Occultic;Nine Episode 09 Review: Future Days

We’re already in Episode 9 of this series, but Occultic;Nine is still quick to get on our faces and shout ‘Nope! Here are more things you don’t know!’ Just how much more important details is this show hiding from us? Guess we still have a bit more until we find out, so for now let’s just review the things we’ve got from this week!

Japanese Original Episode Title: きっと世界は終わるね

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Plot

Everyone had each of their own investigations to conduct in this episode, mostly Myu and Asuna. The fortune teller investigated how and why she got a text from Chi, and, boy, did she get her answer with really terrifying bonuses. Our detective was also led on the same trail as Myu, and had lots of other things to get to the bottom of afterwards. Gamon was mostly out of the picture this time, losing the will to do anything about their predicament. Ryo-tas didn’t seem too happy about this.

Episode Highlights

©Project OC9／Chiyo st.inc.

I absolutely loved the horror-game take when Myu was going through the dark hallway towards the kotoribako room. Plus, the things she saw in there are exactly what you might normally encounter in a horror game! It’s even got the creepy kid element down! What is wrong with him, seriously? Who in their right mind would steal the hair of a dead person, let alone steal a valuable clue from the police? Though, I guess stealing people’s hair is a trend in this show, as someone also stole Professor Hashigami’s whole scalp. By the way, I quite like Myu’s new hairstyle! It’s really symbolic since, afterwards, she finally got the resolve to unite with the others in solving this mystery.

On the other hand, the things the creepy kid told her (and Asuna heard) were all quite interesting, especially about the ghosts they could and couldn’t see. I thought Asuna could see ghosts normally as someone with a sixth sense would, but turns out there’s a certain criteria for it too. It can’t get any more scientific than that! It really is no wonder now that they couldn’t see the souls of other people who’ve passed away from the beginning of time until the present, just like what Nishizono mentioned. And speaking of Nishizono, a little side note: I’m wondering if it’s true that she stole the kotoribako from the station for the kid. It doesn’t sound like it’s something she’d do, but then again she is still a bit of an enigma.

The short action scene between Asuna and the kid was a great touch in my opinion, mostly because it’s the first time we’ve got a sequence like that! Everyone’s mostly been talking and walking, so finally having some action, albeit short, was kind of a nice treat. I’d actually like to thank Asuna for finally teaching that creepy child a lesson! From how it went, though, I guess either she’s not a good shot (as Mushu from Mulan had said, ‘How could you miss? He was 3 feet in front of you!’), or that close distance made it hard for her to shoot him. The fact that he’s a child might’ve made it even harder too.

As Mushu from Mulan had said, ‘How could you miss? He was 3 feet in front of you! Click To Tweet

And then we have the biggest highlight of the episode, Ryo-tas’ true nature! At first you’d think she’s the main heroine, but her appearances have always been contrary to that. Heroines always have big roles, but so far she’s only been somewhat of the ditzy side-character. With her 180-degree personality change though, I wonder: has she just been putting on an act all this time? Or was she just getting fed up with Gamon’s pathetic attitude towards the situation? It looks like Asuna discovered some really interesting stuff about Ryo-tas too, and, was it just me or did she sound like Zonko during the last part?

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Themes & Trivia

Trading Card Games – A lot of different trading/collectible card games have emerged all over the world ever since 1993, like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering. The creepy kid had Cardfight!! Vanguard, which is also an actual TCG. He’s been showing off these cards for most of the episodes, but only now did he finally give details on its symbolism. Usually in TCG/CCG, the more powerful or useful the cards are, the rarer they are to get, so the perks of having a lot are amazing. Seems like the kid thought the same of the kotoribako he got. By the way, this kind of game genre is quite popular that even mobile games developed the same mechanic of collecting, like with Chain Chronicle, Touken Ranbu, and Love Live! to name a few.

Friendship – It’s great that Myu and Chi finally got some closure, thanks to Asuna’s ability. Chi got to encourage her best friend to continue fortune-telling for the sake of others, which snapped Myu out of her depression and drove her to solve this case with the others. Another friendship we got to look on, though it was just a short preview, was Asuna and Moritsuka’s. Looks like the poor girl was shunned by her peers, probably due to her ability, but she was accepted by Moritsuka. No wonder she’s so determined to solve this case, and so sad about what happened to him!

Comments

The way the anime keeps vague about many things while giving us hints and clues at the same time is astounding. Sure it can get confusing a lot, as is the case with me, but it just also makes us more enthusiastic to know the answers! And, as always, the visuals helped, not only in the aspect of drawing us to the mystery, but also in setting up the feel of each scene. Like I mentioned early, the horror game atmosphere in the beginning was nice, as well the look of the dark kotoribako room when Myu stepped inside – it already screamed blood and death. The voice acting is also worth commending this time because there was drama involved. Especially Myu and Chi’s closure, and Ryo-tas’ personality change, they were performed nicely in my opinion!

The things we couldn’t see are before us

Given the preview for next week’s episode, overall, I’m just so excited to finally know who Ryo-tas is and what her involvement in all of this is! What are your theories on who she is, guys? And are you still as excited as I am for the conclusion? Share them below!

Don’t forget to read the rest of our episodic reviews! Most series are getting ready for the climax.

NEXT TIME: Another Girl, Another Planet: 本当のワタシ (Hontou no Watashi)