New action-packed, yet rewarding animated series by Wit Studio and CloverWorks Spy x Family took the world by storm after it debuted last spring. Since its launch, Spy x Family became one of the highest rated programs on anime database and social media site MyAnimeList, beating popular shows like demon slayer, Jujutsu Kaisenand even cartoon pirate episode A piece. And that’s with a season under its belt. This is why I had to find a way to interview a Japanese voice actor for Spy x Family at Anime Expo and asked him why he thought the movie was such a hit.
Spy x Family Follows a famous super spy named Loid as he works undercover and infiltrates the school of a politician’s son to prevent war from breaking out between two neighboring countries. To do so, Loid creates a fake family, who, without his knowledge, have secrets of their own. His adopted daughter Anya is a psychic, his wife, Yor, murder. The world’s most dangerous player and their family dog Bond can see the future.
With season one of Spy x Family in the book and the second and an original movie, Spy x Family: Code WhiteLater this year, I spoke with Takuya Eguchi, the Japanese voice actor for Loid, at Anime Expo and asked him how he would describe one of the best dads in anime.
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Eguchi’s favorite Spy x Family scene not in manga
Part of what makes Spy x Family Such a refreshing anime series is the ability to cross the line between a lighthearted comedy about an odd couple family and a serious drama about the threat of war. Although the film’s harsh tone sometimes makes it difficult for Eguchi to read lines, his past experience dubbing action scenes including shouting helped him transform his role of a soft-spoken father into a rigid spies eat pennies.
Talking about the action scenes, Eguchi revealed that one of his favorite scenes Spy x Family Battles from the anime never happen in the manga.
“My favorite scene is, I think it is [in] episode five, where Anya runs a castle and Bondman, or Loid, has to go save Princess Anya,” Eguchi said. “It was also in the original manga, but in the anime more scenes were added for fans to enjoy.”
For context, this scene takes place in two panels in the manga while in the anime it spans about half the length of the manga. Spy x FamilyThe episode is 24 minutes long. The anime even includes a confrontation between Loid and a drunken Yor. Eguchi said this is a favorite scene because it shows Yor and Loid as a “cool” assassin and a “cool” spy.
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The best and worst part of voicing Loid Forger
Although Eguchi concurs with Loid being a family man, albeit a secret one, Eguchi told me that the hardest part about portraying Loid was showing his rambunctious super spy personality.
“The hardest part was his inner monologue,” Eguchi said through an interpreter. “He talks a lot.”
Unlike the manga, which uses speech and thought bubbles to help readers understand Loid’s plot to tackle domestic and global threats, Eguchi said he has a limited amount of time to speak. out thinking of Loid. Fans of the film will note that, despite being a know-it-all spy, Loid’s tendency to overthink leads to a series of humorous errors with his nuclear family. For example, Loid once thought Yor’s bad mood had something to do with his failure as a husband when in fact she was trying (and failing) to hide the fact that I am a bad husband. shot in the butt while she was on one of her assassin missions. To be fair, it was an honest mistake in the Forger family.
Looking forward to more original scenes in the future Spy x Family episode
At the end of our conversation, Eguchi teased that, like Spy x Familyof the first season, season 2 will also include original scenes that expand on the source material in the same way that the anime was “very interested” in extending Anya’s castle excursions from the manga.
“I haven’t actually started recording my lines yet, so I’m also looking forward to what I’m going to see,” Eguchi said.
Kotaku is covering everything at Anime Expo 2023, including important announcements at workshops and exclusive live interviews with the industry’s biggest creators. Whether you are a seasoned anime fan or a novice, you can update everything about Anime Expo 2023 here.
