Uncle The Private Tutor / Daybreak
Henderson announces that the students’ midterm examinations will start in a week. He confirms that there are four subjects: math, science, English, and social studies. Students who pass will receive Stella Stars, while those that fail will receive Tonitrus Bolts.
Henderson hands the students their history exams one by one. Anya learns she didn’t do well as Henderson informs her that she will receive a supplementary lesson after school. Damian taunts Anya with his score. Later that day, Anya devises a scheme to read Damian’s mind during history exams to obtain excellent scores. Henderson punishes Anya with an extra assignment because she’s laughing during the additional lesson.
Anya arrives home and asks her brother Loid about the moon. He says it will remain a full moon for about two weeks. He suggests that they start studying for her upcoming exams. However, Anya’s taken aback by the moon information she received from him. In her mind, Anya recalls information she received from a scientist about her powers.
Anya’s mind-reading ability disappears on the day the moon goes away. She realizes this event will occur when the exams begin, so she asks Bond to peer into the future to give her the test answers. However, Bond only gives her a vision of what they’ll eat tonight. The following day, Loid helps Anya study for her exams since he’ll be taking time off from work. ..
Loid examines Anya’s situation in his head. He’s given up on Anya obtaining four Stella from the exam. He focuses more on raising Anya’s academic knowledge so that he can get into social gatherings. This allows Loid to get into personal contact with Desmond. During their session, Yor informs Loid that she asked Yuri to stop by to serve as Anya’s tutor for the exams.
Yuri arrives and meets Anya. She introduces herself to Yuri, who is not pleased to meet her because she’s Loid’s kid. As they sit together in the living room, Loid ponders if Yuri realized he dressed up as the Foreign Minister. At the same time, Yuri wonders if Loid’s mocking him for delaying the summit. Anya is excited to see their inner banter, but Loid announces he’ll go shopping. He’s realistically going to depart on another mission.
Yuri and Anya begin their study session. Yuri’s not thrilled because he doesn’t like how Anya receives love from Yor. He plans to throw hard questions at her to show her how authoritarian society can be. Anya secretly reads his mind to get all the questions right. However, she realizes she needs to take this session seriously because the moon will neutralize her powers.
Anya tells Yuri that if she can become an imperial scholar, she will help Yor out with luxuries. This remark confuses Yuri. However, he plans to help Anya, hoping Yor will appreciate his efforts. Anya doesn’t show much growth, leading Yuri to ask her if she likes studying. Anya informs him that she doesn’t.
Yuri tells Anya that he utilized his drive to want to assist Yor as his motivation to study harder. He focused on multiple studies, from Language to Physics, hoping to grant his sister a better life. Yuri gives Anya a motivational speech to inspire her. Unfortunately, after another failed attempt, Yuri calls it quits. ..
Before he leaves, Loid grabs some of Yor’s snacks and then departs. Anya downplays her assistance in Loid’s mission involving the minister and heads into her room to study. Loid returns and learns that Yuri was teaching her subjects that wouldn’t be on her midterms, which upset him. The first set piece concludes with a two-week time-skip, showing the students take their exams. ..
The next segment, “Daybreak,” begins with some professionals gossiping about the first graders’ tests. One of the gentlemen exclaims that their test results didn’t look too impressive and wonders if the questions were too challenging. Someone mentions that the parents may try buying their children’s grades up, but another tells him that the principal won’t allow it. He wants the well-deserved students at the top, not cheaters.
Loid, a student at the school, has been planning to get his hands on the answer sheets so that he can falsify Anya’s test results and keep her from being expelled. He’s worried about the security of the safe room near the school’s main entrance, so he plans to disguise himself as a teacher and sneak into the room undetected. ..
Loid spies on Daybreak as he walks through the school, and soon realizes that the man is up to something. He decides to investigate, but when Daybreak enters the school, Loid is surprised to see him. The two men share a brief conversation, and then Daybreak leaves. Loid is left with the suspicion that Daybreak is up to something sinister.
The guard protecting the room notices him. He informs Daybreak that he can’t enter this area without an I.D. Loid saves Daybreak by telling the guard he dropped his I.D. Luckily, Loid kept a backup I.D. for every subject. Loid notices Daybreak has written notes from his mission on his hand, confirming his earlier suspicion. Loid sees that the student numbers Daybreak wrote on his hand belong to the Desmond brothers.
At the safe, Daybreak forgets the passcode. He tells Loid that he needs to use the restroom before Loid enters the safe room; Daybreak jets behind him and knocks him out. While Daybreak searches for his assigned students’ files, Loid monitors him. He pretended to look unconscious because he felt it would be safe to carry out his task after Daybreak completed his.
Daybreak opens the safe and reveals that Damian’s father was his employer. He brags about his success loudly, worrying Loid. Daybreak’s saddened that no one will know who he is. He decides to leave an autograph behind, shocking Loid. Daybreak tells him he better reveal how excellent a spy he is to his colleagues. Daybreak rolls out, allowing Loid to check what he left behind. ..
Loid noticed that Daybreak had altered the grades of the Desmond brothers, from passing to failing. He wondered if Daybreak’s client was a business rival or enemy of the Desmonds, and so he re-adjusted their grades to make it look like they had failed on purpose. Loid recounted how intelligent both brothers were, and eventually found Anya’s test sheet. ..
Damian’s friends inform him that he placed second in their grade, granting him his first Stella. Becky received 46th place. Damian’s friends scold Anya and recommend that she check the bottom of the list. Anya learns she placed in 213th place, granting her a passing grade.
Loid asks her how she can be so proud of herself when she barely avoids failing all of them. Anya reads Loid’s mind. He plans to crank up Anya’s studying habits before her next midterms. Loid confirms that Anya managed to pass her exams without him needing to alter her results. He’s somewhat proud of her for doing her best. The episode concludes with Daybreak receiving word that he failed his mission and gets terminated.
The Episode Review
This week’s “Spy x Family” episode 18 offered some fun dynamics and mischief for fans to delve into. It sheds light on some details concerning Anya’s past while introducing new characters and moving the story forward. Despite some situations feeling contrived, this episode brought some exciting elements into the mix. The whole dynamic between Yuri and Anya played out differently than anticipated, which was great. ..
Many fans will find Yuri’s interactions with Anya hilarious, as it shows he might be warming up to Loid’s side of the family. At the same time, Yuri left quite an impression on Anya despite him teaching her subjects that wouldn’t be on the midterm. Yuri’s infatuation with his sister does feel strange and awkward at times. I addressed it in the part one episode discussions; unfortunately, this same instance crops up here. ..
While the romantic angle is slightly bothersome, Yuri doesn’t dwell on it too much, as he’s more focused on motivating Anya and impressing Yor. Daybreak’s character provides an intriguing contrast to Loid’s character. While Loid’s more collected, Daybreak feels goofier and naïve. His character gave off strong Arsene Lupin III vibes, which I adore. ..
Damian’s inclusion in the spy family spells more doom and stakes for Loid, which is excellent. Overall, this chapter had some fun points that appeal to most audiences. From Damian earning a Stella star to Daybreak’s introduction, Spy x Family seems to be setting up some exciting developments. Let’s hope this second part can continue building steam by introducing more stakes or outcomes for our cast.
