I LOVED this SO MUCH. I love the "found family" trope and seeing how three strangers with differing goals all come together to help one another, though to be fair, it is in their own best interests to do so. But while they all started with selfish goals in mind, they are all starting to care for one another and the selfish is slowly starting to change.

I LOVE IT!!! It's a bit violent and I don't quite understand the world they are in, the politics of it and so forth, but I'm just going along for the ride and watching the characters interact and start to care for one another. Not sure how old Anya is, but she is so precious! I absolutely love her! It will be interesting to see how Yor takes to being lied to... I hope she is the forgiving type...

I can't wait to read the rest of them, YAY SERIES!! 5, this perked me right up, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Story

Spy x Family is a manga from Tatsuya Endo (Gekka Bijin, Rengoku no Ashe, Tista) that brings slice-of-life, action, comedy, and a splash of sci-fi into an entertaining manga series. The series follows a spy simply known as Twilight. He is asked to investigate a government official who is looking to bring two nations to war. Being a man of a thousand faces who has cast his personal emotions aside, Twilight must become Loid Forger, a married man with a child, in order to complete this mission!

Twilight starts by visiting an orphanage and securing a 6-year-old girl named Anya who just happens to have an ability to read people’s thoughts. Thanks to that ability, Anya is much smarter than your average child and she becomes the perfect choice for Twilight. The only thing is, Twilight has no idea she is telepathic!

Part of the mission involves Anya getting admitted to Eden Academy, a school for the elite of the elite. After barely passing the written exam, they ask to meet both parents of the child, no exceptions. This means that Twilight needs a wife. He conveniently runs into Yor, an assassin who is desperate need of a temporary boyfriend in order to prove that she is not single at her age to her family. After forming a pact that Twilight will be her pretend boyfriend in exchange for Yor pretending to be Anya’s mother for the admission interview, we have ourselves a nice little family who know nothing about one another’s true identities… except for Anya since she’s telepathic but she’s keeping her secret all to herself as well!

The result is a serious, yet, hilarious comedy with a great story and amazing characters!

Characters

First off, we have Twilight. Twilight has been on hundred of spy missions, each one he has carried out with extreme professionalism. Infiltrating the government in order to stop a terrible war is nothing to someone like him, yet, when he becomes attached to Yor and Anya, things take a different perspective to him. He is no longer just thinking about the mission at hand and there are even cracks in his armor where he realizes that he’s not acting like the spy he normally is. While he seemed hardened and a man who cares nothing more for his job at first, he shows a lot of human qualities all while being self-aware that he is doing so. It makes for a great main character however, the real star of the show here is Anya.

Anya is just absolutely adorable and amazing at the same time. She can read anyone’s minds but she still possesses the mentality of a 6-year-old kid. While she is very aware of the world around her, she still likes to eat yummy things and play daddy’s spy radio which alerts enemies to his location, thus putting his mission in complete and total jeopardy! She also enjoys playing tag with complete strangers and playing with her new pretend mommy’s poisoned knives! Like I said, just cute little things any 6-year-old girl would like to go! Seriously, though… some of her reactions to Twilight and Yor’s thoughts are priceless… especially the scene where Yor wants to hold her hand! Anya really commands your attention whenever she’s on the page and is probably the best part about this series so far!

Yor, on the other hand, has a dual personality. In her “normal mode,” she’s kind of a clumsy, absent-minded woman who should have had a boyfriend by now but is hopelessly single. In her “other mode,” she is a highly-trained and deadly assassin who is obviously just putting on an act as to not draw suspicion to her actual trade. She becomes a bit more “normalized” when she agrees to be Anya’s pretend mother but there are instances where her assassin skills come out. It’s okay though because she learned all of them in yoga class… she swears by it!

Final Thoughts

This manga was a delightful surprise! The volume starts off in a serious tone, luring you in a false sense of security. It makes you believe that you’re going to be following the life of a masterful spy, witness his death-defying adventures, and see those adventures on a volume-by-volume basis. Then you get a bit of a jarring experience when you meet Anya and realize she’s telepathic. At that point, you realize that the manga isn’t as serious as it let itself on to be. Then, things take an even more comical tone when Yor enters the picture.

The recipe works very well here and the result is nothing more than pure entertainment. The characters are well fleshed out, have great personalities, and play off of each other so well. The cohesion between the three of them is among some of the best I’ve read in a manga series and I’ve read a lot of manga in my time thus far. My only complaint with the first volume of Spy x Family is that it had to eventually end at some point. I was truly enjoying every page and I feel that this is a series you should definitely check out!

As HouseMaster Henry Henderson of Eden Academy says… This is true elegance!

Spy X Family is a Japanese Manga about 3 unlikely figures - a spy, a contract killer, and a mind reader -  who come together to form a pretend family. Each one is unaware of the others’ history, all while using the arrangement as a convenient means to pursue their own goals. 

For the cast of characters, we have:

Twilight - A world-renowned spy, capable of pulling off any task from infiltrating terrorist organizations to diffusing nuclear bombs. Completely no experience in the family department. 
Yoru - Slightly ditzy, quiet, and aloof. An unassuming city hall worker by day, she transforms into a ruthless killer by night.
Anya: A cute 6(?) year old kid who can read minds. She knows her family can be strange at times, but she adores spy movies so all the better for her. Bring her a bag of peanuts and she’ll love you forever.

