Sure, Twilight and his spy friends were this close to losing their lives, but when he sees his family enjoying a lazy, peaceful afternoon possibly on a weekend, it was all worth the trouble, right? It should come to no surprise that a show called SPY x FAMILY is at its best when it’s all about the family. For me, all of the memorable moments from this anime involves the family in some form or fashion. Remember when Loid nearly punched Mister Swan because the nasty man was insulting his made-up family? Sure, the lead up to the interview was hilarious, but this was the first time we could confirm that his made-up family was more than just a mission to him. Remember when Yor pulled out all the stops just protect a mother and child? Then afterwards, she came to realize that her made-up family is now just as important to her as Yuri, her real family.
Well, this latest season is no different. We saw how Loid lost his actual family, then just to rub salt into his wounds, he lost his family of friends again. We saw how Anya saved her classmates by reminding a terrorist of his own lost family. And now, we see a chink in Twilight’s armor just because he couldn’t bear to make Yor sad. The “smart” move might have been to kill her family, but maybe in some small way, Yuri even feels like family to Loid. Either way, I think this is the best SPY x FAMILY season yet, because we got so many laser-focused story arcs. Sure, we might not have made much progress in terms of Operation Strix, but I’m nonetheless happy with what we got. The first cour of the first season definitely had more laughs, but I think this season resonated with me a lot more on an emotional level.
Stray thoughts & observations:
- I don’t think I needed this dinky, little explanation.
- Oh? You reckon Fiona’s pissed? Geez, what gave you that idea? As you might have guessed, I’m not a big fan of superfluous narration. Anime does this a lot, though.
- Fiona flipping the tables on Wheeler was pretty badass, i.e. “No, you are weak, and it’s because you can’t trust anyone.” Then she stopped being badass once she basically confessed her feelings for Loid. It’s not that love isn’t badass. It totally is. But obsession isn’t. Ah well, either way, Wheeler gets the thrashing of his life.
- It’s one thing to be embarrassed about her confession of love, but sheesh, she actually briefly considers a murder-suicide. Her attitude then flips on a dime. Fiona’s just… a very interesting person. Well, she is Yuri’s counterpart, after all. Just without the whole blood relation stuff.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, you totally didn’t kill Yuri Briar for the mission. Whatever you say, Loid. But Fiona catches an interesting detail: Loid refers to Yuri as Yuri Briar, but when he talks about Yor, he literally only says her first name. In other words, he’s being far less impersonal. At the same time, however, you could argue that Fiona is reading too much into things. I mean, Operation Strix has been going on for how long now? It could just be a force of habit. Who goes around referring to their wife by their first and last name? Nobody. Still, I personally want to see Loid and Yor fall in love with one another for realsies, so I hope Fiona’s right.
- Shouldn’t these two get a move on? I understand lugging Wheeler around isn’t easy, especially when both agents are heavily injured. But aren’t they still in danger? Yuri’s lieutenant is still searching the sewers for them, right? Just as I type all this out in my notes, Loid then goes and says this. Welp…
- Fiona goes from possibly murdering Loid out of embarrassment to probably the happiest she’s ever been in a long while. Her voice actress is fantastic in this scene. She also steals the show whenever she’s onscreen as Aira in Dandadan. She’s also Ochaco in My Hero Academia, but I know if I had kept watching that show, I’d likely just be disappointed. All I remember is how the heroines always got shafted in terms of big fights. Maybe that’s changed, but I’m not watching a gajillion episodes just to see if Ochaco ever gets the spotlight.
- No, Fiona, this is not how princesses are carried.
- It figures that WISE’s own mole lost his life. There’s a lot of darkness in SPY x FAMILY that simply happens in the background or just plain goes unsaid. For example, I would be very surprised if Billy from Red Circus is still alive. Even if the SSS did spare him, he’s probably broken from all the torture. If nobody else remembers Billy, I will.
- Loid uses his family as an excuse to avoid going out drinking with his coworkers. I mean, his reasoning makes sense, but it makes me wonder why more family men don’t do this. I suppose they don’t care about their family as much as they should.
- How is Loid going to hide the fact that he got shot in the arm? Well, it’s the same reason why he never says anything Yor shows off her inhuman super strength. First, there’s never a reason for Yor to see him without his shirt on. Not yet, anyway. He can just wear long-sleeves for a while. And second, while he might not be able to hide his pain, Yor probably isn’t her normally super perceptive when she’s around her husband. We put our guards down around our loved ones, and Loid is no different. That’s why he never says anything about Yor. That’s why he immediately collapses once he crosses the threshold into his home. He lets his guard down again around his family, and it’s because he feels safe. He just doesn’t know that.
- Translation: he misses his home. Hell, the fact that a spy feels like he has a home at all is pretty significant.
- I’m glad Yor ends up explaining herself to Loid. She could’ve just swept it under the rug, but she actually tells him why she was trying to create a gripe. Unfortunately, this explanation only flummoxes Loid even further. Hey man, partners will sometimes just pick a fight because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It’s annoying, but it happens… a lot.
- Yor technically does have a legitimate gripe: she feels as though she hasn’t been pulling her weight. When her coworkers asked her about her marital troubles, all she could think of was the sweet omelettes she doesn’t get to enjoy. Otherwise, Loid kinda handles everything in the home, and this makes her feel inadequate. As an outsider looking in, we’re tempted to see Loid as a super dad and a super husband. But in an equal, loving relationship, nobody wants to just lounge around while their partner does all the work.
- Yeah, Loid’s ego is a little dinged up right now. Bro, you spared your wife’s brother just to keep her happy. That’s likely the only reason why you lost your duel against Wheeler. That’s not weakness. You gave yourself a handicap.
- Loid and Yor are having a moment, so of course, Yuri has to crash the party. He even immediately goes to check Loid’s arm. After all, it is pretty strange that both he and Loidy got heavily injured on the same day. Unfortunately for him, Loid has accounted for this. He’s the best at disguises, after all. Where does he keep all the plastic for his disguises, though?
- Hah, the rare SPY x FAMILY fanservice. Fans of this show will be living off this tiny crumb for years — until we get the fourth season, anyway. We will get a fourth season, right? And how ’bout another movie for good measure?
- Loid just keeps telling himself that he needs to get stronger, become even more perfect, yadda, yadda, yadda. What does it all mean? Honestly, a more boring show if it ever happens. Him losing to Wheeler for perfectly understandable reasons made this arc a whole lot more compelling than if Twilight had just been an infallible super spy from start to finish.
- Oh geez, you literally just have to keep pushing the iron back and forth so the shirt doesn’t get too hot and burn. How can any grown adult fuck this up?
- Fiona going from being “princess carried” by Loid to this slimeball must feel like one hell of a whiplash. But hearing Handler put on a super high-pitch voice is pretty amusing. Her voice is so deep as Handler, so I can’t help but wonder how the voice actress normally speaks.
- It turns out Fiona’s rivalry with Yor is paying dividends.
- For once, Handler acts like a mom, so it isn’t surprising that mom also knows all of her kids’ secrets.
- I know Yor’s bad cooking is a gag, but this is just so stupid.
- I have nothing to say about this.
- Or this.
- Hell, it just gets weirder and weirder from here.
- Since most shows have ended, I haven’t done much blogging recently. Hell, this is the first anime I’ve watched since Tuesday. The break has been nice, but it also feels strange to write again.
