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Old 2013-06-02, 06:35   Link #1881
Sacredus
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Bookdepository.co.uk and Bookdepository.com - I never used this shop (yet), but my friend bought there Spice and Wolf novel.
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Old 2013-06-03, 17:37   Link #1882
lann
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I finally made it to half way through the 8th novel. its sooo damn boring. Full review coming when i slog my way to the finish line- but it could be weeks from now. the only incentive for finishing it quick is that the new Haruhi book is released at the end of the month. So far this novel gets a 4/10. Erghhhhhaaa the author needed to take a break at this point, clearly.
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Old 2013-06-04, 01:48   Link #1883
Vexx
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I finally made it to half way through the 8th novel. its sooo damn boring. Full review coming when i slog my way to the finish line- but it could be weeks from now. the only incentive for finishing it quick is that the new Haruhi book is released at the end of the month. So far this novel gets a 4/10. Erghhhhhaaa the author needed to take a break at this point, clearly.
I do have to agree that he was adrift and stumbling at this point. He does get back on track in the later volumes though.
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Old 2013-06-21, 06:47   Link #1884
lann
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I reached the end of novel 8 and gave it a 4/10.

All it does is sets up a story for the next book. However this is just a load of bull. Why should we readers have to slog though an entire book that only sets up groundwork?! AN ENTIRE NOVEL!

Piss poor.
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Old 2013-06-21, 12:01   Link #1885
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I really didn't mind it that much. Yes, it was a bit of a slog, but I think that's mostly because v6 was just as dull and v7 was side stories. It was still a decent enough read, but this arc could have been condensed.

My gripe is that things now feel artificially drawn-out in that typical "just bang already!" light novel fashion. Rather than focus on the real issues keeping Lawrence and Holo apart, we get Eve, Cole, and side stories to distract us.

That and, as you said, their motivations for following Eve and not counter-extorting her are flimsy at best and make Lawrence come across as a Gary Stu compared to his earlier portrayal, and makes Holo come across as a background character just there to ferry him from point A to point B.
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Old 2013-06-21, 13:03   Link #1886
Vexx
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No dispute really. Volume 6-8 are somewhat stumbles. I thought they were interesting but yes - obviously "stretchers" (more than a filler but not meat and bone of central story).

In real story terms, even allowing for medieval sensibilities on the risk of pregnancy ... it gets a little hard to believe they haven't romped at this point just out of sheer stress.

I've found a lot of Japanese light novels and manga don't do a great job of MICRO-INSERTING filler and stretch to extend a series. They will march along nicely and then suddenly there's a whole pile of "what does this have to do with the main story?"
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Old 2013-06-21, 13:27   Link #1887
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In real story terms, even allowing for medieval sensibilities on the risk of pregnancy ... it gets a little hard to believe they haven't romped at this point just out of sheer stress.
There's no real reason for them to not have played around, but Isuna's taken a very conservative approach to their relationship. Bit of a bummer, really. Makes the story far less compelling when the level of intimacy between your characters doesn't really increase for many volumes at a time.
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Old 2013-06-21, 15:37   Link #1888
Rajura
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I'm sorry but I must disagree with the both of you.

I am all about good conservative morals, and the fact that there hasn't been that issue even arise, that will allow you to picture what you want.

However, it allows me to see Holo in a more dignified light and Lawrence as a gentleman.

Sure, there is a lot of tension and I'm sure that Lawrence has chewed the side rails of his cart in anguish at night a few times, but it makes the tender and romantic moments that much better.
And, to not give them credit for self-control is a disservice... some people might give in... probably not them.

And, seeing my wolfu portrayed in a dignified way is important to me... it makes her that much cuter and amazing... but then again that is just my opinion.
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Old 2013-06-21, 16:02   Link #1889
Vexx
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I'm sorry but I must disagree with the both of you.

I am all about good conservative morals, and the fact that there hasn't been that issue even arise, that will allow you to picture what you want.

However, it allows me to see Holo in a more dignified light and Lawrence as a gentleman.

Sure, there is a lot of tension and I'm sure that Lawrence has chewed the side rails of his cart in anguish at night a few times, but it makes the tender and romantic moments that much better.
And, to not give them credit for self-control is a disservice... some people might give in... probably not them.

And, seeing my wolfu portrayed in a dignified way is important to me... it makes her that much cuter and amazing... but then again that is just my opinion.
Heh, I guess I just don't see anything undignified about the idea. I don't really object to the cuddly celibacy, it just means we have to assume the era had some pretty strict notions on the idea. Canterbury Tales danced around the idea .. as Lawrence himself says, Horo's ruse as a pilgrim "nun" lets them retain a respectable air particularly to the churchies in the towns they encounter.

