Spy x Family Ch. 99 (aka. Mission 99) shows us the next step in their budding relationship in both of their youths. Alas, that next step seems to be going on an indefinite hold thanks to the war Ostania is having with Westalis. The fact that this is going to be the start of Martha’s service in the Ostanian military only puts the brakes on that relationship even harder as she’s slowly but surely discovering just how horrible a life it is to be a conscript, even in an auxiliary position.
Spy x Family Ch. 99 / Mission 99: Details
Spy x Family Ch. 99 (known officially as Mission 99) is the latest chapter (as of writing these reviews) of the action spy comedy manga by Tatsuya Endo (Blade of the Moon Princess, TISTA). In fact, this chapter actually continues the story of the previous chapter, and is Pt. 3 of this story arc. You can read my reviews of Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 here.
Casey Loe returns as the translator for Spy x Family Ch. 99, with Rina Mapa returning as the letterer. Shueisha originally published this manga in Japan under their Jump Comics+ imprint in the magazine Shōnen Jump+. Viz Media is the company publishing this manga in English in the NA region.
When and Where to Read
Spy x Family Ch. 99 made its online debut on June 9, 2024. You can read this chapter entirely for free on Shonen Jump on Viz Media. Ch. 99 will remain free for two chapter releases after it. Upon the release of the third chapter after it, Ch. 99 will go into the Shonen Jump vault. Once there, you will have to pay a subscription fee to read it and all previous chapters. Admittedly, the fee is only $2.99 per month, so it’s not that big a hit to your wallet. All the same, if you’re short on cash, then you might want to hurry up and read Ch. 99 for free before you can’t anymore.
Anime Adaptation Details
As a side note: Spy x Family now has an anime adaptation that premiered on April 9, 2022. In fact, season 2 just recently premiered on October 7, 2023, and even more recently ended on December 23, 2023. There was even an anime film spinoff called Spy x Family Code: White that premiered in Japan December 22, 2023; and will finally make its NA debut on April 19, 2024. You can watch all episodes on either Crunchyroll or Hulu. Note, though, that only Crunchyroll has any of the dubs. So if you like watching the English dub for some reason, then you have to watch the anime on Crunchyroll. If you want to purchase tickets for that Spy x Family Code: White anime film though, then you can do so from its official website.
Spy x Family Ch. 99 / Mission 99: Plot Summary
Spy x Family Ch. 99 picks up where we last left off in the previous chapter. Henry and Martha had just been dancing in the school ball and Martha had just been about to confess her love to Henry. Alas, an air raid alarm forces them and everyone else into the shelter. The air raid itself turns out to be a false alarm, but in the chaos, Martha loses her nerve and decides not to confess to Henry. It’s a decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life, not least of which is because she goes off to war immediately after that.
Martha sends letters to Henry regularly (after an initial hiccup involving a wartime censor), allowing them to keep in touch with each other. Alas, as the war drags on, the letters become less and less frequent. They become even less frequent after Martha “volunteers” to be part of a “Special Women’s Military Unit” to avoid being conscripted into it. It gets to the point where her final letter to Henry is the words of a broken woman, regretting everything she’d ever done. Henry tries to immediately reply to it to make sure Martha is alright, only to get the news that the entire Special Women’s Military Unit were KIA.
This leads a broken Henry to rave about Ostania’s poor decisions during a graduation, prompting a public beating that damages his right eye (which explains the monocle he wears to the present day) and jail time. He only gets released upon agreeing to publicly change his mind and support the war…which is just a cover for him to privately and subtly educate his future classes in an anti-war manner. He even marries another woman to continue the family line…all while Martha suddenly wakes up near the Ostania-Westalis border. What just happened? Well, we’ll just have to wait for Spy x Family Ch. 100 to find out.
Spy x Family Ch. 99 / Mission 99: The Good
The story of Spy x Family Ch. 99 is what captivates me. Tatsuya Endo continues to write a beautiful story in this arc about war and how terrible and disgusting it is. I feel like this whole arc is essentially the Spy x Family edition of This War of Mine. This arc is slowly morphing into a very powerful antiwar message, told through the eyes of both a civilian back on the home front, as well as a soldier on the front lines.
That story is complemented by Tatsuya Endo’s amazing artwork. It’s amazing how Endo can go from cartoony expressions for the comedy and light-hearted scenes, to the nightmarish faces for the serious war drama going on in this chapter. It’s that art combined with the story that’s why I’ve been a fan of this manga since Ch. 1 all those years ago back in 2019.
Spy x Family Ch. 99 / Mission 99: The Bad
Honestly, if you’re an action junkie, then Spy x Family Ch. 99 isn’t the chapter for you. Yes, there is some military action in this chapter. However, it’s not only very brief, but it’s played for tragedy and drama rather than being anything resembling the typical action scene. If you want that but in anime form, then you might want to check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Solo Leveling, and/or Kaiju No. 8. Those anime should have more than enough action to satisfy any junkie.
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