Spice and Wolf
Once in a while, a rare gem tumbles down from the monstrously huge pile of worthless pebbles sitting on your front lawn and against all odds lands itself next to your foot, carrying with it a much welcomed reminder of why you chose to intentionally clutter your expensive landed property with unsightly stones instead of just getting some pink flamingos or garden gnomes like your less eccentric neighbours.
Spice and Wolf (狼と香辛料), is one of those rare gems. I’ll leave it to you to sort out the rest of that winding metaphor.
Based on the best-selling light novel series by the same name, Spice and Wolf is a unique fantasy romance story set in a fictional pseudo medieval world, billing itself as a fantasy story with neither swords nor magic. Departing from traditional fantasy novels, the central plot device in Spice and Wolf is trade and not armed conflict. The title of the series is derived from that of a reference book on medieval commerce called “Gold & Spices: The Rise of Commerce in the Middle Ages” (金と香辛料―中世における実業家の誕生), which makes one wonder why the official English title is “Spice and Wolf” instead of “Wolf and Spice”…
The main characters in the story are Kraft Lawrence, a travelling merchant, and Holo, the human form of an ancient wolf who travels with him. Lawrence makes a living by buying and selling commodities in the various cities he visits and the story details the various dealings, successful or otherwise, he involves himself in. There is no hero saving the world from evil here.
The author’s personal interest in medieval commerce is evident in the story and he often introduces various early forms of currency and credit systems in the course of storytelling. However, the coverage of this topic is extremely rudimentary and, though it is refreshing and serves to add some unique flavour to the series, leaves a lot to be desired. At times, the series’ overly-simplified depictions lead to some hard-to-swallow plot logic that somewhat irritates my sensibilities. Of course, this is probably akin to complaining about audible space explosions in anime, i.e. something that most viewers couldn’t care less about.
I have not had the chance to check out the original novels, so I do not know if they go into more in-depth discussions of Lawrence’s business dealings.
So while the uniqueness of the setting does make for an appealing detour from the usual clichés — high schools, hot springs, the girl next door — it is by itself too superficial and shallow to stand. As such, it is but the seasoning to the real meat of the series: the relationship between Lawrence and Holo.
Characters in anime often have motives that are made painfully obvious at every turn (“Did I tell you how I accidentally killed my parents when I was ten, thus explaining why I’m an emo prick?”) and this is regarded by many as “character development”. This is arguably an improvement from the days when characters didn’t need to have any motivations at all (“bwahaha I am evil because I am the bad guy”) but that is like saying that sending everyone to the firing squad is an improvement over having criminals run free. And that fulfilled my bad analogy quota for the day.
The story of Spice and Wolf is serviceable but nothing to write home about and the true charm of the series lies in the subtle dance of emotions between the two main characters. It avoids both extremes of the spectrum by having believable characters with motivations that the audience can empathize with and at the same time not forcing said motivations down the audience’s throat at every possible opportunity. The relationship between Lawrence and Holo cannot be adequately described by the word “lovers” and yet romance is clearly an important part of the story. That contradiction is what makes the series interesting.
Though she takes on the form of a young girl, Holo is an ancient wolf possessing great power, wisdom and pride. She is playfully manipulative and flirtatious and yet at times vulnerable and needy. This duality makes her behaviour unpredictable and gives her character an alluring aura of sophistication. Less capable writers have long attempted to fake this aspect of feminine duality by using the tsundere archetype to varying degrees of success. Holo on the other hand is often honest with her feelings while maintaining her pride. And while I am not usually a fan of Ami Koshimizu, she has definitely done an exceptional job voicing Holo and giving personality to the old wolf’s archaic speaking habits.
Lawrence is a calm and composed young merchant whose confidence sometimes gets him into trouble. He is initially suspicious and afraid of Holo but eventually agrees to help find her way back to Yoitsu, her northern home to which she seeks to return. As he finds himself emotionally drawn towards Holo, he is stopped by his rational merchant self and the futility of the situation he faces. Holo is a giant wolf who has lived for hundreds of years and will for hundreds more, while he is a mere mortal whose life span is but a blink for her. That kind of puts a damper on things. (Kind of reminds me of Banner of the Stars.)
Still, in spite of himself, Lawrence grows attached to the whimsical Holo, a sentiment that is reciprocated in turn by Holo. But though they clearly treasure each other dearly, they lack the courage to confront the situation head-on, leaving it hanging ambiguously in the air. As they say on Facebook, the relationship is “complicated”. Their journey to Yoitsu becomes an allegory for the magical time they share enjoying each other’s company until the inevitable eventuality when the fairytale comes to an end. In that sense, the love that they share is not unlike the many such stories in real-life where the challenges and constraints of adult life are ever ready to bring another fairytale romance down to earth.
Maybe I am just a hopeless romantic who is reading too much into everything, but Spice and Wolf strikes me as a show which pays a surprising amount of attention to details. Every interaction between Lawrence and Holo is packed with tension and unspoken expectations. Ah, I just love that.