Part of it is purely cultural .. or at least j-pop cultural -- the notion that the confession or the sexual encounter is the end of the story/game. I think that's balderdash but it is a common refrain in much of this entertainment material. I give S&W points as a seinen adventure simply because we do get to see past that point in the story, if only a short bit.

edit: <rofl> "wolfu", I like that.
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Old 2013-06-21, 17:32   Link #1890
BashZeStampeedo
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Opinions are fine

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it allows me to see Holo in a more dignified light and Lawrence as a gentleman.
Lately Lawrence is being less a gentleman and more an asexual romantic ideal. Holo's not been very dignified either, what with all of her weirdness since volume 5 while STILL heavily flirting with him in front of a child. Early on, the story seemed to making them ACT gentlemanly/dignified in order to attract each other, and then to keep each other at arm's length. I don't think they ever were dignified or gentlemanly, though. Otherwise, Lawrence would have married for sure (he's caught several eyes now that he IS acting like a good man), and Holo wouldn't go cavorting around like she did in the legends about her.

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to not give them credit for self-control is a disservice... some people might give in... probably not them.
Eh.. I would agree if the two of them were written that way from the start. They weren't. Lawrence has only recently become a super-chaste romantic ideal. He used to be obviously flustered, and nearly lost his cool on several occasions. It's asking a lot of me to pretend that he's skipped the intimacy phase of the relationship and jumped straight to the husband phase, especially with her teasing him all the time. There's self-control, and then there's jumping the shark. Unless, of course, you assume that Isuna just hasn't been writing the key scenes and leaving it all up to our imaginations.

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it makes the tender and romantic moments that much better.
Here I couldn't agree less. There's nothing romantic about two goofy adults making googly eyes at each other, even after months of sexual tension. That's just silly, especially when you consider that intimacy makes people more tender and romantic. If anything, keeping each other at arm's length is a good way to kill the romance, which is why the story feels a bit disingenuous now.

I wouldn't mind any of this if it was written with an eye for the very real issues bubbling under the surface, but it hasn't. Every cute scene has neatly avoided any serious intimacy, and it's getting tiresome. Again, not expecting any sex, but real people don't work this way, and both of these characters were initially written to be like real people with real emotions.
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Old 2013-06-22, 18:07   Link #1891
lann
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I wouldn't mind any of this if it was written with an eye for the very real issues bubbling under the surface, but it hasn't. Every cute scene has neatly avoided any serious intimacy, and it's getting tiresome. Again, not expecting any sex, but real people don't work this way, and both of these characters were initially written to be like real people with real emotions.
This was the reason why i was so drawn to the series. I was sure we were finally going to get a series that has a couple fall in love mid way through the series, and then bring us the troubles and tribulations relating to what its like AS a couple for the rest of the series. This is what I was expecting.
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Old 2013-06-22, 18:48   Link #1892
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This was the reason why i was so drawn to the series. I was sure we were finally going to get a series that has a couple fall in love mid way through the series, and then bring us the troubles and tribulations relating to what its like AS a couple for the rest of the series. This is what I was expecting.
Hmmm, they are effectively a couple (if platonic) for a large part of the series. What they're weighing is the "long lived" versus "mayfly" problem and the pain with that.

If you want post-couple storylines, I might recommend "Love Complex" (manga comedic shoujo). I tend to find more "life as a couple" storylines over on the shoujo side (sometimes in seinen). Toradora is effectively such a thing as well, though it takes them 1/2 to 3/4 of the book to figure it out.
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Old 2013-06-22, 19:36   Link #1893
lann
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Toradora is my next series to read ^_^ Quite looking forward to it.

You're right though, effectively Holo and Lawrence are a couple but its not the same unless they are officially one. Only then we can see their teamwork really shine. But as I said its the ups and downs of being IN the relationship that i want to read about.
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Old 2013-06-22, 20:04   Link #1894
Vexx
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That's probably one of my biggest frustrations with anime/manga/j-pop in general -> the bad tendency to end the story with the confession or the coupling ... just when it is getting really interesting.

Some times I joke it's because most of these writers have never actually had a girlfriend - no experience to work with.
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Old 2013-08-20, 16:21   Link #1895
Rajura
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Well, I got my English copy of Volume IX yesterday. I can't wait to be able to sit down and start working through it!
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Old 2013-08-26, 16:42   Link #1896
lann
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Amazon UK relisted it for release in a months time :/

No option but to wait
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Old 2013-08-26, 23:51   Link #1897
Phoenix6000
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Mine just came in this afternoon, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to start reading.
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Old 2013-08-30, 22:18   Link #1898
jte742
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Mine arrived today. Still haven't managed to get all the way through the last one, though. Ever since I moved out here and started working I've just had so little time to sit down and read.

Though, with regard to the above discussion from months ago, I have to say that all of the novels have had "draggy" moments from time to time, and in that regard what I've seen in volume 8 so far has not been "out of family", so to speak. Maybe that will change the further I get, though.
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Old 2013-09-03, 09:04   Link #1899
Rajura
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Well, I enjoyed how the pace picked up in the last 100 or so pages.

For those who haven't the Japanese version previously... Look out for the danger that awaits in the last bit of the book. I forgot about "that part."
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Old 2013-09-20, 05:36   Link #1900
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My copy arrived this morning. I'll get on with reading it from today.
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