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Thursday, 21 August 2014

REVIEW: Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion (Anime)

A lot of anime that gets lauded by critics are shows that deviate from the established genres of the medium; such as 'mecha', 'shounen', 'harem', etc. This is probably because established and long-running examples of genre shows (like Naruto or Gundam) are fairly common and so an anime that serves up the same things is often lost in the ever-growing crowd; which is why it was a surprise to me to see Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion appear on pretty much every "must see" anime list I've read in the past few months. On the surface this is yet another show in the 'mecha' genre (produced by Sunrise no less - the production studio of Gundam): involving large military organisations, deep philosophical ramblings over the nature of conflict, protagonists in their late-teens, and large super-advanced robots duking it out to turn the tide of battle. It even has some of the established cliche character archetypes (the "white knight" good guy, female bespectacled scientists, etc.) and near-future setting. However, what makes Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion stand out from the crowd, aside from it's lavish production values, fantastic soundtrack and superb storyline, it its central character - an absolute megalomaniac sociophobe who will use and crush anyone to get what he wants - and is probably one of if not *the* best characters in anime!! Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to read on!

In the near-future of an alternative Earth, the massive and powerful empire of Britannia has conquered most of the globe, with its only rivals being the Chinese Federation and the E.U. It's most recent territorial acquisition is Japan, which has been stripped of it's national identity and renamed "Area 11" with the Japanese people relegated to a apartheid-like secondary status as "Elevens"; left subjugated, bitter and with no real power to fight back. Taking refuge in this country is Lelouch vi Britannia (under a false identity), the deposed and exiled prince who was 17th in line to the Imperial Throne, and his blind crippled sister. During a terrorist incident, some "Elevens" have stolen what they think is a chemical weapon to be used on the formerly-Japanese people who now live in ghettos and harbour terrorists, Lelouch comes in contact with a strange green-haired girl who "makes a contract with him" in exchange for a supernatural power called 'Geass' - the ability to make people obey your every command without question. Armed with this new power, along with his lethally sharp intellect and gift for strategy, Lelouch slowly assembles his own military force and begins his quest to rid the world of Britannian rule; and more importantly to kill his own father the Emperor. The plot that follows really is *fantastic*, and across the two series of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion there are so many dramatic twists and turns, and so many heart-wrenching cliffhangers, you simply won't be able to stop watching! There were many nights I tried to watch "a couple of episodes" and ended up binging until the small-hours, but aside from the great storyline, the characters are the real reason I just couldn't stop. Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to read on!

As I mentioned earlier, some of the characters fill the usual roster of archetypes that you normally see in 'mecha' anime, primarily amongst these is Suzaku Kururugi, who in any normal Gundam series would be our hero. Suzaku is an "Eleven" but has joined the Britannian military because he wants to change the system from the inside, and prove that the former Japanese can be honorary members of the Britannian Empire, deserving of equal status with their oppressors. He is a noble and good-natured character who fights to protect some of the weaker characters (who are pacifists) in his shining white mecha (in Code Geass these are called Knightmare Frames) named the 'Lancelot'. In other words, he is a royal pain in the backside for our true protagonist! Lelouch is a firm believer that the ends justify the means, and he will do anything and use/crush anyone to get what he wants! Asking your audience to identify with such a character could potentially cause problems but Lelouch is just so cool a character that it's easy to take his side in almost every situation. Almost. You see, Lelouch is extremely clever and his supernatural powers keep him at an advantage for much of the time, but he is still human and there will be many occasions when things don't go his way. It's compelling viewing to be rooting for someone with good intentions overall, but who continually goes about it in the most nefarious and underhand ways possible. By the way, do NOT under any circumstances read any articles or reviews of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion whilst watching the series, as there are just *too many* websites out there with minor and major spoilers, and a huge part of the appeal for this series are the constant surprises in the storyline (both exhilarating and utterly horrific). Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to read on!

