Anime
Spy x Family: Code White - Saving the world as a family
The anime world’s favorite family of spies, assassins, and telepaths comes to the big screen with an adventure that more than fulfills its mission.
The leap from anime to the big screen can only mean one thing: a resounding success. That Spy x Family has achieved this is no surprise, as it has positioned itself as one of the anime that has stolen our hearts, made us laugh, and even thrilled us with its action-packed moments that have put the world in danger throughout its two seasons. But how do you take the premise of these spies, assassins, and telepaths trying to keep the peace of the world and make it compelling? Incredibly, Spy X Family succeeds by explosively bringing its essence to the big screen.
The Forgers go on vacation
Spy x Family: Code White takes us on an adventure that could be described as a giant Christmas episode, where the future of the Forger family hangs in the balance. Loid realizes that if he doesn’t make a breakthrough, he will most likely lose Operation Strix, and with it, his fake family. Fortunately, an upcoming cooking competition at Eden Academy is the catalyst for the Forger family - complete with dog Bond - to take a vacation to Frigis to learn how to make the old-fashioned regional dessert known as Meremere (since it’s a favorite of the school’s headmaster, who will be judging the event). On the way, however, Anya accidentally eats a chocolate containing a microfilm with the information needed to reignite the war against Westalis, making her a target of the military police, led by the arrogant Colonel Snidel.
This leads the Forger family to a vacation that will take them to all kinds of moments. From those of rest and fun, as a normal family would do, to marital problems, where Yor wonders if this fake marriage will survive, after doubting if Loid is cheating on him, to several confrontations with the military police. All the ingredients that made Spy x Family a success are present in this adventure, which, as always, mixes the elements of everyday family life and simple comedy with those of action and danger in such a natural way that at the end you will be surprised that almost 2 hours of movie time have passed.
The movie also has one of the best musical scenes I’ve ever seen in an anime, not because of its music, not because of its lyrics, but because of its context. It is a moment full of laughter and scatological humor so well executed that you have to be very bitter not to laugh. To be fair, there is no shortage of laughs in this movie. In the end, Anya is a warrior who stands up to much more than any child her age would.
Perhaps my only complaint about the story is that many of the secondary characters are very relegated and their appearance feels like mere appearances that could use a little more context. This is most noticeable in the scenes with Yor’s brother or with Agent Nightfall, who aren’t unfunny, but for someone coming from the outside, their obsessive behavior or position in the plot can be a bit overdone. However, it is quite understandable that this adventure of the Forgers leaving their city and going on a journey, their presence is not so necessary or justifiable. On the other hand, the antagonistic while not as memorable, do a good job throughout the movie. The soldier duo behind Anya is entertaining enough as comic relief, even if Colonel Snidel’s character doesn’t manage to stand out as a villain. Because of the familiar characters, it is advisable to stay until the end, because there is a very funny post-credits scene that you shouldn’t miss.
Is it necessary to have seen the series to watch Spy x Family?
One of the advantages of Spy x Family: Code White is that it is not necessary to be up to date with the series. The movie works as a standalone story to what we see in the series after the first 5 episodes. While knowing how this family works makes for a better understanding of the situation and Loid’s rush to stay in charge of Operation Stryx, the beginning of the movie does a great job of summarizing what you need to know about the Forger family. Some moments show us the basics of each of the characters, with Loid being an excellent spy, Yor being a formidable and strong assassin, and Anya... being Anya.
We saw this version in IMAX, taking full advantage of the screen size. In that sense, the animation quality is on par with what we saw in the anime, with very fluid scenes, especially in moments of action. Perhaps the only thing that feels clunky is some panning that doesn’t feel as fluid as it should. Other than that, the IMAX experience gives us a pretty complete field of vision, with more explosions, more everyday life, and more Anya.
Spy x Family: Code White is a very good first Forger adventure in the cinema. The movie works perfectly as a way to enter the world of this anime because in its microcosm as a story that lives separately from what is seen in the anime or manga, it manages to capture the elements necessary to understand the essence of what this series is all about. The animation work keeps up with, and in some cases surpasses, what we see on television with situations and scenes that could not work in the same way within the series.