Spice and Wolf, A Review

The peddler Lawrence Craft spends his days traveling the world, buying and selling goods and dreaming of one day settling down and opening his own shop. One day, he meets a girl with a wolf's ears and tail. The girl, Holo, claims to be a goddess of the harvest whom humans no longer need, and wants to return to her ancient homeland in the north. Lawrence and Holo form a partnership and set out on a journey, evading an unfriendly church and trying to make a profit along the way.

When Spice and Wolf was first previewed in 2008, hopes were not high. The plot synopsis sounded nothing but awkward, the idea of a fantasy series about a traveling salesman seemed more than a little silly, and the naked girl with animal ears hinted ominously at incoming pandering. Everybody knew exactly what to expect: “furry” fan service with an oddball premise. It took a lot of people by surprise when Spice and Wolf aired and turned out to be a surprisingly mature and intelligent series with minimal fan service. It's generally excellent, and has one of the best romances in anime.

Toradora, A Review

From Anime News Network:

Despite Ryuuji Takasu's gentle personality, his eyes make him look like an intimidating delinquent. Class rearrangements on his second high school year put him together with his best friend, Yusaku Kitamura, and his hidden crush, Minori Kushieda. Along with these two comes Kushieda's best friend, Taiga Aisaka. Her delicate appearance contrasts with her brutal personality. Secretly in love with Kitamura, Taiga agrees to help Ryuuji with his love interest as long as he helps her get closer to hers.

Toradora is the sort of anime that wasn't created, but designed, possibly by a robot. It flat-out refuses to bring anything new to the table, and accomplishes little since it doesn't try much anything. It has a number of tangible flaws, but is put together more or less competently. The show's real problems are conceptual.