Review of Spiral: Volume 4

Introduction

We`ve reached the halfway point in Spiral, and all the major questions remain unanswered. Just who are the Blade Children, why are they being hunted, why did Ayumu`s brother disappear, and just what is Ayumu`s connection with them? We probably won`t find out in this fourth volume, especially as it starts off with the dreaded recap episode. As always given the haphazard approach to the writing in Spiral, I still don`t know whether I like it or not.

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 fourth disc in the series contains 4 episodes.

14. Shimmering Fragrance
Hiyono pays a visit to Ayumu to see how he`s doing. He just wants to lie in on his day off, but Hiyono insists that they spend the day reviewing the past events to see if they have missed any clues to the Blade Children mystery. Cue the flashbacks.

15. Like A Swan
Tsukiami Academy has a Blade child in its faculty, although one who has remained out of the ongoing mystery thus far. Star athlete Ryoko Takamachi only wants to be left to live a normal life. She doesn`t have that chance though, when Eyes Rutherford shows up demanding her help. She doesn`t want any part of him, even though he warns her that more hunters are bound to arrive. Will she help? A game of dodge ball will decide…

16. Moving Targets
Eyes has left for LA leaving Kosuke Asazuki in charge of the Blade Children. He`s enrolled at Tsukiami Academy, much to Ayumu and Hiyono`s consternation. Fortunately Ryoko is there to keep him reined in. When Hiyono goes to visit Rio in hospital, that is when the Hunters strike, kidnapping them both. Ayumu and Kosuke will have to put aside their differences to rescue their friends.

17. The Watcher In The Darkness
Rio and Hiyono are being held in an abandoned hotel, and Ayumu, Kosuke and Ryoko have 7 hours to rescue them. It is a trap of course, and several ingenious pitfalls have been designed to eliminate the Blade Children. Because Ayumu is helping them, that makes him just as much a target. From the moment they enter the hotel, they are being led by their noses to their doom. Will Ayumu find a way out?

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. The animation does take a hit in the flashback episode, with the sequences linking the flashbacks even more static looking.

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. This disc comes with translated English subtitles as well as a signs track.

Features

There is a decent selection of extras for an anime disc, and you get the usual jacket picture and animated menus to start things off.

On the disc you`ll find the textless credit sequences and trailers for Full Metal Alchemist and Gunslinger Girl. Once again you get the series prologue, which comes in at just under a minute, and sets the stage for the story.

There are character profiles for three more of the show`s characters, and a 2½-minute Image Gallery plays under the sound of the English language cast fluffing their lines in more outtakes.

More substantial is the audio commentary, though oddly it accompanies the recap episode. I suppose it helps to talk about the series as a whole. Voice Director Chris Bevins, and voice actors Daniel Katsük (Ayumu) and Caitlin Glass (Hiyono) contribute to a track that is light and mostly tongue in cheek. There are a few spoilers for the rest of the series, and a little bit of pertinent info to listen out for.

Conclusion

Well, it took four volumes but Spiral has finally grabbed me. The odd dichotomy of tone is still there, it still can`t make up its mind if it wants to be a zany comedy or dark thriller, and the propensity towards excessive verbiage is still there. But the characters are beginning to come good, and the story has begun to resolve. That said, it isn`t an ideal beginning to the disc, with the dreaded recap episode, and it`s really only the final two episodes that made me sit up and take notice.

Some recap episodes are interesting, with the way that they play on preconceptions and make something interesting out of a low budget flashback episode. Trigun and Samurai Champloo are two such series that spring to mind. Spiral on the other hand sticks to the straightforward and mundane with its offering. Hiyono visits Ayumu and offers to go over the previous events with him. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and as such it`s an easy episode to skip over. We get back to the main story with Like A Swan, which introduces a new Blade Child to the mix. Ryoko is a reluctant member of their group, and the episode focuses on how Eyes manages to convince her to rejoin them. It all comes down to a test of wits as usual, so cue plenty of inner monologue concerning psychology, ballgame tactics, and parabolic arcs. It`s hardly the most interesting of topics, but the characters involved make it worth watching.

But with the final two episodes on this disc, it`s as if Spiral suddenly changes gear. The stakes are raised as the Hunters return to target the Blade Children, and Ayumu gets pulled in when Hiyono is kidnapped along with Rio. It`s as if all the confrontations with the Blade Children have just been training for the real thing, and Ayumu`s gift for solving puzzles is put to the test with lethal consequences when he, Ryoko and Kosuke have to rescue the other two from the Hunters. The series suddenly begins to feel more serious, the comic tone is mitigated, and the pace picks up considerably. By the end of this volume, Spiral had me converted.

A lot of this has to do with finally sorting out a story direction, something that began with volume 3. Initially, we had no idea of the true villains of the piece. We were led to believe that it would be the Blade Children, and indeed some of their actions were reprehensible. But it`s really with this volume that we realise what the context is. What they did to Ayumu and Hiyono could be considered dangerous and malicious, but in a way they were testing Ayumu to destruction. If he could pass their tests, maybe he would be the saviour that they are looking for. With this volume we realise that the true villains are the Hunters, and it feels natural for Ayumu to team up with the Blade Children to stand up against them. It`s just a little disappointing that it took so long to reach that point.

Making the Blade Children the heroes at this point also presents a problem, as none of them are particularly likeable. Rio is a malicious but cute imp, Eyes is aloof and cold, while Kosuke is just a brat. Fortunately this is solved by the introduction of Ryoko in this volume. If anything she is the human face of the Blade Children, she`s aware of her own vulnerability to those who hunt her, but she is uncomfortable with the means and methods that the Blade Children have employed to defend themselves. She`s a character that we can be sympathetic to, invest in, and as such she makes the story much stronger.

Volume 4 is where Spiral finds a focus. The story suddenly grabs the attention, and instead of wondering whether I like it or not, I now find myself compelled to find out how it continues. The animation is never going to win any awards, but the characters have become interesting, and the shift in the impetus of the story gives it an energy that has been lacking thus far. If it weren`t for that recap episode…