You can bet all your dalcs I was looking forward to this one! Every otaku’s favourite spy family is back but on the big screen this time. Spy x Family Code: White brings the spy Twilight/Loid Forger and assassin Yor “The Thorn Princess” Forger back to leading their double lives while maintaining their perfect family image. Of course, Anya and Bond—with their telepathic powers—know about it all.
The film began with an immediate action scene to kick off and show off the skills of Loid and Yor on their respective secret missions. This was a great recap or introduction to them for audiences who may not have watched the anime series. This led to Anya’s introduction, and her next class task was to cook a dish worthy enough to impress the principal.
Of course, Loid knew the principal’s favourite dish was an old-fashioned Frigis dessert called “meremere.” It was a fruit-filled tart with what appeared to be cream or meringue on top. So, the family was off to the snowy mountain town of Frigis to learn how to make the dish for Anya’s cooking competition. However, Anya gets up to no good on the train ride and eats a Ferrero Rocher-looking chocolate that triggers events which threaten world peace!
“Spy x Family Code: White is an original story, not in the manga, so it is never-before-seen.”
The overall new setting of Frigis was a nice change for a Spy x Family film, not that Ostania has a stale look to it. But the snowy, Christmas-y vibes were a great alternative for the show. It gave off a little Switzerland-inspired look as well. Also, for all the Spy x Family cosplayers out there, new alternative looks—just saying! The Forger family winter cosplays would be great for colder conventions like Toronto Comic Con, which happens every March because it could be either snowing or cold and rainy at the time.
I loved the history and lore of the town being explained by the restaurant chef of Rubbles & Bonds—a place the Forger family visits that serves meremere. The chef noted how the town was known for the air battle that took place a while back and showed off one of the dogfighting planes that saw action back then, too. This came back into play later in the film as there was a battle in the sky, which I thought was cool because the series just covered the action on the seas.
As the chef went on about the town’s past, it was interesting to see a glimpse of Loid as a child. This was a nice hint of Loid’s childhood, which is technically where the next season of the show should be headed. At least, this is based on where last season ended and where it left off in the manga.
One of the best villain introductions in an anime or anime film has to go to Colonel Snidel, a newly introduced character in the Spy x Family universe. Without any spoilers, audiences will probably be like, “Who is this guy?” or “Who’s man is this?” Despite not being terribly menacing, he did have some tricks up his sleeves and even gave Loid a run for his money at certain points. Also, he and Loid engage in some kind of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure-stylized fight I was not expecting!
“Spy x Family Code: White was a solid first film for the anime series.”
Snidel and his small secret reconnaissance platoon proved great antagonists to the main characters. Each one of them had some way to foil each member of the Forger family, and yes, even for Anya. Oh man, the person Yor faced was something similar to the Winter Soldier in the Captain America comics or films.
The cameos from Franky and Yuri were a cool touch, even if they did not significantly impact the main story of the movie. The only cameo of note would be the Handler and Nightfall, as they try to aid Loid as best as they can. Additionally, Anya’s best friend Becky and nemesis Damian have some screen time, too, while she is in class.
Strangely enough, if you like poop jokes, Spy x Family Code: White emphasizes a lot of “code brown.” There are even shots of a Poop God, which seems like a crossover joke of Family Guy and Rick and Morty for some reason. Regardless of the ‘crappy’ jokes, it provided the artists of the film to show off their hand-drawn art style fans will recognize whenever Anya goes into her imaginative mind—a solid callback to the show.
The only part of Spy x Family Code: White I felt was lacking was a nice punchy or emotional theme song. If I compare this to other anime series-based movies like Jujutsu Kaisen 0 or Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, those films had memorable theme songs to represent each of them. But other than that, Spy x Family Code: White was a solid first film for the anime series.
This is a great watch for all fans of the manga or anime series. Spy x Family Code: White is an original story, not in the manga, so it is never-before-seen. The best part is that it did not directly impact the main story but added to it in a wholesome way. Even if it puts Operation Strix at risk, fans can rest assured that the film was not a required watch to understand the ongoing plot with the high-profile politician Donovan Desmond.
As far as anime films go, Spy x Family Code: White was a delight to see hit the big screen. It brought a good amount of cinematic moments—from air battles to gunfights in aircraft. The mixture of art styles was so cool to see in a movie format. At the core, the film maintained a Stella star-worthy balance of action, suspense and heartwarming moments that Spy x Family fans have come to know throughout the last few years. And stay until the end for a quick post-credit scene.
