Spy x Family Vol 1 Review

Of all of the new manga scheduled to come out in 2020, Spy x Family was the one I was looking forward to reading the most. People who I follow online have been praising this series for months and everyone I know who’s read it only had good things to say about it. I couldn’t wait to try it out for myself and, I’m happy to report, that this is one series that didn’t disappoint!

Synopsis:

Twilight is the code name of Westalia’s top spy, a man who’s so completely dedicated himself to his mission of safe guarding world peace that he’s abandoned any thoughts of having a regular life. Instead, he expertly slips in and out of whatever persona his assignment requires and never forms any real personal connections. However, his latest job will require him to take on a role that might be more than his extraordinary skills can handle: a family man! Twilight manages to quickly scrounge up a fake wife and child to help with his charade but, unbeknownst to him, the girl he adopts from a shady orphanage turns out to be a psychic who’s on the run from a research facility and the woman who agrees to act as his wife is really an assassin who’s agreed to their for-show marriage because it will provide cover for her own activities. Can these three unusual people pull off a convincing performance of being a loving family? And what will happen if these lonely souls start to care about each other for real?

Review:

Spy x Family is freaking hilarious and this is largely thanks to the three lead characters and how well they play off of each other. Twilight is less than thrilled with having to rely on other people to succeed in his mission and has no idea how to deal with children. Anya, the adopted daughter, does her best to try and help him with his mission while still keeping her abilities a secret and is constantly acting suspiciously or spazzing out over some violent thought one of her new parents has had, leaving the adults consistently confused. Yor, the assassin masquerading as Twilight’s wife, is a bit of a space cadet and only became an assassin so that she could provide for her younger brother after their parents died. Both she and Twilight have a very warped idea of what’s normal and are both so oblivious that it’s amazing that they’ve managed to be so successful in their careers. They routinely bust out awesome fighting skills and then come up with the flimsiest of lies to try and cover up what’s actually going on to the other, yet they aren’t even a little bit disbelieving of each other’s explanations. Anya, who can read minds and thus is the only person who fully understands what’s going on, frequently marvels at what bad liars they can be. I found the contrast between Twilight and Yor’s extreme competency in certain situations and how awkward they can be in others to be extremely amusing and loved watching them try to keep their respective secrets while still kicking ass at ever opportunity.

In addition to being funny, Spy x Family is also a very endearing story, as Twilight, Yor and Anya make for an unusual but adorable little family. Anya’s genuinely loves her new mama and papa and thinks they’re the coolest. Yor doesn’t expect this arrangement to last forever, but takes her role in the family seriously, regardless. Twilight initially can’t wait to get the assignment over with so he can go back to being alone, but already there are signs of his cool exterior beginning to melt. I loved seeing these three weirdos grow closer and start to support each other and I was excited to see the beginnings of a romance start to bloom between Yor and Twilight. At this rate, it won’t be long before these pretenders will be a family for real! 

Funny, action-packed and heart-warming, Spy x Family has a little bit of everything and was a genuine treat to read. I can’t wait to read more of these characters’ antics and will be snapping up volume 2 the second it comes out.

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10

For more information on this series, visit Viz Media’s website.

What did you think of this series? Let me know in the comments!

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