Spy x Family Volume Nine includes material that, as of this writing, has not been adapted for the anime. If you’ve only been watching the anime adaptation, you may want to stop reading this review in order to avoid getting potential spoilers for the forthcoming second season of the anime.

Spy x Family Volume Nine
Written by: Tatsuya Endo
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: March 21, 2023

The first two chapters of Volume Nine wrap up the storyline that takes place on the luxury cruise. When all is said and done, Yor is able to defeat the assassins (with a little help that she unknowingly gets from Anya). Unfortunately, a bomb is discovered on the cruise ship, and Loid picks up on what’s happening. In disguise, he goes to help defuse the bomb. In the process, more bombs are discovered on the ship. At one point, Anya discovers where one of them is, and it’s amusing to see what excuse she comes up with to get someone to check that particular location. She had to come up with some kind of reason to make someone search there, since she can’t reveal her telepathic abilities. And since she’s so young, the reason she gives was probably the most realistic thing she could come up with.

The third chapter sees Loid and Anya finally meeting up with Yor when the ship reaches port. After the danger and excitement of the storyline on the cruise ship, this chapter that takes place on the island is a nice cool-down. While this chapter is light-hearted and fun in nature, it’s also intended to provide the Forgers a chance to bond as a family… minus Bond, of course, since he couldn’t come on the cruise with the rest of the family.

The next chapter serves as a kind of epilogue to the luxury cruise storyline. Anya returns to Eden Academy after summer break, and she brags about the cruise she went on. When the other students hear what liner she was on, they treat it like it’s no big deal, since they’ve already been on it. The fact that Anya traveled third class also dampens their interest in what she has to say. Becky then brags about getting to party with a famous star, and the kids are more interested in this. Anya tries to embellish what happened during her trip, but since the bomb plot was kept out of the press, they have no idea what she’s talking about. She only makes things worse by trying to embellish the story to such a ridiculous point that the other kids laugh at her.

When Anya goes home, she finds that Yuri has come to visit. After the adults hear about what happened at school, both Loid and Yuri tell her that it’s not good to lie. However, the scene is amusing here, because the reader gets to see what they’re really thinking as they speak. We don’t get to see Anya’s face when her telepathy allows her to know what they’re really thinking, but I imagine she found their thoughts fascinating. The real punchline is when Yor says something to the effect of Anya being able to get along better with everyone if she’s honest, and the expressions all of the characters have after that is quite entertaining.

After not seeing Bond much in recent volumes, we get a story that focuses on Bond and Loid. Loid is trying to train Bond to subdue people as a way to help Loid out with his mission. But Bond is such a nice dog that it doesn’t come easily to him. And when Bond gets sad after Loid lectures him, Franky thinks that perhaps this training is reminding Bond too much of his time in Project Apple. As Loid takes Bond for a walk, Bond sees things happening in the future and tries to keep them from happening. Unfortunately, his actions either cause these events to happen, or Loid misunderstands what he’s doing. However, Bond’s ability comes in handy and he’s able to save the day when a building catches on fire. It was nice to get a story featuring Bond, and I thought it was realistic that Loid would be looking for a way to utilize him for his mission.

The next chapter gives Becky a storyline, which seems appropriate, since she’s on the cover of Volume Nine. After watching an episode of Berlint in Love, she decides she needs to confess her feelings to Loid. Becky invites herself over, and Loid happens to be home. One thing that caught my attention was a comment Becky made about not going inside the Forgers’ home before. I stopped and realized that she’s right, because we’ve only ever seen her standing in front entryway before. Well, let’s just say the Becky is kind of underwhelmed by the Forgers’ home, because it’s so much smaller than her house.

We get some comedic gold in this chapter, especially when Loid starts asking questions of Becky about her family, in the hopes of getting a little better feel for the type of person her father is. Becky misunderstands and thinks that Loid is asking because he’s interested in her. It gets even more amusing when Becky tries a stunt she’s seen on Berlint in Love, and Yor thinks she’s serious. This leads to everyone ending up at a park, and Yor accidentally showing off her strength on a carnival-type game. Becky decides to have Yor mentor her to be strong, since she believes Loid is attracted to strong women.

The next chapter sees the return of Fiona Frost, who has been given a mission that requires a forged state seal. When she approaches Loid for assistance, he directs her to Franky. Let’s just say that a meeting between these two goes as well as you’d expect. There’s a lot of comedy in this chapter, but it also provides the reader a little more insight into Franky, especially his motivation for why he’s gone into the business that he has.

The final chapter is set at Eden Academy and focuses on introducing a new character. Madam Schlag is part of the Disciplinary Committee, and she’s been gone for a while. She has a reputation for handing out Tonitrus Bolts for any small infraction, and we see her conducting a bag check on Anya’s class. This chapter provides humor that’s more on the exaggerated side, but it was a nice way to end the volume.

The first couple of chapters of Spy x Family Volume Nine are a little more on the serious side, but after this, the comedy level begins picking up. The final three chapters really ramp up the comedy, and I thought this worked to help balance out the tone and feel of this volume. I also appreciated seeing Becky’s feelings for Loid being touched upon here, and it shows this wasn’t just a throwaway joke that appeared earlier in the series. Getting a follow-up on this was appreciated. I also liked getting a story that focused more on Bond, since he’s the member of the Forger family who gets the least amount of time focused specifically on him. It was also nice to see Fiona Frost finally make a return to the series, because she’s been all but absent since her introductory storyline.

I really enjoyed reading Spy x Family Volume Nine, and I think readers who have been following the series will appreciate seeing various elements and characters making an appearance here. Even though I have no clue what direction the next volume will be going in, I’m still looking forward to getting the chance to read it in order to find out what’s going to happen to the Forger family next.

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