Reviews

Persistent issues from the first cour constitute the majority of this part, completely losing grip on the plot and sacrificing the middling comedic value for establishing familial stability. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with building bonds (no pun intended), as each family member needs to maintain their position while withholding secrets, but the show’s approach ends up too stagnating and redundant for its own good. I can get behind the episodic nature, which is more prominent in this part compared to the last, insofar as it’s applied coherently to progress the story, which, unfortunately, isn’t the case here. We observed the self-containment being used as an asset in the previous part, and though I wasn’t a fan of it personally, it was fairly innocuous considering the general direction and introductory segments. However, the degree of comfort in that structure seems to have skyrocketed in part 2, with most of the episodes lacking a definite target and consequently appearing dissociated from the ultimate objective. I wouldn’t be as critical if the central focus was supposed to be on the mundane, daily routine, but the problem poses itself when there’s an insufficient balance between the spy and the family aspects.

It’s important to note that the show is indeed trying, evident from the Bond and Nightfall arcs, but I’d refuse to call it remotely clever in its setups. The opening episodes implement Anya’s indiscipline as a contrivance, and the pairing of mind reading and precognition could’ve been way more intriguing if they were expanded upon. Opportunistic conveniences diminish the development scale of ideas, and the show often shifts its focus too quickly to satisfactorily explore possibilities. Bond’s backstory is a fill-in aimed to fabricate sympathy, which offers negligible value to the country’s political stance; it’s ludicrous how the depth of the relationship between the two nations still hasn’t been touched upon, especially considering the nature of the espionage background. The character takes a backseat following his addition to the family, occasionally popping up for some filler sub-stories. It isn’t until Nightfall’s introduction that everyone appears cohesively involved for the first time, as it jeopardizes the family’s integrity, demanding immediate rectification and reconstruction.

The tennis matches, in particular, are some of the least enthralling games I’ve watched, but I’m willing to excuse that as they adequately achieve their purpose, and this isn’t supposed to be a sports anime. During one of the matches the show reaches its directorial zenith, though it’s tragically short-lived; there is a modicum of such instances where the direction picks up, but meandering seems like the priority for some inconceivable reason. I prefer Fiona’s dynamic with Loid, specifically as they work well together in the story’s advancement, but her addition is an obvious stepping stone for the hinted romantic development between Yor and Loid. Yor remains an underused character, and I’d like to gain more insight into her operations in the subsequent season, as less Anya antics would be a massive positive. The production seems pretty much identical to the last part, maybe even worse, as there’s insufficient movement here as well, and I didn’t notice much of the soundtrack this time around, but the opening and ending are a clear upgrade. Judging by the ultimate episode, it appears this might finally be heading toward a meaningful course, though I’ll keep my expectations low. So far, SPY x FAMILY is a plenitude of family and not nearly enough of spy.