Otaku USA Magazine
The Weird and Wonderful Espionage of Mission: Yozakura Family

Mission: Yozakura family has a lot to love!

It seems anime and manga fans have a soft spot for tales of domestic espionage. SPY x FAMILY. The upcoming Sakamoto Days. And Mission: Yozakura Family, this season’s addition to the stealthy subgenre. In this series, quiet high schooler Taiyo Asano finds himself married to his childhood friend, Mutsumi Yozakura. As it happens, she’s the latest head of a long-standing spy family—and staying by her side will require superhuman training.

If you’ve yet to pick up this new series, here are a few reasons you might want to start playing catch-up!

 

Colorful Characters

Taiyo and the in-laws

At the center of Mission: Yozakura Family is… well, the Yozakura family. Mutsumi is the sixth of seven siblings, each of whom has a specialty. Clingy eldest brother Kyoichiro weaves deadly wire webs. Big sister Futaba may look tiny and cute, but she’s a martial arts master. Hiding in his trash can, Shinzo is a skilled marksman. Gamer girl Shion specializes in tech and hacking. Kengo is a man of many faces. And baby brother Nanao is an expert in poisons and chemicals.

As the new head of the family, Mutsumi’s doesn’t manifest a superpower the way her siblings do. Even so, she’s anything but ordinary.

 

Secrets and Surprises

The Yozakura wedding ring

Readers of the Mission: Yozakura Family manga know that the story runs deep. The family’s secrets span generations, with conspiracies blooming at every turn. As funny as the first handful of episodes may seem at times, with Taiyo sidestepping bombs at school and having to hack his way into the bathroom, the truth is absolutely wild.

Piecing apart the family’s history, how Taiyo figures into it, and what other spy families are up to has been rewarding throughout the manga. Now, anime viewers can go on this journey themselves. And we promise you have no idea what’s in store.

 

An Adorable Couple

They love each other.

At the center of the ever-growing cast of Mission: Yozakura Family are Taiyo and Mutsumi: two long-time friends who have looked out for each other for years.  Taiyo’s love for Mutsumi leads him to do unbelievable things, impressing even his in-laws. And Mutsumi’s love in return keeps him strong, no matter how many times he gets knocked down.

While a sudden, essentially common-law marriage in high school may feel like the stuff of rom-coms, it blooms into an amazing story. Where the manga is now is far removed from where it started, and every new chapter reiterates that these two belong together. Let’s watch their relationship blossom!

More SPY x FAMILY is on the way—here are some manga moments we can’t wait to see animated!

Kara Dennison

Kara Dennison is a writer, editor, and presenter with bylines at Crunchyroll, Sci-Fi Magazine, Sartorial Geek, and many others. Beyond the world of anime, she's a writer for Doctor Who expanded universe series including Iris Wildthyme and the City of the Saved, as well as an editor for the critically-acclaimed Black Archive series.

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