I started reading this title just to see if it was good enough to buy for our graphic-novel section and ended up devouring it plus some of volume 2 before stopping. This is the wryly humorous book of a super-spy who needs to obtain a wife and child--fast. What each of them doesn't know about the others makes for good humor with very little of the tiresome "oh, get the clue already!" feeling readers often get from such stories by lesser creators. The art is angular and elegant with fun bits--highly appropriate to the characters and story. This first volume is already being checked out a lot in our library system, so the appeal is as broad as I expected. Great for mid-teens through adults of all ages (says this fifty-something manga fan).

As a fan of this manga right from the beginning, I'm gonna tell you that it has everything: action, humor, cuteness, misunderstandings, psychics, spies and more. You won't be disappointed if you pick up this series.

My favorite part of this series is Anya, the little girl who has mind reading powers and knows that her adopted dad is a spot and her quickly added mom is actually an assassin (even though her parents don't know each other's real occupation!). Her reactions are GOLD😂

Five stars!!! The latest 3 chapters are available to read for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus app or website and new chapters are available on Sunday mornings. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Viz and Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.✌️

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.* 

When I started Spy x Family, I was expecting more action and espionage. What I got that kept me laughing. It probably helps that I didn't read the synopsis all the way through, so I was also surprised by the characters. The characters, by the way, I adore. Twilight is so suave, Yor is demure and cute, while Anya is adorable, sweet, and is trying so hard not to be sent back to the orphanage. It is hysterical and I already want to reread it and experience the funny situations all over again.

Turns out I just don't like manga. Maybe the translation's not good enough but I also just don't like the artwork in general. It's too bad because I've heard so many good things about so many manga.

While it's not uncommon for me to read a graphic novel now and again, it is uncommon for me to read manga. I generally don't like the art and layout style that I associate with manga. But the description of this book appealed to me, so I requested a review copy. And not being much of a reader of Japanese comics, I had forgotten that you read manga from right to left, so for the first few pages I was frustrated with the seemingly disjointed story. Once I remembered how one is supposed to read manga, I started again, and of course it made much more sense.

The story: "Twilight" is a master spy, known among the inner circles as someone willing to go deep undercover to accomplish a mission. His new mission is to infiltrate an elite, private school but in order to do so he's first going to have to acquire a family - which may be the most difficult bit of spywork he's ever done.

At an orphanage, Twilight finds a young girl, Anya, who doesn't quite fit in even with the other orphans, and the director of the orphanage can't wait to get rid of the little girl. What Twilight doesn't know, though over the course of time he begins to have suspicions, is that the girl is telepathic. She can read minds and understands that her new, fake, father is actually a spy going undercover. What she isn't able to do is tell him that she knows. She's too young to understand that she is different and has a special ability.

At first Twilight thinks this will be enough to get him to access to the school - a child he would like to have enrolled. But he begins to think that perhaps he should have a wife to present a 'perfect' family, given the elite nature of the school. He happens to run into a beautiful woman, Yor Briar, who needs a pretend husband to meet her family and they decide they can be mutually helpful to one another. But Yor Briar has a secret ... she's an undercover assassin. Anya knows as she immediately reads Yor Briar's thoughts.

Now with his fake family, Twilight still has to pass a rigorous interview process at the academy and must train his temporary wife and daughter how to act like the perfect family.

I found this book to be a complete joy. When I finished this volume my reaction was "That's it? Was this just a 32 page comic?" It read so quickly - I was completely absorbed in the story - and I actually double-checked how many pages I had read and was surprised to see it was more than 200 pages. And as I reflected on all that had happened, it was pretty evident that it couldn't all happen in a 32 page comic. It's just that it read so smoothly!

I liked the characters and both Twilight and Yor Briar have intriguing secrets that make me want to keep reading in order to learn more about them. I was not as interested in the little girl, Anya. I felt very unclear as to who and what she is. At times a spoiled brat, at times intelligent beyond her years, and then suddenly as equally unintelligent.

The artwork was fine. It was consistent and flowed well ... though again, too often scenes with Anya I didn't enjoy as they seemed to change the overall appearance of the book.

This is clearly just the set-up for a larger story, but it works well and I am definitely interested in reading the next volume.

Looking for a good book? <em>Spy x Family, Vol. 1</em> is a manga graphic novel with plenty of action and intrigue. It's hard to go wrong when a spy, an assassin, and a telepath walk into a private school.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Twilight is a master spy. His latest mission involves infiltrating an elite private school. However, he will need a family to do that. He knows the school will want him to have a wife, and a child to send to the school, but he is single. Twilight adopts a child from an orphanage. He doesn’t know her secret, that she’s a telepath. The woman he finds to act as his wife, Yor, is a secret assassin. Twilight has to train his new wife and child to get used to their new life, while they both have their own secret identities.

