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Manga Info
Spiral - Suiri no Kizuna ![]()
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Description
From Yen Press:
World-class detective Kiyotaka Narumi's last words prior to his sudden disappearance continue to haunt his younger brother, Ayumu. The cheeky 10th-grader becomes equally embroiled in the mystery of the doomed “Blade Children” when he is mistakenly named the prime suspect in a murder at his school. Led by Ayumu's sister-in-law, Kiyotaka's wife and fellow detective, Madoka, the investigation into the murder gives Ayumu a chance to clear his name. But in doing so, he not only uncovers ties to the Blade Children but also more questions than answers about who and what they are... More...
World-class detective Kiyotaka Narumi's last words prior to his sudden disappearance continue to haunt his younger brother, Ayumu. The cheeky 10th-grader becomes equally embroiled in the mystery of the doomed “Blade Children” when he is mistakenly named the prime suspect in a murder at his school. Led by Ayumu's sister-in-law, Kiyotaka's wife and fellow detective, Madoka, the investigation into the murder gives Ayumu a chance to clear his name. But in doing so, he not only uncovers ties to the Blade Children but also more questions than answers about who and what they are... More...
Type
Manga
Related Series
Spiral Alive (Side Story)
Associated Names
Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning
Thám tử kì tài
スパイラル ～推理の絆～
推理之绊
Thám tử kì tài
スパイラル ～推理の絆～
推理之绊
Groups Scanlating
Latest Release(s)
v.15 c.77 (end) by Minna-Scan & Ascension over 13 years ago
v.15 c.76 by Minna-Scan & Ascension over 14 years ago
v.15 c.Omake by KAW over 14 years ago
Search for all releases of this series
v.15 c.76 by Minna-Scan & Ascension over 14 years ago
v.15 c.Omake by KAW over 14 years ago
Search for all releases of this series
Status
in Country of Origin
15 Volumes (Complete)
Completely Scanlated?
Yes
Anime Start/End Chapter
Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1
Ends at Vol 6, Chap 28
Ends at Vol 6, Chap 28
User Reviews
N/A
Forum
2 topics, 4 posts
Click here to view the forum
Click here to view the forum
User Rating
Average: 8 / 10.0 (464 votes)
Bayesian Average: 7.9 / 10.0
Bayesian Average: 7.9 / 10.0
10
24%
9+
22%
8+
20%
7+
16%
6+
8%
5+
3%
4+
3%
3+
2%
2+
1%
1+
2%
Last Updated
April 8th 2020, 8:44am
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Genre
Categories
Category Recommendations
Recommendations
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Year
2000
Original Publisher
Serialized In (magazine)
Licensed (in English)
Yes
English Publisher
Yen Press (15 Vols - Complete)
Activity Stats (vs. other series)
Weekly Pos #716 
(+33)
Monthly Pos #1538 (No change)
3 Month Pos #2697(+290)
6 Month Pos #3857(+372)
Year Pos #5435(+757)
(+33)Monthly Pos #1538 (No change)
3 Month Pos #2697
(+290)6 Month Pos #3857
(+372)Year Pos #5435
(+757)List Stats
On 917 reading lists
On 1049 wish lists
On 969 completed lists
On 118 unfinished lists
On 365 custom lists
On 1049 wish lists
On 969 completed lists
On 118 unfinished lists
On 365 custom lists
User Comments
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perfect. nothing is wrong with it. it is funny, suspenseful and just.. amazingly perfect. i love it. =) .. in fact.. my simple words could never describe it... they aren't good enough. nothing is.. well... maybe. *thinks about best friend who is holy* maybe. =)
I watched the anime of Spiral which lead me to read the manga. I have read the entirety of Spiral manga. I must say I love this author's style of art and storytelling.
First-off, the intensity of the mysteries (or action) grew as more people got involved. I found that exciting. The plot twists may seem rushed at times, but all-in-all I think they were well-planned.
Secondly, there wasn't a main character that I didn't like, and that's rare.
A lot of people might have found Ayumu annoying due to his inferior complex and such, but as someone whose also grown up with an inferior complex, his personality gave me a lot of insight on myself. Hiyono grew on me due to her intelligent ways of boosting Ayumu's confidence and gaining information.
