Spy x Family

Overhyped, carried by animation. Various generic premises glued together, but that passes for originality these days.

The humor is surprisingly good at times, but not enough to carry the show, which is fatal for a comedy.

Loid is a cold, unfeeling spy that needs to learn about human emotion. This adult taking care of a random unruly kid trope is old, with a thin veneer of spy film theme.

I had high hopes for Yor, especially since she doesn't know the first thing about subtlety. An absolute failure of an assassin that still manages to do her job somehow, lots of potential there. Only she's a single ... running gag - liking murder a lot. Very disappointing.

Anya is a nice, vanilla cute kid. Nothing that makes you think she has a personality beyond that. She likes spy movies and peanuts. But I will say her fear of crowds is the first step to making her an actual human being.

Great animation. Art is bland but well done. Music is forgettable but again, well done. Spy jazz in the OP, music video aesthetics in the ED. Spy x Family certainly likes to play it safe, huh?

People keep telling me the manga is amazing, but these are the same people who think the first three episodes were masterpieces. Not even close.

*Update: with the airing of the last episode? yeah, my rating will not be changed.

Im afraid I am going to come on a bit strong for this anime seeing as it isn't quite finished yet, however

I was kind of wondering if this would follow an The Incredibles way of playing out but I was wrong. The plot is oversimplified and bland. The story building works with very little to start off with and tosses a cocktail of random elements to forcibly make it work. The main character Loid is dry with some nodes of humor but not unlikable. Anya is as typical as you can ... get for a kid who contains abilities and Yor is the odd duck tossed in for just because. An awkward trio set out to do good in the world sounds like an awesome premise but it falls flat. The animation is alright at least and the music isn't half bad!

However, the premise that has been given so far is, Fake It Till You Make It. There hasn't been much of an honest bone to any character in what has been played out so far. I am certain this will shift however it doesn't change the fact that this anime is telling you that telling lies and being genuinely unauthentic are an acceptable means to build bonds on.

Given that I said that and it is widely popular among the masses, I would also be a liar if I didn't say that this concerns me. I understand this is only an opinion, my opinion but I really do hold firm on what I said.

This show is known from its plot twist like for instant. The background character is seeing regular couple but suddenly the couple does the complete opposite or doing something what they wouldn't expect. This is mostly what you get of the show, also the character development is cheesy lazy sentimental plot device, i been held captive by the system to be use as a child soldier and never been love but suddenly met a moe uwu loli girl type.

These sorta theme works well but the theme felt like a plot device for lazy wholesome fanservice pandering for casual anime watcher who ... only want to get a reaction so that you can easily get invested into the character and don't have to feel overwhelmed. Its like as if you're doing a homework project in order to invest into a convincing historical period time setting event with its espionage CIA, KGB,CCP and MK ULTRA for people that doesn't know the reference. These event aren't really tied into the plot, but is loosely based on it.

The main premise is the only reason what got me interested in. Wanting to know how the story unfold of if he succeed the mission and develop himself to be the better man from realizing the concept of a healthy life such as feeling a person love and care from a sadistic hoe and a loli. I don't know why they didn't label the organization as terrorist instead of extremist since extremist are the one who would do like Boston bombing level, not a fucking war. I know they're going to reveal the main character past and trauma but it just going to be some forced overly projected edgy shock value reveal the main character, side character and opponent doing ahegao face with snot and drool or some corny ass scary face.

The art is shit underwhelming over exaggerated out of place lazy town art.

This show is only good if you want to feel good and be a cheer leader so you don't have to strain on the visual constructive narrative or exposition dialogue and some abstract artistic bullshit that would level headed watcher would say. But yeh anya is a cute loli that explain things by introducing her names first like a pokemon in order for her to explain things in a UWU way. yeh this show is like a 6 to a light 7ish and i unironically gave akebi-chan an 8. The problem is the story could've been character driven and historically driven while being funny like baccano.

Mediocrity can mask itself in funny ways. When I think of the word “overrated”, I think of shows that have been able to hide their mediocrity in such admirable fashion that they do not get noticed by the majority of anime fans. We’ve had our fair share of overrated anime like Clannad which was able to mask its mediocrity with emotional p0rn, No game no life, and even more recently Sono bisque doll with its uncanny ability to cater to the most down bad section of weebs. But no mediocre anime has been able to reach such heights of popularity as quickly and as effortlessly ... as Spy X family has. Some of us are quick to convince ourselves that ratings don’t matter but when an anime(a first season at that) reaches so close to the top of the charts on this site before even clocking six episodes, there’s something in the works. This is my first complete review of an anime. I’ll try to keep things spoiler-free but some minor spoilers from the anime might spew out on account of my rage.

Spy X family is the new anime on the block taken on by two popular studio veterans, Wit and Cloverworks, who know more than a thing or two about how to adapt a successful anime. If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past three months, you’ve probably heard about it. A spy on an undercover operation marries and adopts a child all in the name of avoiding war. The plot follows Twilight, a renowned spy who is tasked with investigating Donovan Desmond, who I think is a leader of some country, group, or something. Desmond apparently only shows his face in his child’s school thus sparking the culmination of convenient story arcs and just all-around nothingness that fails to leave me with much satisfaction or anticipation.

Spy X family falls short in quite a few areas starting from its overly convenient plot. There’s just too much that didn’t need to happen. Firstly, the existence of Yor. In what school do you need two parents to be present for an interview? Aren’t concepts like death, divorce, adoption, and many others present in this anime? This means that Yor has no right to be this integral to the plot this season. Now don’t get it twisted, I don’t hate Yor I think she’s a tolerable character but the way she was introduced to the story was stupid. The only reason she exists, to begin with, is to appear in Anya’s interview. She hasn’t done anything else to prove that she can be important to the overarching plot of the show yet. That might change but you have to admit that for now she’s kinda just flailing around having very little importance to the story so far and is mainly used as eye candy. I would rather have characters pop up randomly and then be included in the story rather than being included in the most ridiculous and unrealistic ways.

Secondly, the dialogue. I value dialogue a lot in a story. A good dialogue aids in creating convincing characters by exposing essential details about their backgrounds, quirks, etc. It reveals aspects of characters that make them relatable. Spy X family does not excel here, unfortunately. The dialogue is forgettable and doesn’t leave me with any impression that these characters can be entertaining in any fashion. The most fascinating relationship is between Anya and Loid but that does not get explored enough or as in-depth as I would like. The other characters leave very much to be desired as well in terms of dialogue. The characters are not entertaining or thought-provoking. It’s not like the interactions between the characters are incredibly witty or funny, intellectual, natural, or realistic. The interactions between the three main characters seem lifeless at times and it feels like time is moving that much slower when I watch these characters communicate with each other. I feel like if an anime(A “comedy anime” at that) cannot establish some form of entertaining dialogue that goes past the stereotypical cheesiness that SXF advertises, then it is simply not worth my time. The dialogue is easily the weakest part of this show and when people such as me try to discuss these issues with Spy X family twerkers, it always comes back to one lazy ass point,” iT’s JuSt a SliCe Of LiFe CoMeDy iT’s NoT tHaT sErIoUs”. Okay, let’s address the comedy then.

