Common Name: Spice and Wolf
Alternative Names: Ookami to Koushinryou
Score: 9/10, 4/5
Length: 25 episodes from 2 Seasons
Genre: Adventure, Romance, Comedy, Supernatural
WARNINGS: Lots of nudity because why would a wolf care about clothes.
Summary: In the small agricultural town of Pasloe, there is an ancient legend of a young man who pleads with a titanic and wise wolf god by the name of Holo to save his people from famine. Acknowledging his courage, the wolf taught the village how to farm the land and has since watched over it. Over the years though, the people have lost faith in the truth of this legend and only mock the legend of Holo with a yearly ritual. Bored of this village now, the wise Holo has found freedom and companionship in the wagon of a trader by the name of Lawrence Kraft who passes through Pasloe regularly. Now it is up to Lawrence if he'll do as Holo asks and aid the wolf god on her journey home, or use her wisdom to bring him the success he's always dreamed of.
Review: Even though I didn't give it a glowing score, Spice and Wolf is definitely one of my favorite "romance" animes out there, not for the romance itself, but for what drives the plot and subsequently the romance--economics. That's right; economics. The thing that keeps this ship afloat is the value of coin, the exchanging of goods, and the membership of a merchant guild. It takes trade to keep Lawrence moving across the country and it takes money to buy the apples Holo loves so much.
In all seriousness though, Spice and Wolf is a genuinely fun series that has an interesting relationship with the power and influence of money in a world that is both familiar in its feudal setting but no less lively and involved. It's simply an added bonus that both Lawrence and Holo are a cute and amusing couple to watch as they squabble and bet over the silliest things. The show does have a low point though, yes, singular. While still compelling, the show does become unnecessarily melodramatic at this single point, but the show as a whole is both thoughtful, insightful, and actionful. It's one of those titles with a little bit of everything for everyone and uses all it's minor themes and concepts to the fullest. Its one, great disappointment though: it'll never be finished. At this point we're more likely to see a reboot than a season 3 that'll bring Holo and Lawrence's story to a close.