Spy x Family

Bibliographic Information:

Title: Spy X Family

Creator: Tatsuya Endo

Streaming Service: Hulu/ Disney+/ Prime/ Crunchyroll

Release Date: April 2022

Production Company: Aniplex/ CloverWorks/ Toho Animations/ WIt Studio

Format: TV Show

Genre: Anime/ Action/ Comedy

Awards:

Tokyo Anime Animation of the Year-2023

Crunchyroll Anime Best New Series- 2023

Crunchyroll Anime Best Comedy- 2023, 2024

Anime Trending Slice of Life Anime of the Year-2024

Rating: TV-14

Run Time: 24 Minutes

Show Summary:

Agent Twilight has been assigned a new mission, to get close to Donovan Desmond. To do this Agent Twilight's child, one he does not have, must attend a prestigious private school. Twilight creates a new identity for himself, Loid Forger. Loid adopts Anya, but Loid's unaware she is a telepath. To get into the school Loid and Anya need to find Loid a wife. Yor, a secret assassin, is the perfect candidate. With all their secrets, this family needs to find a way to complete their missions while also staying together.

Creator Background:

Tatsuya Endo is a manga artist and author of the following manga: Ishi ni Usubeni, Tetsu ni Hoshi, ISpy, Spy X Family, Rengoku no Ashe, and Tista. Originally a manga Spy x Family was turned into an Anime. Kazuhiro Furuhashi directed the anime series, and also has worked on Ramma 1/2, Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern, and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.

Critical Evaluation:

I accessed Spy X Family on Hulu and at first watched the non-translated version, and felt like I couldn't look away from the TV without missing dialogue. I do not have a large amount of experience with watching anime, so at first I did not know what "(dub)" and "(sub)" meant. Once I realized that it meant "subtitling" and "dubbed," I watched the next episodes dubbed. Once I did this, I was more easily able to follow the storyline. However I think that watching anime with subtitles is also very useful, as I think that watching content with subtitles can increase reading speed, is similar to manga, and introduces other languages!

I really enjoyed this show! It is extremely binge-worthy and its easy to fall for each character! While I didn't read the original manga, I can tell that the manga translated into an anime very well. This story introduces an interesting family dynamic and an alternative understanding of "right" and "wrong". I was not expecting to think this show was as funny as it is! Anya cracks me up! Spy X Family is an excellent introduction to anime and may encourage teens to try out manga. I am nearly finished with all the episodes I love it so much!

Creative Use for Library Program:

SpyFall Lock In- Teens come to library for a themed game night! Game night will be a "lock in" and teens will play Spyfall, a hybrid game for groups. After completing multiple rounds teens earn points, playing for prizes!

Manga Voice Over and Animation Festival- Spy X Family is an anime adapted from an anime. Teens are encouraged to voice over their favorite mangas and/or animate them. Each submission is shown at a "festival" put on by the library.

Speed Round Trailer:

Agent Trinity's new mission: Save world peace by adopting a kid, finding a wife, and becoming the most elegant family to attend Eden College to get close to Donovan Desmond. What agent trinity missed, his fake kid is a telepath and his fake wife is an assassin.

Potential Challenge Issue and Defense Preparation:

I think that this show is extremely appropriate for teens. It does include some fantasy violence which adults may object to however the themes are about the life of a spy. I think that the audience for Spy X Family is very large, although it is TV-14 I think some adults may allow younger teens to watch and I as an adult am obsessed!

Reason for Inclusion:

Spy X Family is a popular anime that is easy to get into and is funny, charming, and engaging! I am including Spy X Family because I think that it is a great introduction to anime and manga as well as introducing new culture and styles of material to teens! Plus I am now obsessed and can't get enough!

Check Out:

GoforQuiz created a couple quizzes based on Spy X Family! Take the quiz if you want to figure out which Spy X Family character you are and what you do when you spot a mysterious bomb looking device.

Reference:

Anime Planet. (n.d.). Tatsuya Endo. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.anime-planet.com/people/tatsuya-endo

Crunchyroll. (2022, March). SPY X FAMILY MAIN TRAILER. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ofXigq9aIpo?feature=shared

GoforQuiz. (n.d.). Spy X Family Character Quiz. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.goforquiz.com/spy-x-family-character-quiz/

IMDb. (n.d.). Spy x Family. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13706018/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

SpyFall. (n.d.). How to Play. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.spyfall.app/gamerules