Moreover, unlike many lovers of spice and wolf, I believe that the manga is a work that has nothing to envy to the anime and the light novel, since it presents the engaging story of spice and wolf, adding however the fantastic drawings of koume sensei, which give peculiar details to Holo (in particular), and make Lawrence a character who demonstrates many more emotions.
Now I finish giving my personal judgments and list the reasons why I highly recommend reading spice and wolf to lovers of the genre, or to those who know this work but are reluctant to read the manga transposition.
Story (8,5/10)
The story follows the travels of Holo and Lawrence, respectively a divine wolf, who would like to return to his native land after a long stay in the village of Pasloe, where she is no longer respected by the inhabitants; and a merchant, who would like to open his own business and stop wandering, settling in one place and staying there for life. The story of the manga sometimes differs from that of the light novel, as it ended first, and the light novel still continues. However, in any case, the adaptation of sensei Koume is still enjoyable, sometimes it presents very long dialogues, but they're are very well chosen, and make perfectly understand the problems and adventures that gravitate around the economy.
Characters (8,5/10)
Characters are one of the strengths of spice and wolf. The imagination and effort put into creating main characters like Lawrence and Holo are remarkable. Moreover, even the secondary characters are very interesting and unique in their own way. The characters fit perfectly into the story, and never feel boring or underdeveloped. Indeed, in each narrative arc it is possible to discover interesting secondary characters useful for the resolution of the specific economic problem, who come into contact with Lawrence and Holo (who always find themselves in the midst of events and must resolve conflicts between cities or commercial companies). Sometimes these characters help the protagonists and sometimes they get in the way, but they are never bland or badly characterized.
Art style (9/10)
The art style of sensei Koume is elaborate, but at the same time it almost seems like a sketch at times. The expressions of Holo are priceless, as are the rural and medieval landscapes that are drawn by the sensei. Koume was really the right mangaka to draw this genre of manga, even if most of his works are h-manga, I must say that he is really talented and I would be happy if he could also adapt other works like spice and wolf.
Enjoyment (9,5/10)
In this section there is not much to say ... The manga is relaxing from start to finish, and its medieval atmosphere makes it even more enjoyable. Moreover, the alternation of serious and happy moments, with the continuous and inevitable company of the divine Holo (best waifu) make it one of my favorites.
Overall (9)
To finish this review, I recommend you to also read the original source and watch the anime, as they are worth all the time and money you will invest in watching / reading them.
