Thanks for visiting Anime Rants. The newest episode of Spy x Family Season 3 did not disappoint. It was funny, concerning, and intriguing at different points. The first half focuses on Anya while the second half switches to the memories of a certain someone. Here’s a quick rundown.
Note: Episode 39 is equal to Season 3 Episode 2
Ep 39: Avoid Getting Tonitrus Bolts
| ■■■■’s Memories I
Episode Rating: 8/10
In the first of two mini-episodes, we saw a bit of Anya’s school life. It was entertaining as usual. Damien’s usual bullying of Anya and Becky was interrupted when Bill arrived with a frightening message. A teacher named Mrs. Schlag was back at school after a few days in the hospital. She was famous for giving out Tonitrus Bolts at the drop of a hat. Before Anya and company could even prepare, the dreaded Mrs. Schlag was upon them. She demanded to inspect the students’ bags. Anya could hear her thoughts, which revealed that she was a disgusting tyrant who derived joy from distressing students.
Mrs. Schlag gave Tonitrust bolts to almost everyone for infractions as small as forgetting a handkerchief. Damien didn’t have his handkerchief and was slated to be the next victim. But Anya overheard him thinking that if he got punished, he’d never be able to face his father again. To save the mission, Anya gave her handkerchief to Damien to borrow. She thought she had brought two, but when it was her turn, Anya found no second handkerchief. She was immediately given a Tonitrus.
The good news is that Damien had the conscience to feel guilty and want to pay back Anya. He thanked her and returned the handkerchief. Anya went home feeling relatively cheerful because she was now “getting along” with Damien as her father wanted. However, she still had to report the Tonitrus Bolt. When Loid heard that Anya got a penalty, he keeled over and passed out. Lol. The episode about Anya ended there, and then we started the episode showing the childhood memories of Agent Twilight.
Note: We still don’t know Twilight’s birth name, so I will mostly call him Loid.
This was definitely an interesting installment. Loid grew up in Westalis, whose culture at the time wanted boys to become soldiers ASAP. There was also a lot of animosity against the neighboring country of Ostania. As a child, Loid loved playing war with his friends and dreamed of being in the army. However, his father believed that war with Ostania was unjustified and that his son should never be a solider. That might make it sound like the father was a peaceful humanist, but in reality, he was short-tempered and would frequently fight with his wife. He also sometimes hit Loid.
One day, Loid lied to his father and said he wanted money for a reference book for studying. His father happily handed over some money, which the child promptly spent on a set of play-war gear for children. Though he was thrilled to have a cool toy gun and helmet, Loid felt guilty when he tried to play with his friends. Soon, he wandered off alone and had an interesting talk with an older lady who ran a food-stall. She told Loid that being a solider was terrible and that the Ostanians were not all evil. But unlike Loid’s father, the old lady delivered the message with compassion.
At that moment, seemingly out of nowhere, disaster struck. The city was being bombed from above. Amid the smoke, panic, and chaos, a radio announcement confirmed that this was an attack from Ostania. The episode leaves off around here, with young Twilight in shock, trying to stay alive in the burning city. I imagine that this experience would color his life for many years to come, driving his urge to fight Ostania. Next week, we’ll see part 2 of Twilight’s memories.
The anti-war messaging in this episode was powerful. On a separate note, I empathized with Loid when he lied to get his way. When your parents are abusive or neglectful, you learn to show them a poker face or to be deceitful to keep yourself afloat. Anyway, this episode made me wonder if the series will be focusing more on politics and world-building in this season. It’s about time we learned more about the history and functioning of both Westalis and Ostania. That’s all for my thoughts today.
~Thanks for Reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 
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