Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 13 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 13 story and art by Tatsuya Endo

Twilight, aka Loid Forger, is in the middle of a tough fight in enemy territory to protect secrets for his side of the cold war between Ostania and Westalis. Fellow spy Nightfall (who has the hots for Twilight but it is not reciprocated) is there to help out and she goes overboard in the fight, severely injuring herself to save Twilight. They manage to get away with an enemy spy in tow, though Twilight has left Yuri Briar a pummeled mess. The complication--Yuri is the brother of Yor, the woman pretending to be Loid's wife. A further complication from the last issue, her office mates told her every marriage has quarreling in it so she been trying to come up with reasons to fight with Loid. That issue gets resolved while Loid and Yuri have a cat-and-mouse game of Yuri discovering Loid's secret identity. Meanwhile, daughter Anya is trying to get in good with the target at her prestigious school, and trying to study hard to pass exams coming soon. Good thing an ex-college professor has moved in next door!

This is another entertaining run through the lives of the Forger family and the wild antics that surround them. I really enjoy this series and so do my kids.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Spy x Family Code: White (2023)

Spy x Family Code: White (2023) directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and Takashi Katagiri

Based on the hit manga series and the hit anime series, this film presents a stand-alone story in the lives of the Forger family. Loid Forger is a super-spy for fictional country Westalis. He is on Operation Strix, trying to gain the trust of Donovan Desmond. His main approach is through Desmond's young son Damian who is at a prestigious school. To infiltrate the school, he poses as a family man, making a deal Yor Briar to pretend to be his wife (though she is really the elite assassin "Thorn Princess"). They adopt Anya from an orphanage to be a student at the school (though she has telepathic abilities and can read minds). They also have a dog named Bond (though he is a former military test animal who can see the future, which only works in the story since Anya can telepathically read his visions of what will happen). 

Anya's school is running a dessert-making contest that will be judged by the school's director. Loid knows from his files that the director's favorite dessert is an old-fashioned dish served in a northern region of the country. The family travels north to sample it and get ideas so Anya can practice cooking it before the big day at school. As happens to this family, a whole other spy mission springs up causing mayhem, excitement, danger, and comedy. A lot of events are very improbable, but the whole basis is extremely improbable. The story is fun and the characters are endearing. If you've liked either of the series, this is more of the same entertaining storytelling.

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 12 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 12 by Tatsuya Endo

Anya is over the moon about getting a Stella Star at her school. She has become a celebrity among the children for foiling the kidnapping plot in the last issue. With her telepathic abilities, she knew the terrorists were not serious about harming anyone and so she doesn't have any trauma from the situation, unlike everyone else. While she is fueling her ego, Yor tries to shore up her "normal" status among her co-workers by going out drinking and complaining about husbands. She's not very good at it which provides some comedy. This issue ends with the discovery of a mole who may blow Loid's cover.

It's another exciting issue of Spy x Family with comedy and drama galore.

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy X Family Vol. 11 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy X Family Volume 11 by Tatsuya Endo

Anya's class is supposed to go on a field trip but the situation takes a frightening turn. Terrorists take over the two school busses. The baddies are from the organization Red Circus and want some of their compatriots freed from jail. To prove how serious they are, they strap a bomb around Anya's neck. With Anya's mind-reading ability, she discovers that the bomb is a fake meant to scare the kids into submission. Her bus gets cornered by the local police, leading to a hostage stand-off.

This issue had more drama than comedy, though plenty of comedic moments pop up. Loid and Yor have only very minor roles in the story, this is Anya's opportunity to shine. Can she defuse the situation and make progress on befriending Damian Desmond? The story is fun and exciting, leaving me wanting more (though the situation is resolved by the end of this book).

