Never 7

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

The first game in the Infinity series, also consisting of Ever 17, Remember 11, and 12Riven. Unlike every other game in the series, it only has one protagonist.

Makoto Ishihara is a college student who rarely attends his classes. As a result, after finals, he is sent, along with three other students (Yuka Kawashima, Haruka Higuchi, and Okuhiko Iida) to a "Seminar Camp" on an island far away for a week during spring break as punishment. However, Makoto has a dream where, on April 6th, a girl dies before his eyes, a bell clutched in her hand. He wakes up from the dream to find out that it's April 1st.To make things even stranger, however, Makoto begins having premonitions of future events, each one turning out correct. As he wonders just what is going on, things grow even stranger as the week goes on...

This game was released in three different forms. The first release, Infinity, was released for the PS1, and only contained the first five routes. The second release, Infinity CURE, was released for the Neo Geo Pocket, and contained two routes: the Cure Route, the sixth and final route, and the story "Yuka Cure" (Yuka's Route from Yuka's own point of view, added into later versions of the game). The third and final release was Never7: The End of Infinity for the Dreamcast, and contained all six routes.

A Fan Translation is currently in progress.

Tropes used in Never 7 include:
  • AB Negative - When Haruka is hit by a car in her route, she needs a transfusion of B-. As it turns out, the only person with the same blood type is Kurumi, Haruka's original.
  • Actor Allusion- The scene where Makoto talks to Izumi at the pool is titled "You Were A Fish In Your Past Life!?" Kikuko Inoue, Izumi's seiyu, claims that she was a fish in her previous life.
  • Arc Number - 7, though nowhere near to the extent as in later titles of the series.
    • Seven characters
    • Seven days
    • The address of the lodge the characters stay in is 3-8-7.
    • In the PC version, the textbox is rainbow colored- 7 colors.
    • The meaning of the title itself is supposed to mean "never reach 7", referring to the infinite loop and how Makoto can never get to April 7th, the seventh day.
  • Arc Words- "Bell".
    • Haruka's Route- "I have no heart."
  • Agent Scully- Okuhiko to Makoto, refusing to believe the latter's premonitions and coming up with logical explanations for why Makoto had them. As it turns out, this was his purpose in the Seminar Camp, in order to make sure people didn't completely believe Makoto and to retain a sense of reality.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love- Yuka gives one to Makoto in her route, trying to convince him not to go up to the shrine (which led to his death in the first loop).
  • All Just a Dream- The Cure B Ending turns the Cure Route into one... maybe.
  • April Fool's Plot- Okuhiko accuses Makoto of pulling one of this when he tells the group about his premonitions (which happens on April 1st).
  • Bottle Fairy- Yuka, perhaps one of the youngest legal examples of this trope (being 20, she only just became legal to drink.) Yuka Cure reveals that she does this as a way to forget about her depressions and fears.
  • Butt Monkey- Okuhiko at certain points of the story. The whole Izumi route is about making him one giant Butt Monkey.
  • Calling Your Attacks- Parodied in the tennis match with Yuka, who names her serves after cocktails.
  • Can You Hear Me Now?- Despite it being the year 2019, none of the characters have cellphones. If they did have them, the problems in Yuka's Route and Haruka's Route could have easily been solved simply by calling Kurumi.
  • Casanova Wannabe: Okuhiko, whose attempts at hitting on Haruka go... not quite as planned.
  • Cassandra Truth- Subverted: Makoto and Yuka/Izumi on their respective routes decides not to tell the others about the Time Travel because he doubts anyone would believe him. He does manage to convince Kurumi at the end of her route, but only by giving a lot of evidence from the first loop that didn't happen in the second loop.
    • Played straight on Izumi's Route where Makoto tells Izumi that she's going to die. However, as it turns out, this ends up becoming a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy when Makoto's own actions lead to her death.
  • Cherry Blossoms- A whole row of them on the island, which become prominent in Yuka's route.
  • Clingy MacGuffin- The bell, which appears on someone's hand whenever they die.
  • Cloning Blues- Haruka, who is a clone of Kurumi, has this really bad.
  • Cry Cute- Haruka.
  • Cue the Sun - The end of Yuka's Route.
  • Dead Hand Shot- The game starts with one.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen- Haruka, especially in her route.
  • Despair Event Horizon- This actually turns about to be the reason for the time travel: whenever one of the girls die, Makoto's despair activates his Cure Syndrome, creating a delusionary world where the girl is still alive.
  • Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life- It turns out the main reason Makoto is such a slacker at school is because he honestly has no clue about what he's going to do with his life after college.
  • Did Not Do the Research- The writers seem to assume that a blood transfusion requires the exact same blood type to be accepted by another. Problem is, the one who needs the blood infusion (Haruka) is "B", while Izumi is "O". O+ and O- can donate blood to B+. Given how 99% of Japanese have a "+" blood type, it would mean that Izumi (supposedly an "O+") could donate blood to Haruka (supposedly a "B+").
    • Averted in the translation, where Haruka's blood type is stated to be "B-", while Izumi is "O+" (as it is never stated in the original whether they were "+" or "-"), therefore avoiding this plot hole.
