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I always feel wary about jumping into reviewing films based on anime franchises. Not that I worry about the quality, but it’s more about how one should approach talking about these films. Are they canon to the overarching story? Are they disconnected and can be placed at any point in the series’ continuity? Do you go in as a newcomer and want to see a vertical slice of what the franchise has in store for those who haven’t watched it? Do you go in with bias as a fan of the show and just love it because you love the show? Are you or are you not into anime? I always like giving these a chance, no matter if I am a fan of the franchise or not. If I can see them or am given a screener for them, I am going to be fair and judge it as a movie no matter if I have a bias about it or not. You should give every film a chance no matter the familiarity of it or not. Not everyone seems to give every film the same fair shake and that’s a shame. So, what do I think of Spy x Family Code: White?
Directed by Takashi Katagiri, written by Ichirou Ookuchi, and based on the hit manga by Tatsuya Endo. We follow the Forger family, including Loid Forger, dubbed by Alex Organ, Yor Forger, dubbed by Natalie Van Sistine, and Anya Forger, dubbed by Megan Shipman. Of course, they are no ordinary family with Loid being a well-known spy, Yor being a skilled assassin, and Anya being a telepath where they all try to hide their true identities as a fictional family and Loid can secretly try to stop a war between two nations breaking out. In this movie, Anya gets an assignment at school to make a dish that the principal will judge. Loid, knowing the principal’s favorite dessert, decides to take the family to a small town where the dessert is made. Sadly, on this vacation, Loid must stop an evil general from causing a massive war. Can Loid and the family help each other save the day? Will they be able to have a delicious dessert?
This one was one of those franchise films that I had a lot of thoughts going back and forward with how I felt about it. On one hand, it sets out to give us more of the stuff we love about the franchise. It has more Anya antics, more cute moments between Loid and Yor, some sweet action in the third act that is some truly stunning stuff, and it blends it all into the same mix of comedy and action that the series is known for. The whole instigating part of the film’s story is because Anya eats a chocolate bonbon that has some kind of microfilm in it that the villains are looking for. Anya has always been the highlight of the series with her expressive animation and cute antics when she is also with the family dog Bond Forger. While it is more comedy than action, when the action does kick in with the chase sequences, the opening assassin/spy sequence, and the final act that takes place on a giant military airship is truly a sight to behold. It doesn’t take a detour or do anything technically wrong with having the spirit and fun of the main series. If you wanted more Spy x Family, then you got more Spy x Family, and for some, that is what you are going to get and that will be enough. To be clear, whatever I am about to say next does not detract for those simply looking for more Spy x Family. If you wanted more, and that’s it, then that’s fine. Sometimes, we just want to be in the world of a certain show or film again.
So, why does this film not work for me at points? I think it’s because while it’s more of the series we love, part of it suffers from the fact that this is the director’s first time directing a feature film, and by the end of the film’s runtime, it feels like a longer three-part episode arc of the TV show. The thing that sets up the first half of the film is yet another plot where Yor sees Loid with another character in the show and thinks that he is being unfaithful to her, and that is what drives the first half of the film until the actions from Anya’s mishap with the chocolate and microfilm take over. It doesn’t feel as grand in scale for a film experience. Sure, not every film needs to be big and feel big. Some of my favorite films are small-scale experiences. With that said, if you are making a film, you want it to feel grandiose and different from the show, so it doesn’t feel like you are simply watching a longer TV episode on the big screen. It is also a shame that Yor’s insecurity and going through yet another misunderstanding plot line, since Yor got the short end of the stick in the series until the recent season on the cruise ship where she was able to shine and have a story for herself. It’s part of the problem with this not having any real connection to the TV series, since none of this will matter in the show’s story. Heck, they could technically take the Lupin III approach and have films/specials that take place whenever they want them to, since they are taking their time with going through the main story, but for now, the fact any of this won’t help the main story is a little disappointing. It’s weird how much my mind kept flip-flopping back and forward with this film, because the stuff I saw was fun. After all, this world and its characters are likable. It reminds me a lot of the Konosuba film where I liked a majority of the film despite it not feeling as film-like as it could have. The villain is okay as he fits into the world of the franchise, but he is just an evil military general and his two henchmen are way more memorable. It even introduces a late-game special henchman that comes right out of a Resident Evil game, but they will be forgiven for this addition, because as I said previously, the action scene between this guy and Yor is amazing. When we finally get to the second half of the story and we get past the annoying misunderstanding plot, the film finds its pace again and feels like a grand adventure for the Forgers.
The animation is also another part of this film where it has me going back and forward with how I felt about it. The collaboration between Wit Studios and CloverWorks has resulted in a visually splendid series, and has a lot of the usual eccentric animation for characters like Anya who is always a barrel of laughs and has unique facial expressions. With that said, the film doesn’t look any different than the show. It’s not a big enough visual upgrade until we get to the CGI that looks better for the film than the show, but it would have been nice to see this get a slightly nicer visual upgrade, so it doesn’t just look like the show. Well, to be fair, there is one sequence where Anya needs to go to the bathroom and the henchmen think she will expel the microfilm, and the sequence of Anya trying to hold it all in leads to a rather trippy visual moment, and it makes an elongated poop joke funny. If you are going to be absurd with your comedy, then you have to go all the way with stuff like this, because otherwise, folks will just scowl at poop jokes. Even the recurring gag of one of the henchmen using superstitions to help them on their way to get Anya is funny. The voice cast is also delightful with Alex Organ, Megan Shipman, Natalie Van Sistine, and Tyler Walker who plays Bond Forger are great as the titular family. Phil Parsons and Tyson Rinehart are great as our bumbling henchman, and John Swasey plays our villain Snijder with an unlikable air with some great comedic moments for him as well. The music is solid enough, but you are probably only going to remember the great song crafted by Official Hige Dandism, who did the first theme song for the show. Not that Makoto Miyazaki aka (K)now Name’s music wasn’t good, but it just felt like it was more of the same that we got in the show’s score.
This review jumped back and forward between my likes and dislikes about the movie, because that is how I felt about it. In general, Spy x Family Code: White is a slice of cake made of comedy, action, and fun family antics that will give you more of what you love from the franchise, and the action and comedy are great. It just needed to push the envelope a little more, and hopefully, we will see them do that in the future, because I would love to jump back into this world with another season and or movie adaptation of the next story arc. Just don’t rush it, and give the two studios and their creatives the time they need to make this series.
Rating: Go See it!
The Other Side of Animation 