It seems to be the norm nowadays that any successful anime will be guaranteed a film. We saw this with Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia, amongst many others. Most of the time, these theatrical outings are original stories set in the series that have little bearing on the overall plot (with a few exceptions, like Jujutsu Kaisen: 0 and all the Demon Slayer ones). So it’s no surprise that SPY x FAMILY has received the film treatment with SPY x FAMILY CODE: White (CODE: WHITE). As a fan of the anime, I was keen as a bean to check this out. Is this film a worthwhile addition to the series, or would it be better off forgotten? Let’s find out.
CODE: White falls into a similar category to the My Hero Academia and One Piece films; it’s an original story. This doesn’t mean it’ll be bad, just that you shouldn’t go in expecting anything that’ll impact the main story. CODE: White revolves around Loid Forger (Alex Organ) possibly being replaced in Operation Strix (the primary goal of the whole series). To stop this from happening, Loid puts into motion a plan to save his “fake” family by helping his adoptive daughter Anya Forger (Megan Shipman) win a cooking contest at her school Eden Academy by making a delicious meal! The principal’s favourite meal, to be exact. But how does a spy go about perfecting such an important dish? By traveling to the region in which it was created, of course! The Forgers then travel to the snowy land of Frigis to perfect their cooking prowess. But when the peace between East and West is threatened by Anya accidentally eating some very special chocolate, The Forgers get dragged into a whole new adventure.
I had a really fun time with CODE: White. It felt like an extended episode with a larger budget, and I’m not upset with that. While the story itself is of little consequence to the overall narrative of SPY X FAMILY, it’s a blast from beginning to end. The premise is goofy but perfectly aligned with the rest of the series. Did I expect one of the big story beats to be Anya trying not to poop her pants? Not really, but I still found myself laughing at every poop joke. I also enjoyed the sub-plot between Yor (Natalie Van Sistine) and Loid, in which Yor believes Loid is cheating on her. Obviously a big misunderstanding, but it gave us more drunk Yor moments, which are always fun. Then there’s the main plot revolving around the Ostania military and their attempt to incite war. This led to some of the best fight scenes I’ve seen since Demon Slayer. All in all, it was a fun story with exciting moments.
DISCLAIMER: I WATCHED THIS IN THE ENGLISH DUB, SO I’LL BE REVIEWING THOSE PERFORMANCES
All of the mainstay characters from the anime are here and are more or less the same as they’ve always been. Loid still flips between being a world-renowned super spy and a confused Dad. Yor is still the caring Mother who would kill to keep her family safe. Anya is still the little troublemaker who is trying her best. The cast all do excellent work in the film; you can tell they gave it their all. The side-cast also makes minor appearances, such as Franky (Anthony Bowling) once again failing at love, Fiona (Lindsay Seidel) thirsting over Loid, and Yuri (Dallas Reid) still has a sister complex (but he makes me laugh, so it’s ok). While I wish we had more Yuri in the film, the new characters made up for his lack of screen time.
The Military Intelligence is the new big bad in town, and they do be doing evil shit. The main foe is Colonel Snidel. This old fart wants to reignite the war between Ostania and Westalis (dick move). Voiced by John Swasey, he’s a decent antagonist as far as SPY x FAMILY villains go. While I would dock points for hiding the super-important item you need in a piece of chocolate (that’s dumb), he has an aura about him that you can’t help but have some respect for. A new character that gets a full 10/10, though, is Type F (Gabe Kunda). This gun-infused cyborg isn’t in the film for long, but he made his presence known. He not only has a cool design, but he also had the best fight in the series with Yor. The idiot duo of Luca (Tyson Rinehart) and Domitri (Phil Parsons) also have some fun moments, especially when they’re getting knocked out. I enjoyed these new characters overall, and if they didn’t wrap up all of their stories in the film, I would’ve loved seeing them again.
Like the main series, CODE: White was co-produced by Wit Studio and CloverWorks. These two studios are some of the best and have been doing amazing with the anime series. So it’s no surprise that the animation in the film also looks bloody amazing! From the simple walking scenes to the big bombastic fights on an airship, everything is excellent. The last 30 minutes, in particular, are consistently fantastic. Even the facial animation has seen an upgrade, with each character looking more expressive than they ever have before. Aside from the animation, the soundtrack was also a bop and a half. Official Hige Dandism performs the main theme, “Soulsoup”, and it is just as great as the song they did for the anime, “Mixed Nuts”. Even outside of the main theme, the rest of the soundtrack is stellar and helps to engross you in the film further. CODE: White looks and sounds fantastic, and it’s made me even more excited for what’s coming next in the main series.
SPY x FAMILY CODE: White is a fun detour to the SPY x FAMILY story. The plot is enjoyable, with many surprises that had me laughing and gasping at the sheer awesomeness. The returning characters are just as lovable as ever, and the newcomers are welcome additions. Throw in some excellent animation and a bop of a soundtrack, and you have a film that anyone could enjoy. Whether you’re a fan of the anime or have never seen an episode, check out SPY x FAMILY CODE: White; you’ll have a blast.
Have you seen SPY x FAMILY CODE: White? What did you think? Did you see the poop plot point coming? Let us know in the comments where we can talk all things SPY x FAMILY.
