Review of Spiral: Volume 5

Introduction

We`re on the downhill stretch of Spiral, as the penultimate volume arrives. As the series has progressed, we`ve had little morsels of information about the Blade Children, the Hunters that pursue them, how Ayumu fits in, and what has truly happened to his brother. Now these pieces are coming together, as the story gets more serious and we head towards the conclusion. Expect more mind games and puzzles in this, the fifth volume of Spiral.

Ayumu Narumi`s older brother Kiyotaka vanished two years previously while investigating the mysterious Blade Children. On the second anniversary of his disappearance, the mystery of the Blade Children comes looking for Ayumu, drawing him into a series of strange occurrences. Ayumu, like his brother before him is a prodigy, and he revels in mysteries. Soon the high school student is working at cross-purposes to his sister-in-law Madoka who happens to be a detective in the local police force. Fortunately, Ayumu isn`t alone in his endeavours, as aiding him is the school newspaper`s intrepid and gutsy reporter Hiyono Yuizaki.

This disc contains 4 episodes.

18. The Lamenting Angel
There is a new arrival in Tokyo, Kanone Hilbert, the Blade Child that taught the others how to survive. He comes with a warning that the hunters are about to get serious. He also wants to meet Ayumu for himself. But unlike the other Blade Children, he doesn`t see Ayumu as their salvation. Ayumu isn`t having a good day all around, as Madoka is getting depressed and grouchy having been suspended from the case, and she is determined to discover just how Ayumu is involved with the Blade Children.

19. Mirror Of The Heart
The hunters have recognised Sayoko Shiranagatani as a Blade Child, and are using her to get to Eyes. She has been unwittingly accepted a bomb, and Eyes has been offered a chance at defusing it. But if he gets too close to her, the bomb will explode. There`s nothing in the rules about accepting help, so Ayumu tags along in order to save her. But while the mobile calls from the bomber continue to play with their minds, there is a third party playing this game.

20. Whispering Shadows
Ayumu says that he has had enough, and no longer wants to be involved with the Blade Children and their lethal little game. It`s bad timing for Kosuke, who is looking for help in tracking down the latest hunter. When Kosuke walks straight into an ambush, Ayumu has to reconsider.

21. The Sound Of A Breaking Heart
Madoka is getting more and more frustrated, being sidelined at work and getting no information from her brother-in-law. Wherever there is an incident related to the Blade Children, Ayumu turns up. When pressed to explain, he tells Madoka that he is trying to protect her, but as he keeps on hearing, he is no substitute for his brother. But Ayumu`s silence has another cause. He suspects that someone high up in the police is associated with the Hunters, and then he gets an anonymous invitation to a clandestine meeting.

Video

Spiral gets a typical transfer for anime nowadays. The picture is presented in a 4:3 ratio, it`s clear and sharp and there is little prevalence of NTSC - PAL signs. Once again, given the lack of multi-angle credits, even the opening sequence is free of compression artefacts, as is the rest of the animation.

The animation itself isn`t going to set any new standards. It`s very much a no-frills, budget production, which does what it needs to and little more. The backgrounds are non-descript, there are plenty of primary colours, and on occasion the animation seems just one step above a slideshow. This need not be a problem, as Tenjho Tenge is one such anime that saves its animation calories for where they are most needed. The problem is that Spiral lacks flair, and as such the minimalist animation seems more a product of budget rather than style. The character designs are distinctive and well thought out though, and do much to keep the attention.

Audio

You have a choice between DD 2.0 English and Japanese, as well as a DD 5.1 English mix. As per my usual preference, I went with the original Japanese dialogue. There were no problems to report, the dialogue was clear throughout and the music seems well suited to the story, fun where necessary, and atmospheric and moody at the appropriate moments. I gave the English track a spot check, and the 5.1 treatment does give added vibrancy and ambience to the effects. I`m not too fond of the dub though, as it`s one where the voice artists overplay the goofy moments, and some of the accents are excruciating. This disc comes with translated English subtitles as well as a signs track.

Features

You get the usual jacket picture and animated menus to start things off, and on the disc you`ll find the textless credit sequences and trailers for Moon Phase and the long awaited continuation of the Tenchi Muyo series, Tenchi Muyo: Ryo-Ohki. Once again you get the series prologue, which comes in at just under a minute, and sets the stage for the story.

A 4½-minute Image Gallery plays under the sound of the English language cast fluffing their lines in more outtakes, and that`s your lot for volume 5.

Conclusion

Spiral continues to work its magic on me, as the story begins to power towards a conclusion in this penultimate volume. For a series that I initially found frivolous, bloated, and uneven, Spiral has really come together in these last few episodes, gradually unveiling more of the story, upping the emotional stakes and increasing the tension. I`m finding these latter episodes compelling stuff, and it`s all the more impressive given the rather cheap and cheerful animation.

In this volume the change in tone is palpable. The nonsensical humour is toned down, and the story takes on a more serious edge as the hunters continue to arrive to plague the Blade Children. The seriousness extends to Ayumu`s personal life, and the challenging aspects of the predicaments begin to fade in the light of how all this is affecting his family. The big change is the arrival of Blade Child Kanone Hilbert. Just as is the previous volume we met Ryoko, who appeared to be their conscience, the arrival of Kanone changes the dynamic yet again, and not for the better. We`ve seen him thus far in flashback, as a sort of mentor for Eyes Rutherford, someone who inspires ambivalent feelings. That impression is confirmed when he is revealed to be a sly, manipulative character who happily plays all sides off against each other, and seems not to value human life. He doesn`t have the same regard for Ayumu that the others have developed, and seems to have accepted that the curse of the Blade Children will be a fatal one. He sees no problem in sacrificing three of his own just to make a point to Eyes, and he also picks on Madoka as a target for his manipulations.

Kanone is probably Ayumu`s toughest challenge yet, and I`m on tenterhooks to see how it will pan out. That something that I certainly wouldn`t have said 5 volumes ago, but the final volume is looking to be a very rosy prospect. The animation may not be up to much, but the insidious way that the story has grabbed me makes this series worthy of recommendation. Characters that initially seemed as caricatures have developed, filled out, and even grown and changed. The exposition loaded dialogue doesn`t seem anywhere near as tedious as it did initially, and I even found myself humming Hiyono`s little song today. These four episodes set up a finale that couldn`t come quickly enough. I just hope that it finally clarifies just who the Blade Children are, or I`ll be drafting a strongly worded letter of complaint. Spiral is coming on by leaps and bounds. It`s well worth sticking with.