  • Diving Save- During the second loop in Haruka's route, if Makoto chooses to protect Saki's puppy (an action that Haruka did in the first loop, leading to her death) Haruka pushes Makoto out of the way of a car in her route, getting hit instead.
  • Driven to Suicide- Saki on her route, after believing she can no longer trust anyone. However, Makoto manages to talk her out of it in the second loop.
  • Drives Like Crazy- Izumi, who says she got her license suspended at one point for racing a motorcycle.
  • Emotionless Girl- Haruka borders between this and Kuudere. She does have emotions, but deceives herself into thinking she has none due to her inferiority complex from being a clone.
  • Fan Work- KID explicitly encouraged this with the Append Story system (essentially Fan Fiction turned into Visual Novel scenarios)
  • Fantastic Racism- Before the Clone Law (legalizing the creation of clones) was passed in 2010, it was common for pre-existing clones to be discriminated against. Even in 2019, when the story takes place, this still goes on- particularly Saki towards Haruka, (although this has less to do with a hatred of clones rather than a somewhat tramautic event in her childhood.)
    • It was also for this reason that Shigezo gave Haruka to the Higuchis, (although given that it was 2002, it's also likely that he was trying to cover up that he ever made a clone- after the Clone Law was passed, he made no attempt at taking Haruka back.
  • First Kiss- No matter what route you're on, Makoto gives Haruka her first kiss on Day 3 (albeit a chaste one on the forehead).
  • Gaslighting- Subverted- while Izumi and Okuhiko had intended to do this to Makoto (by convincing him he was having premonitions), they never actually do it as Izumi realizes that Makoto is actually having real premonitions.
    • However, if Izumi's theory is correct, then this was played straight in the first loop ever, where they did actually convince Makoto he was having premonitions. However, in a slight subversion, he believed something completely different than they had intended- rather than believing he had precognition, he believed he had time traveled once before.
  • Genki Girl- Yuka and Kurumi.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars- Subverted with Kurumi- the scar on her back has caused her to be shunned by other boys. While we never see it, Makoto describes it as looking horrifying.
  • Good Times Montage- Subverted to Tear Jerker levels in Kurumi's route, where, after Kurumi dies in the first loop, he remembers all the good and bad times he shared with Kurumi. The last memory he has? Kurumi telling him she hates him.
  • Groundhog Day Loop- Albeit a bit more orthodox than most of them, and subverted a bit in that time is still moving forward, not actually looping.
  • Guide Dang It- Want to get on to Kurumi's Route? Sounds easy enou- wait, what do you mean I have to talk with Izumi and not Kurumi on Day 4?
    • Getting Izumi's normal Route can also be difficult, as it requires taking only one very slightly different action to get the Cure Route, and one that will seem like the opposite of what is needed at the time.
  • Heroic Sacrifice- Subverted in both Yuka and Haruka's routes. In Yuka's Route, Makoto attempts to protect Yuka from being crushed by debris, but because he hesitates for one second, both of them are crushed. See the Diving Save entry for Haruka's example. Played straight in Yuka's past, where the boy she liked sacrificed his life to save her and her classmates from a burning hotel.
  • Hollywood Darkness
  • Jerkass- Okuhiko can cross this line at times.
  • Jigsaw Puzzle Plot- While not as big as in later games in the series, it's still present here.
  • Kimodameshi- In a graveyard.
  • Kuudere- Haruka.
  • Lethal Chef- Yuka, who completely fails at making toast.
  • Love Epiphany- Makoto in Haruka's Route. He also does at the end of the first loop in Izumi's Route... after she's already fallen to her "death".
  • Love Triangle- One between Makoto-Haruka-Okuhiko in Haruka's Route.
  • Manly Tears- Makoto in Haruka's Route, where he weeps bitterly as she's dying and after she dies, and also cries when Izumi dies in the Cure Route.
  • Meganekko- Saki is shown to wear glasses, though not that often.
  • Memory Gambit: If Izumi's theory is correct, then Makoto pulled this off in an attempt to time travel to save the girl's life without remembering the trauma of seeing the girl die, being unable to accept their death. However, he allows himself to remember a bit more until he finally remembers everything on the last loops.
  • Mental Time Travel- Subverted: while this does appear to be what Makoto's going through in each route, the truth is actually a bit more complicated than that.
  • Mind Screw- Is everything that happens in the story reality? A delusion of Makoto's? Or some combination of the two? The answer is deliberately left unanswered, and is supposed to be up to the reader's interpretation.
  • Mr. Exposition- Izumi during the Cure Route.
  • Multiple Choice Past- Makoto's past can differ depending on the player's choices (such as whether he's kissed someone before, when his first love was, etc). This is Fridge Brilliance when you realize that all of those choices are potentially correct due to Makoto's Cure Syndrome.
  • Names to Know in Anime-
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye- Variation: Yuka deeply regrets that she wasn't able to tell the boy she liked that she loved him when he said it to her with his dying breath, so she tries to go back to the past to say it.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity- Okuhiko specifically mentions using this trope- in reality, he's very dilligent, but doesn't want others to know that. This goes even further in the Cure Route, where it's revealed he's one of the masterminds behind the setup for the Seminar Camp.
