Spiral Out of Print!

Welcome and hello all of you 2 followers of mine! (I very gratefully thank you for joining an unworthy person such as myself.) I'm your Navigator, the Richard J. who wishes he had a bigger bank account for all that English dubbed anime he loves to buy.

A bit of sad news today, as reported here, the Spiral anime is going out of production. It's being discontinued. It's joining that list of anime that have finally sold all they are expected to sell and is retiring from service.



I can't tell if Hiyono is angry or just freaked about this.

Funimation did a great job with this 25 episode series. The Spiral manga, fully titled Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning, is currently coming out from Yen Press. (Incidentally, it goes far beyond where the anime went and includes scenes and characters from the beginning that were not included in the anime due to plot compression.) While the Spiral anime failed to answer the key question of the series "who are the Blade Children?" it did provide a strong story for the part of the mystery it unveiled.



Series lead character Ayumu Narumi was played with a stoic and quiet charm by Daniel Katsük. This is one of the few major roles he took on at Funimation but it is a very well played one. Ayumu is a character who suffers from a combination of arrogance and extreme self-pity. He knows he has skills and an intellect that vastly surpasses most others but at the same time, he feels like a second-rate copy of his stunningly capable older brother.

When the mystery of the Blade Children that his brother disappeared to investigate draws him into its twisted web, Ayumu comes to rely upon Hiyono Yuizaki for her remarkable ability to gather information. (A future in the Japanese version of the CIA would be a good fit for Hiyono.) Played with a wild energy and gentleness by Caitlin Glass, Hiyono does everything she can to help Ayumu after she realizes he is one of the good guys. (All in exchange for some free food!)

Of note to me and I know to some others, this is one of Caitlin Glass's roles that involves singing. Although perhaps not as emotionally stirring as her singing in Black Cat, Hiyono's cute little odd songs are sure to make you smile and happen much more than her all-too-brief singing in Shuffle!

Of course, there are other great reasons to run out now and buy Spiral before it's too late!



It's got lots of bishonen! I mean, I'm a straight male but I can admit when anime guys are hot and I have to say, these three with Ayumu down in front, Eyes Rutherford to the left and Kanone Hilbert to the right (played by John Burgmeier and Christopher Bevins respectively) are great looking guys. Eyes is a tortured pianist with a dark side and Kanone, well, is best described as putting the "blade" in "Blade Children."

If you can believe it after seeing the series, Kanone is roughly 6.3 times as badass in the manga.

Of course my favorite reason to watch Spiral is:



Rio Takeuchi! Adorable and sweet, Rio appears to be a far younger girl than she really is. She's supposedly 16 but looks like a loli, even wearing a classic elementary girl book bag at one point in the series. However, never under estimate her resolve or ability to kill and match wits.

Played by English voice acting goddess Monica Rial, and do I even need to point out her many awesome roles in dubs?, Rio stands out as one of the most capable of the Blade Children. In both the anime and the manga, she stands out for her abilities and is one of Ayumu's most capable opponents. Monica Rial brings her dual nature to life with skill, allowing her to sound childish in one scene and murderous in another, as well as delivering her victory speeches with a fiendish flourish.

Well, now Spiral is going into the discontinued list. (Funimation had to take a break from all of those licenses and rescues right?)

If you don't already have a copy of this anime, with its excellent English dub, it is time to get it fast before it goes into a vault. (Wait, does Gen Fukunaga have a vault like Disney?)

Here are a few places to hunt it down!: Amazon.com (for an earlier release check here.), Robert's Anime Corner Store, The Right Stuf and Overstock.com

Not that you need me to tell you where to shop for anime though right? I know you already know but just in case you don't know I'm here to help you know, you know?

Okay, enough of silliness for the day. This is your Navigator Richard J. signing off.

Bye-ni!