Narcissu 1st slide-- Review [Spoiler free]

I finished Narcissu (1st) not so long ago and currently near the end of Side 2, both are free on steam. I read and finished it during class. It's a fairly short read averaging at around 3-ish hours and there's no filler or irrelevant dialogue and scenes that don't add to the story. Protagonist Atou Yuu who's admitted to the hospital due to chest pain and is later admitted to the hospital's 7th floor, hospice care. There he meets fellow resident Setsumi who tells him the one rule of the 7th floor: "On the third time you're given a temporary discharge [...] there's never a fourth. You won't be going home anymore". You either die in the hospital or home, and no one's escaped that rule.  

Without spoiling the story much more, I really, really enjoyed reading Narcissu. The main thing I look out for when finding new visual novels to read is the OST, for me, if the OST is bad, It's a huge dealbreaker and I probably won't read it. I absolutely adore the soundtrack with I'm right here (+ instrumental) being my favorite. It's not too distracting and adds so much more to the emotional impact when reading, it's simple but not boring and the instrumental are rich and orchestral. The art is simple and minimalistic but the scenery CGs are pretty enough to be set as my desktop wallpaper. The protagonist is unfortunately faceless so Setsumi is the only character we actually see in Narcissu (slide 1)--  I can't really explain but her character design I find super charming, her eyes being my favorite feature). It's also noted that you barely see the characters while reading.

Towards near the end the conversations Yuu and Setsumi have with each other and definitely my favorite scenes, conversations with topics like death; identity; guilt; and their loss of reason for living I found moving. The takeaway and meaning of Narcissu isn't profound or original but it's still sentimental and gives you a new view on life and death. 

I read and finished it during class so I didn't allow myself to cry but if I were in private I definitely would, but at the same time I'm an emotional person so I cry at anything www. I really love Setsumi and Yuu's interactions and his inner monologue about her which are very sweet. Narcissu is a short read and it's free on steam, there's two translations so you can experience it from different interpretations. Good to pick up on a rainy day or when you want to read something short, emotional, and bittersweet.