Ever since FUNimation went "green" with their Viridian line the publisher has revisited some of their recent shows with cheaper, environmentally friendly packaging. I must say that I don't completely understand the point behind it unless all of their releases follow that same route. Whatever the case it means that otaku can get their hands on decent shows for less money. That's always a plus in my book.

Originally released on DVD three years ago, Spiral is a 25 episode show that kind of snuck onto the American anime scene quietly. There wasn't a whole lot of buzz surrounding it despite the fact that the manga and animation were relatively successful in Japan. Critical reception of the show was somewhat varied and my personal experience with it only involved the final two volumes. Imagine walking into a mystery series at the very end as everything sees fruition. Yeah, I was confused. My interest was peaked though and when I saw the opportunity to revisit Spiral thanks to its Viridian release I decided to jump on it.

At its core, Spiral is a detective show not entirely unlike Case Closed, though the tone is notably darker. Two years prior to the series' main story taking over Ayumu Naruymi's older brother Kiyotaka disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The only clue that Ayumu had regarding this incident were the words "Blade" and "Children". I suppose it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it was a group known as the Blade Children, but fortunately Ayumu does happens to be a smart cookie. Soon enough he and his friend, Hiyono Yuizaki start their own investigation of a string of murders after Ayumu is accused of being directly involved.

His investigation into the Blade Children reveals some startling results with quite the peculiar air surrounding them. Each of them seems to be adept at something, they possess cat-like eyes, and there are several of them out in the world. I will say right now that Spiral never effectively answers the questions I had as to what exactly the Blade Children were and what their curse involved. I suppose it was just a form of carrot to dangle in front of the viewer and in the end it didn't really matter, but I must admit it was frustrating for a while.

As the show progresses the Blade Children seem to have something out for Ayumu and for a long time that motivation isn't revealed. Spiral becomes a frustrating game of cat and mouse after a while and the jumbled plot doesn't help matters very much when it comes to clearing things up. Nuggets of information come slowly and as Ayumu works towards these conclusions you'll feel as though you were involved as well. It's a compelling way for an anime to tell its story and with the manner everything is presented you'll truly feel like you're along for the ride.

Considering this is a show where the mystery is its sole hook I don't want to reveal much about the story. I will say that as it turns out the supposedly cursed Blade Children are being killed systematically by a group known as the Hunters. Again, I'll keep the details to myself but somehow Ayumu gets trapped in between them and his actions spell the fate of the Blade Children. This adds a layer of depth to the plot but it also allows Ayumu the time he needs to develop as a character.

At the beginning Ayumu is a cold and calculative personality with a near total lack of passion for anything in life. He's kind of stoic most of the time and takes things slowly and analytically. Needless to say that doesn't help his likeability or the pace of the show very much. Fortunately his character goes through some changes and I found myself warming up to him as Spiral progressed.

On the flip side I found the pacing of the show just never picked up. Well, that is to say that it didn't pick up until around the half way point. I just wish more of the story was doled out in larger doses towards the beginning. It would have made it much easier to get into and it wouldn't have felt so off-putting. This is a show that gets better if you stick with it but like some anime mysteries there isn't much replay value here. Once the final episode finished I didn't feel compelled to go back from the start. That doesn't mean Spiral is bad by any means (though it does feel unorganized). It was a fun ride but for me it was only a one way trip.

If you missed it the first time around then the Viridian release of Spiral may be worth a look for you if you're looking for a good detective story to pass the time with. This set can be found cheap enough to make it tempting and the show is actually pretty intelligent. If you can get past the somewhat dull character designs and appreciate mysteries then you'll undoubtedly be drawn in. I would suggest renting it first to see what you think but there are many out there who could easily buy this set and be pleased. It's all a matter of personal preference and what you look for in anime. That being said this wouldn't be a show for a newcomer to start with.

Spiral is presented with a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio and features some decent video quality. The image is relatively clean with a few moments of grain that crept in from time to time. I didn't find it entirely distracting and thankfully the compression artifacts that were present were equally dismissible. The show maintains a vivid palette throughout and contrast used effectively despite the fact that the art direction isn't entirely solid. The characters are kind of generic and I never got the impression through animation that the world was alive. Still, technically speaking this is a sound, if slightly underwhelming, release.

There are three different audio tracks included on this disc; Japanese and English 2.0 stereo as well as a 5.1 English surround mix. The original language and the dubbed feature equally decent voiceovers for the most part, but primarily I watched the 5.1 selection. The track utilized the rear channels decently for effects but the sense of immersion was significantly more subdued than we have seen in recent years. This is a series that is mostly driven by dialogue and story though so I'm not entirely sure that it needed a booming presentation. Thankfully the subtleties of Spiral are not lost here; they just aren't as powerful as one would hope for.

The packaging may be different and cheaper but the discs included with the Spiral re-release are the same as the original more or less. Throughout these six discs you'll find textless animations, character profiles, and image galleries. There is also a 46 second prologue sequences that appears but it doesn't really give you much of anything to go with. Likewise the "History of Magic Squares" is kind of a pointless inclusion.

Thankfully some better content such as a collection of outtakes and two audio commentaries are available in this set. The first commentary appears on the fourth disc with the director and two actors chiming in. The second features the director once again with some of the Blade Children. Both commentaries are fine and entertaining enough though with the English actors we're only getting the one perspective and not a lot of insight behind the program. Still, the commentaries were light and upbeat with a good structure though I must admit that the final disc's inclusion wasn't as tight as the fourth's.

Spiral is a very decent detective show and features an interesting plot rife with hooks to keep you watching. I'm not going to deny that it's a series with flaws such as poor pacing, lackluster development, and not a lot of closure. However, the mystery of the Blade Children keeps things going and the main characters stand out if you give them enough time. If you're curious about the show I'd say it deserves a solid rental though I wouldn't necessarily recommend a purchase unless you can find a bargain.

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