Spiral, Vol. 8: The Bonds of Reasoning Volume 8

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning 8 is the eight entry in the ever growing spiral series. The previous entry ended with a cliffhanger that is the immediate starting point of this one. Those who have the 7th one will probably want to review the final ten or so pages in that one for I had difficulty grasping that which had happened in that book since this one starts off with the same scene. For the purpose of this review I will just fill you in on that which happened at the end of that one. Simply put, Kanon, a Blade child, managed to take Ayumu hostage and hold him in the music room of the school. Kanon was also on the offensive to kill the Blade Children and was planning to eliminate Rio, Kousuke, and Ryouko at the school. Rio, Kousuke, and Ryoko were planning to launch an attack against Kanon and that is where this book begins. The story presented here continues right from there and builds on the action and suspense. Within minutes of reading, shots are fired in the school and damage done. What I love about this one is that the character interactions returns to the series roots. We get our dose of Reasoning with both Ayumu, Kanon, and Rio analyzing the situation and thinking of solutions and how to handle it. We also get action with Rio's love of explosives and Kanon's overpowered gun. Finally we get our mystery with the introduction of "The Watchers" and trying to identify Kiyotaka. Spiral The Bonds of Reasoning 8 is an excellent entry for the series. Standing alone it prides itself on highspeed action and massive page turning. There was never a dull moment in it. The ending chapters leave you in a state that will leave you beggining for the next entry. Each book has successfully left me in this state and I just have praise for this eight entry. Pros -Manga is read in the traditional manga format (right to left) -Cover Art is is excellent -Action scenes are drawn expertly and greatly (shading is great and noticable) -Modern-English sounding translation Bonuses -Omake -Spiral Work Diary -Afterward -Translation Notes