Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna

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Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
スパイラル―推理の絆 (Spiral ~ Bonds of Reasoning)
Genre	Drama, Mystery, Shōnen
Manga
Authored by	Kyou Shirodaira Eita Mizuno
Publisher	Gangan Comics Vibulkij Comics
Serialized in	Shonen Gangan
Original run	2000 – 2005
No. of volumes	15
TV anime
Directed by	Shingo Kaneko
Studio	J.C. Staff
Network	TV Tokyo FUNimation Channel, CoLours TV
Original run	October 1, 2002 – March 25, 2003
No. of episodes	25

Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna (スパイラル～推理の絆, Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna^?) is a mystery manga which was later turned into an anime by TV Tokyo.

Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna is a shonen manga by Kyou Shirodaira (writer) and Eita Mizuno (art). It was published in Monthly Shonen Gangan, animated into a 25 episode series, and dubbed into English by FUNimation. Both the anime and manga are completed, the manga lasting fifteen volumes. The anime is at best an incomplete work in that it ceased production before any of the mysteries of the story were resolved. The anime has also debuted on American TV in a syndicated FUNimation Channel programming block airing on CoLours TV beginning on Monday, June 19, 2006.

Spiral is a mystery story with a plot that is much deeper than other detective series, like Case Closed (Detective Conan). The driving mystery of the story is the nature of the Blade Children, those who have cat-like eyes and are missing a seventh rib bone.

[edit] Background story

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 mystery of the series/manga. They are cursed children that few know about and are being pursued by so-called Hunters. Of the main features of the Blade Children are their glowing eyes with their slit-shaped pupil (similar to cats and snakes). They are also 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.
• 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.

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. If Kiyotaka had a brother who was like him but not him, another creator, then Yaiba must also have a sibling. That is Hizumi Mizushiro, Ayumu's mirror image, the one who will awaken the blood of the remaining Blade Children.

[edit] 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. Ayumu is also the supposed only hope for the Blade Children and their survival.

He is revealed to be a clone of his brother. In fact, he and Hizumi are the first clones to be made, and thus have a very limited lifespan with many biological complications. At the end, he is hospitalized because of these complications, with a piano in his room. Having lost the use of his left arm, he continues to write music, still adhering to his way of fighting destiny: to live on, creating new opportunities and generating hope under his own power. This is the answer he gives to the Blade Children.

Kiyotaka Narumi (鳴海清隆, Narumi Kiyotaka^?)

Ayumu's older brother, who is perfect at everything in the eyes of Ayumu. He became a world-class pianist after the age of ten and then an unimaginable world-class detective at twenty. He married Madoka - but left a year after they married. He is also the real reason why Ayumu always doubts himself, who is constantly comparing himself to him. Kiyotaka left one day after he was researching the mysterious case of the Blade Children. Many assume he is now dead. Ayumu discovers that he is not, after hearing that he has been associated with the Blade Children.

The anime never offers an explanation of his disappearance.

In the manga, he is revealed to be the puppeteer behind the scenes, and returns at the very end. He created a situation where Ayumu would lose every last bit of his support, even Hiyono, but Ayumu managed to overcome despair on his own. He lives with Madoka and still controls his organization from Japan.

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.

At the end, it is revealed that Hiyono was also part of Kiyotaka's machinations. The reason she knew so much about individual Blade Children, such as Kanone's foster parents' names, is because Kiyotaka told her. She is in fact older than Ayumu (ironically the type of girl he likes), and being "Hiyono Yuizaki" was just an assignment. She was to be Kiyotaka's final trump card—Kiyotaka would reveal her identity to knock away Ayumu's support.

After the final confrontation between Kiyotaka and his clone Ayumu, "Hiyono" left for her next assignment in Germany, for two years. The manga ends with her visiting Ayumu in the hospital and hearing him play the piano with one hand.

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

The world-class pianist, he is second only to Kiyotaka Narumi, Ayumu Narumi's older brother. He is seemingly cold-hearted but definitely not heartless (he brought Rio melons when she was stuck in the hospital). 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. He is one of the first targets of assassination by the Hunters (after Sayoko) but outwits them at a charity concert with the help of Ayumu and Kousuke. He and Kanone have a some sort of bond, even though the friendship between Eyes and Kanone seems to shatter once he learned of Kanone's betrayal of the Blade Children. Eyes appears to be the leader of the Blade Children but he treats Kanone as either an equal or even an older brother.

