Manga Review – ‘Spy x Family: Family Portrait’

Spy x Family: Family Portrait is about a spy currently using the name Loid Forger. He must get closer to an enemy politician, but the only way to do that is to gain access to the elite elementary school that his son attends. The best way to do that is to be the parent of a student there. He adopts a little girl named Anya. When he finds out that the child can’t come from a single-parent home, he marries a woman named Yor who works at City Hall and needs to get hitched quick so she doesn’t worry her brother. Unbeknownst to Loid, he’s not the only one with secrets – Anya has psychic powers, and Yor is an assassin who is using the marriage as a cover.

First of all, I want to say that this is my dream job: being hired to write a novelization of a series I love. Since I don’t live in Japan, I’ll probably never be able to do that for an anime or manga, but maybe someday something equally fun will pop up. A girl can dream.

But while I might not be living that particular dream, I am living the dream of getting some pretty cool free books in exchange for reviews. So, let’s talk about Family Portrait.

Mission 1:

Anya goes on a class camping trip. Knowing that her dad wants her to try and get closer to Damian Desmond, she tries to learn as much about camping as possible to impress him. She fails miserably, but the two of them do get a little closer through the perils of getting lost.

This one was adorable. Anya’s thought processes are silly and sweet, and Damian’s moments of vulnerability make him feel like a real kid. I was impressed by the author’s ability to seamlessly depict Anya reading different characters’ minds while maintaining clarity.

Mission 2:

Yuri Briar is forced to take a day off from work as an SSS officer and ends up reluctantly babysitting Anya. He takes her to a place called Kid Street Workplace where children try out different jobs to give them some idea of what they’d like to do in the future. Despite himself, he ends up sort of having a good time.

I’m not a huge fan of Yuri – his sister complex is more creepy than funny. I also don’t like thinking too much about the specifics of his job. But I did like this story, because while it did include a heaping helping of Yuri drooling over Yor, it ultimately humanized him beyond his weirdness. It focused on the development of his relationship with his niece and his expanding capacity for empathy. This is probably the first time I liked him at all, so kudos to this story for that!

Mission 3:

I’m not crying, you’re crying! This was my favorite in the bunch. Franky befriends Alessa, the daughter of a famous musician while she’s in the hospital to deal with blindness caused by a neurological illness. Because she can’t see him, she doesn’t immediately write him because of his looks. Over time, the two fall in love. When Alessa has surgery to correct her vision, Franky wants a disguise so that she can’t see what he truly looks like. Loid thinks that this is because he’s prepared to date her while lying to her, but the reality is that he wants to let her go and make sure she never recognizes him. Even though she probably could have loved him despite or even because of his appearance, and probably could have understood his job, he believed that she deserved better than him.

This was a well-told, romantic story that pulled on my heartstrings, hard. Loved it loved it loved it.

Mission 4:

The Forgers get roped into letting a famous artist paint their portrait. Yor and Loid do not want their image out in public, but both worry that saying as much will somehow reveal their secrets. So Yor tries desperately to keep the artist from seeing her face while Loid plans to steal the portrait later on. This turns out to be unnecessary since the artists’ new impressionistic style makes them unrecognizable.

This might have been my least favorite. It was just as well-written as the others, but the plot felt a little contrived. There are so many non-spy-or-assassin reasons to not want a stranger painting your portrait. I’m probably biased because I live in NYC and am constantly fending off random strangers saying things to me, but I feel like a spy should have that skill.

Short Story: Two waitresses observe the Forgers and make decisions about the nature of romance based on their impressions. This was a cute vignette that capped off the collection nicely.

Overall, I was impressed with the author’s ability to recreate the tone of the original series. It’s to the point where I feel like I’ve seen these stories in animated form, even though I know I haven’t. That is not an easy task, and the stories were pitch-perfect in terms of accurate characterization.

Note: I received a free copy of this light novel in exchange for the write-up. The content of the review represents my opinions and not necessarily those of Viz Media. You can buy a physical or digital copy starting on December 26, 2023.

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