Spice and Wolf II
狼と香辛料IIKraft Lawrence, an experienced traveling merchant, and his sharp tongued wolf goddess companion, Holo, continue on their journey to return to Holo's home in the north called Yoitsu. A tender relationship blossoms between the two as they make deals and travel between cities.
Reviews
gondricka - 2015-01-11 10:52:24
All the praise I gave the first season can be said about the second season, with the exception of a proper ending.
brent65 - 2014-12-27 06:56:17
Wolf girl gets drunk as fuck and does stupid shit. 10/10
mcronin - 2014-12-25 07:14:27
Overall this anime is a titan, were the characters work impeccably well with the setting, the sound's of the world and the plot. All combining in what I can only call a master piece.
vryan - 2014-10-29 02:37:42
While the first season was better, the second season was only lacking because of the "not so ending like" ending.
Overall as a series, Spice and Wolf is a truly unique anime which focuses on character development and one hell of a story / characters. Everything in Spice and Wolf was warm and seemed to be shining, leaving other animes in the dust. Would be a 10/10 if the ending wasnt so cut off.
Other than that, this is a must watch! 8/10
bluettgen - 2014-10-04 18:01:30
I've been wating for 9 months and this is better than the child I was co-currently waiting 9 months for. The baby can't even handle being Lawrence it's useless.
nathanael74 - 2014-09-14 17:06:40
stephany.schumm - 2014-08-08 12:50:20
The story in Spice and Wolf II is its weakest point; the episodic format in conjunction with a distant goal results in a plot that often doesn't have much focus. However the episodic format does allow for the development of the characters which are the crux of the anime. The animation for Spice and Wolf is great without being beautiful and acts like as a perfect backdrop to the development that occurs in the foreground of anime.
Sound effects are improved. Furious door bashing that made me turn my head around to see if it was my door. The music in this one borrows many of the same songs from first season, but some new ones are there which is nice for a change. The opening is slow paced like the first one but more beautiful than epic. Ending song is also good. It must be said that the English Dub for this anime is superior to the Japanese Dub. Not only is the dialogue perfectly inline with the context of the anime but the voice-actors themselves did a fantastic job in bringing out the specific nuances of their characters.
This brings us to crux of the anime, the characters. This is perhaps what makes this anime my favorite of all time. The characters are fleshed out beautifully and the writers did a brilliant job in balancing out the sassiness, the intelligence and quirkiness of the characters. All in all it created my favourite character and series of all time. It definitely deserves its 10/10
oohara - 2014-08-06 16:04:37
This anime is like naruto but instead of becoming a ninja the main character lives out his sexual fantasies with a wolf
10/10
audreanne.altenwerth - 2013-10-25 01:08:55
This is a review of both Seasons 1 and 2 of Spice and Wolf and contains no spoilers (other than some of ep 1).
When most people see this anime, the first thing they usually see is a naked wolf girl with a pretty suggestive look on her face, (hell that's how I found it), but when I decided to give this anime a view, what I discovered was a very enjoyable anime that was more about the journey itself, than the "ending." Welcome to a review of a personal favorite anime of mine, Spice and Wolf I and II.
Story:
The Story begins with our main protagonist, Kraft Lawrence, who is a simple, travelling merchant. (I should also mention that the show takes place in a very rural setting.) Anyway, Lawrence is a travelling merchant who stops by the town of Pasroe during its harvest festival. One night, he looks inside his carriage and soon discovers a girl, wearing nothing but the hair on her head.......and a tail and her big wolf ears.
This girl tells Lawrence that her name is Holo, and that she is the wolf deity who watches over the town of Pasroe. Much to the disbelief of Lawrence, he asks her to prove it to him by transforming into a wolf, and she does as told right before disappearing. Later on the two meet up again, and Holo asks Lawrence to take her with him on his travels, so she can return to her home up north, and Lawrence agrees. This is where the journey of Spice and Wolf begins.
The story of this show, honestly, is nothing too special in terms of actual plot. The show follows the journey of Lawrence and Holo as they travel and try to make a living as they go from town to town. The show relies primarily on its episodes being divided into certain towns, usually being split up by arcs. Each arc also for the most part contains some kind of drama or problem that can only be solved by the cunning Lawrence and his trusty wolf transforming partner, Holo. However, not all arcs are like this as there are few episodes that are actually very relaxing and focus primarily on the character development of Lawrence and Holo, which also happens to be the main driving point of the show itself.
Overall, the story is pretty enjoyable. There's enough drama to help keep you interested in something other than its characters, plus the daily problems also introduce a lot of new, interesting, and (mostly) lovable characters.
Characters:
The main characters consist of the two protagonists I mentioned earlier:
Kraft Lawrence
(I couldn't resist)
Lawrence, the main protagonist of the show is, as I mentioned earlier, a simple man whose main aspirations are to one day be able to save up enough cash so he can open up his own shop. This also happens to be the dream of a lot of travelling merchants, as this way it is easier for a man to be able to settle down one day and get married. However, all of this changes on the day that he meets Holo, as he promises to take her north back to her homeland, after she discovered that the people who lived in her town don't need a wolf deity watching over them any longer.
Kraft Lawrence is an average Merchant, which makes for an interesting main protagonist. For anyone who has read my reviews, it has pretty much become a trend where the main protagonist is a (mostly) normal man. Likewise with those other reviews, this is only a compliment as we can really focus on what makes his personality so great and not judge him only based on his actions or badassness. The first and best thing to mention, when he sees naked women, he does NOT get nosebleeds (though he does sometimes get embarrassed). While this should be enough to justify his greatness, there are other characteristics that make him so great.
