Spice & Wolf II discussion thread [Archive]

HitokiriShadow

05-03-2009, 08:47 PM

Moeconomics, part II. New TV series starts in July, Episode 0 OVA out now.

ANN entry (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10269)
Official Japanese site (http://www.spicy-wolf.com/)

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BonifaceVIII

05-03-2009, 09:07 PM

Please tell there'll be more commodity arbitrage. That was totally the best part of the last season.

HitokiriShadow

05-03-2009, 09:18 PM

Sadly, we didn't get to enjoy a drunk Horo or even a drunk Nora.

On the upside, we got a good amount of tail wagging goodness and even more naked Horo than season one. Speaking of Horo's tail, it was a lot bigger than I recall it being in season 1. We also lots of Horo getting jealous over Lawrence and Nora, some sweet and amsuing Horo x Lawrence scenes, and Horo doing whatever it takes to get her apple goodies.

It's been a while since I saw the TV series, so I don't have a good memory of precisely what the characters looked like. They all look pretty similar to what I remember, particularly Lawrence, though Horo does seem noticeably different. Actually, my memory of Nora is particularly vague, so I really have no idea how she compares to her S1 self.

HitokiriShadow

05-03-2009, 09:19 PM

Please tell there'll be more commodity arbitrage. That was totally the best part of the last season.

I would be shocked if there isn't, as that is the defining element of the series.

something

05-03-2009, 10:32 PM

Oh wow, this was real? I completely ignored this when I saw it, assuming it was another fake troll listing. :sd: Had no idea it was getting a pre-airing ep so soon, so I guess I'll have to check this out ASAP.

strangefour

05-03-2009, 11:23 PM

Hurray a sequel! There is a god, and she is a `ittle `olf in a cart. Oh I have missed the intricacies of a barter society.

Fencedude

05-04-2009, 12:00 AM

Hah, wow. Considering that nothing actually happened, that was really quite enjoyable. Horo was extra special moe this episode.

Buster Blader 126

05-04-2009, 12:16 AM

Sadly, we didn't get to enjoy a drunk Horo or even a drunk Nora.

It's been a while since I saw the TV series, so I don't have a good memory of precisely what the characters looked like. They all look pretty similar to what I remember, particularly Lawrence, though Horo does seem noticeably different. Actually, my memory of Nora is particularly vague, so I really have no idea how she compares to her S1 self.

I SO wanted drunk Nora, but it wasn't meant to be. :(

It's only been over a month since I last saw Season 1, and they looked the same to me. Nora's pretty much the same as well, I find.

Overall, a nice episode. I prefer sultry Holo a little more, but cute Horo is fine by me too. :catgirl:

Suwako Moriya

05-04-2009, 01:08 AM

On the upside, we got a good amount of tail wagging goodness and even more naked Horo than season one

Both those aspects got my complete approval. Although it begs the question. Will we be getting plenty of naked Horo goodness in the future or will this just be a case of just getting all the naked out of the way early?

something

05-04-2009, 02:05 AM

Episode 0:

- I can't help but notice that there's a chair hanging from the top of the stage's proscenium.
- Nora! Horo! Lawrence! I like how Horo can express such emotion just with short 1-2 second scenes.
- Ahahaha, Horo effortlessly reminds me why I love her so much. Her facial expressions are fantastic.
- horo_facepalm.jpg
- Sheep torture...
- horo_facepalm(2).jpg
- And passing out Horo.
- Finally more naked Horo! Wonderful, wonderful naked Horo. And some quick recap. I like the idea of Horo being around so long that she could literally get distracted for so long as to watch a tree grow before she realized what she was doing.
- Upside down Horo! Oh this show gives me such a wonderful feeling, and all these shots of Horo are a great reminder.
- She's like an excited little girl, I absolutely love watching her debate herself like this. Ahhhh, Horo, you make it impossible to forget how amazing you are.
- Ears, wonderfully expressive ears!
- Blushing Horo, I think I'm going to diiie. Die in the best imaginable way. <3 As always, her conversations with Lawrence have such a natural, effortless flow to them. They bounce words back and forth and back again and always have the perfect reactions, especially on Horo's end.
- More naked! Yes this episode wins hard.
- Wacchi~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Horo just killed Lawrence with her smile.
- Hah! The way Horo's mood sours when Nora is mentioned is so endearing somehow. Well, everything Horo does is...
- And then that final talk with Nora. :sd:

YES! Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo Horo! That was so, so very umch what I love most about Spice and Wolf. The wait for the rest of the season is going to be killer. NEED IT NOW!!

Suwako Moriya

05-04-2009, 02:07 AM

Horo was extra special moe this episode.

And that's all that truly mattered in the long run.

Suwako Moriya

05-04-2009, 02:09 AM

The wait for the rest of the season is going to be killer. NEED IT NOW!!

You could always apply the moe economic lessons of season 1 and use the money to fund the building of a time machine.:P

TheGreenMan

05-04-2009, 05:49 AM

ShieldAnvil

05-04-2009, 07:57 AM

It's been a while since I saw the TV series, so I don't have a good memory of precisely what the characters looked like. They all look pretty similar to what I remember, particularly Lawrence, though Horo does seem noticeably different. Actually, my memory of Nora is particularly vague, so I really have no idea how she compares to her S1 self.

Yeah. I noticed that too. I believe the character designer was different. It's a little jarring with Horo looking a little different. When she was sitting up in bed talking to Lawrence, she almost looked like...well...someone different. At least the seriyuu are the same for the characters.

They changed character designers: S1 Kazuya Kuroda, S2 Toshimitsu Kobayashi according to animenewsnetwork. I don't think I mind Horo's new design, the others don't look too different.

Westlo

05-04-2009, 09:51 AM

Akino Arai is doing the OP and ROCKY CHACK are returning to once again do the ED. Akino Arai is best known for her songs from Macross Plus in Voices, Idol Talk (<3 this one) and Wanna Be An Angel. She also sung the KURAU and Zegapain OP's and the ED's for Noir and the last Aria series.

TheGreenMan

05-04-2009, 11:43 AM

something

05-04-2009, 03:51 PM

I don't know. I guess they wanted her to be more moe than sexy (not to the level of the manga version of Horo though). I don't have a problem with it. At least she wasn't de-nerded like Shion from Xenosaga.
I don't think Horo lost any of her sexy really, it's just that this episode had her in a (physically) weaker situation than normal. The sexiest thing about Horo has always been her attitude anyway, which accentuates her looks brilliantly, and I felt like that was out in full force in this episode. At any rate, I didn't find the designs significantly different, but I haven't seen Spice and Wolf season one since it first aired.

Westlo

07-09-2009, 12:41 PM

Wonderful episode, it's great to get back into the flow of Spice and Wolf with such a good episode. Interestingly they seem to be tackling the lifespan differences as well as their relationship in this arc. Looking forward to seeing how's covered, loved the OP and ED combo just like I did in Zegapain when the same artists did the OP/eD in that. I probably prefer Arai's OP here but ROCKY CHACKY'S Zegapain ED is better, one of my fav EDs period. Thankfully Spicy 2;s ED resembles that one more so than their spicy 1 ED. Animation was improved too but that's a given since Brains Base > IMAGIN, still had the same feel due to the director and same music among other things.

Ashyukun

07-09-2009, 05:29 PM

First episode of the new series was :beatingheart:. The back and forth between the two is still great, even if this episode was mostly just setting things up and introducing a few new characters. If only my economics classes in school could have been as enjoyable as learning about economics in this show is...

Sly05

07-09-2009, 09:58 PM

As always, the banter between Lawrence and Horo is wonderful. Horo has an amusing hung over face and her body language is as cute as ever (tail waging at the mention of the festival and her ears perking up angrily when she heard all the rooms were booked). I also thought the OP and ED were pretty good. I'll be looking forward to episode 2.

Fencedude

07-09-2009, 11:31 PM

Oh wow. I'd watch an entire cour of them just traveling in the wagon and talking. Utterly brilliant dialog and body language. The sexual tension is shooting through the roof as well.

OP promises some interesting characters (some of whom we've met already) and the ED is just utterly adorable.

zangetsu22

07-10-2009, 12:22 AM

It great to be back into the AMAZING series. Love Horo and Lawrence! When they talk it's just a GREAT chemistry. The sexual tension between the two doesn't seem out of place or overdone. It's just right. Thats what I enjoy about the show! It's interaction with other people, it's not you typical moe, yuri, shojo, shonen anime. And without the voice actors Koshimizu Ami: Horo/Kallen (who I have a HUUUUUUGE Voice crush on) and Fukuyama Jun: Lawrence/Lelouch (awesome) then it wouldn't be as entertaining as it is. It's like a Series with only Kallen and Lulu (WHICH I AM A SHIPPER OF) just in a different setting. LONG LIVE HORO!!!

HitokiriShadow

07-10-2009, 12:02 PM

I think they made Horo even more wonderful than she was before. They spent five minutes with Horo and Lawrence just chatting (and her in various poses), and it was awesome.

The new ED isn't as memorable as the first but its still pretty good. I like all the little still images of Horo and Lawrence.

