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EP. REVIEW: Spy×Family


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Minos_Kurumada



Joined: 04 Nov 2015
Posts: 983
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:58 am Reply with quote
I don't find the series as the second coming like so many people, though, it's quite entertaining.
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ab2143



Joined: 09 Jan 2021
Posts: 701
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:05 pm Reply with quote
Like many, many people, I’ve been enjoying this so far. However, there are some scenes which I found to be a bit better in the manga such as the grenade ring proposal. Don’t get me wrong, it was still well-executed.

I do appreciate how they successfully recreated the range of facial expressions from Anya (so far)

Anyways, I’m super excited for spoiler[ Bond and Henry ] I think the former will appear towards the end of this first cour? Guess it depends on the pacing for the rest of the episodes
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:28 pm Reply with quote
SO I showed this to my parents and some others and they absolutely loved it.

It somehow rides that line of absured/ fantasy enough while being grounded and relatable to most peoples experiences. Honestly if there was an MCU type anime, I really think that this would be it. It is still anime but it is very very approchable and inviting to non anime fans
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Hal14



Joined: 01 Apr 2018
Posts: 653
Location: Heart of africa
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:39 pm Reply with quote
Domestic comedies (a.k.a. family sitcoms) are one of the most approachable kinds of shows. Almost everybody has a favorite. I'm surprised there aren't a lot of these in anime/manga, possibly a cultural thing which might be why the setting is pseudo-europe
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5821
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:49 pm Reply with quote
Loved the manga, and the anime adaptation is firing on all cylinders.

Everything is great so far, hope it keeps up.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:55 pm Reply with quote
Anya is definitely the strongest part of the show, but in some way she's also the show greatest weakness, because every scene she's not in is just... not that interesting. I really wish episode 2 had severely curtail the bitchy office lady and party scene so that we could have had more Anya scene instead, I ended up skimming toward the end. Or at the very least bring Anya in and have her read the bitchy OL mind instead of having them talk behind Yor back in front of her.
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dm
Subscriber



Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1346
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 1:06 pm Reply with quote
Between Yor-the-ditz and Yor-the-(Briar)-Thorn-Princess is some serious gap-moe.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 1:47 pm Reply with quote
So far I think they're doing an amazing job of adapting the manga and characters from a direction, VA, animation, and execution level.

It is kind of funny how Takuya Eguchi and Saori Hayami are paired again but they still have amazing chemistry.

Loid is the stoic and driven super-spy who has no time for a family but a secret heart of gold that cares for others that places him on his mission and draws him to his fake family.

Anya is as adorable as ever and her telepathy is comedy gold, and she has the best reaction faces in anime form. She's never truly had a family but now she has a shot at one and loves how crazy it all is.

Yor is a classic Hayamin character who is a lethal, yet slightly ditzy, raven-haired beauty who can fight, kill, and sneak up on someone in heels. She's cute, a little too straightforward for her own good, but it plays off Loid and others quite well. Now hopefully her co-workers finally get off her back.

And just like Anya who saw how exciting it would be for a spy and an assassin to end up together (with a grenade proposal/marriage to boot), I can't wait to see this family come together! And the Opening really captures their vibe perfectly.
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Electric Wooloo



Joined: 19 Aug 2020
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 2:18 pm Reply with quote
I'm enjoying the series, and fully agree that Anya is both the best part and feels like an actual child (as opposed to a child written like an adult), but Yor caused a bit of a disconnect for me. With how extremely gullible she seems to be and the general... spacey oblivious vibe she gives off I'm finding it hard to buy her as an assassin.

That is to say, she's clearly very VERY capable, but as someone who was trained as a child and has been doing this well into her 20s how has she not been caught and/or not gotten more perceptive over the years? Obviously the show is a comedy and there's some suspension of disbelief here, but if someone believes that chucking a steel pipe at at man with a gun is "The latest therapy for my patient who's having an episode" than one would think she might not have the most success at keeping her top secret job secret.
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ShouldBeNEET



Joined: 18 Apr 2022
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:09 pm Reply with quote
I'm not sure if I understand the hype for this one. The writing is rather flawed to say the least. Anya is an enjoyable character but everything else falls pretty flat for me. Definitely not a 9/10 show... maybe a 5/10 at best.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:41 pm Reply with quote
Electric Wooloo wrote:
I'm enjoying the series, and fully agree that Anya is both the best part and feels like an actual child (as opposed to a child written like an adult), but Yor caused a bit of a disconnect for me. With how extremely gullible she seems to be and the general... spacey oblivious vibe she gives off I'm finding it hard to buy her as an assassin.

