#just barely stayed within the image limit per post 😅

[imnobodyuknow]

Operation Spy x Family Review: Commence!

All righty, time to share my thoughts on one of the greatest (and most wholesome) anime I've seen! 😄

I've described the show before, but I may as well do it again in order to set things up for the reviewing part. Spy x Family (which is apparently pronounced without the 'x' for some reason) takes place in the fictional rival nations of Westalis and Ostania (alternate-world versions of West and East Germany, respectively, during the Cold War). Its main characters belong to an ordinary upper-class family living an ordinary life in an ordinary home Ostania...minus all the "ordinary"s.

The father, a Westalian agent for the spy agency WISE -- codenamed "Twilight" -- is known to his family by his current secret identity: a psychiatrist named Loid Forger.

The mother, Yor Forger (formerly Briar), is a civil servant with a secret second job as a professional assassin.

Then there's the daughter, also known as the star of the show. 😊 In order to fulfill his current mission, Twilight finds and adopts young Anya, unaware that she was once a human test subject and now has the ability to read others' minds. She also happens to be a big fan of spies, whether real or fictional. Coincidence?

And thus we have a premise that mixes crime-fighting action and a (mostly) wholesome family narrative, in quite a creative way, not to mention a triple irony in which a spy and an assassin get married without knowing each other’s true identities, while also being unaware that their adopted daughter is a telepath and knows both their true identities.  And to top it off, there's, well...Anya being Anya.

That on its own makes for at least 50% of the fun in this show. 😏

All righty, on with the reviewing! In terms of intriguing and intermingling plotlines that are fun to follow:

In terms of music, art, and animation that puts the viewer right in the middle of the action and/or drama:

In terms of side-splitting humor:

In terms of relatable family dynamics:

In terms of decency:

In terms of emotion:

And finally, in terms of being a fun, lovable, satisfying show that doesn't take the usual anime route of relying on fan service and overexpression to be so enjoyable:

Sadly, it's not without its faults -- it includes a bit of harsh language, some graphic bloodshed (sure, it's pink, but we all know what it is), and a guy openly showing romantic feelings toward his sister (apparently, that's some sort of trope in anime, but where I'm from that's an "ain't bein' done" kind of thing). So, while it could be a lot worse, I find it kind of sad that it's less family-friendly than it could be, considering it's an anime about family. That's just me, of course. *shrug*

Here's one thing I really loved about it, though -- if you take away Loid and Yor's secret professions, Anya's secret power (not to mention their dog and his secret power), and the off-the-wall situations they find themselves in, Spy x Family is basically a story about a family dealing with common family issues. It covers situations that just about anyone familiar with family life can identify with, whether it's dealing with a stubborn child...

...finding ways to make them stop crying...

...getting them to study...

...counseling them on how to deal with bullies...

...playing along with their wild imaginations...

...the fear of not knowing where they are...

...encouraging your spouse when they need a boost of confidence...

...the tension of distrust between in-laws...

...or doing your best to look like a happy, civilized family in the eyes of your neighbors.

Who'd have thought an anime about a spy, an assassin, and a telepath could capture family life so well, am I right?

Also, while it's possible that I'm reading too much into it, I couldn't help but see an allegory for the important role of the strong, close-knit family in society. After all, it's the dads who encourage their children to do their best while being patient with them...

...the moms who value their children's safety over anyone else's...

...and the hard-working children of all ages...

...who serve as the bedrock for a strong, livable, and praiseworthy community. And that's true for dads who aren't spies, moms who aren't assassins (which I assume is most of them), and children who aren't telepaths as well. At the end of the day, they're the biggest heroes out there. This show kind of reminded me of The Incredibles in that sense. 😄

And finally, I have to mention what might be my favorite line spoken by Anya, and perhaps from the entire show:

That's the kind of line that warms your heart even without knowing the context. I don't know about you, but childlike optimism (especially from an actual child) is one of my favorite things to see, whether in fiction or reality. I'm kind of envious of it sometimes, in fact. 😊

So, to summarize, I highly recommend this anime to anyone who enjoys stories that involve action, high-stakes adventure, family dynamics, or just something wholesome to watch (with a little inappro-pro stuff here and there). And this is coming from someone who approaches anime he's unfamiliar with veeeeeeeery carefully. Huge props to Tatsuya Endo for making an anime that even a conservative Christian like me can enjoy. 😉

And as fate would have it, Season 2 of this show is coming out October of this year! Needless to say, I eagerly look forward to seeing where the Forger family's adventures take them next. 😁 In Anya's words, "Waku waku!"

I guess I could just read the manga to find out, but...eh, where would the fun in that be? 😏