The second season of SPY×FAMILY.
The Forger family will face a new familial mission as Yor heads on a cruise ship expedition!
(Source: Crunchyroll News)
Hot take: This show became uhhh pretty mid and boring, not gonna lie. Why? Well, let me present you with a hypothetical. You get offered cake, alright? And at first you accept it, and it's good, and then you get offered more cake, and it's fine, then you get offered more, and at that point, you get sick of it, but that's what you only get offered. Spy x Family Season 2 is basically that. An overabundance of one thing and not really much else. Granted, for what it does, it does really well. I think the slice of life moments are well executed, displaying the characters in entertaining moments, and it really helps you show that Family feel of the show. And the sound, visual, and animation department is top notch as always, and it's never going to be an object of criticism for me because from the start it's proven to be really great But...that's basically the only thing that's in abundance. While most people deem it fine with the show just being a montage of the Forger family engaging in shenanigans, or the other side characters going about the stuff, to me personally it feels like the story has taken a back seat for the sake of filler or episodic structures where it's just characters placed in different situations without so much as a process of development or changes in the current situation in the plot. Yes, I know Yor's arc on the boat was technically Yor getting development, but to me it feels lacking because for one, it still suffers from the issues I mentioned, feeling like filler, not adding anything to the story, and the development itself feels lacking, like there's no inherent change beyond just motivational changes. Yes, it is well animated action, but the action itself doesn't feel emotionally engaging, because the show has shown time and time again, either for the sake of a gag or just a display of coolness, how strong Yor is. While she did struggle, I never thought for a second she would lose because I knew for one reason or another that she would win, how else would the status quo of the Forger family be maintained after all, if by the end of the fight, Yor doesn't return to her family with them being none the wiser to her job? And that realization I feel displays the writing limitations of the show. The Forger family has to keep their double lives a secret, so no matter what situation befalls on them, they'll go back to being this happy family that doesn't seem suspicious of their own lives, otherwise, there'll be a change in the dynamic, and they'll not be able to do this happy, slice of life fluff the show is known for. But having an overabundance of said SOL fluff leads to stagnancy, an element that's already shown given the lack of progression to Operation Strix, Loid's reason for starting a family in the first place. You can have the fluff, that's not my issue, but you need to have some progression, otherwise you'll tire out people from the lack of progress. Perhaps it'll change with the upcoming movie, but as the second season stands in a vacuum, the show fails to pick up where the first season left off properly, opting to just settle with letting the characters just go through the motions of a narrative without much change in the status quo. It's been often said, but mostly ignored, that the mangaka/writer of the show doesn't really enjoy or like Spy x Family. That he deemed it as rehab work, or a side project that he would not commit much work into. And I gotta say, with how the second season went about, it shows. Which makes this all the more depressing when his rehab work basically became his most famous IP thus far, as opposed to his previous works. After all, if you're probably not having any fun with your work, it's gonna show, and others probably won't have any fun going through it. Also Yor is overrated. That's it.