There are loads of really fantastic set-piece battles and large scale conflicts in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, all animated with visual flair and some great 'mecha' designs, you can tell that it's produced by a studio with a track record for this genre of anime. The character designs were done by a company called 'CLAMP' and they're in the stylised end of the spectrum, with long appendages, crazy spiky hair and large boobs; but all the characters are very memorable and stand out well from each other. This is also accompanied by some amazing voice acting, especially the Japanese actor for Lelouch (can you tell yet that I really like this character?). Music in this anime is absolutely *incredible* and I think is now one of my favourite original soundtracks of all time: it's brash, bombastic and fits the show perfectly! This unfortunately can not be said for the opening and closing songs - I really didn't like any of them! There seems to be lots of people who disagree with me, but I thought they were awful and skipped over them about 90% of the time. With two seasons to watch, the 50 episodes of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion takes a lot of viewing hours, but it's worth it as it succeeds where so many anime television series fail and provides a satisfying conclusion to the story. In fact, the ending has been a subject of much debate ever since it finished on Japanese television all those years back, because it is just so damn good! It leaves the show with the perfect mix of being all wrapped-up but with an open thread here and there allowing for a little interpretation over key events. It's genius and works extremely well for the story. Now go, Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to watch this series!

Monday, 18 August 2014

REVIEW: P.T. (PS4)

Released without much fanfare during a Sony press conference, P.T. (which stands for "playable teaser") is a free download from the playstation network, and is on the surface a viral marketing tool for a new Silent Hill game. However, within twenty four hours of its release it had become infamous across the internet, for several reasons. Firstly, it was never made clear from the start that this was a teaser for a new Silent Hill game; not to mention one that is directed by both Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) and Guillermo Del Toro (Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth)! Great news as Silent Hill 2 is still one of my favourite games of all time, and I suggest you check out my review for why a Silent Hill game when done properly is an amazing experience. Secondly though, P.T. is a masterfully made and *utterly terrifying* experience in it's own right, and probably the most frightening video game for several years!! Thirdly, the game is cryptic and mysterious in the most interesting way, especially the final "puzzle" solution needed to reveal it's true purpose as a teaser for Silent Hills.

I'm going to try and avoid spoilers as you really need to experience P.T. fresh and unknowing for its full effect to be felt; so my advice is to go now and download it! The basic structure of the game is that you wake up on the floor of a locked room with cockroaches scurrying about and after a cryptic message saying something about "cracks in doors" being portals to another world. The door to your confinement opens and you're free to leave into a thin 'L' shaped corridor, filled with various cabinets, photographs, radios, telephones and other nick-knacks you would expect to find in the lower floor of a home. There is a news report playing on the radio about some grizzly murders that have taken place and various discarded cans of booze and pills lying about the place; clearly it's not a wholesome happy home. If you walk to the end of the corridor you begin the second "loop" of the game as you reenter the same stretch of rooms again and again and again, but each time there will now be something you need to look at or interact with to progress... and it'll get slowly and surely more disturbing and terrifying each time. Something supernatural and p***ed off is trapped in there with you!!

The graphics of P.T. are incredibly realistic, mundane because it's just a corridor in a house, but very immersive and they're also filtered through a sort of slow refresh-rate fuzziness with the sort of image retention you got from old video equipment. This obviously adds to the discomfort and slowly building sense of paranoia that comes from repeating the same stretch of hallway but with things subtly changing around you. After a few "loops" things really start to descend into gut-wrenching fear as you start to hear breathing, crying, and other unidentifiable noises surrounding you (a key moment in the narrative makes these bodiless sounds all too horrifyingly real). As I stated earlier, I don't want to spoil what happens but expect to be cowering with fear by the time you pick up a much needed flashlight, and spend the game thereafter crawling around in the dark just like in the old Silent Hills. I've played an awful lot of survival horror games over the years, even as the genre diversified to become more action orientated (Resident Evil 4, 5, 6, and the Dead Space games) and even though there have been some good old-school throwbacks (Siren: Blood Curse) that have given me the shivers, I'm pretty hardcore now and not easily scared. The atmosphere of P.T., with it's creeping sense of dread and occasional expertly orchestrated jump-scares, had me wanting to turn it off because I didn't know if I could continue; I was that terrified.

It really is crazy that the most fear-inducing video game to surface in recent years could be considered a "glorified demo" or "free sampler" of another potential game to come, but P.T. is just that. It's one of the best games I've played recently, and the few hours you spend with it you will be fighting the urge to soil yourself!!

