Review: Spiral

[MrDisco]

I just finished watching the anime series 'Spiral: Bond of Reasoning' and once again i'm left disappointed. The story starts off with an attempted murder and from their we're thrown into a world of conspiracy, secret factions, intrigue, and suspense. our reluctant hero, Ayumu Narumi, is thrown into this world as he tries to locate the whereabouts of his older brother who vanished without a trace leaving his wife behind. along with his ever helpful classmate they slowly peel away at the larger mystery as Ayumu is thrown various 'tests' to see if he is the chosen one who can bring salvation to the 'Blade Children'. The Blade Children are a cursed group of kids who are hunted by the 'Hunters' (natch) who in their eyes view them as an abomination. Ayumu is part action hero, part sherlock holmes as he cooly disects his environment using the 'bond of reason'. oh and he's an accomplished ex-pianist who can never live up to his older brother's shadow.

ok so far it sounds pretty good. If you like the X-Files (for its intrigue, suspense, and smart plots) or the movie 'The Game' then like me you'll probably get hooked on this series. it is a little far fetched in how Ayumu is able to pass the challenges thrown at him, and there is an over abundant use of bombs that it becomes to get stale in the later part of the series. i was willing to over look this as i wanted to know was what happened to his older brother, what exactly are the Blade Children, and why are they being hunted by various members of society (including police agents)?

suffice to say the viewer is left in the dark. in the end we're left with a whiny anti-hero who is racked with self-doubt and some mumbo-jumbo about fate and the ability to change one's destiny. thats it. HUGE LETDOWN. why? why must anime series do this? are the japanese that averse to a proper ending? is closure a difficult thing to animate? i do not know. all i know is i wasted a weekend anticpating a truly mind bending climax and instead was given some pseudo-happy-non-ending.

animation wise it was average. no cgi, typcial character designs. the OST was pretty good as it bordered on creepy (again in an X-Files way) during the suspensful parts, kicked into a techno groove when the action heated up, and during those moments of introspection we're given some nice piano scores. runs for 25 eps, 1 of which is a recap.

rental at best.