Spy X Family Episode 1 Review: A Delightful Anime About Family, Espionage, And Telepathy

The latest manga series has made the jump to anime with Spy X Family landing on Crunchyroll. Airing weekly on the streaming service, the first episode has debuted, showing that this story of a spy adopting a young girl is heartwarming, comedic, and a breath of fresh air for those looking to dive into a story that’s a bit more grounded that’s a mixture of James Bond, The Americans, and The Game Plan, with a dash of reading people’s minds.

Episode 1 follows Twilight, a successful secret agent tasked with getting close to a political leader to get some intel. However, the caveat is that Twilight (using the name Loid Forger on this new mission) needs to have a child in order to do so. He finds the necessary child at an orphanage, adopting young Anya, who happens to be telepathic–an ability she keeps to herself. In order to complete his mission, Twilight must deal with enemies that want to hurt him, all while raising a telepathic child.

Spy X Family is funny yet subtle, with a sense of humor that doesn’t go over-the-top to relay a joke to the viewer. Its comedy is reflective of the genre itself. There’s a whole bit about a hairpiece that’s mentioned a few times in the first episode that is very funny, but treated as a serious topic of discussion. That’s the typical tone for this show, and while it’s nothing new, it feels fresh. And then there’s Anya, who fits the mold of a typical child character in an anime: she’s all over the place and emotional–much like a real child. Her moments of fear that Twilight will leave her because she knows too much about him serve up some fun comedic moments, layered over some very realistic abandonment issues she has.

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