Forum - View topicSpy × Family (TV + movie) (w/ index).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11304 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Reminder that next weekend is the 1st episode of the 2nd half of the series.
Also, I just finished watching the first half, last night, and have to say the show is wonderfully absurd, yet full of heart. Anya's comedy schtick aside (which I absolutely love the faces she makes), I'm more enamored by the slice-of-life-ish longing from all the three characters to just live a normal, peaceful life. It's a very subtle, but also reflective and feel-good. I gave it a Very Good (8/10), for now. But with the way things are going, I'm sure I'll bump it up during the 2nd half. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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#13 S2
COVID has affected the production of a few shows since the first season ended, but this one is going full steam ahead and has picked up where it left off. There's a rapid-fire summary montage at the start for viewers who need their memories jogged, but other than that it's straight into a serious story arc. The enormous St. Bernard (?) from the first season is now front and centre in this arc. The final member of the "family", but what a twist of fate it will take for the dog to be adopted by the Forgers. Like everyone else in this "family", this dog has powers of its own which Anya has figured out thanks to her own abilities. Unfortunately, the dog is a coward when threatened with pain, and despite its pre-cognitive (?) abilities it's still an animal and needs guidance in order to make it more receptive to orders. Tasogare is getting rusty; if you're going for an excuse to take sudden absence the toilet trick doesn't work if it's an extended period of absence, Fortunately Anya backs him up and Ibarahime being Ibarahime is gullible enough to fall for it. This is a multi-part arc, so Tasogare will need to shut down the bomb plot beforehand without blowing his cover to Ibarahime. I would not be surprised if the white St. Barnard is the one with the big prize, so keeping it alive while diffusing the bomb is going to provide most of the suspense. Just as well Ibarahime's overactive imagination has her set on stopping Anya from being forced into underage marriage, or she might not be in combat mode which came at the most opportune moment. Unlike the very unique animation which featured for the first season OP and ED songs, this season's fare is more standard, albeit with the usual high production qualities viewers have come to expect from this series. The ED in particular features a cast member I do not recognize, so it's likely she's going to be introduced at some point in this season. The OP and ED songs are brilliant; upbeat and breezy in keeping with the vibe of the "family" when it's not "on call". Last edited by Harleyquin on Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Beltane70
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Looking at the ears, as well as his coloring, Dog looks more like a Great Pyrenees than a St. Bernard.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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Decided to put the theory to the test. The word from the wiki is given below. It's uncredited, so provisionally I'll have to agree with the assessment. I'm not familiar with dog breeds, hence the (?). spoiler[ 犬種は不定だが、作者はグレート・ピレニーズを参考に描いているという。https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPY×FAMILY ] |
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ACｘS
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S2, 1/13:
Hold up dawg, are those dogs flexing? Lmao. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #14
Ibarahime's intervention saved Anya's life, but it didn't stop the plan completely. Anya's abilities really shackle her when she's fully aware she has to do everything she can without blowing her facade, so she tries her best by doing what kids do best: impulsive actions. Even if Ibarahime wasn't the most gullible person in the series, the timing of her escape was good enough as the dog could have enough of a headstart while Ibarahime was on the phone, otherwise they would have been caught. That dog's abilities are a very strong combo together with Anya's, but it's an animal and there's only so much she can do to cajole it to share its visions with her. It seems to be spontaneous, if it sees something and Anya notices its reactions (ear pricked up, dog looks elsewhere) she can mind-read it and assess the situation. Anya really need to pay more attention during her classes, or at least ask her adoptive parents how to tell the time. At her age, recognizing what a clock face looks like and what it means should be basic knowledge. It's a wonder she can't tell the time, since she watches her spy show religiously and that airs at a fixed time. Maybe because her parents let her know when the show is about to air? At any rate, her haste in avoiding Tasogare's grim fate gave her enough time to beat his team to the location. Her drawing skills are horrible, but they're enough