Anime Review #124: Spy x Family

IT’S HERE IT’S HERE IT’S HERE THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME ONCE AGAIN

No, the excitement is not aimed at this post (though I’m glad to have one up for today!). From this Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, I’m going to, for the 7th time, bask in the sun under cosplay for my favourite convention of the year – Anime North!! I’M SO EXCITED SO EXCITED YAAAAAAAAAAY I’VE BEEN WAITING ALL YEAR FOR THIS

So, in celebration of this occasion, enjoy what I wrote up on the (supposedly) most right-wing anime in the history of mankind: Spy x Family!

Spy x Family, which tells the story of three unlike individuals being brought together to form a family facade, has become one of the biggest things to grace the industry in recent years. Ask anyone what they liked about the series and you’ll get a myriad of answers related to humour, the plot’s dynamic, its approachability or the action; from there you can see how impactful this has been for the decade, just as Boku No Hero Academia and Attack On Titan were for the 2010s, and Naruto for the 2000s. As sort of a nod to the Anime North days of old, I remember in 2022 and 2023 seeing the vast amount of Spy x Family cosplays sprawled throughout the convention – and that’s what prompted my curiosity over this series, and made me delve into reading its manga at my local bookstore on odd days, eagerly following along with the chapters and being humoured at the on-page antics as well as how faithful the animated and literal mediums were to one another. As of the time of this writing, I’m caught-up with the first two seasons, having yet to see its follow-up film, and I’m quite satisfied with the product.

Spy X Family

top side: “woah political thriller!”
bottom side: “haha dank memes”

Inspired by an amalgamation of three one-shot manga written by series creator Tatsuya Endo, who then reworked them into a full-fledged story with a huge Cold War backdrop, possibly influenced by the likes of the famed British secret agent James Bond. Little-known this series was from the release of its first volume in 25 March 2019, but conjunctively with the anime’s start three years later on the eve of Palm Sunday, it quickly rose to becoming one of the top-selling books of the past few years. What’s more interesting is that this series is the work of a co-production between two studios: Wit Studios (whose main claims to fame are Attack On Titan, Vinland Saga and The Ancient Magus Bride) and CloverWorks (creators of Bunny Girl Senpai, Fairy Tail, Bocchi The Rock, The Promised Neverland and the everlasting ratchetness known as Darling In The FranXXX).

Spy x Family delivered wonderfully on all fronts of its production, becoming a critical success and a front-runner for various accolades – for both the manga and anime. At the 2023 Crunchyroll Awards alone, for example, it took home a third of the awards it was nominated for, and its musical tracks, voice actors and writing were winners as well. And there’s plenty more of this to go around in terms of merchandise – it’s made its way to a clothing partnership with the Uniqlo brand, an Anya-themed video game set to be released on various consoles throughout 2024, and an amusement park theme in Japan.

Story

Note: I’m not calling the countries by their in-show names, I’m going to call them by their real-life counterparts because it sounds more kick@$$ that way, and because me being a history buff demands it.

The story focuses on three separate individuals living different lives in West Berlin during (presumably) the 1960s. One of these is Loid Forger, a spy nicknamed “Twilight” assigned with his latest mission: to assassinate Donovan Desmond, an East German political executive in the name of democracy. Because of the latter’s extremely reclusive nature, and how heavily guarded he is, the best course of action is to get a child to gain the trust of his son, Damian, and from there, gain access to Donovan and whatever secrets he’s holding. This leads him to acquire, for his mission, an orphaned girl named Anya, who unbeknownst to him, wields the power of ~~extreme dank memeification~~ telepathy, lovable but incredibly stupid; and then, an unassuming yet very attractive town clerk, Yor Briar, who also happens to be a vicious assassin by the name of “Thorn Princess”, whose brother Yuri happens to be a Stasi agent.

