Anime: Ookami to Koushinryou

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” ― Helen Keller.

Having a goal in your life is, perhaps, the only way to keep going; otherwise it might be too difficult for one to continue. But, at the same time, finding your aim in life is also not that easy. Kraft Lawrence, the main protagonist of Spice and Wolf, never gives up: he knows what he does and he is not afraid of any difficulties. He is a 25-year-old travelling merchant, who is trying to gather enough money to stop travelling and to start his own shop. One day, at the town of Pasloe, Kraft finds in his wagon a wolf-deity named Horo. She introduces herself as the town’s Goddess of harvest, who has kept the lands of Pasloe blessed with good harvest for many years. However, the Pasloe people have forgotten the caring Goddess and now she wants to return to her homeland. The Goddess persuades the series’ protagonist Lawrence to take her with him and the two start a new journey. What awaits our duo and will they be able to reach the homeland of Horo unharmed? Find out the answer by watching Spice and Wolf now.

Adventure has always been one of the most interesting genres; however, it is also very difficult to make a good one. The main problem here is that it might become boring too fast. Spice and Wolf is truly one of the best series in this genre: you will not be able to predict anything, on the contrary, Spice and Wolf will make you relax and then it will dumbfound you. And you know that feeling is amazing, watching a show, where you do not know what might happen in the next episode is truly pleasant. With that being said, I guarantee you that the story of Spice of Wolf is on the level and you will surely like it, but I would not recommend you to marathon this series, to be honest. I also find it important to mention the fact that the anime is unfinished and to know the ending, you will either have to read the novel, or wait for the anime’s continuation, which has not been announced yet. If it does not scare you, you will not have any problems with the story-line.

The animation captures the medieval setting perfectly. Although the anime was made in 2008, I can say that even for 2016 the animation is still beautiful. Everything: fields, market squares, towns, characters’ outfits, and character designs are very beautiful. And it is because of the fact that this anime pays attention to all colors and this alone makes this series that beautiful. But not only the animation, but also the series’ OST helps you to dive into the atmosphere of Spice and Wolf.

The music in Spice and Wolf is simply splendid. No words will ever describe how beautiful it is. I have never heard an OST that will be as beautiful as in Spice and Wolf, it is something you should listen to, or perhaps get a copy somewhere. The OST does its job and it helps you to appreciate this anime even more. Moreover, the voice actors that took part in this anime did one hell of a job voicing their respective characters. I would recommend you to watch this anime in Japanese, but if you are a big fan of English voice actors, you are free to watch it in English, it is also good, but not as good as the Japanese version.

As for the characters, Spice and Wolf has also many things to offer. Yes, I will not try to hide the fact that this series has weak supporting characters. But in this series there are only two characters, Horo and Lawrence, Spice and Wolf is only about two characters and all other characters do not mean anything. They exist only to complement Horo and Lawrence. That said, let us discuss Horo and Lawrence. Horo is the incarnation of every guy's dream girl: she's strong, confident, and smart, but, at the same time, very charming, weak, and feminine. Her character is unique, because in most anime romances, females either depend on men in everything, or are just too independent. Horo is independent, but she also looks like a weak creature that you want to protect. I find it also important to mention that Horo does not deny that she loves Lawrence. Her main goal is, of course, to return to her homeland, but she is ready to give up on what she needs because of the fact that she likes Lawrence.

Kraft Lawrence, at first, looks like a merchant that only thinks about profit. But after a little while, the viewer understands that Lawrence is an extremely caring individual, who sometimes sacrifices too much. Horo hates it about him, but she also finds his chivalrous conduct attractive. Although, he relies on Horo in terms of protection and sometimes he cannot express his feelings, later on he shows that he is not only ready to protect what is important for him, but also that he is not afraid of showing his true feelings. Lawrence is not just some emotionally numb idiot: he is both strong and able to express his feelings. All in all, Horo’s and Lawrence’s duo is amazing! It is never annoying, it is never boring, you just want them to stay together forever.

Anyway, Spice and Wolf is a very enjoyable series. Everything about it is enjoyable and you just want it to never end: from extremely well-written story-line, to very interesting characters. As I have already mentioned it, Spice and Wolf is not just some boring romance, yes, it is there, but this series tells a story of two lonely people and there is also a grain of reality in it: one should fight for what they love and want to achieve. And believe me, in Spice and Wolf, both Horo and Lawrence will have to fight for what is precious for them.

