#IReadsYou Review: SPY X FAMILY Volume 2

SPY X FAMILY, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Tatsuya Endo
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Casey Loe
LETTERS: Rina Mapa
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1724-6; paperback (December 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Spy × Family is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo.  It has been serialized biweekly for free on the Shōnen Jump+ application and website since March 25, 2019.  VIZ Media began publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint in June 2020.

Spy × Family focuses on the mysterious master spy, “Twilight,” a man of a hundred faces with extraordinary combat, memory, and information processing skills.  His latest mission takes him from his native Westalis to its neighbor to the east, The People's Republic of Ostania.  To protect a fragile truce between Westalis and Ostania, he must get close to Donovan Desmond, a politician, and spy on his activities.  To do that, Twilight poses as a family man, “Loid Forger,” with a pretend-wife, Yor Briar, and an elementary school-age daughter named “Anya.”  Is Twilight finally in over his head?

Spy × Family, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 11) opens at prestigious Eden Academy on its “Admissions Day.”  Now, Twilight and Yor will learn if Anya has been admitted to the school, which she must if Twilight is to be successful in his mission.  But Twilight may have done something that could cost the child admittance into Eden.

Later, Anya learns about the academy's system of merits (“Stella” or stars) and demerits (“Tonitrus bolts), the hard way.  Plus, Twilight plots “the Friendship Scheme” as a way for Anya to get close to her Eden classmate, Damian Desmond, the second son of Donovan Desmond.  However, the plan goes awry as soon as the two children meet.

[This volume includes the bonus manga, “Extra Mission 1;” “Spy × Family Confidential Files: Franky's Secret Files;” a bonus illustration; and “Anya's Favorite Things.”]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Spy × Family manga (which is apparently pronounced “Spy Family”) is a spy manga with a domestic twist.  The family part of the series is a story of growing love, and the spy part is edgy and filled with suspense.

Spy × Family Graphic Novel Volume 2 does two things.  First, it introduces new characters, including a classroom rival and also a best friend for Anya.  Creator Tatsuya Endo also provides a deeper look at some supporting cast members, including Henry Henderson, Headmaster at Eden Academy.  The second thing is that Endo reveals that the series' world of spies and Twilight's mission are more complicated than the first volume suggested.

Casey Loe's English-language adaptation captures the nuance of the dialogue, character relationships and drama, and the plot.  While Vol. 2 of Spy × Family is not as dialogue heavy as the first volume was, the narrative remains a complexity of different tones, both in drama and comedy.  Once upon a time, it would have been published under VIZ Media's “Shonen Jump Advanced” imprint, which is no longer used.  Spy × Family is no mere shonen manga, nor is it a battle manga.  The drama can be poignant, but the comedy can by seriously edgy.  I think this is a series to keep watching.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of secret agents and of international intrigue will want to spy on the “Shonen Jump” title Spy × Family.

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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#IReadsYou Review: SPY X FAMILY Volume 1

SPY X FAMILY, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Tatsuya Endo
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Casey Loe
LETTERS: Rina Mapa
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1546-6; paperback (June 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
220pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Spy × Family is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo.  It has been serialized biweekly for free on the Shōnen Jump+ application and website since March 25, 2019.  VIZ Media began publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint in June 2020.

Spy × Family, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces a mysterious man known as “Twilight.”  He is the master spy of the country of Westalis.  A man of a hundred faces, Twilight has extraordinary combat, memory, and information processing skills.  His latest mission takes him to Westalis' neighbor to the east, The People's Republic of Ostania.  There is a fragile truce between Westalis and Ostania, but a political leader named Donovan Desmond threatens that and foments war.  Twilight's mission is to get close to Desmond and to spy on his activities.

To do that, Twilight must pose as a family man!  One problem is that Twilight has never been a family man.  So how does he end up with a wife named “Yor Briar” and an elementary school-age daughter named “Anya?”  Heck, the even bigger questions are does he know that Yor is a ruthless assassin and that Anya is a telepath?

[This volume includes bonus material, “Spy × Family Confidential Files,” which is comprised of bonus comics, a character profile, and a “thank you” to the art and production staff of Spy × Family.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The title of the Spy × Family manga is apparently pronounced “Spy Family.”  That's appropriate because the series will apparently focus on the family as being more than just a cover for the activities of Twilight, ostensibly the series' lead character.

Spy × Family Graphic Novel Volume 1 is a strong first volume for a series that seems a bit eccentric merely on the basis of the premise and turns out to be a bit eccentric upon reading.  The art is elegantly drawn with sharp, precise line work, but it is drawn to suggest a sense of humor in the story.  The graphical storytelling is witty and sly, and the danger and violence is no more than what readers would find in a shonen manga like Nisekoi: False Love.  The art for Spy × Family makes me think of something like a manga adaptation of a Daniel Craig James Bond movie overseen by the legendary American animation filmmaker, Chuck Jones, at the height of his graphic style.

Casey Loe offers a strong English-language adaptation in this first volume of Spy × Family, which is dialogue heavy.  Loe conveys the sly wit and deadpan humor that underpins the action in these first five chapters of the series.  And, as usual, letterer Rina Mapa gives elegant art some elegant lettering.  Yes, Spy × Family is series worth revisiting

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of secret agents and of international intrigue will want to spy on the “Shonen Jump” title Spy × Family.

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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