Creative Staff:
Story & Art: Tatsuya Endo
Translation: Casey Loe
Lettering: Rina Mapa
I spy with my little eye…the next best series in Shonen Jump’s catalog!
What They Say:
Meet the Forger family. On the surface, Lloyd, Yor, and Anya are a happy household of three living their ordinary lives. But beneath that thin veneer lies the not-so-normal backstory of an international spy, a deadly assassin and a failed lab experiment.
Lloyd Forger, also known as “Twilight”, is a spy for the country of Westalis. For his latest mission, Twilight undergoes his most challenging covert operation yet: get married, have a child and start a family. He adopts a young girl named Anya and meets a woman named Yor, thus planting the seeds of his pseudo family. But his housemates have some secrets of their own. Yor is an air-headed office worker by day, but by night, she is a ruthless assassin known by her enemies as the “Thorn Princess”. And while Lloyd and Yor are unaware of each other’s true identities, their daughter Anya has psychic abilities that clue her in on the thrilling plot she was now a part of.
Even with their combined skills, the Forger’s would soon realize that a functioning family comes with its own set of unique challenges. Spy x Family is a stellar, new Weekly Shonen Jump series by Tatsuya Endo. VIZ Media’s release of Volume One comes packed full of action, espionage and wholesome lessons on what it means to be family.
The Review:
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Becoming a spy means throwing away any semblance of an ordinary life. Thousands of faces with nothing to identify you but a code-name. Existence in constant motion, full of secrecy and anonymity. A spy is a hero without a face – for the common folk, life will go on as usual thanks to what the spies accomplish behind the scenes. This lifestyle leaves no room to settle down, let alone start a family… or at least that’s what Agent Twilight had thought.
The neighboring countries of Westalis and Ostania have been at peace for some time, but signs of conflict are always looming in the background. As Westalis’ ace-in-the-hole, Twilight works from the shadows to snuff out any illicit activity that could lead to war between the two nations. He is the perfect spy – having abandoned everything, he completes his jobs thoroughly and without hesitation. But his latest assignment would throw a curve ball his way. His target is Donovan Desmond – an Ostanian politician who has been deemed a threat to the truce between East and West. But Desmond is extremely reclusive, his only public appearances are at events held by the private school his son attends, Eden Academy. Twilight’s mission is to start a family and enroll his child into Eden Academy to get within Desmond’s social circle. For Twilight, this was just another mission. Being a father was just another role to play. For the sake of a peaceful world, Twilight would play his role to perfection.
But playing the role of a family man would prove much more difficult than Twilight anticipated. With enrollment deadlines fast approaching, Twilight (now known as Lloyd Forger) adopts a young girl named Anya. We quickly come to learn that Anya is an esper. Though little info is given, we know she is the result of a secret organization’s experiment. Twilight’s next objective was to find someone to fill the role as Anya’s mother. While looking for suitable candidates, he runs into Yor Briar, a civil servant with her own dark secrets. Yor is a contracted assassin known as the “Thorn Princess”. Raised to be a killer from a young age, Yor struggles with social obligations due to her timid personality and limited knowledge outside of assassination. To appease her coworkers and brother, she is looking for a pretend partner. Killing two birds with one stone, Lloyd and Yor agree to act as a fake family. And so, we have the Forgers – a ‘normal’ family of abnormal misfits.
Spy x Family has been nothing short of a blockbuster in Japan. One year into publication, the series has sold over three million copies – making it the 2nd fastest series to hit that milestone just behind Yusei Matsui’s Assassination Classroom. So, what makes Spy x Family such a big hit?
A spy story isn’t exactly a new idea, but the added slice-of-life and comedy flavors give a refreshing twist to the usually strait-laced genre. One moment Twilight is caught in an exhilarating car chase, and the next, he and Anya are having a hardcore study session. One of Spy x Family’s greatest strengths is the juxtaposition between these types of scenes. Spy work and assassination comes as second nature to Twilight and Yor, but it’s the more domestic affairs like cooking and raising a child that present the greatest obstacle.
Aside from its distinct premise, Tatsuya Endo’s art and paneling are slick as can be. Character designs are instantly eye-catching, each one sporting distinct features and personalities. Our main trio in particular are very likeable. The suave Twilight and charming Yor are both top tier badasses, pulling off insane physical feats and defeating villains with ease. But what really sells me on these characters is the way they soften up. Chapter one presents Twilight as calm and calculated, a man dedicated to his job, unswayed by emotion. This was supposed to be another by-the-books job for Twilight, but once he takes on the role of Lloyd, his time with Anya and Yor shows us a different side to his character. Twilight and Yor’s chemistry is especially cute, to the point where I think the series would still be a hit if it were strictly a romance story. But the real breadwinner of the family is our little scamp, Anya. Every chapter you can look forward to her hilarious reaction faces and childish schemes. Despite her psychic powers, she’s still a kid, which leads to some silly misunderstandings and at times dangerous situations.
Though the initial setup is a spy story, the first volume sets the stage for Anya’s big debut at Eden Academy. Twilight, Yor, and Anya worked hard to get their charade this far, but how will Anya fair in a prestigious school setting?
We get some bonus material at the end, which includes a one-page comic, Franky’s fourth-wall-breaking concept art stash, and a bare-bones profile on Agent Twilight.
In Summary:
Volume One of Spy x Family is a terrific attention-grabber for the series . We’ve only just scratched the surface of the Forger family’s story, and I can only see it getting better from here. If you’ve been looking for a new series to jump into, there’s no better time than now to start reading Spy x Family.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen Plus
Released By: VIZ Media
Release Date: June 2nd, 2020
MSRP: $9.99 USD
