Spy x Family: Family Portrait

スパイファミリー [SPY×FAMILY] (Novel)

by Aya Yajima, Tatsuya Endo

Llega la esperada novela de una de las series más importantes del momento! Spy x Family: Family Portrait es un compendio de historias cortas escritas por Aya Yashima con la supervisión de Tatsuya Endo. A lo largo de cuatro relatos cortos totalmente inéditos, la familia Forger deberá enfrentarse a una serie divertidas aventuras en las que no faltarán el humor y la ternura que caracterizan al manga original. Cada historia es acompañara por ilustraciones creadas por Endo exclusivamente para esta publicación.

Genres: Manga, Light Novel, Fiction, Young Adult, Humor, Short Stories, Comedy

Paperback

First published July 2, 2021

About the author

Aya Yajima ( 矢島綾 Yajima Aya?) is a Japanese writer and the author of several Kimetsu no Yaiba spin-off light novels.

Chinese: 矢岛绫

Reviews

[Hannah Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best anime novel I’ve read. Unlike some of the MHA novels, I felt like the author actually kept the characters feeling like themselves—especially in the first story. I literally cackled because I thought, “this is SO something the characters would do.” I was amazed that the author could so easily translate the manga/anime into the written word without visual gags.
I’m fluctuating between a 4.5 and a 5 star rating for two reasons: one, this is the best anime novel I’ve read. But two, I wouldn’t say it’s a 5 star book I’ve read, if that makes sense. Which has nothing to do with the author and everything to do with the medium. I feel like it’s always going to come across as fan-fiction, and that’s okay when done correctly. And I think this was done correctly. But it’s hard to advance the plot when they’re not your characters, which is the only reason it fell flat for me.
(YES I JUST WANTED ANYA AND DAMIEN TO HAVE A REAL MOMENT OKAY I SHIP THEM SUE ME)

If you’re a fan of spy x family, I would highly recommend this!

[toointofiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

wholesome af! not that i expected anything less. 🤗

NOT ENOUGH YOR X LOID 😭

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I LOVE Spy X Family. I only know these amazing characters through the manga and now this light novel. I know an anime exists, but I don't own a tv and don't stream, so books are my media.

This did not disappoint me in the slightest. I LOVE the Forger "family". Found family is one of my favorite tropes when done well and it is ALWAYS done well in this series. I know some people weren't fond of the Franky storyline, but I argue that love and the heart doesn't see age and Franky 100% was a gentleman and did the right thing. He loved her, despite her age, but didn't push his advantages of age and the fact that she couldn't see him. It was heartbreaking really.

I really really REALLY hope that Anya can actually get to be REAL friends with Sy-on Boy. He needs a good and real friend other than his two lackies. They aren't bad, but they echo-chamber him and that isn't good for anyone.

And OM Goodness, Yuri as an uncle is just TOO PRECIOUS. It gives us some respite from his un-dying siscon at least. (Shudder)

I admit, I was as worried as Yor about the painting. I knew Twilight had it in hand, but poor Yor didn't know that!

Highly recommended, but in order. Read this AFTER you already know the characters from previous books. It'll make more sense and will hit home harder.

5, I hope I never rate a part of the story arc of Spy X Family as less than five, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.

[Kaya Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the manga series in English.
Watching the anime in Japanese, subbed in English.
And read this novel in French.

No matter the language, time, or place, Spy x Family will always hold a special place in my heart. Forget about therapy; THIS cures my depression!

Incredible job on Aya Yajima's part, writing such cute stories while also being able to remain faithful to the original characters. Really felt like them. Very good!

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I actually read this in french because it was in the Ultra collector edition of the 11th Spy x Family volume but I forgot it was in there. Good thing it was in there too cause this arc was unreadable because of the huge logo in the middle of every page.

Anyway, Spy x Family is always an awesome time and I had a great time reading those short stories also except the third one. What even was this??? Why is this grown man talking to and falling for a girl who he keeps calling a girl after he learns she's not 16/17 but 19 (still gross). I really hated that story and it was a shame cause the rest of those "missions" were really pretty fun and cute but I'm only talking about the bad one now... Do better.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squeel inducing novelization of adventures giving a look into more perspectives and an amazing Yuri & Anya moment. Also a little outsider POV to top it off being my favourite thing!

