Spiral: Volume 2: The Bonds of Reasoning

Want an example of something deeply unfair? The first volume of "Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning" ended on a cliffhanger in MID-MYSTERY. But after a wobbly first volume, Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno's manga gets its footing in the second. We find out quite a bit more about these mysterious Blade Children, and Shirodaira successfully spins up suspense and a bit of fear in the latter chapters. Ayumu reveals how the mysterious locked-room murder was committed, and the only person who could have done it. But things only get more confusing when they find that Sayoko Shiranagatani is somehow connected to the Blade Children -- and the terrible event that led to her amnesia. Then famous piano prodigy Eyes Rutherford demands to see "Kiyotaka Narumi's little brother." But after meeting with Eyes, Ayumu finds himself sitting next to a smart bomb with a talking turtle interface, a blank keypad, and over 40,000 possible combinations. And Ayumu is the only one who can disarm it.... with Hiyono's help, of course. Unfortunately, this only increases the Blade Childrens' interest in him. Ayumu is lured into a lethal game with one of the Blade Children, a mysterious boy who is determined to outwit him -- and then kill him. Worse, they seem to be connected to his missing brother -- and they know exactly how to sabotage Ayumu's self-confidence. The first volume of "Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning" was kind of confusing and disjointed, especially since there's no hint of what the Blade Children are. Well, in this volume Shirodaira makes up for that -- even Eita Mizuno's spare, strong artwork seems better. In fact, there's an entire chapter devoted to that -- they're missing a rib, they're in pain, and apparently they are compelled to kill. Shirodaira infuses the story -- such as Eyes' interview -- with a sense of dark, creeping foreboding, as well as the scenes where Ayumu and Kousuke Asazuki match wits in an abandoned, booby-trapped elementary school. This volume also introduces two important characters -- Eyes and Asazuki, who are both ruthless Blade Children. And Shirodaira doesn't bust his butt to make you like them: Eyes is rather cold and bizarre, and Asazuki seems relaxed playful until Ayumu defeats him at his card game. Ayumu isn't as much the focus in this volume, but we get to see more of how he feels overshadowed by his brother, as well as his relationship with his sister-in-law. Hint: not all feelings are platonic. And Hiyono is here mostly to provide goofy comic relief, and help Ayumu with the bomb. The second volume of "Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning" is much darker and more intricate than the first one, and promises to only get better.