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REVIEW: SPY×FAMILY GN 2




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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5994
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 2:14 pm Reply with quote
Despite my love for a lot of manga out there, this one came out of nowhere and is my King of the Hill.
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HannoX



Joined: 30 Apr 2012
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 5:49 pm Reply with quote
This is one of my favorites now. I'm rooting for you and your found family, Anya!
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:10 pm Reply with quote
All very well and good, Madam Reviewer, but I think we still need an answer to the big question:

What was your favorite Anya face of the volume?
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kgw



Joined: 22 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:29 am Reply with quote
I am loving this series, thanks to MangaPlus' app.

I even liked how Twilight-Endo warned us for always paying attention to little kids in swimming pools.
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andramus



Joined: 19 Apr 2020
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 10:49 am Reply with quote
Quote:
It is worth mentioning that there's less of a sense that Anya's emotional well-being is being imperiled by her role in Twilight's mission. In the first volume it was a concern that she was much more invested in having a real family than Twilight was, adding an edge of tension to all of her scenes.


I brought up this topic in the comments for the review of GN1. I disagree with the above quote somewhat in that I don't really feel like the issue was ever truly addressed in story but rather set aside/glossed over.

You can see that there are deepening emotional bonds between the "family" but at the same time they are all lying to each other and Anya is the only one who knows it. So long as the lies persist I don't think Anya can ever feel truly emotionally secure in her position. The only way I feel Anya can feel secure is if she either gets a verbal commitment from Loid or picks up from his thoughts that he intends to keep her around after the mission.

It's also a bit depressing to think that Anya was an experimental reject from a lab who ended up in an orphanage. She was savvy enough to realise that she should conceal her telepathic abilities for her own safety. Which I think not to be able to confide in anyone would be incredibly isolating.

There is a tendency in successful series to maintain their status quo in order to contribute to their longevity. Character development and plot progression often ends up stalling with some characters repeatedly getting gas lit. I'd say Detective Conan is a good example of this.

If Spy x Family turns into another Detective Conan then I suspect no-one will be told the truth for a long time to come in order to maintain the comedy of errors that result from the mutual deceptions.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 10:55 am Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:
All very well and good, Madam Reviewer, but I think we still need an answer to the big question:

What was your favorite Anya face of the volume?


Ohhh...that's tough. I think the entire pool chapter has some of the best. (Or maybe I just like the pool chapter?)
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
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Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:17 pm Reply with quote
@andramus

You could be right and things will be glossed over to keep a static dynamic, but then again, we are bringing three strangers together to become a family. It is going to take some time for them to gel. Also, the two adults don't even have an intimate relationship.

I think many of us have watched other spy movies and TV shows to know that there is an even bigger elephant in the room. The Spy Agency. What happens at the end of the present mission? Will he be asked to eliminate all loose ends.........

It gets depressing, if you apply a real world lens to this also. Most likely, Anya would be seized by the state, because the current adults would be considered unfit parents.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2442
PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:51 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
Ohhh...that's tough. I think the entire pool chapter has some of the best. (Or maybe I just like the pool chapter?)


Bold choice ranking it above chapter 8 for Anya faces!

Admittedly, her dialogue there is great. ("My family is very ordinary!")
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 3:20 am Reply with quote
I don’t plan nitpick the emotional realism of the world’s most adorable James Bond homage since Spy Kids. This is story wears its heart on its sleeve and has so far balanced its genre with genuine familial warmth. I can’t imagine that it would take a super serious or dark and gritty turn. I was actually most concerned about the depiction of Yor’s night job, but it’s never gotten especially bloody, and it doesn’t seem that killing people has had a negative impact on her at all—which is a good thing for the story staying light and funny. For this reason, I’m ok with the story glossing over Anya’s stability for now. I’m sure it’ll come up again, but not before Loid (and Yor) decide to fight for her sake, by hook or crook.
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