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Ignorance is potentially like even worse than poverty because it means you sort of can't get
out and because it causes these other sort of damages and harms to society like bias.
Welcome back to 2AM OTTACK! I'm your host Mayu, a born and raised Japanese non-otaku and
I'm Cisco, an American otaku.
In this podcast we share our reviews of anime and manga through our distinct
perspectives with commentary on Japanese culture, history, and language.
So Cisco, so we've talked about Spy x Family,
roughly about season 1 and season 2 and then just some, you know, episode,
first episode of season 3 before, but we haven't really gone into season 3 yet.
That's true.
So we are going to dig deep into the world of Spy x Family season 3.
Let's do it.
Before we start, we'd like to hear from you. Share your thoughts, ideas,
questions, or even suggestions for what we should talk about.
Send us a message to the email in the description,
or you can use Spotify and YouTube comment section as well.
All right, let's do this.
ロイドの過去の描写
So like you said before, season 3 showed the past of Lloyd.
Right.
Which was like very, very different from other episodes of Spy x Family.
Oh yeah.
It was intense.
Yeah, yeah.
It's like all of a sudden, like very emotional and like pretty upsetting.
Yeah, it reminded me of one episode of Dan Da Dan.
Right.
When Aya's episode was so moving and so touching.
Right.
The rest was like, like, you know, like a chaos.
Mostly a comedy until, right, yeah.
It's like, you know, out of blue, you get hit by lightning.
Right.
I was like, I didn't see that coming.
Yeah, yeah.
I think that's true in Spy x Family too.
It's been such a consistent comedy up until this point.
And it's a comedy where a lot of people get hurt and sometimes die in explosions or assassinations
or like other things that are treated kind of casually up until this moment.
And then all of a sudden, it's very real.
Yeah.
So yeah, it's sort of interesting to think about it in comparison to all of the people
you're constantly killing.
Sort of like, whatever, that's just what I do.
And then all of a sudden, you know, Lloyd's backstory in the war is like, oh, he thought
people were dead and it was like a really big deal to him.
So are we doing spoilers today or not really?
I think it's already too late.
Okay.
All right.
So be careful.
Yeah, I mean, there's definitely spoilers here for, I mean, I guess I already said one
for Spy x Family Season 3.
But I mean, there's not that much to spoil, really.
Right.
But yes, I will be talking about the plot of the episodes.
ストーリーの比較と調和
So you've been reading the manga of Spy x Family pretty much from the very beginning.
Since it started, yeah.
Yeah.
So you already knew the story.
Yes, I did.
And what did you think watching the anime and what's the comparison like?
It's really similar.
I think one of the things from Season 2 was I kept wondering whether they were going to
get to the busjacking in Season 2 or not.
And they didn't.
And so I knew I was pretty sure it would be coming in this season.
And it's like an arc I was looking forward to.
Both the sort of Lloyd's memory arc and the busjacking arc are pretty good, and they've
adapted them well.
So I was happy about this season finally going there and doing some of those good
episodes that I know there's in there.
Because Spy x Family has a lot of good episodes, but it also has some episodes that feel like
filler.
And the same was true in the manga.
Like the manga will be like having a really important storyline and then like chunk it
up with like a couple of like episodes about Bondo or something.
And you'll be like, wait, what?
And then it sort of felt like it didn't know where it was going for a while.
And I think the end of Season 2 kind of was the most of those episodes, including the
first episode of Season 3.
And then it kind of got its groove back after it went and did the Lloyd backstory, and
it was really good again for another run.
And it becomes, I think, actually even better from here.
So yeah, there's like a couple of additional developments that play on some of the things
that happened in like the last couple episodes that really start to move the plot forward
again.
Although we still get these sort of side episodes of like Damien's home life and like, you
know, these other things where you're kind of like, was this really necessary?
But often it sort of ties back in.
And there are more like past episodes that come up for different characters that I'm
really looking forward to.
But I wonder whether we'll get them in Season 4 or not.
Like, I don't think they're going to be in this season.
Okay.
Yeah, there's like a Season 2, I think, was sort of like old, not all, but like most of
them filler kind of episode, if each episode of finished right there.
And if I knew Spy Family is just like that, I wouldn't mind it at all.
