kylie73 - 2014-10-17 04:25:18

Spice and Wolf is without a doubt, one of the most unique and creative anime out there. Throwing together business, romance, and action elements along with an amazing plot and characters, Kraft Lawrence and Holo drag their audience through an experience unlike any other anime. 

The ending would have been terrible, if there was not a second season. Being reassured by the fact of more episodes, the non-ending-like ending felt more like the beginning of the next part of their journey, relationship, and life. 

While the sound and animation was nothing over the top or special, it added to the simple / old fashion setting which was present in Spice and Wolf. As you know (unless this is just something that happens to me), every anime gives off a feeling, either happy, sad, relaxing, suspenseful or even multiple feelings together, such as those in Nagi no Asukara or the Clannad anime. Spice and Wolf felt like you were actually in the setting of the plot, and you are warm and secure. Even when suspenseful event occur, there is a very reassuring aura. This is unique to any of the anime I have seen. Nothing gave off the amazing feeling that Spice and Wolf gave. 9/10

adella.okuneva - 2014-09-14 17:05:40

judson44 - 2014-09-06 23:52:28

Summary: The peddler Kraft Lawrence travels through the world selling all kinds of things. After visiting a village, he discovers a sleeping girl under the pelts in his cart. She has wolf ears and a tail. The wolf girl explains that she has been called a "god," but that her name is Holo and nothing more. Lawrence teases the girl a little, but after hearing more of her story, he is moved and decides to accompany her further north. On their travels the two have many adventures, often getting into trouble, but the bond between them grows stronger.

Story: The story of Spice and Wolf follows Lawrence and Holoas they journey across Europe buying and selling goods.  Both seasons have 2 story arcs set in one ofthese towns. I actually preferred season ones arcs over season 2. Granted theyare both really good but I feel season 2 focused way too much on the economics soit was harder to understand then season 1.  As far as the ending goes I preferred season 1’sending as well. The ending was left open ended and overall was very good. But,season 2 left multiple plot holes towards the end and overall wasn’t as good asseason 1. But, if you take the story as whole it is very good and has a lot ofinteresting characters in it.

Animation:  Season 1and Season 2 were animated by 2 separate studios. But, both studios did a greatjob and the transition from Season 1 to Season 2 is pretty similar. Bothseasons look very fluid with nice character and background animation. As far asI could tell there were no dips in quality and overall the series was very welldone.

Sound:  I’ll startwith the cast of voices. Both the sub and dub are excellent. The voiceactors/actresses do a great job voicing all the characters and I can’t say thatI disliked any of them. The intro for both seasons is also very good and isreally well done. Finally the soundtrack for the series is very good and reallyworks well with the setting. 

Characters: I will mostly be discussing the two maincharacters Holo and Lawrence. Holo is what really makes this show worthwatching. She is a funny and entertaining character who is also good at being seriousas well. Every moment on screen is excellent. Lawrence is also an interestingcharacter who explains the economics of being a merchant throughout the series.Both characters are very fun to watch and make the show entertaining. There arealso multiple side characters as well that all have roles in the story. I didn’tdislike any of the characters in the series as they all had their own motivesfor doing things and they kept the show going.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed season 1 more than season 2.Both are very good overall but, season 1 did a better job at focusing on Holoover the economics side of things while season 2 focused more on economics tothe point where the economics started getting harder to understand. Between itsinteresting cast of characters and nice setting Spice and Wolf is a great watchfor any anime fan. 

gwatsica - 2014-05-05 05:11:52

Note: This review is based solely on season one.

Based on light novels of the same name, Spice and Wolf became one of the more popular shows on the air in early 2008. The show’s promise to revolve around economics easily encouraged me to watch, as I am currently studying economics. The business and economics side of the show were entertaining, but it ended up being Spice and Wolf’s strong lead characters that really kept me coming back to watch another episode.