Suwako Moriya

07-11-2009, 11:51 PM

Ah, it's good to know that the Wolf is still extra Spicy. Meaning that if this episode is any indication the second should be good just like the first was.

something

07-12-2009, 05:36 AM

Episode 1:

- !!! The OP is absoluetly gorgeous! I fell in love right away. Just fantastic.
- We begin with naked Horo! And that dream she has in episode 0. I wonder if showing it again has meaning, or if they're just saying "Hey, in case you missed ep 0..." But it's clear that Horo has to deal with the fact that if she does choose Lawrence, he's only going to be alive for the blink of an eye, from her perspective. =(
- The backgrounds are gorgeous as well.
- The little touches. Just what Spice and Wolf does so well. Lawrence cracks a joke, finds out Horo was dreaming of something more serious, then just puts his hand on her head and brings her back to his side. <3
- Ears! Tail! They're characters in their own right.
- HAH!! My god they're in absolute top form already. Lawrence always tries to get one up on her and it actually looked like he'd scored a hit this time... and then she makes damn clear that Horo the Wise does not lose. Delightful, so delightful was the look on her face.
- It's not just the verbal interaction either! The physical interaction is being conveyed perfectly. Gently leaning on one another, pushing against one another, it's all just as important as their words. And that's not to mention the tail and ears again.
- Heh! Horo's ears flip up under the hood in a sign of annoyance. Brilliant!
- Ohh, so that's who Amati is, Chiba Saeko.
- Wow, this kid is completely, hopelessly taken by Horo. Naturally, I don't blame him in the least. But he's got is baaaaaad.
- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhh~ ::random outburst about how wonderful this episode is::
- Oh the interplay between these two is unreal. Loooooove love love love.
- Oooh. Talk of Yoitsu worries Lawrence. After all, their goal is to get there, and then part. But they've been together so long and been so close that the "parting" part seems to have been buried. When it resurfaces, however, it won't be pretty.
- ...or maybe it's something more? Suddenly, a flashback that indicates that Yoitsu... may have run into some troubles? Hmmm.
- Ahaha, oh my. What a horrible hangover face.
- Awww hell yeah, time for some hardcore business negotiation action! <3 It was shockingly straightforward and comprehensible.
- Horo has recovered! Again with the wonderful physicality, particularly her stretching over to grab his pantsleg with her foot.
- Onsen? Did someone just say onsen??
- Lawrence's emotions here are getting increasingly complicated, and I'm now revising to a third guess: he doesn't want to leave Horo, but he also wants to open his shop, as illustrated in his distraction while talking to the nail buyer. He's conflicted, btu so is she. She knows she can't just tell him to abandon everything, but she also wants to go home, and... ah. So interesting.
- And then there's the lifespan issue again.

The ED is so cute! Really fun song too. That's something I'll be able to listen to every episode, except maybe if the episode ends on a really sad note. The OP I will definitely watch every time.

God damn, what a phenomenal setup this is. Absolutely everything I love about this franchise is here and done to pinpoint perfection.

How is the summer season this strong? Even if you set aside this and Haruhi, both of which were guaranteed to be my favorites, pretty much everything else I've tried has been fantastic too. I'm inundated with great shows - but what a nice "problem" that is to have.

Fencedude

07-16-2009, 10:12 PM

Hah, Deanna's awesome. I hope she and Horo get to meet.

Horo was very devilish early on, I love her like that <3

I wonder just what happened...

Sly05

07-16-2009, 10:24 PM

So I guess that explains the fox during the end credits. I was expecting it to be alive.

Hah, Deanna's awesome. I hope she and Horo get to meet.

One thing this series does exceedingly well is cool female characters. The whole alchemist quarter was pretty cool. Lawrence's nervousness walking around got a smile out of me as did Deanna's reaction to Lawrence thinking she was a witch.

I wonder just what happened...
What ever it is, Lawrence sure wasted no time running out of there.

something

07-19-2009, 04:29 AM

Episode 2:

- The lively banter isn't just limited to Horo and Lawrence, I like Lawrence's talk with the merchant who bought the nails too. So Lawrence is interested in finding out a bit more about the folklore and history of the northern lands.
- Tail, tail taaaaaaail! ...Horo the Wise can't read? Wow, I guess she's never had need but that caught me off guard. Has she really not read anything in all the episodes so far? Huh.
- Lawrence has a natural weakness against cute sad wolf girls! Horo gets a +500 attack bonus!
- I want to find whoever writes this dialogue (or if it's all straight from the novels, then Hasekura Isuna) and offer my life to their service. I'm always in awe of a show that manages to be consistently great episode after episode, but S&W manages it line after line. I've run out of ways to praise the flawless interactions between them. Though I'll keep trying. =P Horo is especially lovely with the way she's constantly throwing Lawrence off his game and teasing him. I think she does it to the audience too - it's always hard to tell at first whether it's a rare instance where she's really sad, or if she's just teasing Lawrence, or if she's really sad and covering it by teasing.
- She made him blush! XD
- Then for more verbal back and forth, but this time with Amartie. He has it so very bad for Horo. Lawrence doesn't seem to see him as a threat though.
- Now off to a rather interesting part of town... Alchemists?
- And one is Watanabe Akeno! Deanna! And Lawrence ends up dealing with another strong-willed woman he can't quite wrap his head around. She hardly even gives him room to breathe! She's fantastic. And she has a very interesting story to tell about a mysterious wolf of the north with a familiar sounding name...
- Hahaha, baking a delicious pie on her husband's flames of jealousy. So Amarti is a bit of a playboy, is he? Surely he's never taken on anyone near Horo's caliber though. :sd:
- Brilliant physical contact again as the stumbling sleepy drunken Horo is helped out by Lawrence.
- "yoiyoiyoi" is the cutest fake-crying sound ever.
- Hah! Horo is hard-wired to mess with everyone that comes near her. The suggestive pose under the sheets was great.

And... suddenly Lawrence running like a man possessed? Nooo, why is the episode over? ;_; Too soon, too soon!

something

07-19-2009, 04:30 AM

So I guess that explains fox during the end credits. I was expecting it to be alive.
I'm not really feeling it at all as a fashion accessory, so I hope she doesn't keep it around all series. :sd:

HitokiriShadow

07-20-2009, 01:12 PM

So Horo the wise can't read. It's not that much of a surprise though, as she really didn't have any reason to and given the time period this series emulates, a majority of the population probably can't read. It's just easy to forget since Lawrence and a lot of the people he interacts with obviously can.

And then we get a cliffhanger already. I imagine it has something to do with the nails he gave to his buddy in the previous episode.

pi8you

07-23-2009, 11:45 PM

Since I'm starting the episode thread here... Bad Lawrence, you made Horo cry!

Crank up the drama much? A bold move early in the episode puts their relationship on the spot, Lawrence is confident, but after an enjoyable afternoon with Horo at the festival, his fortunes turn for the worse in more ways than one.

Damn, a whole week until the next episode, gonna be torture (especially after getting a huge dose with finally watching 1-2 earlier today as well).

Fencedude

07-24-2009, 11:33 PM

Wow, that was...amazing. Horo completely losing her composure was something I thought we'd never see, and Lawrence...is in quite a bad spot right now.

Suwako Moriya

07-25-2009, 10:21 AM

Hah! Horo is hard-wired to mess with everyone that comes near her. The suggestive pose under the sheets was great.

It's nice to know that Hiro puts her talents to proper and good use.

Ashyukun

07-25-2009, 09:17 PM

Wow. That was one hell of a breakdown on Horo's part... though I think if I were Lawrence I'd be more pissed off than anything else to be trusted so little. I was really expecting him to slap her at some point and bring her back to her senses... the preview for next week is O_O as well. We know things have to work out since we're only a few episodes in, but still... very good job of cranking up the tension...

HitokiriShadow

07-25-2009, 10:42 PM

Well, that wasn't the kind of emergency I was expecting. And then we get Horo at a complete loss, breaking down, and lashing out at Lawrence. Totally wasn't expecting that and it was a fantastic scene.

something

07-26-2009, 01:38 AM

Episode 3:

- Ahahahah! Oh god, Amarty. You are a hilariously smitten little child.
- Oh my. Is Lawrence selling Horo? :sd: Well, not quite that simple but he's certainly putting a lot of faith in her!
- GHGA&*(GEBQ#WU&*&*N*(Q~! Horo is fantastic! The conversation moves so fast it's easy to get lost at times, but it's so lively and Horo has such command over it that it's a treat to watch. She's having so much fun.
- Heh, this could all end easily if Horo just said no, but what's the fun in that? It's time for Lawrence to go into super merchant mode and make a buck (or Treni silver) or two off this.
- Hoppin Horo! Festival time!
- I just want to dive into Horo's big pretty red eyes.
- "Bed... will you be gentle?" XD! Nice catch, Lawrence! It's official, all episodes must have one "prepping Horo for bed" scene.
- Wow, I loved the sudden change in mood when Lawrence told her about the information he got from Deanna.
- Yet more economic scheming! A run on pyrite!
- Oh shit! Horo... can indeed read. And she read something very unfortunate.
- Seeing Horo cry is devastating. ;_;
- The red eyes faintly glowing in the darkness... wow.
- Lawrence should have answered immediately when she asked what she was to him... but how could he? How do you put something so complex (or so confusingly simple) into words in an instant? But what is Horo supposed to think?
- "Would you mate with me?" She's broken. ;_; Fuck, seeing Horo like this is... fascinating for what it does for her character, but at the same time it's just horrible. And now that she has Amarty as an emotional out... bad bad timing.
- Say something, Lawrence! SAY SOMETHING!
- No, don't leave! Damnit.

