Only the ones who have accepted everything.
Can get the right to know the truth.
Occultic;Nine (オカルティック・ナイン Okarutikku Nain) is a Japanese light novel series written by Chiyomaru Shikura, the creator of Steins;Gate, with illustrations by pako; the novels were published from 2014 to 2017 for three volumes. The novels are licensed in English by both J-Novel Club (for the digital release) and Seven Seas Entertainment (for the physical release). A manga, illustrated by Ganjii, began serialization in October 2015. An anime television series adaptation by A-1 Pictures aired in the Fall 2016 season for 12 episodes, beginning on 9 October. A visual novel adaptation for the PS4, Vita and Xbox ONE was released in Japan on November 9, 2017. A Nintendo Switch version was in the works, but has since been canceled.
The story follows nine idiosyncratic individuals, linked by the "Choujou Kagaku Kirikiri Basara" occult summary blog run by 17-year-old second-year high school student Yuuta Gamon. Little incongruities that occur around these nine eventually lead to a larger, unimaginable event that may alter what is considered common sense in this world.
Despite the semicolon in the title and being from the same creators, the series is not part of the Science Adventure Series (SciADV) but is instead part of its own universe (titled the Science Visual Novels Series) with upcoming visual novel Anonymous;Code. The SciADV Series do however exist as their fictional game versions in this universe. Well at least until Shikura suddenly went back on that claim.
The anime is licensed in America by Aniplex USA and in Australia by Madman Entertainment. Aniplex are releasing the series with an English dub by Bang Zoom! Entertainment in 2 Blu-ray sets, with Volume 1 releasing on September 26th and Volume 2 on December 26, 2017
.
Occultic;Nine contains examples of:
- Artifact Title: The title may lose its meaning once Asuna Kisaki enters the picture. This is later shown to instead be related to the time dilation the cast experiences caused by their existence as deceased souls.
- Circling Monologue: Taken up to eleven in Episode 6 during a conversation between Shun and Aria, which the camera itself rotates as the two speak.
- Design Student's Orgasm: The opening for the anime, with its flat colors, many textures, and use of a singular color accompanying black and white unshaded images.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: The flamboyant bartender has been the leader of the Society of Eight Gods of Fortune, and the one behind the murders of Yuta's and Sarai's fathers.
- FBI Agent: Asuna Kisaki is one and she is also a high school student.
- Foreshadowing: Plenty to the fact that most of the main cast are dead. In particular, they have no shadows.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: The fast moving montage in Episode 1 briefly features a shot of the dead bodies of the main cast.
- Marshmallow Hell: Yuta gets this (not surprisingly) from Ryoka in episode 8.
- Motor Mouth: Yuta speaks like this when he's excited. Some members of the Nebulous Evil Organisation also talk like this, such as Takasu and the Emperor.
- Also worth noting that all the characters in fact speak faster than normal because the pacing of the series itself is faster than normal, all thanks to being rather compressed.
- Kind of hilarious and unfortunate, considering only two out of three published light novels existed at the anime's creation point. The third didn't arrive until the year after the anime finished airing.
- Nebulous Evil Organisation / The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: The Society of Eight Gods of Fortune seems to be this.
- Shout-Out: The classic Steins;Gate phrase "El Psy Kongroo" is uttered by Moritsuka in Episode 7.
- Also the "I failed, I failed, I failed... " from Suzuha's note.
- Moritsuka's online handle is Doumo, Zenigata desu. (どうも、銭形です。), meaning, "Hello, I'm Zenigata," in reference to Lupin's rival in Lupin III. People even think his clothes are cosplay for the character, but he insists that's how he normally dresses.
- The Stinger: Several episodes end with this.
- Title Drop: Done by Yuta in the final episode.
- Villainous Breakdown: The albino kid completely breaks and goes full-on Ax-Crazy mode after Asuna manages to shoot and wound him in the arm.
- Wham Episode: Episode 6 reveals that most of the main cast were Dead All Along but were completely unaware of it.
- Wham Shot: The Stinger for Episode 10 shows Ririka is missing from the morgue.
