Spy x Family opening

This ‘Spy x Family’ Acting AU Fanart Is the Cutest Thing I’ve Ever Seen

Somehow, Spy x Family has gotten even cuter.

Spy x Family continues to be my favorite anime of the season. With its comedic premise and wholesome “fake” family vibes, it’s a show that’s become a staple in my household, and one that has garnered a lot of attention from fans. There is no shortage of fanart that features the Forger family, whether it’s placing them in perfect family sitcom scenarios or reminding us that Loid and Yor are an extremely attractive pair dripping with chemistry. One piece of art that’s caught my attention turns Spy x Family into an AU where Loid, Yor, and Anya are actors playing the part of their characters. You can just hear the audience’s awwwww in the background over the concept.  

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The setup of this AU

Illustrated by artist juniperarts (who I’ve been following for a minute now), we see Yor and Loid behind-the-scenes of Spy x Family, the hottest anime of the current anime season. We find out fun details like Yor being Anya’s mother in real life, and Anya wearing a pink wig to portray the character. The characters are in the middle of an interview where Anya happily talks about working with her mom and how the pink wig “makes me feel pretty, they make momma pretty, too!”

During his interview, Loid reveals that Anya still calls him “papa” once the cameras stop rolling. He’s adorably flustered about it because hearing her call him that makes him happy? Why? Because he’s looking forward to being a dad in the future!

Why this works so well

Loid, Yor, and Anya
(Image: Tatsuya Endo/Shueisha, SPY x FAMILY Project)

The idea of the Spy x Family characters being actors is simply perfection. They essentially are actors in the series, each one having their own reason for wanting to be a part of the Forger family – particularly Loid and Yor. These two are fully aware that this is all a sham, they just don’t know the full specifics of it. Loid’s there for a mission, Yor’s there to cover the fact that she’s an assassin, and neither is aware of the other’s intentions.

While this is going on, the two are clearly beginning to develop feelings for their family and each other. Loid is the most in denial about it, but you can tell that he’s warming up to the idea of having a family – which is why illustrating him as an actor who wants to be a dad is so touching. Same with portraying Yor as Anya’s mother, as the two shared a fond, mother-daughter moment where Yor taught her how to defend herself.

Juniperarts has done this before

I’m familiar with juniperarts and their acting AUs (go check out their Patreon, please and thank you), as they’ve done something similar with my beloved shonen series, My Hero Academia. They would show behind-the-scenes tidbits like how long it took Mina Ashido to get into the pink makeup for her character, having to help Hawks get down after having him fly through the air, or how hard it was to keep a straight face when Tokoyami wears a motion capture suit for his bird face. They would also show the characters getting along much better off-camera, which really hit hard after certain spoilery parts in the manga.

I’m not sure how many more Spy x Family acting AUs juniperarts is going to come up with, but I’m excited to see what else they have in store, especially considering the potential with characters like Damian “I don’t have a crush on Anya” Desmond and Yuri “stay away from my sister” Brier. You can (and should) check out juniperarts work right over here.

(Featured image: Tatsuya Endo/Shueisha, SPY x FAMILY Project)

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Author
Briana Lawrence
Briana (she/her - bisexual) is trying her best to cosplay as a responsible adult. Her writing tends to focus on the importance of representation, whether it’s through her multiple book series or the pieces she writes. After de-transforming from her magical girl state, she indulges in an ever-growing pile of manga, marathons too much anime, and dedicates an embarrassing amount of time to her Animal Crossing pumpkin patch (it's Halloween forever, deal with it Nook)