I am simply blown away, that was... good goddamn that was beyond words.

something

07-26-2009, 01:51 AM

Wow. That was one hell of a breakdown on Horo's part... though I think if I were Lawrence I'd be more pissed off than anything else to be trusted so little. I was really expecting him to slap her at some point and bring her back to her senses...
Look at it from her perspective and that's a huge, huge secret for him to have been keeping from her. It's easy for us to say she overreacted, but the whole reason for their journey has just been revealed to be a lie from the start. There's no Yoitsu to return to (as far as the characters know right now), and Lawrence knew or suspected this all along. Then toss in his complete inability to respond to her concerns during the entirety of that conversation, his confidence that she'd obviously stay with him when the Amarty issue came up, and plain old misunderstandings (Why does he want to part with her at that city? Must be so he can get rid of me soon and start a store!).

And, of course, her deep, deep fear of being left alone again, not just from being "dumped" in the short term but as a result of their vastly different lifespans... I can definitely understand why she broke. It's not really that she has lost all trust Lawrence, but rather that she's terrified of losing everything she has gained.

HitokiriShadow

07-26-2009, 02:09 AM

- "Bed... will you be gentle?" XD! Nice catch, Lawrence! It's official, all episodes must have one "prepping Horo for bed" scene.

I second this motion. I loved that little scene adn it was definitely my favorite lighthearted scene of the episode. It's hard to tell if Horo is drunk or just incredibly sleepy, but either way, Lawrence seems to have become an expert at it and it was very amusing to watch.

nhyone

07-26-2009, 08:08 PM

Judging from the pace, season 2 will just cover volume 3 of the novel?

something

07-26-2009, 08:49 PM

Judging from the pace, season 2 will just cover volume 3 of the novel?
We have no idea at this point, it's only episode three. It's also moving relatively quickly, I think. I'd rather not get into much discussion of what the novels cover anyway though.

Also, please use the "Quote" button when replying, or you lose the subject lines like in your post.

something

07-26-2009, 09:06 PM

So, since I'm rewatching the episode I feel compelled to point out how amusing it's been for me to listen to Mark talk for these recent episodes, because all I hear is Soul Eater's Shinigami-sama. :sd:

Sly05

07-26-2009, 09:52 PM

- The red eyes faintly glowing in the darkness... wow.

I really liked that. Having her eyes "glow" really emphasized Horo's non-human qualities and thus the gap between her and Lawrence. It was just perfect.

Horo's completely broken which makes an even bigger mess of the situation with Amarty. Lawrence really needs to take Horo to that Alchemist lady so she can at least hear more about the legend and hopefully calm her down a bit so she doesn't do something rash.

relentlessflame

07-27-2009, 10:58 PM

Judging from the pace, season 2 will just cover volume 3 of the novel?For what it's worth, it will apparently cover two novels in 12 episodes, just like the first season.

something

07-30-2009, 08:26 PM

Episode 4:

- Hah! Of course the preview after 3 was a fake-out. The whole scene with Horo and Amarty leaning in to kiss is a result of Lawrence daydreaming to himself as he wanders around town alone, looking depressed.
- Lawrence turns to economics to solve his problems. He wants to reverse the run on pyrite, crash its whole market within 24 hours, and prevent Amarty from collecting on the sum he promised. Thus ending the contract to "free" Horo.
- Then what does he see as he wanders, lost deep in thought? Amarty staring up at a window, from which stares down Horo the Wise, with a warm look...
- After Amarty bows and takes his leave, Horo turns straight to Lawrence with a cold, cold look.
- And what just happened? Horo left two letters one behind, one that spells out Amarty's assets and... did she sign Amarty's contract and go along with his plan? I'm not sure. Anyway, Lawrence immediately withdraws all his money and hurries off somewhere.
- Heh Lawrence is all about the evil "LEAVE ME ALONE" looks today.
- Finally he finds Amarty and gets down to business talk again. Economics ensue. Essentially, he challenges Amarty to a duel via pyrite supply and demand projections.
- Oh Lawrence is fantastic. Amarty analyzes the deal quickly and competently (and almost derails Lawrence's plans), but Lawrence takes that into consideration and works on a less economic motive. That is, he convinces Amarty it's a fair duel because of Amarty's other source of risk - Horo might not agree to the contract. Did Horo know he would do this? Is this her way of challenging Lawrence? If he can crash the market against all odds and stop Amarty from getting his 1000 [whateverdemonimation] then...?
- Hah hah! Amarty is riiiiiiled up as fuck. Lawrence is taking a risk, but getting Amarty mad may be just the way to make him slip up. And accepting Lawrence's duel is the first mistake.
- But Lawrence hits a roadblock? He lays out a wonderful plan to Mark but to his shock... Mark doesn't agree to go along. This was unforeseen! Talk about a rude awakening for Lawrence. He gets a crash course in the difference between traveling merchants and those with a more permanent presence (and stricter social responsibilities) like Mark. A permanent presence that Lawrence has thought all along that he wanted. Could this be an important moment for him? Maybe that life isn't for him after all?
- Ah! So basically this all sets Lawrence up as having one last hope: Horo's faith in him. Will that be enough?
- Hard to say, because that document from earlier was apparently a signed marriage certificate. If her guardian signs it, it's official. Right now that guardian is Lawrence. If he fails to stop Amarty from collecting the 1000, Amarty becomes the guardian. In other words, I was right earlier, and Horo put the whole matter down to whether or not Lawrence can merchant his way out of this mess. How fantastically interesting.
- So where does he go? Well, we can't forget about Deanna, right? And who does she interact with? Alchemists. =D Even if he can't get Mark to buy up pyrite, he still owes him big time for that little reminder.

You know this show is damn good when an entire episode can go by essentially Horo-less and still be fucking fantastic.

Fencedude

07-30-2009, 11:08 PM

For having a shocking lack of Horo, the episode was terrific.

Sly05

07-31-2009, 07:43 AM

I love how Horo helped Lawrence out by telling him Amarty's assets and then left him the signed marriage contract. I can't think of a better way to force Lawrence to demonstrate his feelings for her. In other words, don't screw it up or else. Hah!

HitokiriShadow

07-31-2009, 09:39 PM

Not nearly enough Horo, but the episode was about Lawrence trying to crash the pyrite market, a ballsy move and the most interesting economic plot yet (and it makes sense!), so it was still a great episode.

PosterAnonymous

08-01-2009, 10:12 PM

I must say, I'm glad I gave this show a second chance and I look forward to FUNimation's R1 release of the first season!

As for this episode, I'm just glad that the economic lingo wasn't too dense... I always had trouble staying awake in economics class, but I do get the basics. I'm more intrigued by Lawrence and Horo's interactions. ;) I can't wait for next week!

something

08-01-2009, 11:03 PM

As for this episode, I'm just glad that the economic lingo wasn't too dense... I always had trouble staying awake in economics class, but I do get the basics. I'm more intrigued by Lawrence and Horo's interactions. ;) I can't wait for next week!
The economics in S&W do tend to get a bit complicated, so I was glad that I understood, as far as I can tell, everything that was going on in this episode. With Horo using the economic duel as her own challenge to Lawrence, it's pretty important to understand some of the details, I think. After all, the winner has legal control over whether another name gets added to that marriage document, or if it gets torn up...

Btw, please use the "Quote" button when replying in these series discussion threads, or you lose the subject line. See how your defaulted to "Spice & Wolf II discussion thread" - the "Post Reply" button is messed up.

Westlo

08-02-2009, 05:45 AM

Judging from the pace, season 2 will just cover volume 3 of the novel?

There's characters from another novel in the OP... I think it's 5, 4 seems to be getting skipped.

Buster Blader 126

08-03-2009, 03:56 PM

I finally got around to starting it, one month after it premiered.

Really loving the interaction between Holo and Lawrence, as usual. Saucy Holo is the best! :catgirl:

Looks like we'll be meeting a slew of new characters as well. (No more Nora and Chloe? Awwww.) Amati seems like a chipper fellow, and Lawrence's merchant friend is a rather decent guy himself.

Great first episode. Thankfully I didn't wait too long for this second season (about 4-5 months).

Buster Blader 126

08-03-2009, 04:05 PM

More character introductions appear, and they were pleasant to watch. Guy seems like a good fellow despite him dealing in shadier business, and Deanna was very entertaining to watch.

The big monster-looking thing in the ending is also explained here. So Yoitsu exists no more! What will Horo do when she finds out? :depressed:

And so Amarty is crafty as he is chipper. Hmmm.

- "yoiyoiyoi" is the cutest fake-crying sound ever.

