After losing his entire family in a car crash, Taiyou Asano tries to pull away from his childhood friend, Mutsumi Yozakura, but she assures him she is not going anywhere. Nevertheless, Taiyou becomes socially awkward, struggling to make friends at school despite the efforts of his persistent classmates.
One day, the vice principal calls Taiyou to his office, only to begin threatening the boy's life. Taiyou is swept away by a stranger and eventually awakens to Mutsumi, who introduces him to her siblings—a family of spies who harbor superhuman abilities. Every generation produces one ordinary human who becomes the family head. Mutsumi is one of these, and the family's mission is to protect her with their lives.
The vice principal's real name is Kyoichiro Yozakura, and he is the eldest son of the family. As Kyouichiro believes that Taiyou is a threat to Mutsumi's life, the only way to keep both Taiyou and Mutsumi safe is for them to get married; the family has a rule that prevents them from killing within the Yozakura household. Though at first reluctant, Taiyou agrees in order to protect Mutsumi. Now he must train as a Yozakura spy to ward off the constant threats on the lives of both Mutsumi and himself.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Marinate1016
When the topic of “best new gen” shonen manga series gets brought up, Yozakura is often left out which is an absolute shame because having now spent the past 6 months in this world with these incredible characters, the surprisingly emotional and well written story, the great fights and seeing Taiyo’s journey from average high schooler to a proper spy, I have to say this deserves to be front and center in those conversations. If you ever wondered what Spy x Family with more action would be like, look no further than Yozakura family. This was such a joy to experience every week and I’mcertainly going to miss it.
Yozakura is great because it nails what many other shonen stories fail to, making the MC’s growth feel natural, earned and satisfying. Taiyo’s development is very much the core of this story along with uncovering the increasingly complex conspiracy around his parents’ death. Seeing Taiyo bust his ass week after week to become a proper spy who can hold his own and defend his wife was really cool. I became this guy’s biggest cheerleader over this last half a year, I think he’s right up there with Asta and Subaru as guys who just don’t know how to quit. The mental fortitude we saw from him and how he was able to outsmart opponents rather than beating them with pure strength was awesome.
But Taiyo’s not alone, this series is stacked with characters who you want to root for and see succeed. The Yozakura family dynamic is a massive part of the story. All the siblings have their own unique traits, strengths and weaknesses and although they may be a hodgepodge family not bound by blood, that doesn’t make them any less real. The Chemistry between all the family members is great. While they have a ton of comedic moments and fight a lot, when their backs are against the all they all come together and their differences become their strength rather than a weakness. I appreciated all the character arcs we got in this show. The family feels like an actual fleshed out cast, everyone had their backstory, their bonding moment with Taiyo and accepting him into the family over time. Also, Futaba best onee-chan.
Taiyo and Mutsumi also have one of the best ships in shonen. None of the beating around the bush or being flustered and dragging out a confession all season. They get married very early on and the show focuses on them growing into an actual married couple who can complement each other’s strengths and fill in for the weaknesses. I very much prefer shows that focus on the strengthening of bonds rather than just teasing a confession, couple gets together and it ends. Both characters here are also badasses in their own right. Mutsumi as family head is very capable, definitely not a damsel in distress relying on the MC to protect her. They have plenty of cute and wholesome moments too, really enjoyed seeing them be vulnerable with one another and learn to be a team in both body and soul. You can kind of think of them like the Tonikawa ship, but with much more action and frankly more enjoyable.
The story itself of Yozakura is really well done. Honestly, the first few episodes had me thinking this was going to be more of a gag comedy ala Spy x Family, but after the first few episodes it became clear there’s a lot more to it. It actually gets quite dark and emotional as things begin to unravel in terms of the main antagonists, their relationship to Taiyo’s family and the human experimentation that we see in the series. The main antagonist is one of my fave recent ones because of how pure dastardly he is. I’m so sick of every story trying to make villains sympathetic and victims of poor circumstances. It’s ok to have a villain just be an evil POS and that’s what we got here. The last 7-8 episodes in particular were definitely the best of the whole show and the staff delivered banger after banger, leaving me emotional on several occasions. Go into this one prepared to let the story unfold and you’ll have a lot of fun.
