Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf

As someone that’s never seen the original Spice and Wolf but seen tons of Holo memes and hype over the last decade, all I can say after watching this remake is “I get it”. She lived up to the hype as a waifu, but more importantly, this lived up to the hype as a fantasy story about two people who couldn’t be further apart coming together and changing one another for the better. Lawrence and Holo’s relationship is a breath of fresh air in a world full of shallow ones. This show exudes the magic of the early 2000s and even at nearly 20 yearsold, is still better than most fantasy anime. I just love the trope of an immortal being journeying with a human and learning what makes humans special. Coming off the high of Frieren recently, spice and wolf kind of stepped in and filled that gap for me. While it may not have Madhouse production values, still found this to be a very emotionally engaging story. Holo and Lawrence’s romance blossoming through numerous obstacles was a joy to see. I know there’s the whole economic and trading aspect of the story, but let’s be real. The big draw here is seeing how cute Holo is and how well she and Lawrence get on. While at times they argue like an old married couple, it’s the vulnerable moments the two share that take this story to the next level for me. That’s not to say that the trading stuff was bad, there were some genuinely good storylines with that and it definitely forced Lawrence to grow as a person with all the times he gets ripped off in this show. But at times I found all the economic stuff to be a little convoluted and got lost in a couple episodes. But you know what, I’ll always prefer an author putting too much detail in a story rather than too little. I just wish it could’ve been conveyed a little better without overwhelming me at times. Again though, that’s minor because even when I was feeling overwhelmed with details in the story, they’d have some great moment later in the episode with Holo saving Lawrence’s ass during a bad business exchange and it’d make me forget anything else. Plot wise, other than the trade negotiations, economics and Lawrence constantly almost going bankrupt, I thought the church storyline was really cool. It started off slowly before really ramping up in the second half when we learn more about the church’s relationship with Holo’s fellow deities and everything that’s going on with her hometown. I very much preferred the last third of the season because of how much world building we got and how we went into the mythos of this world’s deities. But even with that, it feels like we only scratched the surface of what this world offers. I mean, we end on volume 4 or so of a series with 20 volumes so clearly there’s a lot more to unpack here. I hope in a potential 2nd season we get to see more of the lore expanded upon since it was touched on at several points throughout the season as Holo searches for information on her hometown. But you know, it’s very much a show that just uses everything else as a plot device to bring the two leads closer and I’m ok with that. Holo shines as the star of the show and Lawrence is a worthy support for her. They complement each other’s strengths and bolster each other’s weaknesses. A match made in heaven. Production wise the show is solid. After the disaster that was Seikengakuin, this one looks really good. They updated all the characters’ designs to the modern age and as someone who prefers modern anime art styles, I think they look great. The action sequences are passable and the Kevin Penkin OST only makes every emotional moment between Holo and Lawrence that much better. Spice and Wolf is a slow, but rewarding burn that I’ve enjoyed watching these last 3 months. There’s no sudden jump into a relationship, but we do see two people who enjoy one another’s company slowly grow to find each other irreplaceable. It’s a must watch for any romance or fantasy fan. Spice and Wolf gets 9, out of 10.

I held off on this review to check the new content, and wasn't disappointed at all. For all the lame producers out there that want to reboot beloved franchises, this is your study in how to do it right. The artwork was splendid. Even the original background work didn't compare to this. The animation was better than I suspected it would be, They managed to blend hand drawn, 2D and a light touch of 3D CGI about as perfectly as I have ever seen done. The characters are what made the original so special. I must say that this rendition improves on all the characters.I like what they did with the MCs. They made Lawrence more assertive, and less clueless about non-business things. Holo still retains her cute capriciousness, but shows a more serious side, as well as being a touch more sassy and flirtatious; wonderful improvements. The writers also helped flesh out some of the side characters as well. The characters in the new arc are super well done. Elsa deserves a spin-off of her own, I thought the narrative writing improved as well. A touch of fat was trimmed from the original, which helped pacing tremendously. And the final arc was done so well. It makes our journey, the character designs, and the world building so much stronger in the long run. Again, the entire VA crew does an exemplary job. I especially was impressed with Holo's VA, who seemed to find ways to broaden the character simply with her inflection and tone of voice. The director used the cast to great effect, as he did animation and the nicely appropriate sound track. Kudos to you all! Holo may be a Wise Wolf, but she's awfully foxy. Lawrence has more than a little weasel in him. If I could grade these animals, I would have to jump past my grade from the original production, and shoot this up to 98/100 for one mighty fine A. You only hurt yourself by not giving this rendition of the series your best regards.

