Yume Dimension - SxF

Spy x Family merch, analyses, book scans, etc (mostly original content)

[yumeka-sxf]

About

Welcome to my little corner of the internet dedicated to my current hyperfixation: Spy x Family! This blog is mostly comprised of original posts with an emphasis on merch photos, character analyses, scans, and discussion on the latest manga chapters and anime episodes.

*All posts containing manga content that has not yet been shown in the anime will get the "#sxf manga spoilers" and "#sxf spoilers" tags*

Ongoing projects

A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor: A Twiyor post series I started in January 2023, click the link for more details

Japanese Linguistic Observations in Spy x Family: A post series where I discuss interesting aspects of the Japanese version of the SxF manga that aren't reflected in the English translation

Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans: I post select scans from various SxF books, but this particular collection is of random, miscellaneous scans of different SxF merchandise, postcards, clear files, or any other scannable items I obtain that feature unique artwork.

Spy x Family Story Guide: A google sheet that I regularly update, it tracks information on all the manga chapters and anime episodes

Spy x Family Character Tracker: A google sheet that I regularly update, it gives points to each character based on how often and significantly they appear in the manga

You can use the following tags to find particular content on the blog...

#sxf merch: for photos and discussion of all the notable SxF merch I buy

#sxf scans: for HD scans of book pages, cards, clear files, and other flat items I'm able to fit into my scanner. I don't scan entire books, just a few of my favorite pages per book

#sxf analysis: for extensive analysis and meta posts about the characters and/or the series overall

#sxf manga: for anything that has to do with the SxF manga in particular, especially my thoughts/reviews of the latest chapters

#sxf anime: for anything that has to do with the SxF anime in particular, especially my thoughts/reviews of new episodes

#sxf movie: for anything that has to do with SxF movies, such as pre/post release screenshots and videos, translations from books and magazines, etc (only CODE: White as of now, but I'll also use this tag for any future SxF movies)

#sxf game: for anything that has to do with SxF video games, which is only Operation Diary/Operation Memories as of now, but I'll use the same tag for any future games

NOTE: If you follow me with an empty blog, there's a good chance I will mistake you for a bot blog and block you (other bloggers do this too). So please make sure to at least give your blog a unique title and profile pic before interacting with other blogs!

About Asks

I have my Ask inbox open, but please be aware that I reply to Asks at my own discretion

My other blogs/social media:

Yume Dimension (main): this is my original Tumblr blog that I created back in 2014. It was mostly dedicated to my previous obsession, Disney's Frozen, though I did post about my other fandoms from time to time. I don't post there nearly as often anymore, but I will keep using it for non-Spy x Family content, which includes video games, Pokemon, Disney and other animated movies, anime/manga, and other forms of animation.

My Twitter: I post about all my fandoms on Twitter, and some IRL stuff occasionally. Feel free to give me a follow there if you'd like.

AniList: My page on AniList where I keep track of every anime I've watched.

Fundamentals of Japanese: A beginner Japanese guide that I wrote (I majored in Japanese in college). It was originally posted on my old anime blog but I've since updated it and posted it to a Google Doc

A concise guide to Weiss Schwarz: A short guide I wrote for anyone interested in getting into the crossover trading card game, Weiss Schwarz (SxF has a set)

I also hang out on various subreddits, including r/spyxfamily (username is u/Yumeka36) and some Discord servers (mostly Operation Strix and Wise HQ)

[yumeka-sxf]

This is a bit of a meta prediction, but no matter what Donovan had happen to him that Melinda identifies as 'alien', I don't think it could ever be as simple as: "He developed the same powers as Anya." Especially not with so much time put between a potential reveal and Melinda's initial session, where she puts the idea out there.

Endo has signaled his readers to anticipate Donovan having straightforward telepathy, and then kept the truth of the matter in the dark for an additional 28 chapters (approximately). The only option I see for an author, after creating a setup like that, is to turn the now established idea on its head. If it turns out to be exactly what we were told, then why make us wait on the reveal, right?

I think the most interesting alternatives are that Donovan either has a completely different powerset that can pass as telepathy, or his mind-reading ability is actually very limited, or highly specialized.

