MANGA REVIEW | "Spy × Family" - Volume Twelve
After the extreme tension on display in the last volume of Spy × Family, you’d think that there’d be some down time for Forgers, right? Although the first half of Volume Twelve puts more emphasis on the comedy, it pivots right back to the dangerous world of spies and agents. Only this time, it’s Twilight’s turn to dive head-first into the chaos.
Thankfully, Anya doesn’t need to fear for her life this time. Instead, she’s on Cloud Nine thanks to her heroism from before. Everyone at school loves and adores her, even Damian (who won’t outright admit it). But this is Anya we’re talking about, and any praise goes directly to her head. As a result, she begins to spin yarns about “commoner life”, with the rich kids eating up every word she says. Per usual, it keeps her from continuing her mission to be Damian’s BFF, albeit in a funny way.
One person who hasn’t had a moment in the spotlight yet has been Sylvia Sherwood, Twilight’s handler. What starts as a day-in-the-life sort of narrative instead swerves back into the world of the Forgers. It then leads to a competition of dog vs. dog, with Bond going head-to-head with Sylvia’s recent adoptee Aaron. Although neither dog is worthy of a Purina National Dog Show award (yes, I watch it every Thanksgiving, even here in Tokyo), they do their best to appease their owners enough to earn a couple of belly rubs and a treat.
Meanwhile, Yor has a problem. Rather, it’s that she has no problems, meaning that she might have a problem. Her coworkers spend so much time bitching about their significant others, that her lack of bad things to say about Loid might seem suspicious. So it’s up to good ole liquid courage to figure out how to find a problem in her marriage, resulting in some good ole Spy × Family fantasy silliness. I don’t know if Yor and Twilight would ever fight to the death, but Anya would certainly be crying over it in the same way Yor imagines it.
However, lack of love problems will have to wait. There’s a mole in WISE, and Twilight must find it before he and the other spies are compromised. It brings back the wild fights we’ve come to love from the more serious aspect of Spy × Family, with a high body count and an impressive chase sequence. And it’s here where we get a true nail-biter of a face-off: Twilight vs Yuri Briar.
Right when Yuri was first introduced in the second volume, it was clear that there’d be a time the secret police officer would have to fight Twilight. Although it’s been a silly affair when it comes to the love of Yor, this time it’s different. There’s no jealousy in the air; only a kill-or-be-killed essence that pushes both to the brink of exhaustion. The fight ends in a way you wouldn’t expect it to when it comes to Twilight, but it does conclude in the way you would think one would revolving Loid Forger.
All of it ends on a cliffhanger, one that may spell disaster for Twilight if it goes down badly. But there’s a beacon of hope that things may turn out okay, and it comes from a woman who’s worked closely with our spy hero for a very long time. Will Spy × Family give her the proper moment to shine? Or will she mess up and cost Twilight everything? In those last couple of panels, there’s a plethora of tension on display, enough to give anyone — even the strongest of willed — the worries.
It’s nice seeing a Spy × Family volume where everyone gets a moment to shine. From Anya’s heroic aftermath and Yor’s drunken worries to Twilight’s latest mission, Volume Twelve has a great blend of the humor and action that has made Tatsuya Endo’s series an endearing and exciting read. But is Operation Strix about to be cut short? We certainly hope not!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