Sunday, 10 August 2014

REVIEW: Evangelion (Anime)

The anime reviews I have been writing recently have been for shows that are fresh in my mind, usually because I've watched them at least within the last few months. However, I wanted to review what is possibly still my all-time favourite anime, especially because it's in a unique sort of flux at the moment with a series of new films either replacing, complimenting or following up the original... depending on how you look at it. Originally created back in the late '90s as Neon Genesis Evangelion, it was the product of Hideaki Anno who had previously collaborated with the great Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli on another of my favourite fims, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. After further collaborations with Miyazaki, Hideaki Anno fell into a four-year bout of depression, as he felt that the creative control over his projects was slipping away from him and that the "otaku" lifestyle (basically being an extreme geek in Japan) was destructive and isolationist; it was Anno's belief that human beings find it difficult to connect with and really know each other due to being separate isolated individuals. Like my all-time favourite movie, Apocalypse Now, it was this unique boiling pot of circumstance and ideas that lead to the creation of an anime television series like no other.

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Neon Genesis Evangelion:
The initial basic plot of the series is similar to a lot of "classic mecha" anime, with giant robots and teenage protagonist pilots, but right from the start there are hints of something darker lurking beneath. In the near future the Earth is recovering from a cataclysmic event dubbed "second impact", which melted much of the polar icecaps and destroyed a pretty sizable chunk of all life in the world. We join our young protagonist Shinji Ikari as he arrives at Tokyo 3 at the behest of his estranged father, who rejected him very early on in his life and has been working top secretly on some sort of government project. As he arrives at the city borders, a colossal creature called an "Angel" appears and begins to attack the place. With the army frantically trying to fight it off, Shinji is rushed to meet his father Gendo and told that the reason he's been brought there is to pilot a large mecha (giant robot) called an "Evangelion Unit", and that this is the only way to combat the Angels. Thus begins the first part of the television series when there are lots of exciting and well animated, for the time, battles between the Eva Units and the Angels. As well as fantastic action-packed fight scenes, and compelling drama, there are also lots of very humourous encounters between Shinji and other members of the cast such as his new roomate (and commanding officer!) Misato and fellow Eva pilots; the enigmatic Ayanami Rei and feisty German redhead Asuka.

But, somewhere around the half-way point of the series, it all starts to take a dramatic change of direction away from all-out action and more towards a psychological and theological character piece. These elements are there from the very start of course, but Neon Genesis Evangelion lures you in with it's more approachable aspects before pulling the rug from underneath you, at which point you're already hooked and invested heavily in the characters. Speaking of which, I've already mentioned that Shinji is separated from his father, his mother is also dead and he finds it hard to bond with anyone else, being a bit of a sociopath and suffering from chronic depression. Ayanami Rei is an emotionless doll, a shell of a human being, who doesn't understand people's emotions or motivations, Asuka has "daddy issues" and a lack of self-confidence so extreme that she overcompensates with an extrovert persona and by lashing out at everyone... you get the picture. Pretty much everyone involved in saving Tokyo 3 from the Angel attacks is psychologically disturbed or imperfect in some major way and this has a massive impact on the plot of the series. With Shinji being our protagonist we are shown things from his point of view and eventually the show descends into long monologues from him, inside his head, as he falls deeper into psychosis and through the actions piloting the Evangelion Unit, into deep catatonic despair. This is *not* a happy story or a simple Gundam-like show.

The end result is something that, in terms of plot characters and themes, is so utterly unique in anime and still stands up to this day because of how different it is from the usual tropes and conventions of this medium. As the plot progresses there is a central theme of 'the instrumentality of man', which was seemingly a bit of a hot topic at the time as it is also dealt with in Serial Experiments Lain (another of my all-time favourites and something I'll have to write a review of at some point), but this is not really resolved until the follow-up films discussed below. Despite being shot on grainy and cheap 16mm film, the animation still holds up well against modern productions, and considering its age the first half of the series, and some parts during the second, still look great. This is a combination of Gainax, the production studio headed up by Hideaki Anno, really knowing what they were doing and also because they blew a *massive* amount of their budget early on to make the show looks special; which unfortunately resulted in them completely running out of funding before the show was even through! The last two episodes are discussed below, but suffice to say the animation becomes more basic and rudimentary as the series nears its infamous climax. The music for Neon Genesis Evangelion is fantastic, and I still find myself humming some of the battle music, or the series opening theme, to this day! Once you have watched this television show, you'll never be able to hear 'Fly Me to the Moon' in the same way ever again, I guarantee it.

