[ 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]

[ Episode 12: Wolf and Young Flock ]

Well now. THAT was probably the best episode of the series so far, managing to surpass episode six a little even if Horo didn’t transform and go on a rampage. Horo is currently surrounded by a ton of wolves including that huge one we’ve seen in the OP sequence. Meanwhile Lawrence gets screwed over by three mean from the Remerio Company and is tied up and left for dead. They’re apparently going to take care of Nora next but are pretty scared of her because they think she uses pagan magic. I don’t know how Lawrence plans to get himself out of this mess but it looks like he’ll have to on his own since Horo is busy.

It also becomes more clear at this point that a sequel should be expected some time in the future since Horo and Lawrence don’t seem to be anywhere near the end of their journey. For now though, I hope the conclusion of the first season ends on a great note.

[ Episode 11: Wolf and the Great Plan ]

So, Horo and Lawrence have made up. That was more than expected, really. I wouldn’t have liked to see the dispute between them drag on needlessly anyway. This episode signifies the start of a seemingly dangerous plan that was concocted by none other than Horo which involves smuggling gold and the assistance of Nora. I’m quite interested to see how this plan will succeed. Will it all go well? Or will something hinder the smuggling process? Additionally, does Nora have some pagan magic up her sleeve or is she just a really blessed young woman? Hopefully all that and more is shown in the last two episodes.

[ Episode 10: Wolf and Spiraling Conspiracy ]

Wow…that was a pretty intense episode. I didn’t see the loss on the armor bit coming at all. I mean sure, a few people acted weird in the previous episode but I would have never thought it was going to be something of this magnitude. Now Lawrence is in a huge debt and hasn’t come up with a solution yet to repay the debt. He’s on the verge of being bankrupt and honestly his state of mind is something that I think very few can understand. Being in danger of being dirt poor is no laughing matter and I’m quite sure that such a threat would be taxing on the mind and nerves. As such his reaction at the end of the episode toward Horo is perfectly understandable. Sure, it was uncalled for but Lawrence is a human like everyone else and his behavior wasn’t outside of reason.

As for the next episode, I’m guessing that Horo may come up with a way to get Lawrence out of debt once they patch things up. Nora is likely to be in it as well and it’d be great if she came to help as well.

[ Episode 9: Wolf and Shepherd's Lambs ]

Nora is a total cutie! She’d definitely be a great addition to the cast if she were to remain with Lawrence and Horo. Horo seemed to be quite jealous most of the time too and that was pretty funny and adorable at the same time. I wonder what’s up with Nora though. She seems like a very nice girl but the people in the city and apparently even the priest didn’t seem to be too receptive of her return to the city. I’m guessing that it has to do with those rumors we heard in the previous episode and given that she was seen in a rather spooky area at the beginning of that episode I suppose there is something she hasn’t revealed yet.

That guy at the end that was looking for Lawrence doesn’t seem to be a friend. Does he perhaps have a grudge of some kind against Lawrence or a bringer of bad news? Whatever his reasons may be it seems like some interesting and exciting things might happen soon.

[ Episode 8: Wolf and Adjusted Scales ]

I find it a bit odd to make an episode that’s practically in the middle of the series DVD-only. Though I’m guessing since they did that then that means the episode itself probably wasn’t important to the plot at all. As for this episode I really enjoyed it. Though I’m starting to wonder if I’m in the minority when it comes to liking the trading and currency content. I don’t expect most to like it but I’m not sure if I’ve come across another blogger or viewer that appreciates the stuff. Anyway I have a lot of interest in the new character, Nora. She’s already foreshadowed to be a mysterious person at the start of the episode and I’d like to see where that goes. She appears to be a shepherd but there are also rumors of a magician about so it’s possible that she could be the person in the rumors as well. Horo already doesn’t like her but I’m wondering if that isn’t mainly because she’s jealous.