Last winter’s trip to Japan gave me the opportunity to see Spy x Family Code: White, the first Spy x Family movie. As a fan who has followed both the manga and anime, I was curious to see how they would approach their theatrical release. I sat down with my buttered potato-topped hot dog and sour cream and onion popcorn, ready to find out.
Spy x Family is the story of Twilight, an unparalleled spy master whose latest mission is to create a fake family so he can get close to a former prime minister, all with the aim of stopping a Another war broke out. To achieve this goal, he marries an office worker named Yor and adopts a girl named Anya. Unbeknownst to him, Yor is actually one of the deadliest assassins alive. And while neither husband nor wife knows the truth about the other, Anya certainly knows because she’s actually a psychic. However, despite all the secrets, the three still manage to form a family that on the surface makes everyone jealous, but increasingly seems motivated by genuine love and affection.
The recent trend with some Jump series (such as Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen) has been to adapt a major arc or plot point into a series, and I wonder if Spy x Family will do the same. However, it turns out that the manufacturers followed a different tactic. Instead of looking for something classic, they created an original story. It’s a popular choice for major franchises, e.g. One Piece, Precure, Doremon, Detective Conan.
In fact, Code: White is almost a Detective Conan movie with less mystery and more action. The story is fine, but spectacle is the name of the game: beautifully animated chase and fight scenes, a story that takes the trio to ridiculous locations (which is fun), wild stunts wild and many explosions. The actual plot developments pushed the limits of what was possible to keep Twilight and Yor from being suspicious of each other and would not have been possible if the film had not been independent. But as things stand, the makers are allowed to make ham and they have enough for ten Christmas dinners. It’s a short but sweet popcorn movie.
I think the fact that Spy x Family Code: White is an unofficial film says a lot about how the series is viewed in Japan. It’s basically a pop culture hit, almost on par with cult hits. That was evident even in the discounts on all merchandise available in other major chains and stores to promote the film. One time, I stopped at a stationery store that only sold five comic books, and one of those titles happened to be Spy x Family.
It doesn’t look like the hype will die down anytime soon.
