The espionage genre is an endlessly moldable one; ranging from the ultra-realism of John le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to the increasingly fantastical exploits of Ian Fleming's James Bond on the silver screen. Its conventions have been affectionately torn apart by the Austin Powers series and, more recently, Paul Feig's Spy, as well as provided the template for the charmingly silly, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, helmed by the "It" couple of yesteryear, Brangelina.

On the surface, it's the latter mid-00s spy-rom-com movie that Tatsuya Endo's Spy x Family (like Hunter x Hunter, the is silent) mostly closely resembles, with its central premise revolving around the assembly of one of manga's coolest -- and unexpectedly compatible -- families. Though, as the story progresses, it's clear that Endo's series actually functions as a highly entertaining, tongue-in-cheek love letter to the genre as a whole.

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The family is hastily put together by "Loid Forger" (codename: Twilight), the pretend patriarch, who's personality approximates the stiff-upper-lipped professionalism of an MI6 caricature blended with the razor-sharp intelligence of 007 and the face-swapping skills of Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt. Loid's ongoing mission is to deescalate tensions between the nations of Westalis and Ostania. And, if those names weren't enough of a clue, Ostania's capital is named Berlint, leaving no room to doubt that Endo's setting isn't a fictionalized version of Germany's Cold War divide -- the perfect conspiratorial atmosphere for a spy drama.

Loid holding Anya in Spy x Family

Loid's commitment to his work has meant stripping away everything to do with his former, civilian life, but even an agent as dedicated as he is left aghast when the order comes through that he must get himself a family... within mere days. It's all in aid of a deep undercover mission to infiltrate the elite Eden Academy in order to get close to a particularly influential figure. Of course, it would be biologically impossible for Loid to gain an appropriately-aged child that was actually his in that time, so he goes to adopt the right candidate from an orphanage.

Rather than the highly intelligent six-year-old he needs to pass the school's difficult entrance exam, he takes home Anya, a girl of around four or five who lies about her age and feigns maturity by way of her hidden telepathy. Without this special skill -- the result of a mysterious science experiment -- Anya would actually be thought of as very un-special; lacking in both education and common sense. What she does have, however, is a boundless enthusiasm for her new father's work -- largely thanks to her favorite spy-themed TV show -- and infectiously high spirits. (The "derpy," saucer-eyed expressions Endo often gives her only make her all the more endearing.)

Anya being bored in Spy x Family

Child acquired, Loid is then hit with another complication: In order to pass the interview stage of Eden's application process, "both parents" must be present. Given the story's alternative, mid-century look and feel, this conservatively traditional requirement isn't as out of place as it sounds. It's also, as romance fans can attest to, an ideal contrivance to shoe-horn a partnership into Loid's single life. After stumbling upon a mind-reading child, Loid (unknowingly) lucks out again when he meets "Yor Briar," (codename: Thorn Princess) who is not only in desperate need of a stand-in boyfriend so she can blend in better to a society that frowns upon unattached women, but also turns out to be a master assassin.

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Unlike Loid, the split between Yor's public-facing and hidden professional lives is far more severe: an introverted and insecure woman by day and a Black Widow-esque femme fatale by night. It's hard to tell which is truer to her "real" identity. What is clear, is that she's Loid's perfect match -- both mentally and physically.

As the "family" begins to bond, Endo's story also starts to take on the properties of a classic super-family setup, like The Incredibles' Parr family or, their forebears: The Fantastic Four. Though their rogueish skillset and adoptive nature give them more in common with the Bat Family. And, in fact, there's plenty of Bat Family tragedy behind the double-life hijinks: Loid is reminded, after seeing Anya's tears in a particularly hairy situation, of his own war-torn childhood -- one that spurred him to fight for peace in the first place so that no child would be left crying again.

Anya, Loid and Yor in Spy x Family

The first taste we get of their potential as a perfectly synchronized, familial fighting unit comes early into the manga's run, when Loid and Yor endanger their secret identities by intercepting a thief they see stealing the handbag of an elderly woman -- leaping, old-school Superman-style -- a tall building to get to the scene in time and then relying on Anya's thought detection to apprehend the culprit. Because of the comedically edged tone of the manga, unexplained feats of superhuman power like these can easily be brushed aside as further evidence of Spy x Family's playfully heightened reality.

The combination of one of the world's greatest spies, an elite professional killer and a telepathic child not only makes the Forgers a secret force to be reckoned with, but also one that secretly finds unlikely companionship in each other, in spite of their life-threatening (and life-taking) careers.

Spy x Family is available in English from Viz Media. 

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