by “SPY x FAMILY” is the first serialized work of the manga magazine app “Shonen Jump +” that started service on September 22, 2014, and the cumulative circulation of books has exceeded 10 million.
This work has won high praise and many readers since the start of the serialization, such as winning first place in “This manga is amazing! 2020 (man edition)”. An anime version is scheduled to be broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 9, 2022, and is expected to attract more attention.
“Kimetsu no Yaiba”, “Jujutsu Kaisen”, and “Tokyo Revengers” are examples of manga/anime works that have gained explosive popularity in the last few years, and “SPY x FAMILY” is also in line with these works. In this article, I would like to consider whether it will be a work that will gain such popularity.
Home drama with a tense atmosphere
The mission assigned to the most skilled spy in the West, “Codename: Twilight,” is to explore the disturbing movements of the dignitary, “Donovan Desmond,” in the East. However, to get closer to Desmond, he needs to undercover the prestigious school his son attends, which also requires him to have his child and wife.
While searching for a member of a false family with the psychiatrist “Lloyd Forger”, Lloyd met a girl “Anya” who could read her heart. And a woman “Yoru” who acts as a hitman under “Princess Ibara”. While hiding each other’s real faces, the three begin to spend their days as a temporary family, the “Forger family”.
The chaotic home drama woven by spies, assassins, and psychics also has the condition that their identities should not be known to each other. While the tension of the three people trying not to reveal they are true faces to build a peaceful family drifts in the family, a crazy word pops out from pure Anya, and Yor, who is missing somewhere, take unpredictable behaviour.
The tense air drifting in the Forger family was destroyed as if a balloon burst and laughter spilled involuntarily. The fast-paced and repetitive exchanges of the Forgers, expressed as images, are theatrical, and you will find them addictive to the subscription service.
Modern atmosphere and cuteness of children
In addition to the comedy elements created from innovative situations, the modern atmosphere of the entire work is indispensable as the appeal of this work.
The work’s world view is created from Lloyd and Yoru’s clothes, the cityscape including the school “Eden School” where Anya attends, and the mid-century furniture drawn with the characters on the cover of the comics. The collaboration between French fashion brands “Dior” and “SPY x FAMILY” can be cited as an event that symbolizes the modern atmosphere of this work.
And her struggle to run idle, she seems to be conscious of the opposite sex but can’t be honest, and she wants to be recognized by her father. The cuteness of clumsy and innocent children, including Anya, will catch the hearts of many.
The BGM directs the atmosphere of the work in the play created by “(K) NoW_NAME”, who was in charge of the music production of the animation “Dorohedoro”. The cute children are Mr Kazuaki Shimada, who worked on “The Promised Neverland”. The animation “Attack on Titan” Is expressed by the animation in which both of Mr Kyoji Asano, who worked on the movie, is the general animation directors. The modern atmosphere reflected as animation and the cuteness of children are expected to attract a broader range of fans.
Elements to become a “topic work” that was glimpsed in PV.
In addition to the addictive comedy elements, the modern atmosphere of the whole work, and the cuteness of the children, the action scene is woven by the spy Lloyd and the killer Yoru is probably a factor that readers support as a shounen manga.
The PV released before the start of the anime broadcast depicts a scene where Lloyd and Yor fight, which shows the high quality.
“Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Tokyo Revengers” were also expressed as anime works with great action scenes and captivated many viewers. Along with the entertaining episodes you will want to watch repeatedly and the points that capture the hearts of a wide range of people, the high quality of the action scenes should be a necessary piece for anime works that create a big topic.
It has been seen that anime works have caused a social phenomenon in recent years, including “Kimetsu no Yaiba”, which started broadcasting on TV in 2020. What kind of topic will this work, which attracted attention even before animated, create in 2022? We look forward to shining a bigger spotlight on the three people who act in secret.