Do you have any thoughts about those possibilities? Are there any out-of-left-field mind powers you think would be fun or interesting for Donovan to have?

Oh, good thoughts! You may very well be right that Donovan's powers aren't exactly like Anya's, but I still feel like he has some ability to understand/read things others can't, whether it's telepathy, mind-reading, psychic powers, or something of the sort. The Desmond family dinner chapter always stuck out to me as further evidence of Donovan having such power due to his comment at the end that it was "worthwhile" despite no conversations taking place. Maybe he has an ability to "feel" others' intentions, even if he can't read minds exactly.

After the new chapter, I saw some discussion about how, if Donovan does have mind reading powers, perhaps his powers and Anya's would somehow cancel each other out if they tried to read the other's mind, or they'd get stuck in some kind of feedback loop. But that's assuming their powers are equal, which they might not be. Maybe Donovan has the more advanced abilities since he's older and was (supposedly) experimented on years ago, so he's able to suppress his thoughts from other mind readers like Anya while still reading her mind. Or maybe Anya, being the "newer" subject, has the more advanced powers but she's too young to utilize them properly. There's so many possibilities!

[yumeka-sxf]

After thinking that the previous chapter may have been the end of the storyline that started with 128, today's chapter not only jumped straight into a new arc, but one that seems to be potentially plot-altering 👀 We've got Yor and Fiona meeting again after so long, possibly more Authens lore, Donovan going out in public...and Anya very close to encountering him!

This is actually the longest Endo has gone without a short mission or standalone chapter in quite some time. I was counting everything from chapter 128 (the beginning of the TV station hijacking) as the same arc, but now it's more like three arcs back to back: TV station hijacking (128 to 132), SSS house party (133 to 136), and now the start of a possible "hospital symposium" arc with chapter 137! Not that I don't enjoy the more slice-of-life focused chapters, but I'm also happy that Endo is showing us so much juicy character and plot progression lately! But as for the chapter itself, there was a lot to unpack!

Loid's stomach issues are officially canon and not just a throwaway joke 😅

I like how Yor gives Fiona a polite acknowledgment before going back to her business with Loid. If this had happened a long time ago, she would probably feel a lot more embarrassed about doting on Loid in front of his coworker. She'd be second-guessing herself about how to act like a "normal" wife and all that. But instead, she's confident enough now to simply be herself in front of others, even someone she was once jealous of. She even refers to Fiona as "that tennis lady" instead of "Loid's coworker," which makes it even clearer to me that she's moved past the whole jealousy thing and is confident that Loid wouldn't want to replace her as his wife.

Meanwhile Fiona hasn't changed a bit 🤣

The fact that someone related to Sigmund may be at the symposium, which is taking place somewhere within walking distance of where the Forgers currently are, really makes me hope it'll lead to more Anya backstory, even just a bit.

We already know that Sigmund has some connection to Anya/Project Apple. And now we have a situation where someone connected to Sigmund (Director Surjay) is potentially in close proximity to Anya at the current moment. The excuse with Sigmund is that he has amnesia, which is why Anya can't get more information from reading his mind. But that may not be the same for Surjay, which makes me wonder if Anya will meet this guy, read his mind, and remember some...not so pleasant things about her past with Project Apple? 😢But even if she doesn't encounter this Surjay guy, we also have Donovan on the scene now, which could definitely lead to something.

There's been a rumor ever since Melinda's "my husband is an alien" chapter that Donovan could have the ability to read minds and was part of the Project Apple experiments along with Sigmund. Even though Donovan's appeared a few times in the series so far, what I always found interesting is that we haven't heard any internal monologuing from him. We've gotten to hear the inner thoughts of pretty much every other prominent character at some point, but not his even though there was a good opportunity for it during his meeting with Loid and at the Desmond family dinner. Why would Endo not want us to know what he's thinking unless it's to keep his ability to read minds a secret? But if Anya encounters him, there would be no way around this...UNLESS he's able to somehow suppress his thoughts in the presence of another mind reader. I wouldn't put it past him to have that ability. And even if he and Anya don't meet, there's also the chance he could meet Yor, Fiona, or Loid again. If he can read minds, he already knows all about Loid from their first encounter, so who knows what he's been plotting since then?

