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| To be perfectly honest, I actually prefer the Dust Jacket cover illustration for this volume... |
Author:Hasekura Isuna
Illustrator: Ayakura Jyuu
"They are quite real. Would you care to touch them?"
The 'light novel' genre can at times be quite hard to define. The general consensus seems to be 'novels aimed at young adults (late-teens to early twenties) with minimal kanji and anime-styled pictures at certain intervals to make reading easier. These light novels usually have a greater focus on the characters than the general plot.
Spice & Wolf, thankfully, appears to have found a comfortable spot in-between. While the interesting banter between our protagonists Lawrence (a travelling merchant) and Holo (wisewolf god of the harvest) make for an enjoyable light read, the intrigue-laden story within each volume (mostly self-contained) is certainly heavier and more akin to reading a mystery novel. In each volume a new dilemma presented, and it's up to our dear Lawrence to solve it using his skills as a merchant (and perhaps with some Wisewolf wisdom thrown in).
Just like a typical mystery novel, clues are handed out at intervals to help readers deduce the solution to the dilemma. However, because the scenarios presented involve money, politics and/or religion (often all three considering how tightly linked they are), it takes more than simple logical reasoning to deduce the solution. To connect the dots, the readers need to rely not only on their rationale but also on their business sense.
I liked the first three Spice & Wolf novels. The first novel won me over with its seamless blend of light reading, intrigue and economics (not to mention awesome characters too). The second book was almost equally good - what with the sudden twists and turns that remind us how risky business is and how deadly greed can be. However, it is third volume that I enjoyed the most - everything from the dilemma (a stock-market parallel) to the character development was perfect. Ironically Volume 3 is also my favorite volume in Bungaku Shoujo, another novel series translated and published by Yen Press.
While we were given a sharp contrast in Amati the previous book, Volume 4 presents to us a parallel this time in the form of Evan and Elsa, the local Miller and Priest respectively. The nature of their relationship draws obvious comparison to that of Lawrence and Holo, who are starting to realize they value each other as more than just simple traveling companions. I particularly enjoyed Elsa as a side character - conflict seems to be her central theme, with her conflict in serving a village to scoff her versus running away with the man she loves, and her conflict in her faith when faced with a revelation regarding her adopted father (who was the previous priest of the church). Her levelheadedness and wit also makes her highly likeable.
The dilemma presented this time around is interesting as usual, tying in not only economics but church politics as well. However, it is undermined by the author who pulls a quick Deus Ex Machina towards the end. For a volume that had so much potential, the solution fell flat for me and is a definite minus.
Where to savor:
I've always found Spice & Wolf to be very enjoyable in rowdy places serving meat, like a steak house (alcohol would be a huge plus) - perhaps it helps emulate the atmosphere of a tavern. Volume 4 isn't much different, though with the winter, small town setting a quieter place would be fine too, like maybe a coffee house along with some club sandwiches.
Most notablequote excerpt:
In a poor village, a merchant's coin was powerful. However, against the scythes and hoes of angry villagers, he was helpless.
Overall thoughts and score:
While I enjoyed the parallels between Lawrence, Holo, Elsa and Evan (and Elsa as a character in general), I can't help but feel cheated at the ending Hasekura-sensei pulled, which really lessened the overall impact for me. It's a real pity as I feel the character interactions in this volume beat the rest by far, and it could have dethroned Volume 3 as the best volume in the series yet. As it is, it doesn't stand up to Volume 3 in my opinion, but still enjoyable enough to heartily recommend.
Spice & Wolf, thankfully, appears to have found a comfortable spot in-between. While the interesting banter between our protagonists Lawrence (a travelling merchant) and Holo (wisewolf god of the harvest) make for an enjoyable light read, the intrigue-laden story within each volume (mostly self-contained) is certainly heavier and more akin to reading a mystery novel. In each volume a new dilemma presented, and it's up to our dear Lawrence to solve it using his skills as a merchant (and perhaps with some Wisewolf wisdom thrown in).
Just like a typical mystery novel, clues are handed out at intervals to help readers deduce the solution to the dilemma. However, because the scenarios presented involve money, politics and/or religion (often all three considering how tightly linked they are), it takes more than simple logical reasoning to deduce the solution. To connect the dots, the readers need to rely not only on their rationale but also on their business sense.
I liked the first three Spice & Wolf novels. The first novel won me over with its seamless blend of light reading, intrigue and economics (not to mention awesome characters too). The second book was almost equally good - what with the sudden twists and turns that remind us how risky business is and how deadly greed can be. However, it is third volume that I enjoyed the most - everything from the dilemma (a stock-market parallel) to the character development was perfect. Ironically Volume 3 is also my favorite volume in Bungaku Shoujo, another novel series translated and published by Yen Press.
While we were given a sharp contrast in Amati the previous book, Volume 4 presents to us a parallel this time in the form of Evan and Elsa, the local Miller and Priest respectively. The nature of their relationship draws obvious comparison to that of Lawrence and Holo, who are starting to realize they value each other as more than just simple traveling companions. I particularly enjoyed Elsa as a side character - conflict seems to be her central theme, with her conflict in serving a village to scoff her versus running away with the man she loves, and her conflict in her faith when faced with a revelation regarding her adopted father (who was the previous priest of the church). Her levelheadedness and wit also makes her highly likeable.
The dilemma presented this time around is interesting as usual, tying in not only economics but church politics as well. However, it is undermined by the author who pulls a quick Deus Ex Machina towards the end. For a volume that had so much potential, the solution fell flat for me and is a definite minus.
Where to savor:
I've always found Spice & Wolf to be very enjoyable in rowdy places serving meat, like a steak house (alcohol would be a huge plus) - perhaps it helps emulate the atmosphere of a tavern. Volume 4 isn't much different, though with the winter, small town setting a quieter place would be fine too, like maybe a coffee house along with some club sandwiches.
Most notable
In a poor village, a merchant's coin was powerful. However, against the scythes and hoes of angry villagers, he was helpless.
Overall thoughts and score:
While I enjoyed the parallels between Lawrence, Holo, Elsa and Evan (and Elsa as a character in general), I can't help but feel cheated at the ending Hasekura-sensei pulled, which really lessened the overall impact for me. It's a real pity as I feel the character interactions in this volume beat the rest by far, and it could have dethroned Volume 3 as the best volume in the series yet. As it is, it doesn't stand up to Volume 3 in my opinion, but still enjoyable enough to heartily recommend.
Overall score: 7 / 10
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| Pictures of Elsa are so scarce I had to clean this manga scan with photoshop |
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