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Spice and Wolf

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Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf light novel volume 1.
狼と香辛料
(Ōkami to Kōshinryō)
GenreFantasy, Romance, Thriller
Manga
Written byIsuna Hasekura
Illustrated byJū Ayakura
Published byJapan ASCII Media Works
English publisherUnited States Yen Press
DemographicMale
Original runFebruary 10, 2006 – present
Volumes11
Manga
Written byIsuna Hasekura
Illustrated byKeito Koume
Published byJapan ASCII Media Works
English publisherUnited States Yen Press
MagazineDengeki Maoh
DemographicSeinen
Original runSeptember 27, 2007 – present
Volumes2
Anime
Directed byTakeo Takahashi
StudioJapan Imagin
Released January 9, 2008 – March 26, 2008
Anime
Directed byTakeo Takahashi
StudioJapan Imagin
ReleasedMay 30, 2008
Video game
Spice and Wolf: Holo's and My One Year
DeveloperASCII Media Works
PublisherASCII Media Works
GenreBusiness, Dating sim
PlatformNintendo DS
ReleasedJune 26, 2008
Anime
Directed byTakeo Takahashi
StudioJapan Brain's Base
ReleasedApril 30, 2009
Anime
Spice and Wolf II
Directed byTakeo Takahashi
StudioJapan Brain's Base
Released July 9, 2009 – ongoing
Video game
Spice and Wolf: The Wind that Spans the Sea
DeveloperASCII Media Works
PublisherASCII Media Works
GenreBusiness, Dating sim
PlatformNintendo DS
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2009

Spice and Wolf (狼と香辛料, Ōkami to Kōshinryō, lit. Wolf and Spice) is a Japanese light novel series written by Isuna Hasekura, with illustrations by Jū Ayakura. The first novel was released on February 10, 2006, and as of February 10, 2009, ten volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko label. ASCII Media Works reported that as of October 2008, over 2.2 million copies of the first nine novels have been sold in Japan.[1] The series has been called a "unique fantasy" by Mainichi Shimbun due to the plot focusing on economics, trade, and peddling rather than the typical staples of fantasy such as swords and magic.[2] Yen Press licensed the light novels and will be releasing them in English in North America.[3]

A manga adaptation illustrated by Keito Koume began serialization in the Japanese seinen magazine Dengeki Maoh on September 27, 2007, published by ASCII Media Works. The manga was licensed by Yen Press and will be releasing the volumes in English. The obi strip on the fifth novel announced the anime adaptation which aired between January 9 and March 26, 2008, containing twelve aired episodes, plus a single original video animation episode.[4][5] The anime will be released in English by Kadokawa Pictures USA and Funimation. A second season of the anime series titled Spice and Wolf II will premier on July 9, 2009. A visual novel based on the series for the Nintendo DS was released on June 26, 2008 by ASCII Media Works, and another visual novel for the DS will be released on September 17, 2009.

Plot

Spice and Wolf's story revolves around Kraft Lawrence, a twenty-five-year-old peddler traveling from town to town buying and selling various things to make a living in a stylized historical setting with European influences.[6] His main goal in life is to gather enough money to start his own shop, and he already has been traveling for seven years while gaining experience in the trade. One night when stopped at the town of Pasroe, he finds in his wagon a pagan wolf-deity girl named Holo who is over six hundred years old. She appears to be a fifteen-year-old girl, except for a wolf's tail and ears. She introduces herself as the town's goddess of harvest, who has kept it blessed with good harvests of wheat for many years. Despite having the responsibility to watch over the town, she wants to go back to her homeland in the north called Yoitsu; she believes the people have already forsaken her and that she has kept her promise to maintain the good harvests. Holo wants also to travel to see how the world has changed while she has remained in one place for years. She manages to bargain her way out of the village by making a deal with Lawrence to take her with him. As they travel, her wisdom helps increase his profits, but at the same time, her true nature draws unwanted attention from the church. Throughout the novels, the two slowly fall in love.

