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.
Lawrence is a traveling merchant selling various goods from a horse-drawn cart. One day, he arrives at a village and meets a beautiful girl with the ears and tail of an animal! Her name is Holo the Wisewolf and she brings bountiful harvests. She wishes to return to her homeland, and Lawrence offers to take her. Now, the once-lonely merchant and the once-lonely wisewolf begin their journey north.
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.
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.
…does liking this show make me a furry…