All in all, I would recommend this series to any person that likes anime. I simply cannot imagine even one reason for you to not watch Spice and Wolf. Yes, there is one reason, but even if do not have a desire to read the novel, you can always find spoilers on the internet, which I would not recommend you to do, to be honest, but it is up to you, of course.

I hope that you will enjoy both seasons of Spice and Wolf, its amazing OST, and perhaps you will also read the novel.

Wolves are beautiful creatures to look at. You see them prowling around the woods with their pack and rule the territory that they claim as their own. There is no doubt that they have been the focal point in some anime shows over the years, but when have you seem them being used as an intelligent focal point in a show’s narrative? Out comes Spice and Wolf, a tale that follows two of our heroes in their journey involving mercantilism, to convince us once and for all that you can pull off a simple concept and make something brilliant out of it.

Spice and Wolf sets up as your typical traveler’s type of story where we follow Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant who deals with trading anything that is profitable and makes a fortune out of it. He is then confronted with a Wolf goddess named Holo who wants to come with him in his travels and help him with his business for reasons that involve trying to establish a bond between Kraft and her. What is very fascinating about the relationship between our two main leads is how perfectly paced the bond is between Holo and Kraft. There is no awkward transition between the two automatically becoming lovers over the course of a day or two into the story, or in this case episodes if we’re being more formal here. The show takes it’s time to build it up slowly so that we can breathe into the scenes that involve them talking to one another and displays them increasing their relationship’s strength in a realistic fashion than relying on pointless melodrama. Not there is not any drama between the two but it doesn’t come across as being hammy or out-of-place, it fits well with the scene it portrays and succeeds quite nicely.

It also helps to the show’s credit that the way Kraft and Holo enhance their relationship isn’t just through romantic dialog or dialog that only involve positive responses, they get into arguments, they disagree a lot, and things don’t always work out between each others plans. Just like what a real relationship is like for most people. You see this a lot in anime and movies that tackle romance in a formulaic style that doesn’t seem very organic or pragmatic from how relationships are really like in a real world setting. Not that portraying relationships in that way is bad, but it’s refreshing to see something like Spice and Wolf pull it off and do it in a successful way.

Now let us talk about both characters individually. To my surprise, Kraft turned into a very memorable male lead by the simple fact that they build him up around an archetype that could have easily been bland or generic. I say this because when you deconstruct Kraft as a character, there really isn’t that much to go around other than that he’s just a simple merchant and nothing else but the way they write him as this strong individualistic character who can handle any given situation with ease comes at a shock considering how Kraft has to one up Holo in terms of character traits. Now Holo, the main star of the show, is one of, if not, the greatest female leads that has ever graced the screen. She’s witty, sly, and is an absolute joy to watch when she is front and center. Normally any character like Holo could be looked as a cheap way of shoving in nudity or a generic female character to spice things up, no pun intended. With Spice and Wolf the way it handles Holo’s development and personality is very mature and charming in the witty writing that she is given that definitely makes for an interesting character study of how Holo and Kraft come across as very believable characters in how they carry the story forward in a delightful aspect.

The story’s writing, while relying heavily on economic theory, is top-notch and lenient to where it isn’t necessarily hard to understand what is going on. Spice and Wolf’s economics is grounded upon Medieval lore, where the economy was a little simpler to understand than in today’s economic system. What really works well in this demeanor is how it doesn’t drag on the narrative too much. How the characters explain their economic motives is not only interesting in an intellectual standpoint but also makes for a strong gripping drama from the way it trickles down to Kraft’s eventually economic troubles. Even if you are not a scholar in an economic school, you can still feel the pressure that Kraft and Holo are going through when the eventual climax sets in when they have to find out a way to get out of their debt. How they portray the politics that involve heavily with the church is intellectually honest in how things were running in the era and they portray it with the narrative to good effect on how bribery and trading being done on a daily basis between the economic markets that existed in the past.

Artistically, Spice and Wolf doesn’t break any new ground in regards to animation but the backgrounds and the character designs are all done superfluously well. The lush colors in the backgrounds of the mountains and trees, the grimy walls that inhabit the cities and towns they go through, and the darkness that surrounds them really add to the atmosphere that make you feel like you’re really looking at a Medieval world. While the animation isn’t special, the scenes that involve Holo’s wolf transformation were done with good effect in its direction to make it mysterious and dark to let us know that she is a living breathing goddess.

