The big-screen version of the popular action-comedy anime is accessible for newcomers, but its lighter tone may disappoint existing fans seeking edgier content
The popular anime and manga Spy x Family has made the transition to the big screen in Spy x Family: Code White. For those who don’t normally watch anime, the Spy x Family TV series is an excellent gateway show due to its intensely likeable and quirky characters and its darkly humorous plot that wraps murder and mayhem into the breezy pastels and cuteness of an adorable fake family. The story takes place in a fictional country with a retro, 1960s Cold War vibe. To prevent another war between the neighboring countries, a cynical super-spy (Agent Twilight) is ordered to spy on an extremely reclusive political party leader. The only way to do this is to enroll a child in the elite private school that the political leader’s children attend.
To create the perfect fake family, the spy takes on the name Loid Forger and adopts young Anya from an orphanage, but is unaware that the child is a telepath. He then meets Yor, a sweet and kind city hall clerk who needs a fake marriage to help with her own job security. Unbeknownst to Loid, his new wife Yor is secretly an assassin. Yor is authentically kind when she isn’t stabbing people to death, and she’s unaware that mild-mannered Loid is a super-spy. Only telepathic Anya knows the truth about her parents’ true identities but, thanks to her obsession with violent crime TV shows, Anya finds Loid’s and Yor’s hidden occupations to be “so cool.” She periodically comments inwardly that “Papa is a liar” (and notes that he has a pistol with a silencer) and she refers to Yor’s night job as “stabby, stabby, die, die.”
The show is filled with humorous adventures as Anya goes from being a poor, neglected orphan to navigating life at an elite private school filled with spoiled wealthy children. Because Loid and Yor are also both orphans, the show leans into a charming found-family element that is sharply contrasted with significant onscreen violence whenever Loid and Yor confront their enemies. The juxtaposition of cuteness and violence is what sets the story apart, especially with a cast of funny supporting characters, all within a fashionable 1960s décor.
Like many feature
films based on ongoing anime, Spy x Family: Code White is a self-contained
side story designed to threaten our beloved fake Forger family before returning
to the show’s regular storyline. The film does a good job of explaining the overarching
premise and the backstories of the lead characters. Viewers who
are completely new to the franchise will be able to readily follow the story. Code
White is also much less violent onscreen, and thus family-friendlier, than the anime
series. On the other
hand, fans who enjoy an edgier vibe may find this film a bit too light.
In Code
White, Anya has an upcoming school cooking project in which the winner will
potentially receive access to the school’s honors program. This will get the family closer to super-spy
Loid’s political target at the school. Loid decides to take the family on a
vacation to a region known for making the headmaster’s favorite dessert. While en
route by train, the always curious Anya accidentally ingests microfilm containing dangerous state secrets that could lead to war. The family’s idyllic
vacation and dessert quest is upended when the villains kidnap Anya, forcing
Loid and Yor to take extreme measures, using their secret skills, to rescue
their daughter.
Other than the brief opening backstory on Yor, the film is mostly bloodless. People are killed mostly offscreen with minimal splatter, and for the most part, villains are pummeled rather than outright killed. However (content warning for violence against children), there’s an overtly stated plan by the villains to kill Anya by cutting her open, and there are major fight scenes involving Yor and a dangerous cyborg assassin, as well as a scene involving Loid and poison gas. But overall, the film is much lighter than the series, and is mostly safe for kids and families. In fact, there is an extended potty humor scene that seems entirely designed for children.
Since it’s
a feature film, Code White suffers from the very limited presence of the
colorful side characters who make the TV show hilarious, including Yuri, the younger brother whom Yor raised and who worships her with
hilarious intensity even as he has his own violent hidden life as a member of
the government’s secret police. Also given very limited onscreen time is cynical
grade schooler Damian Desmond, the son of Loid’s target political leader.
Damian’s and Anya’s sharp-tongued, hate-love relationship is a funny ongoing
gag on the show. We also see very little of Franky, Loid’s lovelorn,
long-suffering bestie and secret spy equipment supplier. The Forgers’ clairvoyant
dog Bond is onscreen often in Code White, but is not as much of an active
participant as he is in the show.
But the limited time with side characters allows for more focus on the core Forger family. Cynical Loid continues to grow into the reality of his role as a real father even as he struggles with news that the family mission may be terminated by the agency. Yor experiences surprising angst when she sees Loid (seemingly) in an intimate moment with another woman. Telepath Anya absorbs the competing tension within her parents and struggles to find ways to help.
Newcomers
will find Spy x Family: Code White to be enjoyable, accessible, and (mostly)
family-friendly. Fans of the show will appreciate time with Loid, Yor, and Anya
on the big screen, but may be disappointed by the lighter tone. Still,
the film joyfully fills the gap while viewers wait for the regular anime to
resume and, if nothing else, it will leave many fans even more eager for the
next season to finally begin.
Nerd Coefficient: 7/10
Highlights
- Wild big-screen adventures of the popular anime characters
- The lighter, family-friendly tone may disappoint older fans
- Accessible for newcomers and will leave fans ready for the new season
POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.