An example would be his personality. While he is cunning and has a way with words, he also has a tendency to become greedy and bite off more than he can chew. After all, he's human. And like with all humans, he has a hard time resisting the temptation of greed. Luckily, he's always got his "wise" partner to bail him out of trouble.
Holo "The Wise Wolf"
Holo (or pronounced Horo in Japanese) is the star of the show and is the reason why this is anime is as great as it is. Don't misunderstand. There are plenty of reasons why I have a deep fondness for this show, however Holo is the prime reason. There's no genre to define Holo's character, as there are not enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe her in general. However if a word had to be picked, charming would be the best way to put it.
(this charm is probably the biggest reason Lawrence decided to take Holo along)
There are plenty of other quirks to Holo's personality, but I'll leave it up to you to discover what they are. However, one cannot mention Holo without mentioning her English voice actor, Brina Palencia. To say that she knocked it out of the park is an understatement. She perfectly captures everything Holo is and more and sells a performance that, in my opinion, is one of the best performances in anime history.
Overall, Holo is undeniably one of the greatest heroines in anime. She manages to be a great character, but the greatest part is that she does not have to carry the show, since Spice and wolf manages to do fine when the show decides to focus more on Lawrence as he's a great character in his own right. The show also introduces some side characters who you truly care for and each receive a good amount of character development for the amount of screen time they get. However, the show is undeniably truly at its best when Holo is on scene. It should be no surprise to anyone that Holo is and will most likely continue to be, my favorite anime character ever.
Animation:
Spice and Wolf is a series of light novels, written by Isuna Hasekura. It was eventually picked up by Studio Imagin, who have not animated much, but are mostly known for Eureka Seven and Mushishi. The actual animation itself is pretty above average, but the most captivating quality of the show is the art style. The character designs are pretty good (though some side characters look a little bland), however the best part of the show is the multitude of colors this show decides to use. While it can use a variety of any color, like Holo's different clothing and her and Lawrence's colored hair, the colors never become overbearing. In fact, they're generally pretty relaxing to look at.
(simple, yet beautiful)
Honestly, this show is just a treat to look at. The show's job is not to blow you away with over the top animation and a crazy combination of colors. Its job is to provide a clean view of a pretty simplistic, yet gorgeous world.
Sound:
The music in this show is arguably the weakest part. By no means is it bad, as there are some very quality songs on the soundtrack.
(and my personal favorite)
Again, I don't want anyone to walk away from this review thinking the soundtrack is a weak link. The show's soundtrack is good, but to be honest, I was just expecting more. The songs never really do much more than set the tone, but in a show that relies heavily on its atmosphere and characters to sell the show, I kind of wished that the music did more for the show than just being the background. Others may have enjoyed the soundtrack more than I have, however, I wish the music played a larger role, especially in an era where music was a big thing.
Enjoyment:
As I've said earlier, this is a show that is more about the journey than the "ending." I didn't find myself not enjoying this show for a single second. Whether it was the periodical drama this show decides to throw at the viewer, or the interactions between Lawrence and Holo.
Or even just looking at the pretty colors of the show. Seriously, my review just cannot do this anime enough justice. Spice and Wolf is truly a treat and is worth at least trying for any anime fan, especially considering how inexpensive the show is. The only thing about this anime I disliked is when the show ended, for reasons you may not think. Also, it's pretty easy to get lost in the economic jargon (especially in season 2), but luckily, you never feel alienated from the plot. To sum up, this show should not be disregarded because "oh my god naked wolf girl." This show is not for furries, but is for mature people who want to experience a laid back anime with great characters, and also doesn't mind some economics talk.
Currently, the "complete" collection of this anime has been dubbed by Funimation and is available for the pretty low price of $36 dollars on Amazon.
(stay away from the editorial review, it sucks)
However, in case you wanted to try a sample of the show before deciding to buy it, the first two episodes are available for viewing dubbed on Funimation's Youtube account.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Ztnt5ej20
And I seriously implore you, please. WATCH. THIS. SHOW. DUBBED. I cannot stress this fact enough. You will not get the same enjoyment from watching this show subbed as you would dubbed. Especially considering the fact that the main English voice actors are J. Michael Tatum as Kraft Lawrence and Brina Palencia as Holo.
Well that was my review of Spice and Wolf, seasons 1 and 2. Now go watch it. Like right now. And watch it dubbed. But seriously, watch it dubbed.
Special Shoutouts go to Luxferre7, StarlitLysithea, MaidYukai, and Funimation for their Youtube Videos.
Glad to know you're such a big fan.
hoeger.teagan - 2013-08-01 02:23:04
Not unwatchable..
The character illustrations were what drew me in at first. I was expecting some easy-going plot with some decent romance. I got something like that.
The worst part was the confusion. Not to be harsh but a good portion of the dialogue and almost all of the plot are difficult to follow if you haven't done any extensive study in economics. At least for me personally, this distanced my interest in the story quite a bit.
Even the non-economically related dialogue was a bit confusing which took a toll on the characters development and the sluggish, minimal amount of romance.
The animations was decent and there were some funny moments that kept me through the entire season (along with some will-power). Even with that, I was wholly unsatisfied at the very rushed ending that resolved really nothing at all.