‘Spy x Family’ 1×03 Review: “Prepare for the Interview”

With each new episode of Spy x Family, it’s becoming harder and harder to complete my mission of avoiding the manga entirely. Spending the last week on TikTok was pure agony because my For You Page was flooded with manga volumes, fanart, and characters I have yet to meet. Just avoiding the #spyxfamily tag has become a new sport. It’s hard because Loid Forger is anime’s newest thirst trap and fans on social media need to touch some grass. At least there’s one thing manga readers and anime-only watchers can agree on and it’s that everyone wants to adopt Anya for being so cute.

For an anime that’s got violence at the center of its core, you’d never think to describe it as wholesome, but with this family, each episode makes you feel warm inside. So, like Anya, grab a cup of hot cocoa and catch on our latest review of Spy x Family 1×03, “Prepare for the Interview.

‘I’VE BEEN A SPY FOR A DECADE’

Spy x Family (Property of WIT Studio/CloverWorks & Tatsuya Endo)

Finally, this anime’s got mom, dad, and daughter, together. This episode starts with Loid and Anya welcoming the newly minted Yor Forger as the matriarch of the family. Anya’s so eager to show Yor around and make her feel comfortable. Like the eager six-year-old she is, Anya tells Yor that she helped with the cooking and cleaning… even if she just spilled a mop bucket and sneezed in the dry mix. Let’s just say this “family” hasn’t found their groove yet.

Loid thinks they can just jump right into it and prepare for the family interview at Eden College. But Anya functions with one brain cell working at all times and Yor’s always got killing on her mind. If this show has proven one thing, it’s that it’s trying to tear down Loid’s perfectionist attitude. He thinks to himself, “I’ve been a spy for over a decade. I’ve completed countless missions and I feel myself losing heart.” Loid doesn’t have faith that he is going to be successful because he has to rely on someone else.

If the first two episodes were about Anya and Yor, then this is Loid’s episode We know his mission is the focus of Spy x Family, but the larger narrative has to be about tearing down Loid’s walls so he can act like a civilian. Well, an upper-class civilian for appearances, but Anya and Yor aren’t there yet. So, what better to do than be amongst the upper class?

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES WITH THE FORGERS

Forget “Live Laugh Love,” “Fake it till you make it” needs to be this family’s motto. Loid has the bright idea to take Yor and Anya on an outing. The elite families who attend Anya’s new school are all about tradition and keeping their status. If we learned anything from shows like Bridgerton, status is everything.

Loid plans the whole day, first they go to the opera, then they go to museums, then they have a nice family meal at a decent restaurant. If the elite can do activities like this on a daily basis, why can’t they? That is until Anya starts yelling about boobies in the museum. Yor still can’t help but admire her dinner knife a little too much. Someone get this woman away from sharp objects, please.

Spy x Family 1×03 shows us how dysfunctional this fake family can be. Loid, Anya, and Yor are all attempting to keep up appearances in the worst way possible. This anime does a great job of showing that the roles of mother, father, and daughter are their actual secret identities. But, how are they meant to function as a unit if neither of them can tell each other the truth? What if their extracurricular activities are the reason why they work so well together?

SPRINGING INTO ACTION

When an old woman is mugged in front of them, Loid’s first instinct is to hide and blame the old woman for not being careful, but Yor can’t hold back her impulses. She springs into action to protect the old woman, but the thief gets away before she can find him. It’s like Yor sets off a lightbulb in Loid because he wants to catch the thief for her. When they both lose the mugger, Anya tracks down his thoughts and tells Loid where he is. Then like the superhero he is, Loid flies out and catches the mugger red-handed. If there’s one thing Loid Forger is going to be known for, it’ll be making epic endings to every Spy x Family episode.

He’s a man who is always hiding in the shadows, and has never been thanked for his hard work before… that is until an old woman aggressively shakes his hand. Loid gets excited just to be thanked and recognized. He thanks Yor for springing into action and giving him the motivation he needs to complete the mission. Yes, as they blushed, my heart warmed. Loid’s starting to break out of his shell!

While I’m here for the action and suspense, this series might end up having my favorite romance if Yor and Loid get any closer. When Anya points out that they’re flirting with each other, they get too flustered to admit the truth. Obviously, they can’t trick their telepathic daughter into thinking they don’t find each other attractive. The rest of us do anyway, so just admit it.

CLOSING OUT

Spy x Family 1×03 finally gave us a fully animated closing, making ‘Comedy’ by Gen Hoshino one of my new favorite songs. This outro does what the show does best and puts Anya at the forefront, showing us how she’s viewing the world around her. She idolizes her own personal spy and assassin, will encounter strange characters at her new school, and above all, is excited to finally have a family. For now, it’s all in Anya’s dreamland, but we all know she’s going to get all she wants and more. If she doesn’t, I have a feeling the anime community might riot.

Stay tuned for next week on Spy x Family!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Anya’s reaction to Yor’s thoughts about killing have me dying every time.
The fact that Loid can bake delicious cookies for the first time straight from a recipe book is somehow hot… and a sign that my standards are on the floor.
The way Yor looks at the guillotine and the dinner knife is the same way I look at the manga section of the bookstore.
Loid looks like he’s going to punch the interviewer in the next episode, yes please, defend your daughter!
Dear Lord, give me restraint until the next episode – MUST RESIST READING