The anime Spy x Family brings to life the eponymous manga written by Tatsuya Endo. Broadcast for a few weeks on the streaming platform Crunchyroll, it features an improvised family between a spy, a hitwoman and a telepathic orphan. A mixture of absurdism, black humor, and touching clumsiness.
Quick and effective context
The first episode plunges us directly into the universe of the series, through the eyes of the protagonist, Twilight. A character, ready to do anything for his work to maintain peace in the world and whose seriousness and coldness sometimes offer a comic aspect. Also known as Loid, we follow him in his everyday life, handling his various identities and interacting with members of his world. Then he is given a new mission: he has 7 days to start a family to prosecute a politician who only appears at his child's school meetings. Twilight is distraught – and rightly so – and her reactions to this news are among the most comical scenes of episode 1. So he goes to an orphanage where he meets Anya, his future daughter, who fools him by reading his mind. From there, we are immersed in the daily life of this young father, who, like everyone else, has trouble adapting to this new environment. This is not without counting on Anya, who snoops in her father's thoughts and leads him a hard life.
An anime that stands out from the usual series
At first glance, the Spy x Family anime has some familiar elements, especially for fans of spy thrillers. The two rival countries of Westalis and Ostania are fighting a cold war. Here, battles take place in the shadows via intelligence gathering, sabotage and assassination. But the balance of peace is increasingly fragile and to prevent a new war, Westalis sends his best agent to spy on an Ostanian politician. To accomplish this mission, Twilight must acquire a fake family. Spy x Family Trailer One could easily think that Spy x Family is a thriller packed with action and twists. But while there are surprises and unexpected developments, this is not a story centered around espionage. The anime Spy x Family is not a classic thriller; It's a slice-of-life action comedy. And as a bonus, two of the three main characters are adults. Not that there's anything wrong with teenage protagonists in shows like Demon Slayer or My Hero Academia, but let's face it's refreshing to see stories that feature adult protagonists with adult concerns living their adult lives.
Funny and endearing characters
Loid Forger comically tries to hide his true identity from little Anya, not suspecting for a second that she already knows everything about him and is acting accordingly. Anya is just a little girl, and her clumsiness makes her character touching. Her fear of abandonment forces her to pretend to be a normal girl while adapting her behavior to her father's internal demands. This gives rise to an interesting dynamic between the two protagonists. Anya is a well-written character. Despite her power of telepathy, she reacts and behaves like a child. The authenticity of his reactions does not struggle to make the audience. The funniest part of the anime Spy x Family is seeing this character, cold and devoid of emotion, weaken in the presence of this little girl. Loid Forger, who did not hesitate for a second to coldly break the heart of a woman he had approached to hide, finds it difficult to maintain a similar emotional distance from his adopted daughter. Loid is a hyper-competent spy, but none of his espionage training prepared him for fatherhood. Yor would kill several people without breaking a sweat, but gossip at work baffles her.
Popular references to the James Bond classic
Who says spy movie, says James Bond… It is no longer presented to you. Well, the anime Spy x Family is not the exception that proves the rule. Indeed, the world of Spy x Family is clearly inspired by the origin of the James Bond character. James Bond first appeared in the 1953 book, Casino Royal, at the beginning of the Cold War. The end of the Second World War marked the beginning of an information war that consequently brought about the arrival of the era of secret espionage organizations. the reference is evident in the anime Spy x Family, since the entire series takes place in a fictional and pseudo-European world in the middle of the Cold War. There are several details of the story influenced by James Bond. First, very blatant references like Anya's favorite cartoon, titled "Spy Wars", which highlight the influence of James Bond all over the world. We also find in Yor the characteristics of the Femme Fatale in James Bond, although the latter is particularly comical.
Spy x Family, where the art of keeping the public in suspense
What makes the charm of the anime is also the fact that we do not know how long the masquerade will last. The characters all lie to each other and the audience has thousands of questions. When will the truth come out? What will their reactions be? Why doesn't anyone notice that strange things are happening…? This is an effective way to hook and keep the audience until the end. One would think that sequences featuring cold-blooded murders would contradict the "comedy" aspect of the series, but in fact, the two themes complement each other quite well. Throughout the adventure, we see Twilight scrambling to continue her mission while working on her awkwardness as a new parent. And so, rather than planning and executing her mission perfectly, Twilight learns and invents things as she goes, like an ordinary father. The detail of the animation during the action scenes is quite pleasant and the choreography of the fights is precise and lively. In general, the action of the anime Spy x Family is more than attractive.
Our verdict on Spy x Family
So far, the anime Spy x Family presents a perfect balance between humor, emotion and action, through charismatic and endearing characters. All this is based on an original plot in the image of a significant period in the history of the world: the Cold War. The anime Spy x Family is currently airing on Crunchyroll and the manga is available from Kurokawa Publishing.
