Spice and Wolf Season 2

Title	Spice and Wolf: Season Two (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Director	Joel McDonald
Actors	J. Michael Tatum, Brina Palencia, Jamie Marchi
Release date	2011-08-30
Theatrical release date
List price	$64.98
ASIN	B0050UEVJQ
Genre
Manufacturer	Funimation
Running time	325minutes
Studio	Funimation
Purchase	Buy it now!

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Season one ended off with Lawrence confessing his feelings, if in a cheeky and impossible to understand way. But that is the way of Lawrence and Holo, the protagonists from “Spice and Wolf.” The balance between them is tenuous, and if one were to give more than the other, they wouldn’t be as damned adorable as they are. 

Season two picks up in pretty much the same place, only the stakes are raised. Lawrence still has his adorable shepherdess, and Holo has a young prince of a merchant ready to gamble all for her hand in marriage. It is only through careful navigation of Holo’s temperament and a grand gesture in economic form that the two can stay together. This storyline consumes most of disc one, while disc two moves us along to another plot regarding the church, some salt and Holo. 

For new viewers, this is the story: Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant who deals mostly in spices. Holo is a wolf-deity who accidentally finds herself teamed up with Lawrence in attempt to make her way north, home. Together they traverse the tricky economical world of being a traveling merchant, all the while flirting with flirting. They never actually become a couple, but they could never be anything else.  

Holo never fails to mention that she is the great and wise wolf - as such, why should the show go anywhere else than bartering her for riches? She would certainly see herself as the most valuable thing Lawrence has. It’s easy to see why the second season revolves around their dynamic and her worth to Lawrence. It’s a sweet and altogether appropriate within the confines of the story way to show his affection. 

Make no mistake, this is the math-iest anime I have ever seen. Every major plot crescendo is basically the explanation of a very large word problem. Think of it as a medieval stock market. It’s a number puzzle set to pretty art, a pretty girl and a pretty love story (not that they’ll ever call it that). 

The art changed a little between seasons one and two, but not by much. Occasionally you can see the difference (mostly in Holo), but it isn’t enough to make the second season less than the first. 

The voice acting, done mainly by Brina Palencia (Holo) and J. Michael Tatum (Lawrence) is superb. The pair have a history of good chemistry, from the first season of “Spice and Wolf” to “Black Butler” (where they play Ciel and Sebastian respectively). They are a delight to listen to. Funimation has a reputation for good voice acting, and this DVD set is one of the reasons why. 

Bonus features include textless opening and closing songs, trailers, and two features, stretching and studying with Holo. Of course, Holo is a cheeky thing, so learning from her is just about what you’d expect it to be.

All in all, “Spice and Wolf” is a good show for a patient viewer who doesn’t mind having to do a little mental footwork to keep up. In return, they will be rewarded with characters that are easy to feel for, a very pretty show and a lot of fun.