1x01 OPERATION STRIX

Man this was such a good series premiere, I am so invested in this show.

I loved the darker aspects of the show, with Twilight, who grew up early on in a battlefield, lacking any human connection and feeling lost and abandoned in the world, but abandoned/suppressed these past memories, adopting the persona of Twilight, the spy who does everything he can to maintain peace in the world. From that brief character backstory it's clear Twilight has some unresolved childhood trauma from lacking someone who loved him, and it seems this Twilight identity in a sense serves as a way to avoid confronting that past self.

Although, now that Twilight's new mission requires him to adopt this father persona, it's looking like Twilight (now Loid Forger) is going to be confronting some of these past issues, and developing real connections with someone as he raises Anya, rather than just being this empty person who lives life on his own.

Touching on Anya, its clear she relates heavily with Twilight, as someone who was never really given love and care throughout her childhood, just being treated as a lab experiment (given that she's a telepath) who must dedicate their existence for the grand goal of maintaining world peace. Anya is clearly deprived of an emotional connection, and it completely explains why she became so attached to Twilight, someone who (even if he doesn't admit it) has become attached to her. And luckily, it's looking like Twilight is now willing to adopt the role of a father and care for Anya, and this dynamic is seeming to soften Twilight's previously cold heart.

There was also a bunch of cute moments during this episode, and I especially loved the scenes where Anya and Loid reunited, with Anya waiting for him rather than going to the police station, it really fermented the father-daughter relationship they are going to have; I loved the ending scene where Loid lifted up Anya in delight, feeling genuinely proud of Anya for passing the entrance exams, and having a brief moment of realization that Anya is softening him emotionally.

Also, man was the animation and art style beautiful, especially that one combat sequence where Loid was beating up those invaders, the animation was just so fluid. Also, I love the comedy bits here two, especially that one moment where Anya, by messing with Loid's spy gadgets, was just taunting Loid's enemies. And man, was the spy-esque jazz music just another cherry on top for my enjoyment of today's episode.