Whatever happens in this arc, I'm super hyped! Endo has really been on a role with all the Twiyor development in the last several chapters, and now potential Desmond/Project Apple lore right after! I hope he keeps the momentum going on~

[yumeka-sxf]

Just got back from Anime Expo~ Like I mentioned last time, I was debating about going to that Spy x Family music panel. I ended up going since it was at a good time for me to take a break from shopping.

The professors who hosted it were really knowledgeable about music and gave good insight into how songs and background music in SxF uses various music genres. I learned a lot - felt like I was back in school 😅 Here are some slides:

I also got to see Saori Hayami (voice of Yor) at the Demon Slayer panel! She did some live dubbing for Shinobu (the character she plays in Demon Slayer) which was awesome to experience. Photos weren't allowed in the panel unfortunately, but the official account shared the group photo they took at the end (I found myself in the audience, lol).

Not much SxF at the expo this year, which makes sense since there hasn't been anime news lately. I did find this cool papercraft display though (not sure why some are in front of the Bleach sign, haha).

Also, just a reminder that my post about tomorrow's new chapter will be delayed. I'm looking forward to it though!

[yumeka-sxf]

Off to Anime Expo 2026~

Later today I'll be heading to downtown LA for Anime Expo 2026 🙂 As usual, I got my Ita backpack and lanyard ready to represent for SxF (with a little bit of Frieren too!)

What I'm super excited about this year is that Saori Hayami, the voice of Yor, is going to be an industry guest! 👀

Unfortunately she's not having an autograph session, but it's fine. Just seeing her in person at one of her panels is good enough for me! They're not SxF-related panels sadly, but she has one on Friday for Demon Slayer Infinity Castle (since she's the voice of Shinobu) as well as one on Saturday with the world premiere of Magic Knight Rayearth since she'll be doing a voice in that series (it's a remake of an old Clamp anime of the same name from the 90s that I've actually watched because I'm old, haha. And if you know what Clamp is without looking it up, you may be old too 😅) With Takuya Eguchi being a guest in 2023 (wrote about his panel here), this will be two Forgers I'll be able to see in person! 😁I'm only going to the expo on Thursday and Friday, so I'll have to catch her at the Demon Slayer panel. Friday is going to be very packed for me since I have a few other events I want to attend that day, including the Witch Hat Atelier event (the manga author and voice actors for Coco and Qifrey will be there 👀) as well as an Apothecary Diaries panel (voice actors for Maomao and Jinshi will be there). But I lucked out in that all three of these events are in the same location, so fingers crossed I can attend all of them without issue!

The only SxF event on the schedule is this one:

It doesn't sound that exciting so I might skip it in lieu of shopping at the exhibit hall and artist alley. But I'll check it out if I have time. If anything, it would be a nice place to meet other SxF fans.

Even though I'm not going to the expo on Saturday and Sunday, my post about the new SxF manga chapter will be delayed. The reason being is that my mom and I have a tradition for every 4th of July where we go to a secluded hotel to get away from illegal fireworks that people in the neighborhood set off. Even though fireworks are illegal in Los Angeles, people do it anyway and it's extremely disturbing for our otherwise quiet neighborhood, not just for people like my mom with bad noise anxiety, but all the local dogs, wildlife, babies, and people who just want peace and quiet 😔 But that's a rant for another day, lol. So Sunday morning when the new chapter drops, we'll probably still be at the hotel getting ready to leave, so I won't be able to post my thoughts about it until later in the day.

I'm a little bummed I'll be missing some events on Saturday, including the CloverWorks panel (wonder if there will be any SxF season 4 crumbs?) The description mentions that "special guests" will be at the panel, so I wonder if Hayami will show up there too?

But even if I have to miss some stuff on Saturday, if I can attend all those Friday events and see Hayami, I'll be happy! ☺️If I see some cool SxF stuff around the expo (like the photo ops at the Toho booth last year) I'll make a post about it. But if not, I'll be back some time on Sunday with my thoughts on the new chapter!

