There are only two guarantees in life: death and taxes, and apparently there are too many shows revolving around death these days...
The story, while some might find it a little hard to keep up with, is very well written. It primarily follows Holo's journey to return to her home, while stopping off in every other town for Lawrence to try and pull another get-rich-quick ploy, with varying amounts of success. Most of the conflict arises primarily from these two points, with occasionally the all-powerful medieval Catholic church crushing down with their iron fists, or something of the like, to come in and make everything worse. Upon watching the series a second and even third time, I really picked up on little bits of foreshadowing and other intricacies scattered throughout each 6-7 episode long arc. The biggest weakness plotwise, however, is that its driven heavily by economics, a topic very few have a firm grasp on, and even fewer have a grasp on while also being a fan of anime. I was lucky a had a semester of economics classes under my belt and an accountant grandfather, otherwise I would've never understood what was going on. Others may not be so lucky, but as long as you understand that profit=good and debt=bad, you should be able to at least grasp when sh*t hits the fan, and when we're all good...hopefully...
The visuals are a mixed bag. On the one hand, there's some very pretty background art and character designs, but the animation varies from passable to terrible (look up spice and wolf horse on youtube, you'll see what I mean). Beyond that, there isn't much else to talk about art/animation wise.
In terms of what you hear, Spice & Wolf really starts to come into it's own. For starters, the first OP is some of the most relaxing listening I've ever experienced, while at the same time it still has the yearning emotions that match those felt in the anime perfectly. If you're a fan of so much as putting things in your ears, even if you don't plan on watching the show, please for the love of God (or Holo, or your other preferred deity) listen to Tabi no Tochuu at some point before you die. The second opening...while it's still...decent...pales in comparison to the first. Meanwhile, the ending themes have a very different vibe to them. They're much more simple and cutesy, and tie in much closer to the style of the rest of the soundtrack.
Speaking of the soundtrack, while a lot of the songs are very hit-or-miss, the one thing the OST does well as a whole it does well is suit not just the mood, but also the style of the show perfectly. The majority of the show is about farmers, merchants, and other assorted god-fearing townsfolk simpletons, and the majority of the music is also kept very simple, usually only one or two instruments or voices, playing or singing fairly simple melodies, but amongst this they have a few hidden gems reserved for the complexity of the characters of Holo and Lawrence and the even more complex relationship between the two. The highlights to me include the bouncing, mischievous Kenshi no Yopparai and the harrowing vocal-driven track Kagen no Tsuki.
There's one more thing about the sounds in this show worth mentioning, and that is the absolutely gorgeous English dub. This show has made me look out for any dub where Brina Palencia is involved. Her portrayal of Holo does something very few dubs are able to do, and that is to actually add more to an anime in the English dub compared to watching it in Japanese with subtitles. I watched a couple of episodes in Japanese and Holo's voice seemed like little more than a 15-year-old Japanese girl with a hint of moe typical to Japanese anime dialogue. However, in the English dub, Brina delivers her dialogue with a formal style of language and a more mature tone that is a much better fit for Holo the Wise Wolf of Yoitsu. J Michael Tatum also does a very solid job as Lawrence, and there are also several good performances from the supporting cast, including cameos from such names as Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi.
The biggest highlight in Spice & Wolf, however, is the wonderfully written characters. Holo is often regarded as one of the best-written female characters in anime, and having watched the show I can clearly see why, even despite being undeniably...well...a furry. Whatever you do, don't let the skeptics convince you that this is just pandering at furry fanservice because, while there is some nudity, particularly in the early episodes, there are so many more facets to her character that its almost impossible to not sit back and be completely sucked in by her charms anyway. However, in a series where Holo is the main attraction, Lawrence is certainly able to hold his own, and the interactions between the two of them are among my favourite things to bear witness to out of anything. Ever. The supporting cast is also, for the most part, very nicely done, although I must admit I found the characters in the second season a little less enjoyable to watch, but that took little away from the cast as a whole.
All in all, Spice & Wolf has a unique and incredibly well-written, if at times a little confusing, plot, and characters you're bound to love watching. The dub is excellent, and the art and music are lovely. The only downsides are some dull moments in the OST, inconsistent animation and some less likeable supporting characters in the second season. The plot might not be for EVERYBODY, but I personally would recommend this show as essential viewing to anyone who was looking for a more intellectual fare from their next series.
Now then, I'm off to go read the light novels because OH YEAH DID I MENTION THE ANIME ONLY COVERS 4 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 17?! As a result, the anime's ending is...lackluster, and if the ending is paramount to you then that will obviously be a problem. To make things easier the anime essentially covers 1, 2, 3, and 5 so read book 4 before continuing on with the rest of the series.
