AKA: アニメ『SPY×FAMILY』

Genre: Comedy/Action

Length: Television series, 13 episodes, 24 minutes each

Distributor: Currently available streaming on crunchyroll.

Content Rating: PG-13 (Violence, mature themes.)

Related Series: Season One, Part One (TV series, Episodes 1-12)

Also Recommended: Gakuen Alice; Kure-Nai

Notes: Apparently Crunchyroll considers this all part of the First Season, though Anime Encylopedia calls this set of episodes "TV 2". The reason why this is apparently still Season One is given in the Review. Based on manga by Tatsuya Endo, published by Shueisha in Shonen Jump+ (and in English by Viz Media)

Rating:

Spy x Family Season 1, Part 2

Synopsis

Twilight/"Lloyd" continues his efforts to collect intelligence on an Ostanian official, though we've a couple of side missions to liven things up, and the horror of Yor's cooking as well. Oh, and the Forgers get another family member.

Review

I guess this is still considered "Season One" of the show because "Operation Strix" had not been concluded in the previous 12 episodes, though if what we see at the end here IS the conclusion, I'd say that Twilight/"Lloyd" got surprisingly little payoff, considering the effort he put into this.

Still, Part Two does have its charms. We've got a terrific opening song by the always reliable Bump of Chicken, and we start these episodes with some real spy action, as a group of terrorists try to provoke a war between East and West, and it's up to "Lloyd" (somewhat), Yor (a bit more), and, of course, Anya (most of all) to thwart them. Anya's near-illiteracy nearly sinks things, but she tries her best, and the family even gets a dog out of it- and, as is always true for anything with the "Forgers", that dog is much more than it seems.

But this exciting beginning quickly gives way to rather less involving scenes of "domestic" life with the Forgers, as we learn, for example, that Yor is a terrible cook. (Though since her brother Yuri had to eat her cooking for years, maybe we can understand how he turned out so evil.) I only found one memorable scene in here: Anya has to spend time with one "parent" to make a class report on their job, and Yor's imagining taking Anya on one of her assassination missions is priceless comedy.

Oh, by the way, no matter HOW funny Yor's over-the-top feats of strength are, really, I wanna know, WHY? I mean, to be an assassin surely requires some physical prowess, and I'll even allow that her acrobatics (she sometimes reminds me of Batman's Robin here) might be useful too, but the woman seems strong enough to take on The Incredible Hulk. And WIN. I'm joining the chorus of those who wonder how "Lloyd" can be so oblivious that he doesn't notice there's something strange about this. Especially since he's paid to notice things. And especially since she's supposed to just be an Office Lady...

...AND especially toward the end, where a rival for "Lloyd's" attention appears, a colleague of Twilight in his spy agency, named Fiona Frost. Fiona has a longtime crush on Twilight, and thinks that SHE should have gotten the assignment as "Lloyd's" wife. I don't even want to contemplate the horror and chaos that would ensue if anyone else (but particularly Fiona) found out just what Yor really IS. (Anya of course knows, but knows enough to keep her mouth shut.) But fortunately Fiona seems just as oblivious to Yor's peculiarities as Twilight is, despite ample evidence that she literally sees in front of her.

The middle part of these episodes, alas, sags, and it's not JUST a preoccupation with domestic issues like Yor's terrible culinary lack-of-skills that hurts. The show also spends a considerable amount of time trying to paint Damian Desmond, the classmate of Anya's whose father is Twilight's target, in a more sympathetic light. Damian's depiction gets morphed from being an outright bully, into something like a male tsundere who's saddled with the expectations of his father and older brother. But I STILL couldn't like him, somehow.

My favorite characters in the show have been its "innocents"- Anya, of course, but also Franky Franklin, a friend of "Lloyd's" who also often babysits Anya. (Back in Part One, he helped Anya play out an elaborate scenario for her amusement.) Franky has always been portrayed as a loser in romance. I've heard that the Spy x Family mangaka is losing interest in continuing the story. I DO hope that he gives SOME kind of positive ending for Franky, at least, before he ends it. He's too nice a guy to just be left dangling with no prospects.

Still a fun show, despite its weak middle, and Yor's super-strength is something that can inspire laughter and cheers from the audience (even if nobody in the show notices it, somehow); and Anya is still a very sympathetic POV character. — Allen Moody

Recommended Audience: Still PG-13, for violence. Yor's casual description of her assassination techniques (while in the process of using them) was a bit unnerving, but the segment's not too graphic.