© 2024 支倉凍砂・KADOKAWA/ローエン商業組合
I remember waiting a long time for the third season of Spice & Wolf. I was there in the trenches. I'm buying light novels. I learned more about economic theory than any college course taught me. I've got the Holo desktop wallpaper. I have the little commemorative coins that came with the Funimation box set. I was there. In the end, these efforts were in vain, but the loom of fate does not weave straight lines. Nearly 15 years after the end of its second season, Spice & Wolf has returned in anime form with a reboot subtitled Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf. Although I was immediately confused when they spelled it as “merchant meat,” I'm giving the show a chance.
Like any reboot of an already beloved series, the new Spice & Wolf has to justify its own existence, and that's on top of everything else you'd rate a normal anime for. However, this particular reboot has a few different aspects. The biggest thing is the return of the core staff from the beginning. Takeo Takahashi is the director supervising his frequent collaborator Hijiri Sanpei, and Ami Koshimizu and Jun Fukuyama reprise their iconic roles as Holo and Lawrence. These are tacit acknowledgments of the strength and endurance of the first two seasons, and this can be interpreted as respect or cowardice, depending on your level of charity. And after three episodes, I'm inclined to do charity. Even though I'm not entirely convinced that this project was necessary, Holo and Lawrence's chemistry and banter irresistibly drew me into the world of Spice & Wolf.
I cannot emphasize enough the cohesive quality of Koshimizu and Fukuyama's performances. They are the core of this adaptation. They are Holo and Lawrence. I also think this 15-year gap has allowed them to grow and take on these roles more skillfully. Koshimizu's voice now has a more mature and resonant tone, adding a richer color to her version of Holo. The playfulness and sharpness are still there, but her centuries as the Wise Wolf of Yoitsu are closer to the foreground. Likewise, Fukuyama sounds older in a way that's more in keeping with Lawrence's carefully honed business-first personality. I know he's only about 25 years old when the story begins, but in terms of anime protagonists, that's basically middle age. Lawrence is at his best when he looks tired and exasperated. He is just like me. And while I didn't watch too much of the original dub, I think it's interesting that Brina Palencia and J. Michael Tatum are reprising their roles as well.
My feelings about the image are more mixed. To be clear, neither the 2008 series nor this 2024 series knock it out of the park aesthetically, so this comes down to personal preference. Personally, I have some problems with the original. It looks dated by today's standards, but I think it evokes the shabby atmosphere of candlelit inns and taverns quite well. The new version eschews high-contrast shadows for a more even and modern glow, and I don't find it to be as effective. That said, I like the look of the 2024 version more than I thought I would from the PVs. What really helps is that the storyboarding is always strong—Takeo Takahashi knocked it out of the park in episode one, and Hijiri Sanpei (the director) and Shinji Itadaki (the savior of Witches and Monsters) do Very good at episodes two and three, respectively. They didn't call.
I also have to talk about music. The original Spice & Wolf has one of my favorite soundtracks in any TV series, animated or otherwise. Composer Yuuji Yoshino used a variety of unusual period, foreign, and atypical instruments to create a uniquely recognizable accompaniment to Holo and Lawrence's adventures. To give an example, one of his tracks has bouzouki, crumhorn, darbuka, qanun, shawm, bağlama and oud. That distinctive sound has kept those OSTs in my music library ever since. In other words, the new series has a lot to do and Kevin Penkin certainly seems up to the task. In my estimation, his Made in Abyss is on par with Yoshino in terms of staying power. His compositions in Spice & Wolf are good so far, but they're still nowhere near Yoshino's. However, I especially like works with more folk influences. Those are the things that best fit the tone and setting of the story.
And before my readers get exhausted, I don't intend to focus each of these reviews on pitting the old wolf against the new wolf. That's not a framework I'm particularly interested in basing my criticisms on. However, I feel like it has something to do with the opening article because the reboot goes beat-by-beat, covering the same story at exactly the same pace. There are minor changes to better fit the novel (most notably the deletion of Chloe), but otherwise you can transfer the plot summary from one episode to the parallel episode with no changes. I know the old series made more significant changes/omissions later on, but this is where I really wrinkle my nose at the existence of this reboot. By opening the premiere with a bang, Spice & Wolf signals its intention to complete the series, and I really hope it achieves that. However, there are a number of options the new series could take besides meticulously recreating these early seasons for the sake of visual and narrative cohesion. I enjoyed just pursuing it.
Ultimately, though, the plain truth of the matter is that I like Spice & Wolf. Holo and Lawrence were great figures and legendary practitioners of the art of courtship. The economic angle brings interest to a setting and setting that could otherwise take place. It's a relic from another era of light novels that still holds up, both because of and despite its age. All of this comes together to form a compelling package with an otherwise solid adaptation, and it's hard to complain without sounding too annoying. Even if we were retreading the same trade routes, I couldn't turn down another chance to travel with my favorite combination of merchants and spicy wolves.
Ranking episode 1:
Review episode 2:
Review of episode 3:
Spice & Wolf: merchant meets wise wolf is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Steve is on Twitter while it lasted. He still knows the song “Wolf Whistling Song” by heart. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.