DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionSPY×FAMILY
ANIME ActionSPY×FAMILY Part 2

REVIEWS

• 

  Alicemagic18

  59/100
  A ridonkeylous show made Minions The Rise of Gru more intelligent

  THIS REVIEW WAS OUR MIXED RECEPTIONS AND CO-WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER, MY FRIENDS WHO LOVE ACTION SPY COMEDY SHOWS/MOVIES AND ANTICIPATED THIS, AND BY YOURS TRULY

  contains some meaty spoilers from the anime and hints from the manga/for the second part

  I literally do not understand the hype for this one.

  It’s not bad, actually. At least, I have proven myself right that this show isn’t a masterpiece or a masterclass of media after all. I’m kind of sad that the word, “masterpiece” is being beaten up to death. What does it take to be a show a “masterpiece”? Great story, great characters, great production design, a great message from the author to the audience, and the overall wow factor from the audience, who are enjoying it. It can’t be flawless, but it’s something “perfect”. But all of that is subjective. Does this show meet the corresponding criteria? Let’s see…

  I have an example scenario:

  My friend told me about this famous restaurant that’s trending for most people. I went there to check it out.

  Me: Waiter, what’s your best-selling dish?
  Waiter: Tomato Pasta.
  Me: Is this Tomato Pasta popular in this restaurant?
  Waiter: Yes.

  I ordered that pasta and went for a taste. The taste was just the same and I noticed it was nothing special. My friend asked me how’s the taste of that pasta from that restaurant. I wanted to be honest but I ended up saying, “It’s great…”. I don’t want to admit it was bad. In the end, it’s the same Tomato Pasta all over again, and to be honest, my cooking is better than the restaurant.

  What’s the lesson from this scenario? There are three things but the last one is at the end of the review:

  • Just because it’s new and popular, doesn’t mean it’s good. (It applies to others, new, and popular animes)

  • Not all animes can be enjoyable. Sometimes you need to be critical about it.

  When this show got an anime adaptation, I remember how I used to make research about this. I went to many forums on the internet, and I was surprised that many manga fans were hyped about this. They said this is a great action, great characters, a great story, and a refreshing action show because it’s a spy story. They even called it the anime version of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. I love Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and action spy stories because they made up my childhood even now. Especially it’s an action-spy comedy show, and I’m a massive fan of it. Even bounty hunter stories, police buddy-cop action-comedy like White Chicks and Central Intelligence, thrilling spy-agent stories like Die Hard and Mission Impossible, and criminal heists action stories like Fast and Furious.

  I went up and read the manga, and I remember the first impression of my older brother while reading. Same as for me and my friends who read the manga. All of us were watching the anime adaptation every weekend. Yes, we were somewhat enjoying it. But at the same time, we found ourselves scratching our heads and asking, “when does it get good?”. This show exceeded amount of shitty hype, that many anime-onlies think this is a “masterpiece” or "anime-onlies aren't prepare for something else", or whatever. But in the end, I think the whole shit deserves a “HYPE BACKLASH”.

  [Spy x Fam Narrator Voice:]
  [Hype Backlash. According to the internet, your friends have been bugging you to watch the latest TV show that everyone's talking about. Every newspaper raves about its originality, well-deserved popularity, and effective mix of comedy and drama, on the front page of the Entertainment section. Critics are rushing to hail it as the re-definition of its genre. After the thirtieth or so "Just watch it already, geez!" and maybe a Hype Aversion stage, you finally give in; you rent the show's first season on DVD, pop it in your player, and lay back to enjoy the latest masterpiece...

  ...Except you come away with a very different opinion than your friends; to you, it's at best a mediocre show with average plots and few laughs or an utterly confusing one with more than enough twists to boggle the mind, a show that isn't the seminal classic everyone's touting it as.]

  Caught that from Google.

  Thank you for that! Now, where were we..?