When anyone criticizes the anime, the stans are so quick to say that it’s just a comedy slice of life and whatnot but here’s the twist, it’s not even that funny! Comedy is subjective and everything but I want to see the people that get a good laugh by watching some of the “comedic” scenes in this show. The comedy is repetitive with slow and awkward timing and it’s normally filled with Anya or Yor doing something over the top like slapping a relative until he starts bleeding or Anya falling on her face like an idiot. Also, can we talk about the fact that Anya, a four-year-old is being forced to an elite school with people two years older than her and not only expected to keep up with her elite classmates but to do so well academically that she gets a Stella? I feel like it’s another stupid and cruel attempt at comedic relief. Admittedly, the manga is a better representation of comedy but I feel like the anime’s shameless use of meme moments and explosive animation to pass off as comedy does not work for me. What makes it even more confusing is that it’s not hard to make me laugh. Some of my favorite comedy anime are trashy anime that don’t take themselves too seriously. The simplest joke can have my chest hurting from laughing too much. As with most “funny” anime these days, Spy X family is filled with wholesome moments that get the fans going. Watching Loid act like a dad is cute, Anya being stupid is cute, and Yor blushing for no reason is cute but it’s not funny at all. I can’t even think of an anime that came out in the past four or five years that hasn’t outrageously relied on these overused tropes and tried to pass it off as comedy.

This section will be dedicated to all the stupid things that didn’t need to happen. Can we talk about episode five? The most over-the-top celebration of a child going to school I have ever seen. Also, the organization that Loid works for made itself to be an absolute joke, and the “best” spies were just really dumbed down to fit the subplot which was to “save” Anya from a “villain”. In a show that people praise for its relatable slice-of-life moments, I don’t know how anyone could tolerate this episode. Another episode that didn’t advance the plot was that dodgeball episode. Never have I ever seen such attention to detail in a pointless episode that does nothing different than the previous episodes. I don’t think there’s been enough plot development to allow for irrelevant episodes. If Loid’s mission was so urgent that he had to enroll his four-year-old child in an elite school with people two years older than her then surely the plot should progress faster right? While we’re at it what about the backstories? Does Anya’s tragic backstory revealed to us in the earlier episodes play a part in the progression of the story? Certainly not. The show focuses on scenes that make the fan base melt over interesting scenes that reveal to the audience the implication and why that backstory is so relevant to the character. But instead, we had about two or three full episodes of not building up anything. It’s such a shame because everything has been set up, the plot looks interesting, and the characters? Fairly bland but can improve if they focus more on the actual story. Ultimately, all we get is a poorly written slice-of-life anime with the occasional dark episode or two which I feel is a huge waste of potential.

To end this review let’s discuss some of the few moments where Spy X family showed the potential to be great. I could write about the art, music, or animation but I feel like that is already the topic of discussion in many other reviews of this show. What I want to focus on are the moments where there was potential for a good anime.

First off, Anya passing the exam. We all knew that she was going to pass but seeing the genuine excitement from Loid as he sees her number on the board! One of the first instances we see a genuine father-daughter bond grow is during Loid and Anya's celebration together and it was honestly beautiful and relatable and is by far the best moment in the anime until it was ruined by that stupid hide and seek game. Another moment is where Loid lashes out during the interview. Again that did nothing but strengthen the bond between Loid and Anya. It showed that he is not just creating a family to fulfill his mission but he cares about Anya. The show clearly shows promise but it holds itself back from being good by always clicking the reset button on any meaningful progress, reducing it to a standard comedy series(depends on what your definition of comedy is) with no actual intention of advancing its plot so far. I’ve read a bit of the manga which suffers from the same problems as well. All in all, Spy X family is a disappointment but not an unsalvageable one. It showed good perhaps even great moments but not nearly enough to justify its incredibly high acclaim.

When I first heard about the concpet of the show, it seemed intresting to me, heard good word of mouth about it, so i decided to watch it.

So what i thought of it,well


This show is a bundle of joy, a show which is overflowing with wholesomeness, but it has it's weakness tho.

Story - as i said concpet itself was intresting enough to catch my attention, so concept was good, but it seemed very episodic and plot was not moving foward, specially the 2nd part of season 1, in part one they compensated the slow moving plot with humor but in 2nd part the show ... and humour both felt repetitive.

Some times it felt "Shinchan" with good production.

Character - they all were very loveable, specially annya, she is the soul of the show a character,I haven't such wholesome character in anime till date.

Direction and dialogue - they absolutely nailed it, humour hits you, wholesomeness bring smile, not much action but makes you hyped up whenever its there.

Voice - it's soo damn good specially annya, the voice actor has put heart and soul into it.

Overall the show isn't for big brain people who just wanna watch subtle nature of human behaviour, it's a show that you watch with your loved ones and smile together.

I saw 10 episodes so far (currently aired) and the anime just feels like a parody to me, it's definitely overrated, slow progressed and does not give you the feel of thrill when you watch it.
The art and sound are great but the story just lacks a lot of things.
Every episode I watch with the hope of seeing some progress or some fulfillment in my time spent watching it but i never get it. The episode just goes by without doing any progress to the main plot of the story, Instead we stall in a bunch of side stories to "develope" the characters, but I ... objectively don't think this way of character developement is good as it comes with the price of slow pacing. In my opinion, good stories (and no need to name any) would develope their characters while still doing huge progress in the main plot of the story.
Not to mention that I dont like how the secrets of each of main characters are being conceived in a very poor way even though they are clearly obvious, and could be doubted at first sight, yet this never happens.
The only good thing about the anime is that its wholesome, but I dont watch animes for the wholesomeness of it, hence I did not like spy x family like the rest did.

THIS REVIEW WAS OUR MIXED RECEPTIONS AND CO-WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER, MY FRIENDS WHO LOVE ACTION SPY COMEDY SHOWS/MOVIES AND ANTICIPATED THIS, AND BY YOURS TRULY

*contains some meaty spoilers from the anime and hints from the manga/for the second part*

“Don’t let the hype ruin you.”

Well, it did.