Because like, I love one-shots.
So I would be just happy reading or, you know, watching every week.
But because they set the story at the very beginning, there's a mission they have to
complete.
Like you kind of have to wait, like what's going to happen next?
And if it's not coming, what's happening?
教育の難しさ
So I understand what you said.
Yeah, the Episode 3, Lloyd's past episode was really intense.
And then it makes you think like, what's going on in the world?
Yeah.
Yeah.
In the history, not in the past, like right now.
Sure.
Like what it's like, and then what's the, what war causes, what war like produce.
Yeah.
And stuff.
And it's, it's really sad.
Yeah.
Yeah.
How Lloyd grew up.
Yeah.
It's terrible.
It's, it is terrible.
But like, we got to know the relationship between Lloyd and Frankie.
Frankie.
Frankie.
Frankie.
Yeah.
Frankie.
Frankie.
Frankie.
Like Frank.
Okay.
Is that name flank?
No, flank means like the side of something.
And like war, especially like the flank of the enemy is like the side of where the enemy
troops are and stuff.
Yeah.
I've been living in America for a long time, but still L and R sounds difference.
It's still hard to.
Well, especially when people are speaking Japanese and there is no difference between
Frankie and Flanky.
Yeah.
Frankie.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He's definitely, I mean, I don't know.
I'm assuming he's Frank, but if it turns out that like canonically, his name is actually
Flanky, I will be like very tickled, but no, I I'm pretty sure it's Frank with an R.
Okay.
I love the episode of how they got to know each other.
Yeah.
That was cute.
And, but like they have to connect again, right?
Because like they separated.
Yeah.
And they're like, you know, funny episodes in between.
I like the episode of Anya and the Henderson, Mr. Henderson.
Yeah.
That's I mean, Mr. Henderson is one of my favorite characters in the show, but yes,
the one where Anya goes, like he's trying to cheer her up about getting into nitrous
balls and then he brings her to like have the snacks and then she just walks back out
and he's like, education is hard.
That's one of my favorite moments of this whole season.
Can you relate to the phrase?
Oh yeah, definitely.
I mean, I don't teach little kids like that, but like, yeah, I think when you teach little
kids even more so.
Right.
I remember you're telling me the like reasons why you didn't go for like a teaching little
kids.
Past a certain age, like they, they don't understand things in the same way and you
kind of can't make them be logical about stuff.
Which is worse.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They're kind of like run by their emotions.
Right.
And you can't like talk them out of ideas and stuff like they just do it before like
consulting anybody.
And when they're older, you can reason with them and be like, you are in trouble for these
reasons.
And they're like, yeah, I know, as opposed to like littler kids where you're like, you
can't do that.
And they're like, why not explain it?
I don't understand.
So I mean, it's like I have worked with little kids.
I taught second grade briefly, but I find it easier to work with older students.
I'm, I'm the opposite.
I like dealing with little kids than like older kids.
Right.
Because I don't know, like I'm more like a generous.
Yeah.
That's a nice thing to say.
I'm more like a, how do you say this?
Patient.
Patient with little kids.
Yes, you are.
I know you're little, it's okay.
You don't have to know everything.
So I can be more like, you know, good about it.
But like if they're like kids who can talk and who can understand, like don't respond
me back.
I get so furious.
Interesting.
Like, come on, why don't you understand me?
Yeah.
Well, we make a good team.
Yeah, I guess so.
Yeah.
Okay.
母親友達の作り方
This is a little bit trivia.
So in this like fourth episode of Anya and Mr. Henderson, they go through, they walk
the hallway.
And then Mr. Henderson is like explaining the alumni.
Imperial scholars.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then like with portraits, right?
Right.
And there's scene, one scene that shows portraits of voice actors.
Yeah, that's so cute.
Of Lloyd, Yor, and Anya, and I think director too.
Yeah, I think there's some other people, but a lot of the, I guess would not, yes, a lot
of the images that are shown on that hall of imperial scholars are people who are seiyuu
on the show.
Yeah.
Which is great.
That's, I thought that was very sweet.
Yeah.
Yeah.
There's an episode that Yor meet Damien's mom.
Yes.
Yeah.
That episode was.