to make him suspicious and change the future. Good improvisation from her as well, making use of the environment. The rest of the show is devoted to Tasogare doing his day job. We've seen enough of his modus operandi by now to know he impersonated the Foreign Minister to intercept the remaining bomber. All that remains is to see whether or not he can apprehend the suspect alive and unscathed. I'm not sure if the dog is going to survive, but it's one dog's life weighed against Tasogare's, and I'm expecting the latter to come out of this unharmed based on the trailer. That final screenshot with him and the pistol is from the season 2 teaser trailer, so that's a nice way of finishing the episode. The conclusion is that Dog is going to join the family, since Anya will recommend him to Tasogare for saving her life. He'll probably go along with it despite his reservations over its training, while Ibarahime will probably lecture Anya for hours once they safely reach home. Ibarahime will need seriously short-term memory to forget about Tasogare's excuse and not ponder it over in her spare time though. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #15
The episode is dragged out slightly, since it could easily finish with the dog being disarmed, the bomber caught and the case closed with the general public none the wiser. However, this IS a series about a family so integrating the dog as the newest member is something which must be properly done. Not to mention, anime-only viewers can't keep referring to the newest member as "Dog" in perpetuum. Tasogare has a dead aim under pressure. I had thought he was going to kill the dog; turns out he wanted to get rid of the satchel first to disable the primary threat without killing the dog since it wasn't part of the mission. He even prepared for this, since he had body armour under his arm which protected him from teeth and a potentially messy explanation to his family members had he been hurt. As for the bomber, his luck ran out after he met Ibarahime. Even if the dragnet would have caught him eventually, the animators get another chance to show off her inhuman martial arts skills. His only saving grace is he wasn't killed in the accident. Anya had to play the role of a spoiled brat slightly to get her way, but it was worth it in the end. Bond's part to play in this "family" has just begun, and I for one am keen to see what else he offers to the table as the newest member of the Family with Secret Abilities. The Handler having good bedside manner is a surprise, although her background explains why. I hope she was telling Anya the truth, since it would be harsh if she had to lie to the child protecting one of the supposed test subjects. A good arc to start off this second season. It looks like Ibarahime is up next in the spotlight, even though her supporting role in Bond's arc was a significant one. Looks like a one-off episode arc, maybe two at most. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #16
After the first major story arc, viewers get a little breather with two mini-episodes in one sitting. Can't keep doing the heavy stuff all the time, after all. As stand-alone arcs, they actually work out well as it's focused more on the laughs than the drama this time round. Did anyone expect Tasogare's excuse last week to be the trigger for the first half? I didn't, and it's a very clever way of maintaining continuity throughout the series even though this one could clearly stand on its own. We've had clues about how bad Ibarahime is at cooking since the first season and even a reminder in the first episode of this season, but it's properly addressed in this episode's first half as she take on the challenge of improving her skills to maintain the role she requires to continue her part-time job without harassment. As expected, she's so bad she could probably kill people using her cuisine without resorting to her knives with the right ingredients. The good news: she can be trained to cook at least one dish which doesn't kill her intended audience. On top of that, we actually learn more about her and Yuri as part of the deal. The second half actually returns to a recurring motif from the previous season: the disconnect between what's required for the mission and what the three of them are starting to feel genuinely for each other. Tasogare too intelligent, so him memorising a conversation tree with tens of thousands of options is par for the course but impossible for mere mortals like Frankie the informant. Another thing going for Tasogare is his looks; which gives him a natural advantage when trying to woo over the ladies for professional purposes. Frankie doesn't have that, so it would not surprise me if many viewers sympathize with his lot. Still, it's not like the world they inhabit is only populated by couples who can only marry because they have stunning looks, so Frankie just has to keep looking since he has the willingness to try. Anya takes a backseat this week, but next week looks like it's back to her efforts to win over the bully enough to get the parents to meet, so that she can save the world. I'm not expecting much success on that front yet, but there'll be plenty of laughs along the way as Anya tries (and most likely fails) to forcibly advance the relationship forward despite her own biological distaste for Damien. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #17
