The Summer 2026 Anime Preview Guide

Victoria of Many Faces

In an age when spies act behind the scenes in every land, Chloe spends her days successfully carrying out even the most difficult missions due to her unparalleled disguise skills and martial arts abilities. However, after her boss's betrayal, she suddenly disappears, as Chloe plans to remake her life as the ordinary citizen Victoria in the neighboring kingdom of Ashberry, striving for a "normal" life. However, Victoria's peaceful life is abruptly cut short when she becomes involved with many people. In this new land, her experiences and abilities from her days as a spy come in far more useful than she ever expected. On the other hand, the second prince and the pursuer of the organization, amongst others, take an interest in Victoria's strength, and many shadows close in on the one with all the cards in her hand...

Victoria of Many Faces is based on the light novel series by author Syuu and illustrator Nanna Fujimi. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Tuesdays.

This summer, I've been on a huge kick catching up on all the 007 movies I have missed over the years (eleven down, twenty-three to go, baby), so I could not be more primed for a solid anime spy caper. Victoria of Many Faces doesn't have so much of a modern espionage flair as it does something more fitting of, well, a fantastical interpretation of the Victorian era, but that's just another boon in my book. Anything that gives the usual light-novel fantasy routine even a whiff of novelty is okay in my book.

Our heroine is the titular Victoria Sellars, whose name was actually stolen from a missing woman who shares her general physical profile, which tells you how deeply the habits and attitudes of the professional spy have embedded themselves in her everyday routine. She has decided to quit the game and retire to the Kingdom of Ashbury after being burned by the betrayal of a close friend, and, of course, the fates conspire to drop an adorable little orphan girl named Nonna in her lap almost immediately. Then, wouldn't you just know it, this chance encounter also sees Victoria making the acquaintance of a handsome New Buff Dadd—I mean, Knight Captain Jeffery, who helps to facilitate Victoria and Nonna's new life.

If you are already making comparisons to the mega-hit SPY x FAMILY, I cannot blame you, since this is literally a bucolic historical fantasy about a spy who starts a family. The particulars, though, are very different, since Nonna and Jeffery are clearly playing support to the central focus, Victoria, and her story is more slowly paced and tinged with melancholy than most of what we see in the adventures of Anya, Yor, and Loid. This is not a bad thing; I appreciate that Victoria is an experienced agent who is trying to get away from the life of never-ending deception and derring-do.

The one thing I feel like this first episode was missing is the broader hook that tells us how this story might shake out. I mean, I suppose it's possible that Victoria of Many Faces will really just be a relaxed slice-of-life story about a woman trying to raise her newly adopted daughter, but come on now. Why make your main character a talented former spy if you're not going to drag her back into the old life? The next episode or two will decide whether Victoria of Many Faces is merely a pleasant diversion or a story worth investing in for the long term.

I really enjoyed the first novel in the series this is based on. It features a refreshingly competent, professional heroine with a partner and child (that's all over the OP and ED here, so I daresay it's not a spoiler) and is largely free of the trappings of many a light novel series. It therefore pains me to say that it's much better as a book. What comes across as measured plotting and pacing in print turns into something perilously close to dull.

Victoria (not her real name) is on the run, but only in the best thought-out sense of the phrase. She's been a spy since she was a little girl, under what appear to be suspicious circumstances – her former boss, Lancome, becoming engaged to another woman is almost certainly the red herring she's using to mask her escape; the truth feels more like her cover story about losing her family in a fire. She's planned the entire thing down to the last detail, but she's not beholden to original plans. One of my favorite things about Victoria is how she's able to make changes and still maintain her original goals; her split-second decision to adopt Nonna, an abandoned little girl (not an Italian grandma), doesn't appreciably change anything when it comes to making a new life. The same can't quite be said for Jeffrey, a law enforcement officer who helps her with Nonna; there's a sense that romantic entanglements are not something she's keen on. Can't blame the woman for letting him treat her to a nice meal, though.

It's not the actions here that aren't interesting. As I said before, Victoria's an impressive, intelligent person. It's more than it isn't particularly interesting to watch her walk around the city or tuck Nonna into bed. The actions of a spy forming a new life under the radar are less James Bond (or even SPY x FAMILY) and more slice-of-life. If that's what you were expecting out of this series, you'll probably enjoy it. Otherwise, it's really not all that good, and that's a statement that pains me even more than the pedestrian animation and awkwardly foreshortened feet.

So we have a woman living another life in a separate country, running away from an organization that's after her while she develops a found family under this new identity? Color me intrigued, especially by the cold opening that methodically went through everything Victoria is now doing to run away from her past. One of the best things about this episode was seeing her methodically approach everything while also giving me breadcrumbs into who she actually is and what she's hiding from. The pacing was steady, and even though there wasn't anything bombastic going on, I really enjoyed the growing relationship among the show's three major players right from the offset. My only major complaint is that I think the relationship between Victoria and Nonna was established a little bit too quickly. The fact that this whole episode takes place over roughly two days feels a bit weird, and the contrast between Victoria's cautious approach and her rather hasty decision to adopt a young girl she just met doesn't quite fit right.

Then again, maybe that is the point. Victoria is taking on a huge responsibility by looking after this child, especially if the whole point of her running away to this country is to lie low. Now, in some cases, having a child could ward off suspicion, but I think this premiere even drops hints that being a single mother comes with its own scrutiny that could prove detrimental in the future, like when they were trying to find a new place to live. I am also curious how Jeffrey will fit into this story, because it's clear there is an interest that is probably gonna develop over the course of the show, but how close will he be allowed to get to an overly cautious person who is clearly running away from something dangerous? The contrast between the rather wholesome family moments and the looming threat in the background, I think, is a very strong hook. That makes me curious to see where it's all going.

By the end of the episode, I could feel Victoria of Many Faces grabbing me by my lapels and shouting in my face, “IT'S SO HEARTWARMING! ISN'T YOUR HEART WARMED!?” And the answer is actually, yeah, it kind of is.

In many ways, Victoria of Many Faces resembles an average slow life light novel/anime. A spy abandons her job and takes on a new identity in a new place, adopting a child in the process. Their stories of healing and recovery intertwine, and the two of them build a life together. She even has an attractive potential partner waiting in the wings. However, the tone of Victoria of Many Faces is much gentler and, dare I say it, grounded in real emotions and trauma recovery processes. Victoria and Nonna both act in ways informed by their past experiences: Victoria leaves traps to detect intruders and insists on checking new lodging at night, while Nonna doesn't know how to emote or play because her mother only allowed her to ever sit still and be quiet. Their recovery isn't about them getting everything they wanted, but putting in the work to forge a new life – even as Victoria looks over her shoulder constantly in case she's being pursued.

Also, Captain Jeffrey can get it. I hope Victoria gets a chance to jump his bones. Take a ride of her own on those broad shoulders if you know what I mean.

The animation is on the awkward side – the bit that stuck out to me was how the layouts struggled to create a sense of the space the characters were in – but I have to commend the directing. Nobukage Kimura has worked extensively with some of my favorite directors, including Mamoru Hatakeyama of Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu and Kaguya-sama: Love is War. He's clearly put a lot of thought into shot compositions, framing, and lighting in order to emphasize the tension between the freedom Victoria feels and her fear of being tracked down, even if the animators couldn't quite pull them off. The background score tinkling piano and gentle strings enhance the mood, as does Chika Anzai's multilayered performance as Victoria.

Victoria of Many Faces brings a maturity to what has become a stock story idea in anime these days. It feels more like something I'd pull off the shelf in the romance or even literary fiction shelves than a light novel.