I think I can understand a little bit why this anime has such a classic status. I started watching this anime out of curiosity to understand why people considered it a classic. At first glance it seems like a romance between an adult man and a furry girl. Little by little the story gives you information about the world and the characters to understand that this goes beyond a simple romance. The protagonist is a merchant and not just in name, he knows his stuff and we constantly see him talk about economic concepts that some are understandable and others not. The furry girl is afurry goddess where they use her image to implement religious and theological themes within the work. The anime can be very interesting or very heavy, it all depends on how well versed you are in economic-theological matters. The work takes many risks when implementing these complex and difficult to understand themes, in fact the first arc is heavy for me because they speak to you with a lot of technical language that is easy to confuse. In later plots, the same story understands that it cannot speak in a language that few understand and begins to digest the story in order to explain it in a simple way to the viewer. As for religious themes, it has quite interesting discourses such as the search for the existence of God, pagan Gods and the loving relationships between a God and a human. All these themes fall more into a philosophical area that basically will take a different form depending on the person who sees it and their relationship with religion or with God. As for romance, I understand why it won a place among the public in its 2008 version. We have a romance that is a little more adult or mature, of course we will have drama because there would be no love without drama, but it is not the typical teenage drama but one more focused on adult life. The fear of loneliness, the decision between love and comfort, the conflicts of couples that can lead to trying to meet someone else. With such a different theme from the teenage romance, it is understandable that it has won the affection of people who were looking for a different story a couple of years ago. The work is aimed at an adult demographic, it is not that teenagers cannot understand it but I do think that these are themes that they do not mind exploring at that early stage of life. I cannot say that it became one of my favorite romances, I cannot even say that it is a story that I would like to repeat. I can only say that I can understand why it is a story that has captivated a large group of people over the years and with good reason.

Being a merchant is tough—balancing trade deals, trying to make a profit, and oh, occasionally traveling with a centuries-old wolf goddess who outsmarts you at every turn. Spice and Wolf throws you right into the mix, where Lawrence, a merchant just trying to get by, ends up with Holo, a sharp-tongued wolf deity who turns every business deal into a battle of wits. Welcome to Spice and Wolf, where the economics are complex, the banter is gold, and Holo is always two steps ahead of poor Lawrence, who’s just trying to keep his business (and sanity) intact. Holo is basically the queen of sass. What canbe better than having a cute goddess around you all the time. She flirts, teases, and still manages to give Lawrence business advice that he probably didn’t ask for but definitely needs. Her voice acting? Absolutely perfect. It’s like the show went, “What if a wolf goddess had the personality of that one friend who’s too clever for their own good?” And it works. You can’t help but fall for her charm while also feeling a little bad for Lawrence, who’s just trying to make an honest living. Sometimes it feel like this man is carefree, which is of course not true! Now, the economics. Yeah, it gets technical!! Very Technical—like, “Let’s talk about silver coins and commodity trading”. And yet, even when I had zero idea what was happening in these deals, it was still fun to watch. Even knowing how much my grasp at economics sucks it was fun. Holo and Lawrence’s banter keeps everything flowing, so even if you’re lost in the math, you’re still entertained. And can we talk about the side characters? Usually, they’re just background noise, but here they actually have personalities! They add a lot to the world, making it feel alive and giving Lawrence and Holo some interesting people to interact with. It was like playing a game with multiple chapters but one goal in mind! Then there’s the romance. It’s not over-the-top or filled with dramatic confessions. Which somehow makes their relation feel purer and more elegant to the audience. So of course, it’s a slow burn, “Let’s just subtly flirt for a while” kind of thing. It’s oddly refreshing, especially since it’s between a human merchant and a wolf goddess (that's the most beautiful thing about this anime). A bit of love, a bit of business, and a lot of great moments in between. In short, Spice and Wolf is about a merchant who tries to make money and a wolf goddess who keeps him on his toes. It’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s surprisingly heartfelt. Plus, who knew business negotiations could be this fun?