But it doesn’t mean it’s bad. At least, I have proven myself right that this show isn’t a masterpiece or a masterclass of media after all. I still don’t get the hype that revolves around this show, and I’m kind of sad that the word, “masterpiece” is being beaten up to death. People are just easily pleased these days ... and I don’t know what the heck are the reasons why. What does it take to be a show a “masterpiece”? Great story, great characters, great production design, a great message from the author to the audience, and the overall wow factor from the audience, who are enjoying it. It can’t be flawless, but it’s something “perfect”. But all of that is subjective. Does this show meet the corresponding criteria? Let’s see…

I have an example scenario:
My friend told me about this famous restaurant that’s trending for most people. I went there to check it out.
Me: Waiter, what’s your best-selling dish?
Waiter: Tomato Pasta.
Me: Is this Tomato Pasta popular in this restaurant?
Waiter: Yes.

I ordered that pasta and went for a taste. The taste was just the same and I noticed it was nothing special. My friend asked me how’s the taste of that pasta from that restaurant. I wanted to be honest but I ended up saying, “It’s great…”. I don’t want to admit it was bad. In the end, it’s the same Tomato Pasta all over again, and to be honest, my cooking is better than the restaurant.

What’s the lesson from this scenario? There are three things but the last one is at the end of the review:

- Just because it’s new and popular, doesn’t mean it’s good. (It applies to other new and popular animes)

- Mainstream fans don’t want to admit the obvious faults or flaws of a certain show because it’s “enjoyable”.

When this show got an anime adaptation, I remember how I used to made a research about this. I went to many forums on the internet, and I was surprised that many manga fans were hyped about this. They said this is a great action, great characters, a great story, and a refreshing action show because it’s a spy story. They even called it the anime version of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. I love Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and action spy stories because they made up my childhood even now. Especially it’s an action-spy comedy show, and I’m a massive fan of it. Even bounty hunter stories, police buddy-cop action-comedy like White Chicks and Central Intelligence, thrilling spy-agent stories like Die Hard and Mission Impossible, and criminal heists action stories like Fast and Furious.

I went up and read the manga, and I remember the first impression of my older brother while reading. Same as for me and my friends who read the manga. All of us were watching the anime adaptation every weekend. Yes, we were somewhat enjoying it. But at the same time, we found ourselves scratching our heads and asking, “when does it get good?” I saw several manga readers set the bar high for the anime-onlies that this is a “masterpiece” of an action. But in the end, I think the fans deserve a “HYPE BACKLASH”.

[Spy x Fam Narrator Voice:]
[Hype Backlash. According to the internet, your friends have been bugging you to watch the latest TV show that everyone's talking about. Every newspaper raves about its originality, well-deserved popularity, and effective mix of comedy and drama, on the front page of the Entertainment section. Critics are rushing to hail it as the re-definition of its genre. After the thirtieth or so "Just watch it already, geez!" and maybe a Hype Aversion stage, you finally give in; you rent the show's first season on DVD, pop it in your player, and lay back to enjoy the latest masterpiece...

...Except you come away with a very different opinion than your friends; to you, it's at best a mediocre show with average plots and few laughs or an utterly confusing one with more than enough twists to boggle the mind, a show that isn't the seminal classic everyone's touting it as.]

Thank you for that! Now, where were we..?

Spy x Family is an action… Wait, I made a mistake there so let me fix it.

*scribble* *scribble*

Spy x Family is a situational comedy or sitcom, slice of life, drama show that both manga and anime onlies widely anticipated. They said it’s a great and refreshing “action” because it’s rare for action animes to get a spy theme. Fans were cried out of happiness because they wanted an anime adaptation of the “perfect manga” for a long time, and their wish granted. They said it lives up to the hype and called it a “masterclass and masterpiece” of modern shounen. Wait, the question is, is it true? I guess? However, I found some problems or flaws that I found the show, not incredibly great.

So the story is about the main character, Anya— Wait, I made a mistake again so let me just fix it…

*scribble* *scribble*

So the story is about the main character, Twilight. It’s just his codename. He’s a spy from the west and his mission was to create a family to infiltrate an elegant academy. Because there’s this Desmond guy who wanted to start a war between the east and the west camp. But the twisted part was his daughter was a telepath, and his wife a contract killer or assassin. The three of them were from different backgrounds and throughout the story, they somewhat forge a bond to become a family, even though it’s a façade.

The premise is quite interesting and intriguing, not gonna lie about that. But throughout, the story and narrative fell flat from a potential masterpiece to a decent/average show. That’s problem #1. I remember the manga was promoted as an “action-packed” story. But, the author didn’t intend this show as an action spy story. Instead of getting a Mr. and Mrs. Smith kind of a story, I got a family sitcom show The Simpsons. Most of the parts were like episodic fillers or slice-of-life sitcom moments from the fake Forger family than focusing on the Operation Strix mission. It’s more like, OPERATION STRIPPED. I mean, the story should focus on Operation Strix, since it’s the premise of the show. The exploration of characters is also a great thing, but again, Operation Strix is the main concept of the show. I noticed that most of the scenes were focused on Anya inside the school. The author should’ve named it, “The Daily Life of Anya” or whatever. Now don’t give me that shit when you say “This show focus only on the wholesomeness of the Forger family”, because if that’s so, the show should be intended as a gag show in the first place. Now back on the reason why she seemed the primary main character of the show and the supposedly main characters are getting sidetracked. Even in the manga, it’s not focused. It’s full of fillers or side quests that aren’t related to the main mission and to the point that it went nowhere. It kinda remembers me of what happened in Black Lagoon. I don’t mind the comedy aspects, since comedy makes the action more entertaining. Even the moments of them being a fake family. But the author somewhat forgot that his work is supposed to be an action spy. The action spy story lacked the depth that would make the show more thrilling and exciting. I failed to see this show as an action, it was somewhat a gag sitcom show. If I will compare this show to a similar anime, it would be Angel Beats! or Gintama. Yes, Gintama is an action and I’ll consider it to be great for what it had because the gorilla intended his work to be a gag show from the start. In Angel Beats!, they had the same formula but the difference was the show lacked some exploration of the characters, and the “action” element in Spy x Fam’s case.

Problem #2 are plot inconsistencies, and lacking a common concept of realism and basic knowledge. You see, one of the objectives in Operation Strix was either to get Anya into some superclass section or to be friends with the son of Desmond guy. But rather than focusing on that objective, why don’t just Twilight infiltrate the school or the enemy instead? He can disguise himself as one of Desmond’s henchmen or whatever and he’s a “spy”, right? I bet he’s professionally trained for that, and a spy is like a ninja. He should know that his time for the mission is running out and Desmond’s plan can be carried out anytime he likes. He’s so-called the master of disguise and he completed any missions, even if it’s light or difficult.

