Spy × Family

Spy × Family (stylized as SPY×FAMILY; pronounced "Spy Family") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The story follows a spy who has to "build a family" in order to execute a mission, not realizing that the girl he adopts as a daughter and the woman he agrees to be in a fake marriage with are a mind reader and an assassin respectively. It has been serialized biweekly for free on the Shōnen Jump+ application and website since March 25, 2019, with the chapters collected and published into 6 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha as of December 2020. Viz Media has licensed the series for English release in North America.

Spy × Family
Cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Twilight.
GenreAction, comedy, spy[1]
Manga
Written byTatsuya Endo
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics+
MagazineShōnen Jump+
English magazineManga Plus
DemographicShōnen
Original runMarch 25, 2019 – present
Volumes6

Characters

Forger family
Twilight (黄昏, Tasogare) / Loid Forger (ロイド・フォージャー, Roido Fōjā)
Loid is a spy who has extraordinary combat, memory, and information processing capabilities. He uses various faces and names for each mission, though he is generally known by his code name, "Twilight." To be able to execute his current mission, he is required to have a child enrolled in a prestigious school where one of the admission qualifications is that "both parents are present," hence he creates a fake family by adopting Anya and marrying Yor. He is skilled in cooking and cleaning. As "Loid Forger," he camouflaged himself as a psychiatrist at Berlint General Hospital. Formerly a war orphan, he became a spy in order to create a "world where children do not cry."
Thorn Princess (いばら姫, Ibara Hime) / Yor Forger (ヨル・フォージャー, Yoru Fōjā)
Seen as a female employee at Berlint City Hall, Yor is actually a skilled assassin nicknamed "Thorn Princess." Her combat power and physical ability surpasses Twilight, but she's a natural airhead and is bad at lying. Also, weak at alcohol. Yor's maiden name before marrying Loid is Briar (ブライア, Buraia). She is 27 years old. Without knowing who Loid really is, and believing that Anya is Loid's actual daughter from a previous marriage, she agrees to a fake marriage so she will not appear suspicious. Being an assassin, Yor is good at cleaning, but not with the other household chores, particular cooking. So Loid is basically in charge of the meal, though recently she has started to learn (a proper way to) cook from her coworker. She has a younger brother named Yuri, who is a civil servant and is a bit too attached to her.
Anya Forger (アーニャ・フォージャー, Ānya Fōjā)
A young girl who can read the thoughts of other people, Anya is the only one who knows the overall situation of her family. She seems 4 or 5 years old, but claims to be 6 so Loid will adopt her. Originally an experimental human test subject dubbed "Subject 007" (被検体007), she escaped because she was disgusted with a life where she could not behave like a child, and named herself "Anya." Due to her ability, Anya is not good with crowds. In addition, because she has not received a proper education, she is not good at studying but makes up for it by reading other peoples' minds for answers, though it appears she can not use her ability during a new moon. She likes spy anime and thinks anything involving "secrets" and "missions" are exciting.
Bond (ボンド, Bondo)
The family's pet dog, Bond was originally Project Apple's canine test subject named "Subject 8" (8号). He has the ability to look into the future which is known and utilized only by Anya through her telepathy. He meets Anya and the Forger family when being used in a terrorist bomb attack and is then adopted into the Forgers. He was named after Anya's favorite cartoon character, Bondman.

Others
Damian Desmond (ダミアン・デズモンド, Damian Dezumondo)
A cheeky classmate of Anya whose father is someone with overwhelming authority, but he works hard to gain his father's attention and approval. He bullies Anya, not realizing that he has a crush on her. He has a dog named Max and two minions, Emile (エミールぅ, Emīrū) and Ewen (ユーイン, Yūin).
Becky Blackbell (ベッキー・ブラックベル, Bekkī Burakkuberu)
Anya's best friend at school. Her father is a major military manufacturer.
Yuri Briar (ユーリ・ブライア, Yūri Buriaru)
Yor's 20-year-old younger brother. Ostensibly a functionary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is just cover for his real position as a lieutenant of the State Security Service - where he is tasked with hunting down "Twilight." He is a bit too attached to his sister, opposing Yor and Loid's marriage whilst not knowing who the latter really is.
Nightfall (夜帷, Tobari) / Fiona Frost (フィオナ・フロスト, Fiona Furosuto)
An intelligence agent code-named "Nightfall." She is Twilight's coworker in both espionage and at Berlint General Hospital, where she works undercover as a clerk. While generally showing no emotion, she actually holds strong feelings towards Twilight, and thinks that Yor does not deserve him. Only Anya knows her true nature and is wary of her.

