Spy X Family: Code White

To aid Anya with a special school assignment, Loid decides to take her, Yor and Bond on a Forger Family Vacation to the winter wonderland of Frigis.  While it might seem like just the kind of fun they need, a nefarious plot is afoot, one that could plunge two countries into a state of war.  Things get even more dire when Anya swallows a microfilm necessary to stopping this plot.  With the little telepath sought after by the a rogue Military commander, Loid and Yor must find a way to rescue her without blowing their respective covers.  The fate of two countries now rests in the hands of the Forgers.

Spy X Family hit the ground running in 2022, quickly becoming one of the most talked about Anime of the decade alongside Demon Slayer and the Final Seasons of Attack on Titan.  It’s no wonder that it not only got a quick Second Season renewal but also a greenlight on a movie adventure as well.  Spy X Family: Code White might not change the game Spy X Family has been doing so well from the get go, and needlessly retreads already covered ground for longtime viewers.  But it’s still a big screen adventure with one of Anime’s most dysfunctional and beloved family units and that will always merit a good time watching.
 
Code White is billed as an original story not based on any material from the Spy X Family Manga.  And yet I couldn’t help but feel, especially in the first half of the film, that I was experiencing a lot of Déjà vu.  I get that since this is Spy X Family’s first film, it should be accessible to fans old and new.  As a fan whose been with this show from the beginning, I don’t get why we need to get some needlessly forced conflict with Loid fearing he might get taken off Operation Strix again or Yor doubting Loid’s commitment to her.  I feel like the movie could be doing so much more with its premise of the Forgers going on a family winter vacation but instead Spy X Family kind of plays it lazily safe for the bulk of the story.  It definitely doesn’t help that the main villain, Snidel, has no depth or adequate reason for his villainous actions other than “War is coming so let’s just start it and get it over with”, which is another motive I’ve seen a couple of times already in the show.  I’ve also got gripes about needing to shoehorn in the entire series supporting cast like Nightfall and Yuri just because when they offer little to no bearing on the overall plot.
 
Fear not though.  If Spy X Family has taught us anything, it’s that even if the story’s aren’t up to par, the Forgers are more than capable leads.  Yor has a few hilarious scene stealing moments as she tries to get to the bottom of one of the force conflict subplots, one in particular involving the return of Drunk Yor, who is always a blast.  Loid is still the straight man who is in over his head when he isnt in a high risk situation.  The comedic timing between these two is as strong as ever but both definitely get to stretch their action hero and heroine muscles in some pretty crazy and well made action sequences.  Actually, it’s when the third act gets going where Code White lives up to its potential as “Spy X Family: The Movie”.  Aerial dogfights, crazy gun fights and Yor squaring off against an invincible robot man in a burning engine room is a fight scene that has to be seen to be believed.  Even the Forger Family Dog, Bond, gets in on some of the action, proving he’s just as formidable and loveable a addition to the family.
 
But of course, the real magic of Spy X Family’s success, to me anyway, is Anya.  And whereas Loid and Yor’s subplots go nowhere meaningful (if you haven’t watched the show at least), the littlest Forger is the one who gets the most of this epic adventure.  Anytime Anya is around, things are just happier and a lot more fun, from her deadpan reactions to things she doesn’t like to her wide eyed wonder at delicious candies.  Naturally, she does get caught up in the main plot of the villains and much like the action in the 3^rd act, the comedy gold Code White strikes with Anya’s predicament is almost indescribable…it’s kind of ridiculous but oh man I was laughing.  Is it wrong to say that if Loid and Yor were removed from the movie, it might be better if it was just an Anya solo film? (Maybe add in Bond, and some of her friends from school).  Point is, when Code White falters, Anya is still the franchise best kept secret weapon, always guaranteed to light up the screen with her special brand of “WAKU WAKU”.
 
Spy X Family: Code White suffers from many of the usual misteps of a Shonen Anime debut Film with retreaded character arcs and a plot that isnt anything special.  But it still works thanks to the core family and their escapades.  Be it action, comedy or Anya just being way too freaking adorable for the world, there’s a lot of what makes Spy X Family work on display here.  For longtime fans, it may just be another case of it being a 2-3 episode mini arc on the big screen.  For newcomers though, it’s a nice appetizer that should be getting more people to check out one of the best Action/Comedy Anime in a while. 
 
7.5/10