Review of Spiral: Volume 1

Introduction

Becoming Funimation`s main UK distributor in 2007, Revelation Films has to make an immediate impact with anime fans. Judging by their first week of releases, they appear to have all the bases covered. First they re-release fan-favourite Fruits Basket in boxset form, and then they pick up Full Metal Alchemist where MVM left off - another fan favourite, with the added prospect of the feature film to look forward to. With past and present catered for, all that`s left is the future, and the new series that will be making their UK debut. The first week sees the release of Spiral. If this new series also strikes a chord with fans, then Revelation will have hit the ground running.

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.

Spiral is a 25 episode series, which is split across 6 discs. That means this first disc gets a bumper selection of five episodes to ease us into the show.

01. Spiral Of Destiny
The day isn`t going well for Tsukiami Academy student Ayumu Narumi, especially as it`s the second anniversary of his brother`s disappearance. It gets worse when a girl is pushed from a balcony and the school sees him standing there a moment after. When his sister-in-law Madoka, a police detective tells him that the evidence is overwhelming that he tried to kill Sayoko Shiranagatani, he sets out to clear his name. That isn`t going to be easy when school reporter Hiyono Yuizaki insists on an exclusive interview with a master criminal.

02. Manor Of Death
There`s been a murder at the Manor Of Death, which is incidentally the home of Sayoko Shiranagatani. Translator Takako Atachi is the victim, and an odd symbol drawn on the floor the only clue to a crime that took place in a locked room. Ayumu learns that Sayoko has no memory of her childhood, and that her amnesia, the attempt on her life and the murder of Takako all have something to do with the Blade Children.

03. Cursed Children
Famous pianist Eyes Rutherford is in Japan for a recital, and he`s demanding to meet Ayumu. Ayumu followed his brother`s footsteps and excelled in piano, but gave it up after Kiyotaka vanished. Hiyono seeing the chance at an exclusive interview drags Ayumu along to meet with Eyes, and the two find complementary tickets awaiting them. But the Blade Children have noticed Ayumu, and have prepared a test for him. An obnoxious turtle guards a tricky time bomb, and if Ayumu doesn`t solve the clues, he`ll never play piano again.

04. The Happiness Of Those Who Believe
Madoka`s own investigation into the Blade Children, and how they tie into her husband`s disappearance is scuppered when a key witness `dives` out of a hospital window. Ayumu and Hiyono quickly turn up to investigate, but she puts her foot down and finally sends the pair to school. Instead of complying however, the two encounter an enigmatic boy named Kousuke Asazuki. He knows far too much about the recent death, and he claims he is one of the Blade Children. He challenges Ayumu to a game, and he will reveal all his secrets if Ayumu can win.

05. Misty Gallows
Ayumu is distracted at school, and that attracts the attention of his teacher Imazato. Imazato is concerned that Ayumu isn`t fulfilling his potential, and it`s not just out of professionalism. Imazato is involved with the Blade Children, and he`s ready to reveal all to Ayumu. The Blade Children aren`t keen on their secrets slipping away so easily, and they alert one of their number in the school. Soon Ayumu has another murder to investigate.

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 no prevalence of NTSC - PAL signs. Only the most frenetic moment during the opening sequence falls prey to compression artefacts, the rest of the animation is pristine.

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. Subtitles to choose from include a simple signs track, a translated subtitle track, and a Hard Of Hearing English track that corresponds to the dub. The disc automatically chooses the appropriate subtitle and credit sequence angle according to which language you choose from the outset, although you can change them all at will within the programme.

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 half an episode a try in English, 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.

Features

The new distributor doesn`t mark any alteration in the disc`s authoring (they`re usually all authored by Madman anyway), so the presence of animated menus, jacket picture and multi-angle credit sequences is a familiar touchstone. You`ll also find the next episode previewed at the end of each episode. The disc comes packaged in a standard Amaray case, which is a tad sturdier than the usual pseudo Amarays that most anime companies use.

Extras on this disc begin with four pages of text on Magic Squares. It`s relevant information for episode 3, although that depends on how deep your interest in maths goes.

There are Character Profiles for 6 of the characters that you meet on this disc.

There is an image gallery, which presents stills from the show in an approximately 2-minute long slideshow.

No anime disc would be complete without the textless songs that accompany the show`s credits. Cape Of Hope offers a little punk, while Cocktail is a little more ballad oriented.

Finally there are trailers for Full Metal Alchemist and Gunslinger Girl (hinting at a boxset in the near future I hope).

Incidentally, the trailers and textless credits are replete with the compression artefacts that the main feature is spared. The Gunslinger Girl trailer also offers some odd interlacing effects.

Conclusion

`What Are The Blade Children?` is the subtitle of this volume, and while the question is asked repeatedly in these five episodes, no serious answer is forthcoming. That`s to be expected of course, as no self-respecting story is going to blow its narrative wad in the first few chapters. The trouble is that Spiral itself seems to be in just as frantic a search for an identity. The set up sounds frightfully ominous. Ayumu`s big brother has been missing for the last two years, vanished pursuing the mystery of the Blade Children. Then all of a sudden, their existence makes an impact on Ayumu; he`s framed for an attempted murder, winds up investigating other murders, all the time at the whim of the Blade Children, who have a sinister plan in store for him. It sounds dark, enigmatic, and utterly X-Files territory.

The reality couldn`t be more different, with clear and simple visuals, plenty of primary colours, and characters with universal appeal. There is also an unevenness of tone. There is a small element of darkness, especially when Ayumu`s brother is mentioned, or the Blade Children are invoked, but the various murders are treated pretty lightly, the puzzle aspect is strongly played when it comes to the investigations, and the various relationships among the protagonists are played strictly for laughs, with plenty of `chibi` moments. Given the story, it does seem a little out of place, but truth be told, coming from a 2006 filled with the likes of Gantz, Texhnolyze and She, The Ultimate Weapon, I actually welcomed some anime silliness, and am willing to cut Spiral a little slack. Still, the haphazard tone could come to hurt the show as the series progresses and the mystery deepens.

The characters are entertaining, although I did feel that Ayumu relied on one too many narrative crutches. He`s living in the shadow of his older brother. Like him he`s a piano prodigy, and a whiz at crime detection, but since the disappearance his life has been haunted by the absence. It also turns out that the way to get his hackles up is to imply that he`s inferior to his brother, which is something that all the Blade Children introduced on this disc quickly wise up to. It`s like riling Marty McFly by calling him `Chicken`. I did enjoy the interaction that develops between him and reporter Hiyono though; it`s where most of the laughs come from at this stage, although the interaction between Ayumu and his sister-in law Madoka is no less funny. Incidentally, this is one of those shows where you have to seriously suspend your disbelief. There are shades of Smallville in the way that Ayumu has open access to the average crime scene, and Hiyono uncovers long buried facts in a matter of minutes.

This early on, it`s very much a mystery of the week show, with Ayumu having to solve some crime to get one step closer to the truth behind the Blade Children. It helps that the mysteries are imaginative, and the use of logic puzzles and intelligence is appealing, which makes the episodes very easy to watch. While the disc asks what the Blade Children are, there`s no answer by the end of these five episodes beyond, `they`re dark and mysterious`, which may be a disappointment if you are looking for something a little faster paced. The animation isn`t going to stretch the medium, but succeeds in telling the story. On the strength of this first disc, Spiral probably isn`t going to be the third dart in the triple-twenty for Revelation, but it does provide some light-hearted entertainment, with a hint of an overall story. It could go either way, but it will be interesting to see how it progresses.