Spy X Family is a mix of Three's Company and James Bond with Mr. & Mrs. Smith thrown in for seasoning. This anime is so wonderfully wholesome at times that I adore it. The humor is good, the action when it happens is crisp and kinetic and the misunderstandings heighten the comedy.
At it's heart Spy X Family is a Cold War slice of life spy thriller.
That's a lot of genre's for a blender pitch but there you have it. The comedy really shines in the interpersonal misunderstandings and chaotic relationships between the 3 main characters Anya, Loid, and Yor.
Plot of Spy X Family
The main plot of Spy X Family revolves around the concept that maintaining the state of peace between rival nations Westalis and Ostania is of utmost importance. That's why a Westalian agent, code-named "Twilight," has been assigned to spy on Donovan Desmond, the leader of the National Unity Party in Ostania.
Although Desmond is notoriously reclusive, Twilight must get close to him to gather information. The only way to do this is by enrolling a child in the same private school as Desmond's sons and posing as a fellow parent. Twilight creates the alias of Loid Forger, adopts a young orphan girl named Anya, and marries a woman named Yor Briar to present the image of a happy family.
However, unbeknownst to him, Anya can read minds, and Yor is a professional assassin. Neither Loid nor Yor is aware of each other's true identities, or that Anya knows their true professions. The family later takes in a dog with precognitive abilities whom they name Bond.
Despite unknown factors and occasional lapses in common sense due to years of being a spy, Twilight must learn to play the role of the perfect father and husband to successfully carry out his mission.
Spy X Family Shopping
I am such a fan of this series. I’ve grabbed a couple of the best selling items that the series has on Amazon and I’ve linked them directly here however if you’d like a more general listing I’ll also list that here as well.
If you click on the links I may earn a small commission as well which helps me directly. Thank you very much for your support.
In addition below you'll find the season 1 trailer for Spy X Family.
Spy X Family Trailer Season 1
Main Cast of Spy X Family
Anya Forger
In the SPY x FAMILY series, Anya Forger is the second most important character. She was once referred to as "007" during her time as a test subject in an experiment carried out by an unknown organization. Anya possesses telepathic abilities. She is currently a student at Cecile Hall in Eden Academy and has been adopted by Loid and Yor Forger, making her their daughter.
Anya isn’t designed to be the star but really we all know that it’s her show. She is very much a child and approaches the world from that perspective. She is easily distracted, self-interested, and the most adorable little anime girl I’ve seen in some time. Her mispronunciation of words is endearing and her character design is stellar.
Loid Forger
The SPY x FAMILY series follows the story of Loid Forger, the main character. To serve his country of Westalis as an undercover spy, Loid has left behind his past and now goes by the codename "Twilight". He goes incognito by using an alias name of "Loid Forger" because his actual name is unknown. As part of his latest mission, he must marry and have a child. In order to accomplish this, he enters into a marriage with Yor Briar and becomes the adoptive father of Anya Forger.
Loid plays the straight man to Anya and Yors mayhem. He is constantly sprinting from situation to situation somehow managing to pull things off by the skin of his teeth despite looking like he planned the howl thing. If this man isn’t executed for being a spy then his family might just stress him into an early grave. His attention to detail borders on OSD however that trait probably also makes him a good spy as well.
Yor Forger
In the SPY x FAMILY series, Yor Forger is the third most important character. She works as a regular clerk at Berlint City Hall, but she also has a covert identity as a Garden assassin known as the "Thorn Princess". Yor and Loid Forger tie the knot to achieve their individual objectives, and Yor becomes Anya Forger's adoptive mother.
Yor is that dangerous yet sweet and simple character trope that I adore. We don’t see too many scenes of Assassin Yor since the anime is mostly a slice-of-life comedy however when we see Yor go into assassin mode it is invigorating. I’m a sucker for that juxtaposition of her being a cold-blooded killer and yet a great housewife and caretaker.
Spy X Family if produced by Wit Studio & Cloverworks
Studio Wit is the powerhouse animation studio behind some of my favorite recent anime. They have produced not only Spy X Family but Attack on Titan Season 1, Seraph of the End, and The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Their ability to produce animation that is visually engaging, narratively satisfying, and filled with emotional resonance speaks to the talent that they are cultivating.
We did a review on their series, Attack on Titan, when it first launched.
