The Studio Wit x Cloverworks adaptation of this Endo Tatsuya-penned manga was hyped to high heaven. Having read the manga (I own physical copies in English, and do not read scanlations, hence I only know what happens up to vol.5, saving vol.6 until 7 comes out in frikkin’ May) and seen how the teasers/trailers were like, I guess the hype was well deserved.
Quick premise: The story is set in a fictitious European location comprising two nations engaged in a cold war – Westalis and Ostania. A Westalian spy codenamed Twilight receives an order from his agency, WISE, to engage a prominent Ostanian politician who is rarely seen in public – and the only way to do so is to fabricate actual family life and have the kid to enrol into Eden Academy, where this Ostanian politician would tend to appear, mingling with the parents who themselves are people in power/the industry. Twilight poses as a psychiatrist named Loid Forger, manages to adopt a daughter, Anya, and marry a woman named Yor Briar. Little does he know that Anya is a telepath, and Yor is an assassin (code named Ibari-hime / Thorn Princess), and what makes the series funny is that Anya is the only one in the family who knows about Loid and Yor’s clandestine occupation because of her abilities.
That wasn’t so quick, was it.
Endo painted the cold war period in Europe beautifully – you could see similarities to real West and East Germany (Ostania’s capital is called Berlint!). The railway station Yor was standing in front of uncannily looked like the actual Zoo Station in Berlin for crying out loud.
At the time of writing, E2 is out and if the talk about Wit doing odd-numbered episodes, while the others are by Cloverworks is true – the visuals look great regardless. I have no real worries as these two studios are powerhouses in their own right.
Thus far, each anime episode has corresponded to the actual chapters in the manga. If the 25-episode season adopts this pattern, chapter (stylised as “missions”) 25 will be in vol.5. The chapters are pretty packed, and as this is not a martial art shōnen containing panels of fight scenes, it is no wonder an episode can take up only one chapter.
The two episodes are still pretty much in the introductory stage of letting us know what’s what and who’s who – and thus far, the adaptation looks and is paced fantastically, coupled with a soundtrack that is reminiscent of The Saint, Bond and their ilk. And do check out the OP and ED songs by Official Hige DANdism and Hoshino Gen, respectively.
Loid and Yor’s seiyuus are Eguchi Takuya and Hayami Saori – long time fans will recognise them from OREGAIRU (voicing the leads Hikigaya and Yukinoshita, respectively).
Next Saturday 23.4.22 – Mission #3: Juken Taisaku o Seyo 受験対策をせよ / Prepare for the interview.
And I think the opening sequence is lit AF.
