Spy anime have become the rage these days, if Spy X Family, Spy Classroom, and Buddy Daddies are any indication, as well as their positive reception. With a mixture of lighthearted fanfare mixed with political intrigue, along with an exploration of tactics employed by spies and the usage of likable characters in that line of work; anime's like Spy X Family have managed to give the audience everything they wanted. The topic and theme itself seems pretty unexplored for the most part in anime, although it isn't the first time. However, even so, why is it that anime these days are taking the spy approach, or using premises that focus on the espionage aspect of a spy? Seems to be a rather reoccurring trend as of late, and believe it or not, there could be a very valid reason for it.
The spy genre has been a staple even for as long as the ideas of an operative sneaking into enemy territory has existed. Spy Classroom and Spy X Family in particular lean heavily on this aspect of their anime into the themes as well as their characters, with Loid 'Twilight' Forger being the main protagonist of Spy X Family, and Lily as the main character of Spy Classroom. Of course, outside the usual stealth element that is present and very much relevant to each of these stories, there also seems to be a deeper trend that occurs within these shows that attract many viewers to the world that each of them portray. Of course, the difficulty becomes in how to answer why the spy genre is popular as of recently, and how it has managed to do so for a while.
Mixing Genre's
Perhaps one important way to look at how these three anime present and hook in viewers to their premise is through a simple mixture of two elements in stories. Genre's as a whole are used to differentiate the themes and tropes being used in any story, and this is no different with Spy Classroom which mixes the Light Novel aspect of its source material with the Spy-Thriller aspects of its action, while mixing in some elements of a lighthearted main cast with a stoic teacher. Spy X Family also manages to mix in the genre of a family movie, with a spy-thriller, with elements of comedy and action in its scenes from episode to episode. While they have the premise of a spy entering into enemy territory, they seemed to add in an extra element into the mix so that the series manages to stand out on its own.
After all, Buddie Daddies as an anime may not have spies, but it also does have elements of a dramatic narrative and some slice-of-life aspects of the two main protagonists who are contract-assassins. The part that gets everybody hooked is the addition of another character, a young girl named Miri, who manages to turn this anime about two contracted assassins into a comedic and surprisingly entertaining show with aspects of classic spy movies. After all, there still are people being killed in the show, and adult elements that while not explicit are implicit. Relatively, it's a safe watch, but it manages to mix genres into making its own identity.
Charm And Heart
Of course, another factor to take into consideration when it comes to these spy anime's, is the most important thing to remember when watching any show. The characters and their charm as well as the implementation of showing the heart underneath the cold stoic exterior. Charm is what allows a character to win over an audience due to their personality and individuality, while the heart is the empathetic qualities of the character that allows the audience to be able to relate to them. Many might not be spies like Loid Forger, but many can somewhat relate and even empathize with his awkward handling of a daughter-figure, along with the surprising flashes of empathy that are seen. Lily from Spy Classroom has a relatively lighthearted personality, along with her determined personality that shows in her spywork and training. Finally, both Rei and Kazuki from Buddy Daddies have contrasting personalities which shows even in their work, although they both are really human and just as filled with flaws outside of work.
All in all, the reason for why spy animes are becoming rather popular could be the idea or aspect of relating with these larger than life people, who have seedy jobs but human personalities as well as surprisingly good hearts. The contrast behind the acts they commit, and their personalities help to facilitate the charm factor. Of course, with brilliant productions and good direction, it is no surprise why spy animes have the advantage and popularity they have at the moment. With the brilliant success of Spy X Family, it is most likely that it started a brand-new wave in media for making similar anime's with the premise of undercover operatives dealing with normal problems or having human personalities. As an appeal, it allows the audience to be able to experience the intense action and thriller of a spy movie, with all the heart of a family movie with surprisingly wholesome moments. Spy Classroom and Buddy Daddies, both managed to do this precisely well, along with interesting developments to the formula of their premise and genre. With that, spy anime's popularity can be for the fantastical nature of it all, mixed with the human element of seeing into the lives of these personalities with dangerous jobs and professions.