Release the Spyce

Momo Minamoto is a shy teenager who simply wants to do good in the world. Her dream is to follow in her police officer father's footsteps and support law and order. And just like him, she has a very unique ability: her senses are much more refined than those of any average person. A simple lick will enable her to determine what someone is feeling.

One night, as she admires the landscape, Momo sees suspicious shades moving in the distance. After learning that those shades were spies, she is recruited by their captain Yuki Hanzoumon, a senior at her school. The members of their secret agency, called the Tsukikage, also have the power to gain strength after ingesting spices.

Release the Spyce is an action-packed spy series about the Tsukikage's missions as they fight in the shadows to protect the city from crime while keeping up with their high school life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hanzoumon, Yuki Main

Numakura, Manami Japanese

Minamoto, Momo Main

Anzai, Yukari Japanese

Yachiyo, Mei Main

Suzaki, Aya Japanese

Ishikawa, Goe Main

Noguchi, Yuri Japanese

Sagami, Fuu Main

Fujita, Akane Japanese

Aoba, Hatsume Main

Uchida, Aya Japanese

Theresia Supporting

Taneda, Risa Japanese

Tobey, Katrina Supporting

Komatsu, Mikako Japanese

Byakko Supporting

Suzuki, Aina Japanese

Bunchou no Onna Supporting

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Maeda, Toshihiro Producer

Yonai, Noritomo Producer, Planning

Ozawa, Fumihiro Producer

Nakajima, Yasuhiro Producer

Reviews

Dec 22, 2018

Pipe

Recommended

Release the Spyce can be a serious competitor for the cartoon “Totally Spies” from Western and Princess Principal (I still consider the latter better). The main difference, the type of missions and the main characters. There is a mysterious taint created during all the episodes. Also, the bad commentaries do not give merit to the show and it deserves some praise. It is not that abysmal, and it is more entertaining than some shows of the same genre and it is highly better compared with some disasters from the season .. Gob..

On the other hand, the series at the beginning has a cartoonish ... behavior. For example, the heroines defeat the bad guys with some easy tasks, gadgets, skills gained from the spice, and they are ready for the next mission like the American toons. Lucky for all, the story revealed a very significant twist, and the outcome improved the whole show.

--The story--

The story is too easy to follow. A group of heroines (Tsukikage) has a unique goal of protecting their beloved city (Sorasaki) from any criminal, including the organization called Moryo. One day, a Momo high student is involved in a Tsukikage operation and is recruited. This group has the Master and apprentice scheme. Momo is assigned a Master (Yuki) who trains her in martial and sword arts. There are other members of the group, for example, Mei and her student Fuu. Each pair had different skills, techniques and combined they are robust against criminals. These spies are young girls who use their student status as a cover. When duty demands, they become an active group with one unique goal. The city of Sorasaki is the center where the plot is developed, but some actions outside it affect the plot directly.

One of the issues found, in the middle of the show the plot could be seen as too fantastic, cartoonish and focused on children where the good guy always wins. For example, I am the good spy, I throw a kick, and all the villains fall into the ground, easy, right?. This kind of outcome could be annoying for a more mature spectator seeking for some entertainment. However, as the plot advances, the mysteries are more prominent, and there is a breaking point that surprised several of the spectators, it creates a mysterious and dark atmosphere that you will love.

Lastly, the pacing is acceptable. The plot advances constantly. Some details will hook the spectators even more. However, in certain parts, I think they beat some villains very easily. No idea if it is because they needed to rush the plot, but it was too easy and leaves you the impression that the show lacks something but is not a big issue. Overall, Release the Spyce is one of the best shows that I have seen in 2018.

--Characters—

The story has heroines and villains. The Tsukikage group are the heroes and has six members:

Momo aka the noob aka tongue. She is the main character. In the beginning, she is insecure, weak, coward. She wanted to protect the city because her father was a police, but she does not have the courage. After she was recruited, her character evolved and thanks to Yuki, she surpassed her fears. She has a unique ability that is helpful under some circumstances.

Yuki aka badass with a sword. She is strict, hard worker, intelligent, and very skilled with a sword and martial arts. She trains Momo, and for me, she is the leader of Tsukikage. However, there is something weird in episode 10, but I cannot give details.

Mei aka cheerful. She is my favorite character. I love her personality. She is positive, very vivid enjoys life and …. never mind. She is the most agile member and is skilled in knives, espionage, etc.

Fuu aka mask. A master in disguise, I consider her like a ninja. She is like Mei, well she is her Mentee, but I think she is obsessed to be accepted.

