Spy x Family Code: White Review – A Radical Genre Pivot For a Beloved Anime

Code: White begins with a flashy spy intro at a lavish event that feels like it’s ripped straight out of a James Bond or Mission: Impossible movie. There’s such exciting action right from the film’s opening frames. The only thing that’s missing is Loid shooting directly at the camera through a gun barrel perspective or a lit fuse that starts to burn down as Yor beats up an international operative. This kinetic tempo quickly dissipates in favor of a more character-centric story that occasionally allows chaos to bubble up to its surface. Code: White makes sure that each member of the Forger family gets a chance to independently shine, as well as giving them all the opportunity to excel together as a team. 

Loid leads the charge in Code: White, but Anya, Yor, and even Bond all get separate showcases. Anya remains perPetually adorable in everything she does and she’s still a precocious character who must be protected at all costs. Her extreme facial expressions, while a rePetitive well that SPY x FAMILY draws from, always deliver. She’s an endlessly entertaining personality. One of the film’s silliest scenes hinges on her ability to control her bowels, which also prompts the movie’s most visually stunning and dynamic moment. Code: White shifts into a completely disparate animation style. It’s absurd, but in the best way possible.

Some of Code: White’s best segments also belong to Yor, while she defends herself and her loved ones (although the subplot where she’s worried about possible infidelity from Loid is terribly undercooked). There’s one fight sequence in particular that’s iMMAculately staged and really pushes Wit Studio to their limit. She basically battles a cyborg. For a moment, Code: White channels the adrenaline-pumping intensity of an Attack on Titan or Vinland Saga battle. It’s Code White’s most impressive scene, even if it’s not sugary sweet and sentimental like the majority of the movie. Hopefully any future SPY x FAMILY films aren’t afraid to push the envelope more in this department and embrace a more mature storyline.

SPY x FAMILY Code: White is a satisfying entrypoint and standalone primer story for series newcomers. There’s even a succinct narration during the film’s prologue that makes sure that any fresh-faced viewers understand exactly who these characters are and their relationship to one another. This background context is fairly benign and not unlike a preface that would kick off a new season. However, it also hardly feels necessary considering the pitch-perfect introduction that begins Code: White. 

There’s a little too much telling over showing here and SPY x FAMILY Code: White could stand to get out of its own way at several points. None of this ever ruins the playful, charming fun that makes this an entertaining cinematic experience. Nothing that Code: White does will stop anyone from being a SPY x FAMILY fan, but there’s plenty in this movie that will still draw in new followers. It’s just not on the same level as other anime series-turned-movies, such as The End of Evangelion, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, or even Dragon Ball Super: Broly. 

Screenwriter Ichirō Ōkouchi has previously written SPY x FAMILY’s second season, so he’s no stranger to this world. However, he also has a varied career that includes the likes of Code Geass, Devilman Crybaby, SK8 the Infinity, and the recent Kaiju No. 8. These contrasting genre skills occasionally come forward once the Forgers reach the Frigis region. Takashi Katagiri, Code: White’s director, fares even better with his feature film directorial debut, having previously acted as Assistant Director on Wit Studio’s sumptuous Netflix movie, Bubble.