Spice and Wolf - Reviews

Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinrou)

Plot: "Since long ago, the wolf goddess Horo has honored a contract to bless the rural village of Pasroe with fertile harvests; and in return she has been celebrated and worshipped by the villagers. But as mankind advances, the people have begun to take command of nature for themselves and have made their own god to worship. Horo finds that she is paid little more than lip service, if not outright mocked; and considering the contract annulled, she takes human form and enlists the aid of a passing merchant, Lawrence, to return to her home in the snowy forests to the north. As they journey together, Lawrence finds that he has plenty to learn from this capricious god, and she from him as well." (site synopsis)

Story: Having a great day and also fortune smiled upon me again i wanted to pick something different to watch, something that i longed for, something as entertaining and interesting as Spice and Wolf. I have to say that this show surprized me, my expectations for it wasn't that big but while passing through episodes i began to love this anime. The story of Spice and Wolf revolves around a jack-of-all-trades, a merchant more exactly named Craft Lawrance, which travels from a village to another for the sake of selling/buying goods to make a living out of it. His dreams was to gain money so he can set up a somekind of shop, and then to have a family, but there was no way he could take care of a family while traveling with his cart and horse from town to town. Since the background of this anime is feudal, medieval the problems at that time were quite obvious, bandits that were hunting carts and robbing, stealing everything, the strong influence of the corrupted church which at that time was eager to get ridh of heretics and of course the corruption within the market business. Anyway, on one of his adventures, Lawrance comes to an old village which happened to be the village of the Sage Wolf Horo, a ancient wolf god that protected the land and used to bring fortune. Though as time passed, people forgot about the Sage Wolf and the promise that she made decades/centuries ago became pointless. When Lawrance was passing by that village, Horo sneaked into his cart, from here on the adventure of this two protagonists begin. At that time Lawrance did not believed a word from what Horo told to him, i mean it was quite hard to believe anyway, though her appearance was also extremely weird, having wolf ears and a long and stuffed tail, also howling at the full moon, she seemed like wolf only that she took a human form. Firstly he thought that she was possessed by a demon, and at that time the church wouldn't think twice in killing someone which had a human body but the characteristics of a wolf. Lawrance obliged Horo to turn into her wolf form, though her wolf form happened to be quite terrifying for Lawrance so she dissapeared though not for long. From this point the two protagonists start traveling toghether, passing through different experiences, and dealing with the complicated yet profitable medieval trade and market business. Though this is not all, as the two spend more and more time toghether, they develop feelings for eachother but the goals they had were completely different. Horo's wish was to return to the land where she was born, the land of Yoitsu while Lawrance wanted to set up a shop and to have a family, but because of the promise he made to Horo that he will lead her to the land where she was born, his plans had to be postponed. Since Horo lived way more than Lawrance, she has more knowledge about life and its values, though she has no idea of what are things going in business, trading. In other words both share experiences from eachother, both have alot to learn from eachother. In conclusion this anime has a pretty nice and interesting story, slow-paced one but never boring, filled with comedy aspects, a few action, battle, fighting scenes here and there and of course it doesnt misses the bittersweet drama aspect.

Animation and Sound: I have to say that the animation of Spice and Wolf is totaly briliant, i pretty much liked how the background, setting was designed and also the character designs as well. The sound also really fits the environment, the mood of the anime, which is totaly cool and the opening from the first season is one of my favorites.

Characters: In terms of characters this anime is a like a shining jewel that blinds ya. I really cant describe how much i liked the characters of this anime, both the main protagonists Lawrance and Horo are briliantly well developed, with an appropriate and interesting personality and as well the characters that they interacted with. Lawrance is sharp, he can anticipate almost every move of the other merchants (though at timez he also screws up, afterall he is still human), he knows how to negotiate but he isnt ferm, he doesnt have a doze of cruelty, he is the soft type of guy. Horo on the other hand is very cappricious, she is excentric, she never let go until her wish is fulfilled, she also shows pretty often that she isn't called "Horo the Wise" for nothing, though when it comes to her own feelings she is a mess, she is afraid of being left alone, she hates loneliness in other words and when the situation demands it she can turn into a ferocious giant wolf able to kill everyone that around except for the ones that she cares. Pretty interesting characters indeed and the same goes with the other side-characters that they interact with.

