After the sparkling My Dress Up Darling, which won us over last season (find our review here), we have a new winner for the anime media sensation of the moment. It is about SPY x FAMILYanimated adaptation of the manga of the same name born from the pen and mind of Tetsuya Endo and published from 2019 on Shonen Jump Plusdigital magazine owned by Shueisha. The manga is brought to Italy by Panini Comicsand its potential had not escaped us even then, having included it in the list of the best manga of 2020.
Fast forward two years, and on Crunchyroll comes an animated adaptation, produced by the couple CloverWorks And WITresponsible for the aforementioned My Dress Up Darling and the beloved (largely thanks to the graphic and technical sector) Ranking of Kings. The premises were good, but after the first four episodes we can say with certainty that we are facing one of the best souls of this 2022: let’s see why.
In an imaginary world openly inspired by the post-war Europe of the mid-twentieth century, in the middle of the Cold War, the two blocs represented by the Ostania And Westalis they made peace after a bloody conflict. Not everyone is happy with this peace: from the capital of Ostania, that is Berlint (you don’t need to explain the reference, do you?) the nationalist politician Donovan Desmond he would like to review an escalation of the conflict, sowing hatred directed at Westalis among the population of the Republic. To stop him, a very clever spy is sent: Twilight.
Twilight, master of espionage and disguise, has never failed a mission, but this time the matter is more complicated than expected: Desmond is practically a recluse, and never shows up in public, as well as being closely guarded and protected. The only chance of being able to meet him passes through his son, a student of the prestigious Eden College. An institution where only children can enter… as long as they come from a good family! Twilight must therefore, within just a week, recover a wife and daughter, obviously without revealing the purpose of this mission to them and training them to be able to enter the boarding school. and get close to Donovan Desmond’s son. Will he be able in such a short time to have a real family and to deceive even them, creating a fictitious but convincing life? And will he manage not to be hindered by feelings in such a delicate mission?
L’Operation Strix it is the engine that animates the story, and it is always in the background to remind Twilight what to do through secondary characters like Frankie and the Manager, but soon it goes “into the background”, with events focusing primarily on the nascent relationship between Loid Forgerfake name chosen by Twilight; Anya, the adopted daughter in a seedy orphanage, who has telepathic powers and therefore is well aware of the real Twilight mission; and finally Yor Briar, a contract killer who marries Loid in order to continue her work without suspicion. In short, a little bit of a Mr. and Mrs. Smith storywhich surely could have inspired the mangaka Tetsuya Endo at least for the drafting of the main concept.
This anime is available subtitled in Italian on Crunchyroll, the first international online platform completely dedicated to the world of Japanese animation, manga and drama. You can watch for free Crunchyroll on your PC, on your smartphone and on your console by signing up with a free account or by subscribing to a monthly subscription plan which will allow you to follow anime in simulcasting with Japan.
The first four episodes, already full of potential, mainly serve to introduce us to the characters and their motivations, without progressing much in the “main mission”, in Operation Strix. The premises are a bit misleading, for those who might have expected a series more action; although there are moments of tension and action, with the work of the spy and the hitman, in reality it is a series with decidedly more comic and wholesome colors, virtues perfectly embodied in the apex of this triangle of lies: Anya Forger, the lazy daughter, not at all polite and not interested in studying, and on whose shoulders the fate of the two countries and the fragile peace that binds them nevertheless seems to weigh. Every time Anya appears on screen she manages to make us laugh and warm our hearts at the same time, especially thanks to the masterful work done by the two animation studios in bringing the funny faces of this adorable pink gremlin back into the animated adaptation of Spy x Family.
In Spy x Family we follow the evolution of a “family” born by chance and necessity, seeing it slowly transform into a family without real blood ties but still close-knit and where each member really loves each other. Those who have already read the manga, currently in its eighth volume, already know how things will go, while for everyone else it will be a really pleasant surprise. The comedic tempos so far are spot on, and there is a good mix of light moments and moments of pathos. As for the technical side, there is not really a frame out of place, so far, starting with the opening and ending, Mixed Nuts from HIGEDandism And Comedy from Gen Hoshino. We have found that Spy x Family is already enjoying a resounding success by confirming itself as the flagship series of this season of Crunchyroll, even more of a “sacred monster” like the third season of Kaguya-sama: Love is Warinstead ended up a bit under the track (but which we will talk about shortly).
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