The animation is solid throughout, but there’s a few key episodes where it’s genuinely amazing. The art is consistently really good and I love how bright the colours are in this. Everything feels very vivid and I think it’s a perfect complement to the series’ symbol, the Sakura, certainly a spring like feel about the series.
Yozakura was an awesome watch and it’s a shame it didn’t get more coverage because of it airing on Disney+/Hulu. If you enjoy found-family relationships, a lot of twists, action and a great romance, look no further. This is the one. Thank you to the staff and the author for this awesome ride.
Yozakura gets 9 flowers out of 10.
KANLen09
Mission: Yozakura Family - A more serious, but also fun family dynamic that's a take on the Spy × Family formula, being same-same, but different. Ever since the invent of Weekly Shonen Jump, authors have been trying to make big of their series, since it's known to many as one of the key aspects of success, but also the added pressure of them trying to keep up with Shueisha's (and other publishing companies) rigorous release for the weekly magazines themselves in Japan, because authors have a story to sell, and business can only be made if quality is ensured, mostly from the authors themselves. It's thesame reason why series like Yuki Tabata's Black Clover suffered in the long run when he had a physical breakdown that resulted in him not being able to pump the series fast enough, which necessitated the manga's serialisation to the same publishing company's other magazine, Jump Giga, just to make ends meet for a "work-life balance" compromise.
On the other hand, you have ongoing series that has/had/have anime adaptations, like Yoshifumi Tozuka's Undead Unluck during last Fall to this Winter; last season's Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi a.k.a The Elusive Samurai from Ansatsu Kyoushitsu a.k.a Assassination Classroom's mangaka Yusei Matsui; and even the one that's just starting to get all of the buzz this season: Kouji Miura's Ao no Hako a.k.a Blue Box. Together with the upcoming anime adaptations of hits like Sket Dance mangaka Kenta Shinohara's Witch Watch and Yuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days, these are series that absolutely thrive eating off the Shonen Jump formula for the simplicity of its own content that there's no trouble writing and drawing weekly serialisations for the magazine to keep those series relevant in the long run. And what I deem to be one of anime's most ambitious works within the past few years, is mangaka Hitsuji Gondaira's Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen a.k.a Mission: Yozakura Family, despite coming out in the same year as Tatsuya Endo's Spy × Family and separated by 6 months (with the latter starting in March and the former starting in August), it still manages to carve out its own niche and take on the spy formula by having its own rom-com moments that's sprinkled in with the stereotypical action thriller that most spy series have acclimated themselves to within the past few years or so. So, is the Disney+/Hulu locked exclusive anime worth your time to watch? Let's I Spy things from here.
In terms of the story/plot, amongst all Shonen Jump works, I would rank Hitsuji Gondaira's story to be very lacking, because on the one hand, you could argue the basis of bringing an outsider into a family's that so chaotic and something that the MC would not expect to be involved in, much less have his ties (both literally and figuratively) be bonded to such a thriller of an action-heavy spy plot, but on the other, support that this is the idea of creating a character-focused series that would help amplify its key themes as its strength, which undoubtedly is the factor that set the manga for the long-run success that it has, with (as of this review) 26 volumes and counting. That's the key idea of MC Taiyo Asano, an ordinary boy who's had his parents lost in a freak accident, leaving the lone child all alone with only his childhood friend to take care of. Until that said childhood friend being in the same school that he is, the latter gets entangled to fate once again that his childhood friend is the target of many groups of assassins, not to mention that the school they're in, its principal is also linked to her in a way that truly embodies just how frenetic their lives are always, being on the constant watch for any sort of evil that comes their way.
