Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 13: Wolf and New Journey ]

Not surprisingly, everything went rather well over the course of this episode. There was no wolf battle because Horo chose a more mature option (that is, prostrating herself) that diverted away from having to kill a ton of wolves and possibly receive injuries herself. Lawrence managed to escape his bindings and meet up with Horo who then transformed into her wolf form to hurry to Nora’s aid. I really loved the scenes that followed because it was the first time we get to see wolf-Horo in an open environment and witness her speed and agility. Not to mention she laid waste to all of those goons that were working for the Remerio Company. For the remainder of the episode Lawrence manages to strike a deal with Remerio that would have him receive 500 Rumione over a period of 10 years. I hope interest builds up over that time as well!

Afterwards, Horo and Lawrence have another one of their more intimate moments where they pull words with one another. I really had to laugh at how Lawrence said that he called out Horo’s name because it was shorter. I’m sure Horo was expecting him to say something along the lines of ‘Because I love you’ though. With the closing of the episode we see Horo and Lawrence set off to continue their journey after bidding farewell to Nora and we’re then treated to a glimpse at most of the characters we met over the span of the series, most notably Chloe who seems to be back in her home town.

[ Final Thoughts ]

You know when it all boils down to it, Spice and Wolf isn’t a series for everyone. As unfortunate as that is, one must accept that some people just can’t wrap their minds around its charm if they aren’t a fan of Spice and Wolf’s particular mix of content. This is very much a character-driven series with quite a bit of development between the two main characters, Horo and Lawrence. If you need a huge cast to attract you then you won’t be liking this series very much. Additionally, if you’re not interested in economics, trade, or merchants, then it’s likely that you’ll be bored a lot since quite a bit of time is spent on discussions and plans involving those topics.The pacing may also be problematic to those used to fast-paced series or a mixture of fast and slow. To be honest, Spice and Wolf is a slow-paced series through and through with a tiny dash of “excitement” here and there. I quote the word excitement because I believe there are different types of it, especially in this series, but in that case I’m particularly referring to the times when Horo transformed or when both Horo and Lawrence had to run away from pursuers.

As for my personal thoughts, I loved Spice and Wolf from start to finish. It was what I’d call different from stuff that I usually watch and the character interactions and development were on levels I normally don’t associate with 13-episode shows. I think I got an extra bit of enjoyment out of the economic/trade/merchant discussions since I am a business major (particularly in the area of accounting). I don’t expect everyone to enjoy those moments though like I previously mentioned. Horo and Lawrence are two of the best written characters you’ll see this year along with others. If there was one thing that I wanted from this series that I didn’t get to see was just a little bit of physical romance between Horo and Lawrence. Sure, Lawrence tried to kiss Horo once but was interrupted. He should have tried again! Another thing that could have been better was the supporting cast. Chloe’s “I want to kill Lawrence because he doesn’t want to form a business with me” angle came out of no where as far as I was concerned. Blaming that on jealousy won’t work with me either. I think Nora was the best supporting character in Spice and Wolf simply because I loved her background and demeanor and dammit she was adorably cute. I hope to see her again if or rather when the sequel airs in the future.

Overall, I think the last few episodes of Spice and Wolf were its strongest and best. There was great writing and even greater dialogue to be found especially in episodes ten through thirteen. I’m totally satisfied with the ending and will miss watching Horo and Lawrence interact (their animated incarnations, that is). It goes without saying that I’ll be there for the sequel once it is announced and I’ll be doing the DVD-only episode was well. For now though, I’ll have to stick with the manga to get my Horo-fix!

[Overall series review: 86/100]