#POPCULTURE | A Peanut of Hilarity and Heart: Spy x Family
By Sam Gianan
Note: This article only covers the released anime episodes and does not contain manga spoilers.
Everyone desires something picturesque, don’t they? Unfortunately, it’s harder to achieve when we have secrets and flaws to hide. From failed relationships to financial problems to past mistakes, people have baggage that they cover-up. But what happens when those baggage include a secret and dangerous job? Well, that’s exactly what Spy x Family is about.
The anime, adapted from Tatsuya Endo’s manga series, tells of a spy codenamed “Twilight.” His mission is to gain information on Donovan Desmond, a leader of a political party, who could potentially damage truce efforts between two countries. The task should seem easy, but Desmond is hermit-like in nature. This leads to the preparations Twilight needs to make: pose as a child’s father and enroll them in the same school as Desmond’s son. Twilight subsequently creates the alias “Loid Forger” and adopts a girl named Anya. He later marries Yor Briar, a public servant, and the three of them attempt to recreate the image of an ideal upper-class family.
However, unknown to her parents, Anya is a telepath who learns that Loid is a spy, while the seemingly sheepish Yor is an assassin. She continuously avoids letting them discover her abilities as Loid and Yor keep their real jobs undisclosed from each other. Though all three of them are focused on juggling their own secrets, they nonetheless dedicate themselves to playing their role in a perfect family.
While the premise of the anime is eccentric and comical, its themes hit closer to home (literally) than one would think. It effectively showcases one’s struggle with how they present themselves towards others versus how they really are. It also highlights the goal of many, which is to have a normal and happy life, a concept that neither of the three protagonists are familiar with. This life, though, is something they learn to live in and even accept as they guide one another into navigating love and companionship. Despite their own struggles and past traumas, they have each other.
An anime full of comedy and wholesomeness
Spy x Family might sound mature from its premise, but the way the Forger family handles their affairs makes it humorous and even heartwarming at times. Many of the jokes land perfectly, and the animation of the characters’ expressions and mannerisms add to the fun. It’s not a stretch to say that most of the humor comes from the star child, Anya, as adjusting to her new life and learning about classified information creates many unusual and entertaining premises. The comedy is further enhanced by the overall chemistry between the three leads, as the story gives them a charming bond that makes the audience want for more of their story.
But what draws many to this anime is not only its witty humor but also its touching moments. Following the found family trope, Loid, Yor, and Anya try to form a strong relationship despite not being biologically related to each other.
Their cluelessness on how to do this is magnified by their lack of experience on what it’s like to be in a “normal” family. Loid is implied to have had a lonely childhood, while Yor had to care for her brother when their parents died. Meanwhile, Anya moved around different orphanages and foster homes. This sometimes makes for laughable moments, but they’re quickly followed by a frown once the reader realizes that the jokes are darker than they thought.
Nevertheless, due to their traumatic childhoods, they make it their personal objective to help others and make the world nicer to live in. Loid even once stated that his reason for becoming a spy was wanting a future without children’s cries since he knew what it was like to be in that situation. This desire manifests in their cover-up family, where they care for each other more than they know. It’s touching to watch people who led overly independent lives discover what it is to be loved.
“What a lovely family you are, eh?”
These are the words that an old woman says after she’s helped by the trio, causing them to realize that they are a step closer to seeming like an ideal family. Their growth from learning how to be in a healthy relationship improves not only their character but also their understanding and perception of themselves. Loid even begins to see parts of his past self in Anya, who helps him realize the value of vulnerability and devotion to people he learns to love and trust. Even with having only released a few episodes, the connection between the main characters is evident, and it is likely that it will only continue to grow.
The way the protagonists interact is even more moving when one realizes that they only get to act candidly when with each other. Due to their secrets, the trio is only able to show a small yet sincere glimpse of their true selves at home. This is what makes the premise so interesting; it subverts the double life trope by having the characters act this way.
Instead of the Forger family creating entirely fake personalities that they are detached from, they truly enjoy themselves and each other’s company. Even Anya, who knows her parents’ secrets but can’t fully process them because of her age, puts her parents’ menacing traits aside and genuinely treats them as family. This is the keyword that makes the anime so special: genuine. For a premise centered around the troubles of keeping secrets, their actions towards one another are natural and are motivated by real feelings of attachment. They don’t realize it yet, but hopefully they will.
Even if the premise of the show is unlikely to have existed in real life, the plot points that the family’s tale follows are as real as they get, albeit sans the violent action and high-tech gadgets. Keeping mature secrets, knowing things one shouldn’t know, and aiming to seem flawless are not uncommon within families — this is why the emotions from the anime feel so heartfelt and relatable.
The opening and ending songs, other than being catchy and memorable, have well-written lyrics that encapsulate what the show is about and enhance the viewer’s understanding of it. Mixed Nuts by Official HIGE DANdism, Spy x Family’s opening song, is more emotional than its closing counterpart as it reflects the background and feelings of all three characters. The second line in its chorus is “Even though I chew up the real emotions, they still don’t disappear; they are still stuck in my teeth.” This is relevant to the pains the family members still feel from their past. While it hurts them, these are the same pains that encourage them to treat each other better than how they were treated before.
The ending song, Comedy by Gen Hoshino, contrastingly puts a spotlight on the happier and freer aspects of the Forgers’ domestic life. The hand holding, strolling, and eating together are activities that the masked-up family still experience, perhaps even for the first time in their lives. The animation that comes with it is also blooming with insights into the Forgers’ life from Anya’s perspective, showing how her life used to be gloomy and monochromatic. But after Loid and Yor become her parents, the way she views the world changes with color and enthusiasm.
The three Forgers finally getting to enjoy ideally simple and common things, perhaps even truthfully, is beautiful to think about. Even if their original reasons for getting together were for their own benefit, their relationships aren’t fake anymore. Loid’s, Yor’s, and Anya’s lives may have been harsh to them, but being with each other makes not only surviving, but living, worthwhile and exciting.
Continue on cherishing this handful of a miracle
Spy x Family is definitely not an average slice of life show; neither is it the usual comedy anime, an ordinary action-filled shounen, or other types of tales one could think of. The story is exceptionally interesting since it is full of a warm medley of different tropes, and how it’s written makes the transition from one narrative to another natural. The mix and match of themes ensures that there is something from the plot for almost everyone.
The show also teaches us the power of companionship in our lives. As difficult and lonely life may be, we discover that the presence of others can make it a bit more bearable and even thrilling. Not only that, but the anime also lets us know that all types of relationships, even those that aren’t romantic, are important. Platonic and familial bonds are significant to the characters both professionally and personally and are even framed to be impactful to their growth.
We have the freedom to choose who we want to spend the moments of our lives with, may those moments be good or bad. We may help those we love not only with their goals but also with their growth, along with ours. Like Loid, Yor, and Anya, we can find our home not just in those we know by blood, but by those we know through the memories we experienced together.
