Shortly after literally barricading his adopted child in his new apartment, Spy x family‘s frigid and aloof secret agent codenamed “Twilight” discovers that this whole parenting thing isn’t quite as easy as taking a group of armed henchmen to the hospital.
Based on Tatsuya Endo’s ongoing action comedy manga Shonen Jump, Spy x family finds humor by crossing Cold War-era spy dramas with the more mundane domestic issues of raising children. It’s tempting to call it slice-of-life comedy in disguise because while there are action-packed moments and an overarching spy narrative, it’s mostly about a man dealing with being a new dad.
This genre crossover takes place due to Twilight’s latest mission, Operation Strix. In order to police a political extremist, he must enroll a child in the prestigious school that the brand’s own child attends, leading to Twilight adopting a young girl, Anya. And so the greatest spy in the known world, the man of a hundred faces (thanks to some Mission Impossible-style rubber masks), becomes a man like any other newcomer to parenthood: confused and inscrutably exhausted.
Though Twilight doesn’t know about it, Anya is no unwitting accomplice to the mission. She is fully aware of the role she is playing as she can read minds, a talent resulting from scientific experimentation. In Anya, Spy x family
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Image: Wit Studio/CloverWorks
Spy x family, which has only aired one episode so far, is hilarious — especially when the show plays out its mix of absurdity and dark comedy in a completely straightforward manner. (One guy gets executed on the spot for suggesting that it might not matter if an MP wears a toupee.) Though the art style seems fairly understated, it has retro spy pastiche and a vague evocation of ’80s Berlin a certain charm architecture that includes a long and foreboding concrete wall adorned with barbed wire. But the funnest part of Spy x family sees even the most powerful, coolest person weakened by their growing bond with their child. “Loid Forger” (Twilight’s undercover name for this domestic mission) was first seen coolly breaking the heart of a beautiful woman he had grown close to in hiding, and struggles to maintain a similar emotional distance preserve when it comes to his adopted daughter.
It’s easy to see why Twilight folds so easily when it comes to Anya. He sees something of himself and his own miserable childhood as a war orphan in her, which weakens his instinct to cut and run. Anya is also the most adorable comic book character in recent years – one who, with her wide range of ridiculous expressions and reactions, is primed to become a meme and provides a good half of the show’s comedic moments.
Acclaimed director Kazuhiro Furuhashi’s background also comes into play as you explore the Iron Curtain surrounding Twilight’s heart. His work on Dororo
One might think that cold-blooded murder sequences would be at odds with the show’s slice-of-life elements, but actually it’s a thematic compliment. The action in the first episode of Spy x family isn’t particularly noticeable, but that doesn’t mean it’s unattractive. If anything, the animation detail is quite pleasing in these moments, and the choreography is precise and snappy. But the action stays matter-of-fact with its fast-paced one-on-one strikes and rapid disappearance of enemies in a makeshift smokescreen.
The plot’s sophistication and sense of functionality only make Twilight’s clumsiness as a new parent even more apparent – especially when he talks about menial tasks as if they were part of a spy mission and not just the normal aspects of caring for a child. It’s about how he ends a fight where he’s outnumbered in speed and grace, but stalled by a 5-year-old who knows exactly how to emotionally blackmail him (even with the benefits of telepathy, usually by crying). Instead of planning and executing his mission perfectly, Twilight learns and invents things over time, like a normal father.
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Image: Wit Studio/CloverWorks
But the (Spy x) family building required by Anya’s conservative private school isn’t complete by the end of the series premiere. Since this needs to be as close to a nuclear family as possible, Twilight’s next step is to start looking for a spouse, resulting in an episode title that already has me laughing: “Mission 2 – Find a Wife.” Although we see them in the anime haven’t met yet, Twilight’s “wife” turns out to be a notorious assassin. This will usher in a Cold War era Mr & Mrs Smith angles on the series as a constant game of deception and espionage plays out in their mirage of domestic bliss.
Once Twilight has found his new family, the story in the manga progresses at a patient pace, content with situational comedy and fatherly relationship drama over high-stakes action. If the anime follows the same formula, it should hit the sweet spot for people who don’t want to give up the action entirely but are looking for a show that’s a little more introspective than the next shonen slugfest.
Based on the first episode and what we know about the manga’s story, there is a lot to be excited about Spy x family. (Though it remains to be seen how the Wit Studio and Cloverwork co-production collaboration — something that in itself is a pretty unique crossover — will play out over the course of the season.) It might be early days, but we already have a good idea where Spy x family is on the move as its isolated and frigid protagonist begins to discover the comforts of companionship and (mostly) unconditional love. But as Twilight himself will likely find out, indifferent anticipation and analysis is overrated. Sometimes it’s just nice to see a cold heart thaw.
