Spy x Family Anime/Manga Comparison & Season 2 Predictions

    Welcome to my updated blog, Beyond the Anime! As I mentioned in my last post, I'm expanding the anime content covered in my blog to include in-depth comparisons between anime and their source material. The first up in my Anime/Manga Comparison series is a new favorite of mine, Spy x Family! 

    WIT Studio did an amazing job adapting the art style, character designs, and special brand of action/comedy from manga to anime. The beautiful colors, smooth animation, excellent voice acting and a soundtrack fitting the Cold War period all work together to bring this show to life. 

Season 1 Anime/Manga Comparison

A direct scene comparison. Chapter 1 of the manga...

...and episode 1 of the anime. The images are basically a perfect match!

    In the first volume, the only differences in the adaptation are very minor. The scene where Anya cuddles up next to Loid while he's sleeping does have a slight variation between the manga and the anime, which only shows Loid waking up surprised to find her there. In the manga, he's so startled by her presence that he accidentally knocks her off the couch.

    Volumes 1 & 2 also have a few short, single page extra stories with Anya trying to get a mystery prize from a snack box in the grocery store, enjoying a mechanical panda ride at the same grocery store, and visiting a public pool with her parents. These short stories are cute, but would have been a challenge to fit into the anime due to their length, except perhaps as an after credits scene. 

These agents just couldn't wait for the chance to face off against Twilight. Ball pit fight!

    The anime greatly expanded on Anya's spy party from vol. 2, which easily became my favorite episode. The manga version of her party begins with the scene where Loid calls his fellow spies to fill the empty banquet hall and then leads directly into the final battle between Loid and Yor, which occurs in the same room. The helicopter ride, Franky's quiz game, the epic battle in the ball pit with nerf guns, and the pyrotechnics are all anime original scenes. This is an example of an anime elevating the manga in the best way, perfectly capturing the series' comedic tone and showcasing WIT Studio's fantastic action sequences. 

    The dodgeball game in vol. 3 also had a few anime original scenes that really played up the drama and over-the-top action of this episode, much like Anya's party. The scene with Bill Watkins' father as well as a hilarious Dragonball Z reference in Damian's training montage, when he imagined himself preparing for the upcoming match on planet Namek, were also anime original. It seems Damian is a fan of shonen battle anime, because there were quite a few references in this segment! And if you look closely at the cover of volume 7, there's even a magazine titled "Super Manga" among Damian's belongings. A slightly shortened version of the story at the end of vol. 6 showing Mr. Henderson's morning routine was also moved to the beginning of this episode.

    Another notable change is the placement of the aquarium visit, which was shown earlier in the manga - at the end of vol. 2, shortly after Anya is admitted to Eden Academy. In the anime, this little adventure happened later on as the midseason finale. 

Yor trying her best to focus on their date despite the pain from her recent bullet wound.

    The bonus chapter at the end of vol. 3 was the only one skipped in the anime, where Yor is injured on a mission by a gunshot wound to her bottom and tries to hide her discomfort during a date with Loid. However, it's clear from her pained expressions that something is wrong, leading Loid's imagination to run wild as he tried to figure out why she's angry with him. Anya also gets the chance to be a real spy while shadowing her parents when she happens to read the mind of a man who survived Yor's assassination of his group the previous night and is seeking revenge on her. Interestingly, this short story is the first time the Red Circus group, later involved in a major arc, is mentioned in the manga. At the end of the chapter, the Forger family decided to go to a carnival - possibly the same one from the season 2 opening theme! 

    The following volume, which covers the entirety of Bond's introduction arc and the Forgers thwarting a terrorist plot, plays out almost exactly the same in the anime as it does in the manga. However, there is one small detail from the manga that I wish they had included. Remember the german shepherd that Loid saved by detaching the bomb from its chest? A single panel at the end of the volume notes that this dog was adopted by a kindly agent. 

Yor's first attempt at making stew in the anime, and...