But first, let’s take a look of the story. Taking place in medieval times, Spice and Wolf begins with a merchant named Kraft Lawrence arriving in a small town of Pasroe for a harvest festival. Upon his arrival, however, Lawrence meets a woman named Holo, who claims to be the harvest deity of the surrounding lands. Being forsaken by those around her, Holo requests that Lawrence aid her in returning to her home in the North, to which Lawrence agrees. From there the story follows the pair as they travel to various towns so that Holo can return home and Lawrence can move forward with his own dream of making enough money to create his own shop. The thirteen episodes can be subdivided into two smaller arcs. Each arc focuses around a business opportunity that is presented to Lawrence. After seeing a chance to turn a profit, the remaining episodes in both arcs revolve around showing Lawrence’s and Holo’s attempts to rake in the money. Both arcs place an emphasis on dialogue - both between Holo and Lawrence, and between the duo and secondary characters – over action or suspense, and for this reason it is hard to recommend this show to those who are best entertained through over-the-top fighting sequences. Spice and Wolf is not without the latter two, though, as characters occasionally find themselves in a difficult scenario where kind words just won’t cut it. The mix of more action-orientated scenes helps to offset the occasional lulls in the conversations, and Spice and Wolf’s story is better because of it. The scenes of dialogue that dominate Spice and Wolf do a great job of not only helping the story move forward, but also help to push the developments of the characters as well.

Thanks to the solid story, the characters of Spice and Wolf are allowed to shine. The wolf deity Holo shows herself to be the best developed character in the show. Holo come across as sassy, sharp, and sarcastic as she often berates Lawrence and a few of the other smaller characters that she encounters. On more than one occasion she goes a step further by openly mocking the characters she shares the screen with. Holo also plays a large role in aiding with Lawrence’s business deals. She is quite shrewd and crafty, and is more than willing to use these strengths to help Lawrence take advantage of his business deals. These various aspects to her outward personality make Holo extremely entertaining to watch, and I always perked up when Holo was conversing with others (not that I was bored when she wasn’t). Just as entertaining is the side Holo attempts to hide from others. Over the duration of the show Holo reveals herself to have real fears and vulnerabilities beneath her veil of confidence. The fact that so many words can be used to describe Holo is evidence in just how real a person she appears to be, and a result she is the gem of the show.

Holo’s travelling partner Kraft Lawrence is the other major character in Spice and Wolf. Lawrence is at his best when interacting with Holo, as he brings out the best in Holo, but he can is still a decent character even when he is not sharing the screen with her. Lawrence always does his best to stay true to his word, claiming that a failure to do so would hurt his reputation as a merchant. However, his willingness to keep a promise when there are no potential costs to betraying it suggests that he also has very strong morals. But this doesn’t keep Lawrence from trying to get the best deal possible in the many trades that he engages in throughout the show. This turns out to be one of Lawrence’s more appealing aspects, and one of the more entertaining aspects in the show. Seeing Lawrence’s many “duels” to try and get the best bargains are absorbing as he and his opponent use information about the product, the market, and themselves to try and change the price in a favorable direction.

A few other characters will make semi-regular appearances on the show. These secondary characters have little character development and backstory, and their purpose is mainly to push the story forward or to help explain the business deals and economic factors that are playing a role in the show. Although not as captivating as Lawrence or Holo, these smaller characters still feel fairly complex and human rather than being one-dimensional. This makes the interactions in Spice and Wolf that much more fun and interesting to watch.

The aesthetics of Spice and Wolf were also done quite well for the most part. Character designs for most characters are distinctive. The town squares, bars, and other areas where much of the show takes place initially feel well done too, but they lose their appeal over time as they all look exactly the same. The animation itself looks good, with a pretty strong attention to detail. Character voices in the dubbed version are very distinctive and the voice actors behind them do a great job at portraying their character’s current moods and overall personalities. Environmental sounds, such as a cart rolling along a cobblestone road also sound as expected. Both the opening and ending theme do excellent jobs at mimicking the general tone of the show.

Spice and Wolf attempts to be a character-focused show, which is good news when you look at its main characters. Holo’s and Lawrence’s interactions with each other are top-notch and really bring out the best the show has to offer. Their conversations alone are enough on their own to get me to recommend this show to anyone who doesn’t require tons of action to have enjoyment.

yost.juwan - 2014-04-09 16:56:53

What if I told you that there was an anime about business? About the fluctuation in value of a variety of currencies? Would you watch it? Let’s be honest here, probably not. Maybe you’d watch it if I told you the story is set in medieval times. Still no? Well then, there’s also a fox girl that appears naked during the very first episode. Did that get your interest? Good, because you should watch this anime. Ladies and gentlemen, Spice and Wolf.

The Story

Spice and Wolf is a story about a peddler named Kraft Lawrence who travels through the World while selling a variety of goods. His goal is of course to make profit by doing this and in general he does a pretty good job at it. After visiting his village, and getting mildly turned on by his old friend named Chloe he meets someone underneath of the pelts in his cart. It’s a woman named Holo, she is a apparently a well known goddess. The funny thing is though, that she has wolf ears and a tail. And oh yeah, she’s naked. Holo however, isn’t completely happy with her life as it currently is and wants to return to her own village in the north. Eventually Lawrence, the nice that he is, decides to let her accompany him to the north. And trust me when I say that it’s going to be one hell of a journey. We follow their day by day journey to the north while getting a lot of talk about economics thrown at us. However, it isn’t that complicated which is a very good thing. The anime does a great job at explaining us what’s going on and why the amount of silver in this god damn coin is so important.