Production
External video
Promotional video for the series.

Tatsuya Endo and his editor Shihei Lin have known each other for over ten years; Lin was his initial editor on his first serial Tista (2007). When Lin was moved from the Jump Square editorial department to Shōnen Jump+, Endo happily followed and they began developing a new work. Spy × Family takes elements from three of Endo's Jump Square one-shots; "Rengoku no Ashe", "Ishi ni Usubeni, Tetsu ni Hoshi" and "I Spy". Lin said that its reception among the editorial department was so good that serialization was practically decided before the official meeting was even held.[2]

Lin had Endo work as an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto on Fire Punch to gain experience. With Tista and Gekka Bijin both having a dark tone, Lin told Endo to give Spy × Family a more positive and cheerful one. The initial draft was given a working title of Spy Family written in Japanese. When deciding the final name, Endo came up with over 100 options, but they ultimately decided to use the same title but in English and with a "cross" in between, the latter influenced by Hunter × Hunter.[2]

The editor said that he and Endo are always conscious of the line where violence, which is necessary in a spy manga, is given a pass for comedy's sake. Anya was inspired by the main character of "Rengoku no Ashe". Her extrasensory perception was decided early on, and Lin cited its use for comedic effect as one of the series' strengths. Lin said that the series has a broad readership among all ages and genders. He also cited Endo's clean art and ability to convey emotions as part of the manga's appeal.[2]

Lin feels that the world and characters were firmly established as of volume two, and as such revealed that he and Endo would start to include longer narratives in the series.[2]

Publication

Written and illustrated by Tetsuya Endo, Spy × Family has been serialized biweekly on the Shōnen Jump+ application and website since March 25, 2019. The chapters, which are released every other Monday, have been collected and published into tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Shueisha also simultaneously publishes the series in English for free on the Manga Plus app and website.[3]

Viz Media began publishing Spy × Family in English digitally on their website for free on September 22, 2019.[4] They released the first volume in print in spring 2020.[5]

Volume list
No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 July 4, 2019[6]978-4-08-882011-8June 2, 2020[7]978-1-9747-1546-6
  • Mission: 1–5
2 October 4, 2019[8]978-4-08-882120-7September 1, 2020[9]978-1-9747-1724-8
  • Mission: 6–11
  • Extra Mission: 1
3 January 4, 2020[10]978-4-08-882183-2December 1, 2020[11]978-1-9747-1816-0
  • Mission: 12–17
  • Extra Mission: 2
4 May 13, 2020[12][lower-alpha 1]978-4-08-882229-7March 2, 2021[14]978-1-9747-2103-0
  • Mission: 18–23
  • Short Mission: 1–2
5 September 4, 2020[15]978-4-08-882463-5——
  • Mission: 24–30
  • Short Mission: 3
6 December 28, 2020[16]978-4-08-882545-8——
  • Mission: 31–37
  • Short Mission: 4

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume. They were serialized on Shōnen Jump+.

  • Mission: 38–40
  • Short Mission: 5

Reception

Spy × Family had 800,000 copies in circulation, including digital and physical sales, upon release of its second volume. This number exceeded 2 million with the release of volume three, and 3 million in circulation by volume four.[17] According to Oricon, volumes three and four of the series were some of the top 30 best-selling manga of 2020.[18] Volume six received an initial print run of over 1 million copies, a first for a Shōnen Jump+ series. With its release in December 2020, Spy × Family has over 8 million digital and physical copies in circulation.[19] With 537,558 copies sold in its first week, volume six became the series' second consecutive volume to debut at number one on Oricon's weekly list of the best-selling manga.[20][21]

The series took first place in the web manga category of the Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Awards 2019.[1] In December 2019, Brutus magazine included Spy × Family on their "Most Dangerous Manga" list, which included works with the most "stimulating" and thought-provoking themes.[22] Later that same month, Polygon included it on a list of the best comics of 2019.[23] The 2020 edition of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook named Spy × Family the best manga series for male readers.[24] It came in first on Honya Club's Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020 list, compiled by surveying 1,100 professional bookstore employees in Japan.[25] It also won the 4th Tsutaya Comic Taishō in 2020.[26] Spy × Family was nominated for the 44th Kodansha Manga Award and the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2020.[27][28] It was nominated for the 13th Manga Taishō in 2020, where it came in second place,[29][30] and is currently nominated for the 14th Manga Taishō in 2021.[31] In December 2020, Media Factory's Da Vinci magazine included the series at number three on their January 2021 Book of the Year list.[32]

