Spice and Wolf: Difference between revisions

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The setting of both the novels and anime is a middle-ages European-esque world. Lawrence, a [[Intrepid Merchant|traveling merchant]], accidentally frees the local harvest god, a centuries-old giant wolf named Holo who takes the form of a young girl. She convinces him to let her travel with him and seek out her dimly-remembered homeland.

Interestingly, the main thrust of the anime is centered more on the business of Lawrence than on Holo's supernatural nature. Instead of action or fanservice, ''Spice and Wolf'' is far more likely to focus on an in-depth discussion on the currency exchange market, with no notable attempt to make it more interesting [[~~What~~ ~~Do You Mean It's Not~~ Awesome?|by going over the top]]. Surprisingly, [[Better Than It Sounds|the show does this rather well]] using character interaction and business intrigue. The romance between Lawrence and Holo is also a major part of the plot.

Interestingly, the main thrust of the anime is centered more on the business of Lawrence than on Holo's supernatural nature. Instead of action or fanservice, ''Spice and Wolf'' is far more likely to focus on an in-depth discussion on the currency exchange market, with no notable attempt to make it more interesting [[Mundane Made Awesome|by going over the top]]. Surprisingly, [[Better Than It Sounds|the show does this rather well]] using character interaction and business intrigue. The romance between Lawrence and Holo is also a major part of the plot.

The light novels concluded in 2011 with the seventeenth volume. Yen Press is translating and releasing both the novels and manga in the United States. Releasing the novels every six months starting in December 2009, it will take them a while to catch up.

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== A-E ==

* [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer]]: During the Milone-Medioh arc, deliberately constructed as a hidden escape route.

* [[Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male]]: Holo can sometimes get a bit aggressive when Lawrence says or does something she disapproves of, occasionally resorting to stomping on his foot, punching him the ribs, or just generally being rough with him.

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* [[End of an Age]]: Holo decides to leave because the villagers say that they don't need a harvest god anymore. While she initially helped them by making the crops grow, she occasionally had to do the opposite to prevent the growing village from being struck by the [[wikipedia:Tragedy of the commons|Tragedy of the Commons]], which grew the resentment among the villagers. At the time she left, she was portrayed in the village harvest festivities as an [[The Man Is Keeping Us Down|oppressive force]] and a thief instead of as a wise benefactor.

* [[Everything's Louder with Bagpipes]]: Several tracks in the OST use them.

== F-J ==

* [[Face Palm]]

** Lawrence does this quite often, usually in response to Holo's logic or teasing.

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* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Mark's apprentice Lant confesses to [[Precocious Crush|being in love]] with Holo, but still does everything in his power to help Lawrence win her back.

* [[I Will Protect Her]]: Lawrence invokes a form of this when he refuses to hand Holo over to Chloe.

== K-O ==

* [[Large Ham]]

** I am Holo the Histrionic Wolf!

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* [[Our Werewolves Are Different]]: Of the inverse [[Wolf Man|Wolf Girl]] type. Needs a catalyst of wheat or blood to transform to or from a wolf the size of a bus and a small woman with a tail and wolf ears.

* [[Out-Gambitted]]: A regular part of the business intrigue.

== P-T ==

* [[Please Don't Leave Me]]: Holo may not say it, but she ''means it.''

* [[POV Boy, Poster Girl]]: We see everything from the perspective of Lawrence, but Holo is the one on all the posters.

* [[Primal Fear]]: Lawrence cowers in fear at first when he sees Holo's wolf form.

⚫

* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: Holo, being a several-hundred-year-old god.

* [[Recurring Riff]]: The second season soundtrack has several recurring themes that are replayed with different instruments and slightly different tempos.

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: On Holo at times, though in the most prominent example, it's used more as a warning sign of emotional fragility.

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* [[Shout-Out]]: Look at the images that play when Eve discusses her marriage and her husband: They are all details from [[wikipedia:The Arnolfini Portrait|The Arnolfini Portrait]] by Dutch Renaissance artist Jan van Eyck, 1434.

** In Volume 12 of the manga, the region in which Holo's home Yoitsu is to be found is said to be named [[J.R.R. Tolkien|"Tolkien"]] (at least in the English translation).

* [[Shown Their Work]]: Not only is the economic aspect of the anime, manga and novels very well ~~nut~~ done, but Isuna Hasekura bothered to research the types of food they ate in the Middle Ages, as Lawrence and Holo eat food appropriate to their class I.E. fresh fruit and ale, the potatoes would be a delicacy back then so saying that he paid a lot of money to the church was correct.

* [[Shown Their Work]]: Not only is the economic aspect of the anime, manga and novels very well done, but Isuna Hasekura bothered to research the types of food they ate in the Middle Ages, as Lawrence and Holo eat food appropriate to their class I.E. fresh fruit and ale, the potatoes would be a delicacy back then so saying that he paid a lot of money to the church was correct.

* [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man]]: Holo sometimes makes unfavorable remarks about Lawrence's soft-heartedness, but his kindness is probably the main thing he has going for him. That said, she does cultivate him to be more assertive and outgoing to an extent. And she dislikes it when he holds back from risky business endeavors for her sake.

* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: A particularly brutal one in the last episode.

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* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Holo's love of apples. She gets tired of them after trying to finish a cartload of fresh apples all by herself, but Lawrence's tales about (delicious) apple dishes makes her start craving for them once again.

* [[Tsundere]]: Holo displays this from time to time.

== U-Z ==

* [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]]: And keeps it throughout the series until the end.

* [[Verbal Tic]]: Not a tic, necessarily, but Holo speaks rather uniquely - she uses a speech pattern based off of [[wikipedia:Oiran|oiran]] speech. So "I'm Holo the Wise Wolf" in normal Japanese would be ''watashi wa Kenrou Holo da'', but she says it ''wacchi ya Kenrou Holo ja''. In the English version, this comes out as a slightly more archaic speech pattern – certainly nothing like [[Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe]], but noticeable nonetheless. In a possible reference to this, volume three of the manga has an [[Alternate Universe]] bonus story in which she '''is''' an oiran.

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* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: It is quite obvious that Holo and Lawrence have something going on between them, and as time goes on they flat out flirt openly but won't admit their feelings for one another. Lawrence is shy and gentlemanly while Holo is just plain stubborn. It eventually becomes clear that they think such a relationship would never work out, and plan on parting ways at Yoitsu before things get too serious. Whether they'll actually do that is unknown. {{spoiler|They start a shop and family together. See [[Babies Ever After]] above.}}

* [[Work Off the Debt]]: Subverted: Holo admits that she owes Lawrence and has to pay him back, but that's mostly just an excuse they give others (and initially themselves) for their companionship. In other words, that's not what's really keeping them together.

* [[Younger Than They Look]]:

* [[Younger Than They Look]]: Lawrence is only 25 -- the years on the road must really take their toll.

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** Holo, being a several hundred year old god.

** Lawrence is only 25 -- the years on the road must really take their toll.