Music and voice acting do their jobs well although the music itself wasn’t anything that stood up as highlights of the show. It features music that fits well to the setting that involves a nice orchestral score that adds to the overall feel of every scene. However the voice acting is exceptionally well done, the main contender for being the best one is Ami Koshimizu. Her sultry remarks with her sly voice for an entertaining listen. That and with Jun Fukuyama’s straight man personality make for the great chemistry between the two leads even better in that regard.

All things considered, Spice and Wolf is a glorious achievement to witness for anyone looking for great storytelling and a great world to experience. It is near perfect with its brilliant character development and astounding use of political themes to meet a well-balanced character story. It’s the type that once you finish you want to experience more of its world but not in a negative sense where they do a poor job of expanding it’s plot and world to full effect. Spice and Wolf does the exact opposite where you’re fulfilled with joy in being shown this contextual landscape to great effect and you hunger for more exploration. The only way to do that for the creators of shows consistent to Spice and Wolf is to look over the show’s horizon and embellish the story to new heights with the setting and characters. There’s no telling whether it will succeed or fail but it’s the effort that definitely counts.

Grade: A

Spice and Wolf (S&W) is a very different kind of show. It is basically a tale of the adventures of a pagan she-wolf goddess and an ordinary traveler merchant, all of it within a medieval setting heavily based on our real Europe.

Essentially, it's one of the most cozy shows I've watched, it lures you with its simplicity and the cute and slowly growing relationship between a normal human and a supernatural cute girl. But that doesn't make it perfect, in fact, it is one of those shows that gives you a nice experience while you watch it, but after two weeks you're likely to have completely forgotten most of what happened simply because nothing important or impactful occurs in the whole show after the characters meet.

Art & Animation
S&W is animated by a minor studio, called Imagin. It has assisted in the animation of many great shows back in the early 2000's, but aside from that, you can only say S&W is their masterpiece. That doesn't mean much though. The art style chosen is quite old-school and absurdly simple, from the character designs to the scenery settings. It does a decent job in keeping the atmosphere of the show cozy and warm with its green fields, forests, and small villages, but doesn't go beyond that. Animation-wise the show is severely lacking, but that is expected when you have a show that is mostly about things that could be as easily described by some photos with texts.

Sound
S&W is a show that never gives us something to remember in its sound direction. It only makes sure it doesn't get in the way of the pace, with a decent voice-acting but without much of a background music work to be remembered. Maybe the "boring" factor brought by show could be partially attributed to the simple soundtrack, but I'd prefer to say the sound direction as a whole is decent enough to make the show move forward.

Story
So, what is this about again? A romance? Well, you could say that. But S&W could be better defined as a "true" daily life show, except that the setting it is based is far more exotic than a school we are used to see in japanese animation. Essentially, as I've mentioned in the second paragraph, the show tells us the adventures of Horo, a pagan wolf goddess, and a common traveler merchant named Kraft. They meet after Kraft finds the wolf girl naked (ha!) in his cart. She wishes to move north, he travels around doing business, so they stick together for a while.

1. Adventures? You call that an adventure!!??
   Well, it could be called adventure, but the problems Horo and Kraft face are never really that dangerous. It's more like the common problems a merchant face, except that Kraft has a very smart goddess at his side. He must protect her identity, hide her wolfish features, make a profit, and other usual stuff. You could say the slow and warm romance offers more of a interesting stuff to the show than their problems and "adventures".
   
   Save the Setting!
   One of the triumphs of S&W is its setting. While nothing extraordinary happens at all, as there are no wars, no intrigues, no disputes, no nation-building, nothing at all, the setting is very different from your usual daily life stuff. This makes for more unusual stuff to be seen. We are bored to hell of watching a school student with a cute girl, so a adult merchant with one in a medieval german-like place is enough to make it more original at least.
   

Character
So, we have a show with weak animation, simple art style, and a plot that is far from interesting. What does it offer to become so hyped as it was when released? That brings us to the character development.

1. Only a Duo
   S&W is all about Horo and Kraft, this means most side characters are left aside, giving us their charm in an episode and fading forever. Horo and Kraft, however, are very nice characters in their core. This can be easily the a consequence of the pair having basically all the screen time of the whole 12-episode show. But the way they slowly develop and their nice interaction and smart uses of goddess-man template works in a very positive way to make this asset the defining characteristic of the show.
   