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"Death" + "Rebirth" AKA:
 'The End of Evangelion':
If Neon Genesis Evangelion had just carried on being the awesome 'mecha' action show that it started out like, I've no doubt that it would have become one of the most well-loved and famous anime series of all time. But the direction Hideaki Anno took it in, and the effects of Gainax's financial situation, meant that by the end it was one of the most loved and *infamous* anime series ever made. The final two episodes of the television series are always spoken about with such controversy for good reason, as even today they stand apart from the rest of the series and it's as if the final thread, the last remnant, of a traditional linear story is pulled apart and destroyed. As the story hurtles towards its dramatic climax, the studio ran out of money, and so the apocalyptic events that finish Evangelion were shown through still images, supposedly the thoughts and fears of Shinji Ikari as "third impact" happens around him. After these two final episodes had aired on Japanese TV the fans of the show exploded in a mixture of astonishment and anger, the result of which was that Hideaki Anno received death threats and hate mail that sent him into a suicidal depression. But the cult following of Evangelion only grew because of these mysterious and enigmatic final moments, and amidst the angry voices Anno also received lots of support and eager questions from supporters about what happened in the story, to the characters, and what exactly was the "third impact" that ended the show. Gainax announced they would make two films to end the story of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and it seemed like the demands of fans and haters alike had been answered.

I'm not going to talk at all about the first movie Death & Rebirth because it's largely superfluous, being that it's really just a long "recap movie" to get people up to speed enough for the next film; but it's worth watching to help you remember important story beats as well as showing some of the original series animation but at a superior quality shot on 35mm film stock. The follow-up End of Evangelion movie is the *true* end to the television series and is even split into two, like a pair of episodes complete with title cards and points for an advert break. It's also 100% new never-before-seen footage shot on 35mm with the large budget of a motion picture. In terms of the story, Neon Genesis Evangelion made heavy use of symbology and ideas from ancient kabbalistic texts, the Book of Revelation, and most importantly the apocryphal Dead Sea Scrolls, and thus the show has always been filled with judeo-christian iconography. End of Evangelion however takes this to the 'nth degree and really ramps up this aspect of the plot, revealing what "third impact" is, the motivations behind some of the shady organisations in the series, and also resolving some of the mysteries and enigmas that were left hanging by the infamous final two episodes. It does all this with aplomb, sporting sumptuous animation and some of the most exhilarating action sequences in the whole of Evangelion, or perhaps ever committed to film! It also follows the television series structure in that while the first half is all action, the second half is all metaphysical abstract imagery and more importantly, the way that Hideaki Anno chose to end his masterpiece divided people more than ever!!

The important thing to remember from the start of this section is that following the end of the television series, Hideaki Anno was depressed, suicidal, and receiving constant death threats from "fans". It was in this frame of mind that he wrote and directed the End of Evangelion, and this shows in the final film. Anno read all of the brash requests made by angry fans and gave people exactly what they wanted, but in the most painful, gory and shocking ways imaginable. I'm unfortunately entering a bit of spoiler territory here, but be forewarned that every character you will have come to know and love in the television series will have the worst things ever happen to them, perhaps not always physically but certainly mentally or psychologically. The imagery here at the end of the story is the stuff of nightmares, and as the narrative begins to break down so does the film, with Hideaki Anno even splicing in some screenshots of the death threats and abusive letters that he received... presented in the End of Evangelion film itself. It's just the most beautifully done "up yours" ever, and as an end to Evangelion itself, it all works beautifully! There is resolution and conclusion here that was missing before, and combined with the last two episodes of the television series watched in tandem, it all provides enough information to answer most of the lasting questions; although a quick mooch about on the internet and a read through of some interpretation articles wouldn't hurt either. Special mention must go to the use of classical music in the film, which works superbly, and even some great licensed music as the whole thing comes crashing down. Watched as a whole, Neon Genesis Evangelion and the End of Evangelion, is an absolute masterpiece and something that will probably never be reproduced or emulated because of the circumstances that it was created in. Of course though, Hideaki Anno recovered from his depression, Evangelion continued to grow in popularity and infamy, and the unexpected happened; we got more.

