SPICE AND WOLF
Because I’m getting sick of salt and chicken every night!
Review by: Craig “Awoooooooooooooooooo!” Norris
Length: 12 episodes
Genre: Drama, supernatural, economics class
Watched: All, subbed
Several years after their respective deaths, an unfinished script co-written by Thomas Malthus and Alexander Hamilton was found in the drawer of an end table in the Federal Reserve building. The volume was kept in storage in the vault of the building until it was purchased in 1942 by Irving Fisher, who attempted to complete it. Soon after Fisher’s death in 1947, the script fell into the hands of a young graduate student at NYU by the name of Alan Greenspan. Greenspan reportedly used the knowledge contained within the script to begin his meteoric rise to the top of the financial world. Shortly before he stepped down as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Greenspan finished the script and sold it on eBay under the title “Limitless Profit: The Theory of Economic Prosperity in Depressed Nations.” The winning bidder was a struggling young graphic novel artist from Japan named Isuna Hasekura. With the copyrights from the original authors expired, and ignorant of the fact that the script contained the solution to ending world poverty, Hasekura claimed the work as his own and, after changing one of the main characters from a fat, mustachioed banker to a mystical wolf demon, re-created it as a graphic novel entitled “Okami to Koshinryo,” or Spice and Wolf. And thus the single greatest economic achievement in the past thousand years was lost. But in its place is a pretty decent anime with a hot wolf girl. So there’s that.
Plot synopsis: On his journey to sell martin furs to a large trading company, merchant Craft Lawrence is beyond surprised to find a naked girl sleeping in his cart. Even more shocking is that the girl has wolf ears and a tail. After awakening her, the girl reveals that she is Horo, the wolf guardian of the harvest. Feeling that the world has forgotten about her, Horo wants to return to her home in the north woods. In exchange for her assistance in his business deals, Craft agrees to take her there. But the constantly shifting economy and the unsavory characters they must do business with proves that it is indeed getting tougher and tougher to make an honest dollar.
Artwork: The art is very impressive, with all the visuals crisp and well detailed. The style matches well with the mood, as the character designs are able to express a wide range of emotions in a very believable manner. The backgrounds, which range from bustling towns to rolling hills to deep forests, are all rendered very capably and in most cases are pleasing to look at.
Music: The soundtrack falls pretty flat for the most part. The opening is a sweeping ballad, and the ending credits are set to a bouncy number sung in Engrish. The quality of the in-episode music is pretty forgettable, mostly because it travels the predictable route of having the key of the music dictated by the characters’ expressions. Not an unsafe course of action, but it’s almost always a recipe for a blasé soundtrack.
Characters: Well, since the story follows only two main characters, and most of the plot revolves around economics, they better be an entertaining pair. For the most part, their personalities and their chemistry together make for some very witty and thoughtful exchanges. Craft Lawrence is a very business-minded person, whose quick wit and good sense with money make him a successful merchant. His mood is often directly related to his financial situation, and his pride shows through when he realizes he’s been swindled. He would rather make a business partner than make a friend. Horo partners with him because he promises her that he will take her home to the north woods. Along the way she offers her centuries of wisdom in assisting Craft in his business deals. Though she respects him and his knowledge, she often teases him and acts condescendingly towards him for her own amusement. Behind it all they’re glad to have each other as companions, and see it as a mutually beneficial relationship. Beneficial for us, too, since they go so well together and can hold our attention.
Plot: All that financial mumbo-jumbo can get a bit heady at times, especially for someone like me who majored in environmental science because he sucks at working with numbers. However, I rather prefer the lesson in economics, because with Horo feeling slighted by more and more humans relying on the church instead of ancient deities of nature, the only other option for major plot points would be complaining about the church.
CHICKS!: I must say that I found myself easily mesmerized by Horo. Though she is a wolf, her brown ears and white-tipped tail are more reminiscent of a fox. And, unlike most wolves that have this annoying habit of attacking your neck if you approach them, Horo actually seems to like people. She can drink most men twice her size under the table, and she acts silly and cuddly when she does get inebriated. She will groom her bushy tail frequently, and often fall asleep with it in her arms, creating a very cute picture indeed. This is a perfect example of the basics of supply and demand; wolf girls are in short supply, and I demand to know why I don’t have one yet!
Overall: After I finished watching this anime, I balanced my checkbook and then went to the animal shelter to play with the puppies. I guess a lot of the stuff went over my head, like how to make a profit by exchanging for depreciating currency, but I was able to understand enough of the plot to be entertained. And I set myself up with a sweet high-yield money market account. It will help pay for food for my new pet malamute.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Good art that fits
+ Characters portrayed well
+ Foxy wolf girl
- Soundtrack fails to impress
- Economic theory hard to follow
Rating: Let’s see, they sold five and made one and a half profit, borrowed three at ten percent interest and purchased four on credit, with four being placed in a mutual fund with a three and a quarter percent payout, taxable at one percent, with two receiving a tax deductible credit at a fixed rate pursuant to the market gains of their original investments, and one spent on beer. That gives them... a 6/10.
Oops. Forgot to carry the one.
7/10
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