I was also drawn into the Blade Children; people who claimed had no hope and no reason to live. Each of them had unique personalities which kept them interesting. Never did figure out why Eyes always brought Rio melons. T_T
The anime is good for if you want to see if the story is worth your time. I was drawn into the anime due to the music, however I was disappointed later to find they only used 6/15 Volumes in the anime and made Kanone look like a villian when he was a neutral character.
If you like Kyo Shirodaira's manga, I might recommend taking a look at Record of Fallen Vampire and see what you think.
... Last updated on January 1st, 2010, 3:40pm
First-off, the intensity of the mysteries (or action) grew as more people got involved. I found that exciting. The plot twists may seem rushed at times, but all-in-all I think they were well-planned.
Secondly, there wasn't a main character that I didn't like, and that's rare.
A lot of people might have found Ayumu annoying due to his inferior complex and such, but as someone whose also grown up with an inferior complex, his personality gave me a lot of insight on myself. Hiyono grew on me due to her intelligent ways of boosting Ayumu's confidence and gaining information.
I was also drawn into the Blade Children; people who claimed had no hope and no reason to live. Each of them had unique personalities which kept them interesting. Never did figure out why Eyes always brought Rio melons. T_T
The anime is good for if you want to see if the story is worth your time. I was drawn into the anime due to the music, however I was disappointed later to find they only used 6/15 Volumes in the anime and made Kanone look like a villian when he was a neutral character.
If you like Kyo Shirodaira's manga, I might recommend taking a look at Record of Fallen Vampire and see what you think.
... Last updated on January 1st, 2010, 3:40pm
one of my favorites mysteries of all time
the problems are very though out and the way their solved is also amazing...i love how the characters influence each other and their personalities
i really like that girl that hangs out with the main guy...shes just awesome! =]
there's just soo much suspense and questions unanswered that it just keeps you waitin for more and more....
i really hope this series is updated though...i realy can't wait for the next chapter
the problems are very though out and the way their solved is also amazing...i love how the characters influence each other and their personalities
i really like that girl that hangs out with the main guy...shes just awesome! =]
there's just soo much suspense and questions unanswered that it just keeps you waitin for more and more....
i really hope this series is updated though...i realy can't wait for the next chapter
Okay, first things first, if you think you're interested in this manga, please read the genres it's in first. Yes it's in tragedy. Yes it's in psychological. Yes it's in drama. I have seen several reviews of this series that have problems with things that are simply tropes of the genres the series is in, which doesn't seem like a fair judgement call. Please pay attention to your own tastes and realize that it may not be the series for you. It's in drama--it's going to have melodrama. It's not in Romance--so whatever it might have will be only the slightest glimmering hints.
Anyways, on to the review. First, the anime. If you're looking for a teaser trailer for the manga, the anime works. But if you're looking for depth, it barely scrapes the surface of where the manga goes. Whether that place is confusing, enlightening or cool or whatever, I leave up to you to decide. That and the anime has a gecko ending--a rush tie-up of loose ends kind of finish that has nothing to do with the manga because the manga hadn't been finished yet.
Now, the manga itself. The biggest problem is the scanslations. To be clear, I'm not going to bag on the translators. I admire and respect them for what they do. I just think that the subjects they were trying to tackle were difficult to translate to English. If you've read all of Spiral, you know this--it's not learning your ABC's in kindergarten. The subjects the characters discuss can get very abstract very fast. So naturally, that doesn't make for the best amateur translations. If you're seriously interested in the manga, you should be supporting the author anyway, so go out or go online and try to buy a copy of a volume--that's what I did.
As for the review of the story, I think the drama was proper--without giving anything away, I believe that they didn't blow anything out of proportion. What with the situations the characters were dealing with, any drama and angsting I believe was quite justified. It is a psychological manga, so this isn't some bishounen school frolic. The issues are all quite serious, and the drama is justified.
The mystery is a bit convoluted after you get through a few volumes, so if you don't like that sort of thing, steer clear. I'm not the sharpest crayon in the pack, so a few things did go over my head, but I still found it a fascinating story.
No. There's not romance. There are itty-bitty, microscopic moments, but don't go looking for anything fulfilling in that department.
It will make you think. And if you appreciate manga like that, I think you'll like this. But don't expect things out of it that it doesn't have.