Loid and Yor are wedded and begin a middle-class family life, and Anya successfully enrolls in the same prestigious institution as Damian, Eden Academy. But beneath their smiles and idealism lies a myriad of predicaments. For one thing, both parents must keep their real identities as assassin and spy hidden; Yor to avoid creeping him out, and Loid because it’s his duty as an agent to not reveal his true intentions. Only Anya, thanks to her hidden powers, knows their plans and takes it upon herself to preserve their family’s unity at all costs, but must battle herself, for Loid has high expectations of her and wants her to become a top student for her sake and his own – which she constantly fumbles at. At the same time, Yor must keep her family dynamic alive to impress her co-workers and police brother, so as to not risk embarrassment and become the butt of society.

And so, we follow with three different stories. We see Loid and his political endeavours, as he tackles various missions to ensure his country’s safety, which take him to underground tennis competitions, a rigged cruise ship and various secret outposts here and there. On the other hand Yor begins her new life as housewife, balancing between those duties and humiliating anyone who stands in her way with her mad combat skills. Meanwhile, at Eden Academy, Anya adjusts to society where she befriends Becky Blackbell, deals with a despondent Damian and his band of bullies, wastes her young life watching cartoons, gets a dog named Bond and flops at a school she’s barely even qualified to attend.

What I Liked

Anya’s schooltime adventures are really fun to watch! They’re full of dank meme quality wonders. In addition, the way she refers to Loid as “Chi-chi” is adorable and her finest moments of rescue in episodes 11 and 14 are endearing; and let’s not forget as well: her collection of iconic dank faces which make up the core of the series’ most memorable bits.
I find the show’s exposition to be well done at the way they conjure up Loid and Yor’s backstory, get Anya into the fray and develop them at a steady pace. The way they present problems like Yor’s insecurities as a wife, Anya’s brazen incompetence, and the problem of Loid having to deal with that and somehow fit into society, there’s something about the way the family dynamics are presented – in having them solve their problems together and uplift each other, without disdain despite their failings, that’s notched with an air of relatability, which is what I believe is the selling shtick of this show.
The Forgers mix in normal family life but at the same time this doesn’t compromise them from sacrificing their professions with the show choosing to make them go hand-in-hand. Yor’s assassin skills prove handy in a new light, as her drive to protect Anya becomes strong and makes her incredibly beat the crap out of anyone who will harm her, with Loid being the strongman in both his work – being the family’s prime provider – but also the man that brings the family together with his encouragements, kind disposition and charisma that inspire the best in Yor and Anya (or at least, in the case of the latter, tries to). And they still get time for doing normal family outings, like a trip to the dog park, going on a date, or at-home study sessions. It’s hard not to see how much like a real family’s values they radiate – let alone, a Catholic family as endorsed by Pope Pius XII.
The cruise ship arc from the second season is the first time we see the Forgers in some grand, high-stakes action and it’s a breath of fresh air to finally see Yor kick some butt and take centre stage, with Loid and Anya following behind her as discreet support. Same can be said for Loid and Fiona’s tennis showdown and Bond’s sections in season 2.

What I Didn’t Like

I find the dialogue of everyone asides from Anya to be rather bland – such as Loid and Yor when they’re not theorizing things related to their line of work (Yor imagining a day with Anya at her hitman work, Loid performing Operation Strix mathematics). It’s almost one-dimensional and I don’t find much relief from it. Not that it denigrates their overall character or roles, but sometimes I’m let thinking it’s like their inter-relationship dynamics could use some work to be more tangible.

Characters

The characters benefit from having their own distinct personalities, making them easy to associate with and (if I may pull a pun), are a bag of mixed nuts, thrown into many situations with characters of different mindsets than them. Loid’s serious, calculating and responsible attitude is the complete opposite to Yor’s aloof, friendly and subtly airheaded behaviour. Anya finds a friend with Becky, and they get along despite their different statuses, intelligence and attitudes towards everything. Oddly enough, Loid gets along best with someone like Franky, his confidant and a technical genius who doesn’t understand people, is easily finicked, and cowardly as shown with his lighthearted banter with him in episode 29. This dynamic is what Spy x Family‘s characters thrive upon, living up to one of the lines from its opening song that links to how no one’s as they seem, which becomes a recurring theme throughout the series with all its inversions of our expectations: like Yuri to have an unserious, doting-towards-his-sister side to the point he’ll eat all her cooked gunk (did I mention this guy’s part of the secret police?) or Bond to be a pet with powers beyond comprehension.

