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Jul 25 2009

Categories: spice and wolf
Tagged: spice and wolf

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The triumphant return of our favorite apple-addicted wolf spirit slash wheat goddess.

Jessica: please jason for the love of god. spice and wolf II. episode 3. horo has completely snapped. we went from cute and flirty horo to yandere horo begging lawrence to mate with her so she wouldn’t be alone. but your latest entry is just more ghoststory fappage. something isn’t right.

Twist my arm. I’ve been dying to make a Spice and Wolf post anyway. The upgrade from Imagin to Brain’s Base is even larger than going from Internet Explorer 6 to Firefox 2. Swapping Toshimitsu Kobayashi for Kazuya Kuroda on animation and characters is like swapping Chauncey Billups for AI on the 2008-2009 Denver Nuggets. It was a subtle but highly effective change.

But, first, Jessica, I enjoyed your e-mail. I couldn’t tell if the unique grammar was because the American educational system has failed so bad or you thought you were texting me or because you were so giddy at Horo’s request that you couldn’t type correctly. I know. Happens to me sometimes. The original draft for Bakemonogatari 2 looked something like…

Odfuio fdfj flkj gj pdjf bnpoje dfj j e bvfsdg sdafwekl? Tbmepo… dfoewj f lkv jsoi fgwe k sdf sdv l 15,524 dsofj k vdsvfj oifj wefj sad fls gwio.

“I’ve become alone. There’s no one waiting for me… I’ve really become alone.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“What are you to me? What am I to you?! No… I don’t want to be alone… hey… would you mate with me?”

So last week, we had Hitagi offering Koyomi the nakkid apron deluxe breakfast, and this week we have Horo offering to bear Lawrence’s child. I… I… Horo!? Wow, she snapped, and it was fantastic. Loved how she just started slamming Lawrence with unjustified accusations… then she broke down and started begging him for a child… and then she decided to leave him for the runt. Just a fantastic scene and a great setup for the arc. I’m definitely more intrigued as to how Lawrence will get out of his mess more than I’m intrigued about how Koyomi will get Mayoi unlost, how Kyoto plans to end Endless Eight, and how Battler plans on defeating Beatrice.

Loved Horo’s crazed look. She looked exactly like Paula Abdul having a meltdown on American Idol.

But what I loved most? When Lawrence turns down Horo’s offer of hot, sweaty animal sex, she gives him the, “I hate men like you!” line. She talking about Lawrence or Lulu? Is this Spice and Wolf or Code Geass? I forgot. I’m just glad Suzaku’s seiyuu isn’t voicing the male third wheel in this series, Spice and Wolf and Pole.

(Only in anime will the male lead turn down hot, sweaty animal sex. Did Sam Malone turn down Rebecca’s offer of fathering her child in Cheers? Hell, no. Needless to say, Lawrence Craft is no Sam Malone.)

(Still undecided if the casting choice was genius or not. On one hand, I’m having Code Geass flashbacks… but it’s not entirely a bad thing. Though if this series gets a Pizza Hut promotion, I really might have to go on a seven state killing spree.)

Though Horo’s not a yandere. She hasn’t drawn blood yet, and I’m not sure if any female in desperate want of a child can be considered a yandere. Would you consider Sil in Species to be a yandere? She just wants to have kids. But, if Horo really felt that her biological clock were in jeopardy, she’d rape Lawrence right then and there. It would be like Kyoto locking us up in a room and forcing us to watch Endless Eight 15,524 times… only without the domineering hot, sweaty animal sex.

(Though wasn’t this a plotline to Inukami?)

Looking at the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! rankings, since Spice and Wolf debuted, it has been ranked #1 (2007), #5 (2008), and #5 (2009, even though 2009 is only half over). The list is kinda interesting as most of those top ten novels have been made or are going to be made into anime. Also interesting that Nisio Isin’s other works have all been ranked higher than Bakemonogatari… I’m giddy.

Brain’s Base needed to contract out Horo’s crying to Kyoto. I’m sure they’ll do it justice the first time. Or the second. Or the 15,524th if need be.

“If there were two people in the room when you return, would you go out again for a while?”

The battle between Hitagi and Horo for biggest cocktease of the season will go down in anime history like the the Sosa and McGwire home run competition in 1998. Just a completely magical experience that we’ll question ten years later due to the questions surrounding their usage of PEDs.

While Hitagi has trouble dressing, Horo has trouble undressing. I enjoyed every Lawrence undressing Horo because she’s too drunk montage, but why does he stop with the hat?! For a character that was mostly nakkid in season one, she’s sure not nakkid enough in season two. Crap, I just drove into a “why I’m not enjoying Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2009” pothole.

Love the banter between Horo and Lawrence. It’s the highlight of Spice and Wolf (and not the mercantile side stories). I like how Horo has her natural gift of the wile and her lie-detecting ears, but Lawrence has his street smarts and he knows Horo can’t control her tail. Both have weakness that the other can and cannot exploit. It’s like watching Epyon fight against Wing, only wheat, beer, and silver coins are involved. A true cat and mouse game.