AniMania: SPICE & WOLF

Do You Look At the World Through Apple Eyes?

It’s been a long time coming, but Holo is finally here, and despite fan anxiety over name changes, a mix up of release dates, and a dubious choice of cover for the associated light novel, the wolf girl proves to have been more than worth the wait!

I’ve been excited about this series ever since seeing it in fandub. My friend/ Go teacher/ co-conspirator in world domination recommended it to me — more like demanded I watch it or ELSE! So I did, taking in half of the first season in one sitting. It cost me a lot of sleep, and I’ve been thanking/blaming him ever since.

If you missed our preview back in June, or like me, you can’t really remember back that far, or for that matter, much that happened before last weekend, Spice and Wolf tells the tale of a traveling merchant, Lawrence, who dreams of one day settling down and opening his own shop. For now, alas, he is a lowly peddler, traveling from town to town in his wooden cart, with only a horse for company.

Then, one day (these kinds of things always happen ONE day, did you ever notice?) he meets Holo (who was Horo in Japanese, but the fans will just have to deal with it), the beautiful (and naked) wolf girl who has been serving as the resident harvest deity for one of the villages Lawrence visits. Being a deity is thankless work, and with all the recent advances in science and technology, the townspeople don’t really need Holo’s help with the crops anymore, so she decides to strike out on her own by stowing away in Lawrence’s cart.

That’s where Lawrence discovers her, snuggled up (and still naked) underneath a pile of furs he is taking to market. Some humorous bickering ensues, and eventually the two strike a bargain. Lawrence will help Holo get back to her old home in the north, and in exchange, she will help him in his business dealings. With any luck, he just might be able to finally open that shop, settle down — maybe even get married. But in the world of shady merchant guilds, intrigue among rival kingdoms, and an oppressive church, Lawrence and Holo are going to need a lot more than luck to survive.

As that description should clue you in, this is NOT your typical medieval fantasy story. Forget sword and sorcery; Spice and Wolf is more about relationships, economics (terrible how the two go hand in hand, isn’t it?) religion, and social theory. Heady stuff from a girl with a bushy tail. And just so you know, Holo considers her tail to be her best feature.

The series has something of a seinen feel, though the term isn’t completely accurate, as it tends to conjure images of bloody samurai action or yakuza drama. The term “boys’ shoujo” has been used to describe romance stories aimed at a male audience. Spice and Wolf would be better described as shoujo for men, or anyone else who appreciates good storytelling. The journey to the north provides a backdrop, and the various subplots keep the action moving, but the real focus of the story is the growing relationship between Holo and Lawrence.

The result is a very well crafted tail (bad pun completely intended) of romance, told in subtle detail. The pacing is slow, deft, wonderfully rich. Many of the themes have a distinctly Japanese sensibility to them, such as the uneasy relationship between the present and the past, or between nature and technology. These are blended seamlessly with a very believable Western medieval setting.

Almost every line in the series is worth quoting — that’s how well written the dialogue is. The art and music leave nothing to be desired. The characters and settings are simply beautiful, and the music boasts such nuance — even the snippets of folk tunes that play on the different DVD menus are worth sitting down to listen to. The opening theme, “Tabi no Tochu”, by Natsumi Kiyoura, is haunting and pensive, as it plays behind scenes of Holo remembering the far north. “Ringo Biyori ~The Wolf Whistling Song” by Rocky Chack, is considerably more light hearted as it closes out each episode.

To top it all off, Spice and Wolf has a very well seasoned voice cast. Brina Palencia gets the star role as Holo, the wise wolf. You may recognize her as the voice of Juliet from Romeo x Juliet, or Rei from Evangelion 1.01, or even Yue from Negima. You probably won’t recognizer her as Tamama from Sgt. Frog, but trust us — it was her. Palencia does an amazing job as Holo. The role demands an incredibly wide range, requiring her to be playful, angry, seductive, melancholy, sometimes only moments apart, and sometimes all at once! Her performance serves to further cement her place as a star in Funimation’s sky.

Playing opposite Palencia, as the “Spice” in the show’s title, is J. Michael Tatum. Holo brings plenty of spice by herself, but Tatum is one saucy fellow. He’s played Nagi Springfield, Negi’s mischievous magic school dropout father from Negima (not to mention Evangeline’s love interest — what a dangerous role THAT is). And he no doubt got lots of requests as Kyoya in Ouran High School Host Club. Tatum brought that same brooding quality to his role as Doumeki in xxxHOLiC. Lawrence is a different character entirely, much more vulnerable and innocent, but one can’t be timid when dealing with Holo, after all, and so Tatum gets to show a lot of range as well. We’re still waiting to see if he uses his ninja skills he learned as Dororo, again from Sgt. Frog.

The supporting cast sports some great names as well. Jamie Marchi, who was smoking hot as Aki Hinata (again with the Frogs — the invasion must be imminent) is no less alluring as Chloe. John Burgmeier, the voice of Shigure from Fruits Basket and Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho, plays Zheren, and Leah Clark — the inimitable voice of Negima’s Nodoka, voices the shepherd girl, Nora. Another Sohma, in this case Yuki, shares his VA with SW, with Eric Vale playing the part of Weiz.

After watching Spice and Wolf, you may forever look at the world with apple eyes, but that’s okay. Just don’t eat any apples that Holo has her eyes on.