Release the Spyce

Release the Spyce (リリース ザ スパイス, Rirīsu za Supaisu) is a Japanese anime television series created by Sorasaki F., Takahiro, and Namori, produced by ASCII Media Works and animated by Lay-duce. The series aired in Japan between October and December 2018. A manga and a serial novel are being published by ASCII Media Works.

Release the Spyce
Promotional image
リリース ザ スパイス
(Rirīsu za Supaisu)
Manga
Release the Spyce: Naisho no Mission
Illustrated byMeia Mitsuki
Published byASCII Media Works
MagazineDengeki G's Comic
DemographicSeinen
Original runJanuary 30, 2018 – December 30, 2018
Volumes2
Serial novel
Release the Spyce: Golden Genesis
Published byASCII Media Works
MagazineDengeki G's Magazine (Dengeki G's Novel)
DemographicSeinen
Original runFebruary 27, 2018 – November 30, 2018
Volumes1
Anime television series
Directed byAkira Sato
Written byTakahiro
Music byRyouhei Sataka
StudioLay-duce
Licensed by
Original networkMBS, Tokyo MX, BS11, AT-X[1]
Original run October 7, 2018 – December 23, 2018
Episodes12

Plot

The series follows Tsukikage, a group of female high school spies who gain power from spices and secretly fight against crime syndicates to protect the city of Sorasaki. Momo Minamoto, a girl with heightened senses and deductive abilities, is recruited to join Tsukikage and train under fellow member Yuki Hanzōmon. Together, Tsukikage battles against the evil organisation Moryo.

Characters

Tsukikage
Momo Minamoto (源 モモ, Minamoto Momo) / Momochi (百地)
Voiced by: Yukari Anzai (Japanese); Juliet Simmons (English)[2][3]
A second-year student at Sorasaki High School, Momo wishes to protect her hometown like her late police officer father did. She has powerful eyesight, a strong sense of smell, and can identify a person's physical condition by licking them.
Yuki Hanzōmon (半蔵門 雪, Hanzōmon Yuki) / Hanzō (半蔵)
Voiced by: Manami Numakura (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (English)[2][3]
Acting as the leader of Tsukikage, Yuki is a third-year student who is charged with training Momo. She lost her right eye during a mission two years prior to the events of the series. At the end of the series, she leaves Tsukikage and her memory is erased, although the last scene implies that she kept her memories.
Fū Sagami (相模 楓, Sagami Fū) / Fūma (風魔)
Voiced by: Akane Fujita (Japanese); Christina Kelly (English)[2][3]
Fū is a first-year student and Mei's apprentice, who works at a maid café and acts jealous towards those who get close to Mei.
Mei Yachiyo (八千代 命, Yachiyo Mei) / Chiyome (千代女)
Voiced by: Aya Suzaki (Japanese); Cat Thomas (English)[2][3]
A second-year student in Momo's class, Mei is a cheerful Tsukikage spy in charge of training Fū. She plays the guitar and holds street performances in order to gather intelligence. She is later revealed to be working under Moryo, in which she leaked Tsukikage personal information to the Moryo and betrayed her teammates. However, it is then revealed that she was actually serving as a triple agent to obtain Moryo's trust.
Goe Ishikawa (石川 五恵, Ishikawa Goe) / Goemon (五右衛門)
Voiced by: Yuri Noguchi (Japanese); Avery Smithhart (English)[2][3]
Goe is Momo's classmate and Hatsume's apprentice, who likes animals and plushies.
Hatsume Aoba (青葉 初芽, Aoba Hatsume) / Tsubone (局)
Voiced by: Aya Uchida (Japanese); Skyler Sinclair (English)[2][3]
Yuki's childhood friend and Goe's teacher, Hatsume is responsible for developing the various gadgets Tsukikage use during their missions.
Katrina Toby (カトリーナ・トビー, Katorīna Tobī)
Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese); Olivia Swasey (English)
Working at the curry shop used as a front for Tsukikage's hideout, Katrina is a former Tsukikage spy who retired after becoming too old to use the spyce they use.

