Formerly revered in Pasloe for blessing the annual harvest, wolf deity Holo has been thought of as just a mere folktale, until traveling merchant Kraft Lawrence finds her sleeping in his cart. Holo offers to become his business partner, aided by her ability to evaluate a person’s character, if he takes her home to Yoitsu.
The take
With a wolf deity, wheat harvesting rituals, and farmtown folklore, it may seem that Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf would be a traditional fantasy, filling in the genre void after Frieren’s finale. However, new viewers such as myself would be surprised that this series is known as the “Economics anime”, a reboot of the 2008 series that hasn’t met its ending yet. Of course, older fans might be disappointed at the lack of a season 3, but with its striking first episode, 2024’s Spice and Wolf reassures both old and new fans that there’s still an exciting adventure up ahead, with medieval markets, clashes with the church, and of course, the partnership between wolf girl Holo and merchant Lawrence. And this time, they promise to finally complete this adventure on screen.
What stands out
Starting with a frame story, the 2024 reboot implies that unlike the 2008 show, this series knows and would commit to the ending, reassuring fans that they plan to finish the story, delve deeper into Holo and Lawrence’s dynamic, and stick more closely to the source material.
Comments
Add a comment
Your name
Your comment
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
More like this in
Interior Chinatown
A novel and daring action comedy that plays on Asian American stereotypes
7.5
The Looming Tower
A well-written thriller miniseries about the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI and how they failed to prevent 9/11.
8.1
The Last Kingdom
8.6
The Day of the Jackal
A thrilling cat-and-mouse chase bolstered by a chameleonic performance by Eddie Redmayne
8.2
Over the Garden Wall
In this charming animated miniseries, two half-brothers try to find their way back home after getting lost in a supernatural forest
8.6
My Love: Six Stories of True Love
A simple ode to life-long partnership
8.0
Like Water for Chocolate
Magical food shifts a family’s fate, as well as their country’s, in this passionate rendition of the classic forbidden romance
8.1
Normal People
A drop-dead gorgeous romantic drama too nuanced to fit into a plot description
9.1
Utopia
A fun and original thriller inspired by and about a graphic novel
8.1
Giri / Haji
An original half-Japanese half-British crime thriller