Add to the fact that she held her tail over her mouth like a conceited woman would hold her hand over her mouth ojo-sama style, which made me love that moment even more. ^_^

Haughty Horo is also the best! :bigsmile:

Buster Blader 126

08-03-2009, 04:12 PM

Wow, what a series of unfortunate events.

& Horo LIES! She can read!

I'm thinking that they will pull through this, with it only being three episodes in. But how will it turn out? Guess I'll find out within the hour.

(Genuinely) sad and crying Horo is not the best. :depressed:

pi8you

08-06-2009, 07:35 PM

If what just happend was what I think just happened.... Wow. Talk about getting blindsided, those last 2 minutes are gonna leave you feeling just like Lawrence.

Sly05

08-06-2009, 10:48 PM

pi8you

08-06-2009, 11:11 PM

I'm not entirely sure why getting gold coins instead of silver put Lawrence in a bad position, but I guess that they are more difficult to exchange as fewer people want to deal with foreign (?) currency that big? It would certainly make pulling of his plan more difficult.

I am betting it was probably Horo who placed the order for Pyrite with Deanna so she could bail Lawrence out if he couldn't pull through himself. Deanna not giving the buyer's name and her reaction to Lawrence's question about gods and humans mating makes it unlikely that it was Amarty.
Hint: Its not the coins that are significant, its the contract that's been completed.

Fencedude

08-06-2009, 11:34 PM

If what just happend was what I think just happened.... Wow. Talk about getting blindsided, those last 2 minutes are gonna leave you feeling just like Lawrence.

I'm pretty sure that what Lawrence wants to do is illegal, at least it would be now.

Anyway, I agree that most likely Deanna met with Horo, not Amarty.

Also, anyone else think that Mark was being unusually meta? It feels like he was the voice of the audience smacking Lawrence upside the head.

pi8you

08-07-2009, 12:07 AM

Buster Blader 126

08-07-2009, 12:34 AM

Pretty good episode, despite the lack of Holo. A (nearly-)absent Holo isn't the best, but can be tolerated.

There was some good tension in this one. I really liked the extended conversation between Lawrence and Mark.

The encounter with Deanna will prove to be fun, I hope.

HitokiriShadow

08-07-2009, 01:34 AM

Aaaaarg, worst cliffhanger ever.

Watching Lawrence trying to put his plan into action is quite fascinating, making for two straight episodes that were great despite Horo being almost completely absent.

Westlo

08-07-2009, 10:44 PM

Fencedude

08-07-2009, 11:00 PM

Ashyukun

08-08-2009, 06:46 AM

I agree with people saying it was Horo who met with Deanna, those feathers on her head look awfully familar.. also I think lawrence was shocked at the gold coins due to the price of exchanging the silver for them. Was Amarty's way of saying "money aint a thing!".

I'm wondering if Horo revealed her identity to Deanna. If so I hope we get a flashback about it.
I don't have the time to go back and check exactly how many there were earlier to see if she'd added any... but weren't those the feathers Lawrence gave her at the beginning to signify her as a nun before they headed into the town (right before meeting Amarty)?

I'd have to imagine Deanna not just letting anyone in and making a deal with her about the Pyrite- it took Lawrence quite a good bit, and while Horo could likely have found her way there on her own, she wouldn't likely have known the code word (or who to ask to get it). Besides- Deanna knew the story about Horo, so I'd imagine the moment she introduced herself, especially so soon after someone came asking about a legendary village related to a god by the same name, would definitely pique her interest.

What has mine piqued is the preview scene: (tagged since some people don't watch them for fear of spoilers) Horo biting into someone's arm- something of considerable significance when you consider she uses blood as one of the means to transform into her wolf form. It didn't look like the greyed-out motif that is used for Lawrence's imagination either, at least to me...

Draneor

08-08-2009, 01:39 PM

Nails, is it now? For some odd reason, I feel that Lawrence is getting farther away from his goal to own his own shop. Is it the food expenses? Oh, and I think Horo was drunk and lonely or something.

pi8you

08-08-2009, 03:35 PM

I agree with people saying it was Horo who met with Deanna, those feathers on her head look awfully familar.. also I think lawrence was shocked at the gold coins due to the price of exchanging the silver for them. Was Amarty's way of saying "money aint a thing!".

I'm wondering if Horo revealed her identity to Deanna. If so I hope we get a flashback about it.
I don't have the time to go back and check exactly how many there were earlier to see if she'd added any... but weren't those the feathers Lawrence gave her at the beginning to signify her as a nun before they headed into the town (right before meeting Amarty)?
Lawrence put pieces of wheat in her hair, not feathers, so it was very much significant that Horo had feathers in her hood- who got them from Deanna, Amarty or Horo? (Leaning along with everyone else towards Horo). Lawrence has no idea and assumes Amarty did it, so he'll flounder and misjudge that until Horo sets him straight(or he has an epiphany).

I'd have to imagine Deanna not just letting anyone in and making a deal with her about the Pyrite- it took Lawrence quite a good bit, and while Horo could likely have found her way there on her own, she wouldn't likely have known the code word (or who to ask to get it). Besides- Deanna knew the story about Horo, so I'd imagine the moment she introduced herself, especially so soon after someone came asking about a legendary village related to a god by the same name, would definitely pique her interest.
Oh come now, if you don't think Horo couldn't have charmed it(and/or a meeting with Deanna) out of Bartose, I'd wonder if we were even watching the same show ;) I am a little curious to know if the particular passphrase is an in-joke between Deanna and Bartose though, specificially for Lawrence's chase after Horo.

Fencedude

08-08-2009, 03:37 PM

something

08-09-2009, 02:05 AM

Episode 5:

- For referring to Horo as cargo, Lawrence's appeal here is pretty sincere sounding. :sd:
- Ouch, headphones might have been a bad idea just now. The crowd noise started getting loud, and then louder, and then waay louder than I remembered having my volume set. I was just about to lower it or take the headphones off almost exactly when Lawrence was finally about to break.
- Deanna! Yaay! Right from the start she emits such an aura of command. Not for a second does she let the conversation out of her control. I rather like how Lawrence answered the question of who he was dueling against. It's not Amarty who is his real challenger... it's Horo.
- And you know what, despite the obvious answer being that Amarty was the one buying pyrite from Deanna and the alchemists, I'm thinking it was Horo instead. =D Especially since no money changed hands yet.
- HAH! Nice question to ask, Lawrence! Fantastic. We're now at one and a half nearly Horo-less episodes and it's still utterly fascinating.
- Looks like Mark managed to set Lawrence up quite nicely indeed with some potential deals. Lawrence is incurring some pretty major debts to Bartose, Deanna and Mark. He owes them more than a few in the future. It's no shock that Deanna is awesome, but I really like Mark too. I hope we see him again at some point.
- ...I can't wait for Lawrence's reunion with his cargo.
- Oh, so Lanto has a name.
- Uh oh, psychological warfare from Amarty. Horo is with him!
- I'm not sure what just happened, but Lawrence just got his ass kicked. Did Amarty pay Lawrence early, and now Lawrence won't have the money to buy the pyrite? Well, whatever it is, Lawrence's plans just got sucker punched.
- ...Wedding bells? I wonder if Lawrence has been wrong all along. Maybe all Horo really wants him to do is crash the wedding ceremony and take her away!

And god damnit, episode is over! Already? NOT POSSIBLE! Next week, biting!

something

08-09-2009, 02:13 AM

Oh come now, if you don't think Horo couldn't have charmed it(and/or a meeting with Deanna) out of Bartose, I'd wonder if we were even watching the same show ;) I am a little curious to know if the particular passphrase is an in-joke between Deanna and Bartose though, specificially for Lawrence's chase after Horo.And if you don't think Deanna would fall all over herself to meet a actual pagan god, well...
Hah, damn straight. Deanna is just about the last person who would ever out Horo. They'd be BFFs in about 45 seconds. If we don't get a flashback to that conversation, I swear I'm gonna...

Anyway, Lawrence and Amarty may think they're locked in an epic merchant's duel right now, but Horo and Deanna are no doubt just watching with utter amusement. The men are just flailing around desperately on the women's palms right now.

Seriously, Horo and Deanna scheming together is fucking scary. And awesome!

Fencedude

08-10-2009, 04:58 AM

Rewatching season one (yeah yeah, I could wait for the DVDs but theres some stuff I wanted to check), and two things:

A) Nora has the exact same voice and mannerisms as Nagisa. Its very strange

B) I wonder if this arc will somehow end with Horo taking her wolf form. Both previous arcs did.

Suwako Moriya

08-10-2009, 02:47 PM

Wow. Watching Horo break down like that was rather depressing.:sweat:

Suwako Moriya

08-10-2009, 03:02 PM

It's nice to know that Lawrence has bold plans. We'll see how well they work in the long run.

Suwako Moriya

08-10-2009, 04:22 PM

Well, that's one way to end the episode and the preview is definitely curiuous.

Draneor

08-12-2009, 08:32 PM

Horo was really cute in this episode and still as playful as always. I've never really considered illiteracy to be moe until now. ^^U Deanna confirms that the town has been destroyed, which is kind of sad.

I wonder what the message was?

