Spice and Wolf II - Episode 1

After having some initital misgivings about the change in production company for this second series of Spice and Wolf, my mind was well and truly put at ease thanks to the "episode 0" OVA released a few months ago, which suggested that Brains Base knew exactly what made the original series so great and how to continue in a similar vein.

Thankfully, that preliminary episode was an almost perfect representation of the Spice and Wolf we get here, acting as an excellent precursor to the series proper - Horo is still preoccupied with dreams that leave her torn between the companionship of Lawrence and her own kind, together with the knowledge that her lifespan is far, far greater than that of a mere human. Meanwhile, as she talks of her home town so Lawrence starts to consider the fact that their journey together might be coming to an end, giving him worries of his own.


While this episode does introduce us to a young, new trader named Fermi Amati, and deal with some of the usual trading and bartering that has become a staple of the series, it's hard to care too much about how much you can sell nails for in this medieval world when you have vast quantities of sparkling conversation between the two stars of the series to enjoy. Yes, once again the dynamic between Horo and Lawrence is absolutely gorgeous, with the former teasing and flirting while reacting in a beautifully animated and revealing way to the retorts and comments of the latter. These two play off one another fantastically, and I have to say that I don't think I've ever watched a series that is so entirely drive by a pair of characters, which speaks volumes of the qualities injected into these two individuals. Indeed, in a scene where Horo discusses how Lawrence's attitude has changed since they first met, it really did strike me as to how much the pair's relationship dynamic is constantly changing, shifting and switching, and how much it has evolved since that tender opening episode of the first series - We've been able to watch them grow both alone and as a couple (in whatever way you want to use that word), and perhaps it's that which makes this such a wonderful show to watch.

All in all then, this opening episode of Spice and Wolf II proper has left me with a huge smile on my face, a true grin from ear to ear. I honestly don't care if nothing else of note happens for the remainder of the series, eleven more episodes of Horo and Lawrence sat in a room chatting and drinking is quite alright with me. As character driven anime goes, this was simply magnificent.