   However...
   Japanese novels tend to be the cradle of the typical characters we have around. And while Horo is a nicely developed goddess in her own limits, she is still built upon the basic templates of tsunderes and lolis we have seen since Haruhiback in 2006. So you can expect the a few ecchi scenes typical of teen shows and you can easily see how Horo was built so fans could use her for their fetishes and the marketing guys could use her in sexy promotional artworks. A flat-chested cute wolf girl is basically the dream of the soft-furry loli lovers of the internet. And that is the reason why the image boards and forums were plagued by Horo when S&W was released.
   

Value
So, let's recap: a show with simple art style, lacking in animation, with a plotless pace, and with a wolf-cute-loli-girl, but with a warm and nice setting and a good character development. Well, that's quite a feat I would say. With all those negatives, most shows sink into the lifeless pit of typical animes, but S&W manages to be a very decent experience while it lasts. Sadly, most of it jumps out of your mind as soon as you watch something else, because that's what happens when nothing impactful happens. Still, the cute romance and the cute wolf-girl will likely be in your memory for some time.

Enjoyment
You can be surprised by how the show can lure you. The amount episodes is just enough so you won't start to get bored, and the simple ways everything is made can, in the end, give quite a signature to a show that could so easily fail considering all its elements. Those expecting action, tension, deep drama, or anything more impactful must be warned, as there's nearly nothing of it here.

Comments
S&W was yet another of those shows I've left to watch only at a later time. Horo was everywhere I looked back in 2008, every forum, every otaku community, every anime blog, hell, it annoyed me quite a lot. I've had similar experiences with Gurren Lagann and Haruhi, and those two shows I've also only watched an year or two after its release.

Interestingly, Horo proved to be a little better than what I expected. I easily watched all the episodes from the first and second seasons and was very amazed during the time. It's a different kind of experience, much like the more recent Usagi Drop. It's an aimless show, it has no real objective, it has no villain, no twists, it's only a nice tale of the interaction between two characters. S&W, however, is still bound to the typical anime behavior when you put a cute flat-chested girl in it, but fortunately it's just secondary to everything else, making it worth a while.

Spice and Wolf is a fun adventure set in historic Europe about a traveling salesman and a wolf goddess that suddenly appears along with his goods (and what a good she is).

I wasn't expecting anything much so this series really surprised me. This is a seinen series and so has less of the random action found in other similar themed stories such as Wagaya. This series has a mature aura to it that I've missed recently.

This series is a somewhat slow series with a very tactical (business-based) plot line, dotted with a lot of Horo cuteness. It's not for those who hate slow stories or who must have their action fix. Otherwise, definitely give this wonderful show a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Animation:
The animation quality is fairly high with lots of serene backgrounds. Characters are well proportioned and there is no cheesy fan service. There is some blood and some action but nothing extreme, it's just all very well rounded. Best of all, you get lots of Horo.

Sound:
The OP is a bit bland at first, but it grew on me and by the end I found that it complimented the series quite well. ED isn't too bad but the overly-bad English kind of threw me off, it isn't Euphoric Field quality... BGMs are pipe-based and, for the most part, pretty minimal. Horo's VA is awesome, she alone makes this series an enjoyable watch. The other VA's aren't bad but her performance overshadows everyone else.

Music: 4/5, VA: 5/5

Story:
This is where many people will diverge on opinion. This is a slow story about the traveling adventures of Lawrence and Horo, who Lawrence promised to eventually return to her homeland up north.

The story follows the pair as they encounter various obstacles be it bad business deals or kidnappers. There isn't any over-the-top plot progression (just a few plot twists), and I was glad to see that they chose an interesting climax/conclusion. There will be a second season of this and I can't wait to jump on.

Character:
Horo, the magical sage wolf, is the main win in this series. With her unique and occasionally seductive personality and character, it is very hard not to call her cute.

There are various minor supporting characters but the main focus is on Horo and her "master" Lawrence. What the series lacks in development of supporting characters. Despite this, you get some very intriguing dialogues and development between the main characters. It is a pleasure to see such a good blend of development and dialogue.

Value:
This show was both entertaining and calming. The slow pace makes for a good break watch, while the occasional wit and teasing of Horo makes for good entertainment. There is still a lot of stuff unrevealed, such as the characters' pasts, which I hope they will divulge in the second season. An outstanding watch for the witty and inquisitive viewer.

