SPY X FAMILY
Tatsuya Endo
Publisher: Shueisha
Genre: Spy, action, comedy
Hello my friends.
Again, I have been very diligent these days, because of work, my third dose, and writing my book. But now, I have the time to add another entry of my blog. And again, the title says it all.
That’s right. I will do something different… again.
I will review and give My First Impressions of…
In April 9th, an anime adaptation will be released on Crunchyroll, done by a collaboration between Cloverworks and Wit Studio, and I recently checked that Spy X Family is constantly on the lists of the top-selling manga of 2021, along with Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen and many others. And my curiosity was prepared, for I am reading the manga of Spy X Family, and I decided to write my impressions before the manga is released.
But before that, I must ask the typical question:
Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?
With that said, let’s start with Spy X Family.
PREMISE
Loid Forger is one of the best spies of the world, becoming one after being orphaned during the war (Geez! No comments due to world news), so he will be able to create a «world where children do not cry». His abilities include impersonification, information gathering, and close combat, in other words, he is everything we adore about James Bond and Ethan Hunt. He operates under the code «Twilight». But now, he is tasked in for «Operation Strix» where he must adopt a child and create a fake marriage, in order to get close to the leader of the National Unity Party, Donovan Desmond, so he adopts a young orphan, called Anya, and marries a young clerk, called Yor Briar.
What Loid ignores is that Yor is actually a professional assassin, called Thorn Princess, who is extremely cold and ruthless when performing a job.
Also, that Anya is a telepath, or simply put, she can read minds. Now Loid and Yor must find a way to complete their missions while hiding their identities toward each other, and avoiding Anya’s mind-reading powers, at all cost.
Will they succeed?
Spy X Family started publication on March 25, 2019, reaching eight volumes by March, 2022. In English, the manga is being published by Viz Media, and the anime adaptation is planned to be released on April 9th.
One interesting fact is that the author of Spy x Family, Tatsuya Endo, have experience as an assistant for stories like Blue Exorcist and Fire Punch.
I specifically point out Fire Punch because, as you can read in the cover, it is written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto, who also created one of my personal favourite manga now.
But well. Let’s continue with Spy x Family.
STORY
Ok. I know I have been using a lot pictures from the trailer of the anime. But fro now own, I will focus only in the manga.
Ok. First and foremost, I must say that I am a big fan of spy fiction, including James Bond, Missions Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart and The Bourne Identity. In fact, I have watched EVERY single movie of the James Bond film series (Sadly, except for No Time To Die), so when I checked the title of this story, I immediately went and check out what was happening, starting with the manga with a very simple question.
How will a story with this premise balance two genres that I consider incompatibles, at least, from the beginning?
And with that in mind, I decided to let myself go and read the chapters, finding myself with a good beginning in which the characters and their backstories keep unraveling more and more. And I think that is a plus. Spy x Family starts introducing us Twilight, who is a spy completely dedicated to his missions and a motivation, that despite not being complex, is solid enough to tell us about both the protagonist and the backstory of the series.
And the more I read the manga, the more I learn about the setting, and that is something I always enjoy from mangas. I felt that with Peach Boy Riverside, with Chainsaw Man, and now with Spy x Family.
And that gets me to the next point – The Art.
I think it is my own impression t, but I can feel the influence that Tatsuki Fujimoto had on Tatsuya Endo, especially during the contrast between light and shadow, check the first picture, where Loid is carrying Yor and Anya. It reminds me a lot of the iconic scene between Denji and Power on the train, from Chainsaw Man.
But I will understand this is only my opinion.
Furthermore, the action scenes are very well drawn. Check this out.
You can check the attention to speed and strength when you throw a kick, and the impact and damage one person should take after receiving it. After all, it is an action series.
Like I said before, the rhythm and pacing of the story allows it establish reasonable world-building, the daily life of the main protagonists and add some mystery and tension to the story. Nonetheless, you must know that Spy x Family is not as frenetic as series like Chainsaw Man. Instead it is more patient, like Peach Boy Riverside, but when the moment comes for an action scene, it perfectly delivers what you are looking for.
All of these details make Spy x Family a very entertained story. Perhaps it will take you some time to enjoy it if you are looking for something louder in terms of actions.
CHARACTERS
I got to say that we are have a good glimpse of what is happening with the characters of Spy x Family, Loid being a top-class spy, willing to take any mission, with a pretty noble motivation, Yor being an assassin with amazing skills, and Anya, a five-year-old girl that already discovered the identity of her «parents» and is willing to keep her mouth shut in order to make things more interesting.
I already said that Loid is a pretty solid protagonist, and so far one of the best characters of the manga.
Anya is pretty cute, and practically a living factory of memes.
Watch it, Chika. You already have a competition.
Finally, we got Yor. I must confess that, when I saw her for the first time, I thought that she was the perfect wife for Loid. And she, without too much effort, can be deadly…
…and glamorous within her personality.
And I insist. This is how you construct a solid female character – strong, but empathetic; independent, but humble; assertive, but tactful.
I think someone should tell that to some… Kevin, and her Teela about that.
There is that really didn’t convince about Yor Folger though, but I haven’t reached that part, because it also involves a spoiler, so I better keep my pokerface and keep reading the manga.
The other characters are pretty interesting, including Yuri, Yor’s younger brother; Donovan Desmond, his son Damian, and Sylvia Sherwood, Loid’s Handler among others.
CONCLUSION
Spy x Family is a pretty good story with pretty good elements. Definitely is not perfect, but its characters, plot, premise and action is nice enough to give you a good theme. No wonder why everyone can’t wait until April, because we want to see how the work of Tatsuya Endo reaches animation.
No need to send any spies, just wait and have fun when the time comes.
And now… I must leave, because I got a new Job… Spy, and my first assignments are as follows.
- Find out the exact date of the release of the Chainsaw man anime.
- Spy on Saori Hayami.
Hope Henrietta and San Magnolia does not find out…
Oh! Crap!!
Jainituos Presents 