Danica Davidson
November 29, 2020 
A spy known as “Twilight” has been able to turn himself into hundreds of personalities to get the information needed. Now he has to pretend to be a father and husband.
Taking place in a European setting but with made-up countries, Spy x Family shows Twilight assigned this mission in hopes it can bring peace to the area. He has to spy on Donovan Desmond, leader of the National Unity Party, who is considered a threat to diplomacy. Desmond is a recluse who only visits his son’s elite private school. Hence Twilight has to get a child, enroll the child in this school, and then get close to the man in question.
Did I mention that Twilight hates kids?
Nevertheless, he’ll do it for peace, so he wanders into an orphanage. One girl there, Anya, seems to be especially bright, so he takes her home. He doesn’t realize that Anya is a telepath and was reading his mind to sound smarter than she is.
But in order to enroll her in the school, he’ll need to have a wife, and they’ll need to get involved in a set of tests for the school, some so over-the-top they’re just outright gags. Twilight finds a demure woman willing to marry him, but what he doesn’t realize is that she’s an assassin who can brutally kill a whole room of people.
Spy x Family has become very popular in Japan, and you can see why just by this first volume. The story is obviously quirky and offbeat, but you can already see some heart to it as the fake family draws closer together. Some flashbacks and hints imply that there are major back stories to each of the main characters, and every character in the manga has a unique personality. Anya is precocious and adorable, Twilight tries to be stern but is basically willing to martyr himself for the greater good, and the assassin wife makes her jokes about “cleaning house” (meaning killing everyone) as opposed to “house cleaning.” This is a fun romp and a promising start to the new series. Recommended.
Story & Art: Tatsuya Endo
Publisher: VIZ Media
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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