The second one is the setting. The story was set in a European setting. I’m not being racist or sexist, but to be honest, how the heck there are no black European people there? I don’t understand the reason why but it’s like in a setting, only guys are there but no women. I don’t know if I’m going to believe this kind of concept, but this was kind of ridonkeylous (eh, it’s just a minor issue so let’s move on).

The third one is about Anya. How the heck a 6-year-old child, can act, do, and think like an adult, with a professional status? Yes, she’s an esper, she can read minds but does she know what the heck is the meaning of those thoughts she reads? She’s a child in the first place, but how she can help her parents in their missions perfectly? It’s freaking ridiculous somewhat, no offense.

The fourth one is about Yor. In episode 2, before Twilight’s engagement, they were somewhat attacked by some gangsters because of the treasure. I seriously couldn’t believe that Yor didn’t know that they were attacked by some gangster who fired some guns at them. She received a hand grenade pin as a ring on their engagement, and she somewhat didn’t notice that it was a hand grenade pin. Yes, she’s dumb. But come on, she’s a contract killer, right? I’m sure she encountered and fought many co-assassins and gangsters who carried guns and explosives. I’m sure she had seen a gun or an explosive and how it works, right? And where does she see a psychiatrist that is being chased and shooting guns? Dumb, right?

The fifth one is this, in episode 5 when Yor confronts Loid in a battle. How the fuck didn’t he notice when Yor was great in fistfights? She wounded his face with she kicked him and he didn’t feel her dark aura at all? Are you sure he’s a spy? I’m sure a spy is intelligent.

The sixth one is when Yor’s brother, Yuri visited their home. Remember the part when he asked why Yor didn’t say to his baby brother that she’s already married? And Yor said while smiling, “I forgot!”. And then he asked again, and then she said, “I forgot!”. And then he accepted it. What the fuck? It’s a lame excuse that Yor just forgot to tell Yuri that she’s married. And the funny part is, they were married for already a year! Did Yuri forget that he’s police from a secret organization? I doubt he knows what’s the difference between an excuse and a truth. I almost forgot, do you remember the part when Yuri told about his childhood with his sister? When he was a child, he saw Yor when she came home, drenched in blood. I repeat, drenched in blood. Yes, he was a child, but didn’t he think about it when he became the police? I don’t get it. Police that acting so tough in front of other people or criminals, but an idiot. Even I will freak out if I see my older sister that her clothes drenched in blood. Much of course, I would be so worried. Well, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from a tree.

There were many ridonkeylous moments I’ve seen from the manga that I want to mention, but it’s the first part of the show so I’m not giving any spoilers.

Even with those ridonkeylous moments I’ve mentioned so far, there were many decent scenes from the show. There were moments and cheesy dialogues that were easily predictable, and somewhat felt a bit cringing. I mean, if you want to shut your brains off while watching this, it could be this so-called, “wholesome” for you. But for us, was pretty… okay, I guess. Heck, I don’t know what’s the meaning of wholesome anymore. It’s beaten up to death. As for the comedy… I hate to say it but it’s very plain average, and it’s quite repetitive so far. It was 95% more predictable than I expected. Not gonna lie, the jokes from the anime were trying hard from the manga. In other words, the jokes from the manga were pretty much better. I’ve seen many comedies shows that were pure masterclass of comedy telling. The comedy factor of Gintama, Grand Blue, Baka to Test, School Rumble, etc., and even the second season of Komi-san’s comedy made me impressed so far. I know comedy shows can be a “masterpiece”, but this show ain’t going to surpass that, even by comedy standards. If you lived inside a rock and you’re new to comedy, you might find it a “masterpiece”. It can be hit or missed for some people, but generally, it’s still average. But not that garbage or trying hard either. I think Anya was somewhat “carried” the whole show in terms of comedy. The author made her a comic relief but it could be better if all the characters share the same screentime of comedy.

“But Anya is so cute and it’s loved by many so why you didn’t just enjoy it?”

So what if Anya is cute? Haven’t you seen any cute characters or kids from other animes in your entire life? Haven’t you seen any more entertaining shows than this? Again, only those who lived under a rock or first-timers will only enjoy this. And almost forgot, she kinda annoyed me to the highest level. She acts like a spoiled brat from the rest of the show (even in future stories).

And there’s this Desmond kid. His character became one of those male tsundere when he’s in denial mode to his relationship with Anya. Not gonna lie, that part became one of those cliched and cringe moments in my whole years of watching. I don’t know why the fuck they did that, but still, no friendship had been developed between them in the story.

The close relationship part of Yor and Loid was pretty fine, as they were gradually close to each other from strangers from different backgrounds. I predicted what would happen if the moment comes when they found each other’s hidden status and agendas. But I’m sure it will happen in the manga. The characters were pretty good though but it needs more depth and development, as well as the story.
The production quality was decent. I didn’t notice the signature artwork of both Wit and Cloverworks. They were doing great in adapting the manga. But I think it could be better if only Wit adapted it. Because most of the animation sequences looked like from Cloverworks. The detail and style of every panel were quite lacking, but the character designs were good. It’s not very detailed, but it’s decent enough for the show.

The sound is very decent enough. It reminds me of Cowboy Bebop and Black Lagoon. The OP and ED were pretty decent enough, but it’s somewhat forgettable. The seiyuu performances were really good, especially of Saori Hayami and Takuya Eguchi. They made me every weekend great because they reminded me how they used to work in Oregairu, as Hachiman and Yukinoshita. Although, I found the performance of Anya very annoying. She’s not that kind of annoying from the manga but it could be better.

Overall, we enjoyed it, despite those problems we’ve said. But it seems we will not be considered it as one of the best action anime, because of the misconception that this is an action spy comedy show. This is one of the poorly representations of the action genre. The hype from the manga fans made us feel some massive disappointments from this show, but it’s not bad either. It had some ups and many downs. In other words, the story is still lacking and it’s one of those not-so-solid shows. If you come to this show and expect this a great action spy, then please don’t watch this if you don’t want to get disappointed. This show is another type of those show that might you want to rely on for your enjoyment. Don’t let yourself be swept by these hype-tards and watch it from your judgment. This show overall is pretty decent. Not a garbage, special, or masterpiece. But sadly, to say, it could be better.

I have five words to say before ending this review, as my 3rd thing that I learned and advice for the potential viewers there;

DON’T. RIDE. THE. FUCKING. HYPE.

Thank you for reading and see you see at my next review.