This is how Taiyo would eventually come to know his childhood friend of Mutsumi as being part of the big spy family that is the Yozakura Family, and how he grows from just a typical childhood friend of hers, to a force that even the Yozakura Family admits that no one has been this passionate for their livelihood. Despite the one rule that would allow him to be accepted into the family that siblings should not have infighting against each other, that was the loophole that got both him and Mutsumi into their fated marriage, but it's also because of the one subterfuge that also almost cost him his life (that will be discussed later). More importantly, Taiyo's life is not just one ordinary fest, as his hidden past ties back to the present of why he's involved with the spy family to begin with, so much so as to undergo their training to become a superhuman that's ordained with the Family's signature ability, something that should only be embodied by its descendants: Blooming.
Each sibling of the Yozakura Family has its own Blooming that tells much of who they are and their traits as a whole:
- The Black signature of eldest sibling Kyoichiro, who has an overprotective sis-con energy towards Mutsumi because she's just that valuable of a family member, even as Taiyo struggles to get his approval of the relationship he has with Mutsumi, ending up relying on the hard-and-fast infighting rule of the Yozakura Family to secure his life and be with her. His Steel Spider thread cuts through most of his enemies, depicted from his operative will, and is an ironfist of a weapon that makes him one of (if not) the strongest Yozakura sibling.
- The White signature of second sibling Futaba, she is like the siblings' pseudo mother character who is both violent and strict, but also caring and motherly at the same time, always looking out for her fellow younger siblings, as well as keeping Kyoichiro in check if he ever attempts to kill Taiyo out of his sis-con jealousy. Her specialist in martial arts (mainly aikido and jujitsu) also gives her the edge in physical combat.
- The Green signature of third sibling Shinzo, he's the family's weapon specialist who's able to utilise any weapon he gets his hands on, despite being the embarrassed, pure-hearted man that he is.
- The Magenta signature of fourth siblings Shion, she's the technological brains of the family, being a hacking specialist, and someone who can create video game-like programs for all purposes, despite her nonchalant, but aggressive and competitive personality.
- The Yellow signature of fifth sibling Kengo, he's the clone brawn who does not let the actions of the family get to him, being a free spirit and all. He's best known for being the family's joker, who's able to disguise and mimic just about anyone, which makes him a rather capable specialist in the area of espionage.
- The Blue signature of sixth sibling Mutsumi, the current head of the Yozakura Family's 10th generation, and the only one who is the ordinary sibling when compared to the others. Yet, she is the most important key pillar of the family because she's the only one who has Someinine, the Yozakura signature substance that allows her to produce the next generation of Yozakura spies with their Blooming ability.
- The Turquoise signature of seventh sibling Nanao, he's the youngest, but also most caring of all the siblings. Nanao is the Yozakura Family's brains and brawns character with his creation of drugs, alongside his once-mutant experimentation that allows him to shapeshift into many appearances, aside from the human who wears a bin on his head being the shyest of the siblings.
Alongside their guard dog Goliath, the Yozakura Family is not one to mess around with being an all-rounded spy espionage family that has a rich history to back them up, but also of the legacy of their name that holds a steadfast rule in the spy world, being the envy of all assassins, alongside the long-run rivalry that they would get with frenemies the likes of Hinagiku, and actual antagonists of a similar size with the opposing faction of Tanpopo, which is the Yozakura Family but developed deep in evil. If anything, I would say that Hitsuji Gondaira certainly knows what he wants to do with this larger-than-life story by harnessing his characters, and whatever he's doing with the series, it's clearly working out for the best, despite it feeling almost like an episodic series that has no end to it, even though the larger spectrum of the story has a lot of potential to be expanded upon. I respect that hustle, especially with the likes of Weekly Shonen Jump standards to keep pace and relevancy.
