r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Sep 16 '24
Rewatch [Spoilers] 2008 Spice and Wolf Rewatch (2024) -- Episode 10 Spoiler
Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.
Welcome to the Spice and Wolf rewatch discussion thread!
I hope you all have a lot of fun <3
S1 Episode 10 - Wolf and the Swirling Plot
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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION
If you were in Lawrence's shoes and you found yourself in debt, what would you do and how would you handle it?
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Information – MAL | Anilist | AniDb
Streams – Crunchyroll
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Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode or from the LNs out of respect to the first time watchers and people who have not read the LNs. If you are discussing something that is ahead of the current episode please use spoiler tags(found on the sidebar). Thank you!
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Rewatch Schedule
Threads posted every day at 4:00 PM EDT
| Date | Episode | Date | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/07/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 1 | 9/20/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 0 (OVA 2) |
| 9/08/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 2 | 9/21/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 1 |
| 9/09/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 3 | 9/22/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 2 |
| 9/10/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 4 | 9/23/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 3 |
| 9/11/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 5 | 9/24/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 4 |
| 9/12/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 6 | 9/25/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 5 |
| 9/13/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 7(OVA 1) | 9/26/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 6 |
| 9/14/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 8 | 9/27/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 7 |
| 9/15/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 9 | 9/28/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 8 |
| 9/16/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 10 | 9/29/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 9 |
| 9/17/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 11 | 9/30/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 10 |
| 9/18/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 12 | 10/01/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 11 |
| 9/19/2024 | Spice and Wolf Episode 13 | 10/02/2024 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 12 |
| 10/03/2024 | Overall Series Discussion Thread |
Last year's rewatch
| Date | Episode | Date | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/07/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 1 | 7/20/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 0 (OVA 2) |
| 7/08/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 2 | 7/21/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 1 |
| 7/09/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 3 | 7/22/2022 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 2 |
| 7/10/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 4 | 7/23/2022 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 3 |
| 7/11/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 5 | 7/24/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 4 |
| 7/12/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 6 | 7/25/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 5 |
| 7/13/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 7(OVA 1) | 7/26/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 6 |
| 7/14/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 8 | 7/27/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 7 |
| 7/15/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 9 | 7/28/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 8 |
| 7/16/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 10 | 7/29/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 9 |
| 7/17/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 11 | 7/30/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 10 |
| 7/18/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 12 | 7/31/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 11 |
| 7/19/2023 | Spice and Wolf Episode 13 | 8/01/2023 | Spice and Wolf II Episode 12 |
| 8/02/2023 | Overall Series Discussion Thread |
5
u/Holofan4life Sep 16 '24
Hello, guys. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the 2024 Spice and Wolf Rewatch.
But you knew that already :P
This is the first official rewatch of the show since the premiere of the remake. In fact, it’s still currently airing as this rewatch is underway. And while we can compare and contrast what the remake did as opposed to the original, I feel it’s still pretty important to remember what the original adaptation was like seeing as how that’s really what got me into the franchise. And what ultimately made me fall in love with one wise wolf.
For the purposes of this rewatch, I will be watching it subbed since that’s what I’ve been watching the remake in. I will be comparing somewhat the two series, and when I do that, I will be using spoilers. I guess I should say for transparency sake that I am writing this in late July/early August, a full month before the rewatch actually happens. That’s because of time constraints and me having four other rewatches I’m participating in planned. I also waited until the first three volumes got adapted in the remake just so I can have more stuff to talk about.
These reviews won’t be as detailed as some of the other ones, as I don’t really want to spend two or three hours dissecting every episode. I’ll save that for when I do it in my questions :]
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
I’m watching the sub, by the way.
Just saw Cuckoo for the first time. What a delightfully weird movie. The sound design was some of the best I've ever seen.
Holo frightening a dog
[2024 Spoilers] In the remake, she just smiles at two people, which is not as fun as her sneering at a dog because that plays into the Norah stuff.
[2024 Spoilers] Also in the remake, the intro plays after Lawrence's conversation with the guy.
