The Spice and Wolf franchise is highly regarded within the community, and for good reason. The premise, characters and the adventures they experience were all fresh ideas when the light novel premiered in 2006 and when the anime series first began airing in 2007. Now with the series being nearly a decade old, it still attracts a large and growing fan base despite the fact that the series’ first aired nearly a so long ago. The question as to why this series is so popular to this day is the point of this review. We must ask ourselves which aspects of the series keep endearing fans after nearly a decade. Why is the tale of a merchant and wolf deity travelling through a medieval landscape so endearing to the viewer? Is it the romance? The Economics? Or is it the well-constructed world of the series?
The reasons are many fold. Our protagonists, Holo and Lawrence, are both well-constructed characters that we can not only associate with, but also feel empathy for. The world of Spice and Wolf is filled with depth, has an important impact on the story and is highly relatable to the viewer. And of course, the relationship between Holo and Lawrence forms not only the key pillar of the series, but its main attraction. The relationship between the two protagonists is well-developed, believable and their interactions are incredibly witty and well written. Overall, Spice and Wolf is an incredibly distinctive series in relation to the rest of the anime industry and still stands as a popular gem due to its uniqueness and well-presented characters and world.