Forum - View topicSpice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf (TV).
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ACｘS
 Posts: 965 |
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2:
I'm treating this as a brand new show. No chance in hell I can remember anything that happened in the original series more than 16 years ago. Lawrence laid out the pros and cons of taking the deal with the shady guy. For good measure, he didn't pay anything upfront. Because of course, in any deal, do not be that guy who is on the losing end first. If the more important to ask about the shady guy is his motive for his deal, then I would ask: why does he want to be the one getting the small cuts? Wouldn't he want to take on Lawrence's role and collect the profits for himself? He gets little from cuts, but by doing so, he is exposed to fewer risks. He is a merchant himself. If I were Lawrence, the risks involved would be the part I worry the most.
See, if I were Lawrence, I would be happy he looked shady. The worst kind of cons to deal with are those who don't look shady. |
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ACｘS
Posts: 965 |
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3:
You know what? I vaguely remember how Holo raised the price of the fur pelts in the original series! Incredibly ironic after what I said in my previous post. I did mention before why Zehren would have decided on taking cuts instead of making the profits for himself, and Holo just spelt it out for me. In short, small gains but small losses (unless you count out opportunity costs and such). I might be able to recall some bits and pieces from the original series along the way. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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#3
Today's economics lessons include: Futures contracts, economies of scale from multinational branches, the importance of precious metal purity in coins and the associated trust in said currency, Gresham's Law and cooperative ventures. This is the first episode which really goes in hard with the franchise signature focus on medieval economics, with the banter between Holo and Lawrence underpinning the exposition. The explanation for each theme is just as well done as the original; any differences would be visual and perhaps subtle variations in timing and presentation. Lawrence has much to learn still after seeing Holo start pulling her weight for the travel expenses. The apple trick was a subtle one, but one silver coin ended up turning an extra profit of 59 coins. Considering how many apples Holo bought with just one coin, she's proven herself both as a swindler and as a negotiator. To her credit, she has the modesty to admit she used her prodigious memory for the negotiating tactic with the apples being entirely her idea. That's not to say Lawrence is a complete mug. He has the determination to do the required legwork to gather information crucial to ascertain the profitability behind rumours. However, he can't think as far ahead as Holo can, even if his practical experience with mundane tasks like currency identification and handling exceeds hers. With some help from her, he's come to the same conclusion she probably did hours before. Moving forward, any scheme he comes up will be his risk alone and the payoff will not be reliant on Holo's supernatural talents. So far, Zheren is at net zero for the deal. If his info was wrong, he returns Lawrence's deposit of 10 coins. If he was right and Lawrence acted on the speculation to exchange the old coins for new ones and pocket the difference from arbitrage then he gains 10% of that profit. Lawrence has to find a way to act to his advantage as the speculation is against him (the coins are being stealthily depreciated) and at the same time try to get even with Zheren for being used as an unwitting tool in the plays of others. How he goes about that will be the surprise for the remaining episodes on this arc. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15580 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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My memory thus far is serving well. Holo bought apples fully knowing that she could trust the smell going on the pelts and weave a tale to sell them for a higher profit. Regarding modern society, I remember hearing about the common practice of artificial scents, to manipulate customers into buying, but cannot remember when I heard about it in relation to when the original series came out.
Also, that the guy might not need to make a profit directly from Lawrence by say a bunch of merchants buying into a currency that might be about to fall. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2741 |
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Shady seeming guy ended up being shady/dishonest after all, what a surprise. Judging people by their looks/presentation is not always fair, yet if it talks/moves/sounds like a duck it is usually a duck. Lawrence now knows the truth so he might still be the last one to laugh. Otherwise I think it is fair to say that Holo her strategy also worked so well due to presentation and being confident, I remember meeting a few door to door salesmen in the past who could sell anything through charisma.
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Eilavel
Posts: 136 |
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Episode 4 ends in an identical spot to the original series episode 4.
This is, by its own merits, a very strong episode with great rapport between the leads and an exciting ending. But when its so similar to the previous adaptation I really can't help but find it odd to the point of distraction. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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#4
As mentioned earlier, this is a case of "don't fix what isn't broken". Following the original airing in structure and adding a new coat of paint to it is more than enough if the episode can stand on its own merits. That said, those who watched the original might have some amusement through compared and contrast as there probably are some minor differences which aren't obvious at first watch. Lawrence does put forward his theory for Zheren and the appreciation rumours. To truly profit from it, he needs to snare enough suckers buying the current Trenni coins. Once they find out they've actually bought coins which have devalued later on, they'll be forced into stop orders and will dump their stock of coins. Lots of them doing it at once will lead to a sudden flood of Trenni coins which Zheren and his backers will then hoover up at below fair market price and make a profit later on when the hubbub dies down. It's not a complete theory, as we are not told which noble is backing the venture. The identity of the noble backer is also important, as that will determine the motive behind the subturfuge. Holo didn't say anything at the time, but the man who turned his head when Zheren and Kraft were speaking was most likely party with the assailants. Too much alcohol does dull the wits of even the wisest beings, but she makes it up by sensing the ambush before it can be sprung. Lawrence giving up his secret so easily shows his desperation, but he also knows he can't keep his promise without help. He is gambling the Milone company won't rat them out in exchange for their potential profits, but the branch manager has already declined to intervene directly. Next episode will reveal just how Kraft will stretch this tale to its full airtime. There aren't many who know of Holo the Wolf, so it might not be too surprising who reported her to the church. The motives won't be too obtuse either after seeing the look on her face. |
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ACｘS
Posts: 965 |
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4:
Okay, I don't remember this part from the original series. No matter. Getting into a mix between two rival trading companies sounds like a bad idea. But I must admit, the way Richten explains the problem at hand is a little amusing unintentionally. I get that his company's interests take precedence over helping Lawrence's friend, but the way he spelt out the situation sounded... robotic. "Why does my rival company care about you and your friend? I have everything I need. My company is gonna make so much money! Why should I help you? There is no benefit in me! What information are you withholding from me?" Sounds like a robot reading out a script rather than an actual trader curious that something doesn't add up. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2741 |
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Huh, not having any knowledge about the series before jumping into the anime I expected the show to be void of action and focused solely on economics and some romance. Seems like things do get rather exciting at times.
