Your problems with the episodes you have seen are pretty much what's wrong with that whole adaption when compared to the original source - they really skimp on the explanation.

As for why Beatrice would even bother in a contest like this, the VN basically explains it by explaining that being a immortal and Endless Witch gets REALLY freaking boring, and that this boredom can actually kill them.

For witches of stronger power such as Bernkastel and Lambadelta, they aren't restricted to a single location and are free to go where they will, but this puts them in evenmore of a danger of being killed from boredom, hence why they later hijack the game from Beatrice.

EDIT - Oh yeah. Another concept poorly explained in that anime adaptation (although if your paying enough attention in Episode 4 you can figure it out) is that of magic resisting toxin. Apparently, the presence of too many modern day humans who discredit the possibilty of magic being real actually effects Beatrice's capabilities and her ability to show herself. Hence why she goes after stragglers for her sacrifices. Not shown much in the Anime but it still helps to understand some of Beatrice's actions.

 

Will I get to see more adult Rika (Bernkastel) then?

 

YESSSS! She is a major character in Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru, herself and her avatar on Rokkenjima, Erika Furido.

With the VN, the author published little stories based in the Umineko-verse on the net, you can find them here under Extra Tips. There's one story there that gives you a glimpse of Bernkastel's true nature that becomes a lot more apparent in Chiru, and that shows you why the authors use of a character that looks a lot like Rika is very misleading.

EDIT - The one I reffered to is The Witches' Tanabata.

 

Thanks! ~filler~

 

Well, I've finished watching Umineko . . . okay . . . come on!

Even the first season of Higurashi stood on its own. Now I have to wait for the second season of Umineko? Damn.

Well, I know some have said that Umineko is better than Higurashi, but I'm disinclined to agree. I didn't think it was bad, to be sure, but it really does come down to a subjective judgment, and never mind the fact that we're comparing a complete series to an incomplete series (as far as the anime goes).

I did enjoy Umineko, though.

Seriously, Battler needs to bend Beatrice over a chair and fuck the shit out of her. You can just tell she wants him to do that, too. Too bad Battler is a pedo who wants to "eat" Maria.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWqJCWOhoJQ I loved this scene. Warning: Spoilers for Rei.

 

I don't think the Umineko anime is better then the Higurashi anime at all. It's hard to follow on it's own and they left out many hints, clues and even dialogue that contained Red Truth.

What is superior to all of these: Higurashi anime/Umineko anime/Higurashi visual novel is the Umineko Sound Novel. Seriously, get it! It is soooo good. The tea room confrontations between Battler and Beatrice are exactly that, actually confrontations where they argue the whole premise of the show, that is that magic doesn't exist and the crimes are all caused by human intervention.

This is almost COMPLETELY absent from the anime, and it suffers immensely for it. 80% of the awesome of Umineko is found in the logic battles using Demon's Proof, Hempel's Raven, Schrodinger's Cat etc.

 

In truth, Studio DEEN did a decent job with Higurashi adaptation but overall, I don't hold their productions in that much of a high quality. Umineko was only one of many that Studio DEEN screwed up terribly (Rave Master, for one).

 

Some days ago I finished "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - Kai" and now I can phrase the problem I had with especially the second season.

1) The annoying voices of Rika and Satoko: They hurt my ears. A lot. It didn't matter that much during the first season as both played a minor role. But it wasn't bearable during the second season.

2) The total change of theme: The second season lacks the suspense, the violence and the psychological elements of the first season. We learn a lot about the background, but once you know the main villain, the story doesn't evolve anymore. Now it's just a normal thriller, and a plain and boring one at that.

 

This fits in well with what I said before. I agree with this.