... Last updated on June 16th, 2013, 8:25pm
Anyways, on to the review. First, the anime. If you're looking for a teaser trailer for the manga, the anime works. But if you're looking for depth, it barely scrapes the surface of where the manga goes. Whether that place is confusing, enlightening or cool or whatever, I leave up to you to decide. That and the anime has a gecko ending--a rush tie-up of loose ends kind of finish that has nothing to do with the manga because the manga hadn't been finished yet.
Now, the manga itself. The biggest problem is the scanslations. To be clear, I'm not going to bag on the translators. I admire and respect them for what they do. I just think that the subjects they were trying to tackle were difficult to translate to English. If you've read all of Spiral, you know this--it's not learning your ABC's in kindergarten. The subjects the characters discuss can get very abstract very fast. So naturally, that doesn't make for the best amateur translations. If you're seriously interested in the manga, you should be supporting the author anyway, so go out or go online and try to buy a copy of a volume--that's what I did.
As for the review of the story, I think the drama was proper--without giving anything away, I believe that they didn't blow anything out of proportion. What with the situations the characters were dealing with, any drama and angsting I believe was quite justified. It is a psychological manga, so this isn't some bishounen school frolic. The issues are all quite serious, and the drama is justified.
The mystery is a bit convoluted after you get through a few volumes, so if you don't like that sort of thing, steer clear. I'm not the sharpest crayon in the pack, so a few things did go over my head, but I still found it a fascinating story.
No. There's not romance. There are itty-bitty, microscopic moments, but don't go looking for anything fulfilling in that department.
It will make you think. And if you appreciate manga like that, I think you'll like this. But don't expect things out of it that it doesn't have.
... Last updated on June 16th, 2013, 8:25pm
While I'm not one to hate on shounen (I enjoy all four demographics), there's no arguing the fact that the tropes typical to the demographic greatly limit originality and opportunities for character development. Shirodaira Kyou, however, has managed to utilise the typical themes of willpower, hard work and friendship to create a fairly intricate plot which, while extremely infeasible from a real-life standpoint, is intriguing both philosophically and logically. While certainly not a masterpiece, and despite leaving several minor loose ends at its conclusion, Spiral - Suiri no Kizuna is one of the better manga in the psychological + mystery genre, with a fairly likeable cast and mind games that are complicated enough to hold your attention while not venturing into "ridiculously convoluted" territory.
That said, there are numerous complaints about this series, some of which I'll address here for the benefit of future readers:
nakie08 : Characters are nonchalant about death -- A strange comment considering the entirety of the plot hinges on Ayumu trying to find a way to circumvent fate and avoid killing the Blade Children, and how at the conclusion, most significant characters are shown going on journeys specifically to atone for the lives they've destroyed. Admittedly, many of the murders that do occur aren't met with lamentation on the part of the survivors, but considering their biological makeup and upbringing, that's hardly surprising. Which this commenter would have known if he'd bothered to read past the first few volumes. (And really, using Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, which is chock-full of black humour, as an example of a manga that treats life more respectfully than Spiral? Bizarre)
songofthewaves : Pseudoscientific, religious hogwash -- Sci-fi is, in fact, one of the genres; and since the "science" in practically every work of science fiction ever created is pseudoscience, the first part of this complaint can be resolved simply by looking at the genre and category tags before reading to make sure you aren't taking on anything you don't like. There is a religious element to the plot, but, as is explicitly stated in the manga itself: whether God and the Devil exist or not doesn't matter; what matters is whether people believe in it and act according to what they think is "God's plan" or "the Devil's will." While atheism has been the in-thing these past couple of decades, the power of religious faith - in the sense that if you believe in something strongly enough it can have a profound effect on your actions and lifestyle choices - is undeniable, and that's what Spiral attempts to deal with. As even most seinen mangaka would be unable to tackle this topic successfully, Shirodaira Kyou obviously doesn't do a stellar job of it, but it's still much better than what I'd have expected.
Jooles : Too complicated, too many speech bubbles -- Yes, this is a very chatty manga, as evidenced by the drama, psychological and mystery genre tags. Not all shounen manga have to be brainless action + harem ecchi, though Spiral does have a (plot-mandated) action component.
