SeaBed Reviews

"Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery"

SeaBed is a tranquilly-paced psychological mystery that explores the fallibility of human perception. The story is told from the perspectives of three childhood friends: Sachiko, Takako, and Narasaki. Sachiko and Takako are in a relationship and work at a small design company they co-founded. In reality, Takako has disappeared, but Sachiko still hallucinates her at home and at work, and even sees her interacting with her coworkers. So, Sachiko visits Narasaki—now a psychologist—to have her hallucinations evaluated and cured. SeaBed moves at a slow pace, and revelations about the nature of Sachiko's mental health and Takako's disappearance are suddenly doled out without much fanfare. Often, the story's slow pace is a positive quality, and the nonchalant way the mystery is revealed only adds to the confusion—I'm sure I missed a few moments that were intended as revelations because of how subtly they were brought up. But, sometimes, the slow pace is a noticeable, and I found myself bored by slice of life scenes that were, at least ostensibly, purely slice of life. Flashbacks are also abundant in SeaBed, and provide some insight into the nature of Sachiko and Takako's relationship—which really was quite cute—prior to the latter's disappearance. There are also some bonus scenes that unlock between chapters and fill in some details that go unmentioned in the main story. Additionally, the music was a real highlight in SeaBed: the subdued and ethereal sound of many of its songs enhanced its already strange atmosphere. Overall, SeaBed is a great mystery about how its main character Sachiko perceives the world. Its slow pace is often a boon, but at times is its biggest weakness. And, the art and music are a cut above many other visual novels despite SeaBed's small scope. 8/10

nothing can last forever. nothing will ever disappear.