Episode 1


 * This article is about the anime episode titled OPERATION STRIX. For information on the operation itself, see Operation Strix.

OPERATION STRIX (MISSION: 1　オペレーション〈〉) is the first episode of the SPY x FAMILY TV anime series overall.

Synopsis
Twilight is an agent that works for WISE, Westalis’s intelligence agency, and he is tasked with investigating Desmond, who is in Ostania and planning to start a war. Twilight disguises himself as the psychiatrist Loid Forger and adopts a girl named Anya so that he can enroll her into the prestigious Eden College to get closer to his target. Unbeknownst to him, Anya is actually a telepath who can read people’s minds. One day, members of a mafia group that is after Twilight kidnaps Anya. Loid realizes that he needs to reconsider his priorities and…

Summary
After the death of one of their diplomats in a car accident in Ostania, the heads of Westalian Intelligence meet to discuss the situation. They believe it was not an incident but an assassination by the East's far-right political party. Believing they plan a war against Westalis and needing to learn of their plan, one of them suggests they send their best agent, Twilight.

Elsewhere, an investigator provides evidence that the foreign minister wears a toupee as it gets blown by the wind. Disguised, Twilight takes the pictures and the negatives, stating they can now force him to resign, and leaves in a car. A moment later, the real person, Edgar, comes to take the pictures, causing the investigator to realize he has been "played." That evening, Twilight disguises as "Robert" and has dinner with his date, Karen, who complains that her father was in a bad mood since someone had stolen the toupee pictures from him. Seeing a couple proposing in the restaurant, she brings up marriage to Robert, but Twilight, who no longer has a use for her, decides to break up with her instead. He walks away and disposes of both his fake glasses and his mask of "Robert," claiming he has long abandoned hopes of marriage and normal life as a spy.

Twilight is at a train station where he exchanges newspapers with a mysterious old man, who walks away and meows as a secret code for a cipher. Twilight gets on the train for Berlint and reads the given newspaper, revealing a secret message from his organization, WISE. They congratulate him for the success of his last mission and explain that his new mission, Operation Strix, involves the leader of the National Unity Party, Donovan Desmond. Since he is a threat to the truce between East and West, Twilight needs to get close to him and probe any seditious activities. But to achieve that, he will need to get married and have a child. As Donovan is a cautious man who only appears at social gatherings held at the elite private school his son attends, Twilight will need to enroll his child there and infiltrate the gatherings. As the deadline for enrollment is near, Twilight has one week to pull it off, which shocks Twilight, but he ends up accepting the mission for the sake of a better world.

In Berlint, Twilight looks to buy a family apartment. After inspecting it and not finding any wiretaps and it has good escape routes, he decides to purchase it and signs the documents as Loid Forger, a psychiatrist. Loid then goes to an orphanage with a story about why he needs to adopt, but the owner tells him to take whichever he wants. Loid states he prefers a child that can read, and the owner points out at Anya, since she is the smartest there. The owner states she does not talk much and is a good kid, but in reality, he finds her creepy and wishes to get rid of her. Looking at her, Loid recalls that to enroll, she needs to be older than six. Anya then states she is six. Loid finds her a bit short, but Anya then tries to make herself taller. Anya takes a crossword. Loid believes it would be hard for her and starts solving the crossword puzzle in his mind. Anya then shows him the crossword, all solved, surprising him. He gets excited that she will pass the exam easily and decides to adopt her. In reality, Anya is a telepath, able to read minds, and gets excited to be with a spy.

Heading home, Loid tells her that she must say she was always his daughter and to call him father. Entering their apartment, Anya turns the TV and sees Spy Wars, and states it is her favorite show. Needing to get some stuff and forge an ID for her, Loid states he will be going out, but Anya insists on going with him. Outside, Anya quickly gets lost in a crowd, and a woman tells Loid to hold his daughter's hand to keep her close. Holding it, Loid thinks that it will be hard for him to prepare for an enemy attack, and being able to read his mind, Anya panics and goes to hide. To achieve his mission and keep the peace, Loid thinks he must start to understand her and have a good relationship with her. Hearing this, Anya states that she likes peanuts but not carrots. She then states she likes crispy bacon, pointing out at a sign, but Loid corrects that it is a bakery, and they do not sell bacon. Anya attempts to buy a Spy Wars poster with a 10 pent coin, but Loid states it costs 1 dalc. Loid starts to wonder if Anya is actually stupid and that the crossword was a fluke, and contemplates getting another child. Anya then starts crying, asking him not to get rid of her. As she causes a scene, he offers to buy her peanuts, and she calms down. Before heading home, Anya falls asleep, and an utterly stumped Loid goes to the library to borrow books about child raising.