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 10 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 10 by Tatsuya Endo

The series continues with some random yet related stories. The first tale gives some background on Loid, the "father" of the Forger family and the spy for his country. His life as a child reveals that he had some simplistic and unrealistic ideas. He plays "war" with his friends with the sides being Westalis and Ostalis. He learned more about the complicated nature of war as a real war breaks out. The story comes back to the present with a tale about an Ostalis opera star who wants to visit Westalis on a good-will tour. A lot of controversy springs up about him in his home country, or is that just the warmongers trying to scuttle any detente? Oddly, none of the Forgers are in this story. Loid's handler is the main character. In the final tale, Yor has a run-in with a woman at a department store. The woman invites Yor to join her wives' club that plays volleyball and hangs out. Yor's athletic abilities are so combat related that she isn't that good at volleyball but they have a fun time anyway. Yor finds out that the woman is Melinda Desmond, wife of the man that Loid has been trying to get close to. Loid wonders if the situation is some sort of trap but decides to let things play out as a backup to original plan. Their "daughter" Anya is trying to befriend the Desmond's son at an elite school. Anya is making slow progress on that front, though she has a short comedic time with the school's headmaster.

This volume is a bit more serious than the previous ones, especially the first two stories. The tone shifts back to the comic spy tale by the end, which seems like it will stay that way. I don't mind a little seriousness, but the change was very noticeable and far outside the typically whimsical nature of the series. 

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 9 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 9 story and art by Tatsuya Endo

The Forger family's adventure on the cruise ship finally ends, happily of course. They have a little vacation comedy at an island resort before it's back to the spy business. Returning to the city, Anya is back at school trying to get chummy with Damian, the son of Loid Forger's target--Donovan Desmond, head of the National Unity Party for Ostania. There are a lot of random adventures with minor characters like their dog Bond and the spy-gadget provider Franky. This volume ends with drama back at Eden Academy as Anya makes a little bit of a connection to Damian, which also jeopardizes her academic stance at the school.

This is another fun, light volume of action and comedy.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Spy X Family Vols. 7 and 8 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 7 by Tatsuya Endo

This volume is a bunch of one-off missions and activities by the various characters. The stories get some chuckles but otherwise don't advance the overall plot. The final story has a mild cliffhanger as the family boards a cruise ship. Yor is there in her role as the assassin Thorn Princess though she's be hired to protect some defectors. Anya pulled a raffle ticket that won two tickets on the same ship on the same day. Loid's handler thinks he needs some rest so she's authorized them to join Yor. They are just getting on board as the volume ends.

Mildly recommended--this reads like filler before the regular story picks up again--entertaining but inconsequential.

Spy x Family Volume 8 by Tatsuya Endo

On the cruise, Loid has a hard time relaxing and taking care of Anya. Anya knows that her mom is defending some people and wants to help out without letting her dad know. Hijinks ensue. Yor has a lot of action and excitement keeping the fleeing family safe. They are about to rendezvous with another ship that will take the family to another country. But there's a gauntlet of goons to get through before anyone can be safe.

The story is fun and action-packed. Yor gets a little philosophical about why she is doing her secret job, which gave the story a little more depth than usual.

Recommended--this filler story is becoming more interesting and it is not finished! Too bad the next volume doesn't come out till March 2023!

Book Review: Spy x Family Vols. 5 and 6 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 5 by Tatsuya Endo

With their new pet dog who can see the future (but only Anya knows), the Forger family gets back to work on Anya's progress at Eden Academy. Anya has midterms. Any failing grades will put her closer to getting kicked out of school. If she scores in the top two she'll get Stella Stars, putting her closer to the real target. Twilight plans to break in and change the grades. Too bad another spy with another agenda is also breaking in to change some grades. If that wasn't enough trouble, Twilight gets a new side mission with a temporary partner, codenamed Nightfall. She wants to be his permanent partner, as in she wants to be Twilight's wife, which will mean trouble for Yor who is posing as Twilight's wife for her own reasons.

This is another solid issue of entertainment. Nothing earth-shattering is going on but it is a lot of fun.

Recommended.

Spy x Family Volume 6 by Tatsuya Endo

Twilight and his work partner Nightfall infiltrate an underground tennis tournament run by a rich man who has a work of art with a secret code that could start a war. Since the tournament is run by a questionable element of society, the rules are questionable. One pair of opponents are pumped up on steroids, others have special gadgets like rocket-powered rackets. The competition is delightfully over the top with physical comedy. Nightfall's romantic obsession with Twilight adds some extra jokes. Once that's done, it's back to infiltrating Eden Academy in hopes of finding out more about Twilight's main target, political figure Desmond Donovan.