Moryo
Kurara Tendō (天堂 久良羅, Tendō Kurara) / Sparrow Woman (文鳥の女, Bunchō no Onna)
Voiced by: Shizuka Itō[4] (Japanese); Joanne Bonasso (English)
Serving as the head of the evil Moryo organization, she gives her mercenaries jelly drinks to energize them, as well as wipe their memories when they fail their missions.
Theresia Ray (テレジア・レイ, Tereshia Rei)
Voiced by: Risa Taneda (Japanese); Shanae'a Moore (English)[4]
Theresia is a silver-haired girl who was kidnapped and sold to Moryo as a child. She was once friends with Hatsume who was kidnapped alongside her, but was led to assume she had abandoned her when she was the only one who was rescued.
Byakko (白虎)
Voiced by: Aina Suzuki (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (English)[4]
Byakko is a girl with great strength despite her childlike appearance. After she is captured by Tsukikage, her memories are wiped and she begins working in the hideout.
Dolte (ドルテ, Dorute)
Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Patricia Duran (English)[4]
A mercenary working for Moryo, Dolte is a muscular woman who, when powered up, becomes almost impervious to pain and can track anyone by their scent.

Media

A manga adaptation titled Release the Spyce: Naisho no Mission (RELEASE THE SPYCE ないしょのミッション, Release the Spyce: Naisho no Misshon) and illustrated by Meia Mitsuki began serialization in the March 2018 issue of Dengeki G's Comic on January 30, 2018, while a serial novel adaptation titled Release the Spyce: Golden Genesis was released in the March 2018 issue of Dengeki G's Novel as an appendix for the Dengeki G's Magazine on February 27, 2018.[2]

Anime

The series is directed by Akira Sato and features a concept written by Takahiro and original character designs by Namori. It is animated by Lay-duce and aired in Japan between October 7 and December 23, 2018.[5][lower-alpha 1] The opening and ending themes respectively are "Supatto! Spy & Spice" (スパッと！スパイ&スパイス, Supatto! Supai ando Supaisu) and "Hide & Seek", both performed by Tsukikage (Yukari Anzai, Manami Numakura, Aya Suzaki, Akane Fujita, Aya Uchida, and Yuri Noguchi).[4] Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series and are streaming it on Hidive.[6] An English dub has also been produced for the series.[7] The series ran for 12 episodes.[8]