This was an intriguing plot. Twilight had an important mission, but he had to make some major changes to his life to complete it. It was kind of absurd that he needed a wife to be able to send his child to the school. It was even more suspenseful since the wife and child were hiding their secret identities from him as well.

There were some sexist parts of the story, which I didn’t like, but they were so extreme that they weren’t realistic. The idea that a man would need to have a wife to enroll his child in a school is crazy. Yor’s friends teased her for not having a boyfriend before she met Twilight. There were also some inappropriate questions that were asked during their private school interview about the mother and father’s roles in the household. I didn’t like these sexist parts of the story, but I don’t think they were meant to be offensive to the reader.

I’m curious to see what happens in the next book!

Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spy x Family Vol. 1 grabbed me right from the get go and managed to melt my icy heart. The beautiful story is about a spy who’s always worked alone but is forced to adopt a daughter in order to accomplish his most deadliest mission yet. You can only imagine the cuteness that follows. I found the stories within the volume easy to follow and the situations the main character was put in made me chuckle. It was so endearing and I cannot wait to read the next volume of stories to find out what kind of mischief this adorable family will get into next! If you enjoy stories with found family themes you will like this manga.

This is such a funny manga. I really enjoyed it and like that it isn't your typical shonen manga. The characters really grow on and at the end you want to know what's going to happen next. We added this to our manga collection at the library I work at.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Loid Forger is a spy and he needs a family to complete his next mission. Enter Anya, who Loid adopts, and Yor, who also needs a husband as a cover for her secret career. Together, they prepare to infiltrate an elite academy. I found this story very entertaining. The characters are well-written and engaging. I can’t wait for volume 2!

I really enjoyed the this story such an wholesome and fun read,was a tad slow towards the middle. Loved the art style .

It starts off as a seemingly serious spy story that quickly ends up being a hilarious, family-centered story with some action. The premise itself, which involves a spy, assassin, and an esper, is enough to get the ball rolling and keep rolling as this trio starts off as a sham of a family to slowly becoming a real one.
Not to mention the characters are so lively and drive this story as they try, mess up, and stick it out for the real mission behind this setup. The assassin is also a little clueless for being so deadly and the esper is just a little dumb which makes the obstacles to complete this mission even more complicated; making it quite the entertaining story.
Overall it's a series with a lot of potential for more surprises, unique situations, and lots of trouble. Making it a fun, emotional, and refreshing read.

Wow! A new manga series to get lost in!
The characters are fresh and intriguing. The plot is fantastic ... 7 days to get married and have a child. All to complete a mission. LOL
The art is terrific and manages to keep any violence from being too graphic.
I can’t wait for the next issue!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Have you ever thought of reading a manga that holds a similar concept as James Bond from 007 but there was a special spice called a comedy? This manga may be for you! For all the wrong reasons. Maybe. Anyway, may we introduce you SPY x FAMILY!

(Longer review forthcoming on review sites). This is one of the best stories currently running in Shonen Jump, and my personal favorite of the currently running series. It's so expertly done and irreverent, with a surprising amount of heart.

This was such a fun first installment. I was incredibly entertained the whole time, and watching these characters attempt to interact without giving away anything to the others was so much fun.

The summary was more than enough to get me interested and it did NOT disappoint. We touch on fun family dynamics, softer moments that help with character growth, and and an endearing cast of characters.
Another thing I wanted to mention was how much I really enjoyed this art style. It has a good amount of art vs. text and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the e-arc for review!
All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher of this manga for an advanced look in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the few manga that I have been able to finish, so I guess it gets points for that.
But it is...
Violent.
Abrasive language.
Dysfunctional.
Typical manga except that the women are not exploited on every page.

When this series first came out in September of last year, it might as well have been a birthday present sent from Shonen Jump+ themselves. The newcomer written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo has managed to stand out among heavyweight hitters of the weekly publication. While this series was great then, does the beginning still hold up in the first volume or is nostalgia fogging my glasses? Let’s find out if Spy X Family volume 1 is worth reading?

Author and artist Tetsuya Endo have previously created several one-shots in Japan, but none are translated into English. However, the seeds of these one-shots were combined to form Spy X Family, “Rengoku no Ashe”, “Ishi ni Usubeni, Tetsu ni Hoshi” and “I Spy”. After creating the concept, Editor Lin, had Endo work as an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto on Fire Punch to gain more experience. Now primed, he was ready to unleash Spy X Family on the world!