Overall: All in all Spice and Wolf is one of a kind, very entertaining in other words damn funny, it doesnt lack action as well though it is abit rare, it also has some dramatic aspects as well but this is what makes Spice and Wolf a must to watch, and i think that is suitable for everyone, i highly recommend it! and i guarantee that it will be worth spending time watching this gem. This show may seem abit inteligent (not quite scientificaly made but close), it deals with the life of merchant dealings and trades in a medieval setting. Spice and Wolf is by any mean, a show that should not be missed by anyone.

~Enjoy and Cya Around~

When we think of anime fighting giant robots, supernatural battles and a lot of BOOBS just comes into our minds. But there are a few unique types anime that are much as charming as the others.  . I am your host Bilguun alix and today I will review an anime called Spice and wolf an adventure/romance anime aired in 2008.

Plot

 In the mediaeval century Is a man called Kraft Lawrence, a 25-year-old traveling merchant who peddles various goods from town to town to make a living. One night when stopped at the town of Pasloe, he finds in his wagon a pagan wolf-deity named Holo who is over 600 years old. She appears to be a 15-year-old girl, except for a wolf's tail and ears. She introduces herself as the town's goddess of harvest, who has kept it blessed with good harvests of wheat for many years. Despite her responsibility to watch over the town, she wants to go back to her homeland in the north called Yoitsu; she believes the people have already forsaken her and that she has kept her promise to maintain the good harvests. And that is when our protagonist Lawrence decides to go on an adventure with her.

 The story of spice and wolf involves economical  problems which I like to call “FINANCIAL ADVENTURE”. Holo and Lawrence travel through towns hoping to gain money and information about Yoitsu while getting into trouble in each town. The show’s most unique but bad side is that the anime takes too much time explaining financial problems like trading and marketing. At some point I have to go back and listen to what Lawrence had to say a few more times just to get the picture of it. Also the plot could be sometimes  slow due to building up relationship between our two main leads. But regardless there are hardly seems to be any plot hole, it might be pain in the ass in the beginning but things do go smoothly and some of you might be interested in the financial deals.

Characters

When you watch the first episode you see Holo sleeping in Lawrence’s wagon totally NAKED, you might think of her as a crappy fan service wolf girl. Now I won’t lie, I too thought that it was rubbish and dropped the show for three months and finally came back to know that she was in fact… the greatest female character in the history of anime. You see Holo’s personality is like a wolf. She is prideful, cunning, clever but she also has soft sides too which makes her both charming and a very interesting character. Lawrence himself is a calculating man but he is also kind. And what makes this show worth to watch is that these  characters TALK with each other.

That wasn’t a joke. They tease each other, they talk about economics, about life, about their past and that actually makes this show golden. We click on the next episode button just to know what they are going to talk about.

As for the side characters there were a few characters that had potential like Chloe, Diana, Norah etc. But the main problem about the side characters is that the show just leaves them behind and progresses the story. Well this makes sense since they are travelling but It would be better to know what happened to them.

Animation

The animation of spice and wolf is SPLENDID. The graphics of the nature is really good, the animators never slacked off during each scene and the action scenes are cool but they are very very rare and even if you find one it won’t last for 10 seconds.

Sound

I have to give gratitude for the first opening theme song. Because that song was really good. Spice and wolf could have gotten a childish theme song but “tabi no tochuu” fits the atmosphere perfectly. Like the show itself, the opening had a calming but swaying melody and at the over word the song really gets you. I MEAN LOOK AT THE LYRICS:

If the world we dreamed of  
exists anywhere, 
let's go look for it,  
beyond the wind. 
The freezing dawn,  
the parched midday, 
the trembling night;  
let's go see what's at their end.