The first three episodes start out a little slowly but you will soon get gripped by the story in question and it will not let you go, so don’t try resisting, you know you love it. Keep in mind that this is a very conversation heavy anime and that if you don’t like this, you might not like Spice and Wolf. However there is a little bit of action, not the kind of action that gives the average Naruto fan a hard on but the kind of action that feels like it matters. Lives are on the line here, damnit!

The story gets an 8/10.

The animation

Spice and Wolf looks absolutely amazing! The surroundings, the characters, even the apples look great. Since there isn’t a whole lot of action going on this might not seem that important but trust me when I say that in an anime like this, it really is. The beautifully drawn and animated cities and characters each have a very distinctive feel to them, they entirely immerse you into their world. The movements of characters might seem a little jerky sometimes but it’s something that can be overlooked and doesn’t annoy me at all.

The animation get’s a 9/10

The sound

Holy shit the sound, I don’t even know where to start with this. It might just be my weakness for medieval folk music but wow did this soundtrack amaze me. Yes, the opening and the ending both might seem a little underwhelming but they fit the show perfectly and sound nice to the ears. The music during the actual anime itself is great too and doesn’t let down for even a second. The sound effects in general are nothing special but they seem fitting enough for their surroundings. When I started this anime I decided to watch the first episode in the dubbed version, and then again in the subbed version. Both versions are great,. What I do think is worth mentioning though is that Holo is voiced by Brina Palencia in the English dub, you might know her as Ciel from Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) or Ennis from Baccano! She does a damn great job and fits Holo’s character perfectly.

The sound gets a 10/10.

The Characters

There isn’t that much to say here. The characters are likeable enough, you can feel if you can trust a certain character or not. You’ll end up yelling “I KNEW IT!” because of some characters just because you didn’t quite trust them from the beginning. This is probably the anime’s major flaw though, the characters hardly get any development at all. What do we know about Lawrence? He’s a peddler, he likes money, he can be a little greedy and he’s witty. But that’s really where it ends, which I think they could’ve improved on. Holo sometimes gives a couple of hints towards her past but that’s about it.

The character department gets a 7.5/10

Verdict

Please, for the love of profit, watch this anime! It’s one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve had in a long time and there’s definitely something to find for everyone. Whether it’s the wonderfully played out romance factor and chemistry between the two main characters, the intrigue or the business talk, you’ll almost certainly love it or at least enjoy it.

Spice and Wolf is definitely a must-watch for everyone who appreciates good anime, that’s all I have to say. If you don’t agree with the overall score, go write your own damn review.

Spice and Wolf gets a well deserved 8.62/10.

clemmie68 - 2013-11-25 17:05:03

The idea of a "Slice of Life" show has really lost its meaning in modern times. When I look into the anime community and ask for a slice of life show, then someone will direct me to K-On, Haruhi, or some other high school focused slice of life show. As such, any non-action focused anime that takes place in high school, which is almost all of them, has been given the title of Slice of Life. I, however, look at that title in a very different way. In my opinion, a slice of life show is any show that takes a look into a certain world, different from our own, and shows us what it is like to live in that world. When I define a Slice of Life show, I go outside the world of anime, and use the show Scrubs as the best example. Scrubs shows us the day to day life of a doctor, shown through the eyes of the main character, JD. What does this have to do with Spice and Wolf? Spice and Wolf is, though it doesn't seem to be, a story about what it's like to be a trader and salesman in Medieval times, with some brilliant character development and outside themes on the side. So let's jump in to the world of Spice and Wolf.