No. Title[lower-alpha 2] Director Writer Original air date Ref.
1"Golden Spirits"
"Gōruden Supirittsu" (ゴールデンスピリッツ)		Yōko FukushimaTakahiroOctober 7, 2018 (2018-10-07)[9]
An organization of female spies known as Tsukikage conduct a mission to steal data from a factory, using the power of spices to increase their abilities. The next day, Momo Minamoto, who had seen the ninjas from afar the previous night, is befriended by Mei Yachiyo and Goe Ishikawa and invited to a curry shop, where she demonstrates her ability to identify someone's physical condition by licking them. Later that night, Momo, worried over not hearing from her police officer friend Ayumu, goes down to the docks and discovers she has been captured by some thugs. When she herself gets caught trying to lure them away, Momo is rescued by Tsukikage, which Mei and Goe are members of, who bring her along with them as they pursue the escaping thugs. Having noticed her talents, the girls recruit Momo as a member of Tsukikage. Meanwhile, an evil organization known as Moryo makes plans to crush Tsukikage using intelligence from a supposed Tsukikage traitor.
2"First Challenge"
"Dai Ichi no Chōsen" (第1の挑戦)		Akira SatoTakahiroOctober 14, 2018 (2018-10-14)[10]
Momo starts her first day at Tsukikage's secret base, where she learns how the other members use Spyce to give them superhuman agility. Momo begins training under her new mentor, Yuki Hanzōmon, who subjects her to various trials to test her readiness as a spy. Despite finding the training very tough, Momo becomes motivated upon seeing Yuki trying even harder and soon makes great progress. For her final exam, Momo is tasked with catching Mei before the end of class, managing to do so by luring her into a pre-prepared barricade. As Momo becomes an official Tsukikage member as a result, Moryo member Byakko prepares to make her move.
3"Moryo"
"Mōryō" (モウリョウ)		Ryō Miyata
Takuma Suzuki		TakahiroOctober 21, 2018 (2018-10-21)TBA
As Tsukikage investigate a drug smuggling operation connected to Moryo, Momo tries to do her best during her first official assignment, but ends up unintentionally slipping up in several ways and disappointing Yuki. Noticing Momo doubting herself, Goe and fellow apprentice Fū Sagami assure her that they had trouble starting out too. On their next mission, the gang is ambushed by Byakko, who sends robots after Fu and the other teachers while she goes up against Momo and Fu. Although Byakko powers herself up with Spyce, Momo and Fu, with help from Goe, managed to defeat and capture her. However, before Tsukikage can get any information out of her, Byakko loses her memory due to a gelatin she was fed by Moryo's leader, the Sparrow Woman. Despite this, the gang manage to find some leads and Momo is praised by Yuki for her efforts.
4"Never Say Never Together"TBATBAOctober 28, 2018 (2018-10-28)TBA
Despite being warned not to, Fu takes it upon herself to investigate a new drug incident, only to lose track of the dealer when she is spotted by the others. Upon getting into a fight with Mei, Fu ends up messing up during a mission, leading Mei to get injured protecting her. After spending some time at her parents' home thinking about how she and Mei first met, Fu reveals that she wanted to get Mei's approval and the two make up with each other. Working together, the pair resume pursuit of the dealer, using their individual abilities to defeat him.
5"Phantom Protocol"TBATBANovember 4, 2018 (2018-11-04)TBA
As Tsukikage look into the Kyuten Science company, seemingly finding no connection to Moryo, Yuki grows concerned that Momo is focusing too much on training. While tailing another drug dealer, Momo is attacked by Moryo mercenary Dolte, having to be saved by Yuki. Deciding to follow the advice of her peers, Momo takes a day off to celebrate her birthday with her classmates. Refreshed, Momo successfully handles the next mission, after which the other Tsukikage members hold their own birthday celebration for her. Dolte tracks Momo down, but she is saved by Yuki and former Tsukikage member Katrina Toby, leading Yuki to suspect that Kyuten Science may still be involved. Meanwhile, Moryo receive word from the Tsukikage traitor that inventor Hatsume Aoba is one of Tsukikage's members.
6"The Rewards of Friendship"
"Tomodachi no Hōshū" (友達の報酬)		TBATBANovember 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)TBA
In order to confirm that Hatsume is a Tsukikage member and infiltrate their group, Moryo has one of their members, Theresia Ray, transfer into Sorasaki High School. It is revealed that Hatsume and Theresia were friends when they were kids, but became a after they were kidnapped by child traffickers. Although Hatsume was rescued with her family intending to pay Theresia's ransom too, Theresia was sold off to Moryo under the belief that Hatsume had abandoned her. As Hatsume decides to believe in Theresia despite the others' suspicions, Momo senses that Theresia wants to make amends with Hatsume.
7"From Hatsume with Love"
"Hatsume Yori Ai o Komete" (初芽より愛をこめて)		TBATBANovember 18, 2018 (2018-11-18)TBA
Goe starts to feel lonely as Hatsume focuses her attention on Theresia. Meanwhile, the Sparrow Woman spreads a gas that causes citizens to go out of control and cause riots all over the city. Learning that Goe has also become affected, Hatsume reveals her identity as a Tsukikage spy to Theresia and uses a threat of poison to force her to flee before setting off in search of Goe. With Momo and Yuki struggling to stop Goe in her affected state, Hatsume manages to use her words to get through to Goe and bring her back to her senses. Upon analysing the drug, Tsukikage set their sights on Okinawa to find more clues.
8"Intelligence on Organization N"
"N Kikan Jōhō" (N機関情報)		TBATBANovember 25, 2018 (2018-11-25)TBA
While Hatsume, who manages to remove Moryo's drug from Therisia's body, stays behind with Mei, Momo, Yuki, Fu, and Goe go to Okinawa, where they come across a mysterious helmetted girl. As the girls look into an organisation known as Nirai Kanai, they learn that the girl from before, Ouka Miyaume, is being forced to work for them after her grandfather was taken hostage. While the others head to Nirai Kanai's base to obtain their data and rescue the hostage, Goe faces off against Ouka and convinces her to join their side. Momo comes up against Nirai Kanai's leader, who uses snakes to fight, but Ouka helps her to disperse the snakes and beat him. Although the mission is a success, Momo is left downhearted after Yuki scolds her for not prioritising her own safety in the fight against the leader.
9"Destiny Group"
"Disutinī Sākuru" (ディスティニー・サークル)		TBATBADecember 2, 2018 (2018-12-02)TBA
While spending the day with her, Yuki tells Momo about her previous mentor, Nagaho Fujibayashi, who taught her to love Sorasaki. Two years ago, as Tsukikage was tasked with stopping Moryo from hijacking satellites from around the world, Nagaho lost her life protecting Yuki from the Sparrow Woman, Kurara Tendo, leaving Yuki with a determination to not let the same happen to Momo. Helping Yuki with her investigation, Momo notices a woman whose face is always kept hidden from security cameras, which they manage to identify as Tendo herself.
10"No Response from Sorasaki"
"Sorasaki Ōtō Nashi" (ソラサキ応答無し)		TBATBADecember 9, 2018 (2018-12-09)TBA
While preparing for the decisive battle against Moryo, Momo speaks with Katrina about how she came to join Tsukikage. On the day of the operation, the girls capture Tendo, only to be led into an ambush after Katrina's curry house is blown up. As the girls find themselves surrounded, Mei suddenly reveals herself as the traitor who had been leaking Tsukikage intel to Moryo. As Mei seemingly disposes of Hatsume, Yuki is struck down by Tendo, who captures Momo, Fu, and Goe in preparation for Operation Gekkako.
11"Operation Gekkako"
"Gekkakō Sakusen" (ゲッカコウ作戦)		TBATBADecember 16, 2018 (2018-12-16)TBA
After hearing how Mei came to side with Moryo, Momo and the others manage to escape torture and return to the Tsukikage base to formulate a plan to stop Moryo from brainwashing the population. The next day, the girls reunite with Yuki, who had survived but is too injured to fight but is willing to provide support. Beginning the mission, Goe and Fu face up against Theresia and Mei respectively while Momo aims to destroy Moryo's dispersal device before it spreads the brainwashing Gekkako drug across the city. Beaten by Goe, Theresia contemplates changing sides but has her arm slit by Tendo for her betrayal. The girls then discover that the dispersal device is actually in another location, where it begins to activate.
12"Tsukikage is Forever"
"Tsukikage wa Eien ni" (ツキカゲは永遠に)		TBATBADecember 23, 2018 (2018-12-23)TBA
Gekkako begins spreading across the city, but Tsukikage manage to shut the dispersal device down with assistance from Hatsume and the others. It is then revealed that Mei was actually acting as a triple agent to take down Moryo. When the device switches to reserve power and attempts to reboot, Momo goes head to head with Tendo, successfully defeating her and disabling the device before it reactivates. Afterwards, while Theresia rekindles her friendship with Hatsume, Yuki tells Momo that she is graduating from Tsukikage and asks her to wipe her memory. Nine months later, as Momo becomes the master of a new Tsukikage apprentice, she briefly passes by Yuki as she lives her new life.