  Spy x Family is an action… Wait, I made a mistake there so let me fix it.

  scribble scribble

  Spy x Garbage is a situational comedy or sitcom, slice of life, drama show that both manga and anime onlies widely anticipated. They said it’s a great and refreshing “action” because it’s rare for action animes to get a spy theme. Fans were cried out of happiness because they wanted an anime adaptation of the “perfect manga” for a long time, and finally, their wish was granted. They said it lives up to the hype and called it a “masterclass and masterpiece” of modern shounen, which is true by the way. Wait, the question is, is it true? I guess? However, I found some problems or flaws that I found the show, not incredibly great.

  Now the eye has stated, it's time to use my other eye.

  So the story is about the main character, Anya— Wait, I made a mistake again so let me just fix it…

  scribble scribble

  So the story is about the main character, Twilight. It’s just his codename. He’s a spy from the west and his mission was to create a family to infiltrate an elegant academy. Because there’s this Desmond guy who wanted to start a war between the east and the west camp. But the twisted part was his daughter was a telepath, and his wife a contract killer or assassin. The three of them were from different backgrounds and throughout the story, they somewhat forge a bond to become a family, even though it’s a façade.

  The premise is quite interesting and intriguing, not gonna lie about that. But throughout, the story and narrative fell flat from a potential masterpiece to a decent/average show. That’s problem #1. I remember the manga was promoted as an “action-packed” story. But, the author didn’t intend this show as an action spy story. Instead of getting a Mr. and Mrs. Smith kind of a story, I got a family sitcom show The Simpsons. Most of the parts were like episodic fillers or slice-of-life sitcom moments from the fake Forger family than focusing on the Operation Strix mission. It’s more like, OPERATION STRIPPED. I mean, the story should focus on Operation Strix, since it’s the premise of the show. The exploration of characters is also a great thing, but again, Operation Strix is the main concept of the show. I noticed that most of the scenes were focused on Anya inside the school. The author should’ve named it, “The Daily Life of Anya” or whatever. Now don’t give me that shit when you say “This show focus only on the wholesomeness of the Forger family”, because if that’s so, the show should be intended as a gag show in the first place. Now back on the reason why she seemed the primary main character of the show and the supposedly main characters are getting sidetracked. Even in the manga, it’s not focused. It’s full of fillers or side quests that aren’t related to the main mission and to the point that it went nowhere. It kinda remembers me of what happened in Black Lagoon. I don’t mind the comedy aspects, since comedy makes the action more entertaining. Even the moments of them being a fake family. But the author somewhat forgot that his work is supposed to be an action spy. The action spy story lacked the depth that would make the show more thrilling and exciting. I failed to see this show as an action, it was somewhat a gag sitcom show. If I will compare this show to a similar anime, it would be Angel Beats! or Gintama. Yes, Gintama is an action and I’ll consider it to be great for what it had because the gorilla intended his work to be a gag show from the start. In Angel Beats!, they had the same formula but the difference was the show lacked some exploration of the characters, and the “action” element in Spy x Fam’s case. The anime does not capture any magic about any relationship beyond the ones in the school unless you are a horndog. The intentionality of the series is just being a memebait (ELEGANTO, WAKU WAKU, HEH) and thrive in the economic success of an already successful IP.

  Problem #2 are plot inconsistencies, and lacking a common concept of realism and basic knowledge. You see, one of the objectives in Operation Strix was either to get Anya into some superclass section or to be friends with the son of Desmond guy. But rather than focusing on that objective, why don’t just Twilight infiltrate the school or the enemy instead? He can disguise himself as one of Desmond’s henchmen or whatever and he’s a “spy”, right? I bet he’s professionally trained for that, and a spy is like a ninja. He should know that his time for the mission is running out and Desmond’s plan can be carried out anytime he likes. He’s so-called the master of disguise and he completed any missions, even if it’s light or difficult.