MarineHaddock : Forced/rushed romantic development; SCKing88, Revelmonk : Not enough romance -- Actually, a strong romantic focus would have been unsuited to the themes and mood of the story. This would probably have got better ratings if Ayumu had conveniently fallen for one of the Blade Children, thus giving him a more "realistic" reason to desire their salvation, but in my opinion that would have been detrimental both to Ayumu's role as a (rather atypical) hero, and to Hiyono's function in the plot and Ayumu's life. (I'm always appreciative of an author who creates love interests who have a reason to exist other than to be the protagonist's prime motivation in everything he does) And the romantic development being postponed to the last volume has several valid reasons, mostly linked to Ayumu's continued sense of inferiority and the resulting inability to break free of his childhood crush prior to events in the latter volumes.
Tl; dr : If you like the sound of "a dramatic psychological mystery shounen with sci-fi elements, a romantic subplot, and tragic undertones," and are not set on the "a truly strong protagonist should just kill everyone who gets in his way" mindset, Spiral - Suiri no Kizuna is well worth a read.
... Last updated on February 10th, 2015, 1:51pm
That said, there are numerous complaints about this series, some of which I'll address here for the benefit of future readers:
nakie08 : Characters are nonchalant about death -- A strange comment considering the entirety of the plot hinges on Ayumu trying to find a way to circumvent fate and avoid killing the Blade Children, and how at the conclusion, most significant characters are shown going on journeys specifically to atone for the lives they've destroyed. Admittedly, many of the murders that do occur aren't met with lamentation on the part of the survivors, but considering their biological makeup and upbringing, that's hardly surprising. Which this commenter would have known if he'd bothered to read past the first few volumes. (And really, using Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, which is chock-full of black humour, as an example of a manga that treats life more respectfully than Spiral? Bizarre)
songofthewaves : Pseudoscientific, religious hogwash -- Sci-fi is, in fact, one of the genres; and since the "science" in practically every work of science fiction ever created is pseudoscience, the first part of this complaint can be resolved simply by looking at the genre and category tags before reading to make sure you aren't taking on anything you don't like. There is a religious element to the plot, but, as is explicitly stated in the manga itself: whether God and the Devil exist or not doesn't matter; what matters is whether people believe in it and act according to what they think is "God's plan" or "the Devil's will." While atheism has been the in-thing these past couple of decades, the power of religious faith - in the sense that if you believe in something strongly enough it can have a profound effect on your actions and lifestyle choices - is undeniable, and that's what Spiral attempts to deal with. As even most seinen mangaka would be unable to tackle this topic successfully, Shirodaira Kyou obviously doesn't do a stellar job of it, but it's still much better than what I'd have expected.
Jooles : Too complicated, too many speech bubbles -- Yes, this is a very chatty manga, as evidenced by the drama, psychological and mystery genre tags. Not all shounen manga have to be brainless action + harem ecchi, though Spiral does have a (plot-mandated) action component.
MarineHaddock : Forced/rushed romantic development; SCKing88, Revelmonk : Not enough romance -- Actually, a strong romantic focus would have been unsuited to the themes and mood of the story. This would probably have got better ratings if Ayumu had conveniently fallen for one of the Blade Children, thus giving him a more "realistic" reason to desire their salvation, but in my opinion that would have been detrimental both to Ayumu's role as a (rather atypical) hero, and to Hiyono's function in the plot and Ayumu's life. (I'm always appreciative of an author who creates love interests who have a reason to exist other than to be the protagonist's prime motivation in everything he does) And the romantic development being postponed to the last volume has several valid reasons, mostly linked to Ayumu's continued sense of inferiority and the resulting inability to break free of his childhood crush prior to events in the latter volumes.
Tl; dr : If you like the sound of "a dramatic psychological mystery shounen with sci-fi elements, a romantic subplot, and tragic undertones," and are not set on the "a truly strong protagonist should just kill everyone who gets in his way" mindset, Spiral - Suiri no Kizuna is well worth a read.
... Last updated on February 10th, 2015, 1:51pm
I watched the anime before reading the manga, but I still think that the manga is waaaay better than the anime. It's a great series with a list of strong characters esp. Hiyono-chan~ Gotta love her..
As far as I know, there are 15 volumes in total, but I only have 6. SInce starting to read it though, I fell in love with the character art and storyline. It has a much deeper story than your average mystery manga, I just hope the rest of the volumes won't disappoint.
All in all, this is a wonderfully conceived story.