[Melissa Flanagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up

I LOVE Yor, Loid and Anya so much :) Anya is the cutest little bean ever.

[Papież Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zdycham ze śmieciu!

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know I needed this series to branch out to prose but they did a nice job! I would definitely take more story in this medium!

[ME mew desu · Rating 4 out of 5]

สนุกดีค่ะ อ่านเพลินๆ เก็บเป็นโมเม้นเล็กๆนอกจากอ่านในมังงะ55555 ซึ่งเป็นเรื่องราวย่อยๆ 4 ตอน

×มีสปอยเล็กน้อย×

ตอนเเรกคืออาเนียไปเเคมป์กับทางรร.
;ตอนนี้สนุกมากๆเลยค่ะ ได้เห็นถึงมิตรภาพ ความปากร้ายใจดี(ที่หมายถึงปากไม่ตรงกับใจเเบบ300%) เเถมปกป้องเก่งสุดๆของคนรอง เท่มากเลยค่ะ ใครจะเสพโมเม้นน้อนอาเนียกับคนรองคือห้ามพลาด!

ตอนที่สองน้ายูริรับบทเลี้ยงน้องอาเนีย1วัน
;ตอนนี้อบอุ่นที่สุดเลยค่ะ ถึงยูริจะมีท่าทีเกลียดสนธยาคุงอย่างสุดใจ เลยพ่วงไม่ชอบน้อนอาเนียไปด้วย เเต่จริงๆเเล้วยูริอ่อนโยนเเละดูรักน้อนมากๆเลยค่ะ ดูเเลน้อนอาเนียดีมากๆ เท่สุดๆไปเรย(พบคนปากไม่ตรงกับใจอีก1อัตราก็ตอนนี้เลยค่ะ55555)

ตอนที่3 ความรักที่เจ็บปวดของเเฟรงกี้
;ขัดใจตอนนี้สุดๆเลย เเส้วมากค่ะ คิดว่าคงจะได้กันเเล้วเเท้ๆ สุดท้ายเเฟรงกี้ก็ตัดใจไปค่ะ เพราะลึกๆคือคิดเสมอว่าหน้าตาตัวเองเเละงานที่ตัวเองทำไม่เหมาะสมกับที่จะรักใคร เเต่ว่า..ใครๆก็คู่ควรกับความรักดีๆนะคะคุนเเฟรงกี้ เป็นกำลังใจให้คุนเเฟรงกี้ต่อไป

ตอนที่สี่การปิ้กนิ้กสุดหฤหรรษ์ของครอบครัวฟอเจอร์ค่ะ
;ตลกดีค่ะ ทุกคนพยายามจะปิดบังความลับของตนเองอย่างสุดใจมาก555555 เรื่องราวจะเป็นยังไงต้องติดตามค่ะ!

สต.มองว่าวางสตอรี่ดีเหมือนเดิมค่ะเเต่ไม่ค่อยได้ฟีลฮาๆเหมือนในมังงะซักเท่าไหร่เพราะไม่ค่อยเห็นภาพถือว่าอ่านเพลินๆ เสพโมเม้นคนรองกับอาเนียค่ะ555555 ภาพประกอบในเล่มก็น่ารักม้าก ใจบางไปหมดฮรื่อ

ปล.เเนะนำว่าควรอ่านมังงะก่อนนะคะ ถ้ามาอ่านจะเข้าใจมากขึ้นค่ะ ♡♡♡

[Liz Weasleyhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meine erste Light Novel 🤓
Ich muss gestehen, dass ich es zu Beginn sehr befremdlich fand. Nach einigen Seiten konnte ich mich dann aber mit dem Konzept anfreunden und war richtig gespannt was der Band so für schöne Stories für mich bereit hält 😊
Die ersten beiden Geschichten mochte ich total und musste über beide Ohren grinsen 😀 Story 3 hab ich größtenteils schon wieder vergessen und die letzte fand ich ein wenig wirr obwohl ich die Forgers zusammen wieder zuckersüß fand 🥰
Generell war es wieder toll in die Welt von Spyxfamily einzutauchen und die Familie Forger wieder zuerleben 🥰 ich habe Anya, Loid, Yor und Bond richtig vermisst 🥰
Allerdings fand ich den Schreibstil sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig und teilweise ungelenk 🤨
Ich hab die Story also dann doch in Manga oder Anime Form lieber ❤️

[za_pomniane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐

[Tigris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! Doesn't 100% give me the same feeling as the series, but that could be because it's written by someone else (albeit with Endo's guidance) or that it's novalized and not drawn. However! It's probably the closest to the series that it can get, and it is still a fun read if you like the series. :-) It gives a bit more insight into the character's thoughts and actions, and lets us focus on some characters that don't get so much time otherwise. 4.5/5, still wished goodreads had 0.5 stars, but maybe it doesn't need to be so detailed...

