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

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

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

Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 continues the journey of the spy action-adventure anime with a second batch of episodes in the saga. Created by Tatsuya Endō, Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 picks up the adventure. The set includes episodes 13-25 of the saga.

Executive produced by Akifumi Fujio (Jujutsu Kaisen, Ayakashi Triangle), Takayuki Ōshima (My Hero Academia, Godzilla Singular Point), Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 features original series animation produced by CloverWorks and Wit Studio. The spy series features animation production by Tetsuya Nakatake (Attack on Titan: The Roar of Awakening, Sengoku Basara - Samurai Kings) and Yūichi Fukushima (The Promised Neverland, DARLING in the FRANXX). Fans of spy series will find the production worth exploring.

Produced by Maasa Murakami (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc, Hetalia World Stars), Masaya Saitō (FLCL Alternative, Teasing Master Takagi-san), Mirai Yamauchi (Fruits Basket, Restaurant to Another World), and Takako Yamamori, Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 offers spy adventures and new chapters in the saga.  Where will it head to next? Fans will be thrilled.

Anya Forger (Atsumi Tanezaki), Yor Forger (Saori Hayami), and Loid Forger (Takuya Eguchi) continue their mission. A secret spy family with a wife, husband, and daughter – the family trio have to take missions seriously as their new missions begin. Not only is there a family of spies but even a special clairvoyant dog to help them out.

Can these super-secret spies manage to keep their identities a secret and avoid being exposed during their missions? The difference could be what stands between life and death. The stakes are higher than ever before with more spy games and espionage acts on the table.

The characters of the spy series make the production all the more fun and amusing. The genre elements wouldn’t work as well if it were not for the spy aspects being well balanced with a family type setting that contributes to the development of these characters. The main cast of characters are balanced together nicely and this adds something unique to the anime.

The character designs by Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland, Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara.) don’t disappoint and are a strength of the series, too. The designs walk a fine line between simple and charming while still having some more sophistication for a spy series. The approach worked well for the series and it brought out the best in the production.

The animation is impressive and one of the most delightful parts of the series. The aesthetic of the anime is one that relies heavily on the work of the animation team. The chief art direction by Hisayo Usui (Akebi's Sailor Uniform, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl), Kazuo Nagai (Eureka Seven, Saber Marionette J), and Tomomi Sugimoto (Combatants Will Be Dispatched!, Fairy Tail x Rave) adds significant value to the production.

Alongside the chief animation direction by Akira Takata (Haibane Renmei, Natsume's Book of Friends), Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland, Encouragement of Climb), and Kyoji Asano (Attack on Titan, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), the animators brought together something special. The animation is sleek and sophisticated looking – adding the elements necessary for a spy production. The animation team relies heavily on these arenas of the production and it makes the series art all the better.

The score composed by Makoto Miyazaki (One Punch Man, RPG Real Estate) and Shuhei Mutsuki (Lycoris Recoil, Fairy gone) adds charm to the production. The music is a nice part of the show. A wonderful aspect of the production and the score is a solid backdrop to the spy elements. A fun contribution to the series and it works well in the background.

The cinematography by Akane Fushihara (One Punch Man, Kandagawa Jet Girls) shines as one of the most engaging and essential ingredients in the production. The cinematography is no simple concept left over from the rest of the production. Cinematographer Fushihara understood the aesthetic goals of the animation team and how to handle conveying this animation. The end result is something that has an impressive cinematographic style. There’s a lot to appreciate about it here and the sleek quality it derives.

Written and Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Dog Signal, Amatsuki), Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 continues the epic journey. Director Furuhashi had a lot of fun with the style of Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 and the filmmaker brings together the adventure and sheer thrills audiences are looking to find. Surpassing audience expectations may have been the goal. The series aims to surprise audiences with turns in the tale and filmmaking that highlights the spy drama components.

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

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is crisp and colorful. The high-definition video on the release is top- notch and the presentation showcases a lot of wonderful things about the aesthetic of the series. The anime highlights the artistry of the animation team and the encode capably preserves the aesthetic of the animators who worked on the production.

The Blu-ray release benefits from the superior encoding of the physical media format – rewarding audiences with superior bit-rates compared to streaming video services. Streaming services provide a less crisp presentation by comparison because of these differences. Physical media fans will be thrilled to know that the release continues to highlight one of the major strengths of the format.

Spy x Family: Season One - Part Two 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 on the release impresses and plays a significant role in the audio presentation quality. The sound direction by Shōji Hata (The Ancient Magus' Bride, Fairy Tail) is well reproduced, too.

The lossless audio on the release is a clear highlight of the series release. The audio demonstrates one of the best things about the physical media Blu-ray format – lossless audio is an essential staple of the physical disc format whereas streaming video services only provide lossy (non- lossless) audio presentations. Audiophiles will be especially pleased with the results.

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

The limited-edition collector's edition includes a collectors art box with premium collectors packaging. The box-set collectors release includes WISE agent cuff links, a Spy x Family notepad, WISE vinyl sticker, 3 collectable art cards featuring the Forgers, and an extensive 40-page booklet including character background information alongside a selection of voice cast interviews.

These selections all come inside of a chipboard art box designed to house both volume one and volume two of the first season and after removing the collectable pack-ins one can slide in the first volume of the season into the art box. The standard case and slipcover for the set is included inside of the set.

Designed with a nice touch of creativity, the slipcover has a unique cover art that is different from the artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. The back of the slipcover has blackout text (which is an awesome idea for the series conceptually) and after removing the slipcover one can see the full text. Wonderfully creative. The package design is certainly nice and will look impressive when displayed or housed on a collector's shelf.

Music Video: Breeze (HD, 1:21)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

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

Spy x Family Season 1 Part 2 continues the action-packed saga with more thrills from the fan-favorite anime. The anime series has a charming cast of characters. The concept is one that fits inside of the genre of spy productions well. The Blu-ray release provides superior video and audio quality and a selection of bonus features (both physical and on-disc extras) that help to round out the complete package. Fans of the series will be enormously pleased with the well-designed collectors box-set release. Recommended.