Video game

A free-to-play mobile game titled Release the Spyce: Secret Fragrance was released for iOS and Android devices on February 12, 2019.[11] The game's service ended on March 31, 2020.[12][13]

Notes
  1. The show is listed as airing at 26:38 on October 6, which is on October 7, 2018 at 2:38 a.m.
  2. All English episode titles are taken from Hidive.
gollark: Can you REALLY?
gollark: If you're somewhere where *all* is religion X, then it's somewhat hard to consider not-religion-X as a serious possibility.
gollark: It's not entirely a choice. "You" don't directly set your beliefs.
gollark: They aren't forced to, as it is entirely possible to not look at the channel while religion is mentioned.
gollark: Well, you can't exactly *make* people LGBT by discussing it with them.

References
  1. "On Air". Release the Spyce Official Site (in Japanese). Sorasaki.F. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  2. "Yuki Yuna's Takahiro, Yuruyuri's Namori Work on Release the Spyce Original Anime". Anime News Network. January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  3. Ressler, Karen (November 20, 2018). "HIDIVE Announces English Casts for Release the Spyce, Tsurune Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  4. "Release the Spyce Anime Reveals Additional Cast, Theme Song Artists". Anime News Network. August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  5. "Release the Spyce Original Anime's 2nd Promo Video Streamed". Anime News Network. August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  6. "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Release the Spyce Anime". Anime News Network. September 28, 2018.
  7. "HIDIVE Announces English Casts for Release the Spyce, Tsurune Anime". Anime News Network. November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  8. "Girl in Twilight, Release the Spyce, Gakuen Basara Anime Each Listed With 12 Episodes". Anime News Network. October 9, 2018.
  9. "ゴールデンスピリッツ". Release the Spyce Official Site (in Japanese). Sorasaki.F. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  10. "第1の挑戦". Release the Spyce Official Site (in Japanese). Sorasaki.F. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  11. "RELEASE THE SPYCE secret fragrance『リリフレ』公式サイト" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  12. sf『リリフレ』公式, RELEASE THE SPYCE (January 31, 2020). "【重要なお知らせ】". @rts_sf (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  13. "Release the Spyce secret fragrance Smartphone Game Ends Service in March". Anime News Network. February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
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