Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning

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Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning
The first volume of the original Japanese manga release
スパイラル―推理の絆 (Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna)
Genre	Detective fiction
Manga
Author	Kyou Shirodaira
Illustrator	Eita Mizuno
Publisher	Gangan Comics
Other publishers: Vibulkij Comics TOKYOPOP (former), Yen Press (Current)
Demographic	Shōnen
Serialized in	Shonen Gangan
Original run	February 2000 – October 2005
Volumes	15
TV anime
Director	Shingo Kaneko
Studio	J.C. Staff
Licensor	Funimation Entertainment
Network	TV Tokyo
Other networks: FUNimation Channel, CoLours TV A+
Original run	October 1, 2002 – March 25, 2003
Episodes	25
Manga: Spiral - Alive
Author	Kyou Shirodaira (story) Eita Mizuno (art)
Publisher	Gangan Comics
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	April 2004 – ongoing
Volumes	4

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning (スパイラル～推理の絆, Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna^?) is a fifteen-volume shonen mystery manga series written by Kyou Shirodaira and illustrated by Eita Mizuno. Originally serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan, the series focuses on Ayumu Narumi and his efforts to solve the mystery of the Blade Children, cursed children who have cat-like eyes and are lacking a seventh rib bone.

The manga series was originally licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop, however the company dropped the series. Yen Press acquired the license for the Northern American release, and published the first volume in October 2007.

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning was adapted into a twenty-five episode anime series by TV Tokyo. It premiered on their channel on October 1, 2002 and ran until March 25, 2003. FUNimation acquired the Region 1 license for the series and released it to DVD. FUNimation also aired the series, in dubbed format in their FUNimation Channel programming block on CoLours TV from June 19, 2006 until August 22, 2006. The anime series, however, is incomplete, covering only part of the manga and having concluded production before most of the mysteries were solved.

[edit] Plot

Ayumu Narumi's older brother Kiyotaka, a famous detective and pianist, disappears without a trace. The only clue as to his whereabouts is the "Blade Children", the only words Ayumu managed to catch in a final phone call from Kiyotaka. Two years later, a row of murders and incidents begin, all related to the Blade Children. Together with the infamous (and only) school journalist, Hiyono Yuizaki, Ayumu tries to figure out their destiny and the mystery shrouding their past.

[edit] Blade Children

The Blade Children are the central mystery of the series, known only as cursed children that few know about and are being pursued by so-called Hunters. One of their main facial features of the Blade Children is their cat-like glowing eyes and a missing a seventh rib bone on the right of the rib cage. All their fathers are unknown.

The story presented in the anime never reaches a point where the nature of the Blade Children is explained. The anime only offers a comparison to cuckoo birds. The implication being that something not human deposited the Blade Children in human "nests" to be raised, similar to how Cuckoo birds deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds. The anime also suggests that Cuckoos go destructively and violently crazy toward the end of their lives.

The manga explains why the Blade Children are cursed and their origins:

Using in vitro techniques, he seeded his DNA and created a total of eighty children. These children all had a rib removed at birth to signify them being of Yaiba's blood. They were cursed in the same way Yaiba was: they would grow up as geniuses in their own right, but one day their blood would awaken murderously and take over their self-will, becoming avatars of Yaiba.

Yaiba's organization was split into three camps over the Blade Children Project:

• Savers. The first group, Savers, were supportive of Yaiba and desired to create more Blade Children. With the failure of the project, they sought to protect the fact the future had not been determined yet.
• Watchers. The second group, Watchers, were neutral. They wanted to observe the first batch of Children and gather results first.
• Hunters. The last camp were called the Hunters. They were against Yaiba, and tried multiple times to assassinate him. Yaiba had the devil's luck, and everything failed, from bullets to bombs. With Yaiba's eventual death, they continued their work to eliminate the Blade Children because of their potentially dangerous natures.