Characters

File:Craft and Holo.jpg
Kraft Lawrence (left) and Holo (right).
Kraft Lawrence (クラフト・ロレンス, Kurafuto Rorensu)
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama
Kraft Lawrence, who chiefly goes by his surname, is a twenty-five-year-old traveling peddler who goes from town to town buying and selling various things in order to make a living. When he was twelve, he became an apprentice to a merchant relative, and set out on his own at eighteen. His goal in life is to gather enough money to start his own shop, and he has already been traveling for seven years while gaining experience in the trade. He meets Holo one night and eventually agrees to her traveling with him. She helps him by providing her wisdom which helps to increase his profits and get him out of jams. As the series progresses, both Lawrence and Holo demonstrate a growing affection toward each other. Lawrence mentions he has been attacked by wolves eight times.
Holo (ホロ, Horo)
Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu
Holo[7][8][9] is a wolf harvest deity originally from a land in the north known as Yoitsu. She made a promise with men from a town called Pasroe where she would ensure the town would have good wheat harvests year after year. However, as time went on, the townspeople slowly started to forsake Holo and did not rely on her as they once did. As such, Holo escapes from town in Lawrence's wagon and started traveling with him to see how much the world has changed since she has been in Pasroe. Holo has chosen the form of a girl younger than Lawrence, though she still retains her large white-tipped wolf tail, and ears. Her true form is that of a very large wolf which many people revered and feared.
She refers to herself as the "Wise Wolf of Yoitsu" (ヨイツの賢狼, Yoitsu no Kenrō). She is typically very haughty and self-sufficient, though due to her isolation for hundreds of years in Pasroe, she came to feel very lonely, and sometimes shows a more fragile side of her. She has a peculiar way of speaking, modeled after that of the oiran high-class courtesans.[10] She is fond of delicious food and alcohol, but especially loves apples. She takes pride in her tail and takes special care of it, constantly combing and maintaining it.
Chloe (クロエ, Kuroe)
Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka
Chloe is an anime-original character. She is a villager of Pasroe and has known Lawrence for a long time. In fact, Lawrence taught her how to be a merchant. Despite still not knowing how she should feel about him, she respects him as her teacher and a good friend. They later break off their friendship when Chloe allies with the church to capture Holo and kill Lawrence.
Nola Arendt (ノーラ・アレント, Nōra Arento)
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara
Nola makes her first appearance in volume two of the novels. She is a skilled shepherdess from a church-town named Rubinhaigen. Her companion in this profession is a well-trained sheep dog named Enekk. She entrusts Lawrence with a task after they meet.
Fermi Amati (フェルミ・アマーティ, Ferumi Amāti)
Fermi makes his first appearance in volume three of the novels. He is a young man who works as a fish broker.
Dian Rubens (ディアン・ルーベンス, Dian Rūbensu)
Dian, who first appears in volume three of the novels, is an alchemist. She is in the process of chronicling pagan tales and beliefs so as to print them in books. She carries information about Holo's birthplace Yoitsu.

Media

Light novels

See also: List of Spice and Wolf light novels

Spice and Wolf began as a light novel series written by Isuna Hasekura, with illustrations by Jū Ayakura. Originally, Hasekura entered the first novel in the series into ASCII Media Works' twelfth Dengeki Novel Prize in 2005 and the novel won the Silver Prize.[11] Afterwards, the first novel was published on February 10, 2006, and as of May 10, 2009, eleven volumes have been published under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko label. The tagline for the novels is "Merchant meats spicy wolf.", an example of Engrish. The author of the novels has commented that what "meats" in the tagline really means is kept a secret, alluding to a possible intentional misspelling of "meets".[12] In September 2008, the novels were licensed by Yen Press for distribution in English.[3] The first volume will be released in December 2009, and a new volume will be released every six months.[7]

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Keito Koume began serialization in the Japanese seinen magazine Dengeki Maoh on September 27, 2007, published by ASCII Media Works.[13] The last four pages of chapter one were in full color. The first bound volume containing the first six chapters was released by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Comics label on March 27, 2008. The second volume was released on January 27, 2009. Yen Press licensed the manga series at New York Comic Con 2009, and will be releasing the series in English in North America.[14]

Internet radio show

An Internet radio show hosted by Animate called Ōkamikku Radio (オオカミックラジオ) began airing on December 7, 2007.[15] One episode is broadcast every other week on Friday, and the show is meant to mainly promote the anime series. The show is hosted by Jun Fukuyama who plays Kraft Lawrence in the anime, and Ami Koshimizu who plays Holo.[16] The show contains eight corners, or parts to each broadcast which includes news about the series, comments and submissions from listeners, and a radio drama.

Anime

See also: List of Spice and Wolf episodes

An anime adaptation produced by the animation studio Imagin aired in Japan between January 9 and March 26, 2008 on the Chiba TV Japanese television network; twelve of the thirteen episodes were broadcast, with episode seven being a DVD exclusive.[17] The episodes are being released in six DVD compilation volumes in Japan; volume one contains three episodes while the subsequent volumes contain two episodes each.[5] The volumes were released between April 2, 2008 and August 29, 2008 by Pony Canyon in Japan; volume three contains an original video animation (OVA) episode in addition to episode six of the television broadcast.[5] A Blu-ray Disc box set of the series was released on January 30, 2009.[18] The series is directed by Takeo Takahashi, written by Naruhisa Arakawa, and character designs are provided by Kazuya Kuroda. Takahashi was quoted as being a big fan of the novels.[19] The anime has been licensed for release in English by Kadokawa Pictures USA and Funimation Entertainment.[20][21] The opening theme is "Tabi no Tochū" (旅の途中) by Natsumi Kiyoura, and the ending theme is "Ringo Hiyori: The Wolf Whistling Song" (リンゴ日和 ～The Wolf Whistling Song) by Rocky Chack; both maxi singles were released on February 6, 2008.[22] The anime's original soundtrack was released on March 12, 2008.