As is typically common with most slice of life shows, there really isn't a central plot in Spice and wolf. The show centers around the merchant Kraft Lawrence, who is a fairly experienced, but not excessively successful peddler who travels around the countryside, with the intent of making enough money to start his own shop. While stopping over in the town of Pasloe, he hears the legend of the Wise Wolf. Long years ago, the town of Pasloe could not grow near enough wheat to keep itself afloat, and so its citizens went hungry. The town, however, was visited by a noble spirit, in the wise wolf, who resided in the wheat, and blessed the town with good harvests for many many years. However, with the rise of the church and the rise of modern technology, the townspeople have forsaken their guardian spirit, and celebrate the harvest and the wolf only as tradition. As Lawrence leaves the town, and stops at a field for the night, he finds in his cart a young girl, with red eyes. He is startled to discover a set of furry ears and a tail on the girl, and is even more shocked when she stands up and howls at the moon. The girl in his cart introduces herself as the Wise Wolf Holo, who desires to return to her homeland in the north, yet is bound to the wheat in Lawrence's cart. From this point, the two become traveling companions and travel further and further north, aiming for Holo's home. Beyond this, spice and wolf doesn't really have much of a central plot. It has a series of conflicts that take up the episode, but I'd be remiss to really call them separate plots, because none of them really give closure. However, the show does a brilliant job of making every little thing interesting, even the economics which it focuses around. And yes, the show focuses HEAVILY on economics. However, even if it gets kind of boring, I don't really care much, because every economic conflict leads to Holo doing or saying something positively exceptional, and I have to say that I love that. Even the smaller conflicts manage to keep the show brilliantly interesting, and reveal something wonderful about the two main characters, which, in itself, is amazing. Story gets a 10/10

The characters in Spice and Wolf are what makes the show truly great. Firstly, we have to talk about our lead female, and easily the stunner of the show, Holo. Holo is a very complex and interesting character, and changes from this seemingly antiquated figure to this highly modern and clever girl. Holo isn't called the wise wolf for nothing, as her cleverness and wits help Lawrence out in tons of business deals, from noting certain extra elements of his cargo to checking faulty scales. But what makes holo so interesting is her wit. She is sassy, sarcastic and is clever, and it is her conversations with lawrence that drive the show as far as it does. Yet she also has the capacity to seem very weak and very warm, especially when it comes to Lawrence. That complex nature of a character that is soft and warm, yet is at the same time clever and brilliant is something most anime don't even bother exploring, but I am so glad that Spice and Wolf did. Secondly, we have Kraft Lawrence, our main male protagonist. Lawrence is.... well on the surface he's very boring. He isn't insanely ambitious, he's a decent merchant at best, and he's not excessively brilliant. What makes Lawrence such a good character is how he plays off with Holo. Lawrence is very moral, idealistic, and is brilliant with people, which explains his success as a merchant. His nature as a simple man contrasts Holo's sassy and clever nature. It is the interactions between these two characters that make Spice and Wolf, and without them I don't see any reason to watch this show. The Side characters are interesting in themselves, but not so much so that they make the show great. Characters also get a 10/10

Spice and Wolf was produced by studio Imagin, who have been, in their totality, responsible for next to nothing. In terms of their own work, Spice and Wolf is their only notable work, and even in others' work, the only notable thing they've worked on was Eureka Seven. For that lack of experience, Spice and Wolf is positively gorgeous. The character designs are, for lack of a better word, perfect. Everyone is perfectly designed for who they are supposed to be, and for their characters. Holo's outfits are brilliantly gorgeous, Lawrence is perfectly plain, and all the other characters are colored and drawn brilliantly. For animation itself, the show is pretty dang good, without any major hitches, however, there really isn't much movement in this show to begin with, and there are a few segments that are slightly awkward. Despite this though, animation easily gets a 9/10

Spice and Wolf's soundtrack is very subtle but very clever. The show has a lot of pretty, easygoing tracks, but is easily able to get quick and dire when the situation demands it. I don't have anything but good to say about this soundtrack, so I'd just recommend listening to a few tracks to get it under control. In terms of sub and dub, I would vote for dub because it's a highly dialogue heavy show, and because Brina Palencia's performance as Holo is astounding. From someone who I'd never even heard of before this show, she stands out, and plays the character the way she was meant to be played. Shoutouts to my favorite VA J. Michael Tatum for playing Lawrence perfectly, and to the rest of the cast for doing a very good job. Apart from a select few side characters being a bit lame, the show played itself brilliantly. Finally, the opening of this show is phenomenal. It is beautiful, the song is gorgeous, and there's nothing more I need to say. Sound gets a 10/10

(SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN CONCLUSION)

It is rare that a show like Spice and Wolf comes out, and especially when it's left to near novices. The character development and dialogue in this show are almost unparalleled in the field of anime, and it would be remiss to miss a show like this. Despite a few small issues in animation quality, which is to be expected of a novice studio, and a few minor dub flubs, this show is easily in the top 20 shows I've ever seen, and is probably the best example of a slice of life show I've seen thus far. So, my final verdict: Spice and wolf gets a 9.25 out of 10

mraz.minerva - 2013-10-24 06:37:56

Story:

I gave the plot a 10 because it's so... new and unique to me. I've been seeing and watching a lot of anime and almost all of it revolves around high school students, their cliched plots, and their forced romance and watching Spice and Wolf makes me feel refreshed. I don't know if it's just me but I love the story despite people kept telling me that it's boring.