When Yaiba was thirty-six, one Japanese man came out of nowhere and easily killed him: Kiyotaka Narumi. He was the counterpart to Yaiba: if Yaiba had been a destroyer, Kiyotaka was a creator. Yaiba had intended to remake the world literally in his own image; with his death, the Blade Children project was halted. Kiyotaka had his hands full trying to stop the Hunters from killing all the Children, while trying to check the Savers at the same time.

The counterpart metaphor does not end there. Since Kiyotaka had a brother who was like him but not him (another creator), Yaiba also had a sibling: Hizumi Mizushiro, Ayumu's mirror image, the one who will awaken the blood of the remaining Blade Children.

The prequel, "Spiral - Alive" reveals that the eighty Blade Children are kept under surveillance by the Hunters, Savers, and Watchers. Of those eighty, thirteen have been completely erased from the list of Blade Children held by the three factions. The one responsible for this had been a neutral party who committed suicide after accomplishing this. The only information about the thirteen missing children is contained in the Mikanagi File, named after Professor Isabel Mikanagi, who was responsible for the removal of the thirteen children from the list of eighty Blade Children. With Professor Mikanagi's death, the file was entrusted to her associates, Amanae Fusai and his wife, who disappeared with their daughter Yukine and one of the Blade Children, Charlotte. When one of the Hunters and another former associate of Mikanagi, Professor Sheffield, caused Charlotte's blood to awaken murderously, the child stabbed Yukine and caused the deaths of her adoptive parents. Yukine survived and currently holds the only record of the Mikanagi File within her memory - no other concrete records of the file exists.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Spiral characters

Ayumu Narumi (鳴海歩, Narumi Ayumu^?)

The protagonist of Spiral, Ayumu is very intelligent, but is very introverted and has a lot of self-doubt. He fears that he cannot surpass his own perfect older brother and doubts himself to the point where he no longer believes he can do anything anymore without acting like his brother. He is a talented pianist like Kiyotaka, an excellent cook, and cares a lot for his sister-in-law Madoka. His affection for Madoka (now as a "nee-chan") might also be because of formerly loving her, but stopped when Kiyotaka married Madoka. Ayumu is also the supposed only hope for the Blade Children and their survival.

Hiyono Yuizaki (結崎ひよの, Yuizaki Hiyono^?)

The infamous school journalist, Hiyono is the bubbly and energetic sidekick of Ayumu, always stuck to his side. Very clever and a quick-thinker, her confidence borders dangerously on overconfidence. She is extroverted and is Ayumu's polar opposite, serving as one of the series' few comic-relief characters. Her skill with computers are as amazing as her hacking abilities and she has access to over one hundred resources. She blackmails Wataya often, and is very fond of Ayumu's cooking. Hiyono is also one of the few who whole-heartedly believe in Ayumu; she also has a great deal of faith and loyalty in him that carries on for the whole series. She attends Tsukiomi High School alongside with Ayumu Narumi.

Eyes Rutherford (アイズ・ラザフォード, Eyes Rutherford^?)

The 17 years old world-class pianist, he is second only to Kiyotaka Narumi, Ayumu Narumi's older brother. Eyes is quarter English and debuted in the musical world at the age of 14. He cares a great deal about the Blade Children and would do anything for them to survive at all costs. He is exceedingly loyal to Kiyotaka's words and seems to believe in Ayumu the most out of all the Blade Children. Eyes knows much more than the other Blade Children do, holding secrets he keeps to himself.

Kanone Hilbert (カノン・ヒルベルト, Kanone Hilbert^?)

A Blade Child with a dual personality. He could be cute and friendly or manipulative and insane. He was very close to Eyes. He would cry for Eyes when Eyes could not when they were young, but their friendship fell apart as they grew older and developed vastly different opinions on the fate of the Blade Children. In the manga, it also mentions that Kanone and Eyes are brothers. Kanone will go as far as he can to kill the people who give the Blade Children false hope, to prove to Eyes and the Blade Children they have no hope. Kanone is even willing to work with the Hunters to prove to the Blade Children that they have no hope. He does not believe that the Blade Children can be saved from their fates.