Story: 5/10
Animation: 8/10
Characters: 5/10
Sound: 7/10
Entertainment factor (Action: 2/5, Comedy: 2/5): 4/10
Enjoyment: 6/10
Score: 6/10

After watching the first two episodes I was really hyped like most of the people but sadly this anime is pretty disappointing.

The problem is the execution of the anime. It could be funny but it's not. I can't decide whether the problem is the director or something else. You can guess what will happen in most of the scenes and wait for it with a smile but when you see the scenes you waited for your smiles will fade out.

The characters are likable if you don't listen to them. It feels like they are written by a few different people, especially Yor. So it's pretty ... awkward to watch them.

The concept of the story is good, the animation is good, voice actors are good as well. I don't remember any music but it didn't bother me so I can say it's decent.

Spy x Family is a show that doesn't fully live up to it's concept.

While it's one of the few shows to combine the worlds of spies, assassins and espers into one, it then fails to realize the potential of this mix-up and proceeds to be a mediocre romcom instead. While it sells the show on this concept of 3 different exceptional people forming a family, you end up not seeing much other spies, assassins or espers, and instead watch the relationships of those 3 characters grow. The main plot seems secondary to the relationships, and the humor is few and cute rather than really funny. ...

The show focuses more on the traditional japanese family lifestyle rather than the supposed cold war era spy world that is the setting. Complete with pressure on Anya to be accepted and perform in a prestigious school, Yor being a good housewife, and Loid learning to trust and care for his family, this is in fact nothing but the life of a mundane Japanese family, with exceptional abilities and an exceptional setting put on top of it.

The dialog, artstyle and production arent that bad, but the show honestly becomes tedious, especially in the moments that focus more on family building, which is most of the show.

Imagine how cool this show could have been, the family defending itself from a conspiracy of spies, assassins and espers, being besieged from all sides from different shadowy organizations... Instead, we get a sentimental romcom that approaches more the melodrama than the really clever. There could still have been plenty of emotional and family building around this, the family could have "kept together against all odds and shadowy organization hellbent on destroying them" but no, instead we get 3 awkward people struggling to make it in society, with a sprinkle of spy backstory here and there.

Weird but good but also boring


So the first episode was amazing and i loved it, fell off right after tho .
I don't like Anya, shes really weird and i dont find the appeal.
Loyyd tall handsome strong men, not really that unique of a char to me just kinda meh.
Yor hot but god domn the fuckin 'i love blood', 'how should i kill you' edgy af and gets old after the first time she said it.
I like the manga more the anime draws thing out to much.
Gave it an eight to high but prob will give it a 7 or so later when hype dies ... down.


Mister WD out

At the start of every broadcast season, the anime community, based on little information, assigns certain shows to the must-watch trophy shelf and others to the guilty pleasure dumpster. This spring, the stylish and beautifully animated comedy 'Spy x Family' claimed a spot on the trophy shelf, understandably enough. The show is not at all bad; in fact, it's quite watchable. It's just not as interesting as it looks: style over substance.

The premise and the plot are complicated, but the core dynamic is this: the husband is basically serious, and his wife and daughter are silly; thus, the serious character is forced to deal with ... the others' silliness. It's a solid foundation for comedy, but I don't think the writers built all that much on it, so viewers will enjoy or endure multiple scenes, even episodes, of essentially surface-level fun: cute, silly, mildly amusing filler.

The wife, Yor, the world's dorkiest assassin, is delightful, but the show can't wait to write her out of an episode and give more screen time to a small child. Unfortunately, children make questionable protagonists: they lack maturity and therefore depth, making them, again, merely cute and silly. More Yor, please.

It's as if every element of the show, from the stylish look of the characters to the simple structure of the jokes, was designed to be modular fun: you can take it out of context, chop it into short clips, and get a similarly enjoyable experience. On the other hand, this implies that the context, i.e., the plot, isn't adding much. As a result, even touching scenes feel like short, high-quality clips sandwiched by cute-and-silly.

'Spy x Family' is certainly fun. I'd probably watch another season. I just think it needs to be less pleased with itself and add more depth. Look, we get it: you're cute and silly. But we can't eat cotton candy for dinner.

1st review ever on MAL because I had make this review, after finishing the show which based on the reviews and ratings,I was thinking of it as a new nice show.And I actually have to type 500 ma gad...

Right now this show has an 8.7 rating. OMEGAXD. This is not even a 7 rating show.... I don't know what is going on in people's minds. The show has some nice artwork, nice animation, an irrelevant soundtrack, an ok story, ok characters - funny ones,a little girl which is cute and it's just a fine/pleasant thing to watch overall but not an almost 9 ... rating show..I mean WTF

Spy x Family, despite how it wants to appear with its Cold-War setting and its bad-ass characters, is a very average anime. WIT’s and CloverWorks’s experience is evident from the smooth animation, beautiful and well-researched art, and the appealing OP and soundtrack. As animation studios, they have done their job perfectly. However, the same could not be said about the manga, whose story-telling abilities display visible flaws that carry on to the anime.

First of all: Where did all the spy plots go? We are routinely shown who Loid Forger is, but we are rarely shown who Twilight is. We rarely see the “Best in the ... West” spy in action, most of the time, the spy plot is completely unrelated to the main one. For example, the heist in the second episode is barely connected to the plot; all it does is explain why Loid leaves and to introduce the ring into the fray. The “stealing the papers” reference is just as useless; once again, it doesn’t tell us anything about Twilight. WIth that said, the show still manages to do well sometimes. The first episode uses the kidnapping encounter to demonstrate Twilight’s thought process in action. And the last episode hits the mark directly, tying the spy mission to his family one. We know Spy x Family is fully capable of integrating our spy and our family worlds, but aside from the first and last episode, it chooses to focus solely on the family world. However, succeeding in creating family interactions that stand out is very hard in the anime genre. Yor’s character, while certainly not shallow, is still far from the best deuteragonists anime has to offer. Her background as an assassin is never explored in the show. Anya is quite well-developed, but the school setting the story places her often confines her character to dealing with well-explored tropes. And Loid and Yor’s (and Anya’s) progress on trusting each other more has progressed slower than how the East German economy did in the 1980s.

Spy x Family is also not very funny. Anya’s telepathy is confined to reacting: she reads the minds of one of her parents, is shocked by their thoughts, and maybe says a line or two. But her role is all but passive. What if there was a whole episode where she, trying to please one of her parents after mind-reading what they want, goes out on an adventure and gets mixed up in a secret police plot without the help of her parents? That would be entertaining, and it would also tell us much more about Anya and her powers than the current story does. But no, all we get are student scenes, which have been explored so thoroughly in anime that every comedic interaction is practically a trope in and of itself (And don’t get me started on the headmaster, who uses the word “elegant” like how a newfound critic uses the word “pretentious”: all the goddamn time). Aside from Anya and school, there is practically no comedy to be found, except for the story with Yor’s brother, which I still found quite entertaining despite being predictable.

