Spy x Family was announced back in 2021, and when I saw the announcement it was my first time hearing about it.
I thought it looked good from the cover and from the trailers, but one thing that stood out is the fanbase, the audience, and the views from the trailers.
It was clear to me this anime was gonna be a big deal the moment it dropped in April 2022, but no one could have predicted all this drama and controversy.
From Anya being “sexualized”, to supposed child trafficking, all of this and more is driving the conversation of whether the anime is overrated, a masterpiece, or just a good show in general.
Where the “overrated” controversy came from
“There is something to be said about how sometimes anime that just “don’t do anything wrong” immediately get praised as if it’s a masterpiece. Like who among us genuinely thinks Spy x Family is the greatest anime they’ve seen? Show them to me.”
@ColdCriti shared this opinion on Twitter, and It’s not like I don’t get where the guy’s coming from. It’s JUST an opinion, but one a lot of people didn’t like and were sensitive about it.
This is especially true for those who called it a masterpiece from episode 1 just because of its reputation (they’re not helping the argument).
“I saw some friends tweet about “Spy x Family discourse” so I went back to look at my tweet & I see 200 QRTs overnight 2 days after it was posted. People telling me I’m a miserable human being & then “it ain’t that serious” like aren’t you the one engaging in a dogpile over it???”
Afterwards the dogpiling started, the toxic comments came flying through, and the world started burning from the hot tears of Spy x Family fans who took offence to this criticism.
There’s evidence that these tears burned so hot it melted the keyboards the warriors were typing on.
As you can see by @ColdCriti’s tweets, the dogpiling continued and so did the responses taking digs at his opinions of Spy x Family.
Trust me it gets even worse once YouTube finds out about it.
Chibi Reviews offended by a HARMLESS Tweet and made a video
In the video as you can see if you watch it, Chibi Reviews starts out by talking about how some people create an entire personality out of hating on certain anime shows.
This statement does have truth to it because it happened with:
- Uzaki Chan.
- Shield Hero.
- Goblin Slayer.
And recently, Berserk when it was finally discovered by the MOB on Twitter.
But… In this case with Spy x Family, Chibi Reviews literally focuses on ONE TWEET from Criticold and claims he’s “attacking” Spy x Family because he shared a harmless opinion that didn’t pander to people’s feelings.
ChibiReviews is chatting shit in this case. It really translates to “I’m offended you’re criticizing an anime I like, so now I’m gonna cry about it”.
If we can’t even disagree just because an anime is popular, then what’s the f*cking point of having an opinion in the first place? Come on bro.
This is mirrored in the comments of the video and on Twitter as well.
Anitwitter doing what they do best
I’ve been dogpiled before for speaking FACTS about Mecha and how its declined over the years, and why it’s not as appealing as other genres these days like Shounen or even Isekai.
The whole internet burned from the hot tears of mecha fanboys and it just shows you how people only like opinions that stroke their ego. Or at least that applies to the most toxic side of the anime community.
What the F is Spy x Family anyway?
If you take Bungou Stray Dogs, If It’s For My Daughter I’d Even Defeat A Demon Lord, and Baccano and mix them together, you have Spy x Family.
It’s an anime about spies, obviously. Loid forger is the spy of the show who works his way into people’s lives for the sake of his mission and work.
Anya, the child he adopts from an orphanage is an esper. He uses her to build a faux reputation but becomes somewhat attached to his new daughter.
Then you have Yor, the black haired Akame-like assassin who’s cute and feminine, but a dangerous woman when she’s pissed off or in “assassin” mode when on a mission.
She becomes the mother for Anya and the wife for Loid forger. And that completes the “family” part of the anime’s name.
What makes Spy x Family different?
For me it’s the family dynamics of the show. The fact that you have:
- A spy.
- An assassin.
- A kid who’s an esper (which the parents don’t realize).
And how they all work together, sometimes indirectly, and the way it helps to tell a different story based on the characters chemistry and connections to each other.
Yor is an assassin with a normal job she uses as a cover. She’s seen as beautiful, introverted, shy, awkward, and even a bit of a weirdo. But her interactions with the other characters is what makes her shine.
Same with Anya. She’s like the center of the show. She brings comedy and wholesomeness to the episodes and the more “serious” parts of Spy x Family.
Loid is the calm, stoic leader of the family who set the whole thing up. And seeing him get out of character sometimes reveals his more human, vulnerable side which he’s used to hiding from the world since he’s a Spy.
Spy x Family in of itself isn’t a mind-blowingly unique anime (just like Demon Slayer), but the approach to how the anime is written is what makes it unique in some ways… Just like how Demon Slayer’s sister-brother dynamic makes it stand out.
It mixes family, wholesome vibes, violence, and action to make a new blend of anime that hasn’t been done before. At least not in this way.
While the ratings themselves might be overkill and exaggerated (mostly manga fans being understandably bias), the anime is still a solid series so far.
I wouldn’t call it overrated at all, but bias fans on platforms like MAL aren’t exactly helping the criticism since fans from the first episode rated it 10/10 fresh out the womb.
What do you think?
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