  • Older Than They Look- Kurumi is 17, a high school student, wheras both Makoto and Okuhiko assume she's in middle school when they first see her. As it turns out, she's technically 20 years old, having skipped three years of her life when she time traveled as a baby.
  • Pettanko- Kurumi. Haruka as well, as Makoto notes.
    • Haruka's case is often teased about in Fandom, and is made fun of in several Append Stories.
  • Poor Communication Kills- Every girl except for Haruka dies as a result from some sort of communication failure with Makoto in their routes. Haruka also dies from this, but not with Makoto- see below.
    • Haruka and Saki's rivalry is a result of this, as both assume the other is the other person in their memories regarding a bell. As it turns out, they were two separate, unrelated incidents, but neither figure this out (except in Saki's Route, thanks to Makoto).
      • This indirectly causes Haruka's death in her route, as Saki walks across Makoto and Haruka (who have found a puppy Saki takes care of), then turns back as she sees them. This leads the puppy to run after Saki, putting in the path of the speeding car, forcing Haruka to protect the puppy, saving its life at the cost of her own.
  • Post Dramatic Stress Disorder- Makoto in Haruka's Route, where, after running and biking around the entire island several times for five hours in a heavy rainstorm to search for Kurumi, finally faints after he gets Kurumi to the clinic to save Haruka's life.
    • Repeated again in the Cure Route, where Makoto gets hit by a car in order to save Haruka and Izumi. He survives, and stands up long enough to confirm everyone's okay before collapsing.
  • The Power of Trust- An important theme in several routes, especially Haruka and Saki's.
  • Reality Warper- This is essentially what Cure Syndrome does- it replaces the real world with the delusion inside the afflicted's head.
  • Red Herring- Yuka's Route turns out to be one big one, as all the theories about what's going on in that route are Jossed in the Cure Route.
  • Rei Ayanami Expy- Haruka.
  • Replacement Goldfish- Haruka was one for Kurumi...at least until the latter was found.
  • Rich Bitch- Saki.
  • Schrödinger's Cat: Used as a metaphor to describe how Cure Syndrome works.
  • Second Love- Makoto becomes this to Yuka and Kurumi in their routes.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong- The goal of every route (except Izumi's Route).
  • Shout-Out- A few to the KID Visual Novel Memories Off:
    • Yuka buys a keychain of a fat cat at one point in the game, a reference to an actual pregnant cat from Memories Off.
      • A reverse Shout-Out occured in Memories Off Pure: the name of the protagonist's homeroom and English teacher is "Yuka Kawashima" (there's no evidence that they're the same person, though the protagonist's description of her personality does sound similar to the Never7 Yuka).
    • The main heroine of Memories Off, Yue, makes a cameo in the game as a little girl.
    • Izumi's alma mater is Sumisora Academy, the high school from the game.
    • Non Memories Off example: during the tennis match on day one, Yuka makes an Aim for the Ace! reference. In the English translation, this was changed to a Prince of Tennis reference.
  • Shrug of God- Does Cure Syndrome really exist or not? The director won't say, but this is the point: the reader is supposed to decide for themselves what is true and what isn't.
  • Stepford Smiler- Yuka and Kurumi.
  • Suddenly Sober- Subverted, when Makoto tries to have a serious conversation at the pool and the second barbecue with Yuka, she's too drunk to take him seriously. Double subverted in Yuka Cure, where it's revealed that Yuka did sober up mid conversation with Makoto (after she almost confessed to him), but she pretended to be drunk so he would think she was joking.
  • Talking to Himself- Haruka to Kurumi.
  • The First Cut Is the Deepest- This is Yuka's main issue, as revealed in Yuka Cure: after the death of the boy she loved, she's been too afraid to get in another relationship, as she still hasn't gotten over his death and is afraid of feeling the same pain she did when she lost him.
  • Third Person Person- Kurumi.
  • Time Travel - Or so it seems.
  • Together in Death- Yuka and Saki's bad endings.
  • Token Loli- Kurumi.
  • Tsundere- Saki.
  • Unreliable Narrator: While it's not obvious at first, Makoto's narration leaves out a few key events- particularly anything related to him wishing for his delusional time travel. Justified, as Makoto made himself forget he was having delusions through his Cure Syndrome.
  • Wham! Line: The final line of the Cure A Ending, just before the credits start, implying that perhaps everything is a delusion after all.

The cards scattered on the floor... They're... completely blank...

  • What Day Is This- When Makoto time travels in Yuka, Kurumi, and Izumi's Routes, the first thing he usually does is ask the people around him if it's really April 1st.
  • Yamato Nadeshiko- Izumi.
  • You Can't Fight Fate- No matter what Makoto does on any route, the girl he's with will always end up in the same situation that led to her death in the first loop (with the exception of Izumi).
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair- Izumi has blue hair, while both Makoto and Saki have green hair.
  • You Should Know This Already - Due to Ever 17, the existence of Cure, which is carefully hidden until the last route of the game, is basically the only thing most know about the game.
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