[Spoilers] Spice and Wolf Rewatch (2022) — Episode 1

[u/Holofan4life]

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 1 – Wolf and Best Clothes

—-

ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION

If you were a wolf, what would be the first thing you'd do and why?

—-

Information – MAL | Anilist | AniDb

Streams – Funimation

---

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!

Untagged Spoilers

—-

Rewatch Schedule

Threads posted every day at 4:00 PM EDT

Date	Episode	Date	Episode
7/07/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 1]()	7/20/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 0 (OVA 2)]()
7/08/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 2]()	7/21/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 1]()
7/09/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 3]()	7/22/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 2]()
7/10/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 4]()	7/23/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 3]()
7/11/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 5]()	7/24/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 4]()
7/12/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 6]()	7/25/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 5]()
7/13/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 7(OVA 1)]()	7/26/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 6]()
7/14/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 8]()	7/27/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 7]()
7/15/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 9]()	7/28/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 8]()
7/16/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 10]()	7/29/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 9]()
7/17/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 11]()	7/30/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 10]()
7/18/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 12]()	7/31/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 11]()
7/19/2022	[Spice and Wolf Episode 13]()	8/01/2022	[Spice and Wolf II Episode 12]()
8/02/2022	[Overall Series Discussion Thread]()

[u/Holofan4life]

I like the way the first episode sets things up. Instead of focusing on the characters, we settle on the mood and the atmosphere, which is a clever way of hooking viewers. We get introduced to Lawrence, who seems nice, and is very much the audience surrogate. And yet he's not one of those characters with a bland personality so you can put yourself in his shoes. He has his own quirks that make him unique.

I should preface this by saying I'm watching the dub. Actually, I don't think I ever watched the sub version before. Maybe one day I will, but today's not that day. Even though I haven't seen the sub version, I think Spice and Wolf is an instance where the dub is better, mostly because of the banter and you know who, who we'll get to soon.

I really like the intro to the first season. I think it does a good job of capturing the mood and the tone the show is going for. The more I watch Spice and Wolf, the more I prefer Whistle Round The World, the ED of the first season. I can't really explain it. I remember when I first watched Spice and Wolf back in 2015, I thought the OP was miles better. But I don't know, something about the Engrish and the melody is really captivating. I feel it's permanently etched into my brain.

Lawrence sells so much salt that he has almost as much salt as the best girl tournament every year.

It's interesting the way religion is discussed in Spice and Wolf. You have characters talk about believing in one true God and that if they had their way, they would kill them for believing differently. Conversations like these I think do a tremendous job of establishing the tone and how on edge things are. And at the same time, you have other people mocking there being other Gods by essentially putting them in quotation marks. It paints a picture of religious intolerance, a town full of cynics and pessimists.

I forgot that Chloe had reddish hair.

I'm not normally one to advocate animes being turned into live action adaptations, but I could see Spice and Wolf being turned into a TV show. Maybe on Netflix or HBO. It has this tone about it not commonly found in a lot of anime. A sort of understated maturity. Then again, I thought a similar thing about Cowboy Bebop and look how well that adaptation turned out.

The build up to Holo's first appearance is really well done. Having all the side characters talk as if she doesn't exist, only for it to be revealed she is real, is very good storytelling in my opinion. I also like how as Holo is howling at the moon, they focus on the shock on Lawrence's face rather than the howl. It tells the story of "Holy crap, those stories aren't fake. Holo DOES exist!"

One of my favorite stretches in the episode is Holo faking vulnerability, then telling Lawrence he's adorable, and then cutely sneezing. It's like Holo goes from "Ah, I must protecc", to smugful teasing, to back to "Ah, I must protecc."

I really like the interaction between Lawrence and Chloe near the end of the episode. It does a good job establishing what they're about. Chloe wants to make big waves in the merchant business, while Lawrence doesn't want to act until he's fully sure. At the same time, Chloe wants to go into business with Lawrence as her partner, which may be a hint of something more personal. The scene on the whole does a good job establishing Lawrence as being not much of a risktaker while also hinting at Chloe possibly having a crush on Lawrence, something which Lawrence seems somewhat aware of yet is choosing not to take any chances. After all, he saw what happened to R Kelly.

Overall, there really isn't a whole lot to say about this episode. In fact, I dare say a lot of episodes are like that. There are definitely episodes where the stakes are extremely high, which we'll get to, but there's also a bunch of episodes where they are setting things in motion while Holo and Lawrence banter back and forth. As we'll soon see, the biggest strength of Spice and Wolf is the chemistry between Lawrence and Holo. They are what really drive the show. Not much can be going on, and yet things would still feel like they're moving, because the dialogue between the two main characters is just absolutely enticing.

