The journey through the wild countryside continues for the merchant Lawrence and his traveling companion, Holo, the untamed harvest goddess. As their winding path takes them from village to village, Lawrence and Holo reap the bounty of an ever-strengthening bond, depending on his street smarts and her animal instincts to lead them to the feisty deity’s northern home.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #736 in DVD
• Brand: Funimation
• Released on: 2011-08-30
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Widescreen
• Original language: Japanese, English
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Dimensions: .39 pounds
• Running time: 325 minutes

Amazon.com
The second season of the fantasy-adventure Spice and Wolf (2009) picks up where the first one left off: with merchant Craft Lawrence and Holo, the ancient wolf-spirit who takes the form of a beautiful young woman, wandering through a world that resembles Renaissance Europe. Their ultimate goal is Holo's home village of Yoitz in the far north, but no one knows exactly where it is or if it still exists. It's not clear why Lawrence is so devoted to Holo: she insults him, fusses at him, spends his money, and gets drunk. But he apparently enjoys being a doormat. Most of the season is devoted to two story lines, one involving a scheme to exploit the inflated price of iron pyrite (fool's gold) in the town of Kumersun; the second centers on an unsavory fur-trading deal. The stories are very, very talky with only minimal action, and the filmmakers cut corners, reusing backgrounds and animation. The ending suggests a third season may be in the works: Lawrence and Holo are only slightly closer to their goal than they were at the beginning, and the myth that the "Moonhunting Bear" destroyed Yoitz could be developed further. There's lots of gratuitous fan-service nudity of Holo, and her furry ears and tail leave the viewer with the unsettling feeling that Spice and Wolf is aimed at adolescent furries. (Rated TV 14: nudity, violence, alcohol use, risqué humor, potentially offensive religious imagery) --Charles Solomon

(0. Wolf and Amber Melancholy, 1. Wolf and the Inadvertent Rift, 2. Wolf and the Calm Before the Storm, 3. Wolf and the Gap That Cannot Be Filled, 4. Wolf and the End of Shallow Thinking, 5. Wolf, Hope and Despair, 6. Wolf and Trustworthy God, 7. Wolf and Playful Days, 8. Wolf and an Enchanting Traveler, 9. Wolf and Reckless Negotiation, 10. Wolf and Lonely Smile, 11. Wolf and the Decision to Part, 12. Wolf and Endless Tears)

Most helpful customer reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
Still nothing to dislike.
By Evan R. Cassity
It is fantastic that Funimation has decided to release the second season of the brilliantly calm Spice and Wolf. Coupled with their re-issue of the first season on blu-ray, the two sets will look beautiful both next to each other on your shelf and on your television.

The story continues as Holo and Lawrence make their way towards Yoitsu, Holo's homeland. Where the first season focused on the budding, flirty relationship between Holo and Lawrence, this season finally admits it outright. It does not, however, forget the economics and intelligence that made it such a charming series.

The first season had intriguing plots about different currencies and the principles of economics applied on a large scale. This season continues that, to a degree, but the episodic nature of the first season is not maintained. The story of season two is more cohesive throughout. Without spoiling anything, the relationship between Holo and Lawrence takes the forefront, while Holo's continuing education and intuition regarding the laws of economics is also portrayed. Indeed, though Lawrence is the alleged expert in the field, Holo's scheming and discretion is what saves the day on more than one occasion. Imagine the suspense of a battle anime, like Naruto or Bleach or Hajime no Ippo, only the battleground is the world of money, coercion and intrigue.

The dubbing Funimation employed for the first season was very well done, and as always the set will include the original Japanese dub for those who enjoy subtitles. The recent development of anime on Blu-ray will ensure that the series looks as good as it possibly can as you watch, and while this series is not the most beautiful anime around, it is certainly not poorly drawn. Watching it, you will have wonderful characters with whom you can connect, plots that will allow you to think through the deals and economics, and the satisfaction of having watched an anime truly different from others you have seen.

Will there be a third season? There are many who hope so. The light-novels, off of which this anime is based, are being released by Yen Press. So if you cannot wait to continue the adventures of Holo and Lawrence, opportunities will be open to you. If the episodic format of the first season turned you off to the series, this season should draw you back. There are only two main storylines throughout, with a few small side plots. Watch the relationship between two very believable (yet fantastic) characters develop naturally, and with all the charm in the world, as they navigate themselves through an inventive medieval world.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Very In-depth/loveable series
By Kyle
Whether its the anime, novel or manga, the Spice and Wolf series is just something so unique and different in its own way. Some may not like it, everyones perspective varies. But if you're a fan of anime, it's absolutely something you should look into and see if it might spark an intrest in you, it sure did in me. Watching the anime on Netflix made me buy it on DvD, and also the books which I am very pleased with(considering I never read haha). I'm very happy to see the second season available now, and hope they keep it going.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Love this series!
By Kari Grant
I'm really happy that Funimation has finally announced that they are still going to release this season, I was scared that they dropped it and we would never get it. I really hope that they release just a DVD version because I don't have a Blu-Ray player and I don't want to pay more for something I wont use, if they don't end up doing that then I will definitely get this version.