There was no better way to start a long weekend than with the Spy x Family anime. Last week we discovered that Yor’s brother Yuri just discovered that his sister is married. According to everyone else, Yor and Loid have been married for about a year. Of course, that’s just for appearances, but there’s one person who needs the in on their relationship: Yuri Briar.
[kofi]
This week’s episode had me excited to learn more about the outer Spy x Family universe besides the Forger household. As much as I had done my research to find out a bit about the East and West Berlin conflict, I was still curious to know who the enemy was in this anime. Little did we know, the enemy is closer to home than we thought. In true Spy x Family fashion, there’s yet another hidden identity in this show. Then again, when isn’t there? So, let’s dive headfirst into the next episode of Spy x Family. Got your peanuts ready for your enjoyment?
YURI BRIAR: GOOD COP OR BAD COP?
This week, we were brought back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yor’s daytime job. There are rumors amongst Yor’s coworkers that there is a spy in the building. The WISE agency also told Loid that they lost an informant to the enemy. However, both Yor and Loid are a bit preoccupied with something else. Yuri Briar, Yor’s brother, just discovered that Yor’s married, and like every protective brother, he’s got to scope her husband out.
Cut to the informant getting interrogated by the State Security Service, the secret police in Westalis. Nothing can get him to confess until the boss calls in the newly minted cop. Everyone thinks this cop is adorable, how can he possibly get someone to confess? Reveal Yuri Briar, 20 years old, eager to work, had proof that the person was a spy sharing confidential information and got a confession within seconds. He’s good at appealing to his audience and really friendly. Yuri admits that he is meeting his sister’s husband soon and he doesn’t want to be late.
I really liked that Yuri played “good cop” initially, it made sense that all the tough guys couldn’t get a confession out, but this one with a smile worked. He appealed to the spy’s nice side, mentioned he has a family he cares about and that the sooner they get this interrogation done the better. I was all Team Yuri Briar until he revealed he was hunting Agent Twilight and that he loved his sister (a little too many times.) Now he’s on my bad side. Given that he has the same voice actor as Floch Forester from Attack on Titan I was already on the fence, but now Yuri is about to become my least favorite Spy x Family character.
SO THIS IS LOVE…?
“Th-th-th-th-there’s trouble!” Yor says. Loid and Yor only have a few hours before they can appear as the perfect married couple in front of Yuri. In all honesty, they could have just shown him how they are around Anya and it would have won Yuri’s heart. Except Yor and Loid have put Anya to bed and they’re confident that they can handle Yuri on their own. This is where everything I learned from TikTok about Yuri came flooding in.
Yuri has a Sister Complex, which means he has an excessive amount of love and devotion for his sister. In a sister complex, the brother will feel as though they are the only person allowed to love and care for their sister as if they were their partner. If you need a good example, take a look at Teruhasi Makoto from the Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Makoto actually stalks his sister and makes perverted advances toward her. Luckily, Yuri isn’t perverted, but he does not trust Loid at all. In Yuri’s mind, no one will be good for Yor except him. Wait until he finds out he’s walking right into the enemy’s home.
I saw many videos about how Spy x Family fans weren’t looking forward to reliving Yuri’s sister complex. A trope like that can take someone out of what they’re watching. Trust me, it’s why I almost dropped Ouran High School Host Club a couple of episodes in. There was only so much brotherly love incest I could take before it got too weird. I hope in the future that Yuri does not let this take over his character and that he is simply just being overprotective.
A KISS TO SEAL THE MISSION
Yuri invited himself in and made it clear that he is not here to make nice with Loid, just to check in on Yor. Loid is on edge because if they let anything slip about their marriage, it could jeopardize his mission. Yor promises that she has the best excuse to explain why she didn’t tell Yuri about her marriage. She simply forgot to tell him and she’d also forgotten that she forgot to tell him. It’s a terrible excuse but Yuri loves her too much to see any fault in her answer. Loid on the other hand needs to strategize.
Yuri attempts to trip Loid up with a bottle of wine and place hints in a story about traveling that would give Loid up as a spy. However, the story’s only revealed Yuri’s real identity since Loid is familiar with his tactics. Loid knows he’s got the enemy sitting in his living room but thinks it would be good to take advantage of this relationship to get enemy intel out of Yuri. He soon discovers that neither of the Briars can hold their liquor. Yuri drinks heavily when he hears that Loid loves Yor more than a brother could. It’s that sister complex coming out a little too strong. Yes, Yor cared for Yuri when he was younger, but there’s no need to make him obsessive unless it’s for comedic purposes.
When Yor and Loid touch hands and flinch, Yuri questions it. How can a couple who have been together for a year be so jumpy? So he forces them to kiss. Loid thinks about how he’s kissed dozens of girls for missions, this is no different. Poor Yor looks like she’s stress sweating at the thought of kissing Loid. The part of me that loves romance anime wants to see the kiss happen. I’d been so concerned with Anya getting into school that I forgot that the fake marriage would be a conflict too. I’m happy that Yuri has had his anime introduction, now I’m ready to see what other trouble he can create. The creators of Spy x Family must know me too well because I will be thinking about this cliffhanger for the next week.
Is it next Saturday yet?
OVERALL THOUGHTS
- Of course, Anya only learns through her anime, it’s how I learned history through Doctor Who
- Oh, word? Yuri is the enemy and he knows about Agent Twilight??
- I wish “I forgot to tell you” worked every time…
- Yor is an assassin and yet is absolutely terrible at lying. How does that work?
- Everyone needs to keep wine away from Yor, Yuri, and me. Count me as a Briar.
- Loidy Loidy Loidy, you’re gonna make all the Spy x Family fan’s hearts burst if you keep acting like this *swoons*
