Spice and Wolf. This title combined with the seemingly furry cover art might make this series look like pure generic weeaboo bait. Well, looks like the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is still alive and kickin’. There aren’t a lot of series like Spice and Wolf that can pull off fantasy, economics, and, let’s face it, a goddamn furry wolf girl and be able to do it tastefully and realistically. Ah, and did I mention it somehow makes Medieval Economics 101 somehow entertaining?
Centuries ago, the pagan wolf deity “Holo” traveled south from her homeland and became a goddess of the small farming village of Pasloe. In return for their company, Holo would ensure that their crops would ripen well. As time passed, and farming technologies became more advanced, the villagers slowly backed away from their commitment. In her “human” form she comes upon Lawrence, a traveling merchant. From this, another commitment is made. Holo will try to help with Lawrence’s business endeavors, and in return he will return her to the north. Various antics ensure, involving currency devaluation schemes, price fluctuations, and shepherdess hiring… Just try to trust me when I say that the series does a good job on making these topics both entertaining and interesting.
Imagining an anime series built around economics, especially in a medieval atmosphere, does not seem too appealing. However, the smooth flow of the plot and the tension it creates makes this feat all the more impressive. I will admit that some of the intricacies of economics that the show introduces may go over some viewer’s heads, but the show does its best to tell the general idea as well. There is some mortal danger thrown into the mix at some points, which does well with ramping up the tension, as well as giving Holo an excuse to use her wolf form. As a whole, the plot smoothly transitions between leisurely banter and some of the more tense parts.
That’s not to say it’s all about economics, however. A lot of it has to do with the chemistry and banter between Lawrence and Holo, and their different perspectives and lifestyles. Holo is a pagan goddess who lives life for pleasure and interaction, while Lawrence has a very practical mind, and always thinks like a merchant where everything can be related to economics or bartering. Because of these two perspectives, conversations are quite dynamic, even though an entire episode can pass without much else going on except the two leads talking with each other. Still, the sharp and witty byplay between Holo and Lawrence never seems to get old. Character development is done very well in this regard, and feels quite organic compared to most series where drama seems forced or changes unrealistically. If you’re looking for pure fan service and wolf goddess yiffing, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. Sure, we are talking about a girl with wolf ears and a tail, and there is nudity in some scenes, but it comes off as tasteful with it being more as an expression of character rather than purely pandering to the fans. Her playful and clever attitude, under toned with the loneliness of centuries of isolation, is a welcome reprieve from the generic tsundere heroines which are becoming all too popular these days.
As a whole, the animation is either hit or miss. The backgrounds look very organic and are very detailed, but there are some points where they seemed to have made shortcuts on drawing the characters. Thankfully the facial expressiveness with both Lawrence and Holo remains to be better than most throughout the series. Also, I’m just going to come out and say it: with the parts with nudity, Holo doesn’t have nipples. Yeah. I understand that they need to do so if they want to be TV-broadcasted, but this remains on the DVD version.
The soundtrack, however, is done excellently. Many of the pieces are primarily fiddle or accordion, which creates a folksy vibe that works well with the series. If I have any gripe, it’s the Engrish-laden ending song, but that’s what skipping is for. As for the English voice actors, they do an impressive job as well. Holo’s voice fits perfectly with her personality with the quick and subtle shifts in demeanor, and the general haughtiness in which she speaks doesn’t get old.
All in all, Spice and Wolf’s wonderful character dynamics and unique plots is a breath of fresh air which cannot be compared to any series so far, so long as you don’t mistake it as a furry-pandering fanservice fest. Season 1 is already released in the US (some of which you can see online here), with season 2 coming out in early 2011.
Story: A-
Animation/Art: B
Music/Sound: A
Overall: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment