Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d check back in on Spy x Family and the Forger clan, who most recently endured the terrifying gauntlet of Anya’s school interview. In spite of their flawless disarmament of the school’s pre-interview booby traps, Loid was unable to keep his cool when the faculty began prodding at Anya’s parentage, resulting in a premature exit from the meeting. That catastrophe has in turn prompted some collective reflections among the Forgers, serving as a harsh reminder of their family’s fragility.

Of course, this is the fifth episode of a show called Spy x Family, meaning Loid’s outburst will undoubtedly be interpreted as an affirmation of his family’s suitability for the school of elegance. I’m not worried about Anya, but I am hopeful about this threat to their family unit actually bringing them closer together, as they reflect on how much they’ve come to care about each other. As usual, I’m most eager to see more of Yor’s perspective; Anya and Loid’s relationship has already been grounded in their larger character journeys, while Yor and the nature of her relationship with the others is significantly less defined. Even just a brief reflection like Loid’s thoughts about his lonely childhood would go a great distance to humanize her, but either way, I’m sure there’ll be solid jokes and charming moments aplenty as we continue this preposterous adventure. Let’s get to it!

Episode 5

“WILL THEY PASS OR FAIL?” Aw c’mon, we already know this one!

We open on a tall tower that I believe also shows up in the OP, with two figures we haven’t seen discussing how this is the day of reckoning. Presumably these are more of Loid’s coworkers?

Yep, in fact the sitting man is actually our narrator

I suppose Yor is somewhat more naturally readable than Loid because she’s not really acting – her “Thorn Princess” persona is another side of her, but this bubbly and insecure person is genuinely who she’d be regardless of that identity. I’d still like more concrete development, but the fact that she’s the only family member who isn’t naturally performing does give the story some leeway in just letting time spent with her serve the purpose of characterization

But what’s this, Anya’s name isn’t on the list!? Whatever shall they do?!?!

The results are relayed via a big public board that everyone checks for their number. Do countries outside of Japan actually do that? In the states you just receive a letter, which I assume is the more customary method

Nice little trick to evoke a vertically panning shot as the Forgers leave, separating the board and crowd into four layers moving at separate speeds in order to create a more convincing illusion of three dimensional space. Accounting for parallax movement in animation is always a hassle!

“I’m sorry. It’s all because I stepped in poop.” Anya has a perfect brain

Master Henderson takes them aside as they leave, and informs them that Anya is at the top of the waiting list. Oh, this is perfect. The perennial dramatic/comedic need of a concept like Spy x Family is “how can we find more ways to apply Loid and Yor’s special talents to mundane familial pursuits,” and “Anya can go to this school so long as you eliminate one of the successful applicants” is a perfect example

“The number one killer of mankind is the mosquito. You saving our professor from that threat brought up your score tremendously”

And of course, Yor immediately slips into a reverie of killing some government official to secure their position. I like how they depict Yor’s Thorn Princess mode as an all-consuming aesthetic, with the background’s greyscale-and-red color scheme echoing Yor’s own personal style

Henderson further reveals that he may actually have lost his job for disciplining the founder’s son

Back at home, Anya is performing a ritual dance to ensure her acceptance. This show is so far nailing the fact that kids are just kinda weird, much in the way something like Yotsuba celebrates the broad and eccentric interests of children. And believe me, if I’m comparing your story to Yotsuba, that is a very good sign

They get the call. Loid is happy, but also clearly proud of Anya

Franky stops by with some wine, which he and Yor dive into without hesitation

Some nice design work for Anya’s favorite show, Bondman. The show is made distinctive through its more organically painted backgrounds, as well as its lighter approach to character linework. The episode they’re watching is a clear takeoff on Lupin, seemingly Castle of Cagliostro specifically, and the varied aesthetic approach successfully gives the sense of this being a somewhat older production

“I want to play ‘rescue Anya from the castle!’” YES, YOU MUST, LOID

Franky seems useful for throwing dramatic fuel on the fire, tempting Loid to use his spy proficiencies for more mundane purposes

Loid’s also becoming significantly more expressive at this point. He previously would only let his feelings show in moments of extreme distress – now we actually see him expressing even minor feelings like his sulking resentment at being put in this situation. A nice visual indicator of his increasing humanity

And of course, the family has to rent an actual castle and biplane to play Rescue Anya From The Castle. Yor might have found this all a little strange if she weren’t blitzed out of her mind

I appreciate that Anya’s flying cap still leaves space for her little horn ornaments

“Can you really call a castle with no servants or enemies a castle? I’m sad. I don’t think I can go to school now.” Anya immediately beginning to abuse her leverage here is very good

“Mom can be whatever.” Sorry Yor, ain’t room for two princesses in this story

Franky enthusiastically tells the assembled agents to “do whatever they can to get in Loidman’s way,” meaning Loid will now have to defeat his entire agency at once

“First up, we have a quiz that the princess invented in this courtyard!” Franky has pretty much instantly settled into the role of Anya’s overindulgent uncle, and to be fair, it would be hard to resist spoiling her

“What does Anya like about Bondman?” “His face?” “Wrong! It’s the fact that he has a pistol with a silencer!” C’mon Loid, that was literally the first thing Anya ever asked you for!

Delightful seeing Loid get invested in spite of himself, angrily demanding more questions. Both Franky and Anya are very good at using his pride against him

And then his genuine investment in this situation is immediately punished, as the question to “what does Anya want right now” is “a glass of water,” rather than anything which reflects on her personality in any meaningful way. A classic trick of leading a character into an expectation and then humorously punishing them for it – this is basically the same mechanical vein of comedy as most Roadrunner cartoons, wherein Coyote learns a lesson, innovates on his approach to account for that lesson, and is duly punished for the temerity of believing being clever will get him anything

And at last, Loid puts on the Loidman costume. Abandoning his pride to please his daughter, a key rite of passage for any parent

Damn, some terrific cuts as Loid battles his way through Franky’s minions. A nice mix here of exaggerated squashing and stretching for his surges forward, complemented by more weighted and convincingly choreographed exchanges between him and his foes

I get the impression this sequence is actually better in the anime than the manga, as much of the comedy here comes from how generously they’re animating such a ridiculous concept

“Are you seriously telling me I have to act out this embarrassing play in front of all these agents!?” ABANDON YOUR PRIDE AND EMBRACE DOMESTICITY, LOID

Yor finally finds her role in the form of Yorticia, master of drunken boxing

And Done

Well Anya, I hope you’re satisfied with your admission present. Leaning so completely into the Anya rescue mission meant this episode was a bit lighter on comedy than most, but the animators clearly had a ton of fun sending Loid through a classic Lupin caper, and the bond between Anya and Loid is now stronger than ever. Forcing Loid to choose his daughter over his pride as an agent was a fine way to affirm his loyalty to Anya – though sadly, Yor once again was sorta sidelined by her weakness for booze. Yor needs her own episode, damnit!

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