The idea of scientifically proving the occult is somewhat intriguing, and in Occultic;Nine, it’s one of the main themes of the story.
Occultic;Nine started out in 2014 as a light novel series, written by Chiyomaru Shikura and illustrated by pako. Up until today, Occultic;Nine has received both anime and visual novel adaptations.
My first experience with Occultic;Nine was the anime adaptation, which I watched in 2017. I found it to be confusing, due to its incredibly fast-paced episodes (likely caused by its 12 episode runtime). Despite this, I was interested in the story and its fascinating characters, so I decided to pick up the original light novels. When it comes to SciADV, the source material tends to be the best form of the story. From what I’ve read so far, Occultic;Nine isn’t an exception to this.
The story is written from the first-person perspective of the nine main characters, and each of them tell part of the interconnected story. In addition to this, the first volume of the series serves to introduce the eccentric protagonists, while explaining a bit of their past to the reader.
In my opinion, each chapter being told from a different character’s perspective made for an interesting and captivating read. Because of the unique structure of the story, the reader can make their own presumptions about the protagonists and their motivations.
In addition to character chapters, there are also chapters that are simply called “MMG.” Instead of focusing on the main characters, these segments follow a group of mysterious characters, who are likely the main villains of this story.
Fans of the SciADV visual novels will be pleased to hear that the Occultic;Nine novels include a “Tips” section. The Tips section provides a list of commonly used in-universe words which the reader may not be familiar with, and defines them.
A short afterword by the author, Chiyomaru Shikura, was included. This segment was humorous, and a nice inclusion.
Overall, I’m enjoying the Occultic;Nine novel series over the anime. In some ways, watching the anime was like watching it in double speed; scenes changed too quickly, and characters spoke too fast. While this is arguably more of an issue in the earlier episodes than in the later episodes of the show, I’m enjoying the book series’ ability to explain key plot points in more detail, and give the reader more time to get to know the characters.
My only gripe with the novel series is that it is unfortunately incomplete. Only three novels have been published so far in Japan, and the release status of the fourth is still unknown. If you’re interested in Occultic;Nine, I recommend picking up the light novel series first and watching the anime after. This will give you a better understanding of the plot and its characters, and will allow you to better understand the later episodes of the show. Despite its flaws, the anime has a unique style to it, and is worth giving a try.
All three currently available novels can be read online at J-Novel Club. Volumes 1 and 2 are available in paperback, with the third volume expected to release in July 2018.
My review of Volume 2 can be found here.
If you like this site, please consider supporting us on Patreon
