Anime issues: Spice and Wolf-狼と香辛料

Tribute to our Goddess with fur- Horo.(or Holo)

Set in Medieval where trading and merchants are the primary source for moving goods and passing on stories. Some people calls this show Economics 101 but I don’t think the business part is highly complicated. An unusual piece that script around traveling and trading which is a breath of fresh air from the usual mainstream anime.

Horo is a pagan Wolf god that watches over fields for crop and *supposedly* very old. Pasroe was the town Horo promised to watch over and have good harvest year after year, However as time goes by people start to forsake this once might God that guards the town. She refer herself as the “”Wise Wolf of Yoitsu” and gained the notion of wanting to go back to her homeland, but she longed for some company and loneliness has made her fragile.

Lawrence the protagonist of the story come across Horo and made a promise to take her back to her homeland-Yoitsi. In return for his company Horo lend Lawrence her wisdom to benefit his trade and helps him when he is in big trouble. As story progress plus many hardship they overcome, they start to grow affection towards each other.(very slowly…) The story consist conflicts with churches due to Horo being a pagan existence, trading issues and sightseeing in fictional setting. It does have action as well as some dark sides about humanity.

The story itself is rather interesting because it is not something you see everyday in mainstream genre. But it does progress slowly in a way, however the interaction between the two main character makes up for the story, you will find the conversations between the two somewhat addictive and begging for more. Horo is nonetheless quite a fitting description of “tsundere” and Lawrence is your clichéd “kind” guy who goes out of his way to “care” for Horo.

Overall it’s a lovely anime with very little competition of it’s kind. Good for mature audience who is tired of bouncing tits, panties shots or never-ending Shonen crap. Spice and Wolf have great art and high animation quality plus decent music in OP and ED set this show apart from other “nekomimi” or “goddess” type of anime. Personally I love the ED of both season and season, it has a children picture book feel to it.

Art: 4/5

Animation Quality: 5/5