“Spy x Family” Ch. 67.1: The Consequences Of Pettiness [Review]

In Spy x Family Ch. 67.1, we see that something as simply as pettiness can cause problems in even the most well-laid plans. Not even Loid is immune to the pettiness of others.

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1: Details

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1 is Part 1 of Ch. 67 of the action comedy spy manga by Tatsuya Endo. Shueisha originally published the manga in Japan under their Jump Comics+ imprint in their Shōnen Jump+ magazine. Viz Media is the one publishing this manga in NA, just as they have been for all previous chapters.

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1 was released on August 21, 2022. You can read it for free on Weekly Shonen Jump on Viz Media. Said chapter will remain free for 2 chapter releases after this one. Upon the release of the third chapter after that, Ch. 67.1 will go into the Shonen Jump vault. After that, you will need to pay a subscription to read them, so I suggest that if you want to read it for free, then you might want to do so soon.

On a related note: Spy x Family now has an anime adaptation by Wit Studio and CloverWorks. You can watch the anime on Crunchyroll or Hulu. Note though that only Crunchyroll has the English dub version, as well as dubs in other languages. So if you want to hear the Forger family speak in the language of your preference, then you might want to head on over to Crunchyroll.

Warning: spoilers for Spy x Family Ch. 67.1 below. If you want to see the hilarious levels of pettiness and its consequences for Loid for yourself, then stop here, and come back once you’ve finished observing the bureaucratic insanity.

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1: Plot Summary

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1 actually starts us off with a callback to the beginning of Ch. 65. Do you remember when Anya insisted that Damian owed her cake, even though he made no promise of any sort? Well, Anya has decided to collect in this chapter, with the confused Damian believing it to be her asking for payback for the handkerchief incident. Anya’s reading of Damian’s mind though causes her to change her reward from “cake” to “visiting Damian’s house with her parents”. This eventually results in Damian believing Anya to be nothing more than another wannabe hanger-on after him for the Desmond family, which results in a hilariously childish squabble between him and Anya.

Meanwhile, Loid is the most popular person in his workplace. His people skills appear to be giving him a high charisma level, making him the talk of the town. With Midnight assisting him in disguise as an office lady, they’re poised to high-level client information on select patients, including Melinda Desmond. Unfortunately, the pettiness of one man is about to ruin their day.

When Management Strikes Back

As it turns out, the chief medical director at the Berlint General Hospital, Gerald Gorey, despises Loid. It seems that Gerald got his position through “careful networking”, which means that he values his status and reputation above all else. This in turn means that Loid’s popularity is an active threat to his job, in Gerald’s mind. On top of that, Gerald apparently had his eye on “Fiona” (Midnight’s alias) for a while, and seeing her work closely with him is a source of mouth-foaming rage. This is apparently the last straw for Gerald, and he embarks on a sabotage operation against Loid to destroy his reputation.

However, Loid is just too likable. Every sabotage attempt simply results in the people around Loid laughing it off, finding something positive about it, or just simply spotting an obviously forged love letter. Thwarted at every turn, Gerald then decides to play his last trump card: reporting Loid as a spy to the SSS. Which hilariously ironically, Loid actually is. How will Loid get out of this scrape? Well, that’s what we’ll presumably find out in Spy x Family Ch. 67.2.

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1: The Good

As usual, the story of Spy x Family Ch. 67.1 is top-notch. Tatsuya Endo is very good at balancing absurd comedy with meaningful drama. Case in point: Anya’s antics vs. Damian’s coldly dismissing her as another hanger-on. Or the director’s laughably pathetic sabotage attempts vs. the stinger at the end where he falsely(?) reports Loid to the SSS. It’s a mark of a great author to be able to so perfectly balance those competing themes.

That’s not to say that the art of Spy x Family Ch. 67.1 isn’t bad. On the contrary, Endo does it again with the art. The facial expressions are perfectly silly during the comedy moments, while the serious moments are perfectly captured by hyper-detailed dark tones. Just like in all previous chapters. It’s why I’m such a big fan of this manga.

Spy x Family Ch. 67.1: The Bad

As a big fan of Spy x Family (and having been so for years now), it’s hard for me to criticize it, and this chapter is no different. I think the only critique I can make is that the chapter wasn’t longer for me to enjoy even more of it. Even the biweekly release schedule of each chapter (compared to weekly for every other Shonen Jump manga) only makes me savor each and every chapter when it does release.

Source: Viz Media