If you hadn't already ducked out of the anime community for your own safety by the time Spring 2022 rolled around, you'd know that nobody could get enough of this little show that seemingly came out of nowhere from what was just a decently popular read among manga readers. I started watching Spy x Family by the time the first cour was already halfway over, and if I had reviewed the show back then, it would've gotten somewhere around a 90.

Before I head forward, I want to make it clear that I don't even dislike the show as much as I am disappointed in it, and that the first half of the cour genuinely had me hooked to the show for the long run. Yes, I was another victim to the stratospheric hype the show received back when it was starting, and like many others, I'm finally asking questions now that the season's wrapped up and I'm looking back on it all.

For this review I'll place my expectations against what I received, and in which aspects I was let down or not.

Also Note: This all comes from the perspective of someone who's watched the season and read a few chapters ahead in the manga. My problems may very well be addressed later on in the series, but I'm going off of the content in the season alone. There will be no manga spoilers, too, since I've made that mistake before.

Also Also Note: I originally intended to delve into the community's polarized response to the anime but I have come to learn that that is against the rules. Very sorry.

The biggest problem I have with this show is how it was hyped up. Before I started watching it, all of my Twitter sources were telling me that it was an awesome spy drama with some lighthearted slice of life elements, which I believe the first few episodes properly delivered on. I genuinely have no complaints with the foot the story starts on, it's one of the better beginnings to a story I've seen recently. The problem comes when Loid's mission of getting Anya into the same school as a warmongering politician's son succeeds, and the operation enters stage two. It is there that I can kind of tell Tatsuya Endo realized he wrote himself into a corner. Either he could speed up the pacing incredibly unnaturally and get to the parts where the story really progresses, or he could do it more naturally and spend what I personally believe is an annoying amount of time on Anya's wacky school mishaps. I'd still take the more natural pacing over anything, but I didn't much enjoy any of the episodes taking place in the academy after a while.

It's in the second half where the show switches it's gears and becomes a lighthearted slice of life anime with awesome spy drama elements in the mix. And while that still worked for the large majority that was there to see Anya be an adorable little kid, I ended up disinterested for the most part. There comes a time in my life where I have to put my foot down, go against the grain, and bravely declare that I don't give a shit about Anya's little friends. Most of the episodes featuring them feel like filler that was included in the manga for whatever reason.

I believe the show really shone the brightest when it focused on the family it gets it's namesake from. One compliment I can give Spy x Family that goes throughout it's entire 12 episode run is that the dynamic between Loid, Yor, and Anya is perfect for a show of it's type. Anya being fully aware of the secret identities of everyone around her added a perfect twist to a setup that didn't even demand a twist, yet is only improved by it. These three are the only motivation I need to make me watch the second part of the season when it comes out in October. Not to mention, I'm also a sucker for German-inspired settings (I mean, they live in Berlint.)

Spy x Family is not perfect. Few shows are perfect besides Mob Psycho 100 II. It's also not weeb-bait trash.

While I'm certainly critical about this anime, keep in mind that there are still parts that I seriously enjoyed, and those parts will keep me coming back for however long the story runs.

With how it stands right now, I can't give it an 8/10 in good conscience, but I'm optimistic for how it'll continue. If you decided to ignore this entire review in favor of that convenient little number that throws a blanket statement on all my thoughts, it's a 78/100.