The story is a lighthearted and humorous take on traditional espionage tales, and tests the characters in a completely unfamiliar setting. It’s hilarious to see each character unwittingly reveal a bit of their true nature in front of the other, then come up with a ridiculous explanation in an attempt to protect their identity. And without fail, the other person always accepts their ludicrous answer. 

I'd recommend this if you are looking for a fun, casual, weekend read. I believe that the series is already published online, but you can catch the first physical volume when it releases in June!

Twilight’s given up his normal life, he’s a spy. love and family are not in the picture till he gets an order to get married and have a kid is 7 days for a mission. He goes to an adoption house and adopts the smartest girl there. Little does he know she has special abilities, she can read his mind. When he starts thinking about trading her in she gets emotional and things start to get fun. Things get even more fun when he has to find a mother for her. She finds one she’s interested in, and either of them know she can read their minds.
Oh this book was so much fun. I laughed through so much of it. I loved all the characters and the illustrations were excellent. I can’t wait for the next book.
I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review

This was so refreshing. The art style works with the setting of the novel. It starts off a bit slow for the first couple of pages but it quickly picks up.

This is a fun start to what promises to be a good series. Everyone in this "family" has a secret, and it will be interesting to see if the can learn yo be a real family and still accomplish their goals as spy and assasian.

I really enjoyed this! I plan to follow the series and read future volumes. It took a minute to get settled into the premise, but once the fun started with the relationship between Lloid and Anya, I was in.

I requested this book based on the description but I was unable to download onto my Kindle Voyage despite detailed instructions. Sorry!

I thought this was great. It was fresh, new, and funny. Anya was a super cute character, and I loved how ridiculous the plot of this story was. I could have done without the repeated indications that unmarried young women are dishonorable and shameful to their families, though.

I was completely underwhelmed by this. The art, while certainly not bad, wasn't very memorable, and the story itself feels utterly ridiculous. I won't be continuing.

I started this book and then couldn't put it down. Love the mystery and the mental and emotional gymnastics the characters go through to keep their identities secret and to help them stay undercover! Can't wait to read volume 2!

Loved the story, the comedic aspects, and the dynamic of this very unconventional (understatement of the year) family. I look forward to introducing this to my anime club teens.

Absolutely charming and heart-warming, laugh-filled and precious story of a very unusual family. Not what I expected, but eagerly awaiting the next volume.

I freaking loved this manga!! I love how three people who are all different were able to come together to create a mysterious, crazy, and all around amazing family. I loved all the characters, but the daughter, Anya, was definitely my favorite. I can’t wait for volume 2!!!

Normally, I don't read manga. But I decided to expand the genres I read and thought I would give Spy x Family a try. To my surprise and pleasure, I loved it! The premise was weird enough to catch my attention and the story line flowed so well that it kept my attention. I loved the Forgers and how they came together. I found myself rooting for them immediately and I look forward to reading more of their story.

The illustrations were great, not too flashy but not amateurish either. I can see a few readers crushing on Loid and Yor and Anya is absolutely adorable. I'm really glad I requested this book and plan to read the rest of the volumes.

This was so much better than expected! I really enjoyed the story, it was definitely a different kind of spy story! I liked that it was unique and so much fun. It also had a lot of good action scenes and the art is really well done.

The characters were each really interesting in different ways and their dynamic ended up working well and being super cute! It really drew me in and I can't wait to see what happens next with this fake family and all their secrets.

Would highly recommend giving this a read!

This is a heartwarming story about finding family in the most unexpected of places with the most unexpected people. The main characters, Twilight, the spy, has to become a father and husband to Anya, a telepathic child, and Yor, an assassin. All three of them need something that each other can give and the story portrays this in such a way that over time, they realize that they've really come to care and depend on one another, as quirky as they all are. The art style is unique and well-done compared to other manga I've read and aids in portraying the variety of emotions and situations the characters go through.

This manga is non-stop action and intrigue as the reader comes to learn more about the characters and the world of deception they live in. Although they appear to all be deceiving on another, they have the best intentions at heart, which makes this manga a fun experience. The people they interact with, whether good guys or bad guys, draws the family into helping one another and brings them even closer. As they grow together as a family, they come to learn how to be 'normal' in the sense that makes them feel safe and happy with one another, despite their secrets and that maybe, just maybe, they should stick together in the long run. I admit, I was slightly apprehensive about a spy manga story with its type of premise of a fake family but the art, setting, and characters drew me in and seem almost believable and definitely have me invested in learning more about this unconventional family and how they will end up in the end. I am hoping for a positive ending! Overall, it is an enjoyable series, and I greatly look forward to the next volume!

The overall premise is intriguing with elements of both predictability and surprise. I enjoyed the clever dialogue and very detailed artwork. I'll be interested to see where the story goes! I don't usually read a lot of manga, but this story held my interest all the way through. The art was good, but I think some of it got a bit lost due to the choice to keep it in black and white.

4.5, rounded up. This was so fun! It reminded me of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (but better); I love Anya (and the irony that only she knows the full extent of her family situation) and am looking forward to learning more about Yor's abilities as an assassin.

I was wondering why everyone was raving about this manga, and wow this blew me away. This was everything I wanted and more in a manga. The art is beautiful, the characters are cool and at the same time cute, and most of all the humor is absolutely hilarious!

Usually, I go for the shojo type manga (a series of japanese comics aimed at young female audiences). However, this one got me addicted, and I want to read more. I can't wait to read the next volume and get a paperback copy of this manga to add to my collection (it's definitely worth reading over and over again).

My Rating:

Note: Thank you Viz Media and Netgalley for the digital copy.