Fencedude

08-12-2009, 11:25 PM

FUCK YEAH HORO YOU ARE AWESOME

She completely played both Lawrence and Amarty.

Interesting revelation about Deanna, seems she's a animal god, like Horo. Only in her case she's a bird.

Fencedude

08-13-2009, 12:27 AM

On a completely random note, anyone else find it odd that Horo wears capris pants?

Not that I'm complaining, they look very good on her, especially with the two anklets on one leg.

Ashyukun

08-13-2009, 02:45 PM

On a completely random note, anyone else find it odd that Horo wears capris pants?

Not that I'm complaining, they look very good on her, especially with the two anklets on one leg.

It's especially odd when you consider that, IIRC, her outift was originally Lawrence's nice set of clothes- and he's obviously taller than she is, so those pants would be absurd on him.

Excellent conclusion to the whole Amarty contest- interesting that we didn't see any more of him after the whole thing went down. I guess having the woman he was vying for turn around and essentially bring him down herself (and who knows if/how she told him off afterward as well...) made him decide to make himself scarce.

Preview for the next episode was ... interesing.

Fencedude

08-13-2009, 03:12 PM

It's especially odd when you consider that, IIRC, her outift was originally Lawrence's nice set of clothes- and he's obviously taller than she is, so those pants would be absurd on him.

Actually, the "best clothes" are the ones that she shredded when she transformed into a wolf in the sewers. Her current clothes are the ones she bought right after that along with the cart full of apples.

Suwako Moriya

08-13-2009, 04:06 PM

Holo is amazing. Nice to know the source of all the feathers.

Ashyukun

08-13-2009, 07:46 PM

Actually, the "best clothes" are the ones that she shredded when she transformed into a wolf in the sewers. Her current clothes are the ones she bought right after that along with the cart full of apples.
Ah, that's right. So, she has decent fashion sense for a pagan god that would normally be running around naked (well, other than the fur...).

What gets me is that they're standing there in the window where presumably anyone could see them with her ears uncovered...

pi8you

08-13-2009, 08:29 PM

Fencedude

08-13-2009, 08:33 PM

They're up on the 2nd story, it's getting darker as the evening goes, same color as her hair, they might think they're fake ears for the celebration, etc.

And most importantly, everyone is drunk off their ass.

something

08-13-2009, 09:30 PM

Episode 6:

- I really wanted to watch this ASAP, but since I'm betting on it ending the arc, I decided to marathon 0-5 again before watching it. And it was awesome! This is the fourth time I've watched episode 5, but knowing I can actually watch the next episode too made it all the sweeter. I also got a lot of things straightened out in my head about the sequence of events and economics and such with this rewatch. Anyway, OP is ending, time for Amarty to get owned like he's never been before.
- Huh, no immediate pickup from the previous cliffhanger. I'm still a little iffy on what it meant, however Lawrence's imagination (something Brains Base has been pretty effective in using) implies that Amarty's trick (and the convenient timing of the bells) was meant to scare Lawrence into selling early, for fear that Amarty would sell first...
- Man Lawrence is so paranoid right now, though understandably so. However to his surprise, Amarty is looking skittish too. Neither of them know where Horo is... Maaaan, I'm just waiting for her to come in and crash the market herself and grab both guys and say "Nobody buys me!"
- Oh so that's how Lanto gets the bruise on his face from the sponsor screen. And huh, the guy he ran over didn't stop or anything. :sd: Also, Amarty may have taken on the certificate early but as Mark says, that could become poison...
- And Lawrence gets another stock just in time to... be too late! Amarty has sold! Lawrence can only hope for a miracle now, just as Deanna's assistant comes by to say No Deal. Who ever did Deanna sell to instead? ...=D!
- Lanto totally bitches out Lawrence! ...And says he's in love with Horo. :sd:
- Lawrence with renewed faith goes to sell, joined by... HORO! Looooooove! Hah, all along she was just waiting for him to believe in her. That's all he had to do. I love how the first thing she says to him in almost three episodes is, "Fool."
- Hahahahah, and Lawrence admitted a little too much. :sd:
- So basically, Horo was trying to help him all along but he consistently missed every single signal and assumed she was against him. No wonder she's pissed. Hah!
- And I'm dying to know what Amarty said to her...
- Hahah, there's the bite.
- Horo did reveal herself to Deanna! How did Deanna not spontaneously orgasm at the sight?
- Not only did she keep her cool, she... she outwitted Horo!
- AND HORO WAS IN THE HOUSE THE ENTIRE TIME! Oh god, I watched episode five four times and every single time I noticed Deanna shift her eyes to the side, but I couldn't figure out why. This would sure explain it. And did Horo hear Lawrence's last question...?
- YES! XD
- And Deanna isn't human! I have to admit I was wondering where the hell all the feathers came from but that thought definitely didn't cross my mind. I mean sure she's special, of that there was no doubt, but this is extra awesome. This is also quite interesting in the sense that I've been wondering if we'd get more characters who weren't human. Horo the wolf, Deanna the bird... so, I wonder if we'll meet the bear? Hmmmmmm!

...Fantastic! Leaving that most tantalizing of all questions (what will she do when she reaches Yoitsu?) unanswered leaves me twitchy, but it's much too soon to answer it now of course. And what a wonderful scene the whole final discussion ended up being. Ah Horo, you just need to get him drunk! They're definitely one of my favorite couples. Eeeeever.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

something

08-14-2009, 06:13 AM

So I was wondering about the Trenni Silver denomination. Just how much does it buy in the world of Spice and Wolf? Is it the same coin he gave Horo for the festival, or Lanto for breakfast and a little reward? Or were they just Iredo, which seems to be a far smaller denomination, with a chunk of pyrite going for 270 Iredo well before it hit its peak? They talk about a thousand Trenni as enough to ruin fairly respectable merchants like Amarty and Lawrence. If so, they were dealing with fairly massive sums.

The highest (if they're using standard roman numerals) goes for a massive 900 Iredo (CM) right before the end, though it drops to 785 Iredo (DCCLXXXV) for imperfect pyrite. And we know Lawrence (+ what he wanted to buy from Deanna) wound up selling, what, about 500 Trenni silver worth, was it? It's hard to reverse engineer because we're missing some variables, most notably how much physical pyrite Lawrence had, so we don't know how much Iredo that Trenni bought. Sure had to be a lot though, I'd figure on upwards of a couple hundred little cubes between the two big sacks.

And man, I didn't realize until now that the odd shapes on the price board must be referring to how much each shape of pyrite goes for, with cubes being the most sought after. Dur.

So if those were really Iredo Lawrence gave Horo and Lanto (enough to enjoy yourself at a festival or buy breakfast with plenty to spare) and right here Lawrence and Horo sold well over 100k Iredo worth... man that's definitely sizable. On the other hand if he gave them silver coins then it's still a decent sum but rather less impressive.

nhyone

08-14-2009, 07:20 AM

So I was wondering about the Trenni Silver denomination. Just how much does it buy in the world of Spice and Wolf?
IIRC, one of the concrete mentions on the value of Trenni is in S&W ep 7: one Trenni can last 7 days if you live frugally. (The novel said 3 days, but didn't say frugally.) It can also buy ~40 apples.

Is it the same coin he gave Horo for the festival, or Lanto for breakfast and a little reward? Or were they just Iredo, which seems to be a far smaller denomination, with a chunk of pyrite going for 270 Iredo well before it hit its peak?
10 Iredo = 0.25 Trenni. It's very small.

It's hard to reverse engineer because we're missing some variables, most notably how much physical pyrite Lawrence had, so we don't know how much Iredo that Trenni bought. Sure had to be a lot though, I'd figure on upwards of a couple hundred little cubes between the two big sacks.
My guess is that Lawrence bought and sold only a total of around 50 pyrites -- estimated from the spot prices.

I'll post a more detailed writeup later, but let me watch the show first to make sure the figures tally. (I analyzed the last part from the novel, since the episode wasn't out yet.)

nhyone

08-14-2009, 07:43 PM

I looked at the numbers presented in this arc and see whether they make sense or not: Spice and Wolf 2 economics (http://www.smallapple.net/blog/blog-2009q3.html#entry_2009_8_15).

I tried to estimate the number of pyrites based on the spot prices. Initially I thought we were dealing with hundreds of them, but no, just tens of them.

Although the novel and anime gross over it, I believe Horo made a loss. Amati too, although it was stated he didn't.

something

08-14-2009, 07:56 PM

I looked at the numbers presented in this arc and see whether they make sense or not: Spice and Wolf 2 economics (http://www.smallapple.net/blog/blog-2009q3.html#entry_2009_8_15).
"The final selling price of 250 Iredo per pyrite is a pure guess. The price was free-falling at this point."

Are you sure? Lawrence sold a bit initially, but it wasn't enough to do much of anything to the price, which was ~700-900 Iredo depending on shape. Without Deanna's pyrite, he would not be able to crash the market and his plan would have failed. It's only when he decided to trust in Horo and sell - which she did as well, a mere moment later, that the run started. Presumably since they both sold before the crash began, they ought to have come away with a hefty profit, actually. Horo especially.

