Spy x Family had a particularly good episode this week, focused on Anya’s relationship with Yor and her ability to fit in at Eden Academy. This episode had plenty of laughs and some cute moments that further developed the Loid family and their affinity toward one another.
The first half of the episode revolves around Anya obtaining her Eden Academy uniform. What starts as a fun little family outing turns into a fear-mongering measurement session as the seamstress speaks about how often Eden Academy kids are kidnapped and bullied. Seeing Anya flip sides and no longer want to attend school is funny, as is her immediate paranoia of being kidnapped once again.
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Her paranoia is well-founded though, as Anya is quickly kidnapped while Loid is briefed on the next phase of his mission. Seeing Yor let loose on the kidnappers before anything can happen serves as a great moment for her character, showing off her incredible fighting skills as well as her growing compassion for Anya. Plus, it’s always cool to see these characters reveal how strong they are after hiding their talents for so long.
This first half helps to cement Yor’s maternal feelings towards Anya, as well as Anya’s reciprocated feelings towards Yor. The family continues to grow closer and closer each week, making for a nice and wholesome dynamic, given this is a family composed of a spy, an assassin, and a telepath.
After the kidnapping, Yor teaches Anya how to fight in a comical sequence that puts Loid on edge, but comes in handy later. Since Loid has learned that he needs to either make Anya into an honor student or have her become friends with his target’s son, Damian. While Anya tries to be friendly at first, things quickly go off the rails in a hilarious fashion, perfectly suited to Anya’s character.
As Damian antagonizes Anya for being a nobody, she simply smirks at him to aggravate him without violence. This is a fantastic sequence, as Anya maintains her cocky smirk throughout most of the episode’s remaining duration. It’s a funny face already and watching Damian and his bully friends try to cope with being stared at like that makes for a good deal of goofy fun.
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It also makes Anya’s punch, which she learned from Yor, feel far more justified and satisfying. The way that she weasels out of being in too much trouble shows how sneaky Anya can be herself, making it clear that she does indeed fit in amongst the Forger family. We even get some exciting declarations of “elegance” from Housemaster Henderson, which continues to make me smile. This second half is full of laughs and continues to prove that Anya is a brilliant and funny character.
“The Friendship Scheme” is an excellent episode of Spy x Family, improving on last week’s pacing while having more laughs than any episode so far. I can’t wait to see how Anya tries to befriend Damian now, as I’m sure it’ll be ridiculous and a blast to watch.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
Disclosure: The critic watched the episode on Crunchyroll for ComingSoon’s Spy x Family Season 1 Episode 6 – The Friendship Scheme review.
