Spy x Family (2022-)

 

Series Name/Year: Spy x Family (2022-)

Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy

Average Episode Length:  24 min

Rating: TV-14

Directors: Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Norihito Takahashi, Takahiro Harada, Kazuki Horiguchi, Yukiko Imai, Takashi Katagiri, Teruyuki Omine, Yôsuke Yamamoto, Toshifumi Akai, Hidekazu Hara, Osamu Honma, Tomoya Kitagawa, Yusuke Kubo, Kodama Makoto, Kento Matsui, Tsurumi Mukoyama, Haruka Tsuzuki

Writers: Tatsuya Endo, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Tomomi Kawaguchi, Rino Yamazaki

Actors:

Japanese Cast -

Takuya Eguchi, Atsumi Tanezaki, Saori Hayami, Ken'ichirô Matsuda, Emiri Kato, Noucky Andriansyah, Natsumi Fujiwara, Yûko Kaida, Kenshô Ono, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Ayane Sakura, Haruka Okamura, Hana Sato, Shôhei Kajikawa, Taisuke Nakano, Satsumi Matsuda, Yôji Ueda, Yûichi Nakamura

 

English Dub Cast -

Alex Organ, Megan Shipman, Natalie Van Sistine, Dani Chambers, Caitlin Glass, Stephanie Young, Dallas Reid, Barry Yandell, Anthony Bowling, Lindsay Seidel, Michelle Rojas, Macy Anne Johnson, Jordan Dash Cruz, Aaron Campbell, Kelsey Maher, Kent Williams, Ben Phillips, David Matranga

 

IMDb Blurb: A spy on an undercover mission gets married and adopts a child as part of his cover. His wife and daughter have secrets of their own, and all three must strive to keep together.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

A good friend recently reminded me that an anime series I adore is about to have its 2^nd season released this year. Better than that, when I looked into it, I found that there’s even going to be a movie coming out this December. Spy x Family is the series I speak of and its related movie is Spy x Family Code: White. (Look for it on platforms such as Crunchyroll in December 2023.)

 

I was also transported back to a fun lunch I had during Geek’d Con this year which included Kent Williams (One Piece Film: Red, My Hero Academia, Vinland Saga) and his agent. This wasn’t any sort of interview, however. I unfortunately don’t have any scoop for you in that regard. We were just chatting and enjoying the same space at the hotel’s bar/café which was attached to the convention center. (I knew my daughter was going to be over the moon to meet him. Williams is the voice of Mr. Compress for My Hero Academia (2016-), afterall. That will be a review for another time, though.) Before I digress too far, I can assure you that he relates to Spy x Family, as he has a role in that series as well! 

 

 

Spy x Family has the intrigue and action of a spy thriller and a balanced blend of wit and slapstick humor of excellent comedy. The series is thoroughly entertaining and worth every minute of the watch-through. Further, with episodes just under 30 minutes each, it’s a series that’s easy to binge through without taking up a significant amount of time.

 

There’s also a humanizing layer to the story. This hard-core spy master and a top assassin are paired together for the sake of their respective missions – unknown to each other. In the middle of this is an orphan adopted as part of the cover story as well as a pawn to accomplish the mission. Aside from the child’s special abilities and ability to find (if not incite) chaos, you can’t help but root for her to win over her new “parents” and become a family for real.

 

 

The big question throughout is whether or not “playing family” will ultimately spark actual feelings within the adults involved. Will they ever figure out each other’s secrets? Sometimes it had me on the edge of my seat talking to the screen encouraging them to just come clean and they could accomplish their goals so much easier.

 

I can’t wait to find out what Season 2 has to offer, much less the upcoming Code White movie. There’s bound to be plenty of shenanigans, heart, and laughter.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 90%

Metascore –None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 8.4/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

 

P.S. - You can find more information about this series on their website: spy-family.net

 

Series Trailer:

The SAG-AFTRA/WGA strike continues, and it’s tragic that this is has gone on so long. Writers and actors simply want fair pay for their work. The guerilla tactics of some studios and general foot-dragging to reach an equitable resolution is simply shameful on the part of the AMPTP.