Spy x Family Episode 1 First Impressions – No Time to Dad

Episode 1 of the anime adaptation of Spy x Family has finally dropped and I couldn’t be more excited. This has been my most anticipated anime of the year, with an ingenious premise for quite a literal family drama and comedy, so how did it go?

Overall, I’m happy to say that Spy x Family lives up to expectations. The first episode can be a little too fast-paced however it provides a straightforward premise that provides a tight set up for the series going forward. I’m excited to see what happens next.

Meet The Spy

Episode 1 of Spy x Family introduces Special Agent Twilight, the best agent in the country. For his next mission, however, he must infiltrate a prestigious school that the son of a dangerous terrorist is attending. In order to do this, he must create a family, including finding a wife and a child who will be enrolled in the school. Thus, the Spy embarks on the most dangerous mission yet: Parenthood.

What drew me into the manga was how strong this premise is. It essentially combines the wholesomeness of a slice of life, the slapstick of comedy, and the mind games of a spy thriller. Three individuals, each hiding a secret life. You see all three, each with different agendas attempt to work around each other while still keeping up the facade of being a real family, and of course, getting closer than they first realized.

While this first episode is mostly just set up, you can already see this dynamic, emerging with the introduction of the characters. Twilight proves a great straight man for the series, presenting the stern attitude of a James Bond-style spy while having a far more vulnerable and relatable interior. This man is not in any way prepared to take care of a child but you can tell he’s trying far harder than he lets on. And when that softer side comes through, it’s the epitome of sweet.

Meet The Esper

Of course, about a quarter of the way through the episode, we are introduced to the second part of the family, the adopted six-year-old Anya. A telepath who can read her new daddy’s every thought (not that he knows of course).

Anya is precious. I think part of what makes her so precious is in part because she’s also not too unrealistically perfect like a lot of other little girls in anime tend to be. She’s a regular little kid, she can get grouchy and stubborn, and she can even be fairly naughty like when she gets bored and tries to play with her father’s spy gear (and is sad when she can’t find a bomb).

It shows that while Twilight isn’t a perfect father, she’s not a perfect daughter either, this is something they’re both new to and have to figure out together.

The fact that she’s an esper also gives her an interesting dynamic with her parent. Because she secretly knows everything he’s thinking, she tries to game a lot of his missions to get his approval with mixed results. She is still a child after all and doesn’t understand every thought that she hears. The level of scheming within scheming is part of what makes this series fun and Anya’s esper plans may not always correlate with Twilight’s actual mission.

Meet The really nice animation

This is all enhanced by Cloverwork’s reliable brand of color and eye-catching animation. They are quickly becoming one the most notable studios in the industry and for good reason. They really know how to make their characters shine with expression, alongside well-lit settings and well-timed gags.

The only potential issue with this first episode is the pacing. It moves at a break necks pace, from explaining the mission, to adopting Anya, to moving houses twice.

I can understand why it has to be this way. You’ve probably noticed but the third part of his family hasn’t shown up yet and they probably want to get to her as soon as possible but I can see some people finding that it moves a little too fast for their liking. As a reader of the manga though, I kinda just wanna see the family come together as soon as possible so I’m ok with it.

Final Thoughts

Within episode 1, the Spy x Family anime has brought everything that I wanted from an adaptation of the manga. It’s still very much in the setup phase so it’s yet to be seen how the anime will play out compared to its printed counterpart however such a solid, albeit fast-paced start, does leave me optimistic and excited to see what comes started.

This odd little family has made a successful first step off the page and onto the screen and I’m excited to see where their comedic espionage antics lead from here.

Spy x Family is available for streaming in SEA on Muse Asia and on Netflix.

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