Hello, hello, and welcome back to Otaku Thursday. You know, when I was a kid my brother always made me play video games with him–not that I didn’t enjoy playing the games–but they often aligned with his interests. Even movies were things he liked and we just had to watch together. Which is how I ended up playing and watching a lot of James Bond and spy things. But I definitely loved spy things–though perhaps not James Bond nearly as much as my brother. But Spy Kids? Absolutely. Agent Cody Banks? An absolute classic. Totally Spies? Literal dream. But I’ve grown out of spy stories–or so I thought. But Spy x Family is one spy anime that’s got Star and I back into the mood. Before I even get to the first impression, I’ll tell you this: if you aren’t watching it yet, WATCH IT. It’s definitely worth it.
So Spy x Family has a fairly simple premise. It’s about a spy, Twilight, whose target is incredibly reclusive, winds up needing to adopt a child to enroll them in a prestegious school just to get close enough to his target. So cue this master spy, one-man show in need of finding a child to adopt just for this reason. He literally shops around to a foster home where he ends up adopting Anya, an adorable child who we (but not he) quickly find out is a telepath and can read everyone’s minds. The two seem to bond rather quickly, with Anya knowing Twilight’s job within literal seconds of meeting him. Naturally though, Twilight finds himself having to also find a wife in order to enroll Anya in the school. Cue him managing to find the one woman in his vicinity who is a trained and lethal assassin, Yor. Now, Yor thought that a man would never love her due to her profession and ‘work’ hours so she was eager to accept Twilight–or should I say, Loid’s, proposal (fyi his fake name is Loid Forger). Now, the best part of all of this plot is that Twilight and Yor don’t know about the other’s profession. They also don’t know that Anya is a telepath, but naturally Anya knows all of this. And that my friends, is essentially the whole story. Secret agent marries an assassin, adopts a telepath, and together they must create the perfect family so that the child can get into a presigious school and help the spy daddy’s mission.
Now, I will go ahead and say that this show is really hitting all the good points for me. The characters are so good on their own, but the family dynamic they have is absolutely adorable. Anya is a clear winner for best character in the anime, as she’s actually not like book-smart but her telepath skills make her rather clever–but also like still clumsy and a bit ditzy. Her reactions to the information she is picking up on as a telepath are absolutely hilarious–and the art gives her these really hilarious and cute expressions. She’s honestly so cute–and she really does want to try her best to be useful to Yor and Twilight. But of course, she messes up a lot, but they give her. I think at the heart of Anya, she really just wants to keep a family because she’s been in and out of fostercare. However, both Yor and Twilight are really good characters too. Yor, who wants to be a good wife and a good mother and really try to make the relationship with Twilight work. And then Twilight, who despite all else finds himself really caring for Anya and clearly thinking of her as more than just a kid he used for a mission. The way they all grow closer together and into a real family is very heartwarming.
The art and the music for Spy x Family is also really good. While both aren’t amazing in any means, the animation and overall style of the show are visually appealing. Like I said when speaking on Anya, the facial expressions in this show are everything to carry comedic moments. Whether it’s Anya’s shocked expression or Yor going into kill-mode, they really help hit the punchline. And of course the style and the world it’s set in are delightful to look at–I especially like the neighborhood shots. As for music, I can’t think of any insert music for the OST…but I do know that both the opening and ending are very VERY good.
Overall, I think that Spy x Family is a really good time. It’s such a straightforward premise that it’s honestly something that I feel anyone can get on board with. It has action, it has humor, and there’s even a cute family subplot. It really does feel like an anime for everyone, and it’s definitely one of the best of the season. I highly recommend you’ve seen it if you haven’t already. Til next time
Stay weebtastic
xoxo
Luna
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