Adapted from the manga series by Tatsuya Endo, the SPY x FAMILY franchise follows spy Loid (voiced by Takuya Eguchi in the dub and Alex Organ in the English sub) and assassin Yor (Saori Hayami and Natalie Van Sistine). Unaware of the other’s profession and posing as a family along with their telepathic adopted daughter Anya (Atsumi Tanezaki and Megan Shipman) and their precognitive dog Bond (Kenichirou Matsuda and Tyler Walker), the group try to balance their secret lives with their familial relationship. The film CODE: White follows the family in their latest adventure, in which Anya accidentally comes into possession of a microfilm that risks the delicate power balance of their world.
SPY x FAMILY is a comedic love letter to the sub-genre of spy fiction. From the Cold War-esque setting of the story, the Mr and Mrs Smith-like relationship between Loid and Yor, to naming the family dog after the most famous fictional secret agent of all time, SPY x FAMILY unashamedly wears its influence on its sleeve without taking itself too seriously, and the movie CODE: White – the franchise’s first feature-length instalment – is no different.
Though it largely doesn’t contribute to the overarching narrative of the franchise as a whole, fans will get to enjoy watching the Forger family get into shenanigans and working together to get out of them. As for those unfamiliar with the story, don’t worry. It’s not necessary to catch up on SPY x FAMILY’s previous two seasons to understand what’s going on. Unlike other anime films which may expect the viewer to already be familiar with the material – That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime: Scarlet Bond, for example – CODE: White does take the time to briefly summarise the characters and premise for those who are experiencing SPY x FAMILY for the first time.
An advantage of an anime film over a standard anime show is that more resources can be focused on the production. However, while CloverWorks and Wit Studio are more than up to the task, CODE: White doesn’t particularly stand out from its show counterpart in terms of aesthetics. The only exception is a fight scene involving Yor towards the film’s climax, which stands out from the rest of the film in terms of animation quality.
When it comes to the writing, SPY x FAMILY CODE: White provides enough entertainment to make for a fun two hours. There isn’t much there in terms of story, but it is also never boring. Some of the humour might be a bit goofy for some audiences, but that is part of the movie’s charm.
It still works as a comedy overall, and I’m not ashamed to admit that even the poop gag with Anya having to pass the microfilm she swallowed had me giggling non-stop. SPY x FAMILY CODE: White is an ideal popcorn flick, and if you would like to watch something where you can just turn your brain off for a while and get some chuckles, then I recommend giving SPY x Family CODE: White a go.
Review screener provided.
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