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooooo adorable! I was pleasantly surprised at how the novelization of the manga was so true to how the characters behave. Everything from their internal monologue, to the quirks in Anya’s speech, even the side characters got more development which I enjoyed. Having watched the anime first helped, as I perfectly pictured “Anya’s smug smile.” Loid is to die for, Yor is so fun, and Anya is just Anya. 🌸🩷

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much a fun! Everyone really fits their original characterizations. I enjoyed all of the stories, but Mission 2 with Yuri and Anya's day out ended up being my favorite. It was also cool that we got to see a very short perspective on Loid, Yor, and Anya from the employees at a restaurant they frequent. I hope they do more of these Spy x Family novels in the future.

[tai · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a Spy x Family fan, you’re already caught up on the manga, and you happen to be having a bad day, read this. It will make you feel better. ❤️

[Jan Mroziński · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chociaż podobały mi się wszystkie rozdziały (przede wszystkim za humor), zdecydowanie moim ulubionym jest drugi. Świetnie ukazuje relację między Anyą a Yurim. Dodatkowo w rozdziale trzecim poznajemy bliżej Franky'ego, który w mandze jest wykreowany raczej na bazie stereotypu, a tutaj ma szansę pokazać się od innej strony.

Jeśli do czegoś miałbym się przyczepić, to co najwyżej do paru błędów w korekcie: miejscami brakuje spacji, entera lub przecinka, jednak nie przeszkadza to w czytaniu.

[Snow Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estas historias cortas están destinadas a darnos en el gusto a todos los fans de este anime.

Mi relato favorito ha sido en el que Anya y Yuri pasan una tarde juntos. Es que no paraba de reírme, me encantó 😂.

[Bookbringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mission 1 (Anya) - 4☆
Mission 2 (Yuri) - 4☆
Mission 3 (Frankie) - 2¾☆
Mission 4 (all Forgers) - 3☆
Short story (Rose and Lily) - 3☆

[Shaina Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss my forgers sm 🥹🫶

[sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanna be adopted by the Forgers ✨

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novelization of the manga was cute and true to character. I missed the drawings though.

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Spy X Family so much, that when I heard it was getting some original novel content I just knew it was going to be good. I liked how this novelization takes the route of short stories as opposed to one overlong one. Since it is a form of supplementary material to the ongoing main storyline of the manga, I liked how it got a chance to basically feature a different slice-of-life aspects of the story and build out characters and their relationships without having to force the story along.

So in this book, there are 4 main stories and then a super short 5th one that is not quite what you would expect given the description provided by the novel.

The first story was probably my favorite since it featured some good development between Anya and Damian. I also liked how this short brought in the continuity of Damian and his friend's outdoors adventures with Mr.Green, very cool. I just love any time we get to spend with these silly little kids because they are just too precious and so antagonistic towards each other.

The second story with Anya and Yuri was also pretty fun. I liked the location introduced in it, very fun. I also found the interrogations to be so funny, and I am truly amazed by how everyone manages to not get their cover blown every other day sometimes with how they be acting. It was just nice to see these two characters interact apart from the others because it is a dynamic and relationship we haven't really gotten to spend that much time with.

The third story with Franky was kind of sad, he has a good heart deep down and so does Loid.

And the final story featuring the book's namesake, a family portrait also had me on edge a little. While in theory it was supposed to be the Yor-centric story I'm not sure that came across very well as she wasn't really the POV character. So it ended up being more Loid-centered with him trying to balance all the different aspects of his real and fake lives in conjuncture with Yor acting strange because she was also trying to do that. Hearing Loid rationalize his way through Yor's actions is so interesting and you can just see how he basically talks himself out of her being suspicious all the time.