Silver Link has been a studio of ups and downs, most especially coming off one of their busiest years of 2023 with sequels (Bofuri, Maou Gakuin no Futekigosha a.k.a Misfit of Demon King Academy and Masamune-kun's Revenge) that didn't measure up to what their prequel seasons did, and new shows (Lvl 1 Maou to One Room Yuusha a.k.a Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero, Ragna Crimson, and Tearmoon Empire) that were decent to OK. This year of 2024 however, in-house director Mirai Minato has been chosen to uphold the adaptation in an unprecedented 27 episodes (1 less than Frieren) and given the standards of most 2-Cour consecutive shows, I thought that the studio would've given up at the mid-way point. And yes, for sure, the low-key moments were saved on budgetary costs, but the action moments are where the studio truly delivers one of their most impressive works to date, showing that they have what it takes to not just respect, but amplify the source material with the anime medium, which is not an easy thing to do. The hustle truly paid off (in the sacrifice of others *cough* KimiSen Season 2 *cough*), and this is a standout work of Silver Link thus far.
The OST is also quite the spy thriller composition that it is, aside from the usual rom-com moments of the central duo, which serves its purpose to good effect. I would say that there's a parallel between the 2-cours of theme songs we're given that showcases just how much difference in tonality was given, and they're surprisingly good. With the 1st Cour, Ikimonogakari's OP and Chico's ED gives you the idea of how the Yozakura Family operates in its family traits (with both songs being great and catchy), aside from the rom-com aspect of Taiyo and Mutsumi's marriage, which is highlighted more in ASOBI Doumei's 2nd Cour ED that is all the livelier. The serious tone of fripSide's 2nd Cour OP that joins former 2nd gen lead singer Yoshino Nanjo with the new 3rd generation, is definitely a big contrast of change, it's the only one song that I thought was OK.
Even with a simple premise of a family tied to its spy espionage traits, it's easy to see how mangaka Hitsuji Gondaira made the simple formula work, which garnered him the moderate success that keeps the spot in Weekly Shonen Jump, and one that keeps going on and on without the end in sight. The anime itself, while just a decent to good adaptation itself, it's the characters that would sell its namesake series of a Man With A Mission, joining the prestigious family that would bond him close as a sibling to not just redeem his revenge-fueled hatred, but also to call another family his home of which was once lost, but found again.
The manga is extraneously long with 200+ chapters at this point, but give the anime a try if you're thinking of giving the series a watch, which is well worth it if you ask me. It won't blow you away, but its familial aspect will definitely strike a chord within your heart.
Haruki211
Had to write this after seeing how Underrated the Anime was . I hate comparing it to other Anime ( Spy X Family etc ) as i don't find any similarities between those two . Each Character in Yozakura san Chi no Daisakusen made it really unique . Plot: It was a really interesting take in the Spy genre and i did find it really good . The MC Asano Taiyo loses his family in an accident and marries Mutsumi ( in the most unexpected way ) only to find out that her family is the most influential Spies . The whole story takesa turn when Taiyo finds out that his family's death wasn't due to the accident but rather an organization which were the common enemy to both the Yozakura's and Taiyo .
The First cour of the anime seemed really peaceful and hilarious but as the Second cour started , it became much more interesting to watch . There was a lot of things introduced which played a main role in understanding the history of 'Yozakura' bloodline and the effects of Someinine which makes every one who is part of the Yozakura family to have distinct superhuman senses ( or something ) .
The second cour had much more progression which made it really really good ( the backstory of many of the Hazakura bearers was really sad )
The Anime is also really hilarious at the same time .
OP , ED :
Pretty good . I prefer the Cour 1 OP and Cour 2 ED . Either way , the both parts had really good OP and ED.
Animation:
It is Silver Link and the Action part was really good ( not the best but it was really good ). I loved how they animated Kyoichioro ( The oldest brother in the family ) vs Momo's battle ( or reunion maybe? ) .
The Anime was really wholesome. I mean it was just really Adorable seeing the moments between Taiyo and Mutsumi in few of the Episodes.
I dont wanna spoil much but please do give the Anime a try. It was just really surprising to see how it wasnt mentioned much in any of the media .