Mission briefing
Spy X Family, in a macro view, is a story about two nations; Westalis and Ostania. Although not in open conflict, it has a distinct European Cold War vibe. But zoom right in, and it’s the story of Twilight. A man assigned to get close to a political leader in the rival nation, Donovan Desmond. Sounds simple, but the man is a recluse and is only seen public while at events held by his son’s private school. So, enters Loid Forger, Twilight’s alter ego. His mission, to gather a family and use them to get close to Desmond. Simple, right?

Your mission should you choose to accept it, will be to follow the Folger family in this wild ride of a first instalment. You have Twilight, a world-class spy. He can do just about anything, disguises, combat; you name it. However, he will now be faced with his toughest mission yet, to infiltrate a prestigious academy to make contact with an elusive Government Minister.

To achieve his goal, Twilight needs to find some suitable candidates and, he collects the most unlikely candidates to do so. His new daughter, Anya, is secretly a telepath. Yor, his new wife, happens to be a clandestine assassin working for the opposing government. Although most first volumes typically feel like world-building and character set-up, I never felt that way while going through this. There were no distinct slow parts, and everything always kept a nice pace and rhythm.

When I first started reading Spy x Family, the breaks in between chapters gave it an elegant radio show vibe. You know like those in the ’50s where the announcer had that transatlantic accent, and he’d say something like “Will Dr.Atomic save the day from the evil clutches of Mr.Evil? Tune in next week to find out!” The atmosphere is still there but more subtly since there are no breaks between chapters obviously. Again, I think it adds to the overall appeal that this series has. It’s as if it was taken from the golden age of spy thrillers and injected with today’s humour and wit.

A perfect family
Had the relationship between Twilight, Yor, and Anya not worked so well this series might have been dead on arrival. Luckily, it is entirely believable in a most ridiculous way. Starting with how Twilight met Anya. He needed a child to attend the academy as an alibi for his infiltration mission. It is quite sad seeing what type of orphanage Anya is in because it’s run down and no one cares about their conditions. So when Twilight comes to adopt someone, and she tries her hardest and succeeds at being the one, it is quite sweet.

Here is where you learn she is a telepath though you’re not super sure about how that is. Anya, as a character is also great. You find out that even though she’s a telepath, she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. I like to refer to her as a lovable idiot affectionately, but what she lacks in smarts she makes up for in heart. She is also downright hilarious and gives some of the best comic relief. Truly a gem.

Now, if you know me, I had to give my favourite character of the series her own section. As Luke Hollywood said, if Anya is a gem, then Yor is a whole diamond necklace. Putting bias aside, I like her for a couple of reasons. Not only is she downright just a badass assassin, but she is also very caring towards Anya. Even though they’re not related, she still tries her hardest to be the best possible mother for her.

As dysfunctional as their little family may be, the important thing is that they feel like a family. Now, as I mentioned before, when assassin duty calls, we get to see shows just how deadly Yor is. Knowing just how good of a spy Twilight is and how good of an assassin she is, it’s a wonder they didn’t immediately find each other out.

Spy X Family volume 1 spoilers

Obviously, Twilight is very mission-oriented, so he sees Anya as another tool to complete the mission. Even as he tries to acquire a parenting skillset, he doesn’t care about a potential future. However, as this volume goes on and eventually further down the line, Twilight starts to soften up, and it’s an excellent progression. He also starts to care for Yor, as we will see late. Which as a prediction for the far off ending, I do believe they will stay together.

I had to add another spoiler tag here, but it was necessary to talk about how they propose to each other. Both Twilight and Yor end up fighting some thugs and as they’re mid-fight Yor pops the question. Her whole reason being that being single at her age would draw suspicion and marriage is a good way to camouflage that. What does Twilight do? He accepts the arrangement and pulls out a grenade, pulls the pin, and uses that as a ring. If that is not one of the coolest sequences, then reassess your priorities. I love just how fitting it is for both the characters and series as a whole. Truly one of my favourite moments.

As stylish as Mr Bond
My full bias here, this might be in my top three favourite art styles of manga that I’m currently reading. I just love it for so many different reasons. It’s very clean and distinctive in the sense that nothing ever feels confusing or cluttered. Each panel flows into the next very well, which also makes for some very nice action scenes.

The character work is excellent in terms of styling and expressions. They each feel unique and recognizable by just clothing or facial expressions. Take Twilight, for example, his suits have a beautiful pattern to them depending on the material, and his switch between spy and dad mode is very recognizable. Same with Yor, her style between mom and assassin is chefs kiss. While we’re on the topic of facial expressions, I assure you that Anya will have anyone beat no question. Overall, fantastic style as any spy should have.

