Episode 10 of Spy x Family, which is based on chapter 15 of the manga, saw the beginning of the Stella Star arc, where Anya actively tries to procure Stella Stars so she can become an Imperial Scholar.
Anya hears a rumor in school that the student that becomes the MVP of the upcoming dodgeball match, will be rewarded with a Stella Star.
The dodgeball match is exciting, dramatic, and intense, but it quickly becomes apparent that nobody is getting a Stella Star for a P.E. match.
Anya, Damian, Emile, and Ewan play fantastically, sacrificing themselves to save each other – which is endearing to watch, but rather anticlimactic: neither of them manages to win.
Anya might not have gotten a Stella Star for the game, but the day she’s looking forward to isn’t far.
According to chapter 16, Anya will get her first Stella Star for helping save Ken, an injured boy at the hospital, who falls into the pool and nearly drowns. Anya telepathically hears him crying for help, and dives into the pool to rescue him.
This means episode 11 of the anime will see Anya finally acquire a Star; the first step in saving the world, amirite?
How does Anya get a Stella Star?
Anya gets her first Stella Star for saving a life. This was predictable – I wouldn’t have accepted anything lesser from the telepathic star of the show.
A student at Eden Academy can get Stella Stars for
- scoring outstanding grades,
- participating in long-term community work,
- showing exceptional talent in extracurricular activities, and/or
- achieving heroic feats like helping the police or saving a life.
No other student at Eden Academy has ever saved anyone’s life – at least from what we’ve seen so far. This was the perfect way for Anya to shine.
In chapter 16, Loid takes Anya to the hospital in hopes that she can earn a Stella Star for volunteering.
Anya fails at simple tasks assigned to her – she reads a manga instead of cleaning, breaks 2 flower pots, and can’t even assist the doctors by handing them tools.
Just as they are leaving, Anya telepathically hears a cry for help. Ken, a kid with crutches recovering at the hospital, has fallen into the rehabilitation pool while checking the temperature of the water.
Since Loid doesn’t know that Anya is an esper, she can’t tell him how she knows someone is drowning. She takes off by herself and jumps into the pool, without thinking about the fact that she can’t swim herself. Bravely, she grabs Ken’s hand – and Loid arrives just in time to get them both out of the water.
At school, Anya is awarded a Stella Star for selflessly saving a life. She is the first student in their grade to get a Star and it makes Loid and Yor extremely proud of her.
This is a monumental achievement, the first step in her proving herself to Loid, and also the first step in ensuring she becomes an Imperial Scholar.
How many Stella Stars does Anya have in the manga?
As of the latest chapter 63 of the manga, Anya only has 1 Stella Star. But she has somehow managed to get 2 Tonitrus Bolts.
Going by the narrative rhythm of the series, Anya seems to be getting 1 Bolt and 1 Star alternatively. She got her first Bolt in chapter 8, a Star in chapter 16, and a Bolt again in chapter 61. It’s time for another Stella Star!
Anya needs 8 Stella Stars to become a member of the Imperial Scholars. From the way things are going, it looks like Anya is going to be the first student in Eden Academy to almost get expelled before becoming an Imperial Scholar. Getting 8 Tonitrus Bolts results in immediate expulsion of the student.
Of course, we can’t have Anya getting expelled. In the manga, one way to lower the number of Bolts is if a high-ranking faculty member says the word. I’m counting on you, Henderson!
How will Anya get more Stella Stars?
Anya needs 7 more Stars to become a Scholar. And Anya needs to become a Scholar if Twilight is to succeed in Operation Strix.
There is nothing Anya wants more than to make Loid happy, so it’s evident that she is going to try her hardest to get more Stars.
Unfortunately, Anya isn’t what anyone would call a good student. She has no educational background, is a year younger than everyone else, suffers from childhood trauma, and has never led a normal childhood.
Before Loid found her, she had survived on her own for 5 years as an orphan who had been experimented upon. She did get her telepathic powers as a result, but she doesn’t know how to make use of them fully.
In fact, it is only after she rescues Ken, does she realize that she can use her powers to help others. It would make sense if Anya earned more Stella Stars using her telepathy; maybe next time, she uses it to assist the law enforcement and catch the bad guys.
Anya sucks at academics, but the only subject she’s good at is Classical Language. Maybe in a higher grade, the students have Classical Language as a subject, so Anya can kill it on the test.
The way in which Anya gains Stella Stars will definitely be connected with deepening her own understanding of herself and her abilities. Stella Stars are a great way to give the audience some exposition, while driving the plot forward.
About Spy × Family
Spy × Family is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump.
The story follows a spy who has to “build a family” to execute a mission, not realizing that the girl he adopts as a daughter and the woman he agrees to be in a fake marriage with are a mind reader and an assassin respectively.
Season 2 and a theatrical film are releasing in 2023.
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