Ashuz
( Asano )Taiyou after losing his family is childhood friend and is crush Yozakura, Mutsumi try to help him. His children has secret that he don't know about Taiyou one suddenly get attack bye people he don't know with Mutsumi. When find out they trying to kill his Mutsumi Taiyou start to try protect hers but suddenly a a black suit guy try to protect both him save them form attack er After find he was the Mutsumi brother who his spy Kyouichirou now he had to become a spy to protect his Mutsumi form evil ( he got married to protecther ) to and become
Yozakura to spy family he start to training to become powerful it's hilarious training methods also comedy you can laugh too much his body and mind adapt training learning why to his around yozukura family
He suddenly find dark truth about his family death why he and Yozakura, family is connected
Side character development with main character are good to how their relation build up together has family and spy's
Villain background give emotion and sad feelings their give good reason why are go against society and become evil
How society
Look down apon those are weak
Human experiment their lot for mystery are in are anime
It's good roll coster to watch
It's Pretty story to was how mc to protect his wife form evil and find about its family dead truth
You love some you hate some it pretty much good tho
CapitalCities
Extremely mild spoilers ahead: Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen presents itself as a paradox—a popcorn action fantasy comedy that’s hard to pin down but is nevertheless a strangely engaging ride. The premise alone is intriguing: a spy family with supernatural skills and antics that blend with slice-of-life beats. However, it's precisely in this balancing act where the show wobbles on its axis - and I ultimately fail to recommend it (despite enjoying it). First off, let’s get one thing straight—this is a fantasy. The spy moves here are nowhere near “natural,” no matter how the show tries to package them. We’ve got supernatural abilities that turn simpleespionage into an all-out spectacle, but instead of leaning fully into that potential, the series treads lightly, as if it’s wearing kid gloves. It’s an action show that’s almost afraid to go all-in, making it feel both oddly childlike and simultaneously not, a jarring combination that sometimes hampers the enjoyment.
There’s this bizarre restraint in the action sequences—like when people storm the mansion with the intent to kill, and yet the protagonists hesitate, pulling punches. Why hold back? If the stakes are life and death, the consequences should reflect that intensity. The lack of commitment here can be frustrating, especially when the series has the tools to be so much more dynamic.
Yet, despite these rough edges, the characters shine. The core cast carries a charm that’s hard to resist, creating those moments of levity and warmth that make you want to keep watching. And sure, it might not always deliver the explosive action I wish it had, but the interactions and the humor have a way of pulling you back in.
Interestingly, the romance aspect of the series grew on me quite a bit. For characters of their age, the relationship dynamics display a surprising level of maturity that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a refreshing contrast to the rest of the show’s tone, adding a layer of depth that balances the lighter, more playful moments.
For those looking for a gritty or intense spy series, Yozakura-san might disappoint. It’s almost like a kiddie show wearing the skin of something more mature, but if you can accept the tonal inconsistency, there’s a lot of fun to be had. It’s the kind of series I’ll give a 7 or an 8 for now, knowing that, as enjoyable as it is, there are pieces missing that would have elevated it further. The tone issues simply bothered me too much in the end to recommend it.
bossunhimeswitch
It's been so long since I read this part of the manga that I forgot that the first few arcs are truly some of the weakest in the entire series. Honestly this anime, like the manga, cruised at a wobbly 5/10 but then gained momentum after several episodes to become a 7/10, so I rated it 6/10 because while the first part is a bit weird and wonky to get through, it makes up for itself in the later episodes of this season once the story reaches the main antagonist of the season. That said, the reason I marked it recommend rather than mixed feelingsis because I think it's worth the watch even though its start is so weak. The characters grow on you, the action is fun at times, and the story really does come into its own once it solidifies around that main antagonist. Once you get pas the wonkiness, there's a lot of genuine heartfelt moments and some fun action sequences and big ticket moments as well. I really enjoyed revisiting some of the moments even the nicer moments in the start of the story.