In the end he concentrates on his piano skills, known as the "savior of the music world." This is the path he chose to create hope for himself.

Kousuke Asazuki (浅月香介, Asazuki Kōsuke^?)

The most arrogant, aggressive and most violent of all the Blade Children Kousuke is usually the implementor of assassinations. Kousuke is very strong-willed and stubborn, choosing to fight the Hunters head on rather than hide from them. He is impulsive, impatient, and tends to resort to physical violence over verbal negotiation. He is not afraid to kill and does not really trust Eyes, resulting in arguments between them. While Rio calls him stupid, in reality Kousuke is very intelligent; after skipping most of elementary school, he still manages to catch up to secondary school level from reading and learning from books. Kousuke also left middle school after a run in with a teacher. Kousuke may also have some romantic feelings for Ryouko.

The final path Kousuke chose is "ordinary," in that he goes to college.

Rio Takeuchi (竹内理緒, Takeuchi Rio^?)

The "midget" of the Blade Children group, she resembles a 13 year old child rather than her actual age, 16. Rio is also the youngest of the Blade Children. Although Rio appears to be the most innocent of the Blade Children with her cherubic features and size, she is actually very shrewd and calculating. Rio knows how to create bombs, devise difficult plans and kill those she considers her enemies. She is extremely intelligent and is able to escape from any sticky situation, no matter how small or tight it is. She is very straight-forward and has a crush on Eyes because he gives her 'netted pattern' melons (her favorite food). Like Kousuke, she will not hesitate to kill people if she has to.

The path Rio takes is working in third-world countries, defusing land mines left over from war.

Ryoko Takamachi (高町亮子, Takamichi Ryōko^?)

One of the most down-to-earth person of the Blade Children; Ryoko is a clever and athletic person, probably the most athletic of the Blade Children. She is a natural-born runner and can outrace almost anyone. She is a childhood friend of Kousuke Asazuki and, unlike the other Blade Children, she despises killing. She dislikes Eyes Rutherford due to past issues and cares deeply for Kousuke, though she has a tendency to use him as a punching bag and make him buy her food. Her past is relatively unknown, though it is hinted that something traumatizing happened while Kousuke and Eyes were present. She is relutantly brought back into the conflict of the Blade Children by Eyes after losing to him in a simple game of dodge ball. She honors their deal to join with the rest of the Blade Children, with only one condition: she will not kill anyone.

She is still with Kousuke and hopes to run in the Olympics.

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. 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. He is capable of terrible things and is interested in killing Ayumu because he is the Blade Children's only hope that they can actually be saved. Kanone is even willing to work with the Hunters to prove to the Blade Children that they have no hope.

After a huge fight at school which spans multiple volumes, he is hit with a tranquilizer bullet and subsequently put under house arrest in a secure location. He is visited by Hizumi, and willingly gets killed by him. This is the path he chose. By killing Kanone, Hizumi's choices are severely limited, and he cannot fight his destiny. Kanone's final word to Ayumu was "hope."

Madoka Narumi (鳴海まどか, Narumi Madoka^?)

Ayumu's sister-in-law and Kiyotaka's wife, she works as a police detective but is usually outsmarted by Ayumu in most cases. Her investigation skills are remarkable, but because of work she is rarely at home and therefore can do no domestic work. She cares a great deal for Ayumu. She is a bit selfish, not quite aware of the pain her brother-in-law endures because of how much he cares for her since she is his only family now that Kiyotaka has gone missing. Madoka tries to keep Ayumu from getting too involved with the Blade Children, but proves to be another weak spot of Ayumu and is often left in the dark by Ayumu about situations concerning the Blade Children for her own safety.

She lives with Kiyotaka and visits Ayumu in the hospital.

Suemaru Wataya (和田谷末丸, Wataya Suemaru^?)

A detective in training, he works under Madoka and isn't very smart as he jumps to conclusions without thinking about a situation thoroughly. He is regularly blackmailed by Hiyono and often hangs out with Madoka in a bar.