As for the ending song it was refreshing and kinda childish unlike the opening. The OST had songs that can make you sad or happy and it truly fits the mediaeval theme.

I really loved spice and wolf. It was an anime beyond my expectation and I hope more and more people would like it. However the only problem I have with this show is that it stopped on season 2. They didn’t finish the stuff they were doing, the show just got stuck on a cliffhanger and it hasn’t continued ever since. I too was hoping for a season 3 but when I couldn’t find one I raged and almost thrown away my laptop. The reason I’m telling you is that if you are going to watch this show be warned that it doesn’t have a conclusive ending.

Recommedations  

Watch it if you like: deep characters, great relationship, economic riddles

Don’t watch it if you: hate a lot of conversation, want more action, hate economical talks. 

Spice and Wolf was originally a light novel series by Isuna Hasekura, who wrote… umm really nothing else, and it was animated by IMAGIN who did stuff such as… nothing hmmm, with voices like Brian Palencia and J. Michael Tatum. So this show has a writer known for nothing else with an animation studio known for…nothing else, other than a few in-between stuff, so how is this show SOOO FREAKING AWESOME.

 

Story

Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant in medieval Europe, even if it’s never actually referred to as such, as he travels around trading and selling just trying to get by. One day he enters a small farming town that is about to hold its annual harvest festival to pay tribute to the wolf deity Holo, who is said to help the wheat that surrounds the town grow. After Lawrence leaves the town he hears something strange coming from his cart, it turns out to be a naked girl, but not just any girl, it’s the wolf deity Holo who has changed into a human form, except for the ears and the tail. You see Holo can only move where there is wheat, and since Lawrence just happened to be carrying some with him she saw it as a perfect chance to escape, since all the people of the village don’t really believe in her and can grow the wheat on their own. Unsurprisingly Lawrence does not believe her so to prove it he asks her to prove it by showing him her true form, so she does and Lawrence freaks out, but then Holo disappears. Lawrence thinks it was all just his imagination, but then she appears to him again, still naked by the way, and explains to him she wants nothing more than to return to her home in the north. So Lawrence, being somewhat of a sap, agrees to take her back home, but she has to keep hidden for fear of being captured by the church that will most likely treat her as the devil. So that’s the plot in a nutshell, now I’m not going to beat around the bush this show is slowwwwwwwwwwwww, and if you’re into fast paced action and aren’t satisfied unless someone is countering a super mega ultra beam with a ultimate finishing move, you can stop reading because this anime is not for you. For everyone else however it can still be kind of hard to stay interested because not only is there very little action but there is a lot of confusing dialog about economics that, I personally barely understood. Yet it was still quite compelling to see how Lawrence would try to make money, sometimes it would just to be to put food on the table, or in some cases it was some rival traders from murdering them, if any show could get me into economics it’s this one. But of course that’s can’t be all this show is about, right, do not worry because there is actually a few other plot points like the quest to find Holo’s homeland, which is more prevalent in season II but that’s a review for another day, and of course Lawrence and Holo’s romantic subplot, and with that I will segue into…

 