[yumeka-sxf]

Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans - part 18

I'm back again with new scans, this time for these adorable baker designs 🧑‍🍳🥐🥖

In addition to the clear files, I also got a pack of flake stickers. Was a bit tricky to get those to scan, but I managed! I love how Bond looks like a literal hot dog 😅

<- Return to Part 17

[yumeka-sxf]

Sorry it took longer than expected, but as I mentioned in my birthday post back in March, I'm finally ready to reveal the big SxF project I've been working on for the past half a year or so: my first fanfic, titled "A Spy's Respite" 🙂

The talented @buf309-art-binder has been gracious enough to provide illustrations for my fic, including the cover art on this post, as well as a few comic pages that I'll show later on.

I've never been much of a fanfic writer or reader (essay and analysis writing is more of my thing), but occasionally I get motivation to write out stories and scenarios from my head, especially for things I'm really passionate about, like SxF! I've had many ideas for SxF stories over the years, but I decided to go with a relatively straightforward Twiyor "identity reveal" story for this fic.

To ensure Buf and I have enough time to finish working on our parts, I'm going to release the three acts of the fic with a few months in between (my regular posts will continue throughout). As of now, the tentative timeline is...

-Late Jul/early Aug

Preface

Prologue

Act 1

-Late Sep/Early Oct

Act 2

-Mid/Late Nov

Act 3

Afterword

The releases might happen a bit sooner or later depending on how busy we get, but my goal is to have the complete story released before the end of the year. I plan to post the first release, (which includes the preface, prologue, and act 1) sometime in late July/early August. When that happens, I'll make another announcement post here on Tumblr, with links to read it on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net.

I'm really excited to finally share my story~ ❤️That's all I'll say about it for now 😉

[yumeka-sxf]

The Twiyor goodness continues 🥲

First thought that came into my head after finishing this chapter was that the latter part had some parallels to the end of the mole hunt arc; in both cases, Loid not only comes home exhausted from a mission, but his interactions with Yor - that is, him being forced to acknowledge his feelings about her, ends up pushing him to his limits.

In the mole hunt arc, he realizes that he refused to shoot Yuri because it would make Yor sad. While he doesn't explicitly say this, it's obvious that he considers his actions of not shooting Yuri when it was important for his mission, a weakness.

In this chapter, he realizes his confusion about how he truly feels about Yor. Again, he doesn't explicitly say it because, well, that's just how he is, but it's clear he's conflicted about her role in his mission, and ultimately, his own feelings.

Then of course, we have Yor telling Loid that she's happiest when she's able to help him. In the mole hunt arc, she expressed this by doing the chores and such the next day so he could rest, while in this chapter, she helped support him while they walked back home.

It's interesting how Loid seems a bit less open to acknowledging his feelings in this chapter than in the mole hunt arc. While in the latter, he at least admitted to himself that he has a weakness, but in this chapter, as soon as he starts debating about whether Yor is a help or a hindrance to his mission, he shifts the blame for everything onto himself, saying that he wasn't perfect enough, etc (exactly what Yor doesn't want him to be).

If we look back at everything that happened in this arc, namely, him putting himself in danger to protect Yor and also telling the SSS officer that he loves her (without any deception apparently), such uncomfortable feelings must have been a lot for his emotional constipation to deal with. So at this point, when he's on the verge of collapsing, it was easiest for him to default to everything going wrong because of his incompetence as a spy rather than to truly confront his feelings about Yor. But of course, that can of worms is fully open now, so I'm sure he'll have to reflect on it again one way or another...something for him to think about while in the hospital after this 😅

Speaking of which, we had two character deaths in this chapter. Tragic.

(Yuri lost his teeth again too, lol. He really should have a dentist look into that condition)

There were some good tidbits in the Japanese version of this chapter. Firstly was Chloe calling Yor "onee-san." While it's a term used for your older sister (Yuri calls Yor a more casual version, "nee-san") it can also be used to address a young woman, kind of like "miss." I'm glad that Chloe seems to like Yor after their first meeting!

The word that Yor uses when she tells Yuri she wants to "cuddle" with Loid is "icha icha," the same word that Anya always uses when the says "Papa and Mama are flirting" 😂 It means a variety of things in this context - "necking, flirting, cuddling, etc."

Yor dodging the darts without even having to think about it, she's just like 😑 And I knew it wouldn't feel like more than a mosquito bite to her!

I really thought Yuri was gonna get shot by Loid here. But in the end, it was Yor who took him down!