Spy x Family was once hailed as one of MAL's top-rated shows for a brief period, even managing to secure a spot within the top 20 rankings after just one episode of its first season. Nevertheless, about a year later, it appears that everyone doesn't care as much as they used to with the current season failing to breach the top 300. Let me elaborate on the possible reason behind this shift in interest. Spy x Family consists of mainly multiple disconnected short stories that span between half an episode to two episodes which focus on different characters from a wide variety of cast members. Sometimes those stories include a simple but meaningful message for you to take from and deal with some dark subject matter, however, most of these stories have little to no impact on the overarching narrative of the series. With an overabundance of these disconnected short stories, the main plot becomes sidelined for extended periods, to the extent that you can sometimes forget there was a goal in the first place. This can be seen in this season especially with the main goal of getting closer to Donovan Desmond, not progressing in any sort of way. Even the goal of Anya getting 8 golden stars has been sidelined to the point where the characters even joke about how she hasn’t been getting any. As of this season, it’s become quite clear that the way the author has structured the story seems to facilitate its perpetual continuation, something often seen in comedy anime (Gintama, Saiki K). However, when the central theme is as serious as preventing a war, the copious amounts of random slice-of-life comedy episodes leaves viewers pondering when the narrative will truly advance. Overall, the majority of Spy x Family Season 2's runtime is dominated by disconnected short stories, often lacking in references or connections to the overarching narrative, creating an impression that you're just watching filler. Even the boat arc in the middle felt like a detour as, aside from some character development for Yor which we are yet to see the full outcome of, nothing that happened there really mattered in the grand scheme of things. While episodic shows can be enjoyable, introducing an important end goal without offering any meaningful narrative payoff for an entire season can be a drawback. The show's popularity and praise has seemed to be going down as a result of the show pretty much devolving into a Saturday morning cartoon with violent action. While it may serve as a good casual time-waster if you enjoy the comedy, don't expect any plot advancements in this season. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ __Final Scorings Animation: 7/10__ Artstyle + 2 (Unique) Consistency + 2 (Consistent) Backgrounds + 1 (Standard) Sakuga + 1 (Good fight animations) Directing + 1 (Standard) __Sound: 7/10__ Voice acting + 1 (Standard) Soundtrack + 2 (Cool spy music) Sound effects + 1 (Standard) OP/ED + 2 (Catchy) Purposefulness + 1 (Standard) __Story: 3/10__ Premise/Setting + 1 (Spy battles) Pacing + 1 (Episodic) Plausibility + 0 (None) Themes + 1 (Basic) Conclusion + 0 (Inconclusive) __Characters: 6/10__ Personality/Presence + 1 (Basic/Captivating) Motivations + 0 (Sidelined) Interpersonal Dynamics + 2 (Quirky) Development + 1 (Some) Appeal + 2 (Charming) __Enjoyment: 4/10 __(Episode 11 had the most laughs, the rest were were mostly a mediocre) Overall: 5.4/10
~~~First off, I wanna say a huge __thank you__ for animating Spy x Family further. I cherish these characters a lot - especially Loid, Yor, Anya and Bond. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) I love how Loid learns to take care of a family as a part of Operation Strix - which seemed impossible at the start, in Season 1, if I recall correctly. ✧˚ ʚɞ˚ ༘✿ ♡ ⋆｡˚ Yor who can't specifically cook main course dishes and Loid who compensates for it & doesn't complain about it (unlike some men out here in the world). ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა He willingly takes the role to cook, doesn't point out that such a thing should be done by a "woman" / specify any gender role, evens helps in the general house work, plans dates with Yor (to spend time together while ensuring that he isn't neglecting her or the family) and grows to understand Anya's POV (Point Of View). ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Anya, even if she is telepathic, I love how she has to plan out when she needs to help Yor out at the cruise episode without directly showing off that she wanted to help to her dad (Loid), distracting him and also not blowing Yor's cover. Also helping her in the fight scene hehe I wholeheartedly loved Bond's episode (Ep 12). I hold it close to my heart. Some people happen to neglect their pets due to their work schedule and life getting in the way, which is natural. Even then Loid made time for Bond. He originally intended to train Bond but his informant advised him of how Loid should emotionally understand Bond as well, an area in which Loid lacks. ૮₍ • ᴥ • ₎ა I'm also gonna mention other characters :- Damian - __heads up for spoilers that wasn't seen in the anime__ - I was stunned to see how not-so-good looking the brother of Damian was (laugh). Truthfully, I feel like Damian is a genuine character and the way he simps for Anya but doesn't show it - it made way for artists on different platforms to show their cute romantic moments (through their art). (´｡• ◡ •｡`) ♡ Nightfall was an unexpected character, I was honestly surprised when she _(like Becky, ehm)_ had feelings for Loid. I definitely have to read the manga to get the full context of this. Thank you so much for every episode, I thoroughly enjoyed the second season of this anime. ε(´｡•᎑•`)っ ? I didn't expect a Season 2 of Spy x Family at all so this means a lot to me! Cheers to the staff and everyone who worked behind the scenes for this!! ^^ I absolutely loved the ending episode, "Part of the Family" definitely touched my heart. I'm a working student hence I didn't have the time to complete watching the anime when it was released but I am glad I did sit and watch this in between, wherever I was free from the hectic schedule. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) I would definitely rewatch this anime _(and this is coming from someone who doesn't rewatch stuff at any cost)_. I hope I get the time to buy and read the manga some day in the near future... ꒰ •⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝• ꒱ If you're planning to watch and read this review till here, definitely go for it, trust me. ? •̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ *̩̩͙❆
#__Season 2 was great!__ Well,__ here it is folks__. Grab your pitchforks, grab your family, grab your fluffy dog and telepathic daughter, and come for me. _I'm ready_. Jokes aside, I see a lot of hate in season 2 and don't understand why. Well, maybe I do. Many people probably came into this show for its wholesomeness. It's a family-friendly show after all. Sure, murdering and shooting people isn't exactly something a child should watch, but violence isn't its selling point and I don't think it drew people into it because of it. Season 2 decided to switch things up and go just for that: _violence_. Now of course, this isn't like "shounen-level" kind of violence, but toned down to keep the show kindaaaaaaaa family friendly. The show basically focuses less on the family aspect and more on Loid's/Yor's actual professions, both showing how highly skilled they are at their jobs. Anya is kinda having fun in the background while trying to protect both of them from finding out. Now, as someone who's not into slice of life/comedies/easy-going shows, I almost wanted to skip this season. It's a great anime, just not my cup of tea. Well, watching Spy X Family dive deeper both on the "parents" and family values (near the end of the season), made me absolutely love this season. There's a lot of fighting and less focus on the family itself, which for me, it's a good thing. The bad thing about this season it's that it feels like a side quest. Like, the plot doesn't progress. This is more like a character development season and focuses on Yor. But do we care about Anya getting good grades in school? Do we care about Loid being successful in his "Strix" operation? I don't know about you, but I don't. I care for the family getting together, being happy, and enjoying themselves. I do hope the best for them (being fictional characters and all), but to me, the real goal is creating a happy life, not completing the mission. If you were into it because you thought the show was wholesome and you weren't interested in Yor acting as an