The next day, Loid wants to gauge how smart Anya is with some homework, but she refuses to study. Annoyed, Loid goes out and tells her to stay home. Anya still attempts to follow him, but he easily finds her. In order to keep her home, he ends up barricading the front door. Loid meets with Franky Franklin, who provides him with an application, a ticket for the exam, and an exam copy. Franky then gives him all the information he could find for Anya, but all he found was from the last year when she was adopted four times and returned each time.

Bored, Anya recalls that Loid locked all of his spy equipment and goes to play with it. Finding a transmitter, she unintentionally sends a message to Edgar, pretending to be Twilight and mocking him to find her. Returning home, Loid notices the front door barricade has been moved. Entering inside, he gets ambushed but manages to beat his attackers. Unable to find Anya, he concludes she has gotten kidnapped while he has been compromised. While thinking of running away and starting over, a man attacks Loid from behind.

The men bring Anya to Edgar, who decides to use her as a hostage to make Twilight steal the foreign minister's toupee. One of the men suggests they give up on the toupee, but Edgar shoots him, explaining that transparency is essential in government and the minister is a traitor who secretly backs the West. The rest of the men return, having captured Twilight. Edgar then removes the bag from Twilight's head but sees it is his man, Nguyen, and the fake Nguyen is gone, along with Anya. As Loid runs with Anya, she starts crying. Loid recalls how he hates kids crying because it reminds him of his own past, where he was alone and helpless, able to only cry. After getting out of the building, he explains that he is playing a game of tag. He then gives her a note and tells Anya to run to the police. Loid does not think he is a failure as a spy but made the mistake to put a little girl in danger, and regrets forgetting that he became a spy in order to create a world where children won't have to cry. Loid then returns to the building and sets up traps. As Edgar and his men come and activate the traps, releasing flour everywhere, and Loid takes them one by one. He then points a gun at Edgar's head and asks him how Karen is, making Edgar wonder how he knows the name of his daughter. Loid explains he is a spy and knows everything. Loid then threatens Edgar to leave him alone if he wishes Karen to have a normal life.

Walking out of the building, Loid sees Anya waiting for him. As she comes to him, he acts like he does not know anything and wonders why she is outside the house. Anya explains she played tag with some old guys but was a bit scared and wishes to go home. Recalling she was returned each time after adoptions, Loid agrees to take her, but explains they have to change apartments as they found a snake in theirs. He tells her that she will need to study, but he has the answers, so she only needs to remember them.

On the day of the exam, Anya tries to read the minds of the other kids, but they all are panicking as neither of them knows the answers. She then remembers what she studied with Loid and writes it down. After the exam, he and Anya look at the board with the passed students, and Loid sees Anya on the list. Happy about it, he relaxes, and all of his exhaustion hits him, making him fall to the ground.

At home, Loid is passed out on the couch. The mailman comes, and Anya takes a letter from him. She tries to give it to Loid, but as he does not react, she ends up lying next to him. Loid wakes up, surprised he ended up asleep in front of someone. Anya then gives him the letter, and after reading it, Loid learns that the second phase of the admission process is a family interview, and both parents must be present.

Anime Notes

 * In the anime, the Forgers' first residence is directly facing the stairs, while in the manga, it is in the hallway.
 * In the manga, Anya hides under a table, while in the anime, she hides under an A-board sign for a café.
 * In the anime, Anya's chimera doll is on Loid's bed when she recalls her past, while in the manga, it is lying on the floor behind her.
 * In the manga, Anya recalls her past while looking at one of Loid's equipment, while in the anime, she recalls it while looking at her chimera doll.
 * In the manga, the cashier is standing behind a counter when Anya asks to buy a poster, while in the anime, he stands in front of her.
 * In the anime, it is revealed that the poster Anya wanted to buy was a Spy Wars one.
 * Also, Anya is holding the poster when she tearfully begs Loid not to get rid of her, which is not in the manga.
 * In the anime, Loid checks his and Anya's rooms after beating the goons, while in the manga, he only checks Anya's room.
 * Additionally, Loid checking his room and finding Anya's chimera doll is an anime-original scene.
 * When Anya meets Edgar, his anti-Westalis thoughts are shown in the manga, but cannot be heard in the anime.
 * In the anime, Anya clings to Loid's leg when they reunite after her rescue, while in the manga, she briefly lets go when they reunite.
 * In the manga, Anya falls off the sofa when Loid wakes up while in the anime, she remains lying down.
 * The Spy Wars poster is pasted behind the sofa in the manga while in the anime, it's pasted in front of the sofa.