written by Isuna Hasekura
illustrated by Keito Koume

Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant making his way through a medieval land caught between the church and the old ways. While passing through a village during a harvest festival, his wagon picks up an unexpected passenger. She looks like a beautiful woman, but has ears and a wolf tail and calls herself, Holo, the same name as the harvest goddess. Together the two begin a journey to return Holo to her home in the north, trying to make a decent profit while they’re at it, but along the way they are caught up in a conspiracy, trapped between two companies who care for profit. Holo and Lawrence begin to see that, in the end, they can only rely on one another if they want to survive.

The Spice & Wolf manga series is based on Hasekura’s light novel series (also available from Yen Press), with art by Koume, based on the character designs of Ayakura, who did the illustrations for the novels. Hasekura’s story is mature in all the best ways: accepting of adult behavior and adult in interest and tone. The series will probably be something of a disappointment to readers who might be attracted by the M/Mature rating and the naked Holo.
 
Lawrence and Holo are trying to figure out the game that is obviously being played by a fellow merchant and so there is a lot of discussion of economic principles—not usually a topic considered to be smutty! As the two travelers become caught up in the conspiracy, the level of detail becomes greater, requiring readers to pay attention closely to understand the machinations. But it is obvious to readers that Lawrence’s concern with economics is not only driven by his own pocket. He knows that destabilizing a country’s money could destabilize the country itself, a nifty bit of foreshadowing that sets the tone for the volumes to come. Holo does spend some time naked, which makes sense when you consider that she is also a wolf. Lawrence is at first taken a little aback by this, unsure of how to behave, but there is a great scene in volume one where readers see him accept that in some situations—such as changing clothes after a heavy rain storm—modesty can be a silly constraint.
 
Koume’s art carefully walks the fine line between showing Holo’s personality and giving in to fanservice. There are a few very beautiful images of her naked where it seems more like the latter, but for most of the nude scenes, you can tell that Holo is a trickster who isn’t above using her good looks to get what she wants. The fun is that she seems to almost be unable to keep a straight face while doing so, and both readers and Lawrence are willing to go along with the joke just to see what might happen. As the two become closer in volume two, the attraction between them slowly begins to move out of the realm of teasing and into genuine affection, which will appeal to romance-minded readers who are willing to be patient. The medieval-like setting is very detailed and the characters fully fleshed out. There are only color pages in volume one and they aren’t at the beginning, but a little ways in, where Lawrence meets Holo. Her skin in the moonlight is breathtaking and those pages suck readers in the same way that that skin draws Lawrence to his strange new companion.
 
These two volumes are obviously only the beginning of Lawrence and Holo’s journeys together, but patient, careful readers will be eager to see where Hasekura’s tale will head next. Holo and Lawrence’s attraction to one another winds gently around the conspiracy that binds them and it will be interesting to see how that plays out along their journey. A good start to the series.

-- Snow Wildsmith

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