Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today seems like the perfect chance to stop in with the Forger clan, and see what our favorite spy-slash-assassin-slash-telepath-slash-precog family has been getting up to lately. For the moment, the show appears to have settled into a comfortable rhythm of episodic Anya school challenges embellished with some spy action lunacy by either of her parents, but as I’ve said before, one of Spy x Family’s most interesting qualities as a sitcom is the inherent momentum implied by its premise. The show rarely sits still for long, and so I imagine we’ll soon be either introducing a new variable (perhaps through elaborating on that spy associate of Loid’s from the opening), or drawing closer to the Desmond clan.
As for me, I’d be happy with either that sort of narrative push or simply an affirmation of how much closer the family has grown. Since their last meaningful group outing, we’ve received a steady breadcrumb trail of tender moments: Yor sharing her region’s cuisine with the others, Anya proving she can fend for herself academically, Loid consoling Yor regarding her overeager parenting. The steady friction of these accumulated moments has been eroding Loid’s professionalism inch by inch, and I’d quite enjoy some sort of narrative reflection on how far they’ve come. But regardless, I’m sure we’re in for a cozy and gag-rich adventure. Let’s get to it!
Episode 21
Looks like it’s that spy associate of Loid’s after all! We open on the WISE director handing her a mission brief for a joint operation with Twilight, an initial perspective shot both tethering us to her and fostering a quick jolt of anticipation for the face reveal
Her name is Fiona Frost, and she works as a clerk at Loid’s hospital
She’s got quite the distinctive design, all essentially building off that frost motif – white hair, a long cold blue jacket, and black leggings. Tatsuya Endo has a knack for designing characters with a clear visual personality in mind, in keeping with the general axiom of cartoon characters being definable by silhouette. Anya’s little horn-caps do a lot of heavy lifting in making her design unique, and once you stretch beyond the necessarily conventionally attractive designs of the main characters who are selling the series, you immediately bump into fun exaggerations like Damien’s minions and their weird-shaped heads
“I’m terribly sorry. If I had been available when this mission started, I could have played the part of his wife.” Immediately answering the first question that this “wait, there’s been a female agent all along?” reveal would provoke
“Actually, it’s not too late.” Aw jeez, is her personality just going to be “jealous and obsessed with Loid?” We’ve already got Yor’s brother, we don’t need another dead weight trope character
“A wicked, ambitious, cold-hearted woman: Nightfall”
Excellent tiny Yor face as we pan back into the Forger apartment
Yor still lamenting her inability to cook anything but that one regional stew. The practice of self-improvement for the sake of people you love is generally more important than the result, but it still feels crummy to solely rely on the people you’d hoped would be able to rely on you. Those we care about most are able to wound even with kindness when what you are truly seeking is gratitude and respect
Nightfall’s at the door. Yor’s design feels a little bit more rounded this episode, particularly her eyes – she seems a bit more mom-like than assassin-like
Very careful, realistic animation as Frost hands over Anya’s magnifying glass. A general rule of cinema is that anything the camera labors over is going to catch the audience’s focus, emphasizing that this object or image is of particular significance. In animation, the same is true of things that are carefully and conspicuously animated. In this scene’s case, laboring so much over this exchange of items emphasizes the threat of danger, asking us to remember that each of their hands are lethal weapons
Frost appears to lack Loid’s easy social grace
Yeah, they’re definitely playing up the roundness of Yor’s design relatively to the sharp angles of Frost. Lots of great Yor expressions
“I’ll have to get her to leave the house on her own.” Frost’s ploy seems like it’ll ultimately provide just what I was hoping for: an affirmation of how strongly Yor considers these people her family
Yep. Rather than taking Frost’s bait regarding the frustration of raising a high energy child, Yor reflects that she loves Anya’s energy, and only wishes she could comfort Anya when she’s down
Loid pops in before Frost can start really driving a wedge
These repeated, slightly angled layouts with a short depth of field are doing an excellent job of maintaining a sense of space within the apartment. That seems particularly appropriate for this episode, where it feels like violence could erupt here at any moment. A sense of physical space naturally facilitates a sense of physical vulnerability
Frost immediately starts ragging on him in coded speech, asking him why Yor isn’t running the inessential errands, and if things like walking the dog are truly essential to his mission. As with Yor, her provocation seems like an excellent opportunity for Loid to push back, and demonstrate his genuine attachment to the Forgers
And yep, as Anya swiftly discovers, she’s madly in love with Loid. I do like how she’s basically an inversion of the other two-faced characters: all cold precision on the outside, all hopeless romanticism on the inside
Sometimes they soft-peddle the true horror of Anya’s ability, but she’s taking one straight in the face this episode. I’m sorry you had to see that, Anya
Tragically, even Frost’s aborted “at work, he’s always complaining that his wife-” has Yor wallowing in anxiety
A slight indication of Loid’s changing nature, as Frost’s proud assumption that he “prefers his coffee black” is dashed by Loid splashing plenty of milk in. Loid’s softening personality expressed through his dietary preferences
“This lady is wild.” Oh my god, even Anya is already starting to pity Frost
“In which case, it is the wife’s duty to make the daughter more powerful.” Frost is swiftly establishing her own unique brand of “person trained as weapon cannot parse domestic life”
Upon hearing of Frost’s intentions as a mother, Anya swiftly makes a counterplay, snuggling right into Yor’s lap. A great and unexpected victory for Yor!