Speaking of Yuri, I like that he kept his development from the previous chapters and didn't revert back to hating Loid again.

I want to say that this is officially the end of the TV station/house party arc or whatever we want to call it, but I've been wrong about that for a few weeks, so who knows! I don't think we'll actually see Loid going to the hospital like Martha said, and him collapsing was just an unserious gag to end the arc with. But who knows? Maybe we'll get a short mission or something with Loid having another flashback in the hospital? Regardless, the next new chapter isn't until July 5th. Typically Endo doesn't take breaks between arcs unless something unexpected happens, so that makes it more likely we'll be starting a new arc next time.

Anyway, quite a lot happened in this arc that will affect the future of the series: Loid saying that he loves Yor (speaking the truth, if we're supposed to believe the SSS officer's assessment), Yor getting more comfortable being physically intimate with Loid, Yuri witnessing Loid's love for Yor firsthand, Chloe and other SSS people meeting Loid and Yor...it will certainly be interesting to see where all this goes!

[yumeka-sxf]

So much chaos in this chapter and I was loving every bit 🤣

I'll admit I was a tad disappointed at first when the director appeared at the door instead of Yor, but I had a feeling she'd show up later. We haven't seen a whole lot of this guy until now, so it's nice to know more of his personality...as unhinged as it is 😅 His switch between "goofy pizza guy" and "do what I say or blood will spill" is certainly something...

Twilight with a pizza slice hanging from his mouth was not something I was expecting to see ever, but it made me crack up! He looks so undignified 😆

The below panel is actually pretty good character development for Twilight. We've seen time and time again how surprised he is whenever Yor does something "unusual." This is the first time he flat-out states that he knows she tends to not do or react to things in a normal way (but he loves her anyway~)

Speaking of Yor, her "pleased/appeased to meet you" thing is an accurate translation of the Japanese version, which is はじめまして(hajimemashite) meaning "nice to meet you, how do you do, etc" vs Anya's bastardized version はじまめして("hajimameshite") 😅

Also gotta give her kudos for not immediately smacking Twilight at this sudden physical contact, something she would have done in the past. She's trying so hard~ Too bad she had such terrible timing 😂

But my gosh, this has to be a new record for the amount of plan flip-flopping and overthinking Twilight has done within one chapter. I'm exhausted just summarizing all this thoughts:

"Make contact with the director or not? No, Yor is here, focus on Captain Curtis. Does Yor remember Captain Curtis or not? Gotta keep her physically separated from him. No, I need to come up with a pretext to leave the party. Can't make up medical excuses in front of Yuri. But Yor wants to stay? Ok, we traumatize Yuri so we can drive him away. It's not working, and Yor got drunk? That could work but no, would be too risky. Get her close to me so I can use the tranquilizer watch. She won't come over, ok I have to use the watch's firing mode..."

The poor guy is definitely gonna have a headache later. But despite being in this "mad hatter's tea party" scenario, Twilight is still concerned about Anya amidst his jumbled thoughts, which I thought was another nice moment of character development for him ❤️ (and yes, the Japanese version is the same).

This chapter leaves me with two lingering questions: first is whether Yor really doesn't remember Captain Curtis, or if she's just pretending not to (out of fear?) Jules on Twitter always comes up with good theories, and I think this one would be an emotional twist 👀

It's hard to say at this point if she really does remember him or not, since Yor can be forgetful sometimes but she's also very sharp in most situations. I'd imagine being interrogated by the SSS is something you wouldn't forget about...

The other lingering question is whether the tranquilizer would work on Yor or not. We already know she's very resistant to poison, and although it's not exactly the same thing, it would make sense for an assassin to build up resistance to tranquilizing substances as well 🤔Or Twilight might just miss the shot and we'll never know, lol.

Anyway, every time I think this arc is ending it just keeps going, so I won't even speculate whether the next chapter will be the conclusion or not 😅Looking forward to it!

[yumeka-sxf]

Hello! I always enjoy your chapter recap posts, especially when you explain the Japanese words, because I’m often curious what it says in the original Japanese. Do you find the Japanese manga at Jump plus?

