Spice and Wolf - Episode 6

Thus far, I've really been quite enjoying Spice and Wolf as a comfortable, pleasant trip through the normally clashing worlds of Horo and Lawrence, but I was starting to get the feeling that the series needed to be shaken up a little to stay fresh and entertaining. As if by magic, along comes episode six to upset the apple cart (with every pun intended for anyone who has watched the episode).

In all honesty, this entire episode is built around a single, key scene, where we finally get to see another, previously hidden, side to Horo. It really is a perfectly portrayed effort too, pulling a number of emotions out of the hat and taking you along with Lawrence on what is really a relatively brief but intense rollercoaster of feelings. All in all, this episode is awesome from beginning to end, and brings this show up a notch in my list of favourites from this current anime season - everything that was perhaps missing from Spice and Wolf until now seems to have been sated, and I'm all the happier for it. Hey, we even get the inevitable reveal of where the show's name comes from (the spice part anyway, I'd like to think everyone has figured out the wolf bit by now) - it's a bit cheesy, but that's one less thing to keep me awake at night.

With the immediate dangers and action over, it'll be interesting to see how the next few episodes pace themselves, and what direction the series goes down. If this outing is anything to go by however, this show is in very capable hands.