The genre of Cold War-era spy films is extensive, and it has plenty of tropes that are novel to anime. But Spy x Family never reaches out to use them, instead sticking to the tropes it knows well. Spy x Family seems different with its Cold War-vibe, and that may be slightly true, but it is largely just another family + school anime. If you’re looking for a family/SoL anime with a different setting, I would recommend Spy x Family. But if you’re looking for a unique spy anime, I would still recommend it, but you might not be getting what you’re hoping for.

This is a review of the entire first season, so episodes one through twenty-five. I will not include any spoilers in this, as it's meant to be a resource for those debating whether they wish to partake or not. If you've already seen the series, or don't care about spoilers, then go ahead and check out my blog post on this subject. That goes into much more specific detail than this review will.

Here is the ultimate verdict: Spy x Family is... fine, I guess. Almost annoyingly so, even.

Now, don't get me wrong, here. This is definitely a series with a lot of promise! It has ... many fun characters, an interesting concept, great music, good voice acting and art direction, and a good sense of humor overall. That's what makes the final product so frustrating. I think it could, and in fact SHOULD, be much better than it is. Personally, I find that the single greatest sin a piece of media can commit is wasting its potential. Spy x Family could've been great. It is not. Let's talk about it.

Again, I won't be going into too much detail here. Someone's enjoyment of this property is going to depend on what, exactly, they're looking for when watching something. If you're just looking for something fun and nice to look at, this is a great series. If you're looking for something more--i.e. compelling character dynamics / drama, a believable romance, or an interesting plot--then maybe this isn't for you. It's a cute series with fun characters. It doesn't do much more than that, though, which is odd and kind of frustrating.

As a narrative, it is unfocused. It tries to do a lot all at once, tries to fit itself into many genres, and ends up only skimming the surface of its many labels because of that. It stretches itself too thin, and in doing so, it disallows the characters or the audience any real emotional investment.

That being said, some of the characters are truly delightful and a blast to watch. If you go into the series without expecting anything too complicated or interesting, you could have a great time!

Fair warning, though: the first half is decidedly better than the second half. The last third or so is a little boring, honestly, but the last two episodes are really good.

So, then, this begs the question: should you watch it? As stated previously, that's going to depend entirely on what you look for in a series like this. If you just want a way to pass the time with fun characters, go for it! If you need something more substantial, then maybe choose something else.

Spy x Family is fine so far.

As someone who's read the manga, it's the type of show that's practically impossible to screw up unless the mangaka does something drastic like add in an out of nowhere plot twist that's so absurd and makes no sense to the flow of the narrative.

The jokes can be hit or miss for some, but I don't view this as a comedy, more so a wholesome slice of life. And it plays it safe for the most part. There are a lot of visual flairs here and there and the animation really does elevate it above most other ... shows of the same genre.

Loid is a suave, calculating individual kind of reminiscent of James Bond, Yor is an oblivious idiot who is just too obsessed with killing and bloodshed to even notice that the man she just married is a super spy, and Anya carries the whole show. Might as well just call this The Anya Show because she's the reason everyone is so hyped up about it. Without her numerous over-the-top facial expressions and her ability to read minds serving as the crutch of the show's comedy, it wouldn't be as successful.

To put it in shorter terms, Spy x Family never feels like it's about to crash and burn under its own ambition, but it also never strives for anything more. It's fine, fun popcorn entertainment for the whole family and for worn-out adults who've been beaten down by capitalism and the workforce in general. Anya's existence and the overall impressive animation work definitely push it to a level above average.

This is one of the most overhyped animes ever. You would think it's a masterpiece, considering how popular it got and how much it has been praised. It's crazy how many people deceived themselves into thinking this anime is good and also tried to deceive others. You could see this everywhere while this show was airing, from Anya memes to girls cosplaying Yoru, it seemed like everywhere people were trying to push it like something great. Personally, I didn't have high expectations about this anime, even with so much hype, since people like to hype so much bad animes, but I didn't think it would ... be this boring.

The story is about a spy Roido who attempts to have a fake family to complete his mission. It just so happens that his fake wife and daughter are an assassin and an esper, respectively. The premise is interesting and could make for a good story, but it doesn't go far since the show is completely focused on the comedy, so it's impossible to take it seriously and care about the plot. That is made pretty clear by the anime from the beginning with absurd scenes such as a character arriving at a party covered in blood and just giving a lame excuse, without it being suspicious. So, knowing the story is not important since its a comedy, like many fans will say, when you try to criticize anything in this anime, we have another problem; it's not even funny. The comedy here is as bad as in a generic harem anime that you may find out there, but since this anime is so wholesome and doesn't have much fanservice, I guess it gets a free pass. Things like an insane oldman who has an obsession with the word "elegant" and using it to describe everything, a character saying they forgot to tell their family about their marriage for 1 year, this is the kind of comedy this show is able to come up with. And of course, Anya's reactions, like her shocked and smug faces, probably the most remarkable part of the anime. Another reason why the comical aspect is not great is because it relies too much on constrast, like Roido being a spy and serious guy while having to participate in childish antics with anya, or Yoru being a ruthless assassin while also being a lovable mother and an airhead. These disparities were funny and cute in the beginning, but it gets old quickly and makes the anime too predictable. You know Roido will do something stupid and careless when he is with Anya, despite being a perfect spy; Yoru will become violent and beat anyone to protect Anya, despite being shy; and Anya will do something to help using her powers, despite being just a clueless child. Those kind of scenes keep happening in different ways throughout the anime and you can see it coming from miles away, it's too obvious. One thing you could argue as a good point is the wholesomeness, since the characters strive to have a happy family despite the circumstances, but the problem is the characters are one-dimensional, so it's hard to care about that. And the scenes when it tries to get emotional feel out of place with so many absurdities happening all the time.

All the characters are flat. Anya is a weird kid, she is there to make weird faces and cute reactions, it's good for the memes, I guess, and a lot of people seem to be fond of her, but it was just annoying for me. Yoru is somehow even stupider than Anya and completely oblivious, that's her main trait. Also, she feels like a side character more than a protagonist, even though she appears a lot, since she is so shallow. Her backstory is unclear, even though it's inferred that she started to kill to get money and help her brother, we don't know how she feels about it or why she keeps doing it. Roido is the only good character, he is reasonable, cool and has a backstory, so we can empathize with him to some extent, but he also lacks depth like the others. If the main characters are flat, then there isn't need to mention the side characters, they are even worse.