I leaned Japanese in college, but likely am jlpt 5. Also happy belated birthday. My bday is March 19, and I too am old enough to remember a childhood without internet. 😹 Thanks!

Hi there, thanks for the belated birthday wishes! I'm glad you enjoy my Japanese-related posts 😀And yes, I get the Japanese versions of the latest SxF chapters on the Jump Plus site here (the most recent three chapters are available without needing a subscription). I also buy the Japanese versions of the manga volumes when they're released.

I studied Japanese in college too and got my B.A. in East Asian/Japanese studies. I ended up getting into an unrelated career, so I've mostly been doing self-study for the past 15+ years. I took the JLPT a couple times, but I don't remember which level since it was so long ago...it was an intermediate level I believe.

Speaking of which, since you enjoy SxF and Japanese, I was wondering if you saw my post series specifically about Japanese linguistics in the SxF manga. Here's part 1 if you haven't seen it already 🙂

[yumeka-sxf]

New illustration just dropped for the upcoming SxF Anime Extra Mission event that will take place in November!

Everyone looks so good 😍 I'm getting a very spring/Easter vibe with the colors of their outfits (even though the event is in fall, lol).

Like the last Extra Mission event, this one will feature the voice actors doing interviews, live readings, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed for season 4 crumbs too 🤞

[yumeka-sxf]

Hi, I have been seeing your blog for a few weeks and I really like your SxF analysis.

I wanna ask what is the meaning of the shadows underneath Loid's speech bubbles when he said "Yes. I love her" (Chapter 134)

Thank you, I'm glad you've been enjoying my blog ☺️

Yeah, I've been thinking about what the shadow on his speech bubbles mean.

I took a look at a handful of other panels during emotional/important moments (obviously checking every panel in the series would be too much, so I just picked some) and I couldn't find any others that used shadows like this; they were either the usual opaque speech bubbles, transparent ones (which I discussed here) or the dialogue is just right on the panel with no bubble around it (which, like the transparent speech bubbles, seem to occur when the character is saying something very intense and/or important).

So if Endo intentionally made a brand new type of speech bubble for this scene specifically, it only further reinforces how significant it is. I can't say exactly what he's trying to convey with it, but my interpretation as of now is that it's further emphasizing Twilight being truthful - the shadows give off a sense of depth and a "popping out" affect to the words, as if what he's saying is at the forefront rather than being pushed or hidden behind a mask. Again, this is just my interpretation. I could be wrong 😅

If anyone knows of another example in the series where shadows are placed behind speech bubbles like this, please let me know!

[yumeka-sxf]

I'm reblogging this because I wanted to highlight a few more examples of the shadowed speech bubbles that were brought to my attention!

Thanks to @rafaron1223 for showing me these examples:

It's interesting how the shadows in these two are slightly different - the one for Yor's confession seems a bit lighter but is still hidden behind the transparent speech bubble, while the speech bubble for Olga is totally transparent, with the shadow being fully visible behind it.

And here's another one, courtesy of @summerslastlight

This one of McMahon looks similar to Twilight's from the new chapter, though the shadow is a bit lighter.

It's hard to say if the shadow effect has any true meaning or not, but @micola-originaltaste let me know about this theory that's apparently circulating on Reddit that the shadows are an indication of the layers of deception that the speaker is concealing. For example, when Anya confessed her powers to Damian, her speech bubble was totally transparent, indicating that that's the only thing she's hiding, and since she confessed it, there nothing more to conceal. Yor's confession has a slightly lighter shadow depth compared to Twilight's since, after stating her feelings for Loid, she's not hiding anything else besides her assassin job. Twilight, however, is not only hiding his secret job as spy, but he's likely still very in denial about his feelings and will probably try to convince himself that he only said he loves Yor as part of his coverup (even though the SSS officer saw through him). So he's still concealing more about himself compared to the others even after this confession.

I want to say that the example with Olga is an indication that she's letting go of all the hiding she had to do while living "in the underground" since she'll be starting a new life far away from it all. Not sure about McMahon, but I want to say his situation is similar to Twilight's in that he has true love for his wife but maybe isn't fully aware of it himself.