Characters

So Lawrence is a merchant whose life’s work is to sell and buy goods so he can get his next meal, he’s in his late 20s early 30s, not a knight more of an average Joe. Holo, on the other hand, is a god who can change into a giant wolf, communicate with animals, and eats and drinks more than most of the men on this show. Now what do these two have in common, simple, they’re both very lonely. Yes despite how different both of their background and lifestyles are they are drawn closer by the fact that they both understand how the other feels, and you know what, that is freaking awesome. Holo and Lawrence are easily the best couple I’ve ever seen in an anime ever, not only are they extremely believable, have actual flaws, play off each other personalities perfectly, but also they actually develop. At the beginning Lawrence is somewhat reluctant to take Holo with him, but they really warm up to each other, and it really feels like you’re watching a real relationship, also the parts where they are obviously flirting with each other were some of my favorite in whole show. Holo herself is probably one of the best female leads I’ve ever seen, she strong, and wise, but also quite funny, but she is by no means perfect, she really likes to think she know everything, but she finds out she really doesn’t, also she isn’t afraid to show her emotions and even cry when she really feels like it. She is very deep and complex and I wouldn’t have her any other way. Lawrence himself is also quite interesting in his own right, sure his job is pretty boring most of the time, and when he’s talking with other merchants it’s like they’re speaking Russian, but he really does his best at what he knows how to do, and when he loses money on a bad deal you really feel for him and every time he get right back up again, sometimes with Holo’s help and sometimes for Holo’s sake. There are a few other characters most of them are pretty boring compared to Lawrence and Holo, the most interesting is Nora the shepherd girl, did I mention that Holo gets jealous of sometimes if there is another girl around. She is kind of the shy helpless character, except she’s not helpless, she often has run-ins with wolves and she has learned how to keep them away, there is a subplot about her not being trusted by the church, but nothing ever really comes of it.

 

Animation

So IMAGIN put this one together, considering they haven’t every done anything else on their own, this is freaking amazing. The backgrounds are very good with rolling hills, dense forests, and many fortified cities and towns, all of this really helps the world come alive. The character designs are actually interesting to talk about, the original artist of the light novels, Jū Ayakura, has somewhat of a cartoony style, but in the anime the characters are much more life like, which I thought fit it much better. Now don’t get me wrong Ayakura is a great artist I just thought that the more realistic characters fit better with the more dramatic portions of the show, but overall for a first time great job.

 

Sound

The OP for Spice and Wolf is simply put beautiful, not just the song which is great in its own right, but the animation is just breathtaking, and that sounds really corny but it's true. The ED is kind of what I would think of the opposite of the OP, it's all sung in "english" but is the kind you can't understand without lyrics. It is just so happy and fun, the animation is basically nonexistent, with just some still images, but it's easily one of my favorite EDs ever. The OP and ED actually make a good contrast, with the OP representing the more dramatic aspects of the show while the ED is more the fun and bubbly side of the show. The rest of the OST consist of music that really fits with the show's setting and mood, all of the songs are great but some are really memorable, seriously when I'm walking down the street now, that's what I hear in my head (it used to be Spring Wind from Clannad in case you were wondering). And now something I couldn't talk about in my last review, the dub. As you will find out if you read my reviews, I love dubs and I'm not afraid to admit it. With the Spice and Wolf dub I have to especially praise Brina Palencia for really bringing Holo to life. J. Michael Tatum also does an excellent job as Lawrence, but it was a little odd for me at first since I had just come off of finishing Ouran High Host Club, and hearing Kyoya as a much more emotional honest merchant was somewhat strange, but that just shows how good Mr. Tatum is at his job.

 

Overall

Overall I cannot recommend this show enough, great characters, gorgeous animation, fantastic music, and it's really something you don't see everyday (seriously an anime about economics, name me one other that isn't [C]). Although if you don't think you can stay awake from all the slow pacing and all the economic talk, that's fine just go and watch... I don't know Blue Exorcist or something. For everyone else give it a go, and you know what even if you think you won't like it, try it anyway you can actually stream it free from Funimation's website. One final note, this show does have a season two, but no season three has been announced, just thought I'd break your hearts now. I'm MrShadowzs and this has been my two cents.

Did it bother anyone else that when Holo held her tail, she stroked it in the wrong direction?

It's the Anti-Guren-Lagan.

Instead of relying on over the top action, and a high pace, Spice and Wolf shines when it comes to writing, character design, and pacing. You will be glued to your screen, because you actually care what happens to the characters.

An outstanding piece of Entertainment.