The art was fine, above average but nothing impressive, and the animation looked good in a few action scenes. The opening song is pretty good, but aside from that the OST was forgettable, nothing that will make me get out of my way to listen again. About the sound, the best thing for me was Eguchi voicing Roido, a great performance like always, and he really tried to carry the show there.

I have reached the conclusion that this anime is overrated. Watch it if you want to know what people are talking about when they mention it, since it's so popular. For personal enjoyment, I don't recommend it.

Spy Family took the fandom by storm when it aired, giving the audience a wholesome series with cute moments with a cute character and her family, and all things considered, Spy Family Part 1 was a success and great introduction to the series. However, by the end of the season, it left me wondering what the show wants to be, a slice of life, episode to episode show, or a story driven show. With no seam to the last episode to bridge off of, it was clear, this series was just going to be a slow burn run of the mill slice of ... life. Not to say that this can't work, but the show has an identity crisis to say the least. The spy stuff is rather silly, and, in the end, I was watching to see the family itself, and their personal relationships to each other, and couldn't care less about the plot that is half baked into the show. The show gets a lot of praise but is overrated honestly. It's not anime of the year like some believe, and it's not an 8.7/10. It's a 7-8 out of 10 at best, and not even close to in the running for anime of the year.

Animation 7/10
- Pretty average animation, except for Yor's scenes, that's when the animation pops off a bit. Boring looking characters doesn't help. Yor and Anya are designed well with some funny instances.
Sound 7/10
- Loid is a boring character and thus his VA is boring to listen to. Anya and Yor are great. OP/ED aren't my cup of tea.
Story 7/10
- It starts off alright, developing a family to spy for the good of the nations, and Anya getting her stars was a nice venture, but the spy plot gets lost to the slice of life feel. It works to a certain degree.
Characters 7/10
- Anya and Yor are great characters, Loid isn't. The spy aspect of the series just feels out of place for having 2 stellar characters who I rather watch than any of the spy stuff.
Enjoyment 7/10
- I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. It is mid in my observation.

I don't feel this series is catering to my tastes, it has some charm that can be worth watching for sure. However, I think most people can skip this, and you wouldn't be missing out on a top 200 anime. This appeals to manga readers, since that's how this series garnered so much attention to begin with. If you are an anime-only though, I don't think the praises of this show will be shared by those viewers generally.

Spy x Family is a curious one. Despite its positive reception by viewers worldwide, everything about it screams average.

- The action is ok
- The comedy is ok
- The characters are likeable but I wouldn't put them on my favourites
- Animation is pretty good at times but overall just ok too

Let's be honest, nobody really cares about the main plot to do with one of the main characters named Loid who is undercover agent attempting to gather intel on this current politician in order to maintain peace in the world. That was a very crap summary I know, apologies, my therapist recently told ... me my social anxiety arouses from overexplaining myself so I try to cut down on everything, including my diet.

I'd say the main appeal of this anime is the adorable Anya who I'm convinced has another power beyond her telepathy and that is hypnosis. If you've been following this anime weekly like I have, you would know how it has been impossible to escape communities online sharing all her cute moments from every episode. The other main attraction of this show is Yor is who plays the the role of the mother in this pretend family. Most of the crazy action scenes feature this assassin in disguise slapping up suspect middle aged dudes laying hands on Anya. If you asked her about her body count, she would misinterpret it for how many men she obliterated.

Oh wait did I mention all three characters are pretending to be a family in order to infiltrate this school for posh kids because that's where the corrupt politician's son goes to and one way for Loid to meet the politician is to have Anya invited to his house by the son? Damn, I ended up overexplaining myself again. Anyway, this moves us on nicely into the school setting which is definitely the biggest part of this anime. The interactions between characters are quite dynamic here as we have the son of the corrupt politician, who I call douchebag A and his two buddies douchebags B and C. They may be douchebags but they are quite funny. The difference in status between Anya and these elite douchebags is as noticeable Kim Kardashian's latest plastic surgery but I digress. If the posh nature of this school was not apparent enough from the students, don't worry there is a teacher whose dialogue mainly consists of the word "elegant" when reacting to every fart, sneeze and toilet break taken by a student. That pretty much sums the the cast of characters. There is this possessive and murderous brother I skipped. I'm afraid I'll up writing another wall of text going off on a tangent so you'll have to forgive me.

The story is pretty much episodic even though there is an overarching plot with undercover spy work going on. The finale was slightly disappointing as it did not feel like a conclusion. This is party down to this being a split season. So if you plan on watching Spy x Family I would recommend watching part 2 of this season whenever it's out for the complete experience. If you're too edgy for something light-hearted then I suggest skipping this because hating on Anya is a criminal offence.

Great premise, interesting story, engaging characters... but boring.

Spy X Family hops on the 'kawaii protecc' bandwagon that's all the hype these days, with a small girl as main heroine that occasionally makes funny faces.
The 'father' and 'mother' are both interesting characters in their own right, albeit a bit cliché at this point. You can forgive them for it though, as they're executed very skillfully.

The issue however is the story. The whole gimmick of the girl being able to read minds is quickly pushed to the background and becomes a rather dull occasionally used trope to make Anya (the heroine) attempt to help ... her father or mother.
Don't get me wrong though, the actual story plot is great and interesting.. it's just that the execution of it feels bland to me. There's no character arc or progression or growth whatsoever.
This show is a 'slice of life' first and foremost, and it shows.
If you enjoy a nice slice of life show that has a very interesting setting and characters and a potentially good story, then this is definitely worth a watch.
If however 'slice of life' makes you cringe internally, then give this one a skip.


All in all, 6/10. 'mid plus'.
As a slice of life it's a 7, but I have to give it a 6 because I was expecting/hoping for more.
The potential was there.. but alas, you can't please everybody.

(This review covers parts one and two, mainly in light of the fact that another season and a movie are coming next year, and because I feel like talking about them individually would be tedious and redundant)

As of this writing, Spy x Family has become one of the most popular anime and manga to ever leap onto the scene in the late 2010s-early 2020s. I don't remember how I first heard about it, but I did read a couple chapters of the manga online, but didn't continue it due to other obligations...and because those chapters ran kinda long, though I do plan on rectifying that. ... I do remember thinking the premise sounded interesting, and when the anime was announced, I thought it'd be nice to watch it. It seemed like a fun little show, and sure enough, while not without some hiccups, Spy x Family is a nice little piece of popcorn entertainment that lovingly wears its James Bond inspirations on its sleeve.