That is to say, she's clearly very VERY capable, but as someone who was trained as a child and has been doing this well into her 20s how has she not been caught and/or not gotten more perceptive over the years? Obviously the show is a comedy and there's some suspension of disbelief here, but if someone believes that chucking a steel pipe at at man with a gun is "The latest therapy for my patient who's having an episode" than one would think she might not have the most success at keeping her top secret job secret.

Well, she was willing to murder everybody in that room in case they leaked to her brother that she lied about having a boyfriend...
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Nev999



Joined: 05 Aug 2021
Posts: 118
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:42 pm Reply with quote
Electric Wooloo wrote:
I'm enjoying the series, and fully agree that Anya is both the best part and feels like an actual child (as opposed to a child written like an adult), but Yor caused a bit of a disconnect for me. With how extremely gullible she seems to be and the general... spacey oblivious vibe she gives off I'm finding it hard to buy her as an assassin.

That is to say, she's clearly very VERY capable, but as someone who was trained as a child and has been doing this well into her 20s how has she not been caught and/or not gotten more perceptive over the years? Obviously the show is a comedy and there's some suspension of disbelief here, but if someone believes that chucking a steel pipe at at man with a gun is "The latest therapy for my patient who's having an episode" than one would think she might not have the most success at keeping her top secret job secret.


The basic deal with Spy x Family as a comedy is everyone is kind of a huge dumbass, as is the case with most comedies. Loid's a lot better at hiding it since he's more booksmart and adaptable because that's his job, but I don't think people comment enough on the fact that he's a dingus in his own right, especially when it comes to common sense. None of Yor's actions twigged his suspicions either (though she at least came up with slightly better excuses than he did). He's so used to operating in a world of spies he doesn't seem to have a good idea of how a normal person would react to danger (a lot less calmly than Yor), and that's the comedy. It's meant to be absurd.

For Yor, the concept is that she's spent so much of her life focused becoming the best at murder she doesn't have many life skills outside of that and honestly, she isn't great at hiding her 'true job', but everyone around her is also a loopy space case so that's okay.
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Dr. Wily



Joined: 09 Nov 2007
Posts: 233
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 4:00 pm Reply with quote
Nev999 wrote:

The basic deal with Spy x Family as a comedy is everyone is kind of a huge dumbass, as is the case with most comedies. Loid's a lot better at hiding it since he's more booksmart and adaptable because that's his job, but I don't think people comment enough on the fact that he's a dingus in his own right, especially when it comes to common sense. None of Yor's actions twigged his suspicions either (though she at least came up with slightly better excuses than he did). He's so used to operating in a world of spies he doesn't seem to have a good idea of how a normal person would react to danger (a lot less calmly than Yor), and that's the comedy. It's meant to be absurd.


Yeah, I've always liked to say that Loid is the dumbest genius around. He's so hypercompetent and used to action that all of Yor's amazing feats register as fairly normal on his radar.
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jdnation



Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 1994
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 4:28 pm Reply with quote
Fantastic show so far!

Anya is definitely the best thing about it! I like the fact that despite giving her psychic abilities where most shows would try and make her more mature and smarter than the adults around her, instead the story has done the smart thing and given her the same mind, emotions and motivations of a naive child which is more believable, allows for more comedy and is also so totally precious and cute!

Loid is also perfect for what his role is. The tug of war between dedication to his profession and results versus his now burgeoning father-tendencies is what makes this show, and I'm sure this will also include Yor whom he will start to care for as a wife and mother in due time while blissfully unaware of her actual profession.

Yor is definitely the dumbest of the trio, but I believe this makes sense, as it's likely her past is very tragic and much similar to Anya's where she's been bred since childhood to be an efficient killing machine, and thus so long as she serves that role, nobody cares that she is ignorant and awkward in real life, and in fact, this likely deliberately helps her maintain her cover as nobody would suspect the nitwit of being a proficient assassin so their guards are habitually let down around her and they also look down on her for it. Her mix of beauty and dimwittery are useful for getting salicious male targets to approach her.

I'm already a fan, and there's quite a bit of buzz around this due to the source material, so this looks like it's going to be a great time!
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insert name here



Joined: 27 Jul 2011
Posts: 84
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 4:58 pm Reply with quote
PEANUTS!
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