The holidays are a time about gathering with family and loved ones, something that's a lot harder to do this year, so why not read a manga that's all about found families and other heartwarming things?
Y'know, like espionage and assassins.
SPY X FAMILY, by Tatsuya Endo. First published in 2019, and first published in North America in 2020.
PLOT:
Twilight is one of the finest spies in the world, but he has his work cut out for him with his latest mission. To get close to his target, he has to infiltrate an elite academy as a family man. He happens upon an orphan to play his daughter, oblivious to her ability to read minds. He also happens upon a pretty, quiet young office worker, unaware that she sidelines as a deadly assassin. The only thing more challenging for them than hiding their secrets may be figuring out how to act like a normal family.
STORY:
Spy X Family has been the talk of my Shonen Jump-reading mutuals for over a year, and now that I've read this first volume for myself I can see why. The premise is novel, well-executed, and hits the ground running on all cylinders from the very first chapter.
Spy stories are nothing something you commonly see in manga these days, and it's rarer still to find something like this in the pages of a magazine like Weekly Shonen Jump. That's why it's remarkable that Endo strikes the perfect balance with all the espionage action. It's suitably thrilling and intense, but it never gets too extreme for its (ostensibly) young audience. It's also balanced with a lot of good, character-driven humor, although at times the school application chapters verge upon parody.
What truly brings Spy X Family together is Anya. She is an incredibly important character, serving not just as a source of comedy and cuteness, but as something of an audience stand-in thanks to her powers. She knows everyone's secrets, but she wants things to work out because she's still a little girl who wants nothing more than a family of her own. Everyone - even her - has ulterior motives, but with her help they can occasionally forge moments of genuine, unabashed contentment in the middle of this strange and paranoid world.
ART:
Endo's art is just as polished as his story. Visually, the world of Spy X Family is a grounded one. While it's clearly trading on a Cold War sort of aesthetic, the look isn't all that far removed from the real world. The character designs are equally down-to-earth, but their faces are simplified enough to allow for some great expressions, particularly where Anya is concerned. He also has a keen eye for detail, particular where fashion is concerned. The action is well laid-out in ways that not emphasizes the quick movement but also the speed and power behind their actions. It's just an impressive effort all around, and if Endo's art looks good this early on I can only imagine the artistic heights he'll reach as this series goes on.
RATING:
2020 has seen a lot of Shonen Jump's best and brightest series come to an end, but Spy X Family is proof that this streak of quality has not yet come to an end. It's refreshingly original in premise, a wonder to look at, and full of charm.
This series is published by Viz. This series is ongoing in Japan with 5 volumes available. 3 volumes have been published and are currently in print. This series is also being serialized via the Shonen Jump app.
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