Was good.
Good.
That's not a filler episode.
Uh-huh.
That's like an important plot episode.
Oh, right, right, right.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, totally.
And then I kind of relate like how it's like to make mom friends.
Make mom friends.
Yeah.
Yeah, like you made so many mom friends catching like all of their stuff with your acrobatic
skills.
Yeah, which I didn't, but yeah, that's like I went through.
Right.
As raising a kid.
And then like I've got like a good mom friends throughout the year.
Like it was not only mom friends.
Right.
Became like friends.
Became regular friends.
Most of them, it was just mom friends.
Yeah.
Once kids start going to school, different school, no more relationship.
家族のダイナミクス
In a way, I feel like we were just like employees.
Like work together under some like unseen, unknown, like a company.
The motherhood company.
Motherhood company.
We were like.
You were all employed for about five years.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then we went to different directions.
Yeah.
I mean, well, I think like in the sense that being a new mother is like makes you part of
a community.
You're sort of in that community for a while.
Then you're not that new at it anymore.
Your kids are older and you're not attending the work events like the gathering at the
park or the like Sunday brunch or whatever else it is that you're doing.
And that you leave that community and you sort of join another one, which is like school
moms.
Right.
Right.
Parents.
So.
I kind of really can't relate to your.
You can really relate to your.
Yeah.
I feel I was gonna I was gonna wonder whether the your intentional being like, yeah, I feel
like you're in this particular group.
I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I can kind of see that.
OK, no more comment about this.
All right.
And then let's talk about the latest episode we watched, which is Bus Jack Red Circus.
Yeah.
What did you think about this episode?
I love this part of the story because I think it showcases a lot of the like kids acting
in really cool ways.
And so I enjoy this this arc.
And I really like the story of the main guy and his daughter and her sort of like insistence
on fighting for her beliefs and him being sort of inspired by that and then eventually being
like I knew they were taking the wrong path, but I couldn't kind of get off of it.
So I like I like the whole story.
This, though, like brings me to sort of one of my overall I don't know this is a complaint.
It's just like a thing about it that limits a little bit where I think this what I think
this story is trying to say.
So the whole Austenia-Westallis thing and the fact that they're living in a city called
Berlin and stuff really sort of implies and like the backgrounds of the characters and
everything else that they're sort of playing off the split between East and West Germany
in like the 1980s, basically.
And I guess maybe I don't know enough about East Berlin to really say this, but it feels
like they're living in East Germany because there's a state security service, right?
Like the, you know, like a communist tell on your friends and we're going to bust you
type state apparatus going on.
But the city they're living in feels more like a West German city because people have
money and there seems to be a lot of capitalism and, you know, Black Bell has like all this
money and stuff.
It feels like an East Germany that's also capitalist.
And so like some of the bad guys, like the terrorists, Red Circus, you know, even in
their name, Red implies that like they're the communists.
And so that makes you think, well, are we in like West Berlin and actually like everything
is reversed?
But then it's sort of then the secrets, you know, the state secret service doesn't really
make sense.
So I get that like it's a fictional country and it's all made up, but it feels divorced
from our reality in that it feels like both Ostania and Westallis are somehow capitalist
and that makes it like harder to kind of understand the motivations of some of the people in
the show.
Like it's like it feels both based on reality, right?
In the East and West Germany thing and then not actually set up the same way that reality
was set up.
And so the idea of like him being maybe a communist, right?
Who like wants peace, justice, or, you know, maybe he's not a communist and the Red Circus
thing like doesn't really work.
It just feels like a weird attempt to try to balance these different ideas in ways that
is sometimes sort of confusing or like when you're thinking about like what is Red Circus
fighting for, right?
I think the daughter talks a lot about some people not having enough to eat or the government
being corrupt.
Like is she a pro-democracy protester or is she like a socialist protester?
Why do they pick the name Red Circus if they're like not a left leaning group, right?
Like there's just a lot of like questions and like the orientation of the government
that Yuri is working for in particular doesn't make a lot of sense.
物語のテーマと背景
And it really seems like Twilight and everybody else from Westallis is like the more capitalist
side.
But then like the wealth and prestige present in Eden Canopy doesn't really fit with the
rest of the sort of story.
