Spy x Family – volume 01 by Tatsuya Endo

Ever wonder what goes behind the closed curtains of a family? No? What about a family that is hiding huge secrets behind each others’ backs? Yeah? Well, do I have the manga series for you? SpyxFamily by Tatsuya Endo is about just that. A pretend family that seems perfect on the outside, but all three have separate goals in mind that they would rather die than come clean to. An assassin as a mother, a spy as a father, and a telepath as a daughter. They are bound to stir up some trouble-but what if attachment becomes an issue? The daughter, Anya, does not intend on going back to the orphanage, so her ultimate goal is to keep the family together and do her part to see between the lies, but what about the “parents”? Both have a deadline for this pretend family; until both missions have been completed, they are more than accommodating if it means staying together. The father, Lloyd, his only goal is to get with the leader of the National Unity Party who is posed as a great threat and in order to do so, he needs a family. As for the mother, Yor, she needed a way to keep her brother quiet until her other missions had been completed. Both are on different levels in terms of life whereas their “daughter” has all their secrets easily stored in her brain, thanks to her mind-reading ability.

Although it is a bit fast-paced, it keeps you wondering if the family will truly become one or they will separate as promised in the beginning. The family has a hilarious dynamic, and they balance each other well, strengthening their weaknesses each day. It’s more on the humor side, but if you’re looking for a light-hearted, funny manga, I highly suggest you try this one out. The underlying idea of a pretend family that looks like they are transparent to one another on the outside, and yet are hiding deep secrets behind closed curtains is what got me hooked. It’s worth giving it a read and even if you end up not enjoying it, you can’t help but admit that the storyline is still very much interesting. Who knows, maybe afterwards it makes you question if any of the families you came across are hiding serious secrets from each other.