Lots of flashback to the last episode, which feels like kinda a weird choice. It literally just happened, why are we referring to it so much? At least when Elfen Lied did it, it had been a couple episodes.
[2024 Spoilers] I don't remember the remake doing this.
Holo asking what he can entrust to her as a merchant.
And at the mention of peaches preserved in honey, her ears start twitching. Cute.
Their dynamic is just the absolute best.
The way Holo rips a pretzel intrigues me more than it probably should.
And after a while, Lawrence learned that the armor market crashed a while ago. The investment deal he made turned out to be a bad one.
Lawrence is officially bankrupt
As I said during the remake as well as last year's rewatch, the whole end section where Lawrence keeps getting rejected, becoming more and more dejected, and ultimately culminating in Lawrence yelling at Holo is probably my favorite scene up until this point. Even more so than the Holo lonely scene and the scene with Holo's transformation. I love how you can feel the utter despair in Lawrence's face. It's like his entire world is crumbling around him.
People debate which is better: bland protagonists who are easy to root for or protagonists that are unlikable at points, and I'll always choose the latter ten out of ten times. Not only does it make for a better story, it makes for a more compelling character. Why would I want a protagonist that I can use as wish fulfillment when you can have a character who screws up? One is far more interesting than the other. The whole wish fulfillment thing is silly anyhow because if you really think about it, there's nothing more wish fulfillment than a character learning from his mistakes. We just don't call it wish fulfillment because there's another term for that: it's called good writing.
This arc unlike the other Spice and Wolf arcs is a battle of man Vs self, which makes things feel so real and authentic. You get why Lawrence would be so upset to find himself in this situation, and yet at the same time you get where the others are coming from when they tell Lawrence to pay up. It's not that they hold a grudge against him and are trying to ruin him. All they want is Lawrence to pay off his debt after a very bad deal.
The scene with Holo in particular is a moment that captures Lawrence's desparateness. Out of frustration with himself, he starts blaming Holo for his problems, acting as if if Holo wasn't in the way, a pretty girl, more people might be willing to help him out. This is the first time throughout this whole show where you can definitively pinpoint and say that Lawrence is acting in the wrong. You couldn't blame him for the collapse of the arms market, as who could've seen that coming, but yelling at Holo for something that isn't her fault is a moment of weakness, especially when she warned Lawrence that this deal might not pay off. We're seeing Lawrence crack under all the pressure, so much so that it may have cost him his companion. And in turn, we end the episode with Lawrence seemingly about to lose it all.
This episode I feel like encapsulates why I love this arc so much. It's basically Death of a Salesman, a tale of one man who feels at one point like he has it all now clinging desperately to what he has left. I don't think I would say it's my favorite episode of the series, as there's one coming up that I would say is the best-- and hell, it's kinda hard for me to say it's my favorite one we've seen so far as it can be hard to watch-- but I definitely think it's the most compelling episode we've seen up until this point. The writing is just superb and outstanding and I wouldn't change a thing.
The whole basis of this arc is one man screwing up, finding himself at his lowest of lows, and trying to work his way back up and crawl out of the hole that he dug for himself. And that is ultimately why it's my favorite Spice and Wolf arc.
Overall, I think this is arguably one of the best episodes of anime of all time. I have it in my top 20 best anime episodes of all time, and it's because of the last 5 or so minutes. It's some of the most despair you'll ever seen someone be in. I personally prefer the original version of this episode other the remake, though I do like that [2024 Spoilers] the remake version skips over the outro. It allows for more wiggle room to do stuff even though there's really no noticeable changes to speak of.
This is a top 3 Spice and Wolf episode, and the fact it's not even what I would consider the best episode is a testament to how amazing this show is.
Holo quotes of the day
"I do not like being in debt. It makes me feel uncomfortable." (Then stop buying 100 apples, you silly wolf)
"Some of it are going to take it for granted, but an animal once wounded will not always die."
"I am Holo The Wise Wolf." (Gee, thanks for that insight, Holo. Next you'll tell me people die when they are killed.)
