Considered the anime that was just never going to end, mostly because it almost died part of the way through, Hellsing Ultimate is about Alucard, a vampire that serves under the family of absolute power, the Hellsings. Commanded by Integra, head of the Hellsing family, Alucard is a vampire who wreaks havoc, for good or evil, all in the sake of following the orders of Integra and protecting the Hellsing family.

At first glance, these two anime seem to have almost nothing in common, but that is only true if you are a noob or have an untrained eye to anime. Supernatural is all over the place in these series and it is very clear that what first presents itself as evil is not necessarily the truth. Then, you have the Hellsing family and the Vatican, the supreme ruling masters whose orders are absolute and must be followed. The other major similarity is the overall feel to both of these shows. Both have dark setups in both art and story lending further to the effects that they have on the viewer. Alucard and Seras work as a team much like Joseph and Robert. Just you know… Alucard kinda made Seras. Also Nazis. Take em down.

Gosick brings us the story of a transfer student (how original!) named Kazuya Kujou who has just arrived at his new school. The library is out-of-this-world amazing and you know it was only a matter of time before this outcast found his happiness in reading. However, when he spots some golden hair on the steps one day, Kazuya follows it and meets Victorique de Blois who is a bit of a savant if you will. She can now see the future of the two of them. Mystery upon mystery is heaped upon Kazuya as he tries to make sense of things while this new team that fate has brought together work together to solve them.

Gosick and Vatican Kiseki Chousakan are both centered on mystery and how much it can affect them as well as their ability to solve it. Of course, there are heavy doses of the supernatural as well in their individual cases. Both take on a historical vibe while cranking up the drama as well keeping you wondering just how they have reached the conclusions that they have. Gosick is longer than Vatican Kiseki Chousakan, so used it to fuel your addiction while you wait on more episodes.

Ghost Hunt is about Mai Taniyama and her friends who love ghost stories. One day, they decide to check out an abandoned building on their campus. There, much to their initial scare and subsequent disappointment, they meet Kazuya Shibuya, who is studying just what makes these ghost stories. Apparently he was called in by the school to get to the bottom of it. Mai ends up breaking a camera that the assistant to Kazuya was using and they are now injured and out. Kazuya then turns to Mai has for payment, she must now work for him helping him crack the case of these paranormal stories.

The big central themes here are supernatural and mystery. Everyone in both Ghost Hunt and Vatican Kiseki Chousakan are trying to claim that what they are seeing is supernatural. However, keeping their wits about them, the protagonists are there to assuage the fears of the public as well as bring these incidents to light and solve them. Historical references will be flying at you both left and right in both of these shows as well as the fact that some of these stories will just be plain grim. That is not to say that it is all horror, just know that if you are taking the plunge into either, there will be inspirational moments that make you say “ah!” as well as maybe be slightly off-putting. Enjoy!

The future is now. No really. The future is now because Armageddon has happened. It was a war between humans and vampires with the Vatican finding itself right in the center. Defending one race against another, it has become a massive military power. Abel, the protagonist, is actually a traveling priest from the Vatican off to assist others as well as defeat those evil vampires. However, it is Abel’s own brother, Cain, who rises up in opposition of Abel and the Vatican threatening to bring them to their knee so he can rule the world. Thus the most difficult tribulation for Abel begins.

What Vatican Kiseki Chousakan is literal about with the church and exorcisms, Trinity Blood is with metaphors for everything. Not to mention too, while VKCK is upfront, Trinity Blood is more subtle with names and events. Both cover a darker side as well as an alternative side to the church. Be ready for bloodshed at Trinity Blood is a lot more violent than VKCK, but the story is still well done and enjoyable for those who have not yet seen it.

Set into the past of 1962, there is a crime writer known as Tatsumi Sekiguchi and an editor named Morihiro Toriguchi. These two men are looking into a series of crimes that continue to be carried out: dismemberment. As they investigate though, the story and mystery get darker and darker. They look into Kanako, a girl who was mysteriously hit by a train, but the plot only thickens as she soon disappears along with her guardian. It turns out that a local cult could be holding the key. Can they figure it out in time?

Mouryou no Hako and Vatican Kiseki Chousakan are all about a very thick, multi-layered mystery, and that is what we are getting. Now, the pure horror of Mouryou no Hako is not to be overlooked as it is grimmer than most would expect. While it does lack horror, there is a slight thriller aspect to Vatican as the two priests try to solve the problems and false lies that are being spread while not being killed themselves. If you enjoy having to think hard with a little less historical references, even though it is set in 1962, Mouryou no Hako is a great place to start!

Yuuta Gamon is a NEET who runs a very popular online blog and is wanting to monetize it. Ryouka is his best friend but after a strange incident, Yuuta begins to come into contact with many people that he has nothing in common with. An editor, a fortune teller, a doujin artist, a black mage, a ghost, and a young detective all walk into his life. He then learns that something about their fate has bound them all together and the problem is that if they cannot solve the thing that has brought them together, then they are doomed to be killed. Pay attention though as everyone talks about 10000 miles a minute!

This last one is somewhat of a shocker to most, but hear us out. Both Occultic;Nine and Vatican Kiseki Chousakan are focused on the central idea of a mystery. Sure, the priests in VKCK do solve the mystery after a few episodes and go on to the next site, but the mystery itself is very complex and layered, a lot like the story of Occultic;Nine. We also meet a myriad of characters in both during the investigations while those belonging to VKCK almost stand out enough that one can enjoy them and remember a few from each time. The hysteria is another part that we wanted to point out. The characters in the show, or those around them, are constantly being whipped into a frenzy with what is going on around them. The plot thickens and everyone loses their minds for a bit. Finally, the one last major thing to point out, is how logic is used to solve everything in this series. It is never an ah-ha! moment, but rather, logically a solution is deduced. Enjoy though because Occultic;Nine is a fantastically well-done mystery anime that does not come around often.