The series is a great mix of adventure, comedy, fantasy, romance, and interestingly economics. While it isn’t anything complex it does involve basics such as bartering, currency, trade, and a general gist of medieval economics that does take some thinking on the viewer’s part to understand.
Animation: 8
For the most part when it came to focus on Lawrence or Horo it was top notch quality. It did well to display the medieval setting and set the atmosphere but there were just certain instances where the backgrounds felt off or little tidbits of the scenery, but I guess that’s understandable considering the conservative budget the studio was dealing with. Nothing that took away from the series as a whole, but generally could have been better at some parts.
Music: 8
Nothing else to say except that it’s simply fantastic and very fitting. The Opening fits perfectly and is stunning as it captivates you with its vocal rhythm. All around the music was included to set the mood and played at exactly the right times that it blended in perfectly with the anime. The OST for Spice & Wolf is on par with the likes of Gundam, Evangelion, Baccano! (Done by the same studio), and Rurouni Kenshin which all had the greatest OSTs I’ve ever heard.
Voice acting: 10
The seiyuu’s for this anime are ironically those who did Lelouche and Kallen from Code Geass, so I’d definitely expected nothing short of excellence on their part and indeed they both delivered. They fit the role of their characters perfectly and portrayed them to the best of their respective designs. Everything felt right and matched accurately. Jun Fukuyama is easily my favorite male seiyuu ever.
Characters: 9
The main focus is of course the male and female leads that are the prime aspecct of the anime. They both are wonderful characters and really stand out making the anime very compelling to watch.
Craft Lawrence is a superb male lead who is mature, intelligent, wise, clever, kind, gentle, and overall well designed. He is goal orientated and through his travels continues to gain experience and build upon the knowledge of trading. I like his demeanor and attitude that fit well for his personality and his development is well constructed as he goes through many challenges and expenditures.
Horo, the great wolf sage is herself a very unique character and one that sets herself apart from other female leads in other series. She also shares similar traits with Lawrence of being cunning, intelligent, and wise when it comes to dealing with aspects of trade, but she also has her respective feminine charm which in its own right makes for her greatest appeal and makes you really enjoy watching her antics. The amount of fanart for Horo is incredible and my folder of 300 pictures is still tiny compared to how much there is.
The way the two act around one another is very distinctive and sets itself apart from other couples in anime. What I found most enjoyable was that it isn't your typical emo angst high school love. Lawrence is very mature and he behaves accordingly and realistically when it comes to dealing with Horo, and she herself is playful around him most of the time. But what holds strong is their growing connection with one another as they help each other both in good and bad times. When Horo helps Lawrence in trade when they devise a scheme and he is impressed with her knowledge, or when Lawerence comforts Horo when she is feeling down and does his best to look out for her.
They both have two opposite characteristics that come together and conjoin to form a well rounded relationship. Lawrence who is a young merchant knows much about the world yet is still in the process of gaining more experience gets aid from Horo who has centuries worth of knowledge yet knows little about the world since she has been confined to one place for so long. They can both bounce off one another and in nearly every scene it makes for something fun and interesting to watch. They're ever growing romantic relationship is smooth and unforced, feeling natural as it develops over the course of their journey.
Story: 7
For the most part the story isn’t as important as is the character dialogue and interaction, which is the main focus of the series. Horo and Lawrence's banter was what kept the show so interesting and worth watching. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them speak with one another whether it was about trade, philosophies, or romantic tension. As noted earlier the economics isn’t very complex but the different schemes that take place does require the viewer to pay close attention to detail and not for those who have short attention spans. I myself had to replay certain scenes to get a full grasp of the socio-economic aspects that were conspired. The anime of course was very faithful to the novels but with such a tight constraint of only 13 episodes a lot of the finer details felt ‘crunched’ and that took away from the anime.
Yet, generally the main focus came across well played and the viewer could understand what the dealings were and how they affected the characters. The feelings were well played whenever Lawrence struck a deal for his benefit or loss. You could feel his joy when it was something for his advantage and his devastation when he became bankrupt. While the plot was interesting the character interaction was indeed the highlight of the show. Lawerence and Horo bounced so well off one another and shared a wonderful dynamic that continued to build and improve itself as the series progressed from start to finish.
Overall: 7/10
Despite the series having little qualms for the most part, I'd say it was the fact that it was such a short anime that it felt rather incomplete. The plot was decent and the economics aspect was interesting but nothing that captivated you and kept engrossed. I myself as an economics major did find it enjoyable and quite unique but that wasn't what drew me to the series. Rather it was the relationship of Lawrence and Horo that was the single best facet of the anime. The way the two of them interacted while doing trades, getting away from trouble, or simply traveling on the wagon made every instance something to look forward to. The romantic relationship was great as they worked together and better understood each other over the course of the anime. It is best said that it isn't the destination of a journey that is important, but rather the journey itself which is the better part.