  The second one is the setting. The story was set in a European setting. I’m not being racist or sexist, but to be honest, how the heck there are no black European people there? I don’t understand the reason why but it’s like in a setting, only guys are there but no women. I don’t know if I’m going to believe this kind of concept, but this was kind of ridonkeylous (eh, it’s just a minor issue so let’s move on).

  The third one is about Anya. How the heck a 6-year-old child, can act, do, and think like an adult, with a professional status? Yes, she’s an esper, she can read minds but does she know what the heck is the meaning of those thoughts she reads? She’s a child in the first place, but how she can help her parents in their missions perfectly? It’s freaking ridiculous somewhat, no offense.

  The fourth one is about Yor. In episode 2, before Twilight’s engagement, they were somewhat attacked by some gangsters because of the treasure. I seriously couldn’t believe that Yor didn’t know that they were attacked by some gangster who fired some guns at them. She received a hand grenade pin as a ring on their engagement, and she somewhat didn’t notice that it was a hand grenade pin. Yes, she’s dumb. But come on, she’s a contract killer, right? I’m sure she encountered and fought many co-assassins and gangsters who carried guns and explosives. I’m sure she had seen a gun or an explosive and how it works, right? And where does she see a psychiatrist that is being chased and shooting guns? Dumb, right?

  The fifth one is this, in episode 5 when Yor confronts Loid in a battle. How the fuck didn’t he notice when Yor was great in fistfights? She wounded his face with she kicked him and he didn’t feel her dark aura at all? Are you sure he’s a spy? I’m sure a spy is intelligent.

  The sixth one is when Yor’s brother, Yuri visited their home. Remember the part when he asked why Yor didn’t say to his baby brother that she’s already married? And Yor said while smiling, “I forgot!”. And then he asked again, and then she said, “I forgot!”. And then he accepted it. What the fuck? It’s a lame excuse that Yor just forgot to tell Yuri that she’s married. And the funny part is, they were married for already a year! Did Yuri forget that he’s police from a secret organization? I doubt he knows what’s the difference between an excuse and a truth. I almost forgot, do you remember the part when Yuri told about his childhood with his sister? When he was a child, he saw Yor when she came home, drenched in blood. I repeat, drenched in blood. Yes, he was a child, but didn’t he think about it when he became the police? I don’t get it. Police that acting so tough in front of other people or criminals, but an idiot. Even I will freak out if I see my older sister that her clothes drenched in blood. Much of course, I would be so worried. Well, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from a tree.

  There were many ridonkeylous moments I’ve seen from the manga that I want to mention, but it’s the first part of the show so I’m not giving any spoilers.

  Even with those ridonkeylous moments I’ve mentioned so far, there were many decent scenes from the show. There were moments and cheesy dialogues that were easily predictable, and somewhat felt a bit cringing. I mean, if you want to shut your brains off while watching this, it could be this so-called, “wholesome” for you. But for us, was pretty… okay, I guess. Heck, I don’t know what’s the meaning of wholesome anymore. It’s beaten up to death. As for the comedy… I hate to say it but it’s very plain average, and it’s quite repetitive so far. It was 95% more predictable than I expected. Not gonna lie, the jokes from the anime were trying hard from the manga. In other words, the jokes from the manga were pretty much better. I’ve seen many comedies shows that were pure masterclass of comedy telling. The comedy factor of Gintama, Grand Blue, Baka to Test, School Rumble, etc., and even the second season of Komi-san’s comedy made me impressed so far. I know comedy shows can be a “masterpiece”, but this show ain’t going to surpass that, even by comedy standards. If you lived inside a rock and you’re new to comedy, you might find it a “masterpiece”. It can be hit or missed for some people, but generally, it’s still average. But not that garbage or trying hard either. I think Anya was somewhat “carried” the whole show in terms of comedy. The author made her a comic relief but it could be better if all the characters share the same screentime of comedy.

  “But Anya is so cute and it’s loved by many so why you didn’t just enjoy it?”

