The first time I watched Spice and Wolf was in 2009. It was a chilly winter afternoon. I bundled up in my pajamas, and within only a couple episodes, I knew I had found a new favorite series. This sadly led to melancholy as the anime went into hibernation after they released the second season. I had long since given up on seeing a satisfying conclusion to the anime. Fast forward to April 2024, and the spicy wolf is back with a brand new animation studio at the helm.
With all that gushing out of the way, I’ll be honest; if you’re not already familiar with Spice and Wolf, this series might be a tough sell for you. The base theme for this series that holds it together is medieval economics. But if you’ve ever wanted to learn how villages and towns did business with traveling merchants back in the old days, this will be right up your alley. Here’s the twist, though. Despite the series relying on fictional medieval economics as its base theme, you’ll stay for the growing relationship between Holo, the wise wolf goddess, and her new companion, Kraft Lawrence.
At the time of writing, three episodes of the remake from studio Passione are available on Crunchyroll, so I thought it was about time to look and see how it stacks up to the original thus far.
The Story of Spice and Wolf
Within the first few minutes of the premiere, fans will notice a vast change in the storytelling format of the series. While the original opens with Lawrence arriving in town, this adaptation paints the story as told by a mother to her daughter at bedtime. This type of foreshadowing is both good and bad. While I appreciate the staff planting the seed of hope that this will be a complete start-to-finish adaptation, I also can’t help but be annoyed at the story already telling me this will be a happy ending. My brain already knew the story would end with something akin to happily ever after. But my heart wanted to go on that journey all on its own, complete with the highs and lows that come with every relationship.
That minor complaint aside, it’s hard to complain about what we see. Because Passione is showing that they are more interested in telling the story from the light novel rather than what they think fans might want to see. An excellent example of this is in episode one, where the last bundle of wheat gets threshed as Lawrence arrives in town. In the original adaptation, a young woman later provided problems for the main characters. In this version, a young man threshes the last bundle. Now I wonder if those same problems that 2008 Lawrence and Holo faced will also rear its ugly head in this adaptation.
Characters: Spicy Wolf!
Speaking of Holo, the wise wolf goddess is back in all her splendor and glory. Kneel at the altar of your new seasonal waifu!… ahem, sorry about that. All kidding-not-kidding pushed aside, one thing that I am enjoying about this remake is that the staff aren’t interested in fixing that which wasn’t broken, to begin with. Tying back to the earlier point about the series staying closer to the light novel story, many of Holo’s words of wisdom have already appeared in the remake with minimal changes to the wording.
I felt slightly disappointed that Holo did not curse the “stupid potato” in episode two (IYKYK). But she still charmed me in episode three with her short speech about the difference between men and women. Men are foolish for being jealous, but women are idiots for being happy about it. These quick little witticisms are one of the many reasons why fans of the original loved Holo and why she has such a loyal fanbase.
Music
One aspect of the original adaptation that many people overlooked was the charming period soundtrack composed by Yuuji Yoshino. In the original, Yoshino used period-sounding instruments to create a fantastic atmosphere around every scene, which made every setting come to life. Whenever Lawrence and Holo are traveling, dancing, or even just eating together in a tavern, the soft melodic notes of the flutes in the background make everything come to life that much more, enveloping you to where you can almost feel the warmth of the central hearth on your skin.
In the remake, the soundtrack baton has been passed on to Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss). He has done a remarkable job of re-creating the honied sounds of the original. While it’s still too early to say if the opening and ending theme songs will surpass the originals, it’s also challenging to compare the charming Engrish ending theme sung by Rocky Chack to the smooth sounds of the pop super duo ClariS.
The 2024 Animation of Spice and Wolf
One thing that fans did complain about with the original was that the animation could have been better. While keyframes and theme song animation would be notably beautiful, the dull colors used by studio Imagin in the first season weren’t always the most pleasing. In the last decade and a half, however, animation technology has increased by leaps and bounds, meaning the remake shows that great care is being put into the animation to make this series look as good on our screens as it has in our minds since the books were first released.
The best thing the remake has done, instead, is to bring back the original voice actors for Lawrence and Holo, Jun Fukuyama and Ami Koshimizu, respectively. When I think of the Japanese voices for these characters, these are the names I want associated with them. These are the names that I want to bring these characters to life.
While Spice and Wolf doesn’t look like much on the surface (as mentioned, it’s a series about medieval economics in a fictional world), once you dig in and get swept away by the charming Holo and her stoic traveling companion, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. This remake has already proven that this isn’t some nostalgic cash grab. Spice and Wolf (2024) will be a loving production that gives fans the closure they have needed since 2009. If you’ve never encountered the spicy wolf, please take a chair by the fire, imbibe your favorite beverage, and get cozy. Because it will be a long journey back to the north country.
And if you want a Holo of your own to cuddle as you watch each new episode, might I suggest this adorable plush on sale on J-List?
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