Each week I get deeper into the Spy x Family fandom. With cosplayers, artists, and fanfic writers, there’s a lot more content to consume than just the manga. Fortunately, I’ve managed to avoid any major spoilers for this series. It’s been an up-and-down rollercoaster with war games on one end and playground games on the other. With two episodes left in this half of the season, I’m wondering when the Berlint war will take over.
Spy x Family 1×10 has to be the most ridiculous since Anya’s party in episode five. With rumors that Stella Stars will be handed out to the MVP of the game, all the students in Anya’s grade work hard to take the title. From intensive training to group formations, they all want to prove that they have to chops to be Imperial Scholars. The stakes are high in this game of dodgeball. In true Spy x Family fashion, there’s more to this game than we think.
KILLER LESSONS WITH MOM
There’s a rumor from a Year 7 student that the MVP of the dodgeball game will win a Stella Star. For Anya, that means redeeming herself after punching Damian and receiving a Tonitrus Bolt. For Damian, being MVP would be both for clout amongst his friends and to impress his family. So both Anya and Damian get to work planning ways they can prove themselves worthy of owning a star.
Yor takes it upon herself to teach Anya how to throw, and Loid doesn’t interfere. After Yor’s last lesson, you would think that Loid would put a stop to it. Instead, Yor takes Anya on a Rocky-style training montage that makes sure she can throw a dodgeball. While I love the mother-daughter bonding, it’s becoming obvious that Yor is more than she looks. Loid does not seem to see anything wrong with the way Yor is capable of having so much strength. Then again, there are more strong and inexplicable things in Spy x Family than Yor herself.
BIG BILL WATKINS
Damian is ready to take the title of MVP just to prove he is just as good as his older brother. If that means creating the perfect dodgeball strategy so be it. Except, the other team has a better strategy. Enter Bill Watkins, the six-year-old with the stature of a bodybuilder and the mindset of the Hulk. Bill is also here for the MVP title and based on how he plays dodgeball, he’s bound to get it. He’s got tactics that can take out more than one kid with each throw.
At first, I wondered why the housemasters decided to have an adult join the kids for this dodgeball game for six-year-olds. It just had to be an unfair advantage for Bill to get left-back this often. Once he found his dad and yelled ‘Daddy!’ in the deepest voice ever, I lost it. That moment puts you off the fact that his dad is in a secret police uniform. While Housemaster Henderson has never addressed it, the political ties to this school are strong. It appears as if the country’s conflict has infiltrated Eden College but is waiting to be revealed later on. It’ll be interesting to see Loid, Desmond, and Bill’s father meet and interact later. I’m sure that meeting with be an explosive entrance worthy of Spy x Family.
ELEGANT PROTECTION
Housemaster Henderson swears the children are going to play with elegance. He wouldn’t expect anything less from Eden College students. What he doesn’t see is the showdown between Damian, Bill, and Anya on the gym floor. Damian is using all sorts of strategies with his friends so he can outdo Bill. The only one who can strike fear in Bill’s heart is Anya. She successfully dodges when she can hear him aiming at her in his head. But when he goes to hit her with all he’s got while she’s down, Damian steps in to save her.
I thought this would be the beginning of Anya and Damian’s redemption arc. Perhaps they could put their silly feud aside and become friends. But their story is beginning in Spy x Family, so there’s no way dodgeball was going to change them. Although this game proves that if they have the same adversary, they could team up together. Something says this might be foreshadowing for Loid and Donovan Desmond considering Bill’s father was talking about leading an army.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
- I was going to hate Bill, but he made the episode for me. Spy x Family has never made me cackle like that.
- Anya will always be my real MVP, no doubt about that
- This felt very much like a “Meanwhile at Eden College” episode.
- I probably wasn’t the only one who thought Yor’s throw looked like Alice’s from Twilight – was it intentional?
- Anya looks like she’s drowning next episode and I can’t have this happen to her!