Hizumi Mizushiro

He only appears in the manga; and is the 'younger brother' of the father of the Blade Children. Hizumi is the complete opposite of Ayumu in many ways. He is sinister and manipulative, though he and Ayumu got along very well upon their initial meeting. Supposedly he is a very dangerous adversary for Ayumu. He has a personality similar to that of Kanone. He is energetic and seems to have an innocent nature about him. He always smiles and seems well-liked. But that is actually a cover-up for his true personality. Hizumi is a deadly killer and seems to be distraught.

[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

Written by Kyou Shirodaira and illustrated by Eita Mizuno, Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna was first serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan. It was also released in fifteen collected volumes.

The manga series was first licensed for an English language release by Tokyopop, however Tokyopop later dropped the license. In 2007, Yen Press acquired the license for the series. The released the first volume in October 2007 and plan to release the remaining volumes on a quarterly basis until the final volume is released in April 2011.^[1]

[edit] Anime

• Opening Theme: "Kibouhou" ("Cape of Hope") by Strawberry Jam
• Ending Theme: "Kokuteru" ("Cocktail") by Hysteric Blue
• Insert: "Twinkle My Heart" by Mitake Akira (note: sung by Hiyono in the series itself)
• Piano Music:
  • Maurice Ravel: Jeux d’eau, played by Brian Verhoye — interspersed throughout episode 3; first heard at approximately 2:45.
  • Franz Liszt: Liebestraume No. 3 — episode 13, most prominently during Eyes' concert (approximately 17:30-end); can also be heard at the beginning of the episode.
  • Franz Liszt: Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude — in episode 21, during Eyes' flashback to his conversation with Kanone, and Ayumu's conversation with Kanzaka (approximately 13:02-16:13). In the Kanone arc of the manga, the piece becomes a plot point: Kanone tells Ayumu that Eyes always used to play this piece when he was alone, but always stopped playing when he noticed that Kanone was listening, and he never told Kanone the title (which translates as "Benediction of God in Solitude"). Ayumu tells the title to Kanone, thus revealing Eyes' feelings, which becomes another motivation for Kanone. In the end Ayumu uses the piece to lure both Kanone and Eyes into the music room where the final confrontation takes place. Kanone also plays the piece (albeit badly).
  • Claude Debussy: Arabesque No. 1 — the conclusion of episode 25, beginning from Ryouko and Kousuke's last conversation, and continuing until Ayumu's final scene at the train station (approximately 14:00-18:30)).

[edit] English episode list

[edit] Prequel

After the completion of Spiral - Suiri no Kizuna, author Kyou Shirodaira and artist Eita Mizuno began Spiral - Alive, a prequel and spin off of the original series. It is currently on-going. Several characters from the original series return, including Kiyotaka, Kousuke, Ryoko, Kanone, and Madoka.

Spiral - Alive is centered around a girl named Imari Sekiguchi, who falls in love with Shirou Sawamura, a boy who wants to become a detective. However, before Imari can confess her love to him, he unexpectedly quits school in order to pursue Kiyotaka Narumi. Things become complicated when she discovers he is currently dating Yukine Amanae, a beautiful girl at school, and both are unaware that Amanae is actually a reluctant murderer. Meanwhile, Toru Saiki, a member of the Police Department's First Investigations Department, investigates the mysterious murders connected with Amanae and is unwilling to bring in Kiyotaka, believing that Tokyo's greatest detective is more demonic than divine. The three become involved in events that are mysteriously connected to the Blade Children.

[edit] References

1. ^ Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning. Yen Press.

[edit] External links

Anime and manga Portal

• Official Yen Press Spiral manga site
• Official Aniplex Spiral anime site (Japanese)
• Official FUNimation Spiral anime site
• Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia