SPY x FAMILY CODE: White Review

Directed By: Takashi Katagiri
Written By: Ichiro Ohkouchi; Based on the manga series and characters created by Tatsuya Endo
Runtime: 110 minutes
MPA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, language and smoking.

Alex Organ – Loid Forger/Agent Twilight
Megan Shipman – Anya Forger
Natalie Van Sistine – Yor Forger
Tyler Walker – Bond Forger
John Swasey – Colonel Snidel
Sylvia Sherwood – Handler
Dallas Reid – Yuri Briar
Caitlin Glass – Damian Desmond
Anthony Bowling – Franky Franklin
Ben Phillips – Narrator

The Forger family of SPY x FAMILY takes their first trip to the big screen, which now makes its way stateside, courtesy of Crunchyroll. SPY x FAMILY CODE: White doesn’t break the mold for theatrical features for ongoing anime series. However, the film still provides plenty of big-screen thrills for the Forger family and makes exceptional use of the expanded budget and theatrical canvas.

CODE: White is a feature-length movie that exists alongside the ongoing anime television series for SPY x FAMILY. That means the movie must follow the typical format of a “filler” storyline, so it’s not based on any events from Tatsuya Endo’s original bestselling manga series. As is usually the case in movie events for an ongoing anime series adapted from the manga, there are no significant status-quo-shifting events. The whole adventure must be explained as a glorified sidequest set between canonical events of the actual episodic story. So yes, one could call CODE: White a filler storyline, but it’s an incredibly glorious filler that embodies what makes SPY x FAMILY such a delightful story.

Considering CODE: White is a continuation of a longer-form television series, the film opens with a prologue, bringing the audience up to speed. The Forger family is a fraudulent family pretending to be one for various reasons. However, unbeknownst to them, each family member holds a fascinating secret. Father Loid Forger (Organ) is a secret agent, codenamed Twilight, for an elite intelligence organization known as WISE. By day, mother Yor Forger (Van Sistine) works as an ordinary office clerk for the government of the world’s fictional country of Ostania. By night, Yor acts as a deadly assassin, codenamed the Thorn Princess, for a secret organization called Garden. Daughter Anya (Shipman) is a telepath and an orphaned test subject of a secret government experiment. Their adopted dog, Bond (Tyler), can see into the future. Due to her gift of telepathy, only Anya knows her family’s secrets.

Loid put together his fake family to get closer to Donovan Desmond, the chairman of Ostania’s controlling political party to maintain the fragile ceasefire between neighboring rival countries Ostania and Westalis. He enrolled Anya at the same school as Desmond’s youngest son with the hope that she will receive stars of merit to attend an elite formal gathering which Desmond will also attend. The plot’s central conceit is that Anya is about to compete in an eating competition that will be judged by her school’s headmaster. If Anya wins, she could earn a star of merit and get Loid Forger a step closer to his goal. Loid comes up with a plan for a family trip to the region of Frigis so they can all sample the headmaster’s favorite dish as research for Anya’s competition, making this the first Forger family vacation. Unfortunately, Anya inadvertently entangles the family in an elaborate conspiracy during the trip, as the rogue Ostanian soldier, Colonel Snidel (Swasey), seeks to end the ceasefire and reignite the war between Westalis and Ostania.

The main draw of SPY x FAMILY CODE: White is seeing the Forger family in an exotic new location and the series’ animation team flexing their muscles to show what they are capable of when given the resources of a theatrical production. Takashi Katagiri, who directed multiple episodes of the anime series, delivers some of the best action sequences to date for SPY x FAMILY. Yor has the best standout fight sequence in the film. Another benefit is how CODE: White expands upon the series’ early Cold War aesthetic and production design, showcasing a mammoth, oppressive Ostanian airship where the final act unfolds.

Much like the television series, the conflict and rising actions progress through a bizarre set of coincidences and misunderstandings. The gossiping colleagues at Yor’s work, along with her overactive imagination, cause Yor to suspect that Loid is having an affair, which technically wouldn’t be an actual affair because Yor agreed to enter the union with Loid for fraudulent reasons. Yor’s subplot exemplifies why she’s such a charming character. Despite her real-life career as a deadly assassin, Yor is oddly sweet and naive about everyday life. She becomes genuinely fond of Loid and Anya. Considering that Yor and her younger brother, Yuri (Reid), were orphaned at a young age, a part of her yearns for that ordinary family life she never experienced growing up. Likewise, while Agent Twilight would likely claim his goal is the mission first, he is genuinely fond of Anya and does his best to care for and guide her. Twilight is another orphan shattered by the horrors of war who seeks to maintain the world’s peace.

SPY x FAMILY is a story of a found family who becomes a found family for fraudulent purposes. However, despite the false veneer, the Forgers forming a true familial bond. The series depicts their adventures as a family, showcasing classic familial events but with an espionage twist. CODE: White maintains this theme by showcasing the first family vacation for the Forgers, but they just so happen to stumble into a conspiracy that could rip apart the delicate peace between Ostania and Westalis. The film doesn’t lose sight of the incredible warmth and charm of the Forgers as characters, even though the film features a filler storyline that wraps everything up in under two hours.

While the animated visuals are fantastic, and the new location of Frigis looks gorgeous, the movie’s central villain, Colonel Snidel, doesn’t quite live up to his full potential. Snidel has an imposing look and demeanor, and the narrative nicely establishes him as a formidable foe for Twilight and the Forgers. However, Snidel’s payoff doesn’t quite meet the impressive buildup as an antagonist. The central conflict also creates a significant loose end that’s not properly resolved. The main focus hinges on the Forger family, who oddly come together at the strangest of times in the most inexplicable ways, comparable to the series format. Nevertheless, the exploits of the Forger family delightfully dazzle on the big screen.

SPY x FAMILY CODE: White will be hitting theaters, both subbed and dubbed, on Friday, April 19.

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

SPY x FAMILY CODE: White provides an exceptional expansion for the Forger family in their first big-screen adventure. Anya is as adorable as ever, and Yor shows what happens to those who mess with her fake family. The animators outdid themselves with the theatrical resources, providing some of the best animation and action sequences this property has ever seen. Not to mention, the unique locations and setpieces look absolutely gorgeous. SPY x FAMILY CODE: White is easily worth a trip to the theater for fans of the ongoing series.