Hatsume aka brain. She is the brain of the group. Hatsume is very calm, friendly, recursive, very skilled with gadgets and with a spear. However, she thinks that even the villains can become her friends and she tries to change them during the series.

Goe aka muscle. She is Hatsume disciple. She is a powerful girl that in the deep could fear her strength but tries to be calm and loves her Master deeply.

The other characters are the villains, I cannot give details because I could spoil the plot.

--Art and Sound—

The animation quality is good. I wasn’t expecting a good animation from this show but it is acceptable, and the battles are good and pleasant to the eye. There is a combination between action and sound that fulfills the scene. The camera angles help to maintain the visual in the crucial elements. The show uses a combination of a bright and dark color palette. This technique helps to contrasts the slice of the life and the action events.

The sound is acceptable. It does the job and helps to boost the sequences. The OP and ED are good. The OP has a lovely rhythm, catching, and you could end hearing it a few times.

--Enjoyment—

I liked the show, but there are some "childish" parts as I already explained. The anime can be improved, it can be a bit darker, but the outcome is acceptable. There are some boring episodes but it is not a reason to bury the show. Lastly, you should give it a try at least you can be entertained for a few hours.

PS: Now I need to wait for the game in 2019.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jan 3, 2019

Yosarian

Mixed Feelings

There's little reason for me to enjoy this show, but I did. The concept is simple. Replace James Bond with a team of cute anime girls that can hulk out eating spices. That's exactly what you're getting here. However the show really embraced it's concept and ran with it, giving you a fun ride.

So, the story for this anime is wrought with spy tropes. You see everything coming from a mile away, but the point of the story for this series was clearly to get you from set piece to set piece. The humor is prevalent but rarely more than just okay. ... The characters pretty much all have a single dominant personality trait that defines them, with little else going on. With exception to the villain. The villain doesn't even have one personality trait. I swear, if she had a mustache, she would have twirled it.

Yet still, I had fun with this show. The animation of the action sequences were pretty good. The girls were certainly cute but still bad ass. I knew I was not watching something brilliant, but none of the missteps in the writer's room were jarring. They didn't do anything so stupid it could take you out of a show that is presenting itself as good dumb fun.

To me, that's the saving grace of Release the Spyce. They knew they were never going to have a masterpiece here, so they had fun with what was there. Is this a must watch? Not in the slightest. Still, it's fun enough to where you will not feel like you wasted four to five hours of your life.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 22, 2018

SanaeK10

Not Recommended

Release The Spyce is the worst thing ever written by a human. No really, it's there when you Google "Worst Thing ever written by a human". I could go on and on about how boring the show is, how disappointing it ended up being, how much it lacked commitment with its traitor subplot, or how useless and braindead everyone is without being fun or how Momo never really licked anyone despite it being one of the main gimmicks of the show, but I'm going to spend the rest of this review recommending several alternatives to Spyce instead.

Cute girls doing cute action things? Toji no ... Miko's got you covered. Cute spy things? Princess Principal. But what if you want something from this season specifically with a trashy atmosphere with ninjas and is generally silly fun? Senran Kagura 2's got you covered completely.

But what if you are a seiyuu-buta who absolutely wants to see Numakura Manami play a one-eyed girl who hides in closets and creeps on her apprentice 24/7 like a spy? Don't watch Spyce, watch Uzamaid instead! It accomplishes that and so much more while having a much more heartfelt and serious plot than Spyce could ever muster. Suzaki Aya voicing a traitor who brings down her friends and ultimately brings about her organization's demise? Happy Sugar Life just aired last season.

However, you , and I know you, are just so hyped up for Namori's latest project and you must see something by her. Something involving spies and ninjas and traitors abound with intrigue, suspense and maybe, just maybe, a dash of fun sprinkled in between. Now have I got the perfect show for you.

It's called Yuru Yuri.

See? As much as Spyce loves to homage assorted spy films in its promotional posters, every element of it has been done better by so many other shows out there and it just serves to remind you of how much better other shows are at being Spyce than Spyce itself.

Now that this is over, I would like to list my top 3 moments in Spyce. Are you ready boys and girls? It's gonna go by quick so pay attention as to not miss anything.

3. "Did you know? 'Spy' is derived from the word 'Spice'"
2. "VIKING AXE NUMBER 2!!!!"
1. "Besides...I've got a whole bunch of them" *opens hatch to reveal cache of viking helmets*

2/10


It's not all bad news. Endro next season is shaping out to be pretty good! Bunch of cute girls doing cute things by the same studio as YuYuYu. And what's this I'm hearing about Yuru Yuri Ten? I wonder who's making the OVA-

no

oh no

NOOOOOOO
-TO BE CONTINUED-

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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