Give Spice and Wolf a try if you enjoy character-heavy storytelling. And there’s no need to be intimidated by the “economics” aspect of the show, because (un)fortunately there is really precious little of it to be had.
September 5th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
It has been good through the second season as well so far, keeping up the lively and witty banter between the two of them, as well as the people they interact with. Spice & Wolf is definitely a good anime series to follow, though people probably get turned off by what they deem to be “macroeconomics”.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
To me, the series suffers from some big flaws which makes it shine much less like a gem than yet another mediocrity. But on the other hand Amisuke really did a great job with Horo…
The second season writes home more about the one good thing about the show, which is their relationship. That makes it at least rewarding to watch, because you can think of it as some mono no aware thing or whatever. If you wanted to.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
I love the show for all the reasons described above. I keep the feeling that its plot contrivances and deals-gone-wrong sometimes manage to replicate the level of tension in Code Geass, but without all that “Geass” stuff going on, especially since Ami Koshimizu and Jin Fukuyama are working together again.
I can’t help but wonder if Yukana could do a good/better job than Koshimizu, which would make the connection even more Geass-y, since she played C.C. in Geass.
That said, I’m finding it a little difficult to grasp some of the concepts raised during exposition, the whole “buying on credit” saga from the 1st season, and the thing with the pyrite in the second. It might be a problem with the subs, or your own issue with oversimplification, but then again I suppose that’s why I went with Communications rather than Business for my degree.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
The first season has some big weaknesses in terms of plot, so I’m glad the 2nd season is focusing more on the duo’s relationship, even directing the events of the plot rather than being a nice side show.
The Horo/Lawrence relationship reminded me of Lafiel/Jinto also, and on multiple levels. Maybe it’s more telling of how pop TV programs, Hollywood movies, and typical anime saturate romance with an unbelievable amount of cliches and contrivances, but a relationship built on the slow revelation of honest feelings and complex interactions is exceedingly rare, but also exceedingly rewarding when done well. Granted, Horo being a long-lived animal god and Lafiel a long-living space-elf princess are contrivances of their own, but these facts aren’t beaten into your head or played up for the typical quick and cheap gut punches lesser writing is prone to. The keys are “subtlety” and “pacing”, and these things take real time to develop and bloom.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:14 am
unangbangkay: I watched niizk’s subs and their translation does create some ambiguity and weirdness in the dialogues. That said, the plot itself is probably partly to blame too.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:48 am
I liked the fist season and like the second one even better. As you say, the best thing about the show is the interaction between the two characters. And I also like the setting and the stories about commerce (well, maybe these are a little oversimplified, but I don’t mind).
September 6th, 2009 at 3:41 am
I missed that kind of post. You used to write articles like that few years ago.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Hmm…Had been watching since series 1. Liked it too.
Now will start watching the second season.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Agreed. Spice and Wolf is one of the few animes that doesn’t use fan service, but rather, witty dialogue and interesting plots to capture anime fans.
It’s a much welcomed change of scenery from the other recent animes for me.
Glad I’m not the only one who feels that way.
September 6th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
The newest season stands out like a beacon against the current animes being shown. There is no action , no super romance , no gutbusting comedy but i’m drawn to watching it regardless.
September 6th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Hmmm, when I originally watched Spice and Wolf last year, I wasn’t too fond of it since the plot seemed quite forced at times. However, I definitely see what you mean about it being character driven. Your description of Horo’s complex personality and relationship with Lawrence is spot on ^^. Perhaps I shall give season 2 a chance after all.
Great review!
September 7th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Spice and Wolf is a pretty good serious overall, but there are a few things which stop it from being a great series which is really a shame.
Firstly the commerce part is the core of the story, and I don’t know if it’s cause of the translation or just poor writing, but it’s often hard to understand what’s going on unless you watch it a few times. I think putting complicated schemes in a 24-minuted animated format is difficult but not impossible and they haven’t tried enough.
Secondly, the animation of the first season is very inconsistent, although the second season is much better.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Is skipping the first season and going to the second a good idea?
September 9th, 2009 at 2:24 am
@Marigold
Probably not. The first season is really good for all the same reasons as the second. But any good relationship takes time, and things really come to a head in season 2. You don’t want to miss the build up.
Also, excellent review! This is one of the only anime im watching from the recent stuff, and your description is perfect. Now, back to sorting through that beginning metaphor…..
September 11th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
The economics of Wolf and Spice is just a premise, an element move the plot forward. It’s an interesting setting, and a refreshing background to use for a romance show. Much like how art is the background of Honey and Clover – the show is all about romance, and the art and design culture behind the show is just the backdrop for the story.
Personally though, I love Holo so much she’s been the subject of my desktop wallpaper for more than a few times now :p
September 12th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
The interaction and dialogue between the two just keeps you on your toes. You don’t know what to expect next.
And yeah, the plot may seem a little shallow but hey, it’s originally a 12 volume (still on-going) light novel.
Now, to unwind the metaphors and analogies…
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January 10th, 2011 at 3:10 am
It’s an Unique show.
i can’t describe better…