Spice and Wolf

[Kraco]

Horo became certainly jealous when the magician was revealed to be a beauty (I think that's why she said the magician is the kind of person she hates). Those two have a peculiar kind of a relationship in any case. Horo can make Lawrence do whatever she wants by pushing a little. That makes me think Lawrence wouldn't mind if things went a little further between them, but at the same time I suppose at some level he tries to keep a certain distance because they are a wolf and a human in the end. Or at least he isn't actually pushing forward like he probably would if she was a normal girl.

But Horo sure likes delicacies...

[Ryllharu]

Despite the apparent censorship of eps 7, I had no problem continuing on from here. The series has been largely episodic, so it doesn't matter too much.

More of Horo's observational awesomeness, her messing with Lawrence whilst pretending to be drunk, and in addition, a peaceful, ARIA-esque air about this episode.

One would think that Lawrence would be more observant and wary of being manipulated if he has been burned so often when he was starting out. He certainly avoided the first trap by claiming he trusted in God in terms of using a scale, but missed that the entire table was slanted. A very clever ruse for the company man, I must say. Located on a hill, it would be hard to guess that something was off just a little bit. He could have had the entire building slanted just a bit. Yet, as Horo implied, Lawrence doesn't seem to be learning too many lessons from it. Together, they make quite the team. She catches nearly everything he misses, and then with extreme shrewdness, he ensures they get a better deal than they would have if everything was on the straight and narrow.


I also wonder if this series will do the same to Ami Koshimizu what Code Geass has done for Yukana, at least in the eyes of fans. Horo is dramatically unlike the character she usually plays. She's usually the cutesy moron (Tenma, School Rumble) or the brash angry girl. Horo is the infinitely wiser, oozing smexiness character just like C.C.

[Everon]

Koshimizu is definately showing off her talents as a playful trickster.

And what a manipulative trickster Horo can be. Oil for tails! I'm thinking she'll tell him that she repaid him with wisdom. Either that or Lawrence will surmise as much.

[shinta|hikari]

Was Lawrence referring to Holo when he said he trusted in god?

[KrayZ33]

wow, horo was extremely cute in this episode..she licked her tail didn't she? oh my gawd

btw, what happened to episode 7? even though it didn't feel like i have missed something at all but i still want to see episode 7 (i want to see horo as much as i can ^^).

[Ryllharu]

This series is 13 episodes, but was only slotted for 12 like Code Geass was for only 23 and a few clips shows.

So 7 is a dvd-only episode.

Either that, or it is a dvd-only episode because the broadcaster cut it for some censorship reason.

[Buffalobiian]

Was Lawrence referring to Holo when he said he trusted in god?

He said it to the buyer to bypass the rigged scales, and looked at Horo with a "I'm pleased with myself" look. It's likely she doesn't fully understand why believing in God will get you a better trade right now, since she didn't know just how influential the church is. I enjoyed this episode, Horo starts by telling him he's easily seduced by women. Halfway through, she persuades him to by oil with a drunk/tail way look, then finally gets jealous at Lawrence's "wow" when the shepherd took off her hood. When she says I hate this kind of human, I wonder if she actually meant shepherds.

[KrayZ33]

When she says I hate this kind of human, I wonder if she actually meant shepherds.

thats what i think too... however i can't believe her when she says she hates them...

arn't sheeps good and easy food for wolves, so whereever is a shepherd there are sheeps? or is it because shepherds have a good way to defend the sheeps from wolves? (i know that this is their job but i can't believe that a single shepherd is threat to a pack of wolves)

this is the only reasonable suggestion because she can't possibly "heard" or "smelled" that the shepherd looks sexy ^^

[Buffalobiian]

Horo's not alone. Earlier in the episode, there were like a dozen wolves snarling at the shepherd as she walk. Perhaps in their eyes, shepherd have some kind of hatred for wolves, or just kill them indiscriminately, since they recognise all of them as a threat, whether they intend to feed on their stock or not. Something tells me wolves can't attack them though, maybe it's to do with that bell.