...or maybe there's no meaning at all to the shadow effect and Endo just kinda gives the speech bubbles unique effects at random to make them stand out, nothing deeper than that. But it's fun to analyze anyway 😅

[yumeka-sxf]

Hi, I have been seeing your blog for a few weeks and I really like your SxF analysis.

I wanna ask what is the meaning of the shadows underneath Loid's speech bubbles when he said "Yes. I love her" (Chapter 134)

Thank you, I'm glad you've been enjoying my blog ☺️

Yeah, I've been thinking about what the shadow on his speech bubbles mean.

I took a look at a handful of other panels during emotional/important moments (obviously checking every panel in the series would be too much, so I just picked some) and I couldn't find any others that used shadows like this; they were either the usual opaque speech bubbles, transparent ones (which I discussed here) or the dialogue is just right on the panel with no bubble around it (which, like the transparent speech bubbles, seem to occur when the character is saying something very intense and/or important).

So if Endo intentionally made a brand new type of speech bubble for this scene specifically, it only further reinforces how significant it is. I can't say exactly what he's trying to convey with it, but my interpretation as of now is that it's further emphasizing Twilight being truthful - the shadows give off a sense of depth and a "popping out" affect to the words, as if what he's saying is at the forefront rather than being pushed or hidden behind a mask. Again, this is just my interpretation. I could be wrong 😅

If anyone knows of another example in the series where shadows are placed behind speech bubbles like this, please let me know!

[yumeka-sxf]

Now I feel silly for thinking yet again that the TV station hijacking arc would wrap up because it just keeps getting spicier 👀 Yuri shenanigans and the interrogation was amusing, but I was not expecting this panel to drop...

It might be tempting to write this off as him putting on a facade yet again in front of everyone at the party, as would be expected from Twilight. But the SSS officer's comment that there's "not a single hint of deception in his eyes" is the clincher. I can say with 99% certainty that Endo wants us to believe that this guy is a seasoned officer who can tell when someone's lying or not, and if he's telling us that Twilight is being truthful here, we're supposed to believe him. From a narrative perspective, there would be no other reason to emphasize the scene like this.

For those of us who pay attention to Twilight's expressions throughout the series, we know that he has his "Twilight eyes," which are when his eyes narrow and his face darkens (this is different from his default Twilight expression he has when he's doing his usual spy work without emotion). He has this particular expression typically when he's trying to suppress his emotions he doesn't want to show, and so ends up overcompensating with a very serious face. Example below:

Then there's his "Loid Forger" face, which is when he's being ingenuine behind a facade, which is signaled by him having a phony and exaggeratedly cheerful expression. Example below:

There's also been some "in between" moments where he's trying to keep the Loid Forger mask, but his true feelings slip out. This usually happens when he's interacting with Yor or Anya in some emotional situation. Example below:

But his expression in this chapter is one we don't see often, if at all - an expression that's definitely not "Twilight," but it's not phony like "Loid Forger" either, nor is it "restricted" in any way like the aforementioned "in between" moments. I believe this expression is, plain and simply, [redacted]...his true self, with no filters at all.

For those curious, his dialogue in the Japanese version is the same. He doesn't use the word for "love" that Fiona uses, "suki" (好き) but uses "aisthiteru" (愛してる) instead, which is for romantic love specifically. This is the word that the officer used when he asked the question though, so makes sense he would use the same word.

Another reason I think he's being totally genuine here is because of what happened a couple chapters ago where he was forced to confront his feelings about why he almost sacrificed himself for Yor. Instead of doubling down on pushing those feelings aside and making his usual "for the mission" excuses, he is, for once in who knows how long, being totally honest with himself (it just happens to benefit his mission at this moment too, lol). There's also a noticeable lack of background in this panel, which Endo loves to use when he wants to show a character being true and genuine.

We learn Twilight's age in the chapter as well, but I'd take it with a grain of salt since he could very well be lying about it. It could just be an age he established as part of his whole "Loid Forger" persona and not his true age (though probably close).

But besides some big character development from Twilight, another major event in this chapter was the name reveal of Yuri's boss in the SSS, the previously unnamed officer with the scar who we now know is Captain Curtis (no last name for Chloe though, sorry girl 😅)

There's been a long-standing theory that this guy was Twilight's father. I don't know if the theory was taken all that seriously, and I never believed it myself, but I think this chapter pretty much snuffs it out.

