By now, I’m sure that most of us have heard the news that Spice and Wolf will return to our screens in anime form after a thirteen-year absence. Words cannot describe the joy I feel at typing those words. For those of you not in the know, Spice and Wolf is a series where even the author said that a new anime would never happen. It was heartbreaking to hear that, but I made peace with the fact that I would never again be given wisdom by a wolf goddess named Holo.
And that’s why this announcement is extra sweet.
https://twitter.com/spicy_wolf_prj/status/1497119488525094914
For those of you who came into our community within the last decade and are unaware of why such a large segment of the fanbase is so excited about this, let’s take a trip together in the Wayback Machine and revisit the history of this gem from yesteryear.
History
Spice and Wolf started as a light novel series written by Isuna Hasekura and illustrated by Jū Ayakura. First published in February 2006 under the Dengeki Bunko imprint (home to some of the most popular light novels ever, including the Raildex universe, Baccano, and many, many others), the series was an almost instant success with fans all across Japan. Within two and a half years, the first nine volumes had sold over 2.2 million copies, and critics and fans alike were in love with this simple fantasy story. With the primary focus of the story being a traveling merchant and his beautiful and wise companion, the series was able to steer clear of major high fantasy tropes and instead tell a wonderful story about companionship.
In only two years, in the winter of 2008 to be exact, the series would receive its first anime adaptation produced by studio Imagin. Another instant success, they would follow this up with a couple of OVAs and a second season produced by studio Brain’s Base in the summer of 2009.
My personal experience with this series begins a couple of years after the initial Japanese release when I was living on the Oregon coast. At this point in my life, I had heard about Spice and Wolf and had always passed on watching it. A fantasy slice of life about fictional medieval economics? Talk about a snooze fest. Oh, how wrong I was.
In reality, the real story behind this series is in the relationship between the two main characters and watching them slowly fall in love. At the start of episode one, we are introduced to a traveling merchant named Kraft Lawrence, who is visiting a small village that once worshipped a goddess named Holo who made sure that the village had good harvests. As the village left their beliefs behind with new farming practices and technology, Holo grew lonelier and longed to return to her homeland in the north. While he is skeptical at first that the young woman who appears in his cart is actually a goddess, he is eventually convinced and agrees to travel with Holo until they reach her home. Over the course of the two anime seasons, they will face many emotional and physical trials, which will put their lives and hearts in danger.
From business deals gone wrong to hearts being broken by betrayal, Kraft and Holo will face a seemingly unending string of dramatic events which will captivate audiences and leave them breathless with every twist and turn that awaits them.
Where Will They Go From Here
The question on everyone’s minds is that, with such a long gap between the most recent anime adaptation and today, is simply this, will this be a sequel or a reboot? While the production staff is staying tight-lipped at the moment, my opinion is that I’d love to see the series get the Brotherhood treatment and tell the story again from start to finish. After Fruits Basket managed to successfully pull off such a feat, it’s my sincere hope that the production staff sees the potential for telling as close to a complete story as they can manage. While the first two seasons of the anime were stellar in their own unique ways, they left off at such a pivotal moment that attempting to pick up where they left off so many years later will not have the same impact on today’s fans who might not have even heard of this series before now.
If you’ve never watched Spice and Wolf or even heard of it before now, I urge you to make it a priority to watch it before the new anime premieres. Let these characters and their stories cast their spell and pull you in. While the new anime is almost certain to be a marvel to behold, the original retains its own unique charm that deserves love and recognition from the fans of today.
