REVIEW: ‘Spy x Family,’ Episode 8 – “The Counter-Secret Police Cover Operation”

Spy x Family is an action/comedy shonen anime produced by WIT Studio and CloverWorks. With Anya struggling to adjust to her new school, things are not going entirely smoothly for Loid’s plan. Things aren’t about to get any easier for the Forgers when Yor’s brother Yuri comes to visit, especially since he harbors a secret of his own in Spy x Family Episode 8.

This episode sees the family confronted with their first serious threat. Unbeknownst to them, Yuri works for the state’s secret police. Spending his days rooting out spies and traitors, he has turned his gaze on Loid, convinced he is not worthy of his sister and likely a threat to her. One slip up here could be disastrous for them all.

Spy x Family Episode 8 manages to blend the tension surrounding the possibility of the family being found out by a secret police agent with all the absurdness of the series’ humor. Yuri seems to flip flop between two personalities throughout the episode. One is the highly trained and suspicious agent he is most of the time, while the other is that of a naive, oblivious boy where Yor is concerned. His inability to doubt anything that Yor says would almost make him endearing if Yuri’s ruthless side hadn’t been so clearly showcased in the episode’s introduction of the character.

This scenario once again gives Loid a chance to showcase some of the reasons why he is talked about so highly in the spy community. His instincts, shrewd mind, and quick deductive work are all on display here as he strives to navigate the minefield of questions Yuri has for him and Yor. We see the calm, cool demeanor of a spy once he feels like he is in control and no longer pinning his hopes on whether or not Anya manages to behave. This brings me to the larger element of Spy x Family Episode 8, which helps the series flow as a whole.

With the last couple of episodes focusing squarely on Anya, the show was starting to feel like it might lose interest in its other main characters, for the adorable young girl. While I love Anya’s antics, it would be a waste to let Loid and Yor be relegated to side characters. I was happy to see this episode have Anya take the week off so her parents could hold center stage.

The only place where Spy x Family Episode 8 stumbles slightly for me is just how over-protective Yuri is of his sister. While not being informed of her wedding is understandably upsetting for him, given how close they have been portrayed as being, his refusal to believe anyone could be good enough for his sister, and his belief that Loid must be some monster seeking to prey upon her, is taken to an eye-rolling extent. It never hurts the story that much but could’ve been toned down just a notch or two.

The animation provides a fitting visual presentation of the events of the story. This is great overall, though it does aid in Yuri’s coming off a bit too strong. The highlight of the visual presentation has to be when the show takes a brief walk back to when Yuir and Yor were kids. The two are adorable, even with Yor covered in other people’s blood.

When all is said and done, Spy x Family Episode 8 delivers a thoroughly enjoyable episode that turns the spotlight onto Yor and Loid, allowing the duo to shine.

Spy x Family Episode 8 is streaming on Crunchyroll.