In a positive review of the first 11 chapters, Antonio Mireles of The Fandom Post summed up Spy × Family as a great comedy about a dysfunctional family put into uncanny situations that never pan out as planned due to their unique personalities. He described the family setup of Loid as the straight man, Yor the "dumb character" and Anya the adorable child "that readers fall in love with," as the perfect recipe for a comedy. However, he felt the humor that comes from Yor being the dumb character was underutilized.[33]

Comic Book Resources' Hannah Collins hailed the first volume as one of the best manga releases of 2020. She had strong praise for Endo's art; writing that "Action-comedy is no mean feat even in animated or live-action mediums. To pull it off so well in still images takes real artistic talent." The reviewer called the artist's range of facial expressions his secret weapon, which he deploys to win over the hearts and minds of readers; particularity with those of Anya, whom Collins said, "steals every page she appears on."[34]

Morgana Santilli of The Beat stated that Spy × Family volume one does an excellent job balancing fun espionage action with heartwarming family moments. She called Endo's art "clean and appealing", which makes his parody of post-war Berlin easily recognizable. Santilli compared its comedy to that of From Eroica with Love, another Cold War-centric series.[35]

In a review for Polygon, Julia Lee stated that Endo takes a premise that could make a "typical, corny, action manga" and uses it to make one of the funniest series out right now. Like the other reviewers, Lee praised Endo's art, writing that he has a knack for action scenes, as well as "expressive panels that really show you how the characters are feeling."[36]

Notes
  1. Volume 4 was delayed from May 1 to May 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

References
  1. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 22, 2019). "SPY × FAMILY, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Win Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Award 2019". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  2. "The Making of a Jump Manga! vol. 7 – Spy × Family". Manga Plus. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  3. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 4, 2019). "Shueisha's Manga Plus Adds 2 New Manga in English". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  4. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 23, 2019). "Viz Adds Tatsuya Endō's Spy x Family Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  5. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 4, 2019). "Viz Licenses New Bleach, Naruto, One Piece Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  6. SPY×FAMILY 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  7. "Spy x Family, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  8. SPY×FAMILY 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  9. "Spy x Family, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  10. SPY×FAMILY 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  11. "Spy x Family, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  12. SPY×FAMILY 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  13. Sherman, Jennifer (April 9, 2020). "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Other Jump Manga Delay New Volumes Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus Concerns". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  14. "Spy x Family, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  15. SPY×FAMILY 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  16. SPY×FAMILY 6 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  17. SPY×FAMILY：第4巻で累計300万部突破　ハイペースで部数増. Mantan-web. May 4, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  18. Loo, Egan (November 29, 2020). "Top-Selling Manga in Japan by Volume: 2020". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  19. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 19, 2020). "6th Volume of Tatsuya Endō's Spy x Family Manga Gets 1-Million 1st Print Run". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  20. 週間 コミックランキング 2021年01月11日付 （2020年12月28日～2021年01月03日）. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  21. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 8, 2021). "3 Demon Slayer Manga Volumes Are 1st Since 2008 to Sell 5 Million Each in Print". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  22. Morrissy, Kim (December 18, 2019). "Spy×Family Included in Brutus Magazine's 'Most Dangerous Manga' of 2019 List". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  23. Polo, Susana (December 30, 2019). "The best comics of 2019". Polygon. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  24. Pineda, Rafael (December 11, 2019). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2020 Rankings". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  25. Mateo, Alex (February 1, 2020). "Japanese Bookstores Recommend 15 Top Manga for 2020". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  26. "みんなが選ぶTSUTAYAコミック大賞2020 結果発表". Culture Convenience Club (in Japanese). Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  27. Pineda, Rafael (April 2, 2020). "44th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Nominees Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  28. Pineda, Rafael (February 27, 2020). "24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Nominees Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  29. Pineda, Rafael (January 19, 2020). "13th Manga Taisho Awards Nominate 12 Titles". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  30. "マンガ大賞2020は山口つばさ「ブルーピリオド」に決定". Natalie (in Japanese). March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  31. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 24, 2021). "14th Manga Taisho Awards Nominate 10 Titles". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  32. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 5, 2020). "Demon Slayer Tops Da Vinci Manga Ranking". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  33. Mireles, Antonio (August 23, 2019). "Spy X Family Chapters #01 – 11 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  34. Collins, Hannah (June 11, 2020). "Spy x Family, Vol. 1 Is a Pure Joy From Start to Finish". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  35. Santilli, Morgana (June 1, 2020). "REVIEW: SPY X FAMILY blends espionage and family comedy together in a perfect marriage". The Beat. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  36. Lee, Julia (June 10, 2020). "Expert criminals must pretend to be a normal family in one of the year's best comics". Polygon. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
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