Spice & Wolf Second Season Confirmed

[gryffinseye]

Just read the news over at ANN:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-10-05/wolf-and-spice-2nd-tv-anime-season-confirmed

The short:
* Fukuyama Jun (Lawrence) and Koshimizu Ami (Horo) will return in their roles.
* Same director and screenplay writer as Season 1
* Changes to character designer and animation studio.

[Fencedude]

* Changes to character designer and animation studio.

Hmm...that might be bad...HOLY CRAP BRAINS BASE!

Edit: and Dragon, the OP theme for the Brains Base animated New Getter Robo was playing as I read this thread!

[Westlo]

THERE IS A GOD!!!

I liked what IMAGIN did with season 1 but Brains Base are so much better than them.

[Fencedude]

THERE IS A GOD!!!


Yes. Her name's Horo.

[Westlo]

Speaking of Brains Base... Natsume season 2 is confirmed for Winter 09.. they are confirmed to be working on Spice and Wolf 2... they are "rumored" to be doing the light novel adaption of "Denpa teki na Kanojo" which is set in the same universe as Kure-nai....

So where the fuck is Baccano season 2 :(

[Suwako Moriya]

So long as the change in studio doesn't ruin the series, this will definitely be good news for me. I'll definitely at least check out a bit of it and maybe eventually all of it.

[The Great Bear]

Good to hear there will be more Spicy Goodness.

I just can't wait for the first season to be fully licensed and released here.

[gryffinseye]

* Changes to character designer and animation studio.

Hmm...that might be bad...HOLY CRAP BRAINS BASE!

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Brains Base isn't a name I'm familiar with.

[Westlo]

Brains Base in the last year have done, Baccano!, Kure-nai, KGNE OVAs, Baccano! OVAs and Natsume Yuujinchou, all of which except for the KGNE ovas have been pretty well recieved. And their animation is generally much, much better than IMAGIN. Same director and screenplay writer as Season 1 means they should be as faithfully adapted as the first season was. New character designer means they might get designs closer to the novels which should make Andrew happy.

[Ashyukun]

Excellent news! It's always nice knowing there's more good stuff coming down the line.

[Suwako Moriya]

Good to hear there will be more Spicy Goodness.

I declare we should nickname the second season "Extra Spicy Wolf".

[Andrew Cunningham]

New character designer means they might get designs closer to the novels which should make Andrew happy.

Yeah, I was definitely pleased to see that.
Would still rather see Baccano 2...

[something]

* Changes to character designer and animation studio.
Yeah yeah Brains Base is great but DO NOT WANT. Goddamnit, was it really so hard to get the same people? The designs better undergo only minimal changes. I'm extremely happy this is finally confirmed, but this puts a major damper on that excitement.

Oh well, it'll still be amazing, maybe even better, but I think a change was completely unnecessary.

[Andrew Cunningham]

I think a change was completely unnecessary.

Putting aside my loathing for the generic character designs - which is more a matter of what you saw first anyway - the low production values were the most glaring weakness in the show. While everyone agreed Imagine had never done anything that looked so good, the show still looked fairly cheap. It definitely deserves a more lush production, and Brains Base has a good track record with that recently. I fail to see how this can be anything but good.

[something]

I fail to see how this can be anything but good.
It's the designs above all. Just a change in studio wouldn't be too big a deal, but character designs are very important. And in S1, I loved 'em, Horo looked amazing. Blah blah novel designs whatever don't care, I want the S1 designs back and can only hope the change is minimal. For me, this isn't a show like Minami-ke where I can just brush off a significant change as unimportant.

[Andrew Cunningham]

I fail to see how this can be anything but good.
It's the designs above all. Just a change in studio wouldn't be too big a deal, but character designs are very important. And in S1, I loved 'em, Horo looked amazing. Blah blah novel designs whatever don't care, I want the S1 designs back and can only hope the change is minimal.

It was a subtle difference, but a frustrating one.
Will you be reading the novels when they come out here? I'll be interested to see if the novel art annoys you, or if you find the anime designs no longer hold up.

[something]

Will you be reading the novels when they come out here? I'll be interested to see if the novel art annoys you, or if you find the anime designs no longer hold up.
I plan to buy them simply to support the franchise, though whether or not I read them depends on whether the anime is done at the time. I want my first experience of the franchise to be via the anime, and I'd read the novels whenever the anime is officially finished. Same reason I haven't read Shana or Haruhi and Zero no Tsukaima yet.

And I guess I should have mentioned it earlier, I've already seen plenty of Ayakura Juu's Spice and Wolf novel art. I rather like it too, and his style in general, and find it really darn cute. On the other hand, it strikes me as the kind of art that doesn't translate directly into animation all that well/easily, and I think the anime did a perfectly good job converting it. So I like them both.

[Suwako Moriya]

I want my first experience of the franchise to be via the anime, and I'd read the novels whenever the anime is officially finished.

Interesting strategy, but the hard part is being able to reach the point where one can 100% certain the anime is officially finished. I'm not sure I'd want to be in a scenario where I'd have to repeatedly have to hold off just in case the next season gets confirmed tomorrow.

And I guess I should have mentioned it earlier, I've already seen plenty of Ayakura Juu's Spice and Wolf novel art.

