Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Spy x Family: Season One - Part One Blu-ray Movie Review

Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 begins the journey of the action-comedy spy series. The series comes from creator Tatsuya Endō. The first set includes episodes 1-12 of the journey.

Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 features animation produced by studios CloverWorks and Wit Studio. The anime features animation production by Yūichi Fukushima (DARLING in the FRANXX, The Promised Neverland) and Tetsuya Nakatake (Sengoku Basara - Samurai Kings, Attack on Titan: The Roar of Awakening). Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 comes from series executive producers Takayuki Ōshima (My Hero Academia, Godzilla Singular Point) and Akifumi Fujio (Jujutsu Kaisen, Ayakashi Triangle).

Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 is produced by Maasa Murakami (Hetalia World Stars, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc), Masaya Saitō (Teasing Master Takagi-san, FLCL Alternative), Mirai Yamauchi (Restaurant to Another World, Fruits Basket), and Takako Yamamori. Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 offers spy adventures and chapters in the saga.  Where will it head to? Fans will be thrilled to discover or re-discover.

Anya Forger (Atsumi Tanezaki), Yor Forger (Saori Hayami), and Loid Forger (Takuya Eguchi) might share the same last name but the family unit might not be as alike as first meets the eye. These adoring and affectionate family members have some secrets up their sleeve. In fact, it’s all a giant cover – none actually have blood relation.

These agents create a family unit to pose for a spy mission. Thus, the family is made.  Agent Twilight, considered as one of the greatest spy agents the world has seen, has never been an ordinary family guy. It’s an odd predicament to go from world-class spy to daddy – married to an assassin and looking out for a telepathic daughter. What’s a spy to do?

The series just wouldn’t be the same without the cast of characters. The core characters of the series are charming and entertaining. The characters have fun personalities and this helps the series to be balanced between the action and comedy. The spy family unit concept has been done many times but these characters are fun and inhabit the roles well. The characters certainly add to the inherit charm of Spy x Family and that’s where it counts.

One of the essential ingredients to the characters resides in the effective character designs by Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland). The character designs are an important part of the production. What would the series even look like without these designs? The characters personalities are well emphasized through the design work.

Perhaps the best quality of Spy x Family is the impressive animation. The art style of the animation is wonderful and makes a big difference to the production. The series features art direction by Tomomi Sugimoto (Fairy Tail x Rave, Combatants Will Be Dispatched! ), Kazuo Nagai (Saber Marionette J, Eureka Seven), and Hisayo Usui (Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, Akebi's Sailor Uniform).

Spy x Family features animation direction by Kyoji Asano (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Attack on Titan), Akira Takata (Natsume's Book of Friends, Haibane Renmei), and Kazuaki Shimada (Encouragement of Climb, The Promised Neverland). The animation team certainly understood the assignment. The animators made the series with a classy animation aesthetic that is better than average modern anime series - the aesthetic is something that stands out a great deal (it is no surprise then that the theatrical film was given a wide theatrical release in North America given the significant success of Spy x Family in the United States).

Spy x Family features a score composed by Makoto Miyazaki (One Punch Man, RPG Real Estate) and Shuhei Mutsuki (Lycoris Recoil, Fairy gone). The score adds to the series sense of fun. The music is an impressive backdrop to the action and helps these elements feel more exciting for the series.

Writer-director Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Amatsuki) made a huge hit with Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1. The series became a pop favorite in Japan and has made a big splash in international territories. Fans of action anime with a sleek aesthetic and stylistic groove will find something to enjoy. The series is certainly going to appeal to fans of spy anime.

Spy x Family: Season One - Part One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation provides a native high-definition encode. The series animation is bold and colorful. Excellent clarity and detail. The background animation and line art have excellent detail. The presentation certainly is a nice showcase for the animation and the action sequences.

One of the most essential elements of the Blu-ray disc format is the superior video encoding. The superior presentation quality has long been a staple of the format. The format has always been something for home theater enthusiasts – long before streaming services even existed. Now in the streaming age, physical media still remains important and more relevant than ever before – and the presentation quality still remains superior to streaming services. Streaming video services tend to offer a lower bit-rate presentation and with more compression. Physical media provides a superior encoding for enthusiasts.

Spy x Family: Season One - Part One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding provides a strong presentation quality for fans. The English dub option offers a somewhat more expansive soundstage with the 5.1 sound presentation. The 5.1 mix allows for the rear channels to utilize more sound effects as well as to highlight the score. The Japanese language version will still remain the preferred option for those wanting the most authentic experience. English subtitles are provided.

Blu-ray remains superior to streaming video services. One of the essential hallmarks of the format is the lossless audio encoding. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles alike, the physical media format provides a clear advantage to streaming. Streaming offer only lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding. The advantage is clear and one worth celebrating.

Spy x Family: Season One - Part One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release comes with a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover artwork features nice key artwork and the design certainly is a highlight with the characters featured on the artwork design. The artwork underneath the slipcover also features compelling art. Having two key pieces of art is a nice element of the package design. Unfortunately, the first print run may not be available anymore and the release may not include the slipcover necessarily. However, if one is able to procure the slipcover for the edition is certainly adds a nice collectable element to the package design and will look great both in hand and on a shelf.

On disc supplements include:

Spy x Family Part 1: English Dub Panel (HD, 40:26) – This is an especially noteworthy supplement to see included on the release. The supplement provides fans of the English dub a chance to spend more time with the dub voice actors and hear their thoughts about the production. This is no doubt going to be a worthwhile extra for dub fans who enjoy meeting voice actors at conventions and getting to hear some insights from the voice-actors.

Spy x Family – Anime Expo 2022 Japanese Cast Interviews:

Spy x Family – Anime Expo 2022 Japanese Cast Interviews – Part 1 (HD, 5:16) will appeal to fans of the Japanese voice-cast with insights from the Japanese voice actors.

Spy x Family – Anime Expo 2022 Japanese Cast Interviews – Part 2 (HD, 4:22) continues to provide more insights from the Japanese voice-cast with additional cast interviews providing some details about the production and their roles on the series.

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:31)

Crunchyroll did a solid job with the supplements on the release. By adding some more worthwhile supplements for extras enthusiasts, fans will find more to appreciate. The set certainly adds some notable value to the collection with the English dub panel and the Japanese cast interviews. Well done, Crunchyroll.

Spy x Family: Season One - Part One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spy x Family Season 1 Part 1 is the first chapter of the saga. Fans of spy action-comedies will find the series well worth seeking out. The anime has incredible animation, creative music, and wonderful production merits.

The Blu-ray release features an excellent video presentation and lossless audio encoding. The release also includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover on the first print run of the release. The set also has surprisingly noteworthy extras with an English dub panel as well as Japanese cast interviews as recorded during Anime Expo 2022. The collection is well-rounded and series fans may not be able to resist the set.