This is probably the season's weakest episode, since the main arc isn't long enough to fill the full airtime and the second part featuring Tasogare's handler felt tacked on, interesting vignette it is. On the plus side, seeing Anya try (and mostly fail) to make progress on the role she has to play is always good comedy. This week is more a reminder of who Damian is on the inside, despite his insufferable arrogance. He desperately wants attention from his father, who is too busy trying to start a war rather than care for his second son. Even though he won the impromptu art competition, he couldn't even bring himself to share the news with the family butler because he didn't think it worthy of his father's notice. He even thinks his father didn't hear the news about Anya's punch on the first day of school from the butler, who didn't think it was worthy of report. We already knew Anya is effectively useless at anything that requires her to put in her own effort and skill instead of relying on her ESP, but somehow her creation managed to evoke the "correct" reaction from adult judges. Modern Art relies TOO much on interpretation, which can colour the judgment of those who really should have remembered they were looking at the art works of 6 year olds, not university or postgraduate art students. The second arc was too short to make an impact, especially as it felt like it was fitted in to make the airtime restriction. It's nice to know Tasogare's handler has an actual name, nickname and is subject to intense scrutiny by the hosts, but it probably wouldn't have been adapted if it wasn't so short and ideal to fill out Anya's arc (which didn't quite have the legs to make the whole airtime on its own). She's not perfect though, unfortunately Tasogare won't make a fool of himself to point out her error when they have their usual meetings. The post-credits short ties in very well with next week's episode, since Anya's academic ineptitude forces the Forgers to bring in Yuri to help with her studies as the midterm exams are approaching and Anya cannot afford to fail and get more demerit points. It's a minor miracle Yuri didn't die of malnutrition or grievous bodily harm growing up with his sister, but he proves the adage "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #18
Another self-contained arc, although this one is more unusual in that the midterm exams are split into a preparation phase and an aftermath phase. There's plenty of laughs (and a lot of cringing) to be had, so viewers won't be too bothered as it still entertains. So Anya HAS a weakness. She can't cheat once every two weeks, so she actually has to get herself through by her own steam for once. It's a good excuse to bring Yuri in this week just to see him go crazy with his usual sis-con antics, but he was determined in his own way to help out his sister since the pair were most likely orphaned very early forcing Yor to become an assassin to keep their bills paid. Anya being Anya, she doesn't take too well to his sis-con tendencies so the tutor gig is a bust. However, she isn't completely terrible at academic work (remember the entrance exam?) so just about avoids getting hit with a barrage of demerit points halfway through the term. I had expected Tasogare to do something about Anya's terrible grades, so the aftermath operation was obvious given Anya's terrible academics. We get to cringe at Shinonome's awful antics and his obsession with trumping Tasogare despite being completely out of his depth. Tasogare probably felt more tortured having to withstand his "rival" pretentiously posturing, hence the out-of-character comic feed when his patience ran out. Still, he did learn more about his target's children and what kind of obstacle Anya has to overcome if she wants enough stars to qualify for the elite gathering. Next week seems to be another of those multiple-arc episodes. I personally prefer the long multi-episode arcs with the members' doing what they're trained to do to save a crisis, but these daily life vignettes are good entertainment too if handled well. There's continuity too, as the first half episode title indicates someone really is out to sabotage the Desmond's through their children. |
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Beltane70
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Anya’s powers disappear every new moon, making it once every four weeks (29.5 days to be precise) that she won’t be able to cheat. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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Well that was incredibly careless of me. Two weeks from her sighting of the full moon to the midterm exams and me forgetting a full lunar cycle is approximately 30 days instead of 2 weeks. Mental laziness conflating her two week gap to exams with the lunar cycle, so I'm grateful for the correction.
