Doomed to obscurity before it even premiered as it was released as a series of OVAs rather than a proper TV anime, Kubikiri Cycle provided Nisio Isin signature verbose and complex storytelling in something we all love – a good murder mystery.
Like Danganronpa, but with less bear mascots, The Kubikiri Cycle promised eccentric characters and murder intrigue, and delivered. Though it can rightly be faulted for ending a bit strangely.
Alternative Titles:
- The Headless Cycle
- Zaregoto Series
- The Beheading Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense Bearer
- Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregotozukai
- クビキリサイクル 青色サヴァンと戯言遣い
Year Anime Premiered: 2016
Animation Studio: Shaft
Number of Seasons: 1
Source Material Country of Origin: Japan
Source Material Available: Light Novel
Is It Officially Licensed Past Where The Anime Ends?: Yes
Is It Fan Translated Past Where The Anime Ends?: Yes
Entry Last Updated: December 2nd, 2024
Where To Start The Kubikiri Cycle Light Novel After The Anime?
If you finished the Kubikiri Cycle anime and want to continue the story in the light novels, you can start at Novel 2. (Titled ‘Strangulation – Kubishime Romanticist’)
Do note that ‘Kubikiri Cycle’ was simply the title of the first light novel. Zaregoto is the actual series name for this series of light novels.
Alongside the mainline series of Zaregoto novels, you will also find two spin-off series. You will find The Ningen, otherwise known as the Zerozaki Ichizoku series, as well as the Saikyou, otherwise known as the Mankind’s Strongest series. These spin-offs follow different characters, but still tell similar sort of bizarre mysteries set in this particular world.
Is The Kubikiri Cycle Light Novel Over?
The Zaregoto light novel series is complete. It ended, officially, in 2005 with Novel 9, though a surprise Novel 10 serving as an epilogue was released in 2023.
The Ningen spin-off series is also complete. It ended in 2010 with Novel 7.
The Saikyo spin-off series is also complete. It ended 2020 with Novel 5. Do note that some of the episodic stories in Saikyo do span multiple ‘volumes’ per some novels. So Novel 1 has two volumes, Novel 2 has three volumes, ect, though the official English translations keep them all lumped together in one novel.
Where To Start The Kubikiri Cycle Manga After The Anime?
Continuing the Zaregoto series in manga form is not really something you can do. Zaregoto has two manga series, and both of them are adapting spin-off material.
Soushiki Zerozaki’s Human Experiment is a manga adaptation of the first novel of the Ningen spin-off. While Kirishiki Zerozaki’s Human Knock is the manga adaptation of the second novel of the Ningen series.
Both manga adaptations are complete, and no news on more has surfaced since Human Knock ended in 2016.
What to Expect From The Kubikiri Cycle Source Material Compared to The Anime?
The Zaregoto series of novels is, by design, episodic while following the nameless narrator (the Nonsense Bearer) and the variety of genius and/or odd people he meets that pull him into various mysteries.
The Kubikiri Cycle anime adapted the contained story of the first novel of the Zaregoto series – and it did so well. However, the Zaregoto novels, while episodic, do enjoy foreshadowing things that will happen later on in the series. The foreshadowing in the first novel was really the only thing trimmed out of the anime.
You don’t need to read the first novel of the Zaregoto series to continue on after watching Kubikiri Cycle unless you want to.
Will There Be A Kubikiri Cycle Season 2?
While Zaregoto is not Monogatari-levels of popular, which is the authors other series, people do enjoy a Nisio Ishin story. However, absurd crime mysteries also don’t have the same mass appeal that ponderous supernatural harem rom-com mysteries do, so it is probably not likely that any more of the Zaregoto series will be animated.
But then again, they are running out of Monogatari to adapt.
