Shameful Otaku Secret!

Wolf and Swirling Conspiracy

[Spicy Info here as always]

After a bit of a delay in translation for episode 9, #10 came out soon on its heels, complete with my own delay in viewing. And as I suspected, things really started moving this week. Mind you, not in a good direction for our heroes, but good for story.

Recap of Doom

Turns out Rubinhagen’s yearly romp to the north to kill heathens has been cancelled this year (hence the mercenaries running rampant on the roads), and the value of armor has plummeted. Uh oh. Last week’s ingenious discovery of the Polson merchant’s attempt to screw Lawrence netted him twice the value of armor than he normally would have gotten — and that means he’s now at twice the debt since no one wants to buy.

The merchant guild can’t help him, so he goes to all his connections, who turn him away without a second thought. Now he’s starting to get worried, and we end with him shoving Horo away in frustration, and she goes back to their inn without him.

Now he has no business connections to help him, he’s on shaky ground with his traveling partner, and he has two days to come up with repayment before they shave him, pull out his teeth, and send him to his death in some horrific mines somewhere.

What We’ve Learned

Lawrence is obviously not flawless in his skills, and everyone who lambasted him for not diversifying last week is vindicated. He put all his eggs in the armor basket and now he’s double-screwed. Seems the crooked Polson merchant most likely knew about the armor crash, and ended up jacking Lawrence in the end anyway.

On the Lawrence and Horo front, we swapped out the clever teasing for some sincere cuteness this week, and I found it really fun. Of course, that was before everything went to shit.

Thoughts

The title of next week’s episode implies a crazy scheme — probably Horo’s — that will work if all goes well, but Lawrence is going to have to apologize bigtime. That means more potential for character development and the furthering of their relationship. So far the interaction between them hasn’t gone the cliché route, so hopefully they’ll continue to stay away from that.

Either way, Episode 10 is usually when things start getting hopelessly dark for protagonists, so that’s about right and I’m eagerly awaiting how they’re going to get out of this.

Wolf and Shepherd’s Lambs

[Catch up with your wolf spirits at the Spice and Wolf Info Page]

Spice and Wolf continues slowly developing its current storyline, but by the end of the episode I think the pace is sufficiently picking up. I’m not sold on this whole Nora thing, but she’s mysterious and she ramps up the still-clever interaction between Horo and Lawrence.

Recap

The shepherd, called Nora, wants Lawrence to hire her as an escort (a guide, that is — mind outta the gutter) to get him through the wolf-infested road he’s traveling. Of course, he’s not worried about wolves but it wouldn’t be prudent for him to tell a stranger why he’s not worried. On top of that, he seems interested in having some cute human company. She’s interested in making some extra cash because shepherding is laborious work — especially when you’re in the employ of the Church. Plus, she talks to sheep all day and wouldn’t mind company either.

Travel seems to go without a hitch, with the exception of Horo constantly giving Lawrence shit. Is it… jealousy? She would never admit to that, and berates him for even thinking it, but she certainly likes having control of him.

Nora’s church connections get them into the city without much hassle. But the customs officer gives a little snorting laugh at Lawrence’s suits of armor. We also get to see Nora entering the city to the tune of slamming doors and citizens shuffling their children out of her way. According to the bits of light novel trivia we’re given by certain benevolent fansubbers, the Church is mistrustful of a female shepherd as skilled as Nora (i.e., they too think she’s a magician), so her employment situation exists as much to keep an eye on her as anything else.

After some drinking and eating (sadly for Horo, no honey-pickled peaches), Lawrence goes to the merchant guild’s headquarters. He makes Horo wait outside, with obvious reason — the guild master likes to loudly tell embarrassing stories.

But Lawrence and Nora aren’t the only people entering the city: a mysterious stranger is about, and he’s looking for Lawrence…

Thoughts

Lawrence and Horo’s conversation in the cart after Nora goes to sleep is a fine example of one of my favorite things about this show. Lawrence tries to counter Horo with some smooth talk (with a hilariously timed shooting star to aid him), but it just makes her cackle with laughter at his pimp-attempt.

Their back-and-forth makes even the slowest episodes cleverly entertaining. We’re past the halfway mark now and it’s about time the next portion of the story got rolling. There really hasn’t been much happening since the Silver Coin Scandal. But like I said, I enjoy Spice and Wolf even when not much is going on, so I’ll wait somewhat eagerly for next week.

Wolf and Accurate Scales

[Economics training found at the Spice and Wolf Info Page]

Of course, no Episode 7, I have no idea what the deal is with the DVD-only thing but whatever. Someday I’ll see it. Or I won’t. I like the show, but I’m not going to be horribly disappointed. The important thing is that we’re on the road to a different part of the story after the silver coin scam was thwarted along with Chloe.

Recap

Rumors abound of a wizard who can control the wolves. Doesn’t seem to bother Horo unless the wizard happens to be a woman. Interesting. What scares her is that she and Lawrence are currently in pious-ville, where the pubs close before sundown and he intends to sell his pepper for suits of armor to bring to even-more-pious-ville, aka Church headquarter city Rubinhaigen.

Horo uses a mug of water and a pretend dizzy spell to cleverly thwart an attempt by their buyer to scam them out of their hard-earned pepper by placing his scales on a tilted table.

Lawrence seizes the opportunity to take the guy for all he’s worth — so almost being cheated has put them on top, and they share a giggle.

Lawrence is starting to get weak, though: Horo talks him into buying oil for her tail, though it’s expensive. All debts will be paid with interest, she promises, so buying things for her can only increase his profit in the long run. His merchant side goes down for the count, and when she asks cutely with a little smile and a grasp of his hands, his helpless-little-boy side falls victim too.

On the way to Rubinhaigen, they’re forced to a detour. Horo insists that Lawrence do the talking at their next negotiation — it’s the kind of human she loathes, she tells him. He worries it’s the magician, but in fact it’s only a shepherd.

A lady shepherd.

A pretty lady shepherd.

And while Lawrence is superstitious about shepherds, he doesn’t seem too worried. Horo, on the other hand, casts some nasty sidelong glances at him.

What We’ve Learned

Well, we learned a lot about the value of suits of armor and the wisdom of trading spices versus precious metals. And not to trust scales that look straight; carry your Stanley laser-level to your next meth deal, kids. Also, there’s a kind of person that Horo hates, what is it? lady magicians, lady shepherds? Ladies? The look in her eyes may actually be jealousy, but she hasn’t acted openly jealous before so she may know something.

Thoughts

I like that we’ve gone on to another story, though I didn’t mind the Medioh silver-coin business at all. Seems that superstition enters strongly into matters where shepherds are concerned, and that means that I get a little of that old-world vs modern-progress conflict that I’m looking for. And the end may not explicitly be a cliff hanger, but it’s got potential written all over it.

Like True Tears a couple weeks ago, I feel like I don’t have much to say because there isn’t anything to lambast this show about. It’s really entertaining and intriguing, and if its worst crime is still “wordiness,” I can deal.