A second season of the anime titled Spice and Wolf II will air in Japan on July 9, 2009.[23] Most of the staff from the first season will return, except for Toshimitsu Kobayashi replacing Kazuya Kuroda as the character designer and chief animation director, and Spice and Wolf II will be animated by Brain's Base instead of Imagin. The voice actors from the first season will retain their roles.[24] Another OVA, animated by Brain's Base, was released bundled with a picture book entitled Spice and Wolf: Wolf and Gold Wheat (「狼と香辛料」狼と金の麦穂, Ōkami to Kōshinryō Ōkami to Kin no Mugiho) written and illustrated by the same creators of the light novels and was released by ASCII Media Works on April 30, 2009 under their Dengeki Bunko Visual Novel imprint.[25]

Visual novels

A dating and business simulation visual novel based on the series was released on June 26, 2008 under the title Spice and Wolf: Holo's and My One Year (狼と香辛料 ボクとホロの一年, Ōkami to Kōshinryō Boku to Horo no Ichinen).[26] The game is made by ASCII Media Works playable on the Nintendo DS.[27] The player assumes the role of Kraft Lawrence as he travels around with Holo for a period of one year in the game. The story differs from that of the original novels or anime and is presented as an additional Spice and Wolf world.[28] Ami Koshimizu provides the voice of Holo in the game.[27] The game was released on the same day in limited and regular editions; the limited edition was sold at a higher price, but comes with a life-sized poster of Holo, among other things.[27][29]

A second dating and business simulation visual novel will be released on September 17, 2009 entitled Spice and Wolf: The Wind that Spans the Sea (狼と香辛料 海を渡る風, Ōkami to Kōshinryō Umi o Wataru Kaze).[30] The game will again be made by ASCII Media Works and playable on the Nintendo DS. The player assumes the role of Kraft Lawrence.

Reception

ASCII Media Works reported that as of May 2009, over 2.6 million copies of the first eleven novels have been sold.[1] The light novel series has ranked twice in Takarajimasha's light novel guide book Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! published yearly: first in 2007, and fifth in 2008; in the 2007 issue, Holo won Best Female Character.[31] In April 2008, the maid café Cafe with Cat in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan hosted a specially themed event called Cafe with Wolf for a period of three days between April 4 and April 6.[32] The event included three new items on the menu and tied in with the sale of the first anime DVD volume which went on sale on April 2, 2008. People who bought the DVD from the Comic Toranoana Akihabara Honten store (which is on the first floor below Cafe with Cat) and brought the receipt with them into Cafe with Wolf were entered into a lottery to win rare Spice and Wolf goods.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "Spice and Wolf media franchise website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  2. ^ "Book Review: Spice and Wolf" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Yen Adds Hero Tales, Wakaba-Soh, Spice & Wolf Novels". Anime News Network. 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  4. ^ "Wolf and Spice Television Anime in the Works". Anime News Network. 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  5. ^ a b c "DVD section at Spice and Wolf's official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  6. ^ "Outline of Spice and Wolf's world at the series' official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  7. ^ a b "Spice and Wolf by Isuna Hasekura". Yen Press. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  8. ^ "Official English anime Spice and Wolf website". Kadokawa Pictures USA. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  9. ^ "Spice and Wolf anime English official website". Funimation Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
  10. ^ "Spice and Wolf: Koshimizu Struggling with Oiran Words". Mainichi Shimbun. 2007-12-26. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  11. ^ "Spice and Wolf wins the Silver Prize in the twelfth Dengeki Novel Prize" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  12. ^ "Official blog entry for Spice and Wolf by the author of the novels, Isuna Hasekura" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  13. ^ "Dengeki Maoh November 2007 issue" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  14. ^ "Yen Press Adds Spice and Wolf, Yotsuba&!, Crescent Moon Story". Anime News Network. 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  15. ^ "Animate's official website for the Internet radio show" (in Japanese). Animate. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  16. ^ "Information on the Internet radio show at Spice and Wolf's official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  17. ^ "Spice and Wolf official episode listing" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  18. ^ "Spice and Wolf Blu-ray Disc news report" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  19. ^ "Interview of the two main cast, original writer, illustrator, and anime director at Spice and Wolf's official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  20. ^ "Kadokawa USA Announces Six New Licenses". Anime News Network. 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  21. ^ "Funimation Acquires Spice and Wolf Fantasy Anime". Anime News Network. 2009-05-23. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  22. ^ "CD section at Spice and Wolf's official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  23. ^ "Second Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu TV Anime Green-Lit". Anime News Network. 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  24. ^ "Spice and Wolf's 2nd TV Anime Season Confirmed". Anime News Network. 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  25. ^ "Spice and Wolf II's Act 0 to Ship on DVD in April". Anime News Network. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
  26. ^ "Spice and Wolf: Holo's and My One Year official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  27. ^ a b c "Nintendo DS game information at Spice and Wolf's official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  28. ^ "Official ASCII Media Works blog entry on the DS game" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  29. ^ "Life-Sized Poster of Holo Goes on Sale" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  30. ^ "Spice and Wolf: The Wind that Spans the Sea official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  31. ^ "Introduction section at Spice and Wolf's official website" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  32. ^ "Cafe with Wolf official event website" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  33. ^ "Spice and Wolf Cafe Open!" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
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