Kirie Tsuchiya

A manga only character. Kirie is mysterious and ambiguous, a member of the Watchers. She makes her first appearance in Volume Eight of Spiral, and seems to be one of the few people who knows about the secret of the Blade Children. She smokes and has an arrogant personality, but helped an injured Eyes when he was severely wounded after his battle against Kanone.

Ayumu gave her blood samples from himself and Hizumi. Kirie confirms that their DNA is identical to their brothers' (Kiyotaka and Yaiba). Since their ages are so far apart, they cannot be twins. In the end, Kirie acts as liaison between the remaining Blade Children and Ayumu.

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. He enjoys playing the harmonica and playing basketball. It also seems that he enjoys annoying Ayumu. He is often classified as one of the Blade Children alhough he is not. This may be assumed by his cat-like eyes.

He knows from the beginning that Ayumu and himself are clones, having done research when he was at college. He reveals all to Ayumu in a final confrontation on top of Tokyo Tower. Ayumu beat him by refusing to kill even when he had an absolute advantage. Hizumi then jumps from the top of the observation platform and is hospitalized for a year. In the end, he dies from biological complications, but not until he has discovered enough to allow Ayumu to live on after him.

Sayoko Shiranagatani (白長谷小夜子, Shiranagatani Sayoko^?)

One of the Blade Children, she was adopted and raised with the hope that she would not suffer like others like her. However, once Sayoko's identity as one of the Blade Children emerged, she is mysteriously pushed off the roof of the school(In the manga, it is Munemiya Kana that is pushed off the roof.). Ayumu becomes the first suspect because he was the only one present at the roof at the time, despite the fact he is completely innocent. She survives miraculously and later recovers but suffers from amnesia, though she is happy with her current life and continues to live hopefully. She is said to be different from the other Blade Children. Unlike the other Blade Children, she does not possess the characteristic slit-pupils.

[edit] Anime cast

[edit] Japanese

• Kenichi Suzumura: Ayumu Narumi
• Kazuhiko Inoue: Kiyotaka Narumi
• Masumi Asano: Hiyono Yuizaki
• Akira Ishida: Eyes Rutherford
• Takeshi Kusao: Kousuke Asazuki
• Yui Horie: Rio Takeuchi
• Hitomi Kato: Ryouko Takamachi
• Kenji Nojima: Kanone Hilbert
• Kotono Mitsuishi: Madoka Narumi
• Bin Shimada: Suemaru Wataya
• Hajime Kubota: Yuuta Nakamoto
• Hirofumi Nojima: Imasato
• Ichirō Nagai: Taniraizo Shiranaga
• Kanako Okada: Suzuki
• Kyoko Hikami: Reiko Hatsuyama
• Mai Nakahara: Sayoko Shiranagatani
• Masaya Onosaka: Takashi Sonobe
• Miho Yamada: Takako Adachi
• Mika Outake: Tanikei Shiranaga
• Myu: Young Nero
• Ryuji Mizuno: Keishisei Kanzaka

[edit] English

• Daniel Katsük: Ayumu Narumi
• Christopher R. Sabat: Kiyotaka Narumi
• Gwendolyn Lau: Madoka Narumi
• Caitlin Glass: Hiyono Yuizaki
• John Burgmeier: Eyes Rutherford
• Christopher Bevins: Kanone Hilbert
• Greg Ayres: Kousuke Asazuki
• Monica Rial: Rio Takeuchi
• Laura Bailey: Ryouko Takamachi
• Colleen Clinkenbeard: Suzuki
• Cynthia Cranz: Reiko Hatsuyama
• Elise Baughman: Sayoko Shiranagatani
• Kristin McCollum: as Kei Shiranagatani
• R Bruce Elliott: as Raizou Shiranagatani
• Robert McCollum: as Suemaru Wataya
• Sean Schemmel: as Takashi Sonobe
• Sean Teague: as Lucky
• Sonny Strait: as Mr. Imazato
• Clarine Harp: Takako Adachi

[edit] Media

• 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 Kyousuke's last conversation, and continuing until Ayumu's final scene at the train station (approximately 14:00-18:30)).

[edit] English episode list

[edit] External links

• Official Aniplex Website (Japanese)
• Spiral Official Dub Website (English)
• ANN TV Profile
• ANN Manga Profile