Still my favourite anime of the season… I’m only watching two but I’m pretty confident Spy x Family would be way up there even if I was watching a whole bunch. It’s a wonderful adaptation of strong source material, what more could you want?
Speaking of wonderful adaptation, I actually went back over the early volumes to check on a few things. was surprised by how much is changed and yet how little. I’ll try to explain.
But let’s talk about that first act before we get to that. From the way the last episode ended, everything that happened in the first act was pretty much as expected. No real surprises and the Briar siblings are a bit over the top when they have both had a drink. Yet, I didn’t mind this opening act at all. Sure, I already admitted that I’m a bit of a sucker for this type of nonsense but it was also just really well done. The anime itself is crafted so well that I don’t really care if a sequence is predictable or a bit out there, it’s just fun to watch.
Besides, I have to agree with Loid here, as wacky as they get, Yor and Yuri seem like lovely siblings. It was nice seeing them come together like that!
Last week, I mentioned a small moment when Loid was reading the first volume of Spy Wars, Anya’s favourite comic/show. And I realized that a lot of people hadn’t noticed. I thought that maybe this was an adaptation quirk. Something the animators may have added in. To my knowledge, there’s never any big payoff… So I went to see if it was in the manga. It is!
But events are moved around just a little bit so it makes it difficult for me to really remember what was in the mangas vs what’s only in the anime. It’s very well done. When I reread the books I realize that there is a payoff but it’s just one line! Brilliant! Rereading those first volumes really made me appreciate how much thought and care is being put into this anime. It’s not just about animating these characters, it’s about making them shine and creating the best possible viewing experience. Colour me impressed.
I bring the Spy Wars moment up again because I suspect a lot of you noticed it in this episode. After Yuri left and the whole family decided to turn in for the night. A lovely scene all around, and Loid did some bedtime reading:
You have no idea how happy this image made me. No, it’s not in the manga. The scene plays out the same way but whatever Loid is reading has a blank cover! This they added in for the few fans that did notice. Amazing! Also, considering that Anya was reading volume 5 last week, and taking into account her reading speed, I’m pretty sure that Loid is now way further into the books than she is. At volume 12, I’m not sure how much of it is him trying to understand his daughter better, and how much is Loid just becoming a lowkey fan of Spy Wars himself. I also really like that big DANG on the back cover! I wish I could see the whole image!
The rest of the episode was dedicated to exploring, no strengthening, Yor and Loid’s relationship. They come together pretty well when Anya’s involved. It’s easy to work as a unit when there’s such an inspiring common goal as the happiness and well-being of a child. But Yor and Loid have never been a coupe without Anya. So what’s left when you take her away. It’s an important question.
For me, the last two acts of the episode were really two strong emotional pillars even though one got a lot more attention than the other. The first was Anya being the only one to know the truth but not being able to say anything. It was heartbreaking seeing her worry and fret over her family. Through her power, she knows that her mom is not a threat to them. She knows her father is a good man who cares about people and the greater good. But she can’t just tell them that. And because she’s just a child, she stays silent and worries. It was a small part of the episode, just breakfast and Anya getting on the bus, but there was a heft to it.
The second of course, was Loid learning to trust his wife and realizing he may be in trouble. Emotionally, I think Loid went too far. The bug, the little act, all of it. That’s not how a husband behaves! But he’s not a husband…right? Rationally, he has good reason to have doubts. And the stakes are astronomical. He really should make sure. That’s the right thing to do…right?
The problem is that Twilight is not Loid and if he forgets that it could spell tragedy not only for him but for everyone else. And from where I’m sitting, it’s looking like becoming Loid is a mighty attractive idea. That’s obviously a theme that going to come back and I,m looking forward to that. It’s a little bitter-sweet deconstruction of the family ideal and it makes me smile.
Before that, there’s a dodgeball game at school! The other thing I did when I reread my books, was to see how far we had gotten in the series. And when we would get to the aquarium!
I have good news and bad news my friends. The good news is that at the end of episode 9, we aren’t even halfway through the 3rd volume. The series is releasing but there are already 9 volumes out so there’s plenty of material for the season and then some. The next cour can therefore be released fairly quickly if they keep the same pace.
And it doesn’t feel drawn out, does it! Those manga volumes pack a lot of punch!
I think we might be seeing Bond the dog before the end of this cour but probably only in the last few episodes. Maybe just the last one. I don’t think this is a spoiler in any way, he’s in the opening credits. I also don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that I love Bond…
As for the bad news… the aquarium chapter is in volume two. it’s an “extra mission” so we probably won’t see it getting adapted at all. I was looking forward to seeing that part. Maybe they’ll make it a special episode or something. It’s long enough.
Previous Posts
- Spy x Family episode 1 – Family Man
- Spy x Family episode 2 – Found Family
- Spy x Family episode 3 – Family Ooting
- Spy x Family episode 4 – The Elegant Family
- Spy x Family episode 5 – Meet the Loidman Family
- Spy x Family episode 6 – Like Mother, Like Daughter
- Spy x Family episode 7 – Extended Family
- Spy x Family episode 8 – Family-In-Law
Ooo, I haven’t read the manga yet, so getting some insights from the manga is really interesting. I hope they do animate the aquarium part, even if it’s just a special episode, it looks really cute. For how young she is, it’s kind of amazing how well Anya can keep secrets. Even though she was really worried this episode, she still managed to not let the cat out of the bag about her found mom and dad. So glad things were sorted out by the time she got back home from school, don’t want the little peanut to get too stressed out! As for Loid listening in on Yor, I didn’t think that was off or uncalled for. He’s a spy (and a bit of a control freak) it’s what he does. It would be weird if he didn’t monitor the people around him. What’s a little strange is that Yor has demonstrated serious fighting skills in front of Loid multiple times now, and he still doesn’t think this is weird or suspicious. I think Yor is just naturally too sweet, so no one believes she could be anything scary like an assassin.
There’s some suspension of disbelief going on for sure
I loved this episode. No wonder, since it focuses on the found-family trope. Anya had few scenes, but the ones she had were poignant. It’s actually in the set-up; the one character who knows the most is the least capable of interpreting the context. You just have to feel for her.
Also, I really like the way that context gets in the way, but the show never overplays its cards. It so perfectly encapsulates the situation. They each have their own agenda, but they just casually care about each other and don’t notice because it doesn’t occur to them that it could be different. But the ramifications still cause consequences and worries.
I also really loved the kissing scene: Loid going into spy seduction mode, Yor drinking up courage and taking the initiative and Loid, after a brief moment of confusion, just closing his eyes and going along with it.
I also quite like Yuri, though I still don’t much care for the siscon trope, played straight with him remembering the marriage promise. I can sort of head-canon it into being overprotective, so far.
I’m actually really curious about Bond the dog, so I hope we’ll get to see him this season, but if not… well, I hear it’s split cour, so the show should be back in fall.
I also think we’ll get cour 2 fairly quickly. As far as I know, this introduction is the most “romantic” Yuri’s siscon gets. He tends to be more of the no one will ever be good enough for my sister type.