Narcissu is a series of Visual Novels by Stage-Nana. They're all short stories (2-5 hours of reading.) Experimental and minimal by design. Accompanied with amazing music.
The stories are always about life and death. People who know they don't have much longer to live, how will they use their remaining time on earth. The stories usually, (not always,) set in the 7th Floor of a certain hospital.
By now I have read most of the series multiple times already. (At least the entries released in English, though the ones that didn't aren't written by the same author.) I have reviews on the blockchain for Narcissu 1st, Side 2nd and A Little Iris.
My favorite character from the series is Himeko, the heroine of Side 2nd. Kusaka Youko is a close second, and along with Makie Hiroshi, the protagonist of Narcissu Zero, they make my favorite duo! Just because of how much their character makes the other much more interesting.
The guys at Stage-nana know how to write interesting dynamics between two characters. Setsumi and Himeko have the opposite personalities and different outlook. Sumire and Akari contrast each other quite well as girls who have abandoned the real world.
The best of them all however is Youko and Hiroshi's dynamic, because we watch them grow from childhood into adulthood. . Narcissu Zero takes every thing the author learned from the entries before it and makes it better! It helps that Zero has the most graphics of the entries released in English, that made Youko stick in my mind for longer than Himeko.
Spoilers for the First Half of Narcissu Zero Below
The knowledge that the story is the origin of the 7th Floor makes it clear that Narcissu Zero will have tragedy in it, but most of the story itself is a happy slice-of-life comedy with a little romance and lots, lots of commentary on life.
The setting is Japan in the 70s and most of the story takes place in a Senior Citizens' Home, in which the Makie family take care of the elderly. Since the parents have their hands full, the kids help whenever possible. The setting is quite similar to the hospice on the 7th floor that will eventually be made, and the elderly come and leave on monthly basis.
Because of that, Makie Hiroshi learned early on that people die. You see people you care about leave and you can't do anything about it. By taking care of these elderly, Hiroshi started to make rules for himself on how to treat such people.
"Rules" is my favorite word in Narcissu series. Everything important in the series can be traced to a rule someone imposed on themselves or the others. A recurring theme since the original Setsumi story is the rules that 7th Floor patients pass on to each other, that you can only know about if you become one of them. Harsh~
Hiroshi eventually meets Youko when the two repeat the middle school year. They meet multiple times and as a reader you can see them turn from acquaintances to friends, and after a while they become basically inseparable.
Youko doesn't only become a part of Hiroshi's life, but also a voluntary worker at the senior home as well. Everyone loves her and she comes up with innovative ways to make the elderly happy. Helping old people falls in line with Youko's dream of becoming a doctor after all! (There were only a few female Doctors in 70s Japan.)
Eventually, Youko learns about death like Hisroshi did. To ease her suffering, he shares his rule with her: "Don't make promises with them." Since then, they shared their own rules.
Youko has a crush on Hiroshi and he clearly has feeling for her. His sister, their parents, classmates, and all the residents of the seniors home are shipping them. How cute~ Hiroshi is too embarrassed by this! Youko would marry him on spot if he proposed.
Life is not easy, however, as a tragedy eventually lands on the two. The struggle they face to keep their relationship and their rules is heartbreaking but wholesome at the same time. By the end, I almost shed a tear, and I didn't know if it was a sad, bittersweet or just happy tears. The final few lines might be the best thing I've read in any Visual Novel.
Youko alone might not be my favorite heroine. She's not as strong or mysterious as Himeko, and she's quite dumb despite declaring herself a "tactician" Hiroshi might be my favorite protagonist, unless you counted Johan from A Little Iris as one.
Hiroshi and Youko's dynamic with each other is very amusing and heartwarming. When they are together: each line makes me excited, happy, sad, moved and overall emotional, which makes the duo my favorite cast in a series full of great casts!