therefore I am
harvest the land
-- Of Wolf and Man,
Spice and Wolf, a new anime series which premiered in January. I've only watched the first few episodes, and indeed, the series won't end till, I believe, the end of May.
First, I want to say that this series is doing something I've never seen before. They're putting out a 13 episode series, with 12 of them airing on TV, and episode SEVEN being a DVD only release. This sounds cool, and I really can't wait to see what's on the seventh episode.
The plot of the series is that a wolf, named Horo, who became the guardian of a village, comes back as a human, because she wants to travel back to her homeland. Primarily this is because she feels that the peasants she watches over no longer need her. So she decides to travel with a merchant from away (named Craft Lawrence), and they go off, he trading, and she learning.
Horo is actually quite adept, and in fact, is called Horo the Wise a number of times. She manages to use tricks to save Lawrence, to increase his money, and keep him from being tricked.
The plot of the story is quite deep, and revolves around such things as money laundering, buying and selling of commodities, and other business-related ideas. None of it, however, comes across as too "learny". It works into the series very naturally.
It also has a very nice pace to it. It's not fast, but more deliberate. There's already been a number of plot reversals, and I've only watched the first five episodes. It really drags you in.
The art, too, is quite impressive, in the vein of Last Exile and Kino's Journey. Even the soundtrack is gorgeous, with the exception of the ending credits, which I just don't like. (Though I dislike most ED's so, that's not a huge critique.)
There's a fair bit of ecchi in the first couple episodes, but it's also quite tasteful, and doesn't feel like it's simply put there as fan-service. It really feels like it's there for a reason.
Truly, this is one of those series that impresses you, as much for what it isn't as what it is. And what it isn't is the same old fantasy series. Indeed, if this series keeps up this level of quality throughout, it may be a ground-breaking series, much like Kino's Journey. Do yourself a favor, and check this one out.
Plot: 10/10 (A fantasy series which deals more with the commercial side of life than the military or political. A unique and appealing idea. Pacing may be a little slow for some people.)
Art: 9.5/10 (Crisp, clean, beautiful. Horo looks almost surreal at times, which is great. The only quibble I have is that the landscapes look better than the chars, which I suppose is all right in a quest-style anime.)
Character Development: 9/10 (So far, it's a tad bit weak. It's there, and a lot of the characters come out more through their actions than their speech, which I love, but I'd like to see a bit more. However, the series looks like they're planning to do a lot more character development, so I'm not past hope.)
Music: 9.5/10 (Fitting music. The opening song is probably the most beautiful since Kino no Tabi's "All The Way". The Ending song is a bit annoying.)
Overall: 9.75/10 (It doesn't get much better than this. It's only March, but I expect this to probably be the best series I watch this year, assuming it doesn't tank in future episodes. Don't miss this one.)
*Look forward to my complete review in the next couple months. As soon as the series is finished.*