Animation:

The animation is great though it had some flaws but still great.

Sound:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the opening song but I kinda dislike the ending song but it's not that bad. I've seen a lot of Engrish songs so yeah. I love the soundtracks too, I love the "Ye Olde" feel of the soundtracks.

Character:

There are a lot of things I love about Spice and Wolf and one of it is it's character development. I love how their feelings for each other aren't forced and we really see how they developed through each episode/arc. Their designs are great especially Holo because she's sooooo cute!

Enjoyment:

One of my curriculum at school is economics and I personally enjoyed the whole show because I was able to understand some of the trading systems they have. I also enjoyed Lawrence and Holo's adventure to the North. I enjoyed so much that I'm planning to buy the light novels when they're already translated by Yen Press because I want to know more! I love this!

Overall:

It's a great anime. I can say it's a bit underrated because only some people have seen it's greatness. You might think this review is a bit biased but I can't help it. The following statement is purely subjective: It's the second best anime show (next to Steins;Gate) I (emphasis on the I) have ever seen!

forest.lowe - 2013-08-11 17:02:16

STORY:

Even though the theme of the story (it's about business and tradings) is not really that exciting and interesting, the story itself is near to a masterpiece. The flow of the story goes very smoothly and it really is a well-done plot. Roughly it's about a merchant who met a wolf-girl claiming to be the worshiped wise wolf, Holo, and together they went on a journey of trading to the north, where Holo came from.

ANIMATION:

The animation is really good as it's very smooth an clear, the only down side is that sometimes the characters' movements are somewhat stiff, but it's good generally.

SOUND:

Dat opening song. Really well-done. Though I personally don't like the ending song since it's very childish. The soundtracks are generally good to hear but can be a bit boring.

CHARACTERS:

The characters' designs are generally good and suits each characters' personality. I love how each characters develop after every episodes, especially Holo, who changed a lot throughout the anime. I also especially like Kraft Lawrence's reaction and action after every problem, trying to make any problems give him advantages. Th only thing I didn't like was the side characters, because most didn't get much screen time and I don't really like their behavior that much (not going to say who -spoilers-)

ENJOYMENT:

For those who can enjoy this kind of anime, I really really recommend you to watch it, it might bit boring but as the story goes, it's actually a very exciting story, though I myself don't really get some parts since I'm not a merchant, lol. That's probably the only thing that would decrease your enjoyment, personally some parts bores me because of all the business talks I don't really understand, but otherwise it's excellent anime to watch! :D

ivy57 - 2013-06-25 01:40:03

Do profit margins give you a boner!? If so, then you will love this series. Otherwise, if you are a normal person, you will still enjoy it.The constant dialog keeps the story going even if it is sometimes mundane or about advanced economics. I watched the dubbed version and Holo's voice sound hawt.The OP is absolutely fantastic! The song is wonderful and the images do a decent job of representing the series. The ED is really bad, including terrible Engrish. It's just so childish. What, are we in kindergarten now?Holo is a toned down version of Haruhi Suzumiya who just can't get enough of herself and sweet food/alcohol. Merchant dude, AKA Kraft Lawrence, is basically Kyon after getting a PhD in economics.The ending isn't the best and the plot feels rushed at times. The supporting characters vary from good to mediocre and not much time is spent on any individual one.Overall, it's a good way to pass the time but there are much better shows out there.This is my first review and it's late at night, so give me all your harsh biased criticism and comments about Holo's nonexistent nipples and genitals.Thank you and may God bless and watch over you and may your harvests be bountiful and tariffs low.

kovacek.mason - 2013-03-17 18:27:45

Spice and wolf is a show that realises that it can’t try to be the jack of all trades, but it’s quite happy being the master of one.

S&W begins following the travels of a merchant called Laurence through what can only be described as a mild fantasy version of medieval Europe, whilst stopping by in a local town, Laurence accidentally picks up our other main character, a Pagan wolf-god in human form (abit with wolf ear’s and a tail) who goes by the name Holo. She wishes to be aided to travel to her home up north and from there on out, S&W focuses less on the destination and more on the journey. 

