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Spice and Wolf is an interesting series to say the least. Despite being a romantic comedy, a genre that typically inspires audible groans whenever I am subjected to it, this series actually manages to avoid many of the annoying pitfalls found in this genre. The tale of Lawrence and Holo, our protagonists is one that took me by surprise and showed me that this genre still has life.

Firstly, the art and animation in this series is fairly adequate. Particularly, the backgrounds are done very well done and definitely do well in breathing life into the world. You can also tell that this is ... a very eastern European inspired world because of the art. The characters themselves are drawn nicely aswell. The animation itself is nothing special, but doesn’t need to be to begin with, as the majority of the show consists of talking. There are a few action sequences here and there however, and they’re animated consistently with the art. One thing in particular I want to draw notice to is Holo, the main heroine’s design, in particular her eyes. They’re very expressive and show her mischievous nature which is a very important part of what makes her character work. You can tell they took great care in how they came up with her design as it mirrors her personality perfectly. Overall though, I have to say that this is a show that is pleasant to look at. It’s not amazing by any means, but still fairly above average.

The music in this anime is also fairly good. I especially enjoyed the opening and ending themes of the first seasons, although I didn’t care for the new ones in the second season. Otherwise, the music that plays during the actual show is done well and applies itself accordingly to what’s on screen. A lot of the music in it had this folk kind of feel to it, which I think perfectly fits the show. Now I have not listened to the Japanese dub but I can safely say that the English dub is a great one especially because of Brina Palencia who doesthe voice of Holo. She brings a sense of mischief, yet regal-ness to her character that is simply perfect. Michael Tatum as Lawrence is also done very well. Since Lawrence is kind of the straight man to Holo, he does a good job having a slight annoyance to his voice when putting up with Holo’s antics. Besides our protagonists the rest of the cast perform their roles well.

Spice and Wolf is primarily about Kraft Lawrence who is a traveling merchant whose goal is to make enough money to open up his own shop and Holo, a 600 year old wolf spirit who wants to go back to her home in Yoits. After the two meet for the first time Lawrence agrees to take her back to her home and the majority of the show is them traveling. What makes this show really work is the chemistry between these two. Unlike other shows like Inuyasha, where the interactions feel needlessly drawn out or unnatural, Lawrence and Holo honestly feel like they’re real people and just sound like they truly enjoy each other’s company. Holo, like I’ve mentioned before is a fairly mischievous character and she loves to toy with Lawrence. Lawrence becomes easily flustered with her due to his inexperience with women. This does change however. Throughout the two seasons of the show, the relationship these two have goes through a gradual development that feels very real. Lawrence becomes more quick witted and starts to retort Holo’s jokes. However the show isn’t simply watching them having fun together as there are conflicts the two endure during the course of their journey. Given that Holo is a wolf spirit, this often causes problems in more than one occasion and even Lawrence himself makes mistakes that get them into trouble. The show does a good job of keeping your interest for the most part; however I feel it sometimes gets too convoluted in one area in particular. A main point of the show is Lawrence being a merchant. A lot of the talk in the show deals with mercantilism and it can be hard to follow. Some of the things that happened in the second season for example went right over my head and I usually never have that sort of an issue. Still I have to admit that this is a small complaint in what is largely a very enjoyable story.

In the end Spice and Wolf is a show that I highly recommend. With decent art, great music, and a simply wonderful duo of protagonists, Spice and Wolf is a joy to watch. Granted, this is not a show for everyone but to those that it does appeal to, I find it hard to believe that you won’t enjoy it and hey maybe you’re like me and this normally isn’t the kind of show you like and it will impress you as much as it impressed me.