I know I am repeating myself but I think this needs to be said a couple of times, the Spy x Family Opening Credits are wonderful. Just great on every level. The ED is pretty great as well. That’s just the cherry on top. When a well-made show also has excellent OP and ED sequences.
Am I the only one that wishes we would have gotten a scene of Yor and Anya cooking together? Don’t get me wrong, I liked the way things played out in this episode. I have been looking forward to it for a while now. It’s just that I think a little cooking scene with these two would have been hilarious.
I really love the school uniforms in Spy x Family. I enjoyed them in black and white but the gold details really bring out the opulence of it all. And I like how the girls’ and boys’ uniforms really play off each other. I wonder if they are modelled off any real school uniforms?
There is something happening in the background of Spy x Family. In the early episodes, we heard Yor’s coworkers talking about how people were just being taken away without warning by authorities on suspicion of being spies. Now we learn that there have been a number of kidnappings targetting rich families. There’s something rotten afoot. Most authoritarian regims, that would indiscriminately put away civilians without trial on flimsy suspicions, would also not allow kidnappings. They would have cracked down hard on that. But we have been getting clues about how fractured this society is for a while. So far it’s really only been flavour but what an interesting flavour to put in!
Let’s get back to the more personal and compelling story here. I really enjoyed that the Forgers got a frequent customer discount at the tailor shop. I was just thinking to myself that they have been there almost every episode and then the show acknowledged it point-blank. If anyone ever figures out that Loid is Twilight, they are going to be convinced the tailor shop is a front for something.
It’s no secret that I enjoy a good strong mother character. Actually, I enjoy positive parental figures in anime in general. This is a good show for me! Yor is a bit of a special case though because she’s a stepmother, a stereotypical one at that in many ways. She thinks Anya is adorable and likes her but she’s only met her rather recently. She wants to be liked and she talks to Anya softly and in that friendly casual manner adults talk to children when they want to get along. But parents almost never talk to their kids that way. There’s still a gap.
On the other hand, Anya is a complete subversion of this. First of all, she was actually an orphan a little while ago so to her Yor isn’t an interloper, she’s a necessary role to fill. Secondly, as a telepath, Anya already knows Yor pretty well. You speed up the learning about someone’s process quite a bit when you can read all their thoughts. So for Anya, it’s already a done deal. Yor is her mama and also Yor is super cool. It’s just that Yor has to also get comfortable with that role.
And this episode went a long way to bridging that gap. When Anya was in trouble, she wasn’t just a child Yor needed to protect, she was her daughter. And there were no questions about that. It was pretty.
What that sequence also did, in a marvellous way, was clearly tell us that there is no specific or right way to be a mother. There were no big speeches about it, no snooty bystanders to prove wrong. It was just a given if you watched the show. You immediately understand that Yor is Anya’s mom not because she’s gentle or teaches her how to cook and clean or something like that. She’s her mother because she deeply cares about her.
Also, let’s take bets. How long before these two and their newfound camaraderie leads to Loid getting an ulcer? A week maybe?
You know, I thought I would have nothing to say yet here we are and I haven’t even started on Anya’s first day at the academy. I do like how Damian is portrayed. Perfectly unlikeable and yet. The hands in the pockets when he was called up to the stage were a perfect touch. It’s slightly disrespectful but also so casual that you have to figure he didn’t put any thought into it. This is a boy who is perfectly relaxed in this situation because he’s never had to be nervous about anything. There have never been any stakes for him.
And privilege is a very important theme in this school. From the gilded uniforms to the connection favouring selection process. Loid’s description of Anya’s classmates perfectly summarized what systemic privilege is and how insidious it can be. It’s almost irrelevant how well these kids do in school, they will always be childhood friends of a whole bunch of very powerful people in the future and they can survive off that.
OK, I’m going off a bit too far on a tangent here. Instead, let’s talk about this. I remember the punch from the manga. Clearly. It was a very satisfying panel. But it’s so much more fun aimated. Did you see that kid fly! Yor is an amazing teacher. I generally haven’t double guessed the story of Spy x Family at all, however, I think there was a serious lost opportunity here. When Loid was told that Anya punched the boy she was supposed to be getting close to, he should have insisted on apologizing to the parents in person. Right? I’m not complaining though, poor Loid is just trying to survive at this point. You can’t expect him to be on top of everything. And it looks like he’s in for another long week from the looks of the preview!
Definitely a lot of fun, between Anya’s big punch and that awesome facial expression I thought the anime nailed it here. Sometimes the school stuff can slow a series own for me but I’d say Spy X Family has it paced really well
I like the school stuff in this series a lot. I hope the adaptatn keeps up with this great pacing.
Ooh, what a fun episode. Anya may not be an academic genius, but she’s definitely thinking on her feet – checking to see if she’s clear to punch, and then, when caught, finding an excuse that works. Together with her esper powers this should serve her well.
Also, I didn’t notice Yor was wearing a ponytail during the training session. Screenshot to the rescue.
I was looking forward to this episode for a while and it did not disappoint.
Awsome, my screenshots finally have a use!
They are almost always of use.