As an aside, I wonder why it's the lunar cycle that affects her powers. Maybe the adaptation will explain one day, or maybe it won't and viewers will have to pocket this nugget for future reference. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #19
Another two-parter, although I do like the way they linked the first part with the previous week. Continuity isn't something always handled well by adaptations. Even if this series appears to be comprised more of self-contained mini-stories than the longer serious arcs which characterised the first quarter, it's still giving good value for entertainment. Lesson learnt from part one: Do not eavesdrop unless you're a professional spy and know exactly what you're listening out for. Working hastily on the basis of incomplete information is a recipe for disaster; as George Glooman finds out to his cost. Unfortunate name, but the animators had good fun trying to get the character's nature to fit. Turns out kids learn the value of emotional blackmail at an early age, but because they're kids they'll do what they think is right for someone they think is being unfairly forced out or deprived. The punchline was obviously seen a mile away, which will ruin George's academic year and beyond until his grade forgives/forgets his transgressions. Another one who needs to learn this week's lesson is Ibarahime, although to be fair this isn't the first time we've seen her overreact based on incomplete information and she usually does a lot of good when she does. A complete stand-alone episode as it has zero connection with the main story, but it's a good excuse to give Ibarahime the first opportunity to visit Anya's school since the interview (although for reasons best left unstated). She'll get to visit it one day properly through the front gate when there's a show and tell session, so it's not all bad. Viewers don't need too many excuses to see Ibarahime show off her superhuman physical attributes anyway (the flowerpot, parkour rooftop running, wall free-climbing etc.). Another aspect I liked was the comic timing involving Anya and Ibarahime trying to see each other past the wall, reminds me of the old stand-up comics of the silent era. Next week is another set of two-parters, and it appears the hospital is back in the picture after Anya's last disastrous visit there in the first quarter. The second part looks to be another one of those fanciful Anya mini-adventures like the castle arc back in the first quarter. Either way, the entertainment never ceases to deliver. Not sure if they're keeping up with this format all the way to the end of the quarter, the first story arc with the bomber is more to my taste and I'd like one more like that to end off this quarter. Last edited by Harleyquin on Mon Nov 21, 2022 1:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #20
This is the last two-part episode, as next week finally marks the return of longer story arcs spanning multiple episodes. Just as well, as I wasn't a big fan of the second part this week. Tasogare spends most of his time spying on Anya in the school grounds or doing side missions, so I hadn't thought his psychiatrist cover was more than just a cover. Turns out he actually does put in the hours at his cover workplace for professional reasons, and he's suave enough to fake it and can explain away his long absences by claiming he's on research field trips. Typically for Tasogare, he always has an escape route planned in case of unexpected emergencies, which has an unusual side effect this time round with Anya's unexpected escapades in actual eavesdropping. Most notably for those who don't watch the ED animation, this week actually introduces the final member featured in that skit. No name given as her formal introduction is next week, she's only credited as the "Wise Agent" voiced by Sakura Ayane. There's already a Youtube video from the animators formally introducing her name and role in Tasogare's big mission, so those who don't read the source material but are curious about her can look it up. Despite Tasogare's disapproval of Anya's perpetual roleplay, having illegible handwriting to the point of complete obfuscation even to professional spies qualifies her either for the Doctor stereotype or an actual spy attempting to conceal information. Although the latter isn't good if allies can't read the messages either. I didn't really like the second arc, since it's retreating old ground in putting Frankie through the mill again with more thwarted romances. Typically for Anya, she slept through the alarm clock. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2870 |
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S2 #21
The series throws another curveball: this week is yet another double-header but it does introduce a final major story arc before the adaptation finishes its airing. Can't see it going any other way, especially with the limited airtime remaining. Tobari is the complete opposite to Ibarahime, but one thing that's holding her back is her obsessive infatuation with Tasogare. He doesn't see her as anything other than a fellow agent and is completely oblivious to her affections, so it's doomed to remain one-sided since he also taught her that spies are supposed to lock their emotions away for the sake of the mission. She doesn't know him as well as she thinks either: his admission about caffeine and the stresses of this job reveal Operation Strix has opened up a gap since they last worked together. Something interesting in this episode: Even Tobari is unable to tell Ibarahime is a professional killer. All she can read is her manner has no openings, which is the only thing that would link Ibarahime to the assassin's profession, but nothing else about her reveals she's lethal with knives and other forms of unarmed combat. As far as Anya is concerned, there's no way she's letting Tobari get her way. Anya is afraid of Ibarahime because she knows who she really is, but Ibarahime has saved her more than once and genuinely cares for her; something Tobari isn't capable of. Anya's fairly blatant response to her mindreading is at least typical of someone her age, we even get to see one of her funny faces for emphasis. The next mission is where the long arc begins, and this is where the battle for the Forger household will begin in earnest. In the meantime, the filler episode reveals Bond is actually capable of jealousy and can be vicious against victims which cannot fight back. It's still a charming vignette nonetheless, so much so the animators deliberately shifted the ED credits forward so that the segment could have its due. |
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