The Forger family is back with a new adventure, as the first cinematic entry of the Spy x Family franchise, Code: White, is premiering on Netflix almost a year after its theatrical release in Japan. The trademark goofy humor, light-hearted fun, and occasional emotional trappings that characterize Tatsuya Endo’s comedy spy manga series are prevalent in the cinematic entry as well, much to the delight of the anime series’ fans. Additionally, the movie features an added dose of action, which allows Wit Studios to show off some pretty nifty, fast-paced animation sequences. In the context of the existing saga, the movie acts mostly as a one-shot filler narrative; viewers who aren’t familiar with the existing lore will be able to enjoy the movie as well. Overall, with all its heart and humor, Spy X Family Code: White is a wholesome watch for the holiday season, targeted at the younger side of the audience, and could be a great starting point for viewers who are eager to get into the massively popular series.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did the Forger Family Visit Frigis?
Code: White begins by introducing the leads of the series, even though series fans are already well acquainted with them and their secret identities; the brief recap is needed for the general audience to get in the groove with ease. Long story short, two neighboring rival nations, Ostania and Westalis, are entangled in a cold war after the end of prolonged warfare, and the intelligence agencies of the respective countries play a crucial role in maintaining the existing peace. Agent Twilight, the best spy of WISE, the peacekeeping intelligence agency of Westalis, has been assigned to complete Operation Strix, which demands extracting vital intel from Ostania. In the guise of Loid Forger, Twilight has started creating a fake family with Yor Brior, aka the deadly assassin Thorn Princess, as his wife, little Anya, a telepathic orphan, as their daughter, and Bond, an elderly dog with clairvoyant powers. Unlike her parents, Anya and Bond are aware of the secret identities of every member of the family, which makes for hilarious scenarios as the family goes on unique adventures.
As the movie begins, Loid and Yor’s special skill set comes into display as they return to their home after completing their missions. Loid is summoned to the secret hideout of WISE, where his superior, Sylvia Sherwood, informs him that he is being reassigned to a different mission, as Major Depple, an incompetent member of the agency who has extensive political connections, will take over the operation in the near future. To ensure the success of Operation Strix, Loid needed to gain crucial intel by getting into the close circle of Donovan Desmond, an Ostanian bureaucrat who might be secretly involved in schemes that could jeopardize the peace between two nations. In order to do that, Loid needed Anya to get into the elite circle of her prestigious school, Eden Academy, by winning Stella stars, which are awarded to students who perform exceptionally well, which will allow her to get into the friend circle of Damian, her classmate and Donovan’s youngest son. Loid is troubled by the update he’s being reassigned, not only because it will be a hassle to break his fake family apart, but also because, without his knowing, he has grown quite fond of Yor, Anya, and Bond. Loid decides to prove his excellence by making progress in Operation Strix and learns that Anya has a chance to receive a Stella star if she wins the culinary competition in her class. The principal of Eden Academy is going to judge the competition, and Loid plans to teach Anya to prepare his favorite dessert. Always the perfectionist, Loid plans to visit Frigis, where a particular café makes the best version of the dessert, and given the café only allows family, he decides to bring Yor, Anya, and Bond along with him as well.
How Did Anya Get Involved in Political Rivalry?
While traveling to Frigis by train, a mischievous Anya sneaked out, and seeing Bond’s premonition about a treasure hidden in a secret compartment of the train, ended up finding a chocolate and promptly ate it. The chocolate had a microfilm inside it containing confidential intel, which Ostanian secret service chief Colonel Snidel had planned to deliver to the Republic of Albo, and the action could have triggered an all-out war between Ostania and Westalis. Two of Snidel’s operatives, whom Anya identifies as chocolate robbers, tried to corner Anya and Bond, but Yor was able to intervene at the right moment to beat them up and knock them out.
After reaching Frigis, the Forger family visits the café but fails to taste the dessert as Snidel arrives at the location to take the last piece—and Loid fails to win a bet against him to have a chance to regain the dessert. As a result, Loid’s quest gets updated to having to supply the chef with ingredients as the café is running short, but despite his best efforts, Loid fails to get one specific component. In the meanwhile, the Forger family spends a lovely day in the snowclad city market, decorated for the holiday season. There is a romantic subplot going on, as noticing Loid with Agent Nightfall, Yor had wrongly assumed that she has been negligent in her duty as a wife, and Loid will end up leaving her. Loid assures her by renewing their marriage vows, which might be his way of handling the situation by comforting her, but without any doubt, his true feelings were involved as well.
As Loid decides to look for the final ingredient and refuses to let Yor and Anya accompany him, Anya becomes upset, and reading Loid’s mind, she realizes Operation Strix is at stake, which jeopardizes the very existence of their family. To help her father, Anya sneaks out of their hotel room in Frigis and manages to find the final ingredient using Bond’s clairvoyance powers. However, Snidel’s men manage to locate Anya, and despite Bond’s best efforts to protect her, abduct her. On the other hand, WISE becomes aware of the microfilm crisis, and Sylvia sends Agent Nightfall to inform Loid about the situation. Obtaining the microfilm from Snidel is his current objective.
Did The Forgers Remain Together At The End?
Seeing Anya missing, Loid and Yor become concerned, and Loid realizes the microfilm crisis is connected with her disappearance after finding the Ostanian military secret service patch, which Bond had torn off while attacking Anya’s abductors. Agent Nightfall fixes up Loid with a private plane, which he uses to track down Snidel and his operatives, who were moving through an airship. Yor had managed to sneak inside the plane, as she wanted to rescue Anya without alarming Loid about her secret identity. Noticing Loid’s plane approaching the airship, Snidel orders his agents to open fire and plans to remove the microfilm from Anya’s body by hook or by crook.
Loid crashes the plane into the airship and makes his way to the central command to rescue Anya, while Yor takes down multiple of Snidel’s operatives during her search for Anya. As Loid confronts Snidel and his men, a fierce gunfight ensues, and Snidel plans to use a poisonous gas grenade to kill Loid. Anya, who was held captive in the basement of the command station, became aware of Snidel’s plan and managed to save Loid’s life by triggering a malfunction in the control panel, which opens vents in the command station and disperses the poisonous gas. In the meantime, Yor takes on a deadly cyborg automaton and manages to destroy it by using the inflammable properties of her lipstick, which Loid had gifted her. By now, the airship has caught fire and is going to crash sooner or later. Loid takes the guise of Snidel and defeats him in combat, and pretending to be the Ostanian secret service chief, commands the present operatives to abandon the airship to save their lives.
In Code: White’s ending, the Forgers reunite, and Anya and Loid reconcile, and Yor meets the duo at the cockpit. The Forgers stand together as Yor and Anya help Loid to maneuver the airship, crash it in the water, and save the city of Frigis from an inevitable crisis. The microfilm appears to have stuck in Anya’s teeth, and as Loid delivers it to Sylvia, he learns that he has been reinstated in Operation Strix after Depple has been caught cheating on his wife. Which means Forgers can stay together as a family—much to Anya’s delight. Yuri, Yor’s brother, who is a spy working for Ostania, rightly guesses that Agent Twilight might have stolen the microchip by tricking Snidel; little does he know that Twilight is none other than his brother-in-law, Loid Forger. On the other hand, Anya’s mission to win a Stella star by making the principal’s favorite dessert reaches a dead end despite all the efforts put into it, as the culinary competition is postponed after a minor mishap. The vice principal of Eden Academy is going to be the replacement judge this time around, and to help Anya make his favorite dessert, the Forgers will have to take another vacation, which will inevitably entangle them into another new world-saving mission.Â