One other interesting aspect of this story which I think is just generally important to remember in terms of the overall story at play and Anya's actions in particular, is that there were at least 2 instances of characters calling out Anya's age. If you will recall Anya lied to Loid about being six years old. When he first met her he thought she was younger, and now we are once again reminded of this fact with 2 characters calling out similar thoughts. At one point she is identified by someone unfamiliar with her personally as looking to be about 4 years old and Yuri at a different time notes how her hand feels too small to belong to a 6-year-old. Just something that I found interesting in terms of the overarching story.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A non-manga (not illustrated) collection of 5 stories featuring the Forger family. In the first story, Anya's class goes on a camping trip in the mountains, and when she and Damian go to get water they get lost. In the 2nd story, Yuri is press ganged into babysitting Anya by Yor on his forced day off, and he takes her to the new Kid Street Workplace where he doesn't realize the adults are forced to try each roleplaying job with the kids. In the 3rd story, Franky meets a blind young woman at the hospital who sings divinely, and must figure out what to do when she falls for him and gets a surgery to restore her sight. In the 4th story, the Forgers are enjoying a lovely day at the park when a painter asks if he can paint their family portrait. They feel forced to agree, but then Loid and Yor freak out (each for their own reasons) when they realize the painter is the crazy popular hyper-realist watercolorist, and the painting may end up in a museum where anyone can see it. In the 5th super short story, a waitress tells her co-worker she's giving up on dating and marriage after another bad date, but the Forger family ironically gives her hope that happy marriages really do exist.

I wasn't sure if the Forgers would be as good in text only format, but I shouldn't have doubted. The person they got to do the stories nailed Endo's depictions of the Forgers and their antics. If I didn't know Endo didn't write these, I wouldn't have known. All of the stories were delightful fun, but my favorite was Yuri taking Anya on an "ooting". The first occupation they try is police officer, and they do a fake interrogation...and let's just say the actors working at the place were not prepared for Anya or Yuri. It's hilarious. Hand this to any Spy x Family fan, they will love you for it.

Notes on content:
Language: About 15 minor swears.
Sexual content: None
Violence: Yuri only just manages to remember that the interrogation is fake before he hurts a person, and it is conveyed that he hurts people on a regular basis in his job.
Ethnic diversity: Characters are mostly kind of European-ish, though Yor and Yuri look Asian.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: Lies to cover up undercover operations. Two kids are lost in the woods during a thunderstorm.

[Shiro Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realmente no entiendo como es que estas historias no estan en el manga 🥲 Literal no hay pierde

1) Clase de naturaleza de Anya: 5⭐️
DAMIANYA ES CANON AWB 💖
Ya enserio ¿como es que este capítulo no esta en el manga?, de hecho, me entere de la existencia de la novela ligera por la imagen de este capitulo (asi como medio fandom amante del ship)

2) Dia de descanso de Yuri: 4.5⭐️
La verdad pense que me iba aburrir pero de hecho me saco la real carcajada más con Anya haciendo de policia 😂 además de ver como su relacion tio- sobrina hay un leve avance (es Yuri, la verdad es que es un milagro que no perdiera la paciencia 😅)

3) ¿El nuevo amor de Franky?: 100000⭐️
LA JOYA DE LA NOVELA, NO ESPERABA NADA Y ENCONTRE ORO 💖
Al ser Franky el protagonista del relato me esperaba algo cómico y rellenoso, NO QUE ME HAGA LLORAR Y SIENTIENDO MI CORAZÓN ADOLORIDO. Enserio vale muchisimo la pena, es de los mejores relatos y me duele que no sea dibujado 😭

4) Retrato de la familia Forger: 5⭐️
Cerrar la novela con la familia, claro que si. Obviamente estuvo comico y ame los ligeros trocitos de TwiYor (No, no estoy loca, enserio, siendo ellos. Si que no se note que estoy desesperada, pero enserio se que esas son migajas) El punto es que sabia que se iban a hacer un mundo para que al final 😂 es muy chistoso y tambien va con la tematica de la familia y comedia que se maneja

La verdad es que moriria que esos capitulos fueran animados, y la verdad no hay pierde porque es tecnicamente canon ya que son historias del mismo Endo pero que fueron rechazadas por la editoria (algo asi lei) Si son fans de la serie la recomiendo 💖

[Lars Kuijpers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quite fun collection of Spy x Family short stories!

