairou between the cute beginning and end ^[2]. Bon Karma is the Big Bad's ^[3] Image song, and also qualifies. I would include Rena and Hanyuu's songs, but those are more cute than crowning.
• Matsuribayashi's Being Shows Hanyuu's determination to fight fate and Takano in the final world, while Festival is the theme of the Watanagashi festival that arc.
• From Matsuri, "Free" is a HUGE Tear Jerker when it's played. "Hitori" is cute, but is just depressing when played in the Matsuri-only Taraimawashi-hen when Mion becomes a Comatose Canary, and in the end of Tatarigoroshi-hen.
• Shirokiri no Itadaki -Blanc Pur- (White Mist Peak -Pure White-) is cold, ominous, and incredibly fitting for the Yamainu's attack in Minagoroshi-hen.
• "Solitude from Meakashi-hen" gives off exactly the described feeling.
• "Confession" stands out for me as one of the most tear-jerking songs to incorperate You into it.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni / When They Cry 3 & 4

Opening and Ending Themes

This wouldn't be a proper listing of all the awesome music in Umineko without getting into its epic opening and ending themes.

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• Il giudizio finale sta per essere emesso! Nessuno può emendarsi dal peccato, che scorre nelle vene!
  • OH DESIAH!
• Don't forget Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, pure epicness.
  • Or the Rengoku version.
  • Senza amore, senza amore, la verità non si vede!
• Episodes 5 and 6's opening: Occultics no Majou (Occultics Witch).
  • Now here's the full version in all of it's awesomeness.
• Kiri no Pitosu (Pithos in the Fog), opening for Episodes 7 and 8, and the full version.
• The ending themes in the Visual Novel:
  • Bring the Fate (main story ending) and Prison Strip (Hidden Tea Party ending) from Episode 1
  • The ending song of episode 3, activepain is pretty cool and catchy.
  • The Ending of Episode 4, discode is oddly catchy to this troper
  • Tsubasa, version Hope from Episode 5
  • Suspicious Aroma from Episode 6
  • The ending theme of EP7: Namae no Nai Uta (The Song Without A Name). There's also its full version from the Noblesse Oblige album.
    • I personally prefer the piano version of this song.
  • And the grand ending theme, Byakumu no Mayu -Ricordando il passato- (Cocoon of White Dreams ~remembering the past~), a very beautiful and touching song.
• The opening of the fighting game, Ougon Musou Kyoku ~ Konjiki no Chi ni Somaru Mae ni (Dyed with Golden Blood).
  • The full version. Amazingly, the full instrumental version works very well as a final boss battle music.
• If there is ever a reason to be excited for the upcoming Play Station 3 re-make, Majou to Suiri no Rondo, it would have to be its opening, Chikai Hibiki no Igreja.
• Ougon Musou Kyoku X's opening theme, Ougon no Kiseki wo Kanaeru Made (Fulfill the Golden Miracle), and its full version from the Dear Golden Witch album is just as epic as the opening of the PC version.
• And now we have the opening theme, Inanna no Mita Yume (Inanna's Dream), to the Chiru Play Station 3 remake, Nocturne of Truth and Illusions. Its full version and the instrumental version from CROSS are equally awesome as well.
• Ougon's CROSS Expansion introduces It's Golden Showtime!, a song many would say is even better than its two predecessors.
  • The instrumental version is just as good.

Dai

Dai is the music director for the When They Cry series, so unsurprisingly, several of the awesome tracks in the series also come from them:

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• Happiness of Marionette
• "umaretekite kureta arigatou" ("Thank you for being born")
  • And as of Episode 6 it has been epically remixed in Rebirth
• Ride On.
• Mortal Stampede - simply epic.
• Tsubasa was mindblowingly awesome. The vocal version is the ending theme for Episode 5, but when you change those vocals to electric guitar you get a different but equally awesome remix.
• Endless Nine aka "Battler gets dangerous". Featuring Ominous English Microsoft Sam!
• Dancing Pipe from Episode 3.
• The often forgotten OTHER piece from Episode 3's climax - the one that isn't Tsubasa, but is just as good: Lost Paradise. (Or is that Paradise Lost?)
  • Really, all of the songs with little parts of "Hope" are good. More precisely: Tomorrow, Core and White Shadow.
    • And my dear. 'Scuse me, got something in my eye...
• Revolt from Episode 4.
• Umineko is also so good at this that it makes piano-driven pieces into epic CMOA. See Answer (just wait about 40 seconds if you don't hear it) and dir.
  • Answer got EXTENDED by about 40 seconds in the Play Station 3 version.
  • For more piano-y goodness, EP6's "Life".
    • Another really wonderful one from the same game is ALIVE. There's a third track too in this game called "Rebirth." You noticing a pattern here?
• Promise, from Episode 5. Given it's less Crowning Music of Awesome and more Crowning Music of Tear Jerker, if you know why...
• A great remix of happiness of marionette (with some Promise thrown in) called engage of marionette
• Final Answer from Episode 5.
• Still from Episode 5 is JUSTICE, which notably plays when Battler revives and ascends to the rank of Endless Sorcerer in the the Hidden Tea Party.
• Sakutaro's theme, Sakutarou no Ganbarimonogatari, which incorporates a marimba version of Door to Summer and happiness of marionette for a BGM so adorable that just listening to it will give you diabetes.
  • This troper's sister was listening to the song, and had a random person who had never even heard of Umineko come over and say, "That... is the happiest song I have ever heard."
• dai's half of the OST, "musicbox Blue", has a load of tracks that weren't used in the games yet at the time of its release; several of them have shown up in the games since, so the others may yet be used. Please, please let Oku and Black knight be among those that get into Twilight of the golden witch.
  • They didn't, sadly... but Hishou (Soar in English) did in Episode 8!
• Similarly, the previously unreleased track Mata Umarekawaru Hi Made (until the day we're reborn), a beautiful mix of Umaretekitekurete Arigatou and happiness of marionette.
• A song which title makes me wonder if it isn't a thank you to all the readers of Umineko: Thanks of all people
• From episode 6 we have the beautiful yet sad Loreley