Anya’s hiss at Frost is also excellent. Atsumi Tanezaki gets to make some great noises in this role
More excellent character animation as Anya hugs Bond, dramatically extolling how much she loves her whole family. It’s nice to see these extravagant cuts assigned to the domestic stuff, rather than more cuts of Yor kicking ass
The camera hangs close to Yor and moves with her face as she comes to a decision, once again emphasizing the physical space and the intimacy of the characters
Episode boarder/director Teruyuki Omine actually doesn’t have many other directorial credits – mostly just a couple from Attack on Titan, which is no surprise from the Wit Studio end of this production. I can see how this style of conceptualizing space would work well in that show, and will be interested to see what else he gets up to
“You’re already working so hard, Yor. That’s why Anya loves you. I couldn’t ask you to do anything more.” An emphatic and seemingly genuine assurance from Loid. Frost came here to break up the family, but instead she’s facilitating all the bond-affirming declarations I was hoping for
Seeing the traces of honesty in Loid’s smile, Frost realizes she is defeated
Vivid atmosphere as Frost holds her feelings in beneath the pouring rain. Some of the shots here verge on that heightened makeup department look Wit employed on shows like Kabaneri and After the Rain. Excellent use of soft focus
This A-part ends with such finality that they actually stick the ending credits here
“Oh no, Peggie’s been shot!” Loid really needs to monitor Anya’s TV habits
I actually quite like this show’s willingness to divide its episode into much longer dramatic A-parts followed by farcical B-parts. It diversifies the show’s pacing, reveals unique aspects of side characters, and essentially provides the same tonal buffer as a goofy 4koma at the end of a manga chapter
Jealous of Anya’s affection for Mr. Penguin, Bond takes action and assassinates one of his fellow agents. Incredible expressions of despair for Anya here
“Penguin bad. Stole Anya.” Bond, you traitor!
Incredible Bond reaction when he is condemned by Anya. Yeah, this is a perfect post-credits stinger
“Oh god, he’s even deader!” I feel like this four minute segment is probably the best possible pitch for this overall show
“Scars are medals of valor for soldiers. Agent Penguin suffered honorable injuries in battle.” Bless you, Loid
And Bond arrives with a peace offering of peanuts
“Remember what Bondman said? ‘Today’s enemy is tomorrow’s ally.’” And he’s even quoting the Bondman deep lore! God, Loid really has grown into an excellent dad
“I will call a truce in this war on behalf of the peanuts.”
And Done
Goddamn, what a delightful episode that was! Having Frost be formally introduced as a rival for Loid’s love had me fearing the worst, but rather than simply riffing on the contrast between her goals and outer affectation, her assault on the Forger home ended up providing an ideal opportunity for our family to affirm just how much they care about each other. Loid has indeed lost his edge due to his time with the Forgers, and it’s heartwarming to see all the small ways in which they’re now attuned to each other’s needs and insecurities. Omine’s distinctive approach to storyboarding really amplified the intimacy of the episode, and that final Penguin War sequence proved one of the show’s simultaneously funniest and most endearing vignettes yet. A top shelf Spy x Family!
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