Spice and Wolf (Seasons 1 and 2)

Zach Goodier

Ok, so this is a show I've watched a couple times, and neither of them was recent.  However, I still remember almost every moment from both seasons of the series from way back before I wrote for the site. Is this because it was that bad? NO! I held onto almost every aspect of this anime right from the first episode, and the reason is because while it should be everything I find dull and boring in terms of story and characters, this one somehow captivated me from the first 5 minutes.  Spice and Wolf is an adventure tale that uses great character development and complex mini-arcs to keep things rolling along.  Is there monster-slaying and all that heavy handed action? Well, no, for the most part there really isn't any violent action to speak of.  Kraft Lawrence is a trader, and while Holo is a goddess, she by no means is invincible.  In fact, while she is capable of some amazing feats, she has some major limitations that prevent her from being some overpowered character that always saves the day.  The action in this series lies mainly with the various encounters with tradesmen and trade guilds along the way, where they often get involved in various deals and arrangements to support themselves on the road.

I'm not usually one for anime crushes, but I might make an exception.  Holo is smart, beautiful, funny, wise, and she knows it without having an obnoxious attitude.

Lawrence is a travelling trader who dreams of someday making enough to settle down and open his own shop in a town.  Holo is an ancient Pagan goddess who brought bountiful crops to a small village.  However, as the world advanced, and the people gradually learned irrigation and became self-sufficient, they gradually stopped revering her, and now she longs to return to her ancient home in the far north.  The two meet in the village as Lawrence is in the village trying to make some profits.  Holo wants Lawrence to be her travelling companion to take her to the north, and she wishes to see how much the rest of the world has changed since hasn't left the village in centuries.  The two quickly become close, and they look out for each other.  Which comes in handy as they travel, with Lawrence trying to make a profit enough so he can establish himself as an accomplished trader, and even face conflict along the way, not only with rival traders and guilds, but also each other as it's not always smooth sailing between the two, but it just adds to the story and makes for some of the most tense moments I've had watching any show.

Holo is fond of good food and fine wine, but her biggest weakness happens to be apples.

Holo is no damsel in distress.  She is called "The Wise Wolf" for a reason, not only can she shape-shift into a giant wolf, but she is incredibly clever and knows how to get around.  But she isn't as almighty as you might expect a goddess to be, and sometimes even she needs help, but Lawrence is just as strong, yet vulnerable, as she is, and this is part of the reason this romantic element works for me.  It's a two-way street, with both characters being equally well-developed and bringing personality to the mix.  I don't mean attitude or skimpy outfits or the like, they both act like level-headed, intelligent people who genuinely work well together as they trade, travel, and tough out life on the road.  I feel like equal attention and detail exist in both characters, and both are able to remain interesting and compelling throughout, and they continue to grow in strength and depth throughout the series.  Their relationship feels natural as it gradually develops through their trials and challenges, never forced or too fast.

Holo in her wolf form, with Lawrence.

The world itself is a medieval-style setting, with a rich landscape and many intelligent characters who each play their various roles in the world.  Even the minor characters feel well-imagined, and never feel like a flimsy add-on just to remind you that Lawrence and Holo aren't the only sentient beings in this world.  Some are friends, some foes, and all are just trying to get ahead in their own various ways.  You truly feel the life these two lead as they haggle and negotiate every trade they make, and there's always schemes and twists to make it all more exciting than just talking and buying/selling.  There's always a struggle just to make sure they can safely continue their journey.  It is all brilliantly imagined in vibrant detail, and will impress you with how lively yet lonely the countryside can be, and that draws you in even more to Lawrence and Holo, and it makes them both seem all the stronger and endearing for enduring that life isolated for so long.

The detail in the backgrounds and landscapes is truly amazing, creating some incredibly beautiful backdrops.

The writing is simply brilliant, with witty dialogue that provides wisdom, humor, and a whole range of emotions in between.  The ability to make a show alternate between light-hearted and suspenseful is not to be taken lightly, and the writers and voice actors all deserve props for being able to create and sustain this range of emotion throughout the series, and it most certainly has provided for some of the most engrossing and suspenseful moments I have had in as long as I can remember.  I certainly felt for Holo and Lawrence as characters, and when they fight, you feel the strain it puts on both of them, and when other characters complicate the scenario even more, you realize that just like in the real world, there is the constant risk of losing a companion when a relationship is put under stress.  You truly feel that nothing is to be taken for granted, and every encounter carries the potential for disaster.

One of the reasons I love this show is the fact that even though they are close, Holo and Lawrence don't always see eye-to-eye on things, but always in a way that feels natural, not forced or completely overplayed for drama's sake alone.

Spice and Wolf is a brilliantly written anime series with some of the most visceral characters I have seen in a show.  While it completely swept me off my feet after dismissing it as another cheesy forced romance, I still have to say that in writing it's difficult to explain what exactly makes it all come together for me, and that's why it might not come together for you if you don't enjoy the genre.  Maybe it was a fluke with me, hitting all the right spots with its charm and beauty in both visual and textual details as it challenged itself with questions of whether or not this duo can truly be happy when Lawrence's life is just the blink of an eye to a being like Holo.  It really adds the feeling of depth and makes you wonder if they should allow themselves to continually grow closer as the series progresses, since Holo will be unable to enjoy the rest of her life with Lawrence no matter what.  I can't deny that this show hooked me throughout to the point where I was left hungry for more, and still am.  While the series didn't quite answer the final fate of Holo and Lawrence, leaving it as a cliffhanger, the ending of season 2 left me fairly satisfied.  The light novels the show is based on are still ongoing, so I would recommend turning to them for the rest of the story, but this series is an excellent starting point if you haven't followed the series yet.  

I'm normally not one for the "Will they/Won't they?" thing, because it's usually just something to make the fans obsess over each episode to no avail.  However, Spice and Wolf rewards your commitment rather than waste your time, but still leaves room for interpretation if you need it.

This is one of my favorite animes of all time, with enough depth, originality, and intelligence to make for a truly wonderful story.  However, what makes this unforgettable is the great duo of Holo and Lawrence, and the natural chemistry that persists and evolves throughout the series, even as it challenges them through the limits of its own reality.  They begin as strangers who simply find each other interesting and convenient, but they gradually change into a pair that can beat any cheap, skimpy, harem, or shallow characters out there.  This show is unforgettable not because of the premise, but the execution; creating a vibrant world full of detailed characters who each feel just as natural and visceral as the world they inhabit.  And within this sophisticated, complex world, can a goddess find the home and happiness she misses, and can a travelling peddler find peace and joy he has been chasing his whole life?  Watch, enjoy, and hopefully, become enchanted, just as I was.

Good:

-Excellent protagonists in Holo and Lawrence, well written and acted.

-Vibrant, yet solitary medieval setting that compliments the lead characters in all the right ways

-An anime duo that actually has some legitimate chemistry between them, and doesn't make the relationships feel one-sided.

-Story is deep, with a visceral sense of suspense, peril, humor, and growth as the plot moves forward.

Bad:

-A few unanswered questions and a cliffhanger ending.  While you get a lot of satisfaction from it, there's still a lot left up in the air in terms of the final fate of Holo and Lawrence.

Scully Rating: 9.9 out of 10