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6590 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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A nice little touch in episode 5 is the way Holo's wolf hairs are arranged on the merchant's desk. The form an image of the top of her head.
Kevin Penkin's music this episode is stellar. |
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Eilavel
Posts: 136 |
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All the running around in tunnels isn't the strongest material in the series. Its logical but it doesn't generate the tension it needs for me.
However, the interplay between the two at the end is wonderfully done and they really make use of their wider animation range for Holo. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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#5
The big reveal regarding Holo's expression after she saw the hooded figure shouldn't be a surprise to most viewers, regardless of viewing experience. Only someone from the village would have known about the legend and recognised her for who she is, and of the individuals in that village only Yarei and the village chief were shown for any length of time when the series started. His reasons for betraying her aren't illogical either: as far as he sees it she's no different from the Church God who demands unconditional subservience from adherents in exchange for not bringing down divine wrath upon them through the hands of his organization's followers. This week's economics lesson isn't that obvious, but it's really about the power of trading guilds and what they were capable of. Futures contracts were already mentioned in previous episodes, but extending them to currency is something only the biggest guilds could do because of their scale of operations. In addition, the short explanation of why the guild profits were tied to royal concessions of tariffs and tax farming is very medieval. The Trenni monarchy's shortage of available funds was also a common theme for monarchies with many of them resorting to the same measures taken by the Trennis in an era when deficit spending did not exist as a concept. Although Holo would have preferred Lawrence to do what an alpha wolf would have been expected to, even she knows that Lawrence took the only logical approach to their problem. After all, she was the one who told him to run to the Milones and threaten them if required to get them to help (which he did indirectly). Considering the last scene where the Medios are frantically combing the sewers for the fugitives suggests they really do not want the hatched counterplay to succeed, and if they do that's the end of the story. Just the next episode to go to see how this all pans out. Lawrence won't have the profit from the original scheme to start up his own shop as most of it is likely gone due to the price he had to pay to get Holo out of confinement, so he probably won't be laughing at the end. He won't be crying either, as he still has Holo and she has many more opportunities ahead of her to be his profit-generating charm. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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#6
The conclusion to the first major story arc for good or bad does not differ much from its first airing. Playing it safe isn't all bad, since the most memorable moments and lines are in this episode and long-time viewers might not have taken drastic changes too well. Just as well Holo isn't human, since there was no way to escape after the pursuers started to invest serious manpower into the manhunt and got lucky with their location. Backed into a corner and with enough space to transform, all Holo needed was the catalyst and a bit of time which the overconfident pursuers granted her. No fatalities, so nothing on Lawrence's conscience. Her identity is safe with the Milone company as they clearly didn't sell her out as claimed. Unexpected costs and tariffs eventually reduced the net profit to a nominal figure for Lawrence, which combined with Holo's purchase of her new outfit and accessories means he was out of pocket for the first transaction and with the majority of the second going into product Holo is even more indebted to him than she was at the start. The customs tariffs also serve as this week's medieval economics lesson; unlike today economic zones were much smaller in scale so the frequency of tariffs was much higher. With their first major adventure done, the pair can continue northwards but have to be more wary of the church which is now aware of Holo's true identity. Lawrence will never trade with Yarei's region again because of the betrayal, but he has other ways to make up for the lost volume. The supposedly capricious nature of Holo contrasts with the hypocrisy of Yarei and his backers. Then again, humans forget and gratitude is in short supply when the full story is forgotten. When competing interests collide, Yarei cannot begrudge coming off worse because his lack of faith led him to underestimate his quarry. |
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ACｘS
Posts: 965 |
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I'm gonna have to drop this show.
It's definitely not bad, and has a lot of nostalgic value. I just don't have the time and emotional investment for it. Getting a little busy IRL. Enjoy! |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2984 |
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#7
A new arc begins, and I'm looking forward to this one because it was my favourite from the first airing. As a setup episode, it's far less exciting and focuses more on laying the groundwork for what's to come and seeing Holo flirt more with Lawrence to squeeze more material luxuries from him. She'll work off her debt soon enough, after all Lawrence for some reason didn't count savings his life last week in the calculations For this week's economics lesson, free cities and the power of monopoly take centre stage. Viewers are made aware of the power of tariffs from the previous episode, this week shows the impact when one location exploits tariffs to the full in combination with punitive measures to limit the supply of coinage within a settlement. Typical high risk, high reward scenario, Lawrence would ordinarily not take up such risk as it's outside of his appetite. The link between religion and commerce in this franchise is also drawn, very negatively in the connotation. Lawrence does not own a pair of scales, so usually trusts in the trading house he patronises to do a fair job. However, this trading house uses the religious sermon to drop the guard of its unwitting counterparts and then exploit the gradient in the room to its advantage. It wouldn't matter if the trader brought his own scales, the room would have done the job with only the sharpest visitors aware of the change. Although Lawrence got off with what he thinks is a bargain, he's also said last week that unexpected changes are a part of doing business. Next week's title being what it is indicates he might have a nasty surprise waiting for him. |
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