Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!
Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!
I first heard about this story from my go-to AniTuber, Geoff Thew @ Mother's Basement when the anime was set to air this spring. It sounded cute and funny, with the chance of maybe some heartfelt moments? Who am I kidding‐it was promised to have heartfelt moments, plus some neat spy and assassin action, so I jumped straight in. And I'm glad I did.
Twilight, one of the top spies of Westalis, has taken on the new identity of psychologist Loid Forger in order to accomplish his latest mission to secure peace between his country and Ostania. Being a master spy, he's long since given up on the normal goals of finding love, settling down, and raising a family—too many loose ends and complications anyway. But it seems fate has a sense of humor as his mission now requires him to procure a wife and school-aged child in less than a week. Ever the professional, Twilight does indeed find a couple to fill the necessary roles, but nothing could have prepared him for the chaos those two will throw at him.
As the first character we're introduced to, Twilight is arguably the story's main character and the straight man of the majority of comedic moments. As a spy, he's trained to adapt to and blend into every situation, but as we spend more time with him, we slowly see that cool, calm, all-business exterior start to crack and reveal a hopeful idealist, a kind husband, and a proud father. Of course, having to deal with his new family members causes him a good deal of stress, but seeing him adapt to his new normal just makes him that much more charming. Besides, who doesn't love a good underdog story?
Another underdog, and the first source of chaos in this family comes in the form of Anya, the secret telepath. I'll admit, I'm not usually a fan of child characters, especially when they're that young, but, as Twilight also discovers, Anya has a way of shooting past your defenses and clinging to your heart. She's already seen ugliness of the world, what with her being a runaway science experiment and having already been adopted and returned to the orphanage at least three times. So it comes as little surprise that she would jump at the chance of having a real-life spy as a parent. Anya is quickly established as more of a hindrance than a help to the mission. She's depicted as irrational, a bit dim, and childish. But it's important to remember that she is a child, a probably even younger than the six years she claims to be. Thus, even though she often knows exactly what's going on, she's still only a little girl trying her best with what ability she has. In that light, it's actually pretty dang impressive that she accomplishes as much academically as she does. And as time goes on, we do see her positive efforts and contributions, placing her as a bit of a wild card as to whether she'll be an overall help or a hindrance in each particular mission.
But possibly the biggest contribution Anya gives is in providing the reader with insider information we wouldn't otherwise be privy to. Being a telepath, she's able to know what those around her are thinking, allowing our heroes (and occasional villains and bystanders) to voice their inner thoughts, opinions, or secrets to the reader organically and diegetically. And, even better, these thoughts and revelations are often paired with one or more of Anya's patented reaction shots—if you've seen anything about this series before now, it's probably been gifs or screenshots of her and her faces. This one-two punch of exposition and comedy always delivers, quickly and effortlessly endearing us to Anya, even if some of us may have had our reservations about her.
The next member to round out our family is Yor Briar, an office worker at City Hall by day, and an assassin by night. Yor knows nothing about Twilight or his peace-keeping mission, nor that Anya is merely a recent adoption, but does know that this family is a sham. She agrees to pose as the mother so that Anya can be accepted into Eden Academy, and so that she doesn't appear suspicious as a single woman in these uncertain times, allowing her to continue her assassin gig.As of this point in the story, Yor is unfortunately the least developed character of the trio. She's fairly clueless about 'normal' social interactions, most likely stemming from her also being orphaned at a relatively young age and taking on assassination jobs to assist in raising her younger brother, and she is probably the least suspicious person ever, taking practically everything at face value. But most of her eccentricities (drooling over knives, contemplating murdering a man to make Anya's admission go through) are played strictly for comedy, giving us little insight into her actual goals or likes. She's fiercely protective of Anya and is insecure about her own acting in the motherly role, but it's not clear what her motivations are.
Sure, Yor wants this ruse to be successful so she can keep assassinating, but why does she want to continue? Does she enjoy it? Does she see herself as a political tool? A tool of justice? Is she keeping the country safe? Or has she been brainwashed into just following orders? It's hard to say at this point, so I'm hoping we get some more information as the story goes on.
The trio work surprisingly well as a family. Twilight (Loid) is doggedly working toward his mission's success, but slowly comes to realize that keeping his family happy and healthy is essential to the mission as well, and so he often finds himself 'playing' the role of father or husband and we are able to see his walls start to crumble. Yor sees herself as inherently other, never quite fitting in to 'normal' society, but in seeing Loid's acceptance of her minor eccentricities, slowly develops the hope and courage to see herself as part of a family. Anya is simultaneously the most informed and also the least comprehending of them all, privy to everyone's secrets and the mission at large but incapable or inexperienced in how to handle what she knows, yet always eager to provide whatever help she can to aid her newfound parents or provoke some excitement.
As of the end of Volume 3, we have met one more family member—Yor's brother, Yuri, who provides his own special brand of chaos—and have had a final member teased to us (this dapper fellow on the right), but much of the plot is just focused on the three. Twilight attempts to guide Anya through her academics and keep up a convincing front while accepting a few odd jobs on the side, Yor tries to play a convincing wife while performing her civic duties and assassination gigs, and Anya does her best to help any way she can with her powers while navigating the trials that her school throws at her. I'm sure more action and drama are just around the corner for the family, but for now the dynamics are perfect for comedy, action, and even some heartfelt moments, too.And, of course, the art is on point. If you haven't noticed the covers, there's a definite 60's Mod aesthetic going on, which fits the Cold-War-esque themes the story explores as well. Yet, because the Mod aesthetic is still very chic and present in modern design, there's also a timelessness to the setting as well. I mean, I know espionage tech was far and away more advanced than commercial products at the time, but I still think the size of some of their gadgets belies more modern technology than what was around in the 60's. Then again, we are dealing with fictional countries, why not a completely fictional timeline to boot?
But aside from the aesthetic, the art is just so fun. I mentioned Anya's faces, which are by far the most over-the-top comedic, but Twilight and Yor also give a few great reactions now and again. I mean, you do not want to be on the wrong side of Yor's death glare. And did anyone else notice that the covers start out with the M in Family obscured when it's just Twilight, but then the graphic of the trio making the bottom of the M is revealed and continues through the next covers? Such a smart and cute detail!
Honestly, though I am really enjoying the manga so far, I think I like the anime slightly better. Maybe it's because I experienced it first? Maybe its opening theme is just too catchy? Well, those both probably come into play to some extent, but I think it's mostly down to the timing that the anime brings. When Twilight celebrates with Anya that she passed the entrance exam, he picks her up and twirls her, then collapses from exhaustion. What takes just a couple panels in the manga is allowed to linger on Twilight's exhausted face (and Anya's worried cries) in the anime. And that's not even mentioning the expanded sequences they added to Mission 6 (episode 5 of the anime), which turned a cute and fun family outing into an over-the-top experience I doubt few viewers will forget.
Overall, Spy x Family is an absolute treat. If you're looking for something that combines espionage, found family, assassins, humor, Cold-War tensions, super-powers, and eccentric characters all into one story, you'll be hard-pressed to find better than this. So far, I think this manga is appropriate for middle-grade and up, but it's probably safer to recommend it for high school and older, since I don't know if violence or language ramps up later. In case I haven't made it clear, I'm completely hooked and will be continuing to the next few volumes shortly, as well as eagerly anticipating the next installments of the anime in the fall. In the meantime, if you haven't been sold by my recommendation already, maybe check out these videos and see some of the well-deserved hype for yourself?
Glad to hear you're enjoying the manga. This is one I've seen around and been really curious about, so I might need to give it a look!
ReplyDeleteLauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net