There’s a line in the middle of this episode where Twilight mentioned that family vacations are just way too exhausting (I’m paraphrasing) and I felt that in my bones. As some of you may know, I don’t exactly have a big family but I do have some. With the Holidays coming up, it means attending various parties and making small talk with folks who get together a few times a year at most, desperately trying to find a subject we can all chat about. And I probably have it easy compared to some of you. What I’m saying is, we’ll get through this together!
Wasn’t it cathartic to see the Forgers reunited once again? And they even got to enjoy some precious time off doing activities they rarely get a chance to do! It felt like they really earned it. And as much as I enjoyed the boat arc, it was nice to see the team all together again. They just play off each other so well!
I am constantly trying to figure out the political climate of the Spy x Family universe. It doesn’t play a huge role in the story and you can just ignore it if you’re not interested in these sorts of things but at the same time, it’s always in the background. A looming threat and driving force. I feel like I can get a lot more out of the story if I can get a better handle on the setting. Why am I bringing this up now? It didn’t play much of a role in this episode. Well, Ostania has some fascist/authoritarian elements. There’s a secret police that can and does arrest people on suspicion of being spies without much due process. It’s prevalent enough that normal citizens are genuinely worried about not looking “suspicious” in their day-to-day lives as they could be arrested out of the blue.
And yet, it seems like even fairly normal folks can just go easily on a pleasure cruise and dock on some secluded island for a few days without much trouble. So it’s not like freedoms are that heavily restricted. And it also seems like it’s a mostly capitalist country where purchasing power is left entirely in the hands of the consumer. And that tends to open up some avenues for shenanigans! I am very curious about what Westalis is like. One thing we do know for sure is that they seem to have a pretty good spy network!
I’m jumping all over the place but the surfing screencap reminded me of something. It’s no secret that I love Yor. She’s one of my favourite anime goofballs in general. I just think that combining the femme fatale stereotype with the clueless dork is the perfect subversion of both archetypes. This said Yor is not easy to be with. Especially in a new mother role. And this is where Loid shines.
What Loid brings to the table, besides his personal brand of dorkiness which can be very endearing at times, is that he can actually stand on his own next to Yor and that’s probably not something most people can do. When Yor is accidentally launching Anya across the ocean, Loid is not only completely capable of getting the situation under control, but he doesn’t make a big deal about it. He can even both of them out, make sure they don’t get themselves in trouble, but he doesn’t ask them to become someone they are not. And that’s pretty awesome.
Speaking of people that can stand by Yor, Yuri is back! Yuri is a complicated character for me. I don’t really like the siscon types. I feel like it’s one of those archetypes that simply gets lost in translation for me. But Yuri does bring a lot more to the table. Mostly, he is Twilight’s biggest potential obstacle and in many ways the best source of tension in the show. They haven’t used him so much to that end yet but the potential is definitely there and it’s a dynamic I really enjoy. In that regard, the siscon aspect becomes more interesting. Yuri is immediately suspicious and antagonistic towards Loid because he sees him as taking away his precious sister, it’s a great way to kickstart and intensify the relationship but it can also blind Yuri to other aspects of Twilight. And who knows, down the line, it may even make him into a reluctant ally. Basically, I think the evolving relationship between Yuri and Yor’s new family is an aspect of the story that could become both very deep and layered. I want to see where it goes so I’m happy that it seems we’ll get more of it next week!
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
- Spy x Family episode 9 – Briar Family Issues
- Spy x Family episode 10 – Dodgeball Lessons with Mom
- Spy x Family episode 11 – Family Pride
- Spy x Family episode 12 – Family Finale
- Spy x Family episode 13 – Family Pet
- Spy x Family episode 14 – Future Family
- Spy x Family episode 15 – Family Reunion
- Spy x Family episode 16 – Family Dinner
- Spy x Family episode 17 – Daddy Issues
- Spy x Family episode 18 – Scholarly Family
- Spy x Family episode 19 – The Glooman Family Business
- Spy x Family episode 20 – Family Doctor
- Spy x Family episode 21 – The Spy Who Wuvved Me
- Spy x Family episode 22 – The Phony Family
- Spy x Family episode 23 – Private Family Collection
- Spy x Family episode 24 – Family Friend
- Spy x Family episode 25 – Dad
- Spy x Family episode 26 – Happy Wife, Happy Life
- Spy x Family episode 27 – A Very Good Boy
- Spy x Family episode 28 – Oh Brother!
- Spy x Family episode 29 – Smart Cookie
- Spy x Family episode 30 – Family Vacation
- Spy x Family episode 31 – Familia
- Spy x Family episode 32 – Seafaring Family
- Spy x Family episode 33 – Yor’s Family
- Spy x Family episode 34 – Family Reunion
I thought the surfing part of the episode was just a fun little action scene thrown in, so I didn’t really think too hard about it, but you’re right! Loid does balance Yor out wonderfully. Not only that but he never thinks she’s weird or shames her for being a bit different from other ladies.
I really like your take on Loid. How he just picked up both of them when they collapsed, then, after consideration, thought Yor had done a good job — that’s good stuff!
You’re giving Yuri a lot more credit than I’ve been able to do! And I think you’ve convinced me that you’re right. I hadn’t thought of it from the perspective you talked about. Thanks for that!