Yet more fun and games. This series is perfect light summer entertainment.

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vols. 3 and 4 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 3 by Tatsuya Endo

The visit of Yor's younger brother gets resolved pretty quickly if not entirely satisfactorily. The family moves back to the regular challenge--getting six-year old Anya to excel at school. She has no interests other than watching her spy cartoon, so it's hard to motivate her. She does not have a lot of skills either, other than the mind-reading. When her class is part of a dodgeball tournament, her lone skill comes in handy since she can dodge shots knowing where they are supposed to go. She tries out some public service to mixed results. She's not good at cleaning up but she can telepathically hear someone drowning, so she gets a school star for saving a life. And what's the reward she wants from her family? A pet!

This had plenty of laugh out loud moments. The violence has been toned down since the last volume, so that's good. The bonus content at the end has dad and mom going on a date with a lot of comedy thrown in.

Recommended.

Spy x Family Volume 4 by Tatsuya Endo

As a reward for achieving her first Stella Star at school, Anya has chosen to get a puppy. The choice isn't so popular with Loid and Yor. Loid takes them to a dog kennel that's a front for his spy operation but all the dogs are too aggressive or ugly (they are "retired" from spy work!). As they go to a big pet adoption fair, Loid is drawn off to work against an assassination attempt. Thankfully, Yor is not involved. The assassins plan to use dogs with bombs attached to kill their target, so readers know that Anya will get crossed up in the situation.

The story has some nice surprises and action along with the typical goofy humor of the series.

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vols. 1 and 2 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 1 by Tatsuya Endo

Superspy Twilight has a new assignment. He has to infiltrate a prestigious school and become close with a reclusive parent who works for a political party. For this assignment, Twilight needs two things he doesn't have: a child and a wife. He goes to a shady orphanage (which won't have good records on the kids, so easy to fake his fatherhood in the paperwork). The administrator lets him take the smartest kid they have, a six-year old girl named Anya. The girl is also the most troublesome orphan for an unusual and unknown (to the adults) reason: she's a telepath. As Twilight and Anya are shopping for fancier clothes, they run into Yor, a young lady who is getting a dress fixed because her office co-workers invited her to a party. She has a problem in that she said she'd bring a boyfriend but she has none for an unusual and unknown (to her co-workers) reason: she's an assassin. Yor almost asks Twilight to go until she sees his "daughter." She's worried about a vengeful wife, so Anya (who can read her concern) fakes that her mom is dead. Twilight agrees to go out with the co-workers as long as Yor helps with a family interview during the posh school admission process. Yor thinks having a family will be a good cover with her co-workers and for her assassin job so she agrees. They live in the same apartment with separate bedrooms. They also spend a little time together as a family to prep for the interview. When they finally get to the school, they have to run the toughest gauntlet ever--the watchful eyes and the intrusive questions of the stuffy, upper-crust faculty.

With such a ridiculous and over-the-top plot, the book is naturally a comedy. The story is light and fun with the occasional burst of violence (because of the spies and assassins). Nothing is too graphic. The tension from each character hiding their secret sets up a lot of fun situations. Their secret skills suit each other very well, even if they don't know it.

Recommended for some escapist fun.

Spy x Family Volume 2 by Tatsuya Endo

The pseudo-family's adventures continue as Anya squeaks her way into Eden Academy. The life of a student there is no paradise--Anya is bullied almost immediately by, of all people, the one boy that Twilight wants her to befriend, Damien the son of Donovan Desmond (leader of a political party). Anya has had some self-defense lessons from her pseudo-mom Yor, who has plenty of assassin skills to pass on to her new daughter. Trouble is brewing too, since Yor's brother finds out about the "marriage" and wants to come celebrate with the new family.

The book has some action but the focus is still on the humor. I like the twist of the "school drama" where it's six-year olds and not the usual high school crowd. The violence is a little more graphic here, so it's not suitable for six-year olds! Otherwise this is another entertaining issue.

Recommended.