If you enjoy Jump titles with eccentric characters and don't mind slogging through some wonkiness, then you'll want to check this out. If you don't have the patience for slogging through, you might want to find something else to watch.
Zilchbiades
I think this anime is way better than it's current competition. I'm not talking about the best of the best but I think it's around above average. I wouldn't say after 27 episodes that this isn't worth your time or it's one of the best anime I've ever seen. If you didn't know, this anime was made by the studio "SILVER LINK." who have made notable anime like Non Non Biyori and Kokoro Connect. This studio doesn't make the worst anime but they make sure to try and at least make something out of nothing. Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen or Mission of Yozakura Family is focusedon a family of spies. It's name should actually be Spy X Family because this show is actually perfect for that name. They did a great job with covering about spies from never let your guard down to becoming deadly like Agent 47 from the Hitman video game series. There are however some things that I don't like about this show.
This show tried to aim for the shounen tag but I feel like they failed to maximize or bring out the big impacts from certain arcs. If I were to compare this show to Hunter X Hunter, even an episode of HxH is more meaningful than a couple episodes of Yozakura. Of course HxH is a legendary anime and it's unfair to compare it to Yozakura but I think this show could at least have some better executions with emotions and such. Shounen is meant to be epic and action but Yozakura feels like a children's show.
Taiyo isn't really a bad character but he fits the needs of your typical shounen MC. His "wife", Mutsumi Yozakura isn't really a great character despite caring for Taiyo and her family. I don't see Mutsumi as someone I really care about same with Taiyo because of how their stories align and both having dark pasts. In life we have to move on from the pasts and learn from it but in this show they rushed or left out some things that could make their backgrounds more impactful than it is currently. Sure there are high stakes with them being spies but I don't feel the desire to continue watching Yozakura if it's heavily centered around their family. The other main characters are actually cool but they're pretty much just there to connect the dots.
As someone who loved SAO and Food Wars, it was cool to hear a voice I recognized but I felt like it didn't match his character. The voice acting is actually great, they had a great cast other than a few characters. The animation isn't bad but nothing too crazy which is why I haven't brought it up until now.
Final Thoughts:
Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen is not by any means a masterpiece nor a boruto type show. This is there to ease the collection of anime you can choose from instead of those bad and rushed isekai. I think you should only watch this is if you have a deep connection with your family or don't have anything to watch. If you're waiting for something great to come out next year or anytime if the future, Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen would disappoint and satisfy your needs at the same time.
Rockyth
It's an out and out shounen anime, featuring spies with supernatural abilities induced by mutations, and antagonists seeking to harness these powers for world domination. The standout element for me was the main character, Taiyo, whose admirable qualities kept me engaged, along with Mutsumi, who provides solid support to the protagonist. Their dynamic bears resemblance to the themes of perseverance and emotional connection found in Naruto. However, the series abandons logical consistency, with powers and their applications lacking any scientific basis, leading to absurdly unpredictable fight scenes. The supporting characters, despite being prominent, are rather stereotypical— sis-com, loli, shota, introvert, shut-in—which, while not inherently negative,come across as uninspired and formulaic, detracting from the enjoyment. The show amalgamates elements of Naruto, Demon Slayer, and science fiction. While entertaining, I felt it could benefit from more romantic development and less focus on peripheral characters. Additionally, the concluding arc was somewhat protracted and dull.
giffey6
There are a lot of newer Shonen property that I have really enjoyed over the last couple of years, but this one really worked for me. The reason for the score, is mostly because of the middle stretch of episodes that I thought really drug down the pacing of this one, but I am sure that is how the manga was as well. It doesn’t change the fact that the bookends to this one are the best of the series. The concept of the sudden marriage of these childhood friends, and the fish out of water story of a boy trying to adapt to a worldof spy’s and other “underworldly” type characters was a really strong one. As it closed out it became an excellent battle Shonen, with a story that really got me emotional at times. I love some romance, so it was nice to see a battle Shonen take the route of being centered around a romance.
