SPY×FAMILY PART 2

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionSPY×FAMILY
ANIME ActionSPY×FAMILY
ANIME ActionSPY×FAMILY Season 2

REVIEWS

• 

  ZNote

  50/100
  By settling into its routine, it loses some of its spontaneity.

  (Video includes audio. Be sure to unmute)

  Spy x Family was based on a silly premise – a spy, an assassin, and an esper all coming together as a weirdly-constructed fake family, and each having their own reasons for wanting to keep up the charade. A part of the show’s initial allure wasn’t just from the premise alone, but from the sheer oddness of how all these disparate parts managed to come together. Even at times when I wasn’t laughing, I enjoyed myself. There was a kind of bizarre spontaneity to the series that made forming the family and establishing the universe they reside in quirkily fun, and each new element that was thrown in seemed to add another sweet and charming layer to a gradually-misshapen cake (with peanuts on top, because Anya). The whole thing plays itself off similarly to the old Get Smart or The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, so questioning the logistics of the whole matter is a bit of a fool’s errand.

  If the first cour of the show had been to gather the cast and crystallize the relationships and status quo, the second cour naturally would follow suit to see the characters in their day-to-day life, trying to make the most of their crazy situations and frequently getting in and out of trouble. The notion itself is perfectly fine; this is a world where there are essentially three stories moving in parallel – Operation Strix being carried out by Loid, Anya’s adventures at school to get good grades and into Damian’s good graces, and Yor’s attempting / failing to become a better housewife while maintaining her double-life as an assassin. Each one presents its own scenarios that feel at home with the cross between spy thriller and comedy that the show managed to pull off beforehand.

  But therein lies the problem – the keyword that I had used to describe the first cour was “spontaneity,” and that is what feels like it is sorely missing this second time around the block. The sheer collision of the absurd and crazy was a part of Spy x Family’s adrenaline. In trying to so often fit square pegs into round holes through its dynamics and interactions, the series had an off-kilter swagger that impacted both the scenarios, setpieces, and the characters within them. That swagger is absent, however. Because the series has now reoriented itself into a new norm, the scenarios feel less crazed and more trite. They’ve more or less settled into a routine, robbing the series of a sense of forward momentum.

  Most typically, there are two ways to express forward momentum from a storytelling standpoint. One is the way we generally tend to associate with stories: have the plot itself move from point A to point B and so on until you get to the end. The other way tends to lend itself better to episodic content like Spy x Family – rather than focus on the overarching encompassing conflict and eventual resolution, have the focus be geared more towards the largely self-contained episodes and get by through whatever the stylistic vibe the show is going for. The focus is less geared towards the resolution of the whole and more towards the resolution of the moment.

  This series adopts the latter approach, and on some level, this makes perfect sense. The franchise is structured like a sitcom through its idea of “mission of the week” and putting larger-scale conflicts on hold, delaying the sense of a finale until the mangaka Endou Tatsuya feels that the time for it has arrived. However, there is a misalignment between where Spy x Family’s strength ultimately lies versus where this cour thinks it does, at least in regards to its material – the charade of maintaining the family life and focusing the attention on the Forger family as a unit tends to work far more effectively. Operation Strix is not where the appeal is kept because that is not what the series has been about, at least as I have watched. The Operation being carried out may have been what gathered the ensemble, both from within and from without the Forger household, but that mostly served as a means to an end and a backdrop rather than being the main glue that kept me coming back initially.

  It’s within the comedic moments of Yor trying to become a better cook, Loid realizing that his marriage might possibly be in jeopardy, and Anya snarkily commenting on the various goings-on between everyone that gives the series its funky color. The grander overarching story of Operation Strix has far less appeal both comedically and dramaturgically than the everyday life of the Forgers and the natural problems that arise because, well, families experience problems, especially considering that everyone in this particular family has secrets that they MUST keep from one another. Spy x Family part two places too much emphasis on the drama with the comedy somewhat forcing itself in rather than the comedy taking the reins from the start.