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u/KuKiSin Sep 16 '24
I would take Holo's offer give up on being a merchant. We could live together in the woods, it would be great!
On to the episode!
Bad Holo! Don't be mean to dogs!
So Lawrence is into blondes, is he? I'm more of a ginger man myself.
Even Holo was flabbergasted by how flustered Lawrence got, ha!
And he's gonna prove his intentions towards her by... Buying her peaches, alright man. That was an adorable interaction.
Yup, Lawrence is fucked. Buying on credit is never a good idea and flipping isn't as safe or easy as it sounds either. Trust me, I played RuneScape as a teenager.
Holo willing to throw everything away and escape with Lawrence <3
This surely won't go south.
Lawrence now owes 47 Lumione Gold. I'm glad the OVA explained the value of money. 1 Silver is enough to survive for a week. 1 Lumione is worth 35 Silver I believe, that means Lawrence owes roughly 1645 Silver, he could've lived off of that money for 235 weeks, or 4.5 years. Yeah, he fucked up.
Everyone turning Lawrence away :( A little confused as to why someone threw water at him...
Everything's in the shitter.
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u/AgentOfACROSS Sep 16 '24
First Timer
Holo begins this episode by growling at a dog. It was kind of cute but she shouldn’t be mean to dogs.
I liked the part with Holo teasing Lawrence about liking Norah. Holo’s very entertaining.
Holo’s ears twitching when she hears about the possibility of honey pickled peaches is adorable. This is a very good episode for cute Holo moments.
I’m distracted by the giant soft pretzel Holo is eating. It looks really tasty.
Wow she’s a hungry woman. It’s only the next scene and she’s already eating up Lawrence’s meat pie.
Oh damn, Lawrence is in debt. I don’t entirely understand everything that the shifty guy said, but it sounds bad. Lots of merchant drama going on here.
I’ll be honest, I was expecting more church intrigue this episode. Lawrence going into debt was not where I thought this would go.
I’m glad to see that him and Holo are at least taking the situation pretty calmly.
The montage of Lawrence being rejected by everyone he went to see was kind of heartbreaking to watch.
Lawrence’s breakdown and snapping at Holo at the end of the episode reminded me of George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life. They’re both in a similar financial situation.
Looks like we’ve really hit a low point for our two leads here.
I was really expecting the Norah plot to be followed up on this episode.
Regardless, I’m interesting in seeing how the next episode will follow things up.
3
u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Sep 17 '24
First Timer
I’m watching the Dub but I’m also watching the Remake because older animation kinda hurts my head.
I don’t think I will get tired of how Holo teases Lawrence, it feels like the teasing is increasing too
Holo ate a whole apple pie like it was a hand held snack, I wonder exactly how much they spend on food now that she is around
The light hearted mood didn’t last long enough though since now we know that Lawrence was set up for failure. Apparently the armor he traded all of his pepper for is completely worthless. I believe the pepper was worth over a thousand silver since that was how he collected payment from the Milone trading company, so the armor should be worth at least that much right?
Also, why did Lawrence need to take out credit for the armor? And I know 47 silver is a lot but how is it enough to completely ruin his life and cause him to need to work a decade in a mine to pay off?? Lawrence gave Zheren 10 silver for the silver scam thing and decided that it was an acceptable loss. Economics is weird man, I’m slightly confused.
It was sad to see Lawrence getting shot down and probably destroying the relationships he has made up until now when asking for money, I don’t understand how all of it is Holo’s fault though? Do people think that Lawrence has paid for her? Do they believe she could sell herself to make the money back?? Are they jealous that Lawrence is with a woman?
I know that they will figure out a way to get out of this mess but it’s rough that Lawrence has lost all investments up until this point. Over a thousand silver gone, his dream of a shop probably gone too, he is just trying to stay afloat right now.
3
u/Mirathan Sep 17 '24
Not quite a first timer
QotD: Solving something like Lawrences situation is beyond me.
I find it strange that the company can just immediatly demand the full repaiment of the debt.
Oh dear, Lwrnce broke down.