Just as they’re full of emotion and unpredictable tropes, I found my enjoyment of the show to be tied to how specific characters played out, rather than as a whole. For instance: pair Anya with anyone and it’s guaranteed the scene will be made 10 times better, a surefire testimony to how she ought to earn a recognition as one of the defining characters of the decade; as do when Loid and Yor work out their relationship which begets some entertaining moments with them together. However, I must admit scenes where Damian, Sylvia or Fiona get fully involved can make me zone out.

Music

The only reputable thing that I found from the music was its first opening, Mixed Nuts by one group called Official Hige-Dandism though Souvenir by Bump of Chicken, both from the first season, is also matching to the lighthearted veneer of the show; but more-so the first, with its fast-paced, exciting jingle leading the way. I must say though, as exhilarating it is composed, its abundance of high notes, especially in the chorus part, make it for me a very difficult song to sing. (Trust me, I thought about using this for Anime North Idol, God willing I don’t think my throat can manage it 😔) As far as its in-episode background music and its three ending songs, there’s a huge jazz element to them, as if to mimic the preferred style of spy thrillers, but at the cost of them sounding a little underwhelming and void of having lustre. Needless to say, with exceptions, the soundtrack is not something that I’d recommend as it comes up short on vibes.

wonderful opening song

Favourites

Favourite character: Anya’s incessant childlike approach and mindset towards the world is par for gold for this series. It’s just fun seeing how aloofly she acts around her parents or friends; not to mention all the faces she makes, all borne out of a misunderstood “quest for world peace” (which means her classmate’s father dies). That being said, I also find Becky’s enthusiasm and optimistic outlook to things as second in this category as well as Loid’s strong fatherly instincts landing him a spot here.

Favourite moment: Loid is trying to get Anya to get away from the television and study in episode 11. I love her reaction, she just shuts him down and practically tells him to buzz off, with the look on her face telling us everything we need to know. And then seconds later, she gets into a hitch and tries to run away from her responsibilities.

Favourite action sequence: Loid rescuing Anya from episode 1 provided a great backdrop to his character and what we can expect.

Favourite school segment: The one where the kids play Old Maid for a supposedly mystical snack that will make them into instant geniuses. (You thought I was gonna say the one where Anya develops her iconic dank meme face, right? Haha no that’s too obvious)

Favourite quote: The exchange between Anya, Damian and his lackeys, and Becky in episode 24:

Damian: WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE LOOKING AT

Emile: YOUR DAD IS A LYING CHEAT LMAO

Anya: I hate those guys so much…

Becky: OH-EM-GEE GURL!!! SEEING YOU ACT LIKE THAT MAKES ME SO MAD! But hey, that’s fair, it’s hard to express your love for someone like Damian!

Anya: Wait… whaaaat? Hold up, I love Father, I love Mother, I love peanuts, I love anime, I love… wait, screw Damian he can die in a hole lol
Anya anathemizes Damian as unworthy of affection

Conclusion

This series gets a pass on several fronts: it is faithful to the manga to near-perfect degrees, has several entertaining episodes for each main characters’ exploits, a colourful setting goes well that the characters blend in well with, and plenty of enjoyable, wholesome segments that showcase and build character, progress the story, build action, and most importantly does it modestly (in spite of how Yor is advertised, her character rarely appears as such, instead propping up in safe attire; and virtually absent are any moments where the characters’ physical features take the spotlight). It’s far from a perfect series though, mostly on the presentation frontier if not what it’s about; but I think there’s hardly anything to seriously object from it.

SCORE: 7.5/10

Bonus Stage: Anya Dank Meme Gallery

YOU THOUGHT IT WAS JUST FRIEREN THAT WAS GETTING THIS TREATMENT? WELL WHAT IF I TOOK HER, DOWNGRADED HER AGE, HEIGHT, INTELLIGENCE, VOICE PITCH, AND MADE HER INTO A CHARACTER? THEN YOU GET THE DANK MEME LORD KNOWN AS ANYA FORGER, IN ALL HER ARTISTIC GLORY BELOW!!!