While I don't think it fully captures the charm of the manga or anime adaptation, it was still a fun read, especially the first and last stories. The two middle stories I had a bit more mixed feelings about; while Franky's story had an interesting idea behind it, I think ultimately his creepy characterization around women (especially one that apparently looks like a teenager) shot any potential it had in the foot. And while it was fun to see Yuri and Anya interact, reading about Yuri's obsession with his sister from his point of view just makes it that little bit worse than it already is in the other media, and definitely made that one hard to get through sometimes.

But overall it was still interesting seeing these characters adapted to a very different medium. And the end made clear to me that they captured at least some of the essence of a family of outcasts that have to pretend to be perfect, so I hope the author gets to write another book about these loveable weirdos! This novel though, unless you just REALLY just want more of these characters, I'd say you can probably miss out on this one.

[Dollisapi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es verdad que pueden existir mejores trabajos escritos por fanáticos, pero los dibujos de Endo ayudan mucho. Y el capítulo final vale realmente la pena.
Leánlo casualmente, sin muchas expectativas.

[Chloe ⋆·˚ ༘ * · Rating 5 out of 5]

"While the Forgers may have appeared to be a thoroughly normal family at first glance, their relationship was in fact a rather complicated one with a great many secrets hidden beneath its carefully maintained veneer of normalcy."

5 stars - a fun, light enjoyable read for SxF fans! My favourite quotes from each mission are:

Mission 1 (Eden Academy Camping Trip): "But there was much beauty and elegance in the way Mr. Desmond and Miss Forger sought to protect each other."
- So cute to see Damian's reaction to Anya who continues to misunderstand his feelings TvT Also Anya using the peanuts to mark the trail was such an Anya thing to do

Mission 2 (Yuri babysits Anya): "He hadn't even noticed that he'd taken her small hand as soon as it had brushed against his."
- Delightful to read Yuri and Anya's dynamic (hopefully Yuri can warm up to Anya further in the future haha)

Mission 3 (Franky Chasing Love): "How many times do I have to tell you? You can't deceive women into a relationship."
"You do keep saying that. But coming from you, that's just rich."
- It was great to read more of the dynamic between Loid and Franky (the above quote being a new favourite haha) and also how Loid is coming to realise his change in behaviour (learning how to act like a normal human of all thing) and how mature Franky was (despite the melodramatic ending TvT).


Mission 4 (Family Portrait): "Yor smiled gently as she gazed back at their daughter. And below that deep blue sky, the smile that spread across Loid's face was not entirely fake."
- Just so utterly heartwarming argh. Endo's illustration for the final scene of Loid, Yor, Anya and Bond was perfect too.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Bohaterowie są dobrze napisani, zachowują się jak powinni. Krótkie opowieści mi się podobały, zwłaszcza ta z Yurim I Anyą. Okazuje się że on jest fajną postacią bez Yor lub Loida w pobliżu, ale wciąż jego miłość do siostry jest dziwna. Rozumiem że ma powody, i to absurdalna komedia, ale mnie to nie śmieszy i wiem że są gorsze mangi dziwne w ten sposób.

Franky był okej, ale bym się obeszła bez tego że dziewczyna która lubił miała 19 lat a wygląda na młodszą. To już Yuri jest starszy, i to naprawdę nie miało wpływ na opowieść tylko że Franky wypada gorzej.

Tłumaczenie było ogólnie dobre, tylko nie mogłam się przyzwyczaić do seplenia Anyi i części które lepiej by pasowały do angielskiego co było dziwne. No ale czytalam mangę po angielsku, oglądałam po japońsku, i w każdym języku opowieści i postacie są ciekawe i zabawne.

[Yami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a one setting read, I wasn't planning to get it actually,but there was an offer and I thought why not, am glad that I did though, there were parts that made me truly laugh, it was easy to imagine it in my mind the kind of silly situations they were put in, even Thier expressions were vivid..I only wish it had more art pages though. If you are a spyxfamily fan , I highly recommend it , it is an extra treat, and being written in a novel form didn't take from the fun or the warmth of it.