With a season 2 announced, I will definitely be on board for that. This strikes a good balance of comedy, action, and story moments that make this one pretty easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys this type of a story.
RosaPeeks
What a show, in my opinion this show keeps it together and understandable even with the absurd plotline. I haven't seen an anime that made me this happy, I was smiling literally once an episode. Due to the fact that i am not much of a smiler and that i prefer depressing anime this was such a nice change of pace. The MC Taiyo was such a pleasure to watch grow and honestly so was the whole show, from the older brother Kyoichiro learning to accept Taiyo to Nanao learning to adapt. Even without my taste and feelings this show will still be such agood comfort anime with action tied into it. Underrated show for sure.
JackTheReapur
This is my first time ever, writing a review but I felt like this anime was so underrated this season and not enough people have talked about it. If you enjoyed watching Kateikyo Hitman Reborn, then you're sure to like this anime. As weird as it might sound for some people, I still found myself seeing the many similarities with this Anime and KHR. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this anime and it really took me back to the time when we got to enjoy the classic Shounen Anime where the main character is supported by the people around him and is motivated tobe better and stronger to either be in the same level as them or to be strong enough to protect them. The characters slowly flesh themselves out as the episodes go and you really do come to like them as you go on, even though it still lacks some information about certain characters which I'm sure will be explained better if a season 2 were to come out. Hope you enjoy!
Scarred_Hero15
In a world filled with sadness and loss, how we do cope? At its core, Mission: Yozakura Family (MYF) is about answering this in a simplistic way that all ages can understand. It may not be a ground-breaking answer, but sometimes simplicity makes for the most effective reminders. Happiness is found through accepting absurdity and opening your heart to others. I haven't consistently updated my MAL in years, but I've never anticipated an anime more prior to its release than this series right here. So, I'd like to give my review from the perspective of a long-time source material reader. Many protagonists of Weekly Shonen Jump manga(and their anime adaptations) share overlapping traits. Taiyo Asano is no exception, but his introduction is effective. The anime opens with a flashback and a monologue that instantly explains what he's about. He's an anxious, traumatized teenager who's scared of losing people he loves. The theme of loss can be interpreted in all sorts of ways with many people. It's not just Taiyo either. The series reveals early on that the titular Yozakura family have also experienced loss. Most notably, in my opinion, is Kyoichiro Yozakura.
Kyoichiro is introduced as an off-putting, antagonistic force. He's instantly juxtaposed with Taiyo. In the first episode, while Taiyo is the "good-guy" and Kyoichiro is the "bad-guy," Taiyo realizes that both of them are victims of loss who have developed unhealthy coping mechanisms and altered personalities. With Taiyo, it's his extreme social anxiety. With Kyoichiro, it's his extreme obsession with his sister (while his obsession with Mutsumi Yozakura becomes an ongoing gag, the character writing is taken seriously enough to not let him be portrayed as an incestuous predator). Taiyo's journey begins when his desire to protect who he loves overpowers his fear of loss. As a result, he influences and inspires the entire family to overcome their own loss.
Mission: Yozakura Family is less about romantic love and more about familiar love and a general appreciation of mundane moments of joy that we often take for granted until they can no longer be replicated. There's a large focus on humorous interactions amongst each other and the illogical circumstance about this series' world of spies. The spy element of the series is used as a joke more than anything. Very little about the way the Yozakura and other spies work make sense. Whether or not this is funny will vary from person to person, but it doesn't harm the series' writing as the absurdity and chaos of life (both good and bad) are things we have to accept. Taiyo and Mutsumi's relationship is cute to watch, but it lacks any real drama or significant development simply because it's not the driving force of the story.