As for Amarty, the anime notes that he took a loss, just not too bad of one. As Lawrence is saying this, there's a shot of Lawrence handing money over to him. I'm assuming he returned some of the money.

Haven't read the novels so I can't say how that might effect things.

HitokiriShadow

08-15-2009, 10:26 PM

Yay, Horo finally gets some almost decent screentime again. Loved her annoyed look as Lawrence tried to explain where he thought he screwed up only to have her yell at him for screwing up her plan.

That Horo met with Deanna was entirely expected, but they didn't get along as well as many of us thought they would. Then hey threw a few other nice curveballs, such as Deanna not being human herself and the that Horo was still there and heard Lawrence's question about gods and humans becoming mates.

This was a really good arc, surprisingly so considering that Horo was almost entirely absent for nearly three full episodes.

pi8you

08-20-2009, 11:03 PM

After the intensity of the last few weeks, we kick back with a nice, relaxed episode and almost no talk of economics (thank goodness!), getting the groundwork going for what I'm guessing may be the rest of the season?

Lawrence scored big points with Horo in a very smooth fashion, learning a little magic along the way it seems.

A certain mysterious character appears, and all of a sudden I'm wondering if they're going to start dealing in Rupees...

Fencedude

08-20-2009, 11:30 PM

A certain mysterious character appears, and all of a sudden I'm wondering if they're going to start dealing in Rupees...

Ahh! Sheik! Thats who she reminds me of!

Anyway, good episode, the sexual tension has shot through the roof though.

Draneor

08-21-2009, 08:08 PM

Horo is kind of cute, when she can't see over a crowd. Otherwise, she seems to have issues.

HitokiriShadow

08-21-2009, 08:29 PM

It's nice to see Horo and Lawrence getting along so well again. They make a cute couple.

Especially since they've found themselves in a strange and dreary town this time. Their relationship offers a good counterbalance to the mood of the location.

something

08-23-2009, 04:31 AM

Episode 7:

- What an impossibly pleasant image Horo and Lawrence make like this. =D
- And HAH, Horo popping out from under the cover XD
- Interesting comments about the slave trade. Lawrence doesn't find it terribly immoral or anything, which shouldn't be surprising, even if it sounds abhorrent to us today.
- What a different image this arc is giving off already, huh? With the icky sleet and rain and cold and all.
- Lawrence is sure doing a lot of blushing in this episode.
- Oh ho ho ho! Someone is eventually going to regret what he just said. A cheap wolf pelt indeed.
- Even the horses in this town look like jerks.
- Oh hey it's the old guy from the OP.
- Blond chick too. And I almost think Horo was inviting Lawrence to join her under the blanket... =D
- Hah! A costly mistake, Craft Lawrence!
- Hahaah, love the little "tch" when Horo fails at getting petted.
- Horo claps, and a mini play begins! Poor Fukuyama Jun, he must be so frustrated. He just doesn't usually get chances to ham it up in Spice and Wolf. And hamming it up is what he does best.
- It's amazing how no matter what Lawrence does, no matter how he momentarily throws Horo off her game, she always manages to rebound and give it back to him tenfold.
- Suddenly, finding out more about Horo becomes a race against time. Legends don't last forever...
- Another encounter with blond OP woman. Woman who was surprised to see Horo.

After the frantic bustle of the pyrite arc, we've settled into a distinctly slower, darker, less friendly pace in Renose. Can't wait to see how it plays out.

something

08-23-2009, 04:32 AM

Fencedude

08-23-2009, 04:45 AM

A certain mysterious character appears, and all of a sudden I'm wondering if they're going to start dealing in Rupees...Ahh! Sheik! Thats who she reminds me of!
Ahaha, yes! That was bothering me too, but she's soooooo Sheik.

Its been bugging me since the show started, that final shot of her in the OP turning towards the camera. I knew I'd seen someone just like that before.

Suwako Moriya

08-23-2009, 06:31 AM

Considering the events of the past few episodes, this one provides a nice break. There seems to be a lot of tail action.

Suwako Moriya

08-23-2009, 06:32 AM

A certain mysterious character appears, and all of a sudden I'm wondering if they're going to start dealing in Rupees...Ahh! Sheik! Thats who she reminds me of!

The fact that I'm not familiar with Sheik just goes to prove there are several Zelda games I never got around to playing for various reasons. Still now I'm expecting an epic Wolf vs Pig battle.

nhyone

08-26-2009, 07:30 AM

"The final selling price of 250 Iredo per pyrite is a pure guess. The price was free-falling at this point."

Are you sure? Lawrence sold a bit initially, but it wasn't enough to do much of anything to the price, which was ~700-900 Iredo depending on shape. Without Deanna's pyrite, he would not be able to crash the market and his plan would have failed. It's only when he decided to trust in Horo and sell - which she did as well, a mere moment later, that the run started. Presumably since they both sold before the crash began, they ought to have come away with a hefty profit, actually. Horo especially.
It's definitely arguable. Originally, I estimated Horo made a profit, but later I thought that there shouldn't be many buyers and so I decided to be more conservative.

As for Amarty, the anime notes that he took a loss, just not too bad of one. As Lawrence is saying this, there's a shot of Lawrence handing money over to him. I'm assuming he returned some of the money.
This one I'm very sure the novel and the anime are wrong. There's no way for Amarti not to make a severe loss. If nothing else, he lost that 500 Trenni to Lawrence. Unless you say 500 Trenni is no big deal.

Fencedude

08-27-2009, 05:59 PM

Hah, "Sheik" is Paku Romi, of course.

Anyway, good episode, though I don't really have anything to say really. Oh yeah the Barmaid (Helena?) was hot.

something

08-27-2009, 07:44 PM

Episode 8:

- So Renose isn't all rain and gloom and quiet all the time apparently. The docks make for a nice change.
- Heh, Horo with that knife in her hand as she talks looks so ominous. <3
- Horo has super hearing! Being able to listen in on all sorts of conversations would be quite useful to Lawrence.
- Horo looks troubled...
- Oh what the hell, I totally did not realize all this time that the redhead in the OP isn't Chloe. All along I thought it was, and I was wondering what the heck kind of role she could play, as well as wondering why we see her drinking at a tavern and such. Easy answer: It wasn't Chloe, duh. :sd: It's been too long since I've seen season one, apparently.
- Whoever she is, she's fantastic. Her and Lawrence get really great chemistry going from from the very start.
- OH HELL YES YOU ARE THE BEST BARMAID EVER. What incredible writing this show has to strike up such a fantastic dyanmic between these two already.
- Haha, Horo protecting her tail. She can sense the merchant's blood boiling over.
- Lawrence is totally into this little fur trading conspiracy. Meanwhile Horo... wasn't sniffing at the meat at all, she was holding back tears of nostalgia. Hah.
- Then suddenly an incredibly sweet scene of them hugging. <3 And Lawrence sure did profit big off the pyrite going by what Horo says. But will Lawrence really settle down? How can he when he has Horo by his side? Screw setting up a shop!
- Nice conversation with the inn owner Harold too. Lawrence can be so smooth with his words. But then we meet blond woman! That's... Paku Romi, no?
- Yep, and that's Abe. Yet another person for Lawrence to have great conversations with. And she's quite interesting so far.
- She's a lot more talkative than her appearance thus far would have ever suggested... as she specifically tells. That really makes things more interesting. She's clever too, and is able to get a deal out of Lawrence quite quickly.

Gah, over already! So we have another trading partner who prefers to be paid in words. How convenient for Lawrence. I'm dying to see her and Horo interact, but I think I'd like to see Horo and the barmaid (yeah, that must be Helena) even more. =D

HitokiriShadow

08-28-2009, 10:05 AM

Bartender girl was fantastic. She'd better get a few more scenes.

Also, it felt like they were in a completely different town this episode. It was dreary and snowing lightly (I thought) but this episode wasn't like that at all.

Fleur/Eve is certainly interesting.

zangetsu22

08-28-2009, 04:57 PM

I love Abe! She's a real talker. And I love Holo everytime I see her.

Westlo

09-01-2009, 12:55 AM

Eve certainly is talkative and likable!

something

09-01-2009, 06:21 AM

Eve certainly is talkative and likable!
Okay, some call her Eve, some call her Abe. Two completely different, but real, names, so not just a romanization difference. Both not impossible stretches from what she says. Which is it? I would have thought Abe since she's going around as a man, and Eve would rather give it away.

Or, hell, some third alternative.

Fencedude

09-01-2009, 08:28 AM

something

09-01-2009, 04:39 PM

Looking at the credits, its　エーブ, which should be "Abe".
Eve would be イーブ, no?
They could be fudging almost anything they want but yes I'll be sticking with Abe as that makes the most sense to me in multiple ways right now.

Fencedude

09-03-2009, 12:38 AM

That is a very, very pretty nun.

Uhh...and there was epic conversation, and it seems that the reference to the slave trade an episode or so back wasn't just an offhand thing...

Sly05

09-03-2009, 05:36 PM

It can't really be said enough how wonderful the conversations are in this series. I know I've said this before, but paired with Horo's little body ques (such as her tail wagging under her cloak) I really could just watch Horo and Lawrence talk back and forth for an hour.