  That’s not to say that the series is not trying to make Operation Strix work, because it is. There are remnants of that off-kilter variety there, such as from the first scenario of being threatened with the trained terrorist dogs, and needing to break into a secured area in order to change some test answers. The addition of Nightfall, another spy that has worked with Loid, is among the better aspects of the second cour, mostly because of her interactions with the show’s inner structure. She introduces a direct counter to both the spy and the Yor storyline by trying to prove herself worthy of being Loid’s new wife. Aside from the juxtaposition of a cold-on-the-outside, head-over-heels-in-love-on-the-inside facet of her character, she presents a threat disconnected to the East vs. West cold war that hangs over Loid’s mission. Her main concern is not the success of Operation Strix, but with proving herself to be a far-better housewife and marriage partner than Yor.

  By having her character written in this fashion, she manages to weave herself into the Operation Strix scenario anyway, which makes the connection between Loid’s home life and Loid’s work “marry” wonderfully. What this illustrates is that Spy x Family tends to be at its best when it’s examining the characters of the Forger household, with the other storylines moving as companion pieces alongside. The strength is in playing off the incongruities of both the people and the storylines that comprise it, yet tying them together in unexpected ways. The family thread acts as the real heart of the tapestry, the real cypher that makes everything fall into its proper place.

  With a film and a second season on the horizon (both slated for 2023 release), I do not know whether my misgiving about this cour result from the material not being as inherently funny as the first cour, or if I no longer find the premise as alluring as I once did. Only time will tell for sure. I do not believe the cour itself is bad, but rather that it is not nearly as entertaining as it once was. Spy x Family is a series that made me laugh more than I assumed it would when I first saw it, and I truly hope that future installments can make that happen for me yet again.

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• 

  Mcsuper

  84/100
  The Forger Family Returns With A Little Less Oomph

  The Forger family remains one of the most entertaining families on modern television, with their quirkiness, cuteness, and comedy. They make for a wonderful Saturday morning cartoon vibe. However, with most ongoing series that we get a lot of in a short period of time, it can get a bit stale, and that was the case sometimes with this cour of Spy X Family. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, it just feels like we’ve settled into the groove of this show, and it’s not as fresh anymore. In the last cour, we had more “peaks” in the show, like the ring proposal and Anya going to school for the first time, whereas this cour, it just felt consistent throughout, with no real highs, but no real lows either.

  STORY:

  I did feel the story took a bit of a hit this cour, since the main conflict at hand, with the war between Ostania and Westalis felt like it took a backseat, and that it was mostly more character-driven little skits, that some people may call “filler”. The structure of quite a few of the episodes were more like those cartoons you might have watched in your childhood where there were multiple skits in one episode. Perhaps we’re at a slower point at the manga right now, but that structure of an episode did hinder the plot progression to some extent in my opinion.

  That said, at its core, this show has a lot of slice of life elements, and even with those elements, it still delivers entertainment at a consistent quality. It’s the fact that we’ve gotten used to what made this show stand out in the first place that some of us might find this cour a little weaker than the last.

  ART:

  To be honest, I think the production wasn’t as polished as last season, but it was still very good. Some of the character expressions, some of the vibrant colours, those just weren’t hitting on the same level as cour one, but the production has still been solid overall, and I hope the animators don’t get too rushed for future seasons.

  MUSIC:

  The OP by Bump of Chicken was alright, but the ED by Yama was probably my favourite ED of the season with how catchy it was. The OST was still just as good as the first cour.

  CHARACTERS:

  The cast was still very entertaining to watch, especially Anya, as usual, with her faces and meme-worthy actions. She remains my favourite character of the show, and her adorableness always makes me smile and laugh. Loid was just as good as a character as last cour as well, as he continues to soften up a little for the people around him.

  I would like to highlight a few characters that stood out more to me in both a good and bad way. Firstly, Yor. The bottom line is, she needs more meaningful screen time. More depth into her assassin life would have been appreciated, and it would have made the cast stand out even more. Becky was quite a comedic character this season, and I appreciated how her and Anya’s friendship continued to develop, as well as her crushes toward various people. The last character that had more of an impression on me would be Nightfall, otherwise known as Fiona. For anyone who hasn’t watched to the latter half of this cour yet, I won’t spoil important details, but she introduced some little conflicts that felt more meaningful for me during this cour, so I liked her addition to the cast.