It was a little disappointing to see Yuri go back to rejecting Loid right after everything that happened. So Loid has him beat in the character development department in this arc, at least for now 😅

While Twilight meeting Chloe, Curtis, and the other officers was fun, I can't wait to see if Yor shows up next chapter 👀 I've been wanting her to meet Chloe for a while! Of course there's the chance that's not her at the door, or Twilight will come up with some plan to get her away from the party. Either way, I'm glad this arc is still not letting up 😃

[yumeka-sxf]

I thought that the TV hijacking arc ended with the last chapter, so it was a pleasant surprise to have this chapter which is, I'm assuming, the actual concluding chapter for the arc 😅 As much as I enjoyed the Twiyor goodness that came out of it, I guess I did miss Anya shenanigans!

It was also good to know Garden's reaction to Yor appearing on TV. As I expected, McMahon and Shopkeeper were fine with it since nothing suspicious happened...but Hemlock, not so much!

Apparently people ship Hemlock and Millie, so they must have been happy with this scene 😅

I was not expecting Camilla to be this concerned about Yor. I can't say this makes her a good person now or absolve her of how mean she was before, but it's still good character development.

The main topic of this chapter was Becky wanting to get scouted for acting after being inspired by Yor, so she has her personal assistants try out various outfits on her and Anya, with no success. Even though I thought the outfit gag dragged on a bit too long, it was still cute and amusing. My favorite was Anya dressing up as Sailor Mace and conflating Tuxedo Mask and Master Roshi 🤣

This scene reminded me of this illustration that Endo drew a long time ago of Anya as Sailor Moon and Bond as Luna. But I guess in the actual canon of the story, the original Sailor Moon outfit would be too girly for Anya, so she'd want to add her own touches...like a mace and shield 😂

Once again, I gotta give kudos to Becky for being such a good friend to Anya. I love how despite the two of them being so different, with different interests, values, ways of looking at things, etc, they get along so well. Even though Becky finds Anya's fashion sense embarrassing, she's never condescending to Anya and shares her wealth and privileges with her whenever she can, like how she let her keep the costume and props later.

Becky can be bratty at times, but for a coddled 1st-grader with extremely wealthy parents, she's pretty well rounded; for example, wanting to earn her way into acting instead of buying it, and having her own unique view on the ending of "Five Year Love Plan." I think she'll only get more mature as time goes on.

What I felt was "missing" from this chapter was how the whole TV hijacking affected Loid/WISE (I suppose Yuri too, but unlike Loid, he's not as concerned with hiding his face from the public). We got reactions to it from Garden, Yor's coworkers, and Anya and the kids at her school, but nothing from people tied to Loid, like Sylvia and Fiona. I guess because, unlike Yor, Loid wasn't an actor in the show that they filmed, so it didn't matter as much for him. But he was still involved. It's fine though, we got to see a good amount of his true feelings spill out in the last chapter, which is the important thing! 😁

[yumeka-sxf]

Hello, can you help me with something? There was a post here, i remember about season 1 artbook with "newspaper" including Yor's stew recipe. Can you please full scan or photo it? I'm trying to make a present with sxf related recipes and it would be helpful if you or your followers can help with it? (like what are these deserts Loid bought after tennis arc etc)

Hi! I believe you're referring to the "newspaper artbook" that was included with the English season 1 box set? There was a full page with the recipe for Yor's stew.

There's no recipe for the desserts that Loid bought at the end of the tennis arc, but he does say what they are in the manga.

Hope this helps!

[yumeka-sxf]

Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans - part 17

Can't believe it's been almost six months since my last batch of scans 👀 I just haven't bought much merch to scan lately (which is good for my wallet, lol). But a couple weeks back while I was at Animate, I found a complete card set for the "pajama party/sleepover" designs!

I love how the pillows that they each have feature one of their symbols, for example, Loid has the WISE pin, Anya has Chimera, and Damian has the griffon emblem.

And also, since I got stickers from the Round 1 SxF collab, I wanted to make scans of those too (and yes, even though I didn't make another post, I returned to Round 1 in mid-March for the second wave of the collab, featuring the chibi design!)

Continue to Part 18 ->

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