  So what if Anya is cute? Haven’t you seen any cute characters or kids from other animes in your entire life? Haven’t you seen any more entertaining shows than this? Again, only those who lived under a rock or first-timers will only enjoy this. Why are filler episodes soulless content featuring Anya doing silly stuff and bloated action all the time? Because that is its creative comfort of the series, that is what the audience wants, that is fanservice, Anya is fanservice. Anya is fanservice. Get it on your brain. Fanservice is not just hot girls. Anya is fanservice. She's somewhat a meme, and this is a meme anime. A meme anime is creating content that is easily manipulable to promote the anime. Stop using fanservice as a vague criticism. Anya is fanservice. And almost forgot, she kinda annoyed me to the highest level. She acts like a spoiled brat from the rest of the show (even in future stories).

  And there’s this Desmond kid. His character became one of those male tsundere when he’s in denial mode to his relationship with Anya. Not gonna lie, that part became one of those cliched and cringe moments in my whole years of watching. I don’t know why the fuck they did that, but still, no friendship had been developed between them in the story.

  The close relationship part of Yor and Loid was pretty fine, as they were gradually close to each other from strangers from different backgrounds. I predicted what would happen if the moment comes when they found each other’s hidden status and agendas. But I’m sure it will happen in the manga. The characters were pretty good though but it needs more depth and development, as well as the story.

  The production quality was decent. I didn’t notice the signature artwork of both Wit and Cloverworks. They were doing great in adapting the manga. But I think it could be better if only Wit adapted it. Because most of the animation sequences looked like from Cloverworks. The detail and style of every panel were quite lacking, but the character designs were good. It’s not very detailed, but it’s decent enough for the show.

  The sound is very decent enough. It reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and Black Lagoon. The OP and ED were pretty decent enough, but it’s somewhat forgettable. The seiyuu performances were really good, especially of Saori Hayami and Takuya Eguchi. They made me every weekend great because they reminded me how they used to work in Oregairu, as Hachiman and Yukinoshita. Although, I found the performance of Anya very annoying. She’s not that kind of annoying from the manga but it could be better.

  Overall, we enjoyed it, despite those problems we’ve said. But it seems we will not be considered it as one of the best action anime, because of the misconception that this is an action spy comedy show. This is one of the poorly representations of the action genre. I had to admit, I've been brainwashed by the shit that surrounded it, but it’s not bad either. It had some ups and many downs. In other words, the story is still lacking and it’s one of those not-so-solid shows. If you come to this show and expect this a great action spy, then please don’t watch this if you don’t want to get disappointed. This show is another type of those show that might you want to rely on for your enjoyment. Just watch it from your judgment. This show overall is pretty decent. Not a garbage, special, or masterpiece. But sadly, to say, it could be better. All in all, this whole garbage is MISLEADING.

  I have eight words to say before ending this review, as the third hing that I learned and advice for the potential viewers out there;

  EXPECT. DISAPPOINTMENT. AND. YOU. WILL NEVER. GET. DISAPPOINTED

  Thank you for reading and see you see at my next review!

  Story: 5/10
  Animation: 8/10
  Characters: 5/10
  Sound: 7/10
  Entertainment factor (Action: 2/5, Comedy: 2/5): 4/10
  Enjoyment: 6/10
  Score: 6/10

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Mcsuper

  88/100
  Saturday Morning Nostalgia

  It’s no masterpiece, but you know why this show is so good? Because it gives me nostalgia towards my childhood. It makes me remember the Saturdays when I was a kid, and just plopped on the couch when I woke up to watch my favourite cartoons. Spy X Family is like a Saturday morning cartoon to me, in that it’s as ridiculous like a kid’s show, but ends up feeling a bit of mature than them. Another reason is that it’s so meme-worthy, since Anya expressions are like a memer’s best friend. I was impressed with the solid animation and groovy OST as well. As an anime-only watcher, I expected a bit more from this cour, but we’re just getting started, because you and I all know, there’s way more to come.