All in all, this is a wonderfully conceived story.
when i read a detective/mystery manga, i try to pay attention to everything so when the great revelation comes i'll be blown. so i noticed something about this manga and it just continued to bug me. it bothers me that everyone in this manga seems to be so nonchalant about death. granted i'm only in the third volume but still. characters like that makes it hard for me to continue reading. here's what happens in the very first chapter.
i know an mc having the stomach for that kind of thing may show courage or maturity or he may just used to it, but he's just a high school student. it just borders on psychopathy. and what bothers me most is that the story and the tricks which i assumed would be the ones the author focused on, is just average if not lame. I may be a little harsh but having read titles like FMA or TOG i may be a little touchy when reading new manga.
this series is just too emotionally devoid for me for a series that features murder solving so i wouldn't recommend reading this. if you like murder mysteries Tantei Gakuen Q or Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro may be better for you. if you like complex puzzles i recommend Liar Game. but if you like a genius main character who likes to show off and a little psychopathic then go ahead and read it. 3/10 for the art
... Last updated on August 7th, 2013, 7:21pm
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
the mc walks up to the rooftop and saw someone fall off the railings. he peers down and saw the girl unconcious with her brain matter(well, more like blood) splattered on the pavement below. a girl saw him up there and accused him of pushing the victim off. you'd think he'd be just a little bothered by the death. but no. he's like 'why is this happening to me?' like someone accused him of stealing some underwear. then the police came and this lecherous policeman just started drooling over the id picture of the dead girl, and he's literally in front of the corpse. necrophilia? a few days later everyone is busy accusing the mc, who's wondering about the trick the killer used. everyone just seemed forget that a schoolmate of theirs actually died. no mourning, not even just a single tear shed whatsoever. is it just me who's bothered by all this?
i know an mc having the stomach for that kind of thing may show courage or maturity or he may just used to it, but he's just a high school student. it just borders on psychopathy. and what bothers me most is that the story and the tricks which i assumed would be the ones the author focused on, is just average if not lame. I may be a little harsh but having read titles like FMA or TOG i may be a little touchy when reading new manga.
this series is just too emotionally devoid for me for a series that features murder solving so i wouldn't recommend reading this. if you like murder mysteries Tantei Gakuen Q or Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro may be better for you. if you like complex puzzles i recommend Liar Game. but if you like a genius main character who likes to show off and a little psychopathic then go ahead and read it. 3/10 for the art
... Last updated on August 7th, 2013, 7:21pm
The story was well prepared before the drawing and it had every emotion. It made me happy, feel sad, pity someone.
The idea was amazing even though I hate his mother for with she did. How could a mother to her own son?!
All in all just amazing!!!
The idea was amazing even though I hate his mother for with she did. How could a mother to her own son?!
All in all just amazing!!!
It started off pretty nice, with a Det. Conan-ish vibe, but it had a habit of changing tone and never seemed to know just what genre it belonged to. Continuing on with more focus on strategic minds, it held its ground and was a nice read until the beginning of the third act/part - the last five~ volumes.
At times it felt like I was reading a book. Pages were littered with text, and bubbles simply isn't a good medium for long-winded talks (more or less the only reason why I stay away from western comics), and when it was a topic like that... My mind just shut off after a while and I speed-read (only affects my long-term memory and immersion, not my comprehension) the volumes from then on. Which I'm glad for; nothing in those last five volumes sparked my interest. The final arc felt pointless, there were big questions I felt needed answers which got none, and the ending... Barf. (Did like the very last few pages of the epilogue, though)
I wouldn't actually recommend Spiral because of its last arc. I've read totally bland, generic stuff that didn't give me the taste of drawn-out agony like this did.
At times it felt like I was reading a book. Pages were littered with text, and bubbles simply isn't a good medium for long-winded talks (more or less the only reason why I stay away from western comics), and when it was a topic like that... My mind just shut off after a while and I speed-read (only affects my long-term memory and immersion, not my comprehension) the volumes from then on. Which I'm glad for; nothing in those last five volumes sparked my interest. The final arc felt pointless, there were big questions I felt needed answers which got none, and the ending... Barf. (Did like the very last few pages of the epilogue, though)
I wouldn't actually recommend Spiral because of its last arc. I've read totally bland, generic stuff that didn't give me the taste of drawn-out agony like this did.
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