The Observation Deck: Spy x Family Season 2
Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations
Spy x Family’s anime debut back in 2022, despite not feeling that recent, was met with near-universal praise. The show has a fairly simple conceit: a spy, an assassin, and a telepath all looking to hide their identity lest they be outed and potentially killed. This new family lives together, maintaining the veneer of a comfortable, nuclear family while carrying out their lives individually.
The series has a basic starting point, sure, but it ends up in a much more interesting place than just its base parts would imply. Loid, though not much of a father or husband, grows attached to Anya and Yor. Yor, worried about being tracked down by the secret police and quite fond of Anya, agrees to live with the two of them to keep up appearances. Anya…well, honestly she’s just kinda along for the ride. She uses her telepathy to get adopted but keeps her powers to herself, primarily to help Loid and Yor in their missions.
Season two largely builds on the concepts of season one, all while getting through one of the series’ next major arcs. Spoiler alert: the show is fantastic, but chances are the type of people who read this blog don’t need me to say that. There were a few things related to season one that left a bit to be desired, primarily a lack of development on Yor’s part. However, this season largely clears that up. As such, this post will be primarily talking about those improvements and where I hope to see Spy x Family go next.
Yor Forger: Feared Assassin? Mother?
The second season’s major arc focuses on Yor who, after being out of work for a while, takes a job protecting the wife of a former mafia leader who was betrayed and killed. Said wife is revealed to be the target of an unknown number of other assassins However, Anya just so happens to win a raffle for a luxury cruise, the same one Yor is taking her client on as a rendezvous. As such, she spends this mission both protecting the mafia wife and her child while also making sure to keep Loid and Anya at arm’s length.
There are a lot of great things about this particular arc worth getting into: the comedy of trying to see Loid have fun, Anya’s ridicule thereof, and even the action sequences that come from battling assassins. What ended up being the most interesting, however, was the metaphorical cracks in Yor’s emotional armor.
Yor spends her time on the cruise coming to a lot of realizations about what it means to have a family, and also why she became an assassin in the first place. A big part of this is displayed in her interactions with Olka, the mafia leader’s wife, and her son Gram, as well as flashbacks to her time with Yuri when they were younger. The scene where Olka asks, rather assumingly, that Yor’s family is covering for her assassin gig brings her pause, a lot more pause than one might expect.
In scenes where she had previously been on a job, her face was that of a cold killer. No emotions, no distractions, at least not until the job was done. Yor’s time aboard the cruise ship is the first where that concentration seems to break, the first where her relationship with Loid and Anya gets called into question. The facade she’s been putting up until this point seems more real than ever, not just due to their physical closeness, but their emotional closeness as well.
All of this, the job, Anya and Loid’s presence, and her interactions with Olka and Gram, bring up a lot of memories. Without the presence of their parents, Yor is forced to raise Yuri on her own. What’s a teen in a wartorn country to do to try and get by? Kill people, of course. She does what she has to, anyway. Now, though, she doesn’t have to kill people. The light at the end of the tunnel is there, she could just work at city hall. These reflections are truly heartfelt, and they leave her in a place of uncertainty.
One might call this a reflection on motherhood, but that would imply Yor is the only one feeling these things. Between bits of comedic relief and his own efforts and save everyone on the ship, Loid also ponders their current family dynamic. Though maybe not to the same degree as Yor, there is hesitation in calling his relationship with her and Anya a “mission,” as if there aren’t real bonds there. His care for them, as much as it has been facilitated by Operation Strix, feels increasingly genuine as the show goes on.
“Borf,” He Said, Proudly.
There is a nice bit of contrast between the season’s major arc and its themes of uncertainty and the final episode, which deals with the definite reality doled out by Bond’s visions. Episode 37 sees Loid take the family dog out for some training, only for Frankie to point out that Loid might be a bit harsh on Bond. As such, the two go for a walk.
Despite Loid’s increasing irritation at what seems like weird behavior for Bond, the dog continues to pursue visions in which people are in varying levels of trouble, from a kid losing his ice cream to another dog being trapped in a burning building. Loid, confused, primarily just follows (dragged around might be a better way of putting it though).
It is within this episode, as the name suggests, that Loid comes to understand Bond not just as the product of experiments but as a member of this new family. Not only does he rescue a puppy from a burning building, but manages to catch the arsonist responsible. Bond uses the training that Loid gave him, and in turn, makes Loid realize that he is responsive and understanding.
Becky and…Uh, Marriage?
Of course, not everything in this season sticks the landing and a few episodes of an anime have made me actually cringe as hard as the second to last episode of season two. Considering Becky’s bit only takes up about half the episode, maybe it’s even more impressive tbh. Becky, Anya’s friend from the academy, decides to swing by one weekend. Not to hang out with Anya, mind you, but to…flirt with…Loid.
Look, this kind of “joke” was a lot more easily forgiven when it was interlaced with other episodes, especially since it was only ever limited to one or two lines. Still bad, but a lot easier to ignore. However, when the entire focus is on the fact that this seven to eight-year-old wants to actually marry a grown adult to the point of having very detailed daydreams inspired by soap operas, it gets uncomfortable.
What’s worse is that, nothing about the narrative ever implies that this is bad or weird beyond Loid’s own uncomfortability with the situation, which is itself played off for more laughs. It is a very strange blemish to add on a near-perfect record and honestly falls completely flat when it comes to humor. One could argue that it was not meant to be taken perversely and that kids having deep connections to adults is perfectly normal. It just doesn’t come off that way at all.
Conclusion
Aside from the previously mentioned strange diversion, season two was by far and away a big success. Though Operation Strix as the major plotline kinda took a back seat, it created room for these characters everyone already knows and loves to shine brighter than ever. Spy x Family continues to be an incredible series that basically anyone could get into.
How did y’all feel about Spy x Family’s sequel? Let me know in the comments.
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Originally published at http://animatedobservations.com on May 19, 2024.