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Rebuild of Evangelion:
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion television series was released on DVD a few times, with remastered 'platinum' and 'restored' versions sporting high quality transfers and cleaned up animation, but eventually the move had to be made to high definition formats like Blu-Ray. The problem was that Gainax had by this time closed down, the original animation cells mostly destroyed, lost or sold, and the original film prints of the series were on grainy 16mm film not ideal for high definition transfer. Even the two follow-up movies had seemingly been lost to time, as since the initial launch on DVD the End of Evangelion has never been remastered or reissued. Something had to be done and Hideaki Anno announced a complete fresh remake of the Evangelion story as four consecutive films, which were dubbed the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. At this time of writing I have only seen two of the movies, the third one is still not released in the UK and the fourth is not even complete, so no doubt I will be revisiting this topic at some point with some final thoughts on the success of these rebuild movies. However, of the two that are already released there are some interesting things to talk about, especially in terms of their context, which I'll discuss later. First up, it's worth mentioning that Evangelion 1.11 (originally Evangelion 1.0 in cinemas but given the 1.11 moniker to signify the home entertainment released that includes a bit of extra material) is almost a straight up retelling of the first five episodes of the television series. Some animation sequences are even lifted wholesale from the original show, but obviously reanimated in crisp high-definition, and barring some additional scenes here-and-there that flesh out the story in interesting ways, you could almost be excused for thinking it was just another stab at Death & Rebirth. But it isn't.

Evangelion 1.11 looks absolutely fantastic and seeing some of the key action sequences of the original story but done properly is fantastic. It obviously suffers from a lack of characterisation when compared to the original series though, due to the shortened time constraints, and this is similar to the Berserk movies (see my earlier review). Also similar to the Berserk movies, Evangelion 1.11 works better as a companion piece to the original series rather than a replacement, and it helps immensely if you already know the characters well and the general gist of the plot. However, it is also in this first movie that there is some deviation from the original storyline of Evangelion, and Hideaki Anno stated that with these Rebuild movies he wanted to retell the story in a different, more concise manner, and more accessible to a large audience. This is a strange proposition as with the rushed characterisation of the first film it almost feels less accessible to newcomers, and not only that but people began to get a sense that perhaps Rebuild was much more than a literal remake. There are clues scattered throughout the movie that what we're getting may in fact be a continuation of the Evangelion story, a sort of pseudo-sequel to the End of Evangelion, which I can't really explain without *massive* amounts of spoilers. One thing though, for instance, is that in the original series the ocean is blue like normal, only turning a blood red colour after the events in End of Evangelion... in the new Rebuild movies the ocean is already blood red, and completely devoid of life to boot. There are many more indicators that these movies could be continuing the story rather than remaking it.

In terms of the original story the next film, Evangelion 2.22, really went completely off course and basically establishes a completely new storyline, or an alternate timeline if you like, where events play out completely differently than before. This means that even for old veterans, Evangelion 2.22 is fresh new material, and keeps the established audience on its toes, and at the edge of their seats! Because of the new plot, characters are given a lot more space to breathe, and some delightful scenes really build up the new take on people's psychology, which is nowhere near the levels of mental illness as before, providing much more stable and relatable protagonists. This could be what Hideaki Anno meant when he said "more accessible", and the fact that our director is no longer a suicidal mess really shows; although it's all significantly less interesting, deep and complex than what came before. Evangelion 2.22 surprises right up to the very end though as the plot accelerates through the cataclysmic events, such as another devastating "third impact", which ended the original storyline; this effectively means that with the next two films we are in completely unknown territory and utterly in the dark. While the jury is still out as to whether these films will end up being a sequel to the Evangelion story, or if in fact they are a reboot with lots of teasing false information (or even if the next two will actually be any good!), for now we have two very accomplished and entertaining anime movies. I highly recommend them for any fans of Evangelion and I'm eagerly looking forward to Evangelion 3.33 and Evangelion 4.44 in the future. Just make sure you watch all the original television series and movies first.