...and it seems that the reference to the slave trade an episode or so back wasn't just an offhand thing...

A lot of people seems to be trying to get a hold of Horo this season one way or another. I can't wait to see how Lawrence responds to that.

pi8you

09-04-2009, 05:22 AM

It can't really be said enough how wonderful the conversations are in this series. I know I've said this before, but paired with Horo's little body ques (such as her tail wagging under her cloak) I really could just watch Horo and Lawrence talk back and forth for an hour..
Time flies by so fast when they're conversing, watching this in bulk and you'd still hardly realize how much time had passed.

Was hoping Horo'd get some apples out of that lovely garden, ah well.

Quite the statement to end on, definitely curious to see how things pan out next week.

something

09-05-2009, 02:29 AM

Episode 9:

- Angry Horo! ...Does this scene happen later? They're pretty friendly again in the next scene. Then again Horo is always messing with him like that.
- I always have to wonder about the logistics of Horo's tail hiding. It hangs down really far, and she wears pants so she can't hide it there, and her cloak opens in the front if she stretches her arms out at all or moves quickly. It should be really easy for others to notice it.
- They're a bit more opaque here in their metaphors and teasing than usual, that or maybe it made for some translation difficulties. I love the bit about Horo making him guess how many men she's had. :sd:
- Cute nun!
- Ah! I've been wondering what was up with tha bright shot in the OP of a nun and a man sitting near a tree. Here it is. And yeah, Rigolo is totally not what we've been led to believe! Seems to be a theme this arc.
- Looks like they're doing pretty well with gathering up evidence.
- HELLO MIDRIFF. Holy shit, Horo. And then she brings his erotic thoughts crashing down. :sd:
- Looks like Horo has the same thought I do. Things are going a bit too well, and that's always scary.
- Abe sure got herself in a bit of trouble. I love all the little twitches from the old man.

WAT. Abe wants to buy Horo! Oh that'll go over well.

HitokiriShadow

09-06-2009, 12:06 AM

Well, that conversation took an unexpected turn. Lawrence's response to that offer should be a no brainer...

Oh, and I feel cheated that we didn't get to see Lawrence's little dance as he helped Horo into bed again.

something

09-06-2009, 12:08 AM

Oh, and I feel cheated that we didn't get to see Lawrence's little dance as he helped Horo into bed again.
At least they made up for it with the shot after that.

HitokiriShadow

09-06-2009, 12:10 AM

Oh, and I feel cheated that we didn't get to see Lawrence's little dance as he helped Horo into bed again.
At least they made up for it with the shot after that.

You mean Horo's beautiful midriff? Yeah, it definitely does. But they should have done both!

Fencedude

09-06-2009, 01:20 AM

Well, that conversation took an unexpected turn. Lawrence's response to that offer should be a no brainer...

I dunno, it sounds like the opening to a "plan".

Granted, its probably not a good idea, but if things went south, its not like Horo couldn't handle things.

something

09-06-2009, 01:26 AM

I dunno, it sounds like the opening to a "plan".
Granted, its probably not a good idea, but if things went south, its not like Horo couldn't handle things.
Here's hoping he doesn't fumble it as badly as he did in Kumerson, though. :sd: Trust Horo this time, damnit!

Fencedude

09-06-2009, 01:30 AM

HitokiriShadow

09-06-2009, 11:51 AM

Well, that conversation took an unexpected turn. Lawrence's response to that offer should be a no brainer...

I dunno, it sounds like the opening to a "plan".

Right, his answer should be an instant "Hell no!", but since this is Lawrence, its probably not going to be so simple.

pi8you

09-10-2009, 04:42 AM

And of course, selling Horo is nowhere near as simple a proposition as it sounds.

The 50-Man Meet has decided to allow the sale of furs to foreign merchants on the condition that any exchanges are done on cash, not credit. As most of the merchants on the scene traveled a long distance, they don't have much cash on hand. This leaves an opening for someone who does, where they can buy a large stock of furs and head off to sell them much more quickly than anyone else, which will also let them command a huge markup on said furs, as much as 3 times the cost.

Naturally, neither Abe nor Lawrence has that kind of cash on hand, but Abe knows a lender that would allow them to use Horo as collateral for a cash loan, inflating her value by declaring her to be a noble's daughter (Abe's own apparent minor nobility helping to add veracity to the lie). Once they've sold off the furs and pocketed a huge chunk of change, they pay the lenders back and Horo's no longer at stake. Or so it goes if things work as planned. As an added incentive, the innkeeper (Howard?) sweetens the deal by offering to give Lawrence the inn once this is all said and done.

Of course, Lawrence has questions about the veracity of Abe's information, and her motivations, and sets off to investigate around town. Seems that Abe's not been entirely forthcoming about her business, as a homeless fellow has often seen salt spilling from her cart, though whether that's her true business, or a second one in addition to the statues, I'm unsure. Either way, I'm sure that's going to be the pivotal thing when Lawrence does figure the whole game out and pocket everything.

After a pep talk with Horo, and more lessons in women from her and the girl at the bar, they're ready to commit to the deal, while keeping a wary eye out for whatever that missing element is. In the meantime, we've got a rough price tag for Horo, 1500 silver coins(!), and another agonizing wait for the next episode.

Sidenote - Abe's repeatedly referred to as a fox/kitsune in this episode, which I can't help but agree with, already sort of applying the tag to her subconsciously, and has me wondering if she'll turn out to be a supernatural one in the end.

Fencedude

09-12-2009, 12:47 AM

AWESOME BARMAID IS AWESOME.

And of course, good banter and whatnot.

Sly05

09-12-2009, 07:24 AM

Lawrence is always really quick to gamble Horo even if she wanted to go along with it. You'd think after the last arc, he would have told Abe to bugger off.

So Abe is fallen nobility, I wonder if her plot has something to do with revenge for apparently being sold off in the past herself?

HitokiriShadow

09-12-2009, 09:02 PM

Ah, so Abe wasn't proposing actually selling Horo, she just wants to use her as collateral (or so she claims).

This is still a deal Lawrence really shouldn't be accepting, but it does make more sense that he would consider at least consider the plan. And Horo even encourages it, which is nice. I was worried should would resist it and Lawrence would have to drag her into it, adding some strain that I really didn't want to see after an entire arc focused on that.

Also, more awesome bartender girl! And they are planning to have her and Horo meet, which is just fantastic. They better not cheat us out of seeing that scene.

something

09-14-2009, 06:17 AM

Episode 10:

- Alright! Need to keep this short since I have juuuust enough time to get this watched and run off to work. But the opening conversations were quite interesting. They'll put Horo up for sale, but if they win the trade war they'll obviously be able to buy her back. If they win. And Harold will give Lawrence his inn, to start a shop in! Interestingly, Horo pushes him to accept this.
- Intrigue with homeless guys!
- BEST BARMAID EVER RETURNS! And she's as fantastic as before.
- Horo is quite confident about this...
- And the deal to work together is sealed.
- It occurs to me that there's one big problem with this plan. Are they to assume someone will buy Horo without even asking her to take off that big cloak? Does the possibility of her being outed not cocur to them at all?

Anyway, truly fantastic episode as usual.

Ashyukun

09-14-2009, 08:10 PM

Yeah, they had better give us Horo Meets the Barmaid. Her 'wolf standing by a sheep' analogy was twelve kinds of awesome. I've got no clue just what Abe is really up to... but I'm looking forward to finding out.

EDIT:
OK, after thinking things over a bit more I actually can come up with a potential angle as to what Abe might be up to that seems to hold water on most counts... except for the fact that it hinges upon Horo's true identity/nature having been discovered, and is thus probably not the case...

Magewolf

09-15-2009, 03:38 PM

OK, after thinking things over a bit more I actually can come up with a potential angle as to what Abe might be up to that seems to hold water on most counts... except for the fact that it hinges upon Horo's true identity/nature having been discovered, and is thus probably not the case...

I think that the fight between Abe and the church was staged so that she could make a huge profit on furs to help pay for the new archbishophood without the church being linked to it.Horo is just a convenient way to hide that the money is really coming from the church.

Fencedude

09-18-2009, 09:44 AM

Quick Lawrence! Grab the Nun and Barmaid and get out of town with your harem!

something

09-18-2009, 10:56 AM

Episode 11:

- 2000 Silver for Horo! These guys seem much too eager to help, however. There's no way they're this nice.
- Heh! Lawrence is fantastic though. He stays on his toes and impresses everyone, even Abe. And Horo gave the sleazy guy a bemused smirk the whole time.
- Horo is remaining so quiet though, even while Lawrence and Abe talk about her. I wonder why. Normally she'd pop in with some witty comment.
- God damn Abe is a strange person. More than that, I wonder if she's not a little mentally unbalanced. There's just something that seems off about her when she gets fired up.
- Don't touch the tail! It's sensitive! XD Yes, Horo being so quiet through much of this episode was just too unnatural. Let loose, Horo!
- Uhhhh, but not like that. Hell no you two aren't going to split up here! I still need my season three! Of course, this conversation could be taken to refer not just to their in-story life, but to the actual story in our world as well. I wonder if the author wrote this scene as a way of wondering aloud how long they should continue the tale for... personally, I want to be like Lawrence and hope in a happily ever after.
- I love the nun too. This town has wonderful women.