ZTS

The doujin music composer ZTS also makes several tracks in Umineko, and they have the trademark of making at least one incredibly epic piece per episode.

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• goldenslaughterer from Episode 1.
• Worldend Dominator from Episode 2.
• Mirage Coordinator from Episode 3.
• dreamenddischarger from Episode 4.
• resurrected replayer from Episode 5, a remix of goldenslaughterer that makes the original look almost boring.
• Episode 6 brings us the utterly fantastic liberatedliberater.
• Another remix of goldenslaughter is the fantastic the_executioner in EP 7.
• Lastendconductor from Episode 8.
• From Episode 3, far. Starts slow and sweet, then ascends to a really heartwarming violin piece. Its Episode 7 piano remix, far(flat), is equally awesome.
• Deadangle, and its breathtakingly pretty remix, discolor.
• death(from stupefaction) is this troper's personal favorite.
• Rain from EP7, a heartbreaking, melancholic song that fits its title.

Luck Ganriki

• To start off, we have Organ Short #600 Million in C Minor, Beato's Leitmotif, and its remixes.
• Hibuta from Episode 4.
• Smile-less soiree is a musical illustration of the stifling atmosphere on Rokkenjima from Episode 5.
• Deep Blue Jeer (Aoi no Reishou), the leitmotif of the man from 19 years ago in Episode 5.
  • The Ougon Musou remix, The Blue Color Cynicism is also awesome, if even darker than Umineko's main Mind Rape theme.
• Birth of a New Witch from Episode 6.
• Beatrice's Image Song, Golden Nocturne is pretty awesome by itself. So why not make it even more awesome by stripping the vocals and turning it into an awesome BGM?

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• system0 and the aforementioned Prison Strip from Episode 1.
• akai kutsu nise (fake red shoes) from Episode 3.
• The Girls' Witch Hunt and KUINA from episode 5.
• Totenblume and ACI-L from Episode 5 as well.
• Infant Queen Bee from Episode 6 is equally awesome.
• Yomotsu Hirasaka Corruption from Episode 7.

Other composers

• First off, there's Dread of the Grave, Dread of the Grave -more fear-, Dread of the Grave (Rhythm), and Dread of the grave -more fear- (Remix)
  • By the same composer of Dread of the Grave: Victima Propiciatoria from Episode 4.
• From the very beginning of episode 1, you have the heart-rending stillness of Slow Motion which feels like looking out a sunlit window, and catching sight of a solitary butterfly. Tekuteku Captures the regal, somber air of the Ushiromiya household.
• This troper loves the epic piano music in the Umineko series and feels the need to add the end of the world.
  • There's a vocal version as well that adds awesomeness to awesomeness.
• Kin'iro no Choushou ~Uruwashi no Bansan~. Basically, if Akiko Shikata sings it, it's guaranteed to be awesome.
• Suspicious Aroma, and the vocal version used as Episode 6's ending theme.
• You can't leave Proud Dust off this list; that's just unfair.
• The Dark and Crazed Requiem of Purgatory from Episode 4
• Rog-Limitation is a very awesome piece from Episode 6.
• Lixaxil from Episode 8.
  • from the same composer (Mizuki Kaitouji) ruriair from episode 6.
• Black Liliana from Episode 2.

Nakanai Kimi to Nageki/Aganai no Sekai/Gensou

Doujin, but these music videos' (and their B-tracks') distribution is so commonplace among the fandom that they're somewhere between Fanon and Canon.

• Let's just start with "Genyou no Chou" ("Butterfly of Illusions"), "Synaesthesia," and "Tsuki ga Noboru, Watashi ga Utau" ("The Moon Rises, and I Sing").

1. ↑ The last cycle
2. ↑ Not so sugar sweet now, is it?
3. ↑ (it should go without saying to watch Kai before this)