Small but nice extras
We get a couple of small bonuses at the end of the volume. These include a funny one page trip to the store with Twilight and Anya along with his character file. Its mostly redacted but still a nice touch. My favourite bonus, however, is the look we get at some of the early sketches and concept art for the series. I am always a sucker for concept art, so this was just icing on the cake of a fantastic read.

Is Spy X Family volume 1 worth reading?
Absolutely. Whether it is in a weekly or volume format, this series is an absolute joy to read. It is a trifecta between story, art and characters. A triple threat in the manga world. If what was me gushing over Spy x Family volume 1 has not yet convinced you to go try it, I’m not sure what will. There is a good reason why this was my favourite new series of 2019.

My only gripe with this isn’t even with the volume, but the series as a whole. It’s a two-week chapter release and not one, which means you have to wait longer! You can even try out the first three chapters over on the Shonen Jump app if you’re still on the fence about picking up a whole volume. The point is, there is no excuse to skip out on this great series. Read it now!

Like alot of these recent Manga reviews that I’ve been featuring here on Bar Harukiya, I’ve gone into Spy X Family completely blind, I had no expectations going on and had no idea what I was letting myself in for. So that I’ve come out the otherside feeling really rather confused is, in my opinion, a cause for concern.

Here’s what I think is happening, Twilight is a spy, he is given a mission, to investigate a paranoid politician who’s only public appearances are usually related to his son’s school. To do this Twilight decides he needs to start a family, first he adopts Anya, a troublesome young girl (according to the orphanage) who happens to be a telepath, he then marries Yor, an assassin (though I think Twilight is supposed to be unaware of this), and so with the set-up in place we’re provided with a slice of life, action comedy that see’s the trio attempt to have Anya enrolled at a presitigious (and incredibly picky) school, the very same school that politicians son attends.

There, I think I’ve got it, or thats my interpretation of it, the problem is this volume doesn’t really know how to slow down and spends alot of its time spinning plates. It wants to have excellent action sequences that lead into amusing situations whilst having a protagonist who is incredibly measured in everything that he does but is also surrounded by two other main characters who cause him more headache and put him into situations where he has to think on his feet, and for me, the tone is a little too over the place with the pitch changing regularly from panel to panel.

This is probably coming across as overly critical, I don’t intend it to be, at times it reminds me of some of the more ridiculous scenario’s that the player finds themselves in in the Yakuza games. In those it works, there’s enough room for those moments to breath and provide amusement but here everything feels rushed, as a first volume I totally get that it wants to give the reader an insight into the sort of thing thats to come, and maybe in further volumes it gets the pace right, calms down and stops with throwing the mismatched family into situation after situation just to try and keep the reader hooked, purely because some of this stuff works, in particular when the family are going through the selection program to have Anya enrolled and they happen to have suitable changes of clothes to deal with the handful of situations that lead to their current outfits being ruined, this impresses the owner of the school greatly and its just one of those ridiculous situations that is actually given room to breath and be amusing.

It’s a shame then that Tatsuya Endo tried to cram so much into this first volume, it left me with a confusing mess of an impression and I’m not entirely sure my review has done the whole series justice, I only hope things improve from here as the basic set up could lead to some amusing situations.

Thank you Tatsuya Endo, Netgalley and VIZ Media LLC for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I truly loved it and the illustrations were just amazing. I hope that the final addition is in color but overall it has me at the edge of my seat the whole time while I was reading. I can’t wait for volume 2.

‘Never forget that everyone else’s day-to-day lives are possible because of your blood and sweat.’

Twilight is a master spy (‘a veteran of the battlefield, employing a hundred different faces to survive’) – and thus far, no mission has proved too dangerous or difficult for him to pull off successfully. Until now. Will this latest mission ‘Operation Strix’ be too difficult – and bring his career to an ignominious end? In order to infiltrate an elite private school and home in on his target, he must acquire a wife and a child. But where can Twilight – or ‘psychiatrist Loid Forger’ his latest identity – find the perfect family in time to carry out his assignment?

‘I abandoned my identity when I became Twilight. A father is just another role to play. And I will play it to perfection.’

Adopting precocious Anya turns out to be something of a risky strategy. Anya is hiding the fact that she’s telepathic because her telepathy is as much a curse as a gift. A failed genetic experiment, she’s eager to please her new Papa but she’s also very much a six-year-old child. (She admits to six because she’s read in Loid’s mind that he’s looking for a child that age.) And while Loid might be an expert in espionage, he hasn’t much of a clue about being a parent. He also has too many enemies waiting to ambush him at the slightest opportunity and having a six-year-old in tow makes him so much more vulnerable.

Read the full review at Anime UK News: https://animeuknews.net/2020/06/spy-x-family-volume-1-review/