  My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20

  STORY: 19.5/25

  The thing that stands out is obviously how unique it is compared to other anime. They managed to make a spy show about a “pretend family”, they make it cute and childish looking, but also make it really refreshing to watch. It doesn’t try to have depth, and be very thought-provoking, but what it does is charm the audience through sheer ridiculousness, with the grenade pin proposal being the pinnacle of its absurdity. This show doesn’t need depth to be honest, it’s fun even with it being a simple story. Though, some things would benefit from further explanation, like how Anya can do her mind reading, and the backstory of all the characters. Of course, I’d love to see some more plot development next cour.

  ART: 9.4/10

  WIT Studio and Cloverworks did a solid job of animating this series for sure. Props to director Kazuhiro Furuhashi for a solid job at creating fun cinematography and over the top scenes, like the dodgeball scene.

  MUSIC: 9.6/10

  The OST really evokes a sense of a spy atmosphere, while being fun and bubbly at the same time. Opening is solid, but the ending “Kigeki” by Gen Hoshino was by far my favourite ED this season, with the vibes fitting perfectly to the show, and the lyrics were really wholesome, for example, the lyrics of the chorus of the ending in English started with “Shall we hold hands and head home? What should we eat tonight? Here’s what happened today”, which feels like such a wholesome family dynamic.

  CHARACTERS: 17.5/20

  The characters are straight up lovable, and they each have their developments too. Loid used to be a cold-hearted spy, but after being with Yor and Anya for a while, he became a solid dad, that learned to take care of his family, and learned to trust others a bit more, even though he’s a spy. Yor is a clumsy character, yet she’s an assassin, which is as ridiculous as the plot of the show. She becomes a wonderful mother figure to Anya, and keeps Loid in check too, teaching him how to treat Anya in a nice way. Now, everyone’s favourite walking meme, Anya, is obviously cute, and gives me nostalgia of being a kid. She’s curious about things, and always wants to help the people she likes. On top of that, she can read minds, which makes for excellent comedy at times.

  The side characters are also fun to watch. Franky is a ridiculous helper to Loid, and pulls off some fun costumes. Yuri has a bit of a sister complex, but it almost made for a kiss between Loid and Yor, and who doesn’t want that? Damian is a tsundere to the highest degree, but I love the dynamic between him and Anya, and of course, we all love Anya’s smug face!

  ENJOYMENT: 14.3/15

  Great for Saturday mornings, and I really enjoyed it. I admit, I lost a little interest in the middle of the series, but the over the top comedy and character interactions was fun.

  THEMATIC EXECUTION: 17.3/20

  The spy theme was executed pretty well, with solid world building. The comedic elements are a bit repetitive at times, a lot of times with the comedy focusing on Anya’s “shock” faces. There hasn’t been a lot of action yet, but we’ve some engaging action scenes, and I’d love to see more of those next cour.

  OVERALL: 87.6/100

  A wholesome family show that everyone should watch, and will likely enjoy. It doesn’t try to be overly ambitious, and that’s fine. It’s just pure fun, and while it’s not a masterpiece, it’s just gives me such nostalgia to those Saturday morning cartoons, and this is a prime Saturday morning cartoon indeed. Looking forward the next cour two in the Fall!

  Continue on AniList
• 

  R2R

  75/100
  It's a special thing called "Family".

  https://anilist.co/anime/140960/SPY-x-FAMILY/ Firstly, shout out to my 50th review. Woo! *Now, let's get into it*.

  ---

  Loidman's Mission

  Two nations are in a Cold War, one of them is threatening world peace, our favorite husbando/spy "Twilight" excels at disguises so he was assigned a mission to make a family and get some elite membership that Desmond's son is going to attend (Desmond is the bad guy, if you haven't figured it out). So he, as "Loid Forger" trains her adopted daughter 'Anya' (a telepath/seasonal cute girl) alongside his adopted wife 'Yor' (an assassin/seasonal waifu), to become an elite student & get that membership but it seems like a hardship he has to endure as a spy, & as a father.