The story is a slow-building mystery of discovering what caused the hardships of Taiyo and the Yozakura family and then fighting to prevent further loss from occurring. This element of MYF is really fun to watch, but it's also where the anime adaptation fumbles the most. The production planning for the anime was reportedly great, and anyone with knowledgeable of the recent works of animation studio SILVER LINK could tell you that the quality of the anime's 27 episode run was surprisingly well. However, doing surprisingly well when expectations were disastrous doesn't exactly cut it for many anime fans seeking high-quality art and animation. Aside from the notably talented voice cast and, MYF's quality is quite average which can be a turn-off for many seasoned anime fans.
Another struggle the anime adaptation faced was pacing. The staff clearly wanted to adapt an ambitiously large amount of content in a single two-cour season. There are ways to adapt large amounts of content within a limited episode count that can come across as lazy. With MYF, that clearly wasn't the case. They managed to get an extra episode more than the standard 26 and they added some additional content that fixed some of the biggest criticisms of the manga. However, they had to remove fan favorite scenes in order to reach the end point. Many of these involve episodic plots and characters who only received small cameos and references in the anime that can easily be repurposed for the confirmed second season. However, the Skeleton Island arc particularly suffered from cut lines and shortened backstories that won't be coming back. While the decision to cover as much content as they did to tell a satisfying story in a single season is highly respectable, it wasn't without its drawbacks.
Overall, this anime can be a really fun time for anyone who enjoys light-hearted excitement or anyone struggling with grief and loneliness. Even the power-ups introduced in the second half of the season reflect each character's individual coping mechanisms in really creative ways. However, I'd recommend it alongside the manga rather than as a substitute. Both versions have their pros and cons, but together they make up what is my personal favorite fictional story of all time. The second season is in production as of the writing of this review, and let me assure you that things will keep getting better from here.
sailorkugisaki
Mission: Yozakura Family is my first spy anime, so keep that in mind when reading this review. Taiyô, a teenage boy who lost his family in a car accident, will see his life be turned upside down after being welcomed in Mutsumi's family and marrying her. Consequently, he will become a spy just like any member of the Yozakura family, and hell will ensue for Taiyô. The beginning of the season focuses on Taiyô becoming a member the Yozakura family. As someone who has zero experience in the "spy life", Taiyô will be trained and we will follow his "apprenticeship" within the family. At first, Iwas a little unsure about this anime, as I thought it would only follow Taiyô going on random spy missions and simply becoming a great spy. But as the anime progresses, an intrigue starts building up, and I finally saw where this anime was going. That was around episode 10 so don't expect finding out where the anime is going after 2 or 3 episodes.
The rest of the season follows the same plot line which I thought was interesting. Taiyô and the Yozakura family try to find answers and what I mostly enjoyed is that Taiyô's goal is not revenge (because it could've gone in that direction) but it is to protect Mutsumi, who became his family.
That said, don't expect a "normal" spy anime as each member of the Yozakura family have special, surnatural abilities, which does not make this anime anything near real. Moreover, there is a lot of humor, even if there are darker, more serious moments in the season too.
I think my only gripe with this work is that at the end of this season, the plot has been completed, which means we will go in another direction, follow another "story" in the rest of Mission: Yozakura family. Of course, the events of this season will probably have impacts on the rest of the anime, but I prefer stories that only have one big plot through the entire work, and not something that is divided into multiple "parts/stories" in one work. If that makes any sense.
All in all, I had a great time watching Mission: Yozakura family. I really enjoyed Taiyô and Mutsumi's relationship which is absolutely adorable, pure, and "natural". I enjoyed the plot line and I kind of guessed the major plot twist without guessing it entirely nor how everything happened. As my first spy anime, I thought that was a great one, if you're not expecting something that is down to earth. I'm curious to see what the second season will have to offer, what the plot line is, and if it will be link to the plot line of season 1, because there is an element that has gone unanswered!
iskakunn
I LOVED THIS SHOW !!!!this show deserves the whole manga to get adapted cus the manga is over and this show has the potential to gain profit if the series get the whole manga animated !
