Spy x Family makes parenthood the real impossible mission

polygon.com:

Not long after literally barricading his adopted child inside his new apartment, Spy x Family’s frosty and aloof secret agent, codenamed “Twilight,” discovers that this whole parenthood thing isn’t quite as easy as putting a group of armed henchmen in the hospital.

Based on Tatsuya Endo’s ongoing Shonen Jump action-comedy manga, Spy x Family finds its humor by crossing Cold War-era spy dramas with the more mundane domestic troubles of raising a child. It’s tempting to call it a slice-of-life comedy in disguise, because while there are moments of action and an overarching espionage narrative, it’s mostly about a guy dealing with being a new father.

This genre crossover happens because of Twilight’s latest mission, “Operation Strix.” In order to monitor a political extremist, he must enroll a child in the prestigious school the mark’s own child attends, leading to Twilight’s adoption of the young girl Anya. And so, the greatest spy in the known world, the man with hundred faces (thanks to some Mission Impossible-style rubber masks), becomes a man just like any other new to parenthood: confused and unfathomably exhausted.

Though, unbeknownst to Twilight, Anya isn’t an unwitting accomplice in the mission. She’s fully aware of the role she’s playing because of her ability to read minds, a talent resulting from scientific experimentation. In Anya, Spy x Family finds itself an incredible audience surrogate. She’s almost always in on what’s happening from every angle, but she’s incapable of doing much to change the course of the narrative — and Anya’s first attempt to get involved immediately ends in disaster.

Spy x Family, which has only aired one episode so far, is very funny — especially when the show plays its mix of