Missions couldn't be a more apt way of naming the episodes. Spy x Family immediately hits the ground running, and each episode of Operation Strix thereafter flies with urgent speed. There is always a mission objective - an obstacle to hurdle. But another one always stands, waiting for you as you overpower the one before. I think you get the point: there's a lot going on. It's both a strength and a weakness. There is never a dull moment. Every episode blows up with a metric ton of happenings, keeping me at the edge of my seat. But sometimes I can't keep up. As I watch the hijinks unravel in one episode, I'm still trying to process the previous one and scream "¡más despacio, por favor!" into my imaginary pillow.

Narrative conventions are another thing to note. Seriously, I cannot figure out what in the Yor-yassified frick this anime is supposed to be. Comparing Spy x Family to established genre conventions yields not a linear scale, but a pentagon. Watching the first few episodes, I identified five possible threads:

• A traditional rule-of-the-cool spy anime, reaching the realms of politics and corruption
• An ironic portrayal of family and human connection that underlines distance, given form by a complex web of deception (think A Separation)
• Isolated and wounded people learning to feel love
• A commentary on veneers, secrets, and how lies maintain our society and the bonds that uphold it
• Cute and wholesome vibes

I anticipated a gravitation toward one or two of these motifs as the story progressed, but it fell right into the muddy middle. And it's not particularly tact or intelligent about it either. It has action and suspense you would expect of an espionage story, but it pales in comparison to anime's most thrilling. Moments of solemn introspection on the artificiality of family undercut the scenes right before: wholesome moments of, you guessed it, familial love. It's essentially a jack of all trades, and unfortunately the master of none.

It's not to say that Spy x Family utterly fails at balancing all these different themes. In fact, it's quite effective. The action still kicks ass, even if it doesn't engage me in the same way, say, Death Note might. Its blend of motifs and scenes both serious and goofy is genuinely touching, and the contrast imbues everything with a curious irony. It's just that being 'good' at something is a completely different ball game than being 'masterful.'

Fortunately, the main trio that form the core of this anime more than make up for it. The idea behind their character dynamics is simple. Loid is cool and calculated - the straight man, if you will. His objectives drive the plot. Yor is... I don't really know. She's a sophisticated assassin and a dim-witted mom - the perfect complement or foil to Loid, depending on what the situation calls for. And Anya is the agent of chaos, kinda like Chika Fujiwara, and comic relief. Loid's sophisticated schemes never go according to plan, and spiral entertainingly out of control. Her mind-reading powers also set the stage for internal warfare. Anya's powers keep us audience in the know as minds race to weave lies, react to situations, and plan strategies. It's rather blunt, but it works.

Together, the dynamic trio achieve a near-perfect equilibrium. I began watching the first episode predicting that I would become a Yor simp (even a straight female friend simped for her, what makes you think I would be different?). I finished the last episode believing each member to be as indispensable and charming as the other two. It sounds small, but it's one of the hardest things to accomplish. Not even the almighty cast of Kaguya-Sama (my golden standard for a well-rounded and charming cast in anime) could pull it off. All three are given equal weight, even though the plot unveils through Loid's perspective. I could watch them pull random shenanigans all day, even if you took away Operation Strix.

Overall, Spy x Family is not groundbreaking in anything, but it doesn't need to be. The charming main cast ties every thread into a surprisingly cohesive whole. It's a damn good time, and that's all that matters. I will remark on its potential though. Perhaps the second cour or a possible second season could explore more avenues in the characters and motifs. It's no masterpiece at present, but the title is definitely within reach. It just needs a little more.

Random note: the OP and ED are a bop.