[shinta|hikari]

@Buff - Is that really just it? I thought that Lawrence was hinting that even if there was a trick with the scales, Holo (a wolf god) would be able to spot it easily, like how she has done for most of the tricks so far.

EDIT: the reason I think so is because he repeated the same "because I believe in god" line after the trick was revealed by Holo.

[Everon]

Yes, the sentence has a double meaning, but the first time he didn't suspect any tricks beyond the scale.

[Yukimura]

Spice and Wolf - 09 (XviD) - [BSS]
Spice and Wolf - 09 (h264) - [BSS]

[Board of Command]

It looks like there's more to the shepherd girl than what meets the eye.

The next episode is titled "Spiraling Conspiracy," so we've probably entered the final stretch of the series and the final episodes will be a continuous story involving the shepherd girl and the church.

[Buffalobiian]

That look that they all gave Lawrence. It wasn't one directed to a merchant selling armour or not. They were told about Lawrence, and to let him pass, or at least recognised him. I get the feeling the church is luring him in. Girl shepherd. I don't know what to think. How much truth was there in Horo's words? "Did you notice she didn't like talking to you?" Was that simply a tease, or did she notice that the girl was just talking to Lawrence to either pump info/get on his side/was ordered to? The townsfolk obviously are afraid of her, possibly 'cause of the rumours, but the priest at the church was like "oh....it's you." kinda look. The last guy before the end reeked of sly evilness.

[Ryllharu]

I don't think the Church likes Nora either. The priest gave her a clear look of contempt. She may work for the church, but it seems more like they only tolerate her, not welcome her. Maybe she does have frightening powers. A figurative "wolf in shepard's clothing."

As for Horo's line about Nora not liking talking to Lawrence, I wonder if it is less about her pumping him for information (she likely has no idea that the Church is after Horo, much less that Lawrence is with her), and more about not used to talking to people. Everyone in town ignores her. Perhaps she thinks people only say cruel things to her, or only use her.

She's highly suspicious, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now. Unless she actively kills them to keep them at bay, she's communicating with the wolves to drive them off. She can't be all that bad then, can she?

[David75]

I wonder what Nora is...
Horo does not like her, but she's like that to any stranger. Yet she didn't insist on anything particular about her, she didn't see any danger.

But we know Nora was the one attacking another merchant the ep before that last one.

Could she be a being on the same level Horo is, explaining why she can't feel that she's dangerous while Nora is in her Human form?

Also at first I was a bit disapointed Nora and Horo didn't have some kind of fight... but I guess that the more they are near each other, the better that fight will be.

[KrayZ33]

btw did anyone noticed Horos reaction when nora was ringing hell bell?

she leaned forward to Lawerence but in my eyes it looked like she was leaning forward "the sound" the dog took it as a command to get to nora's side..and i think Horo felt the same, but since she is not a "normal" wolf or dog she was able to resist it.

it happens around 7:42

and what does that dog has on its ear? is it something nora gave him to show that he has a owner?
the story of the dog is strange... its seems to be a special dog. somehow, for example, why the hell did it have a staff in its mouth?

[Ryllharu]

I believe the implication was that it's previous owner had died or more specifically, been violently killed by either wolves or bandits, and the highly mysterious Nora stumbled upon him.

The question is whether she is fearsome (as a wolf slayer or a witch), or if she is simply generally disliked for no particular reason.

I even mulled over the possibility that she was similar to Horo (though perhaps not specifically a wolf). Horo does have a pack or a family up North.

[Buffalobiian]

the story of the dog is strange... its seems to be a special dog. somehow, for example, why the hell did it have a staff in its mouth?

And is that staff the one Nora is holding right now?

edit: Just checked. It's the same staff. They mentioned earlier in the series. Some people in the bar were calling her a pagan shepherd. Whether that's to do with her supposed powers I'm not sure.

[David75]

If some of you are interrested in Ayako's release for Ep9:

HD mkv
http://www.mininova.org/get/1218618

SD xvid
http://www.mininova.org/get/1218621