I'd been waiting for the local release of this collection with much anticipation. After following the novel and manga, and really enjoying both of them, I've built up a high level of expectation for the anime release. Did the anime meet my expectations? Oh yeah!  Did the anime maintain a faithful adaptation to the original novels and story? You betcha! Did I enjoy the presentation? Absolutely, yes! I went through both discs in one sitting over a weekend — with small breaks for things like lunch — and came out the other side wanting more. Note to Madman: I really hope you release Season 2 (and any future ones) if they become licensed.

Before anyone decides to flame me on spelling Horo's name this way, take a look at how the name is rendered in Japanese katakana. While the "r" and "l" are often interchanged when printed in English, the "l" reflects more closely the pronunciation of the syllable. Yes, I know the licensor instructed Yen Press to spell it as "Holo" but every other rendering of it (including my Mac OS character viewer) shows it is "ro" and one will find both spellings in use.

Spice and Wolf is a character-driven story that revolves around the adventures of Craft Lawrence, a travelling merchant, and Horo, wolf goddess of the harvest, who is travelling in human form. By human form, I mean that she looks human except for the wolf ears and long tail. This season adapts, rather well I must say, the first two novels in the series across 13 episodes. While travelling through a small village, Lawrence mysteriously picks up Horo and the journey back to her northern homeland begins. The overall setting could be described as medieval Europe and there is a lot of dialogue about business and trading. While this may sound boring at first, it's an integral part of Lawrence's job (in the same way that piloting a Gundam may be for Kira Yamato or whoever else does it) and it gives the story a rational grounding that would otherwise be absent. Just as the story gives the rational setting, it is the characters and their interactions that really shine, particularly between Lawrence and Horo. Lawrence has been travelling alone for several years and, understandably, may not have the highest level of social skills beyond his role as a trader. This makes him charmingly awkward in his interaction with Horo. Horo, despite her human appearance, has lived for hundreds of years. She originally settled in the small village that Lawrence visited after making an agreement with one of locals years ago to assist in producing the wheat harvest. Over those years she was revered and local traditions in her honour were established. Gradually these traditions were taken over by improved techniques and technology and her influence was considered to be waning. The area had also come under the suspicion of the Church, the religious superpower of the time, and these traditions were considered offensive pagan rituals. Trying to summarise the two arcs of the story in this collection would take a long time to go into, but, suffice it to say, they are robust and allows, no encourages, the characters to develop. Both Lawrence and Horo engaged me, as a viewer, right from the start (despite my prior knowledge) and their progressing relationship is appealing. Their relationship doesn't become overly soppy or romantic — Horo still has a cunning and sometimes sarcastic streak in her — but becomes strong as they rely upon each other's strengths. Horo does display moments of weakness with some tears but these only enhance her femininity, vulnerability and the obvious loneliness she has had to deal with. Lawrence doesn't become the bumbling fool at the appearance of a cute girl: he has his dignity, wits, logic, and business acumen, and these become his pillars throughout. He recognises, as things progress, that he likes Horo (and vice versa) but doesn't let his emotions run wild. A smart and down-to-earth story and characters as engaging as these come by rarely these days.

The visual presentation is great in capturing the whole medieval environment and setting. From detailed buildings to slightly impressionistic rural settings, the settings become strangely immersive and only enhance the overall feel to the show, particularly since it is presented in a 16:9 anamorphic widescreen format. Attention to detail is also a credit to the producers - right down to details like clothing having rustic browns, greys, and natural colours appropriate to the period. The more expensive clothing — appropriated by Horo in this case much to Lawrence's dismay — has the dyed blues, purples and reds. Attention to lighting, such as sunsets, where the colours change gradually has been replicated faithfully. There doesn't appear to be much in the way of computer-rendered imagery, except for some built environments like the Milone Company's rooms or some lighting effects, but what there is has been tastefully done. One thing to point out is that there are some scenes featuring nudity with Horo, particularly in the early stages before she appropriates Lawrence's clothes. However these are brief, hardly exploitative, and the more explicit bits are tactfully covered by long hair or her tail but leave little else to the imagination.

Audio has a 5.1 Dolby Digital English track and a 2.0 Japanese track. As is my preference, I listened to the audio in the original Japanese and was pleased with what I heard. Horo's voice is playful, sometimes sarcastic, but always light. Lawrence's voice is solid and sometimes a bit rough around the edges. However, the voice actors play their character roles really well in my view. Background music is simple and fits in nicely with the environment. No full-on symphonic scores here, but simple (often solo) tunings with recorder or guitar or strings. Quite simply, it works well in this case. Opening and closing themes are pleasant enough with a smooth ballad opening and a cutesy Engrish closing theme that sounds like something from the Beatles. Visuals for the closing theme are also worth watching even as the still shots show the humour between Horo and Lawrence.

Extras are basic and include a clean opening and closing; as well as other Madman titles on Disc 2. No extras on Disc 1 (which is no surprise since there are seven episodes on it).

Bottom Line: As I said earlier, a story and characters like this doesn't come along very often. While there isn't any overt action or fighting; and the whole idea of a travelling merchant doing his business may not sound like a fun time, it's the character development and interaction makes this one a stand-out title. Coupled with a nicely detailed visual presentation, character designs and audio, Spice and Wolf comes highly recommended. Definitely worth 4 stars.

Review gear: Sony 46" Bravia LCD/LED screen, Sony DVD player upscaled to HD using HDMI, Pioneer 7.1 AV receiver. Reviewed by David Hewetson.