SPY x FAMILY 1×13 Review: “Project Apple”

It’s been hard for me to keep up with a lot of shows lately, and I’ve seriously dropped off with my anime-watching habits, but I couldn’t resist falling down the SPY x FAMILY rabbit hole. The series returns with episode 13, “Project Apple”, which introduces the final (and most important???) member of the Forger family: the dog.

“Project Apple” as explained in the episode, was a top-secret military project that attempted to create super-intelligent animals to use as weapons. When the project was discontinued, the animals wound up on the black market. And one of them, our fluffy white friend, manages to find his way to Anya.

Oh. And he’s a precog. So you have a dog that can see the future and a girl that can read minds. The only thing stopping them from taking over the world is the fact that they’re, you know, a dog and a five-year-old.

Everything about this episode is amazing. Anya’s reaction to both groups of dogs was on point. Her excitement at the puppies, the kitties, and the bunnies was adorable. Anya screaming for help while riding a dog and passersby just thinking how cute it is. That first group of dogs, one of whom literally flexed for her? Insanity. Even Loid recognized that those wouldn’t be appealing to a child.

The combination of Anya and Bond is both adorable and inspired. There is a lot that they can do to help Loid and Yor in their various missions without either of the adults being aware of what’s happening. Things don’t always work out – like, for example, Bond managing to escape the bad guys only to run in circles around their hideout – but they try their best. It’s a dynamic that I hope they use more often as the series continues. (And she can ride him like a pony!)

Loid is mostly absent in this episode, other than using his disguise skills to help trick a terrorist into giving up all sorts of information. But this allows Yor to have her moment. I love that she is this feared, deadly assassin, but she also has the overactive imagination of someone easily influenced by daytime television. The fact that her first thought – her first thought – was that Anya was eaten by a dog rather than having simply wandered off, is further proof of why Yor is best girl and no one can change my mind.

I love when Yor goes feral. Plus, she gets some of the best entrances in the show. It’s almost like she teleports; she’ll just suddenly be behind you and you know your life is forfeit. She kicked a grown man so hard that he turned into a pinball, bouncing around between the buildings. The dog was scared of her. Granted, I think the vast majority of her rage was because she thought Anya was kidnapped to be a child bride, but still.

Yor jumping onto a pillar and then bouncing up to the ceiling for a bird’s eye view of the venue was fantastic. But I really loved the reaction of the man who saw her jump back to the floor. Random citizen reactions are always the best reactions. What must that guy be thinking?

It’s discouraging to think that this sinister plan was concocted by college students. (Dogs used as suicide bombers is a real thing that happened in history, and it makes me hate humanity just a little bit more. Like, these may be the worst villains in SPY x FAMILY just because of this.) But at the same time, this happens in real life all the time. Young people are easily influenced for a multitude of reasons, and I think we’re seeing right now just how easy it is to radicalize someone.

I’m a big fan of both the new OP and the ED. I love that they tend to hint towards a slice-of-life story and ignore the fact that Loid is a spy and Yor is an assassin. This series can get (and will get) pretty dark. But it’s nice to see moments of their relatively peaceful home life. I always enjoy those bits.

I really liked this arc in the manga, so I’m excited to see it animated. This series caught my attention pretty easily and the more I see, the more I love. I can’t wait for the rest of the season!

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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