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This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.

Friday, April 19, 2024

Spy x Family Code: White

After two seasons of anime misadventures, The Forgers, the titular family of Tatsuya Endo's Spy x Family, are ready for the big screen. Spy x Family Code: White debuted in Japan just before Christmas and is now ready to take on the North American Box Office. Let's see how their first cinematic mission went.

As the nations of Westalis and Oostania - basically West and East Germany - fight the Cold War, Westalian Secret Agent Loid Forger (alias Twilight) is tasked to investigate Oostanian political firebrand Donovan Desmond. For this end, Loid puts together a fake family to get into Donovan's son Damien's private school. He's unaware that his fake wife, Yor Briar, is the professional assassin Thorn Princess, their fake daughter Anya is a psychic, or that their dog Bond is a precog. This fake family slowly but surely becomes a real family.

Anyway, Loid's superiors decide to reassign him, which would threaten the not-so-fake family. He decides to get in their good graces by helping Anya win an upcoming cooking contest with the Judge's favorite dessert. That involves taking a family trip to the snowy country of Frigis, where the dessert originates. On the way there, the Forgers stumble upon a plot by the evil Col. Snidel to heat up the Cold War. Anya accidentally eats a chocolate MacGuffin, and the Colonel will do anything to get the microfilm it was holding out of her. Mr. and Mrs. Forger won't let that happen.

If one edits down the cold open, then it would make a good sitcom opening ("He's a world class spy. She's a deadly killer..."). Loid makes his way through a masquerade ball with secret documents, while Yor dispatches some hapless goons (Who are they? Who cares.). They make it home for family time with Anya and Bond, where we see the latter two's powers. That's quite an efficient opening for a TV show or movie. The series is pretty much an action sitcom, and like many sitcoms, or anime show movies, don't expect the status quo to change. How so? The plot is rendered all for nothing by a series of hilarious contrivances. 

Anya is the show's most popular character, so let's start with her. Her childish perspective is pretty endearing as she approaches the MacGuffin like a kid playing detective. We're a bit on edge as she's cornered by two goons - fortunately the comic relief duo - before Yor shows up. We're on edge for real when Snidel ties her up, though her ingenuity wins the day and saves Loid from nerve gas. Her dream sequences - rendered in crayon - are both quite hilarious and weird (particularly the second one). Her comical antics are a good contrast to her real fake parents' professions. 

One subplot that's not rendered moot is Yor's subplot. She spends the movie worrying that Loid is preparing to leave her after she sees him with another woman (actually fellow spy Fiona "Nightfall" Frost). She's easily pitiable despite her insecurity being somewhat played for laughs. It's quite moving when she and Loid get to talk it out on a Ferris Wheel, an accidental slap notwithstanding. It's easily Loid's best moment too, and they affirm their commitment when they go after Snidel aboard his mega Zeppelin. She even gets to use an unexpected tool to defeat an unstoppable cyborg. Overall, even those unfamiliar with the show will feel the "fake" family's real dynamic. They might fret what might happen once the secrets come out.

Now for a few other characters. Col. Snidel goes from confiscating Anya's dessert for himself to ordering his men to kill her. He does seem affable when he challenges Loid to a taste test to win back the dessert. But that affability goes away well before he shoots a random goon. He later orders his men to fire upon Loid, not even aware of his true identity. It makes one wonder how he'd react if he knew his extreme lengths to extract the microfilm were pointless. The two goons, Luka and Dmitri, are decent comic relief, though they're better as punching bags. On the subject of series veterans, Nightfall's gushing over Loid with the flattest of expressions is pretty amusing. It's actually relieving that Yor doesn't relapse into jitters when she sees Nightfall and Loid again.

The animation is about what you'd expect from the show: quite good. A few highlights include a sweeping shot across the opening masquerade ball, Loid exposing a carnival hustler's rigged game with some ingenious sharpshooting, his later dogfight with Snidel's mega Zeppelin, and Yor's battle with the cyborg. Its production design for Frigis is splendid, while the mega Zeppelin (it has a name, but I'm blanking on it for some reason) is quite coolThe show's composers, the band (K)now Name, reprise their roles on this film's soundtrack. Their soundtrack here is as jazzy and exciting as their work on the show. It may not be as proficient as a Ghibli film, but production company Wit Studio gets it done well.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see Spy x Family Code: White as soon as possible. It's a fun action comedy that will entertain the fans and unfamiliar alike. You'll love the fake family's real dynamic and thrill at their adventures. It's sure to satisfy anyone waiting for Season 3 and is another reason that may get me to fully reactivate my Crunchyroll account. As I said, see it soon, for it will be quite a while before it comes to home media. See it soon whenever and however you can. It's a great "ooting" to the movies.

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