We’re past the point now where I’ve read any of the Spy x Family manga.  But some of my suspicions are definitely proving accurate.  I have a limited tolerance for Anya – I knew that, and I knew it was a limiter in my enjoyment of this series.  But the first three eps of this season have really hammered it home.  It’s better when she’s at school for sure, because of Damian and Becky, and also because of context.  There, it’s less moe pandering and more slapstick comedy.  With Loid and Yor, it just comes off as Anya vamping.

Adding a dog to the mix certainly doesn’t help.  That old adage about actors never wanting to work with kids and animals really applies here, because writers have a tendency to just lean on them for cuteness.  If we’d gotten one more lingering shot of Loid and Yor smiling beatifically at them I think I would have borfed.  I also had a major problem with how easily everything fell together – no dogs were injured in the making of this anime, Yor was perfectly placed to capture Keith, and all three Forgers just happened to turn up at the same spot at the same second.  Realism is not an aim of SxF I know, but that was a bit much.

Yes, this series is definitely better when it’s a bit gritty.  Maybe that reflects the mangaka’s natural instincts as a writer.  Anya vamping has its place, but it works best (for me) as a side dish rather than a main course.  Still – it wouldn’t be the hottest commercial property in the industry if it weren’t exactly what it is, so Shueisha clearly know what they’re doing.

A couple points here I did enjoy, starting with Anya and Damian’s encounter.  His “so what” reaction to her dog announcement was priceless, mainly for the chain reaction it set off.  She was distraught at his indifference, and he was distraught that his tossed-off remark was such a death blow (even if his henchmen were very impressed).  We’ve seen tsunderes out the ying-yang but this is a fun twist on it, especially given Anya’s ability to read Damian’s thoughts.  I also loved the excellent pun, where Loid noted that dogs are bad at differentiating consonants and Yor heard “dogs are bad at determining causes of death”.  All these characters are authentically products of their backgrounds, which is one of the more endearing elements to the writing.

I can say this much – I wouldn’t want that giant dog taking a dump inside my house.  If that’s a thing in Japan (yes I know this isn’t supposed to be Japan, but you get the point) I was not aware of it.  Cats, sure – litter boxes are one thing (and they can actually learn to use a toilet), but a dog the size of a horse crapping in some paper?  I’ll take a pass on that, thanks.