Story (3/10) - So to begin with, we have the story of SnW. It starts off with Holo (a Pagan wolf demi-god girl) and Kraft Lawrence (a travelling merchant) meeting up in the very beginning, and then follows them along their journey as she seeks to travel with him while he is wheeling and dealing. Along the way they get into a little trouble with some unfortunate business deals and have a bit of adventure, and Holo eats/drinks all of Lawrence's money away. The story itself is honestly not great. It gets super detailed with the business dealings in an attempt to make them seem complicated, is paced very slowly, and tries so hard to be high brow that it physically hurts. It's just very pretentious and dull at times. There's brief moments of respite when some action scenes develop, but they are generally there for the outcome and not the event. It has potential at times to get you interested, especially with the introduction of various side-characters, but it never fully realizes that potential. The story does its job of providing a backdrop, but really lets itself down in trying to grab the reader's attention.
Sound (4/10) - The soundtrack to this show is... repetitive. I'm sure many people love the OST for this show, but it is just not something I could get into. Celtic music and bagpipes are okay for a while, but when they reuse the *same* 3-4 tracks over and over and over again, it gets very monotonous. I will say I enjoyed the music for a little bit, it wasn't bad per say, but once I'd heard it for the 10th time, it got very tired and played out. The composer of the music never took any risks with the sound of this show. They found a stylistic niche and held onto it like a man holding onto a twig in a hurricane.
Art (7/10) - The art is one of the better points for the show. It isn't consistent necessarily, and it isn't the best art you'll ever see, but there is definitely some quality there and at times it can look fantastic. It gets marks for being better than average, but not necessarily by much because it. Much like the soundtrack, isn't treading any ground that hasn't already been trodden. I also found it odd that Holo almost seemed more styled after a fox than a wolf, but I digress.
Character (10/10) - The characters are the high point of this show. I would actually give this category an 11/10 if that were possible. Despite many of the other shows weaknesses, the characters Holo and Lawrence and their endearing relationship are what carry this whole series. Their at times awkward but heart-warming interactions are honestly some of the best I've seen in an anime to date. They feel oddly relateable. Holo can often be haughty and arrogant, but her vulnerabilities are apparent despite how she tries to hide them. Lawrence can often seem confident during dealings, but you can quickly see the cracks in that confidence whenever Holo is around. It is just so wonderfully human that it can't help but bring a huge smile to your face during their constant quibbling, and sadness when they have a falling out. It really is something truly amazing to behold.
Enjoyment (8/10) - I had a hard time wrestling with how I felt about this show in terms of enjoyment. As I said before, it just seems so pretentious and dull at times that it was hard to stomach, the business dealings and music quickly become stale and my will to watch would wane, but then Holo and Lawrence would start talking to one another and I'm sucked right back in with a huge grin and an inexplicable feeling of joy. I was torn between a 7 and an 8, but honestly, I know I would certainly be content for a 3d season run, so I feel an 8 is solidly deserved.
Spice and Wolf is a truly bizarre show to me. I don't think I've ever viewed a piece of media before where I found it lacking in so many areas, but one singular piece of it was just so amazing that I completely forgot about the rest of it. It is really something special and memorable because of it. This show isn't for everyone, but for people looking for some really compelling characters and a well developed love story, Spice and Wolf has you covered. I give the show a 7/10 when I tally up my scores, but for what it is worth, I really *wish* I could rate it higher overall because of how much I loved the characters. Take that as you will, and make some money out of it ;P
