English Dub Review: Spy X Family “Red Circus”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

As law enforcement works to corner the hijacked bus, Anya uses her telepathy to placate the kidnappers and keep her classmates safe.

OUR TAKE

Could it be? An episode of Spy X Family that is not just fluff and comedy? Like, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy me some Spy X Family comedy, but I like it more when it is balanced with drama and irony like the early episodes were. But here we are, giving Anya the spotlight and able to use both her telepathic abilities AND childish mindset to make a pretty dang compelling episode. Loid and Yor are absent this episode on other tasks, but other characters like Sylvia and Yor’s brother Yuri are around to get involved. However, until they’re able to do so, Anya must try to keep things calm, and that starts with reading the kidnapper’s mind. Their leader, Billy Squire, attaches a bomb collar to Anya’s neck for misbehaving, though she quickly learns that the collar is inactive and won’t blow up, allowing her to put on a brave face and keep spirits up. But then, Damian tries to be a hero and take it instead, getting his own collar attached, though he has no idea they don’t work and is literally seconds away from pooping his pants. Thankfully Anya is able to keep him stable and his underpants clean by reassuring him that things will be okay.

Considering that Anya’s class contains the children of some of the most influential people in the city, naturally all of those people are in a panic, including as mentioned Sylvia and Yuri, who actually is ready to leave Anya to die but then realizes that his beloved sister Yor would be devastated and then decides to get involved. Uncle of the year right there, ladies and gentleman. Oddly enough, I actually just started watching this show with my nieces so I’m interested in seeing what they think of him when he first shows up. Anya and her classmates are able to at least get some message out of the bus to some civilians, and eventually the bus is cornered by authorities, but the episode ends with things at a stand still. We still have at least one more full episode of this arc, and after that it looks like we’re back to the comedy stuff, much like last episode, which is a little bit disappointing but hopefully the episodes remain entertaining for the remainder of the season, even if they might not be the most substantive. One can dream.