Hello folks, and welcome the heck back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d check out a new production, both in terms of the site and the world at large, by diving into this season’s much-loved Spy x Family. I’ve been hearing lots of positive buzz about Spy x Family, and am well acquainted with the show’s larger genre space – so much so that I even jammed out a recommendation article for any recent arrivals to the adorable daughter subgenre. For my part, while it’s the exceedingly rare anime comedy that appeals to me, I’m a sucker for charming family dynamics, and hope to find this show slotting comfortably among anime’s many found family dramas. The hype was high even before this one came out, owing to the much-beloved manga, and given this production’s animation director Kazuiki Shimada handled that same duty on FGO Babylonia and a bunch of Cinderella Girls episodes, I’m assuming the show will offer plenty of its own aesthetic flourishes. Let’s check it out!

Episode 1

We open on a view of a sleek modern city with generally European-looking architecture, then zoom in closer to a car that also looks European in its make, perhaps specifically a German Rolls-Royce. That would make sense given this show’s spy family premise – the most likely real-world location for a story like this in a relatively modern timeframe would be pre-unification Germany, though I’m certain the show’s claimed setting will be a more abstracted version of it. I can’t imagine this show has much interest in politics, but playing off aesthetic touchstones we recognize as “spy-adjacent” sets the tone quite well

A diplomat’s breaks are cut, getting him killed. Our country is apparently “Ostania,” which sounds very much like Ace Combat’s fake names for European countries

I’m always charmed by awkward Japanese attempts at creating European names. The American names are even better, we get stuff like “Jeremy Lug” and “Walter Two-By-Four”

“We believe it to be an assassination by the East’s far-right political party.” Alright, so yeah, this is definitely fantasy West Germany

“They are plotting a war against our nation of Westalis.” Didn’t think too long about that country name, huh

Their best agent’s codename is “Twilight”

“Here it is. Proof that the foreign minister wears a toupee.” What a goofy bit of espionage! I get the feeling this will be an excellent running joke – the largely harmless spy missions our lead is sent on

Twilight is a “master of disguise,” a “man with a thousand faces.” For the purposes of this show, that seems like the best specialization he could have, allowing him to bump right into the other cast members without necessarily being discovered

Having completed his mission, Twilight breaks up with his girlfriend and abandons that identity

I’m liking this production’s use of light and shadow so far – there’s a smoldering quality to its lighting that naturally evokes the smoky rooms and shadowed alleys of spy dramas. Fundamentally, the show isn’t afraid of obscuring clarity in favor of evocative lighting, which is a very smart and genre-appropriate tradeoff

Less pleasing is the heavy reliance on CG-derivative background art, but what can ya do

His next target is Donovan Desmond, the leader of the National Unity Party, who is apparently “a great threat to the truce between the East and West.” He looks like an even more haunted Franz Kafka

Desmond only appears at functions hosted by his son’s school, and thus Twilight needs a family of his own

“Operation Strix.” A strix is a mythological bird with connotations of ill omen and metamorphosis, which seems appropriate enough here

His cover name is Loid Forger? I guess it’s better than “Harold Spyman,” but it’s close

“Do you have a boy or a girl?” “I’ll be deciding on that soon.” Lots of good deadpan punchlines so far, building off Loid’s general blank affectation. This encourages me for two reasons: first, it demonstrates this show understands that brevity is the soul of wit, and not to draw out its punchlines, something far too many shows struggle with. Secondly, it demonstrates the show’s understanding of character-specific humor, and how jokes that build off our prior understanding of a character’s personality are both funnier and more unique than general-purpose gags. Very encouraging signs for this author’s sense of humor

We meet Anya, who’s already equipped with her amazing little devil-horn hair caps. The mangaka really knocked it out of the park with her adorable design

Her attempts to ace his adoption exam are equally charming. Thus we learn that Anya is actually a psychic – the key final variable of this show’s premise, making her the strange link between her two oblivious parents

Loid and Anya’s initial professionalism in their engagements is another good gag in its own right, while simultaneously establishing an emotional barrier for them to eventually break through

“I am Anya. I have been Papa’s child for a very long time.” Her over-commitment to the role is also very good. I apparently needn’t have worried about this show’s comedy chops!

