Spy X Family is everything we wanted

I’ve spent much of the past few months watching depressing shonen anime where a lot of people are dying. Needless to say, I needed something light-hearted, delightful, and most importantly, very funny. I was ready to welcome something like that Spy x familya comedy action anime about a spy who must raise and support a fake family into my life.

But I got something even better than feel-good fluff in the first episode: I’ve got a new crush.

Meet Twilight, the enigmatic spy who has to start a fake family who also happen to be very attractive, very cool, and very distant. A skilled fighter and master of espionage, but gifted enough to take in the telepathic orphan Anya.

The second episode, which airs this Saturday, promises that Twilight (under the alias Loid Forger) will find a woman to continue his charade, making an already juicy premise even juicier. “This will usher in a Cold War era Mr & Mrs Smith perspective on the series,” wrote Kambole Campbell at Polygon, “as a constant game of deception and espionage plays out in their mirage of domestic bliss.” I can’t wait.

While I’m here I’d like to recommend another anime that combines the stakes of love and war, albeit on a less global level. Kaguya-sama: Love is war follows two ambitious high school students, class president Shirogane and vice president Kaguya. After some fellow students suggest they would make a good pair, the two decide to play a game to get that Miscellaneous to confess romantic feelings first. Whoever gives in, loses, and both are pretty sure that they will not fall in love with each other.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens, and the two now refuse to acknowledge any attraction lest they lose their game and their pride. Still, they try their best to make the other cave in, while also unsure if both parties feel the same way. It’s a dynamic back-and-forth fueled by colorful – and thankfully unconscious – supporting characters. Kaguya-sama: Love is war takes full advantage of its hysterical premise and also captures the feeling of being a teenager and having a stupid, huge, all-encompassing, utterly awkward crush — and I mean that in the best way possible.

The third season of Kaguya-sama: Love is war launched last Friday, and the first episode is every bit as hilarious as the previous two seasons. Both shows are now available on Crunchyroll! – Petrana Radulovic

---

This week on YouTube | Elden ring is, yes, incredibly difficult. But is it also very funny? Polygon’s Jenna Stoeber explains how Elden ring, FromSoftware masters jokes and environmental humora style of storytelling where the punchline is almost always…You Died.

---

Five stories to read

Image: Geography of the Robots/Raw Fury

Norco is an unforgettable losing and finding religion game | A Louisiana native unpacks the game’s prickly connections to Hurricane Katrina, Catholicism, and the secular beliefs required to live in a threatened world.

Tumblr shit post convinces many Pirates of the Caribbean had divorced gay pirates | “We saw a 1,207% increase in engagement around Pirates of the Caribbean in the week ending April 4 compared to the week ending March 28,” said Cates Holderness, Tumblr editorial director.

The 8-year process behind Playdate’s glorious crank | Creating a new portable console borders on the impossible. Here’s the long, brutal process behind Panic’s new device.

Severance isn’t a show about quitting your job, it’s about burning it down | We unpack the reality of the unreality of Apple TV Plus’ new hit show.

Kingdom Hearts made crossover cool – and cursed us all and itself too | Remember when the multiverse wasn’t exhausting?

---

Four things to see

Image: DVV Entertainment

The best movies of 2022 | Our biggest update yet adds four movies to our ongoing “Best of” list.

The 10 best Steven universe episodes | Hey, shake a leg! It’s Mr Greg!

13 of the best horror movies on Netflix | Maybe you saw The Exorcistbut what about cam and under the shadow?

Outer Reach on Amazon Prime Video | It is twin peaks meets yellowstone. what more do you need

Also everything new in streaming!

---

Play three games

Image: Vanillaware

13 guards | The latest vanillaware game took 15th place on Polygon’s list of the best games of 2020, but most people missed the PS4 genre bender when the PS5 launched. now 13 guards is available on Switch, the perfect home for this massive sci-fi work. Available for Nintendo Switch and PS4.

MLB The Show 22 | You want to know the chilling truth of the annual sports games …or do you want to see me put some things in?! Available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

demise with ray tracing | The world’s most expensive gaming computers are just powerful enough to run the original demise with ray tracing. Depending on your feelings about PC gaming, this is either the coolest thing or the absolute worst. Available on Windows PC.

---

Free game of the week

Image: Majorariatto

The one who draws the sword is crowned king | Please offer our condolences to your mouse. Anything else would spoil the fun. Available on Linux, Mac and Windows PC via Steam.

---

The best of the rest

Image: Tatsuki Fujimoto / Viz Media