  Anya likes peanuts

  The Anime likes Anya, it likes to exaggerate everything she does and makes it seem like it's THE moment of the episode & in the entire show. Sparkling eyes, reddish blush whenever something waku-waku happens, weird faces to make memes off but what I really like in her scenes is the camera work. It creates this slight waku in viewers during it's slow camera movement and then absolutely kills it with an adorable face.

  **She's truly the star of the show**.

  Action-flick or Family-drama or School-comedy?

  The story started off as an action thriller, then condenses into a family drama and finally became a school comedy. Individually, these aren't anything unique but the Anime tries to maintain a balance between these plot elements and to make sure that there's an end goal. The story was structured in a way that the 3 main characters authorize each plot element.
  Loid takes care of spy elements with his intellect, Anya takes care of the school element with her shenanigans, and Yor takes care of the family element..or atleast she should have but the Anime focussed on her 'wholesome' relationship with her brother which was alright but there isn't much care given for her to interact with the main family which should've been the main focus. And she mostly got used as a joke character, a running gag that quickly got repetitive.

  Ugh...

  They really made Loid as some superhuman who can set traps in mere seconds yet couldn't even doubt her wife's behavior as odd, those accusations on Yor in episode 2 is the most brainless & cheesiest drama I've seen in recent Anime, I still don't know how Yor was able to conceal her identity when her mind works so irrationally, Episode 5 is the most action-flicked but probably the most pointless episode in the entire show (check my list entry), the backgrounds are pretty alright and the plot moves at a very slow pace (12 episodes and we just took one step towards World Peace).
  By all means, this is just an above-average show. But there's one last thing I like to talk about, one element that I wish more mainstream Anime could've worked on and one thing that I really want to appreciate.

  You are...

  TEACHER : If you were to rate your father and mother, what percentage would they get?

  ANYA : (with a blush) 100%! Father & Mother are both fun and I love them! I want to be with them forever!

  Here's a challenge, look at the popular chart on any Anime tracking website you want and tell me if there's an Anime that takes parents seriously and not just as plot devices or side characters. For some reason, most mainstream Anime don't like parents. It's always adventure, action, love, friendship blah blah blah but there isn't a single decent mainstream anime that has parental love as main spotlight. And even if they did have that, they would end up as nothing but plot tools that will sooner or later be forgotten or killed. "Spy X Family" might've just changed that. It might not be perfect but as far as it did, I loved it.
  Loid is a spy, outstanding in his job but his work was never been recognized or appreciated. Yor is a ruthless assassin who just wants to take good care of her brother and if possible, find someone who can love her. Anya is an esper but also an orphan who wishes to have someone that can make her life happier & fun; and the Anime does a good job at bringing a family relationship between these eccentric characters with loads of laughs, tons of action, bit of a romance and an overall wholesome shenanigans about a cute girl who like peanuts.
  In this family where a father's hard-work is appreciated, where a mother's love is reciprocated and where a kid had lots of fun just by being their side, is what made them ...A Happy Family.

  

  So far the family element isn't as focussed as the school comedy but if the Anime ever goes to focus on it, I have a feeling that this might end up in my favorites. But for now;

  ---

  Conclusion

  Spy X Family is a fun to watch show accompanied with fluid animation, jazzy soundtrack and a girl who likes peanuts. It's not the best thing ever (yet) but it is certainly a welcome change in the current mainstream formula, as small as it might've been. It is one of the rarest mainstream Anime that you can enjoy with your family & friends that doesn't stick with Otaku tropes you usually see in other mainstream stuff.
  Just don't let the overhype ruin your fun,
  though it's easier said than done.

  Continue on AniList

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