Story
Traveling merchant meets cute young looking, but very old wolf god Horo. She wants to return home after spending decades guarding a village's crops. This is because of a promise she made to a very dear and long dead friend. There are story lines, that occur in places along their journey, about subterfuge and greed where governments or other merchants use misinformation to gain a profit. A lot of this is hard to understand, especially when they go into detail about market values and economies. They over do it in my opinion and I think it detracts from the adventures Lawrence and Horo have and their growing trust in each other.

Characters
The entire value of this anime is based on the characters and their interactions. Horo is a petulent, yet wise girl who loves to goad Lawrence during their entire trip. Their relationship changes as the story progresses. He learns from her skills, which helps him to become a better merchant and she learns from Lawrence to like humans once again. The secondary characters don't stick around for more then a few episodes, Lawrence IS a traveling merchant, but they become fleshed out pretty quick and are integral to the numerous story arcs that take place as Lawrence and Horo make their way to the north. The character design is a little above decent and Horo, is a seriously cute anime wolf girl with ears and a wagging tail. Her wolf form is pretty well done.

Sound
This is set in a medieval setting, so a lot of the music in the anime consists of music of that type and is a pretty good representation. The sound effects are average, but there seems to be a lack of ambiance in many of the situations, such as towns and pubs, it just isn't at the forefront and a lot of times might even seem like an after thought.

Animation
Current animation the way it is, I have to say this is standard. There are very few really action packed sequences. Coloring isn't creative in any way. Basically what you would expect. Plain.

Afterward
You can go without watching this series. There are probably over a hundred series that you should check out first, but it really depends on your preference for a genre. I like this series watching it the first time, but it will be awhile before I would watch it again. The merchant aspect to it just isn't something that makes a gripping story and they highlight it and make it the backbone of the series, when the real thing that keeps anyone watching is Lawrence and Horo becoming closer. Take it or leave it, ehh something in between. FIN

One cannot fault the execution of Spice and Wolf. For what it is - a character drama/economics anime in a mildly fantasy setting - I would go so far as to call it perfect.

Of course, there remain areas that are neglected. Story takes a back seat here, partly due to the choice of characters - the life of a merchant no doubt really does consist of travelling between various cities, buying and selling commodities, with no overarching arc beyond trying to make a profit. But even so, this seems not a flaw but a deliberate choice, to give more attention to the characters.

And what characters they are! Even for a 12-episode show, devoting so much time to the lead couple is risky, but Lawrence and Horo rise to the occasion. Both are startlingly well-realized; Horo in particular is just capricious enough to fit her background, but never fails to be utterly believable. The personality clash (and increasingly apparent underlying affection) between her and the sensible merchant is what makes the show; most episodes consist primarily of the two playing off each other. While there's probably an undercurrent of male wish fulfilment here (Horo is clever, beautiful and truly cares for Lawrence, who is very much the Everyman), it's overwhelmed by the pure joy of watching two such well-rounded characters interact. The same detail and realism is present in the world itself; while the fantasy setting might initially seem like a lazy cop-out to let the creators avoid researching late medieval Europe too thoroughly, it soon reveals itself as a labour of love that surely took just as much work to create, and the show's lightly supernatural conceit becomes simply a way to tell a story about ordinary people and have them do interesting things without compromising the overriding realism. And when taking a break from the characters Spice and Wolf does something truly remarkable; it makes historical economics interesting.

While Lawrence and Horo are the heart of the show, the realism extends to the small supporting cast as well. Voice acting is well done, although the small cast makes this easy; the opening theme is elegant and fits the world, while the more light-hearted ending will probably be somewhat divisive. It provides good relief after some episodes, but feels out of place among others; it is telling that the final episode plays the opening twice instead. The animation is beautiful; nothing spectacular or original is happening here, but this is a series for the HD era and knows it. The sweeping landscapes are perfectly suited to this kind of detail, and the animators have matched it; we get a real sense of a beautiful world just slightly different from our own. If there is a flaw to be found, it's that anime fur still doesn't look quite right. Also, the character faces do look slightly simplistic; that said, this is more than made up for by the attention given to costume designs (no doubt perfectly period-appropriate) and the cities.

Spice and Wolf is as close to flawless as any anime I've seen. That's not to say it's for everyone; there is no world-changing plot here, little in the way of dramatic heroics, and the setting is unashamedly fantasy. But if you're content to sit back and watch two beautifully realized characters mostly just talking with each other, this is the show for you.