‘Spy x Family’ review: Yuri almost breaks in “Mission and Family”

Spy x Family continues its focus on secondary characters during this week’s episode, “Mission and Family.” This time, Yuri leads us through an investigation that involves spying on a post office worker/journalist named Franklin Perkin. 

The Security Service has caught onto Franklin’s anti-Ostania writings in Westonia publications. They send Yuri on this case to shut down Franklin’s dissent of their country. This leads to a pretty quiet episode. Whereas Loid’s spying usually contains many inner monologues and disruptions by Anya, Yor, and Bond, Yuri’s technique is more reserved yet still focused and accurate.

It’s the first episode fully from Yuri’s perspective, and it’s cool to see him at work. He’s very different than he is when he’s with Yor. He’s meticulous and determined. But his veneer breaks a little when he learns that Franklin’s motives involve helping his family, something Yuri can relate to. 

That revelation gives us more detail into the everyday life of Ostania citizens. Franklin’s family is struggling for money. It’s implied that a lack of medical care led to his mother’s death. With his father also sick, Franklin’s desperation grows. But it’s not quite enough to sway Yuri from arresting Franklin for writing anti-Ostania articles and sending them to Westonia. It’s a basic crack down on the truth, but Yuri works for the Security Service, a place drowning in nationalism. Yuri wants to keep the country safe for his sister, yet Franklin’s writings reveal a truth about Ostania that’s more realistic than the Security Service cracking down on dissenters. 

Still, Yuri’s love for his sister is strong. That’s enough for Yuri to promise he’ll help with Franklin’s father’s medical bills. It’s a nice insight to Yuri that complicates his character a bit more. There’s a heart there, somewhere.  

While Yuri’s story takes up most of the episode, we do catch up with Loid and Anya. Anya’s deep in a Bondman marathon. The animation changes and we’re dropped into the world of Bondman and the way he swoons women to solve cases. Loid criticizes the inauthenticity of Bondman’s methods, then Yuri stops by. His run-in with Franklin ignited nostalgia in him, so he visits his sister at the risk of having to interact with the other Forgers. 

This continuation in exploring characters other than Yor, Loid, and Anya broadens the world of Spy x Family. It also gives us a break from the main story, which can sometimes be repetitive. 

Spy x Family Season 2 drops new episodes on Crunchyroll and Hulu every Saturday.

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Featured image ©Tatsuya Endo/Shueisha, SPY x FAMILY Project