Japanese: 狼と香辛料
English: Spice & Wolf
Synonyms: Okami to Koshinryo, Spice and Wolf
Information
Type: Manga
Volumes: 13 +
Chapters: 35 +
Status: Publishing
Published: Sep 27, 2007 to ?
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Supernatural, Seinen
Authors: Koume, Keito (Art), Hasekura, Isuna (Story)
Serialization: Dengeki Maoh
Synopsis: With his carthorse as his only companion, the young merchant Kraft Lawrence slowly wends his way through dusty back roads in search of profitable trade. But this monotony screeches to a halt when, one night, he encounters a harvest goddess in the guise of a beautiful young girl…with wolf ears and a tail! Longing for the northern lands of her birth, Holo the Wisewolf joins Lawrence as he follows the ebb and flow of trade through the countryside. And when the two come across a compelling but suspicious opportunity for profit, will Lawrence with his mercantile chops and Holo with her ancient instincts be able to separate the truth from the lies — and make some coin while they're at it?!
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Alternative version: Ookami to Koushinryou
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Licensed in English
Yen press (12 vols)
Source: MAL Manga info, Baka updates
Side notes: As usual I started to read this manga after first seeing the anime. And there is also a novel version too, so if interested you should look it up.^-^ But to come back to the manga, although I can live with the genre tags it's not my most typical type of story to read. I'm bad with speculations and economics of trading so if that's what you're good at, congrats.XDD
The art is good at times but can be also a crafty type, like drafts without the finishing touch. The story is clearly seinen so you can't mistake it any other genre... if not already read the tag list... Lawrence is in his mid twenties which lets it easily to suspect that this is the age group of readers targeted.
The story uses widely European folklore as a background but it doesn't dwell in it. But one can't shake of the European influences that is clearly seen in art. So if you wish to read something more "Asian" type of manga... this probably isn't your favorite of reading... but you might still like it.^-^
The story uses widely European folklore as a background but it doesn't dwell in it. But one can't shake of the European influences that is clearly seen in art. So if you wish to read something more "Asian" type of manga... this probably isn't your favorite of reading... but you might still like it.^-^
Main characters
Holo (ホロ)
Age: Unknown
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 43 kg
Holo 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 Pasloe 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 Pasloe. 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). She is typically very haughty and self-sufficient, though due to her isolation for hundreds of years in Pasloe, she gradually feels very lonely, and sometimes shows a more fragile side of herself. She relies on Lawrence for company as she fears loneliness, which is something that Lawrence is very aware of and tries to comfort her in his own way. Holo is also very aware of the different time spans that she and Lawrence have, as a human lifespan is like a blink of an eye for her kind. Holo is quite scared of that fact, but hides it with jokes. She has a peculiar way of speaking, modeled after that of the oiran high-class courtesans. 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.
Note: Concerning the spelling of Holo's name, Yen Press has stated that they "were instructed that the proper spelling of the character's name is indeed Holo" by the Japanese licensor.
Kraft Lawrence (クラフト・ロレンス)
Age: 25
Height: 178 cm (5' 10'')
Weight: 60 kg
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.
Lawrence usually goes by his surname, only some who have known him for a long time, like Jakob Tarantino, the master of his guild, call him by his first name Kraft in the novel. He started trading as an apprentice to his relative at age of 7 and he became an independent merchant at age of 18.
Supporting
Norah Arendt (ノーラ・アレント)
Norah makes her first appearance in volume two of the novels. She is a skilled shepherdess from a church-town named Lubinheigen. Her companion in this profession is a well-trained sheep dog named Enek. She entrusts Lawrence with a task after they meet.
Dian Rubens (ディアン・ルーベンス)
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. Dian's name sounds very masculine, so she asks Lawrence to call her "Diana".
Fleur Boland (フルール・ボラン)
Fleur Bolan, a.k.a: Eve Bolan.
Full name: Fleur von Eiterzental Bolan; Fleur von Eiterzental Mariel Bolana.
Also: that fox, that vixen in Holo's words.
Eve is a traveling merchant stationed in the port town of Lenos by the time Lawrence meets her. She's originally from the Kingdom Of Winfield, however, due to events in her past, she was forced to leave and start a new life as a merchant. As a merchant, she's extremely skilled and keen-eyed towards either profit or people. Hard to approach, few actually know that she's a woman. This is due to the fact that, for convenience, she wears heavy layers of cloth (usual to northern merchants) but also a long scarf that covers almost her entire face. When she's not wearing this outfit, she's known for extreme beauty and perfectly portrait a naive town lass.
Fermi Amarty (フェルミ・アマーティ)
Fermi makes his first appearance in volume three of the novels. He is a young man who works as a fish broker.
Marhait Liechten (リヒテン・マールハイト)
The manager of the large Pattio branch of the Milone Company. He is a calm, cool, and collected man who speaks very politely. He agrees to cooperate with Lawrence after hearing his business proposal.
Anime promotional video
An announcement video:
Animation with music
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