Genre-Bending Anime Spy x Family Tackles Cold War Espionage

State power and oppressive surveillance serve as the backdrop for this animated spy comedy. 

In the anime Spy x Family, a Soviet-esque government uses terror and surveillance to enforce order. It's a funny, genre-bending critique of overreaching state authority, in which a found family must wrestle with private secrets while a vast state security apparatus tries to pry into their hidden lives. 

Adapted from Tatsuya Endo's popular manga series, the show, now in its second season, is set against the backdrop of a divided world, with the neighboring nations of Ostania and Westalis in a Cold War–like standoff. Westalis sends its best agent, Twilight, to infiltrate the Ostanian city of Berlint and gain access to a far-right organization plotting to restart the war. 

To execute the operation, Twilight assumes the identity of the psychiatrist Loid Forger and forms a family. He adopts Anya, a pink-haired girl, from an orphanage; marries Yor Briar, a civil servant working at city hall; and saves a white, fluffy dog named Bond.

But it's not just Loid who is hiding his true identity. All the members of his adopted family have secrets of their own: Anya is a telepath, Yor is a cold-blooded assassin, and Bond has precognition abilities.

The series balances drama, comedy, and suspense as the characters navigate the complexities of their hidden lives. The relationship between Ostania and Westalis mirrors the postwar struggles between East and West Germany. The stakes are always high: War can break out at any minute. Nations wage information wars. Spies operate in the shadows. 

While Westalis is a relatively free country with a thriving economy, Ostania has a more authoritarian government, relying on the widely-feared State Security Service (SSS) to maintain control. The SSS, reminiscent of East Germany's Stasi, employs wiretapping, intimidation, torture, and other tactics to suppress dissent and enforce obedience. 

Spy x Family thus acts as a parable about state power, omnipresent surveillance, and the constant fear of arbitrary arrests. "We're gonna report you to the secret police" becomes a threat wielded by ordinary citizens.

In one scene, Anya throws a tantrum after Loid refuses to buy her a (very ugly) keychain during a cruise. He eventually gives in, fearing that people nearby will report him to the SSS for being a bad father. And then, when the neighbors incorrectly assume that Loid is cheating on Yor, he overhears them saying: "I hope the missus doesn't sell him to the secret police like the woman in apartment 15 did with her husband."

But the danger to the Forgers is closer than they think. Yor's younger brother Yuri, outwardly a sweet civil servant, is a loyal SSS member seeking to squash dissent. In one mission, Yuri is tasked with finding a man writing articles critical of Ostania for the underground press. "I want him dealt with before any of this influences public opinion," his superior tells him, revealing Ostania's tight grip on the media. 

Through meticulous surveillance, Yuri records his target's actions with precise details: "At 07:21, subject wakes up. Watches television program Good Morning Ostania. Subject curses at newscaster." Yuri finally catches the man as he places his article with the mail that has already been carefully inspected by the state. At such moments, Spy x Family feels like a comic cousin to the 2006 film The Lives of Others. 

Amid all the chaos and conspiracies, the series gracefully traces the development of the Forger clan. As Loid and Yor complete several dangerous missions, they adapt to their newfound family life. The Forger family evolves from a mere mission to a tight-knit, relatable group. 

Since its debut in 2022, Spy x Family has become one of the most-watched shows in Japan and a favorite on global streaming platforms. A feature film based on the series is set to debut in Japan this week and will be globally released next year.

In all its forms, Spy x Family weaves together espionage, family dynamics, and political intrigue. It's not just an imaginative, entertaining anime—it's a cautionary tale about the dangers of authoritarian control.