...Yor's attempt at making stew in the manga. What is this small animal that crawled into the bowl and died?!

    This next scene comparison, from episode 16 of the anime and volume 5 of the manga showcasing Yor's deadly cooking, had me laughing out loud when I spotted the difference - mainly, the pair of legs sticking out of the soup bowl in the manga which seem to belong to some kind of small mammal. The anime stew is slightly blurred by the powerful aura of death surrounding it, but it's possible to make out a whole tomato in the bottom left side of the bowl. And that same spot in the manga? Half of a tomato, and an unfortunate creature that did not heed the warning signs of this deadly brew. My theory is that it went for the tomato, but how the hyper attentive Yor failed to notice its presence is a mystery to me.

    There was also a difference from the adaptation of vol. 5 in the wordplay during Yuri's tutoring session with Anya. In the manga, the phrase "whole enchilada" is misheard by Anya as "swole chihuahua", complete with an adorable illustration. Thankfully, the buff chihuahua image still remains in the anime, but the dialogue is changed to a pun using the word "unleashed" instead. 

Yor shows off her parkour skills, and WIT Studio shows off their action animation.

    This short story in episode 19, which involves Yor using her best acrobatics as she races toward Anya's school to deliver something she believes her daughter forgot, was made just for the anime and fits in well with the other "slice-of-life" episodes covering the comedic, character focused chapters from volumes 5 & 6 of the manga. The majority of vol. 6 was a near exact adaptation of the manga, aside from a single page short at the end which took place during Loid and Yor's outing at the bar, but from Anya's point of view as she spends time at the park with Bond and babysitter Franky. It's a funny little scene where Franky attempts to play fetch with Bond, who imagines Franky would be better suited to retrieve the frisbee while he sits on the sidelines and claps. 

    The Spy x Family anime covers the first six volumes of the manga, as well as the first chapter from volume 7 (Loid's meeting with Donovan Desmond) and the short story at the end which makes an early appearance in episode 17, detailing a day in Sylvia's life as a spy and the lengths she goes to maintain her secrecy and receive important updates from Loid, like Anya's progress learning to jump rope. Overall, it's a fantastic adaptation of the source material with very few scenes left out, and the anime original content is a perfect complement to the series.

Season 2 Predictions (Spoilers Ahead!) 

    Even without having Bond's powers of future sight, reading ahead in the manga can offer a glimpse into the storyline of season 2. After Loid's first meeting with Desmond, volume 7 has five chapters along the same lines as the character focused, comedic shorts in the second half of season 1 before starting the next big adventure that expands the plot in the final chapter. 

Yor strengthens her resolve during this battle scene from the cruise arc.

    The cruise arc is action-packed and brings more attention to Yor's character development, something many fans have been waiting for. This is one of the longer arcs in the story so far and contains many of the things that make Spy x Family such a fun series - plenty of hilarious and heartwarming moments between the Forger family, and Yor brings the over-the-top action in spades. It's my theory that season 2 might start with this arc in order to open with a bang, and then show the five comedy shorts later on. This would also be a great time to show Loid and Yor's date which was skipped earlier, because the appearance of the Red Circus group would be perfect foreshadowing at this stage. 

    The first season covered chapters 1-38 of the manga, and the latest chapter released at the time of this blog post is chapter 75. This would be a perfect ending point for season 2, with another major arc just wrapping up and an excellent teaser for the inevitable season 3 - an ominous meeting with Damian's mother which is a great mirror of the season 1 finale where Damian's father was the one giving off the ominous vibe. 

    The second season of Spy x Family is one of my most anticipated anime of the year, and I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite chapters animated, as well as any new content WIT Studio comes up with! I hope you enjoyed the first entry in my Anime/Manga Comparison series. My next post will examine two currently airing series and their manga, Tomo-chan Is A Girl and Kaina of the Great Snow Sea. 

*All images from the Spy x Family anime and manga, screenshots taken by me