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Evangelion Store:
So there we have it, my opinion of the mighty Evangelion story so far, and my high hopes for the future are that it will continue to deliver the good stuff. As an aside, when I visited Harajuku in Tokyo this year (2014), I found the Evangelion Store, which sold all sorts of awesome products from the original and rebuild stories. I'll leave you with this picture of me, chuffed to bits after buying merchandise from my favourite anime of all time; Neon Genesis Evangelion, End of Evangelion and the Rebuild of Evangelion. See you all in the future with my thoughts after it's all over and finished. Thank you Hideaki Anno.

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

REVIEW: Spice and Wolf (Anime)

I think it's fair to say that a lot of the anime series I end up watching are "shounen", meaning that they're usually a teenage cast of characters fighting in big robots/with big swords/ lots of action and emotions running high. However, I also really enjoy more family friendly affairs like the films of Studio Ghibli (who doesn't!?), and I even have a soft spot for a love story or two. This brings me nicely to my review of an anime series I've only *just* finished watching today, but which I felt was so good I had to come and write a review about it. Spice and Wolf is a series adapted not from manga, as it the norm, but from a series of "light novels" each clocking in at about 300 pages of text and artwork, and ostensibly deals with a blossoming romance... set in a medieval light-fantasy setting with a heavy emphasis on trading and economics!! Suffice to say, this is pretty different from almost everything else out there and such a unique series ran the risk of turning out badly; thankfully it didn't and Spice and Wolf is wonderful in every way.

The main protagonist of Spice and Wolf is a merchant peddler named "Craft" Lawrence, who travels across the fantasy country buying, selling and trading, trying to make a fortune for himself so that he can settle down in a town running his own shop. One day whilst visiting a pagan wheat-growing community he awakens in the night to find that a naked girl has stowed away on his cart; she has blood-red eyes, pointy animal ears, fangs and a large bushy tail. This turns out to be a pagan deity called Holo, the "Great Wise Wolf", who in older times was appeased by the local townspeople to make the harvest more plentiful but who has now been forgotten due to modern agriculture taking the place of superstition. Since she is no longer needed, and feels alone/outcast, Holo wishes to return to her ancestral home in the north. Lawrence agrees to take her, initially because her unique supernatural skills will help his business, but the two develop a close and romantic relationship during the show's two seasons travelling together. This forms the basic premise of Spice and Wolf, and while the show is light on physical action (especially the superior second season), there are lots of trials and tribulations that our two heroes must overcome, usually to save their relationship and fortunes.

These trials usually take the form of some sort of economic dilemma, as one of Lawrence's shady deals goes wrong, or the pair are double-crossed by various unions and trade associations, but sometimes they're put in genuine peril and have to fight their way out. The first series makes more use of Holo's wolf-deity powers, and there are more action sequences and set pieces, whilst the second series drops this largely to focus solely on the characters and their personal troubles. Oddly, for someone who usually likes action-packed anime (see Attack on Titan), my main enjoyment from this series came from just how well written the main characters are, and the expertly written dialogue between them; which if you are fluent in Japanese apparently has even greater resonance as Holo speaks a sort of ancient dialect. The love story between Lawrence and Holo is a believable slow-burn, and you get a real sense of their psychology; especially Holo, who after hundreds of years being lonely is desperate for connection and to be loved but afraid to commit to someone who she will outlive, have to watch die, and ultimately be alone again. It's compelling character drama.

Being such a focused character piece though, the animation is suitably subtle, and there is nothing too flashy or impressive of note except some gorgeous backgrounds and well realised locales. The characters themselves are wonderfully drawn and very emotive; it's also refreshing to have main characters who are older than usual, with Lawrence being in his mid-thirties and Holo being hundreds of years old - despite being very cute. The two series of Spice and Wolf were animated by different studios, and while they fit together flawlessly, the first series has a more muted colour palette than the second, which is more vibrant and lively. Special mention must also go to the music, as while there are a few repeated pieces, it is all very authentic sounding and really fits the medieval setting without resorting to 'Greensleeves' and the like. The opening songs, one for each series, are absolutely beautiful and very moody/evocative, whilst the closing songs are more upbeat and along with the animated vignettes remind me of Ghibli film credits.

In summary, whilst the heavy emphasis on economics and market trading for the "action" should make it a hard recommendation, the character drama between Lawrence and Holo is just too damn good to pass up! Whilst Spice and Wolf certainly won't appeal to everyone, its different enough that everyone should at least check it out. Personally, I absolutely *loved it*!!