I’ve been stupidly excited about the manga series Spy x Family getting an anime adaptation since before they even announced it to be getting one. Created by Tatsuya Endo, this series first launched in March 2019 and has been running bi-weekly on the Shonen Jump+ app ever since. In the series, the primary story follows a spy codenamed Twilight who lives and works in a fictional European country that is locked in a cold war with its neighboring country.
A master of disguise, Twilight accomplishes all of his missions with ease — that is until his handlers give him a new mission that will test not only his skill, but also his patience. In order to stop the cold war from breaking out into actual conflict, Twilight must form a fake family (including a wife and child) and infiltrate the elite Eden Academy in order to gain the trust of a high-ranking political official and stop his war plans.
What Twilight doesn’t realize is that everyone has secrets, even the “family” that he’s found. Completely unknown to the secret agent is that his daughter, Anya, is actually a telepath. Also unknown to him is that his wife, Yor, is a deadly assassin. How will this paper-thin facade hold up with this much duplicity taking place under one roof?
The anime adaptation was officially announced on November 1st, 2021, and will feature animation jointly produced by WIT STUDIO and Cloverworks with Kazuhiro Furuhashi serving as the director. The first cour will air on April 9th, 2022, on Crunchyroll (outside of Asia).
Now that we have the background, here is everything you need to know about the first half before the series premieres!
Forget the Three-Episode Test
For many people, the three-episode test is the gold standard when trying out new anime. I’m here to tell you that provided this series does the standard “One episode per manga chapter” formula, you’ll know if you’re going to like this one within two episodes. By the end of the second episode, they will put all the main characters into play and give you a very solid understanding of why they are entering the ‘sham marriage’ situation. If you don’t like where this series goes within two episodes, it likely won’t be your thing.
The Music is Going to Make a HUGE Difference
Speaking of the second episode, in a recent announcement, the staff behind this one revealed that the music for this series will be produced by the band (K)NoW_NAME who are famous for their soundtracks to Sakura Quest and Fairy Gone. The music is going to play a big role in the success of this series. For example, in episode 2 there will be a touching scene between Loid “Twilight” Forger and his soon-to-be wife, Yor, in which he proposes to her in the middle of a big fight scene. In the manga, this is an incredibly powerful (and hilarious) scene and I can only imagine how much better it will be with a stunning instrumental theme behind it.
Anya is the Actual Star
Anya is the real star of this series. Fight me.
From the first chapter, Anya proves to be the lynchpin of Spy x Family that keeps the “family” together. I could literally write an entire article about how powerful her presence in the series is (in fact, I did just that) and I feel strongly that everyone else will grow to love her as much as I do.
The big reason for this is that Anya is the glue holding this entire situation together, but that’s really just surface-level thinking. As the story progresses, pay close attention to Anya’s thoughts and internal monologues. She might be a vital part of the world peace mission, but deep down she’s just a scared kid who desperately wants to belong to a family, something that she has never known before, for… reasons.
Anya’s desire to belong to a family unit is a universal want that everyone can understand, and as the audience gets to know her, I wholeheartedly believe that this basic need of hers will win more and more people to her side.
Don’t be Surprised if Chapter 8.5 Gets Cut
Chapter 8.5 is a wonderful chapter about the Forger family going out together in order to satisfy the neighbors that they are a “normal” family. The issue is that the chapter appears at an odd time within the overall narrative, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they cut it from the anime or put it out at a later time (perhaps an OVA?).
It Will Likely End on a Cliffhanger
As mentioned, if Spy x Family progresses how I suspect it will (one chapter per episode) the first cour will end right as a new character is introduced. I won’t spoil who this new character is, but it will definitely make you want to tune into the second cour when it airs later this year.
And that’s everything you need to know about the first 12 episodes of Spy x Family! Get ready for tons of action, suspenseful comedy, and a whole lot of Anya!