They are also the studio producing the Suicide Squad Isekai property which will be released in the future.
I have a hub page of Wit Studio anime that I've covered as well.
The director is Kazuhiro Furuhashi who directed Ruroni Kenshin, Hunter X Hunter, and the Fatal Fury anime movie from the 90’s. That might not mean anything to some people however I have very vivid memories of the Fatal Fury 2 movie as it was one of about 10 anime that were available to me at Hollywood video growing up that I could rent. In addition Ruroni Kenshin was borderline mandatory watching for weebs in the golden years of Toonami. You’d have Gundam wing, followed by Tenchi Muyo, and then Ruroni Kenshin would come on.
All that nostalgia dump to say that I’ve appreciated the work that he has done for long time and many of the properties that he has directed over the years have been influential on my experience of anime.
Getting back to Spy X Family I think that the slice of life genre really is so wholesome and refreshing compared to more emotionally heavy anime of the season.
Another slice-of-life anime that I highly recommend Loving Yamada at lv.999 as another great slice-of-life comedy to check out. This rom-com series is incredibly relaxing and perfect for those moments when you just want to unwind and enjoy some stress-free entertainment. It takes its time to tell its story, making it an even more enjoyable experience.
Review of Spy X Family
The majority of the comedic tension in Spy X Family comes from having high stakes world ending premises mixed in with wacky high jinks and misunderstandings.
Most episode plots involve some aspect of mundane life that must be performed a certain way to advance Loids objective of getting close to Desmond via The Second Son
The comedy comes from mundane scenarios or tasks taking on elevated and heightened narrative stakes. Ie failing an exam could get Anya removed from The Second Son’s class as excelling in her classes & projects will bring her closer to him since they’ll be in honors together. Circumstances like that.
Other examples of episodes premises include “To prepare for the interview, Loid, Yor and Anya set out for a day in the town, visiting various locations to prepare to sell the image of being a normal upscale family.” or “Anya and Yor pick up Anya's school uniform. Later, Anya has her orientation day at Eden Academy, where Loid's Plan B to get close to Donovan via having her befriend his second son, Damien, is off on a disastrous start.”. Each episode has a clear objective for what Loid needs to do to “clear the day” but circumstances conspire to complicate his endeavor.
Anya's Telepathy as a Narrative Device
Anya’s telepathy is a good device to let the audience in on the jokes and misunderstandings between the rest of the cast.
Her telepathy allows Anya to act as a narrative bridge connecting plot points and interlinking stories which adds to the complexity of the circumstances and increases the comedic effect. Without her, their information would have to be conveyed differently possibly without as much comedic impact.
In addition Anya & the audience have information that Loid and Yor don’t have. Since Loid and Yor are ignorant of each other's true identities and intentions. We can be in on the joke while the characters remain comedically ignorant of the circumstances of their lives.
Adorably Wholesome
Anya’s mispronunciations are adorable and make me swoon each time. You just want to say “Ahhhhh” whenever she goes on a “outing” to explore the city. Another good one is “Exur-gen” when she’s trying to say “Excursion”
The series is also devoid of gratuitous panty shots as well. Yor’s Assassin outfit is the most fanservice-like outfit in the series and for the most part, she wears reasonable clothes. The aesthetic of Spy X Family tends toward post-World War 1 fashion sensibilities. It looks like the arts had fun recreating turn-of-the-century European design and mixing it with American design as well.
The article has focused mostly on slice of life as the genre since that fits for Spy X Family however if you are looking for something a little more gruesome worry not I have you covered. I’d recommend Chainsaw Man, which is a series pretty much at the other end of the narrative spectrum from Spy X Family.
Spy X Family Figurine Shopping
Here’s the thing. Part of being a weeb is having figurines there is just no two ways about that. At some point in their career a weeb is going to see a figurine and say “holy hell that would be cool to show off to people”. Well don’t you worry you can buy Spy X Family figurines here from Amazon. If you buy using the link that I posted here I’ll also earn a small commision which will be very impactful to me. Again thank you very much for you support through purchasing from here.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Spy X Family is absolutely an anime that is worth your time to watch. It’s humorous, it’s clean, and in a world of Isekai clones it’s refreshingly novel. Absolutely watch this anime and right now is actually a great time to stream season 1 since season two of Spy X Family is coming out October 2023.
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