Spice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf

Episode 15

Lawrence isn't ready to confront Holo about their potential Yoitsu problem, but that doesn't mean he has stopped thinking about it. He takes to the streets searching for answers in this week's installment of Spice & Wolf.

Once again, I'm intrigued by the series' acknowledgment of the information economy at this point. Last week, a belated letter caused a morbid chuckle. This week calls for more proactivity. Lawrence can't just grab his phone and Google "Yoitsu bear attack" or "Yoitsu best route by horse-drawn cart." He can't even go to the library. He has to use his contacts to find a shady archivist, hoping they might know something. It's a gamble, but on the other hand, it's probably less of a gamble than asking ChatGPT. Maybe we need to go back to relying on the services of eccentric hermits who line their walls with musty tomes of arcane intelligence.

Seriously, storing and disseminating information across history is an incredibly storied and complex subject. There are good reasons why library science is a science. For narrative purposes, though, this gives Lawrence a quest and question that are much more interesting to follow than if he could find the answer in an easily accessible book. It also weaves itself gracefully into a couple of the show's ongoing themes: religion and economics. The Church's absolute power means that they also exert control over what knowledge is deemed heretical or not, and it's no surprise they don't take too kindly to tales involving pagan gods. Meanwhile, Lawrence's conversation with Diana reinforces the idea that information is currency. While he has used his insights and intel to devise schemes in the past, this concept unfolds much more literally here as he exchanges stories of his own for some of hers. Later, we hear about the power of storytelling as Holo relates a fervorous auction over a worthless cube of fool's gold.

Everything has a cost, so to facilitate Lawrence's solo adventures, Holo doesn't get much screen time this week. While I'd normally start sharpening my pitchfork at such an offense, I think the episode makes up for it with its setting and world-building. This happens most prominently at the divide between the nice part of town and the slums. The anime makes this contrast feel tactile, emphasizing the muddy streets, acrid odors, and weathered roofs coated in bird shit. This area is a far cry from the paved streets and roomy inns that Lawrence has frequented so far, and it's a salient reminder of society's stratification. This world feels that much more authentic now.

I also like that Batos and Diana's relationship has subtextual parallels to Lawrence and Holo's. Diana might not be a pagan wolf goddess, but she is an alchemist specializing in tales of the occult, so she's no friend of the Church. Not to mention that both women love stories of the past that have long lost relevance in modern society. Batos, meanwhile, is another merchant whose thirst for experience (and, likely, companionship) trumps any apprehension about breaking the status quo. He seems well aware that his colleagues find him strange, and he couldn't care less. He lets slip, too, that he usually frequents Diana's place alone, so we can't help but assume a romantic component to those trysts. Together, they're a great addition to the cast and add another layer of complexity to the current arc.

Further complicating matters is Holo herself. To be fair, Lawrence doesn't help his case by trying to maneuver around her; I don't think anyone would need lie-detecting wolf ears to tell that he was being shady in their first scene together. Rather than pry, though, Holo seems to have seized the opportunity offscreen to indulge in Amati's similarly transparent whims, cooking up her own tall tale about a poor nun laden with heavy debt. What makes these developments work is how naturally they fit each character. Lawrence means well, but he's prone to overthinking himself into trouble. Holo enjoys teasing her partner but tends not to think about the consequences. And Amati, as we see in his chat with Lawrence, is earnest to a fault. Something is going to give, and it probably has to do with whatever makes Lawrence run out of the inn into this episode's cliffhanger.

On a final note, I'm impressed by this production's commitment to bringing back voice actors. The original seiyuu for Amati, Batos, and Diana each reprise their roles, and there are plenty more I haven't mentioned, including bit parts. To be clear, I don't think this was at all necessary, and I'd consider it a neutral point rather than one in favor of this re-adaptation. One might even argue that a new cast might have made this project feel less superfluous. However, clearly, some significant work was put into making it happen, and I'll applaud the show for that.

Rating:

Spice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. He still knows "The Wolf Whistling Song" by heart. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.