And no, it's not because the characters are relatable. There's absolutely no way...unless of course you happen to be a spy, an esper, an assassin, or have started a fake family for the sake of world peace. In which case yeah, I guess you could relate.
The setup of the anime is solid without being too detailed. Viewers learn that the state of this anime's world revolves around the incredibly strained relationships between two rivaling nations with heavy inspiration from East and West Germany during the Cold War Era and how our protagonist Loid Forger, a.k.a. Agent Twilight, a.k.a. best fake father and fake husband ever, is given a super special secret mission to get close to a leader of his opposing nation for the sake of striving for world peace. We're quickly given the scoop for what the anime is going to be about, and it's done well. I do wish there was a little more world building since aside from a few explanations of some jobs and roles that people have in this fictitious society, we don't get as much as I would like in terms of really fleshing out this world and making it feel like an immersive place that makes sense. But this isn't the primary focus of the anime and is still executed well enough, so this is mainly just me nitpicking a little.
What Spy X Family truly is is a character focused comedy. I really enjoy how unlike other stories that try to hide a character's true role and motivations to be revealed near the end as some sort of plot twist, we know absolutely everything about these characters from the get-go. Everything is revealed to the viewer, and that unique yet excellent approach in my mind is one reason why this anime truly stands out. Now if the core cast were normal people, then this wouldn't be a big deal.
But they are most certainly not normal.
I already mentioned how Loid is a spy. Well, his mission involves creating a family and having his child attend a prestigious school in order to get close to his target. And this is where the fun begins. He adopts a small girl named Anya...who can read everyone's mind...as his daughter and marries a bit of an airheaded woman named Yor...who assassinates people as a job. And where Spy X Family truly shines in my mind is in the bonds these three share. Each of them pose as a member of this family for their own secretive purposes, and it's just really engaging to see how they keep so much from each other while still slowly bonding and becoming a real family. Because damn, the author is excellent at depicting their relationships. So let's get into this trio!
Anya actually acts like a child unlike most anime kids I've seen, and she's incredibly endearing. The girl craves excitement, and since she's the only one who knows everything that's going on, she loves this seemingly normal yet secretly crazy environment. And I would like to take a moment to mention just how great of a character Anya is in general. Of course she has her legendary meme face, but she's just such a fun character in all of her entirety. She has so many great moments across all the episodes and just really shines like a Stella Star. I'd honestly say that she's the most entertaining anime girl that I've seen in a long time. I actively burst out laughing during several of her moments, which is pretty rare for me. Anya truly is best daughter!
Of course there's also Yor, who is quite enjoyable in her own right. She's probably the most adorable house wife ever while also being a cold killer on her spare time. Huh, what a combo. She's pretty much the definition of both ditzy and deadly, and she combines her two sides in a crazy yet engaging way. Plus her bond with both Loid and Anya is incredibly cute. There are many adorable moments shared within this fake family. And while Loid himself is incredibly stoic and entirely focused on his mission, I really like how he connects with these two and acts as a straight man in many ridiculous scenarios. But he's not prone from doing ridiculous things himself. As the top spy in the world, I can assure you that Loid partakes in many over the top missions that put Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible to shame. Though each of their signature moves seems to be disguising as others so perfectly that they even take on their target's voice, so I guess they're both equally over the top. But it's certainly fun to watch.
Spy X Family is a bundle of entertainment. I focused entirely on the core cast in this review, but the supporting characters like Damian and Becky are all enjoyable as well and bring a little something to the table. Especially during the school scenes. Seriously, those have no business being as entertaining as they are. When reading the Manga, those are the moments that stood out to me the most, and I'm glad to see them excellently adapted here. The Anya vs Damian moments like the punch scene and the dodge ball game especially made me burst out laughing, they're just so well done. I really have to give the combined efforts of Wit Studio and Cloverworks massive props for making such a brilliantly designed show.
Comedy is subjective, so Spy X Family certainly isn't for everyone. But if it's incredibly high scores aren't an indicator, this is certainly one of the best comedies in anime, which can be attributed to the wonderful writing and masterfully set up characters. It has things that I'm sure mostly everyone could enjoy, so I'd wholeheartedly recommend this anime to pretty much anyone who enjoys comedy and likes over the top fun characters. Here's hoping for a sequel to continue Anya's quest at achieving world peace!...well, technically it's Loid's mission, but we all know that Anya is the true hero here.