I'm not really sure if I've seen the art myself. I guess I can always do a quick check later. However I've heard before about how some art no matter how pretty has trouble working in animated form. As well as the fact still art has its advantages.

[Andrew Cunningham]

And I guess I should have mentioned it earlier, I've already seen plenty of Ayakura Juu's Spice and Wolf novel art.

I'm not really sure if I've seen the art myself. I guess I can always do a quick check later. However I've heard before about how some art no matter how pretty has trouble working in animated form. As well as the fact still art has its advantages.


A certain amount of change is probably necessary, and the anime designs do work pretty well. But they lost the perpetual knowing smirk (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=335062), the sly edge (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=296174) to Horo's smile (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=269409). It cropped up sometimes, sure, but not enough. Even in more dramatic moments, the rounder eyes gave her a more innocent look than the more intense glare (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=230171) in the novel art.
I totally see how it wouldn't bother anyone who saw the anime first, obviously.

[HitokiriShadow]

More Spice & Wolf? Very nice news.
Switch to Brains Base for animation? Awesome news.

[pianocello]

And are we going to get the same creepy nippleless breasts?

[Lego]

Good stuff, especially with Brains Base.

[Suwako Moriya]

And are we going to get the same creepy nippleless breasts?

My answer is "maybe" because I'm not going to be guess either way. Actually to be honest, save for series that like to be extra fanservicey, hentai and the like. Aren't the breasts nippleless in many cases? I figured it was something that one had to get used to when watching several series. Granted I suppose depending on how you look at it that maybe part of the problem. That being said I'll be trying out "Extra Spicy Wolf" and will live regardless of nipples or lack of.

[Solid Slap]

And I guess I should have mentioned it earlier, I've already seen plenty of Ayakura Juu's Spice and Wolf novel art.

I'm not really sure if I've seen the art myself. I guess I can always do a quick check later. However I've heard before about how some art no matter how pretty has trouble working in animated form. As well as the fact still art has its advantages.


A certain amount of change is probably necessary, and the anime designs do work pretty well. But they lost the perpetual knowing smirk (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=335062), the sly edge (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=296174) to Horo's smile (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=269409). It cropped up sometimes, sure, but not enough. Even in more dramatic moments, the rounder eyes gave her a more innocent look than the more intense glare (http://gelbooru.com/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=230171) in the novel art.
I totally see how it wouldn't bother anyone who saw the anime first, obviously.


Holy Jesus, thank goodness I wasn't at work when I clicked those links. I do like the novel designs better, but I guess for the sake of consistency I would want the designs from the first season retained as much as possible.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Holy Jesus, thank goodness I wasn't at work when I clicked those links.

Sorry about that; my browser blocks the ads, so I forgot how dangerous that site is.

[Ties]

* Changes to character designer and animation studio.
Yeah yeah Brains Base is great but DO NOT WANT. Goddamnit, was it really so hard to get the same people? The designs better undergo only minimal changes. I'm extremely happy this is finally confirmed, but this puts a major damper on that excitement.

Oh well, it'll still be amazing, maybe even better, but I think a change was completely unnecessary.

I second this post. The novel art is nice and all but I still loved the character design changes that IMAGIN did for Spice&Wolf. Brains Base usually have some good character designs but I thought IMAGIN nailed it especially for Horo so why change? *sob*

Another concern is how will Brains Base visually adapt the Spice&Wolf world. I loved what IMAGIN did with the clothes, the cities, the scenery and I wonder how Brains Base style will affect that too. Brains Base has a couple of mecha shows on their track record but how will they fare with a medieval setting.

Last point: For the love of Horo DON'T GET THE OP/ED DONE BY THE SAME GUY THAT DID KURE-NAI'S!!!!

[Fencedude]

Last point: For the love of Horo DON'T GET THE OP/ED DONE BY THE SAME GUY THAT DID KURE-NAI'S!!!!

Oh come on, thats ridiculous, why are people worrying about stuff like this? Its not like Minami Kuribayashi has done the OP for EVERY show they've done, she did it for one! Thats it! They director will choose the OP/ED that he thinks are most appropriate.

The needless worrying in this thread is ridiculous.

[Suwako Moriya]

Oh come on, thats ridiculous, why are people worrying about stuff like this? Its not like Minami Kuribayashi has done the OP for EVERY show they've done, she did it for one! Thats it! They director will choose the OP/ED that he thinks are most appropriate.

Truth be told, being the lazy person I am I never really checked exactly who was involved in the opening of each series they did. However double checking an earlier post made by Westlo. Now I will note, I have not seen any of the KGNE OVAs. However I have seen the openings to Baccano!, Kure-nai, and Natsume Yuujinchou.

And the main thing I can say for certain is they are definitely quite different from each other. Both in terms of animation and music. Thus yeah there's definitely no more basis for assuming "Extra Spicy Wolf" will have an opening like Kure-nai. So I myself consider the opening and heck everything about the show up in the air.

Either way I figure that openings are a two way street. The Animation Studio involved has some influence on things yes, but a large part of the factor will always be the series itself. Hence why Lucky Star and Clannad have different openings from each other despite both being Kyo-Ani productions. Yeah so this is a long winded way of agreeing with the idea that we shouldn't worry about a scenario that may not and likely will not even happen.