But what's the story, you ask? The countries of Westalis and Ostania are locked in a cold war rife with espionage and assassination. After flawlessly completing yet another mission, Westalis's top agent, the master spy known only as Twilight, has been tasked with investigating the activities of Donovan Desmond, leader of Ostania's far-right National Unity Party. The problem? Desmond is a social hermit and only ever makes public appearances at his sons' school functions. Thus Twilight has been ordered to get close to Desmond...by getting married and having a child within a seven-day deadline. Assuming the identity of psychiatrist Loid Forger, Twilight adopts an orphan girl named Anya and marries Yor Briar, an Ostanian civil servant who needs a husband to avoid drawing attention in the heavily suspicious Ostanian society, to play the part of his daughter and wife. Making things more complicated, however, is that Anya and Yor are keeping secrets of their own: Anya escaped from a lab that gave her telepathic powers and Yor is an infamous assassin code named Thorn Princess. Thus begins Loid, Anya, and Yor's attempts to pretend to be the best family they can, all while hiding their secret identities from the others...and trying to ignore the growing signs that they're not just pretending.

Okay, before I get into the nitty-gritty, there's one little thing about Twilight that annoys the piss out of me: Why the hell is his pseudonym spelled as Loid? Wouldn't it look better if it was spelled as Lloyd instead? I know this is a weird thing to get bristly about, but every time I see the name Loid, my brain makes me think of a certain offensive, ableist slur used to refer to people with Down Syndrome. But that's the spelling the manga and the anime went with, with a screenshot in the latter even flat-out showing the spelling on screen, so I might as well just roll with it. Anyway, as far as animation goes, Spy x Family gets the job done. It's not as flashy and dynamic as something like Chainsaw Man or Attack on Titan, but it fits the aesthetic the show is going for, the character designs are faithful to those in the manga, the backgrounds are well made and nicely rendered, and while the animation isn't exactly the most consistent, impressive, or visually engaging all the time, the times it does are always put to good use, especially during the action scenes. Considering the anime was made in a joint venture between both CloverWorks and Wit Studio, I think this was a good choice on the part of whoever greenlit the anime. I do think the CGI passerbys in the background are pretty obvious and poorly rendered, clashing horribly with the 2D backgrounds.

The soundtrack is definitely Spy x Family's biggest highlight, as it lovingly and shamelessly embraces the show's James Bond and 80s spy movie influences, complete with loud saxophones, low basslines, brassy trumpets, heavy drum rolls, and everything in between. Though the soundtrack is actually much more versatile and has plenty of calmer, slower tunes—especially for classy, high end stuff like Headmaster Henderson's theme—to balance out the spy-influenced ones. I will admit, I like the first opening song better than the second one, mainly because the visuals do an amazing job at depicting several different animation styles at once and because the lyrics for said song fit the show better than the second one. I also prefer the second ending over the first one, not because the first one is bad or anything. Far from it. But I think the second ending song had better visuals, a catchier beat, and also fits the atmosphere of the show.

I'm rather mixed on the characters. The Forgers are a fun bunch, as are many of the side characters, several of whom are consistently over-the-top and pretty hilarious, even if they're not exactly the most three-dimensional. I especially appreciate the show's emphasis on the fact that Anya, while she can read minds, is still just a little kid who actually acts her age, barely understands half of what she hears, and can be a smug, mischievous little gremlin when she feels like it without going too overboard, which prevents her from falling into the stereotype of the super pwecious uwu kid who can do no wrong and whose only purpose is to be a saccharine moeblob. That or something like Frederica from 86 season 2. The rest of the cast...are just kind of there, serving their purpose and not doing much else. Buuuut there are two characters who, quite frankly, annoy the hell out of me and seriously bog down the series with their mere presence: Yuri Briar and Nightfall/Fiona Frost, mainly because these two are so freakishly, creepily obsessed with their targets of interest that it borders on unsettling, yet the show expects the audience to still find them funny, with Yuri being the biggest offender because he worships the ground his sister Yor walks on, to the point of hating everybody who doesn't do the same (Even Anya, a literal child, which is just petty to me) and his obsession with her borders dangerously close to incest territory. Like...was this even necessary? Granted, nothing comes of it in both the anime and the manga, but Yuri's whole schtick with Yor and hating everybody for not groveling before his sister is a dead horse of a trope that needs to die and just isn't funny at all. The same goes for Nightfall/Fiona, who is a competent spy like Twilight and is in love with him, but I just hate that the show decided to make her a petty bitch who hates Yor just because she's with Loid and absolutely refuses to take a fucking hint. Sorry, characters that are creepily and single-mindedly obsessed with a person and are needlessly cruel to others about it, often for unfounded reasons, don't really jive with me, especially if said behavior is either played for laughs or not called out for what it is. Granted, the series doesn't take Fiona's side, so kudos to it for that, but I can't stand even seeing Yuri and Fiona on screen for more than two seconds. I admit, I cheered when Yor slapped Yuri twice in the same episode. He honestly deserved it.

But annoying characters aren't the only problem Spy x Family has as a series. Now, Spy x Family makes no secret of the fact that it's meant to be one part action comedy with the occasional dark storyline, and one part wholesome family romp full of hijinks, which is fine. I certainly appreciate the show for doing that and not going for another "Spy retires and has a family but enemy kidnaps family and he has to go back to working as a spy to get them back" plotline, which has been done to death in many other movies. Since the main story is based on a long-term mission in-universe, it makes sense that progress is slow, but there are quite a few times when Spy x Family meanders and drags. Like, a lot. For people who came here looking for just spy action or commentary on the horrors of war, you're not gonna like the fact that a good chunk of this consists of wholesome family antics, spacing out the more action-y episodes. Granted, the fact that the show does have darker episodes to balance the lighter, happier ones keeps Spy x Family from bordering on being too bland or saccharine for its own good, but the series can be hit or miss with its episodes. I hated the segment about that George Glooman kid, because he was just annoying as shit, but I loved all the episodes involving Bond's introduction. Also, Damian's introduction when threatening Anya really broke my suspension of disbelief, because no kid I knew, know of, or grew up with has ever said things like "I'm going to bully you" out loud, and that's because most people don't see themselves as being bullies, nor do they just announce it like they're in a Saturday morning cartoon, and I say this as somebody who was bullied pretty often throughout my school years. Plus, the status quo doesn't change much over the course of 26 episodes, so if you're looking for progress that happens really fast, Spy x Family isn't the show for you. Though with the announcement of a second season and a movie with original content coming out, this might change.

Overall, Spy x Family is a nice little piece of popcorn entertainment that isn't necessarily breaking any new ground, but is still funny and a fun watch if you're looking to turn your brain off. And yes, I will be watching the second season and movie once they come out, along with reading the manga when I'm able.