...Hahah, oh wow. That's one way to put the brakes on Lawrence's dreams of owning a shop and forcing him and Horo to stay together a bit longer. It's a rebellion! Presumably by the traders who got screwed. You know, it's a really lucky thing for Lawrence and Abe that they don't have the money on hand already. It would seem like if they just ran like hell now they wouldn't be leaving behind any real obligations. And with no money changing hand they don't have to hand Horo over yet.

Of course, that doesn't mean things will go simply...

HitokiriShadow

09-18-2009, 03:48 PM

I knew something was going to complicate things for Lawrence, but I wasn't expecting something on the level of a rebellion. That's an interesting direction to go.

I was also wondering when the salt would come back up, since it seemed like it would be important. Lawrence seemed to ignore it before but apparently it signified something important to him here. Maybe she's actually a salt dealer and she just uses the statues to transport it and avoid some sort of salt tax? I'm not sure what that would mean for the deal she and Lawrence were planning though, or what she would gain from lying about it.

KomoriKiri

09-18-2009, 06:18 PM

I was also wondering when the salt would come back up, since it seemed like it would be important. Lawrence seemed to ignore it before but apparently it signified something important to him here. Maybe she's actually a salt dealer and she just uses the statues to transport it and avoid some sort of salt tax?

I doubt it's that straight forward. If that was salt he found on the statue, things are odd. And that guy either got that very recently or he needs a new housekeeper.

Anyway. I can think of a lot of things you would want to transport packed in salt, but things made of stone aren't on the list. And if she was doing it just to avoid some kind of tariff or excise tax I can't see her going to the trouble of doing a multi-layer pack, with cheap cruddy salt on the outside (what the bum found) and good stuff inside. The volume that would require would require would seriously cut in to the profit potential, and transporting stone statues that way is going to raise suspicion no matter what. Smuggling of something is likely, but I'm not sure yet what. Either some kind of preserved meat (something prohibited, perhaps?) or something that can't handle high humidity (some kind of drug or something?) are most likely.

KomoriKiri (né Wraith)
"The real fun of living wisely is that you get to be smug about it."
-- Calvin ("Calvin and Hobbes")

Ingraman

09-24-2009, 01:40 AM

Things could have gone better, but they could also have gone worse. ^_^

Lawrence and Horo, after the kiss, hand in hand, with a set of bells ringing, and heading off into the sunset (or not)...

Lovely way to end, but I want more!!!

Fencedude

09-24-2009, 12:50 PM

But...but...THEY ENDED THERE!?

What the fuck?!

Ashyukun

09-24-2009, 12:59 PM

But...but...THEY ENDED THERE!?

What the fuck?!

Yeah, that sums up my own thoughts pretty much perfectly too. GREAT episode- but an exceptionally annoying place to end the season. I'm going to have to assume that this is the same place one of the novels ends as well? Because that's the only reason I could see them going this route...

pi8you

09-24-2009, 03:39 PM

What an odd way to end the season. I'll presume it matches to the end of the respective novel, just for sanity's sake, but what a weirdly discordant final credit sequence, super random scenes of the ongoing rioting (clearly we're not getting the barmaid/Horo scene ;_; ) and church bells without any sort of melody to them as Lawrence and Horo walk away hand in hand.

MOAR!

something

09-25-2009, 10:25 PM

Damn. Hard to believe this is the last episode already. For some reason I kept feeling like it would be 13 (not counting 0) so when I heard a few days ago that this was the last one I was a bit caught off guard. Too soon, too soon!

Episode 12:

- Abe hugging cute nun!
- And they're not putting their deal on hold. Abe wants to go through with it, and Lawrence agrees. I'm not sure how they plan to do business in this environment.
- There it is. Lawrence and Horo have parted...
- Abe has a stash of money of her own? Is she thinking of going behind Lawrence's back? But how would she have gotten it? Hmm.
- What wonderful tension between these two. I like how Abe outright admits she's scared - who wouldn't be? It's hard for the viewer to appreciate the amount of money they're talking about here.
- Tension that leads to Abe taking out a scary looking cleaver thing. Well this got ugly!
- Heh, so the bottom line is tha Abe didn't lie, she just didn't tell the whole truth. She had this cash-for-furs plan in place because it was already planned with the Church. Until the Church decided it didn't need her anymore, leaving her needing a "partner" of her own. And then Lawrence showed up. And she realized she had insurance.
- At any rate, at least she's dropped the weapon for now.
- And when Lawrence goes to grab his money back, out comes another weapon. Abe you bitch. But Lawrence is too awesome for her!
- But too soft. Ouch. What did Abe leave with him, though? The contract for Horo, maybe?
- Horo! ...Tail. o_O
- Ah! It was the deed to the inn! So Abe did take off with all the money but she left him something he could get Horo back with. Jeeze, though, the run-down inn is worth that much?
- HORO PUNCH! And on his injured side too. Poor guy. :sd:
- Heeeeey now. Is that the first time he's actually, uh... it feels wrong to call it a "confession" after all this time, but "confessed to her" for lack of a better term? Awesome.
- Haha, Lawrence's scrunched up face.
- BAAAAAAAAR MAAAAAAAAAAAAAID!

Heh, what a way to end it. That was weird.

WHERE IS MY SEASON THREE!? Apparently there like a billion more (okay, 12 total so 8 left) novels out so there's plenty of material. And we did skip novel 4 to jump to 5 here. Need more now!

HitokiriShadow

09-26-2009, 05:08 PM

Dammit, they cheated us out of seeing Horo and bartender girl meet after all!

I was a little surprised this turned out to be the last episode. The farther into the episode it got, the more it seemed like there had to be another episode... and then it ended.

Suwako Moriya

09-28-2009, 03:22 PM

Dammit, they cheated us out of seeing Horo and bartender girl meet after all!

That's got to be the most depressing aspect of them all. On that note, I can say I liked the bartender girl. Over all, it was a decent arc. However to be honest, it wasn't the type of arc that had me motivated to say much about it.

Draneor

10-01-2009, 07:34 PM

That was a pretty good episode--I cried. I'm still disappointed they skipped volume four (since I rather enjoyed that one), but overall, this arc was decent enough.

nhyone

10-04-2009, 04:23 AM

I did not enjoy the 2nd arc of the 2nd season. It was too slow. Then it was too sudden.

I don't really understand why Abe needs a partner. She had enough capital of her own, didn't she? Then she wanted to get rid of Lawrence. Why?

And since she left the shop's deed, does it mean the shop owner took over Lawrence's share of the profit? (Abe and the shop owner seemed to be partners anyway.)

Draneor

10-04-2009, 08:23 AM

I don't really understand why Abe needs a partner. She had enough capital of her own, didn't she? Then she wanted to get rid of Lawrence. Why?

She didn't need a partner if she intended to make the deal (other than that she would be crossing the church). She just wanted more money.

nhyone

10-04-2009, 09:42 AM

She didn't need a partner if she intended to make the deal (other than that she would be crossing the church). She just wanted more money.
It seems to be Abe did intend to go ahead with the deal -- it's immense profit, after all -- just not with Lawrence.

I don't know why she tried to kill him (twice), then spared him and even left him the deed. That doesn't sound logical.

And if the deed is actually worth 2,000 Trenni (or so) to redeem Horo, then why not use it in the first place?! Why cook up such an elaborate scheme?

Draneor

10-04-2009, 09:47 AM

I don't know why she tried to kill him (twice), then spared him and even left him the deed. That doesn't sound logical.

She's likely not quite yet the cold-blooded greedy merchant she thinks she is. Personally, I think she fully intended to kill Lawrence but just couldn't do it.

And if the deed is actually worth 2,000 Trenni (or so) to redeem Horo, then why not use it in the first place?! Why cook up such an elaborate scheme?

I don't think the Inn Keeper knew her true intentions--he was just an old man who wanted to go on a pilgrimage before he died. Leaving the Inn in Lawrence's hands was a good choice as cutting his ties to the city forces him to go. Also, the deed would be useless for Abe since owning a fixed piece of property--however valuable--is not what one wants when they are about to become enemies of the most powerful local organization. Even if she tried to sell it, it's too easy to track. On the other hand, using Lawrence to launder the investment would make it harder to trace back to her. Not to mention there is likely a bit of personal satisfaction (given it was what was done to her).

pianocello

11-10-2009, 08:49 PM

I have mixed thoughts on this season. On one hand, it was nice that there was more focus on the romance between Lawrence and Horo. On the other hand, the economics scenes really dragged at times and whenever Horo is not on screen, Lawrence really can't carry the show on his own. He sometimes strikes me as an impotent idiot. After so long, he still hasn't consummated their relationship yet?
On a side note, I thought the last episode could have done with more emotion. The kiss has to be one of the most unromantic kisses I've seen. Still considering that there's still the other novels, a potential 3rd season will see Lawrence and Horo as an established romantic couple.
For now, I'll have to make do with the Wolf Road doujinshi that's being animated which I will have to consider as a sort-of sequel to this.