Review — Spy x Family Code: White is Pleasant Holiday Fun

International anime mega-hit Spy x Family is out with its first theatrical movie. Is it worth a trip to theaters?

By Noah Oskow

There are few anime at present that can contend with the popularity of Endo Tatsuya’s Spy x Family. The TV adaptation of Endo’s manga premiered in April 2022, and quickly launched to the upper reaches of domestic and international anime viewership. A tale of a found family harboring secrets while navigating the intrigues of both domestic life and international spycraft, the show has major mainstream appeal. It manages to be a near-pitch-perfect mix of comfort with light comedy and thrills.

Like most anime that reach this level of popularity, a semi-canon theatrical film was always pretty much a given. The resulting theatrical anime, Spy x Family Code: White, is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from the show’s tried and true formula.

Never engaged with this particular animated sitcom? Not to worry — Spy x Family Code: White spends its first ten minutes re-introducing its core characters and plot. Loid Forger, a super-spy known by codename Twilight, is working to preserve the peace of a fictional West Germany-esque country amid a cold war. His deep-cover mission…