Simply put, the two characters of Laurence and Holo are both wonderfully realised and their interactions with one another are a joy to watch. Part of this charm extends from the fact that their characters are rooted in reality, Laurence himself is just a ordinary guy who just happens to be in extra-ordinary circumstances and similarly Holo, despite being a wolf, is a rather human character, flaw’s and all. This isn’t a show about action sequences and nor is it one about forced relationships, instead S&W get’s by on solid writing and acting alone. 

Initially in the opening few episodes conversations had a tendency to flow un-naturally every now and then but as time goes on it becomes quite clear that Laurence and Holo become more relaxed with one another and both the writing and the acting reflect this subtle change over time. Though it’s well worth mentioning that more then just this change is captured well; Brina Palencia gives a sense of playful regality to Holo which perfectly reflects her character as one to not act without thought nor having thought out what to do when acting, even in the most serious of situations. Though her mannerisms also play a welcome role in defining Holo’s character, flicks of a tail and ear flops speak more then words ever could and this is carried over to other elements to. Even Holo’s posture, pose and language seek to reflect her status as a wolf at times and it really is a splendid use of the medium. 

Holo isn’t the only one standing in the spot light though and Laurence thankfully get’s a similar treatment. J. Michael Tatum employs a cautious and collected tone to Laurence, which given his current occupation go rather well in hand with another more curious tone as he consistently seeks to find a new way of making profit via an opening in a new market or at the suggestions of others.

Together, the two of them are constantly poking fun at each another and making snarky remarks at the expense of one another. None of the interaction feel’s forced and never does the show stoop to include risqué scenarios to appease fan service. The relationship between Laurence and Holo feel’s natural as it develops over time and it is by far the best thing the show has going for it.

Unfortunately though, S&W doesn’t just have character interaction on its plate as is suffers from doing a number of other things fairly well, but not really all that well in comparison to the aforementioned interaction. 

The first of these is what actually happens in each episode, throughout its length, S&W encompasses a small number of story arch’s that play out in a way that I could only really describe as finance battles, with great focus spent of detailing how the economy works in the world of S&W, and just as much time spent talking about how to take advantage of it for the sake of profit. And while I can applaud the decision to try and stem high risk scenarios from a source other then gratuitous violence, I can’t deny the fact that generally, I just found the proceeding’s of these stories dull. Their pacing is more at home on the medium that S&W was originally written for but in a TV show spread out over a number of episodes they loose their appeal.

To an extent, these stories do serve a purpose quite well because they allow us to see more from the main characters. Seeing the otherwise calm Laurence loose himself over his current situation and subsequently seeing how Holo reacts to this new side of her friend does continue to aid their development as characters, and in that regard the show still holds its appeal throughout these sequences. 

Or at least it would do if it wasn’t common for the two main characters to be separated for what ever reason in such sequences leaving us with the small selection of side characters that populate S&W’s roster. None of these characters are massively deep in any way and nor are they voiced in a way to write home about, and it’s unfortunate to say it, but even for a world that holds quite a bit of potential, it doesn’t really have anyone else to show for that fact, and it’s a real downer considering how well things are handled else were. 

Another problem with said finance battles is that they primarily take place in city’s and the art work for the city’s is a place were the budget of S&W is quite present, for the most part, the streets are rather empty giving an almost convenient lack of life to the environments. This is excusable given how much time it takes to animate a crowd, but the problem really stems from the streets themselves. If you go into any urban environment you will immediately notice a lack of coherence between structures, building heights and widths vary here and there and each architect’s own style can be seen adorning each building with love. S&W doesn't really capture this not nearly well enough to give the cities a sense of vibrancy in amongst the chaos of urban living, the repeated vanishing point perspectives and rather dull straight edges that are pretty common give the setting an almost sterile feel to them that really doesn't lend its self well to the setting or show considering the length of time that is spent in said cities. 

It’s worth noting though that the country side backgrounds are generally an exception to the rule and do remain pleasing enough to the eye throughout the show’s duration.

Animation is unfortunately another area where the show suffers from it’s budget, while expressions look nice enough most of the time, and the aforementioned mannerisms are lovely, for the most part the character art and the character animation is below par and rather choppy. This is excusable given the rare need of smooth animation, but it’s a shame to be honest, and I would love to have seen it a bit smoother, or at least weightier at times.

To summarise, Spice and Wolf isn’t the jack of all trades, nor is it a masterpiece, but it does what it does well and deserves credit for being a lovely and rather slow experience. If you’re at all interested by all means give it a punt, because with any luck you might just like it more then you though you might.