Spy X Family: Season 1/ Episode 1 “Mission 1: Operation Strix” [Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
With a nearly perfect balance of comedy, action, and emotional moments, Spy x Family is more than meets the eye.
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With a nearly perfect balance of comedy, action, and emotional moments, Spy x Family is more than meets the eye.
| Aired | 4/6/2022 |
| Network | Crunchyroll |
| Created or Developed By | Tatsuya Endo |
| Directed By | Kazuhiro Furuhashi |
| Written By | Tomomi Kawaguchi |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Animation, Non-English (Japanese), Family |
| Introduced This Episode | |
| Twilight | Takuya Eguchi |
| Anya | Atsumi Tanezaki |
Plot Overview
In the short amount of time Anya has been alive, she has escaped research facilities and has lived with at least 4 different families. Now, as for why she keeps becoming an orphan? It is because she can read minds. This talent, cultivated by some unnamed scientists, has been a gift and a curse. It has allowed Anya to manipulate the adults in her life, but it also is why she seemingly hasn’t been able to secure one who would stay with her and not abandon her.
But this time, she hopes things will be different. Twilight, a spy whose mission is to keep the peace between two countries, Ostania and Wastalis, needs to build a family. But, with him not having a family of his own growing up, paired with living life as a nomad, having Anya as a daughter is hard. Especially since, through reading his mind, she knows Twilight, going by Loid Forger, is a spy. Which, with one of Anya’s favorite shows being about spies, makes her want to do whatever it takes to make this family stick.
Things To Note
- There is a scene after the credits
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- How did Anya get her powers? Were her genes experimented with, or was she just born this way?
- What was the main reason Anya’s former presidents abandoned her or did she abandon them?
- Considering her young age, how much control does Anya have over her powers?
- Did Twilight’s parents, maybe entire family, die in the war?
- Are we going to meet the other 6 test subjects (Anya is Test subject 007)?
- Is Anya smart, or simply has gotten by reading the mind of the smartest person in the room?
What Could Happen Next
- More background on Anya and Loid’s upbringing
- Meeting the woman who will play momma and learning she too doesn’t know what it is like to be part of a family
Review
Highlights
Giving You The Holy Grail
It’s very hard to find genuinely funny, heartfelt shows that have quality action. Heck, just getting two of the three is hard to find, but all three? That seems absurd and makes me wonder if they can keep it up.
But, with both Anya and Loid being given sob stories, it is possible for them to keep up the heartfelt moments as Loid gives Anya what he never had, and he grows attached to her. Alongside that, with Anya wanting to be loved and have a childhood, seeing her do things like cuddle with Loid when he is asleep, try to make him breakfast, and stuff like that will be too sweet. But it is also going to be funny when she fails and reads Loid’s mind as he tries to hide how he feels.
Yet, to show this isn’t just a slice of life show, we also got the action that doesn’t have flinch-worthy scenes but watching Loid take out all those men was fun. It won’t put Spy x Family as my top anime with action elements, but I feel the fight scenes are better than expected, considering all it is trying to do.
On The Fence
Like Most Political Shows, The Politics Are Boring And Lackluster
For us, watching anything political not hosted by a comedian is difficult. In the few animated shows that have had politics, it is made harder since the politicians rarely, if ever, are the leads. At best, they are the catalyst for all that happens, but the politicians themselves are lifeless and an afterthought. Almost to the point of becoming liabilities, for you know, you should pay attention to what they say and do, but the process of that is like being coerced to eat your vegetables. You know, in the long run, it is good for you, but in the moment, it’s hard to not hem and haw through the process.
Initial Impression
If we just focus on Anya and Loid, this show is nearly perfect and could be within the top 10 of the season. However, because Loid is a spy for bland politicians, it makes me hope that beyond giving him missions every now and then, Loid doesn’t find himself involved in whatever they have going on. Especially since it is rare that political matters have ever benefitted any show that doesn’t make the politicians the star characters.
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- Plot and Dialog - /100
- Character Development and Performances - /100
- Visuals and Sound - /100
- Pacing - /100
- Value For Intended Audience - /100
