シーラカンス

COELACANTH

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
2
RELEASE
July 13, 2008
CHAPTERS
9

DESCRIPTION

Ten years ago, there was an explosion at Hisano's apartment building. She would have been there, but she'd been hit by a bike ridden by a boy in blood-stained clothes. He dropped a toy scale when it happened, and she's been hanging on to it as a good-luck charm ever since. Now Hisano's in high school. One of her teachers was murdered, and the police are investigating. A young man suddenly appears carrying the toy that scale belonged to. And perhaps... can he also see the hallucinations Hisano has always been plagued with? Everything is connected as the pattern slowly rises to the surface.

CAST

Hisano Satomi
Yukinari Yanagi
Kentarou Kohara
Kurumi Shimizu

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

RoseFaerie
85/100
A short review of a short but solid psychological mystery
Coelacanth is apparently one of the most popular manga in the Bessatsu Friend shoujo magazine, at least according to MAL. I find it odd, since it took me a while to find this series, but I'm glad I did. I do feel like it's overlooked as both a mystery and a shoujo.

Coelacanth is the story of two mysteries that are intertwined. It begins with the murder of an unpopular teacher. When two of the class representatives are called to discuss the dead teacher to find a motive, they take an interest in the case.

Kentarou wants to play detective, while Hisano is reminded of something else. She has begun running into the boy, not much older than her, who was rumored to be responsible for the apartment fire that killed his mother and a neighbor, something that played a big part in her childhood.

I'd say the pay-off for the series is great, although it was a bit confusing. I think if it were a bit longer it would have had a chance to flesh out the mystery and characters a bit more, though I don't think it's length was a problem. I didn't feel like it was rushed. I just think an extra volume could lessen any confusion and made it into a masterpiece. I can't really say much about the mystery without explaining how it ended, so I'm going to avoid much analysis.

One thing I find interesting is the portrayal of mental health issues, as Hisano suffers from hallucinations, probably as a result of trauma and/or anxiety. She sees and hears talking sheep who haunt her and remind her of her worst fears and insecurities. A big part of her character growth is overcoming her trauma and surrounding herself with people she cares about. She's easily the deepest character in the series, as she is the focal point.

The other characters are interesting, though they aren't particularly deep or people I'm able to analyze without spoilers. I did love them, and I thought they were all more than sufficient for the story, as most of them showed at least some subtle growth. I think Kentarou is a lovely person even if he didn't get much screen time. Both the tutor and the mysterious boy are also fascinating. The way they fit into the murders was so well done!

The art is also lovely. I feel like it's just super clean, and all the designs are attractive and not super complicated. It feels like someone just took a pen and drew these lovely, flawless pictures. I think it really heightened my reading experience.

This is a short review, but I feel like it's fitting since it's such a short series. (Plus, it's hard not to talk about stuff without spoilers.) I feel like more people should read it, especially since it's so short. If you need something quick but meaningful and well written, I strongly recommend Coelacanth.
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