Merry Month of Shojo: MUGEN SPIRAL

Today we look at another Hana to Yume title, from a creator who would go on to write one of modern shojo's blockbusters.

MUGEN SPIRAL (Mugen Supairaru), by Mizuho Kusanagi.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

Ever since her parents died, Yayoi has dedicated herself to carrying on their legacy, using her powers as a mystic to seal away harmful demons.  Her first target was a demon called Uru, whom she sealed away in the form of a cat.  Uru wants revenge, but as the two fight more and more together against both hungry demons and Uru's treacherous family, the more he and Yayoi realize that they will need to work together to survive.

STORY:

Is it weird if my first thought upon finishing this volume wasn't anything to with Kusanagi's best known series, Yona of the Dawn, but instead "This is what I wanted Demon Love Spell to be?"  I mean, the premise isn't too far off, but Mugen Spiral manages to succeed in all the ways that particular series failed for me.

The biggest difference is Yayoi and her dynamic with Uru.  Yayoi is no shrinking, clumsy violet, but instead is cool, competent and motivated.  She's confident in herself and her powers, but she's not too proud to call upon help from others when she needs it most.  She knows how to keep Uru in his place but she's got enough heart to sympathize and extend the metaphorical olive branch when he needs it most.  She's a fantastic heroine.

Speaking of Uru, I truly have to hand it to Kusanagi for how she handled him and his emotional arc.  It would have been all too easy to lean on the antagonism between him and Yayoi in the name of 'romantic tension,' but instead he slowly comes to respect Yayoi's strength and morality.  This ends up dovetailing nicely with the story's shift away from demon-of-the-week antics to a greater focus on Uru's backstory and the family drama that ensues, lending both a greater emotional depth.  All of these elements are in such perfect harmony and it makes what could have been another ho-hum supernatural shojo story into a delight.

ART:

While the art here doesn't get to benefit from the historic Korean flare that Kusanagi brought to Yona, her artwork here is still quite impressive.  The pages can get a bit cluttered at times, but her character designs are strong (even if Uru will totally remind you of Hak and his cousin will remind you of Su-Won).  Uru in particular benefits from a lot of lush, dark inking that makes him stand out on the page.  While Kusanagi doesn't quite have a great grasp on framing action at this point, she does visibly improve on it with each chapter.  I'd love to see this get a modern rerelease, if simply because the art could only benefit from a modern printing instead the usual, muddy image quality that was so typical of Tokyopop releases.

RATING:


Mugen Spiral is proof that Yona of the Dawn was no fluke.  Kusanagi proves that she's always had knack for great heroines, well-written relationships, and stronger than average art.  It's a forgotten gem that absolutely deserves to be rediscovered by modern shojo fans.

This series was published by Tokyopop.  This series is complete in Japan with 2 volumes available.  Both volumes have been published (as both single volumes and a 2-in-1 omnibus) and are currently out of print.