And oh my god, the animation of him trying to shake her off his leg. Excellent gremlin mode by Anya

“I want a pistol with a silencer.” “Sure, maybe if we find one on sale.” They are already fantastic together

The show is wisely dedicating basically all of its fluid character acting to Anya’s goofy style of movement, with powerful results

“I can’t understand this irrational behavior.” It really stretches plausibility to believe someone with as little emotional intelligence or general knowledge of human behavior as Loid could be a master spy, but it’s much funnier this way, so the mangaka clearly made the right choice

“Do the parents of the world normally carry out such difficult missions all the time?” Yeah dude, you really don’t know what you’re in for

I could see this story progressing such that Loid’s increasing empathy for Anya actually makes him worse as a spy, since he becomes less able to deny the humanity of his targets

Loid’s associate sounds familiar… ah I see, he was Yajirou in Eccentric Family, as well as Tarou in Shirobako. Two very memorable vocal takes, also fairly similar to his My Hero Academia role as Premium Mic. This tone is closest to Yajirou though, and I basically always recognize an Eccentric Family voice

Loid’s associate informs him that Anya has been repeatedly adopted and returned to the orphanage, and that her true origins are unknown

With Loid out, Anya sets to work finding some explosive devices. Admittedly, raising Anya in particular means dealing with some very unique challenges

Anya sends out a “secret message” that unwittingly taunts Twilight’s enemies

The show’s evocative use of lighting is even more pronounced as we slip into an Anya flashback. The short depth of field and glaring sunlight through the barred windows creates a sense of sterility and entrapment, as well as that specific quality of memories where you only remember key visuals or details. Depth of field manipulation is in general a great way to evoke memory, as it’s a piece of cinematic vocabulary that pretty much anyone who watches films will recognize as connoting the past

Oh man, some awesome fucking cuts as Loid disposes of these intruders. I appreciate the sense of gravity and momentum in his movements – he doesn’t seem “superhuman,” he seems like an agile man who knows precisely how to throw his weight around. Also excellent storyboarding, with each camera cut essentially prefacing some movement by Loid, matching our eyes’ movement to his momentum

“Boss, I think we should just give up on that toupee” into that lackey immediately being executed is excellent. Smart iteration on the original joke, presenting the audience’s obvious question only for it to be literally shot down

“This is a mistake. I risked everything by rushing into the enemy headquarters.” What’s that, is Loid already making unprofessional concessions for his daughter? Good shit

Anya’s tears remind Loid of his own childhood, when no one reached out a hand to help him. Presumably he rose above that by denying his own emotions, but Anya is returning him to the last time he was willing to truly feel things – and at the same time, offering the opportunity to right that injustice, by making sure she is not abandoned as well. Great, efficient character work and motivation!

He’s not quite there yet, though – so far, the furthest he can stretch is “I refuse to involve a kid in this mission”

“My mistake was putting that young girl in danger in the first place”

Ahaha, I love how Loid’s new revelation about children feeds directly back into his work as a spy, as he now knows he can keep this man off his back by threatening his daughter. Through Anya, he learned the irrational strength of a parent’s love for their child

And outside, Anya is still waiting for him. C’mon, you can’t abandon her now, Loid!

Aw, this is so charming. At the actual test, none of the other kids are confident enough for Anya to even steal their answers, but she does remember the time Loid spent teaching her these problems

And with her successful entry, Loid relaxes for the first time in… ever? He’s actually found something to hope and care for, for the first time since he pledged to become a spy

There’s a potential thematic thread there, though who knows if the show will pursue it: the impossibility of saving the whole world versus the quiet solace of making a difference in one child’s life

And Done

What a fantastic first episode! All my hopes were realized and all my fears were put to rest, with this episode demonstrating strong animation highlights, consistently excellent jokes, and an already-charming bond between its first two leads. I was quietly worried that Loid’s relationship with Anya would be more a source for gags than a genuine emotional connection, but this episode’s brief look into Loid’s past resolved that with grace, and the ending felt like a genuinely earned family reunion. Then there’s the diverse and snappy comedy, as well as the thrilling action scenes – this show’s got a whole lot going for it, and I’m eager to see what comes next!

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