Spirit Circle Vol. 1

I love Mizukami's works, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is one of my all time favorites, and Spirit Circle is possibly his best manga. It has the grounded supernatural-ish setting and the great character moments of Lucifer, but unlike Lucifer, Spirit Circle wastes no time even in this first volume. The story is set up so that the protagonist, Fuuta, has to relive past incarnations of himself throughout seven different points in history, uncovering why his eternal rival, Kouko, hates him so much in the process. Immediately, we see one of these pasts lives begin and end in heart-wrenching fashion, and then begin and end another more powerful story by the end of the volume. It's quick and to the point, and satisfying enough for me to hold out until the next volume releases. While we don't get that much of the present-day characters in this volume, the manga still manages to present Fuuta as a fun and likeable middle school student without any tragic backstories to piggyback on. The tragedy is firmly within the past incarnations, so the light-hearted middle school days give good breathing room before Fuuta prepares for his next incarnation. The manga has a good pace and sense for when to emphasize tragedy or comedy. Some of my favorite moments in the volume are when Fuuta is just goofing off with his friends in school. If you've already read Spirit Circle, then this is still a great buy. Mizukami's works are full of subtle character and plot detail, so there is always bound to be something new to catch on a reread. "Lucifer" had amazing reread value, and since I've already finished the later volumes of Spirit Circle, I can say that Spirit Circle is the same. Even within the context of just the first volume, there are so many "blink and you miss it" moments of characterization that are nodded back to later in the volume, and these moments make even the most oddball characters feel real. Spirit Circle absolutely benefits from physical format just to be able to flip back to these references whenever you want. There's only going to be six volumes, and this manga definitely deserves more love!

I was ecstatic when I heard about this series getting localized since I love all of Mizukami's works and purchased a copy as soon as it was released. This series is a masterpiece and most definitely my favorite manga of all time. The way Mizukami relays the stories of Fuuta's past lives and they way they intertwine with one another is told beautifully. No matter how many times I reread it I go through a roller coaster of emotions. I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you aren't a fan of manga or Mizukami's works as this series has a much more calm atmosphere than his other wild works like Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer or Sengoku Youko.

Given my dislike for Mizukami's previous work, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, I didn't expect Spirit Circle to be anything special. Glad to say I was horribly wrong! Spirit Circle knocked the wind out of my sails, hitting me with a whirlwind of emotions as it introduces this breathtaking story of reincarnation and reconciling with mistakes made in a past life. The last few pages of this volume nearly brought me to tears. Hope quality remains consistent from here on out.

I've been keeping up with Spirit Circle since it got localized last year or so and I have no regrets. I adore this series, between the characters, past incarnations, and the stories that bind them all together the emotional impact that the series as a whole is wonderful. I highly recommend this series and I can't wait for the final volume!!

Good quality, worth the price. No creases or defects in the physical book. Arrived on time. English translation was good. Regarding the story, it's a 10/10 for me. You can read reviews about on dedicated sites like MAL.

Its got only six volumes it's a great read tho!

Wonderful art, interesting premise, well crafted storytelling.

best author ever

Good