assassin, then yeah, this season will disappoint you. The end of the season focuses a whole lot more on the family aspect but if you don't watch the first 9 episodes, you'll never get there. Just something to note. There are a lot of gimmicks (like Yor switching up from a cold-blooded killer to a childish personality in seconds) I don't like about the show but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I would recommend the season to everyone looking for a fun time and Yor beating the sh*t out of everyone. P.S. To the guy who said Yor is overrated, I agree. But the people who actually overrate it are mfs who are thirsty for 2D animated girls. Please stop. Kthx.
আগের সিজনগুলো থেকে গল্পটা ঠিক সেভাবেই চালিয়ে যাচ্ছে *Spy X Family* এর সিজন ২। আমাদের আবারো পরিচয় করিয়ে দেওয়া হচ্ছে সেই পরিচিত Forger পরিবার: Yor, Loid, Anya এবং তাদের বিশ্বস্ত সঙ্গী Bond। এই সিজনে সিরিজের ইতিমধ্যে প্রতিষ্ঠিত পথ ধরে রাখা হয়েছে, তবে গল্পের ধারণাগুলোকে আরও বিকশিত করেছে। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, Yor আর Loid এর সম্পর্কটা একটু একটু করে আরও গভীর হচ্ছে। যদিও পরিষ্কার নয় তারা প্রেমে পড়েছে কিনা, তবে তাদের বন্ধন নিঃসন্দেহে প্রথমে যা ছিল তার থেকে অনেকটা গভীর হয়েছে। অন্যদিকে Anya’র স্পাই সিনেমার প্রতি ভালোবাসা এবং তার মনের কথা পড়ার ক্ষমতা আগের মতোই মজাদার, যা তার চরিত্রে নতুন মাত্রা যোগ করেছে। শো-এর সবচেয়ে বড় শক্তি এর চরিত্র উন্নয়নে। Anya’র স্কুলের জীবন এখনও একটি বড় আকর্ষণ, যেখানে তার বন্ধু Becky এবং Damian গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ভূমিকা পালন করে। Damian, যার কঠোর পরিশ্রমের নীতি তাকে Anya’র বিপরীতে একটি মজার চরিত্রে দাঁড় করায়, তার ধীরে ধীরে Anya’র প্রতি বাড়তে থাকা অনুভূতি শো’র রুটিন হাস্যরস যোগায়, বিশেষত যখন Anya Damian-এর প্রেমে একদম অজানা থাকে। *Spy X Family* এর আরেকটি গুণ হলো এর সহকারী চরিত্রগুলোকেও যথেষ্ট গুরুত্ব দেওয়া হয়েছে। Forger পরিবারের বাইরের চরিত্রগুলোকেও মজবুতভাবে তৈরি করা হয়েছে। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, Becky’র Loid এর প্রতি মুগ্ধতা একদম সিটকম-এর মতো হাসির পরিস্থিতি তৈরি করে যখন তারা প্রথম দেখা করে। তবে এই সিজনে একটি গভীরতর প্লট রয়েছে, যেটি সবচেয়ে বেশি লক্ষ্যণীয় ‘Cruise Adventure Arc’ এর মধ্যে। এখানে আমরা দেখি Loid এবং Yor এর স্পাই দক্ষতা, যেখানে Yor তার খুনির ভূমিকা পালন করছে। এই আর্কটি Forger পরিবারকে একটি বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত দলের মতো তুলে ধরে, যারা সৃজনশীল উপায়ে সাফল্য অর্জন করে। মানসিক দৃশ্য এবং স্পাই-স্টাইলের অ্যাকশন এবং ড্রামা এই সিজনের সর্বোচ্চ শিখরে নিয়ে যায়। এই আর্কটি আমাদের প্রধান চরিত্রদের কতটা আলাদা করে তুলে ধরে তা দেখিয়ে দেয়। পুনরাবৃত্ত মজার দৃশ্যগুলি দেখেও মজা পেয়েছি, এবং সবচেয়ে বড় কথা, এই আর্কটি কখনো ভুলে যায়নি শো-এর মূল ধারণাটি কী। সত্যিই, এটি এমন একটি আর্ক যা দেখার মতো। একটি প্রতিষ্ঠিত ফ্র্যাঞ্চাইজির আরও সিজন তৈরি করা ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ হতে পারে, তবে *Spy X Family* আমাদের আবারও চমকে দিয়েছে, এবং স্পাই অ্যাকশন, ড্রামা, এবং পারিবারিক ভালোবাসায় ভরপুর একটি অসাধারণ সিজন উপহার দিয়েছে। আরেকটি ব্যাপক বিষয় হলো, *Spy X Family* এখনও সবচেয়ে পারিবারিক-বান্ধব এবং উপভোগ্য অ্যানিমেগুলোর একটি। এটি সব বয়সের মানুষদের আকর্ষণ করে, যা একে যে কোনও বয়সের দর্শকদের জন্য অ্যানিমে দেখার জন্য আদর্শ করে তোলে। মূল প্লটটি Loid-এর মিশন, Anya’র Stella Badge পাওয়ার চেষ্টাগুলি, এবং Yor-এর নিজের খুনি দায়িত্ব ও পরিবারের জীবন ব্যালেন্স করার মধ্যে ঘুরপাক খায়। এই সবের মধ্যে হাসি, আকর্ষণ, এবং হৃদয়ের টান এমনভাবে মিশে আছে যে এটি একটি পূর্ণাঙ্গ বিনোদনের প্যাকেজ তৈরি করেছে। এনিমেশনের মান সর্বদাই উচ্চ মানের ছিল, যা *CloverWorks* এবং *Wit Studio* এর যৌথ কাজের ফলাফল। উভয় স্টুডিওই তাদের অনন্য স্টাইল এবং আকর্ষণ যোগ করেছে, পুরো সিজন জুড়ে দৃষ্টিনন্দন দৃশ্য উপহার দিয়েছে। ওপেনিং এনিমেশনটি বিশেষভাবে চমকপ্রদ, উজ্জ্বল রঙ এবং তরল সিলুয়েট মুভমেন্টের সঙ্গে মুগ্ধ করে। ক্লোজিং সিকোয়েন্সটিও অসাধারণ। গানগুলোও পুরো শো-এর আবহের সাথে ভালোভাবে মিলে যায়, একটি মজার টোন যোগ করে যা গল্পের সাথে একদম মানানসই। ওপেনিং এবং এন্ডিং গান বিশেষভাবে উল্লেখযোগ্য, তাদের অসাধারণ অ্যানিমেশন এবং সুরের জন্য। সবমিলিয়ে, *Spy X Family* একটি সর্বাঙ্গীন পারিবারিক-বান্ধব অ্যানিমে, যা প্রায় যে কেউ উপভোগ করতে পারবে। এর হাসি, অ্যাকশন, এবং হৃদয়গ্রাহী মুহূর্তগুলোর মিশ্রণ নিশ্চিত করে যে এর মধ্যে সবার জন্য কিছু না কিছু রয়েছে। এই শো-এর মধ্যে এমন কিছু না খুঁজে পাওয়া কঠিন যা ভালো লাগে না, এবং এটি অ্যানিমে প্রেমীদের জন্য অবশ্যই দেখা উচিত।