  ENJOYMENT:

  Some of my enjoyment did level off with this cour, but the fact still stands, I still smile and laugh a lot while watching this, and that’s good enough for me.

  THEMATIC EXECUTION:

  When the show executes a theme that is a bit different from the norm of the show, it’s usually effective. If there’s a wholesome moment, it’s done well. If it’s absurd comedy, it can do that too. If it’s action, that’s done nicely too, though I would have wanted to see a bit more action from this cour.

  OVERALL:

  I will say with certainty that I enjoyed cour one more than this cour, but that’s not to say this cour was bad at all. I’ll still recommend this show to practically anyone, especially with how family friendly it generally is. While I did wish more meaningful things happened this cour, the entertainment value was still strong even if the story didn’t progress too much. With Season 2 and an original movie to come next year, we will be blessed with a whole lot more of Spy X Family very soon, and I’ll be happy to see more when it comes around once more.

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• 

  RebelPanda

  70/100
  If you liked the first 12 episodes of Spy x Family, you're in luck because this is more of the same.

  If you liked the first 12 episodes of Spy x Family, you're in luck because this is more of the same. You're essentially getting the same show with a few new add-ons. Part 2 continues to follow the adventures of a spy, Loid Forger, his wife and assassin, Yor, and their psychic daughter Anya. This new season adds on their pet dog, Bond, as they attempt to pass off as an average family while hiding their true identities.

  Meanwhile, Anya frequently must use her wits to get her parents out of trouble, whether in physical danger or with marital problems. This time, with the help of her fluffy clairvoyant dog. Her struggles to win the affection of her pretentious classmate Damian and earn passing grades are the focus of her subplot this season. So, more of the same as part 1. Yor's central conflict is becoming a trad-wife, aka learning to cook and care more for Anya. The show has always adopted a traditional definition of the nuclear family unit, which is not particularly exciting, in my opinion, but at least it gives her something to do. Seeing her attempt to cook with her own intense assassin knife work was quite chuckle-worthy.

  The animation studio, CloverWorks, enslaved collaborated with some of the most respected animators in the industry to bring the world of Spy x Family's eye-catching sequences. The series features a blend of 2D animation with dynamic camera motions, focusing on keeping the character designs on model while making movements as natural as possible. The intense tennis match in episodes 11 and 12 is an excellent example of these achievements. It also features various camera angles and match cuts, giving the series an energetic and dynamic feel. Even when the comedy is too predictable to generate laughs, it's a fine enough visual spectacle to hold your attention.

  I should address my biggest issue with the second part, Yor and Loid's stagnant marriage of convenience. Unfortunately, their chemistry has not developed at all. Yor's biggest concern is that Loid has left her for Nightfall, another spy from the same agency newly introduced. She's in love with Loid for his talents as a spy and dashing looks. Loid finally realizes that Yor is suspicious of an affair because old hags gossip about him on the street. Do you know what Loid does? He says, "This would be bad for the mission," not caring about how his actions affect Yor. He is a heartless bastard, and I loathe him. I have more words for him, but they got me suspended on Twitter. So I will hold my tongue (fingers). He treats Yor like Anya's babysitter. There's no love because they're married out of convenience, but twenty-four episodes later and little to no romantic development? Really?! You have a hot wife. Why don't you realize that you are an absolute CUCK? For some reason, people are in love with this mediocre man. His colleague and Anya's friend, a child, are into this slice of wonderbread of a man. I, as a gay man, find him utterly unappealing, which is the only opinion that should matter if we're being completely honest.

  Spy x Family Part 2 is a good continuation of the series, and fans of the first part will be pleased to get more of the same with a few new additions. The story is filled with thrilling action sequences, gripping suspense, and a bit of cuckold teasing for flavor, which I prefer to the incest bait in part 1. The characters are as goofy as ever, and the spy shenanigans strive to be as ridiculous as possible. The animation is top-notch and littered with sakuga. The overall story is a good blend of comedy and heart-warming family dynamics.

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