So anyway, that's my very roundabout way of saying I really like this anime a lot, but
sometimes I'm not sure if it's like how much it's trying to consciously model the Cold
War era or like what it is trying to say about society other than war is bad and terrorism
is also bad, which feel like very easy to agree with statements.
It was another like serious sort of intense episode, but like Anya being just Anya and
then there are funny moments as well.
But the daughter and the father's relationship, Anya kind of solved the problem, I guess,
reminding.
By knowing his backstory.
Lloydの物語と無知
So did Anya knew the whole story of the man?
I don't know if she knew the whole story, but she clearly saw glimpses of his memories
of his daughter and was able to like use some of that information to decide what to say
next at the very end.
I mean, it seemed like it went right more out of luck than out of planning.
But still, yeah, she seems to have caught at least some glimpses of whatever that was.
All right, let's do today's word of the day.
Word of the day.
What is today's word of the day?
Muchi, which means no knowledge, right?
And or ignorance.
And so this is one of the things that Lloyd critiques by the end, you know, saying not
having knowledge is such a sin, right?
Or is so bad.
No power and evil.
Ignorance is so power, so powerless and so evil.
Yeah.
And I'll make like a little tie here.
The idea of ignorance as being like a major bad thing in the world because it causes things
like wars, I think is one of the things that Dickens is trying to say in A Christmas Carol.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, in I guess it's what, stave three, when he meets the ghost of Christmas present,
the ghost of Christmas present towards the end opens his cloak and shows two children
underneath his cloak who look like horrible, who are like terrifyingly scary.
And the boy is named ignorance and the girl is named want and want meaning like not having
enough.
Right.
But he says, beware of these children.
Right.
But but this boy the most for his, you know, on his brow is written, you know, doom or
whatever.
And I think that's Dickens sort of calling out the same thing that like ignorance is
potentially like even worse than poverty because it means you sort of can't get out.
And because it causes these other sort of damages and harms to society, like bias or, you know,
hate.
How I didn't know this.
Well.
I don't join the Christmas Carol reading.
Yeah, you might this year.
My knowledge of Christmas Carol is Muppet Christmas Carol.
It's true.
They took this part out of the Muppet Christmas Carol.
That's sorry.
Sorry.
I'm not from America or England.
Yeah.
Okay.
Thank you for letting me know that important part of the story.
You're welcome.
And I hope it's not a big spoiler.
For the story?
Yeah.
No, it's like a one off.
Okay.
Also, I feel like Christmas Carol has been out long enough that people should be like
aware of spoilers for Christmas Carol.
Really, I didn't know that part.
So maybe a big spoiler for some people.
No, it's not.
Okay.
All right.
オープニングテーマとラジオ放送
Before we end it, would you like to add anything?
I just I'm going to say again how much I love the opening theme song for the season.
Oh, my God.
It's Spitz is my favorite band.
And this is a great song.
And I knew from the beginning of this season, just based on the song and the images they
chose to put with it, that this was going to be the Lloyd's backstory season.
Yeah.
After watching the Lloyd's story, like even the lyrics like hits me harder.
Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Right.
It's so perfect.
Yeah, they nailed it.
Yeah.
And now you can listen to you can enjoy the ending too.
Yeah.
By Iktalira.
Basically, you also be.
Right.
Vocal, which is cute.
Yeah, totally warm and nice.
Exactly.
Yeah.
All right.
If you listen to 2AMOTOCK and 3AMOTOCK, 3AMOTOCK is going to be on radio in Japan.
Yeah.
It's hard to believe this.
Yeah.
And I'm a little bit scared.
Why?
I don't know.
I don't know what people are going to think.
Do enough people listen to radio that people are going to think anything?
I have no idea.
Okay.
But I don't know the details yet.
But one of our episodes and our interviews going to be on air in Kanto area.
So if you live in Japan and happen to live in that area, Kanto area, Tokyo and stuff.
Listen, and I'll tell you the details hopefully next week.
All right.
Sounds good.
All right.
Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode.
If you liked this week's episode, please give us good reviews on Spotify and Apple Podcasts,
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It'll keep us making more fun episodes.
See you next time for more 2AMOTOCK.
Peace.