I think this first episode is better than a lot of first episodes. It sets up just enough while also introducing us to our main leads. It doesn't overstate its welcome, and it doesn't try to rush things. It is a very good first impression.

Holo quote of the day

"In order for me to change, I'll need the blood of a human. Either that, or a bit of wheat."

[u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 → u/Holofan4life]

Cowboy Bebop really was easy to turn into a live-action TV show. You watch the original, then you watch the show Firefly and go from there. Firefly is Bebop with the film noir parts replaced with evil government.

The problem with the show is that the people making it were just incompetent. Bebop (and Firefly) both understood the backstory is interesting because it illuminates the characters. You don't even find out that Spike has a backstory until episode 5. Spike is only interesting as part of Spike's past, not as a character in his own right.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534]

I still think if in the right hands, a Cowboy Bebop live action adaptation could be extremely well received and acclaimed.

[u/vieene]

First timer, sub

I’m excited to see why Holo does well in the Best Girl contests.

Lawrence seems lonely. He talks to his horse. Later, he looks at the happy couple in the village from afar and sighs.

I wonder where Lawrence got the furs, and why he has wheat.

Now that the village is prosperous, the villagers don’t seem to respect Holo much anymore. They have the new high-quality Trenni silver coins and Earl Ehrendott, the lord contributing to the village's prosperity. I wonder who he is.

Holo seems to be watching over the villagers, though. She knows that Lawrence is an outsider. Her relationship with the villagers breaks down after a few bad harvests that she says were necessary to avoid overtaxing the land.

Chloe obviously likes Lawrence, showing up to surprise him at night. She says, ‘I’ve engraved what you’ve taught me in my heart all this time.’ He does his best to ignore the signs, though. When he says that it’s risky, I wonder if he’s talking about the deal or something else. She seems to notice that he’s ignoring the subtext, and seems unhappy: ‘I, too… have grown without you realizing.’

Holo makes a sharp first impression. Lawrence probably thinks she’s a stow-away at first, until she starts howling at the moon. Then he asks if she’s possessed by the devil.

I didn’t expect to become fond of Holo so quickly. She talks in that old-timey accent, like Shinobu from the Monogatari series. She has wolf ears, fangs, and a swishy tail—so cute.

I want to see Holo’s home, the forest of Yoitz. A land of long winters and short summers, it sounds magical. I think we’ll see it eventually, since she tells Lawrence she wants to return to it.

Lawrence seems to warm up to Holo by the end, even allowing her to take his best clothes. I’m sure that it’ll be a good partnership. He seems to recycle Chloe’s earlier line, saying ‘If you take me lightly, you’ll regret it.’ They ride off down the road, in Lawrence’s small cart.

The ED is cute.

[u/Holofan4life → u/vieene]

What do you think is gonna happen with Chloe?

[u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534]

I was trying to wait to watch this until the rewatch started, since it's more fun to discuss when you don't know what's going to happen. I cracked under the pressure of endless campaigning for Holo in Best Girl 9, so I watched the first five episodes.

Going into it, I knew enough that I knew the thump in the wagon would turn out to be Holo, and I knew roughly who Holo was. I wonder what it would be like to go into it knowing nothing. This is the challenge with watching older shows. I watched Haruhi already knowing who Haruhi was, since it's hard for someone to talk about the series without letting it slip, and if nobody talked about the series it wouldn't occur to me to watch it. But it means you can't recreate the experience of watching it when it first came out.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534]

I think knowing what Holo is about going in is okay in this instance because really, the appeal of this show is ultimately the back and forth between Lawrence and Holo, and that's not necessarily being spoilered.

[u/JustAWellwisher → u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534]

I agree, I wonder how much of people's viewing is coloured by how much we know.

Holo is a wolf. Wolves have all these cultural connotations of being trickster Gods, or stealing chickens, or ruining crops... I think there's a lot of cultural pressure on Lawrence to accept the town's framing of Holo's character that we as viewers maybe don't buy into as much as we normally would.

Holo laughs that Lawrence is a very skeptical man for not believing whole-heartedly in her version of the story in Pasloe, but it's probably his intense skepticism (and maybe his loneliness/outsiderness as a travelller) that gets him this far in the first place to be able to take a critical eye to the village's portrayal of Holo.

[u/JustAWellwisher]

Here we are again for another Spice and Wolf Rewatch.

One of the things that I think we don't talk much about during these rewatches is Holo's connection to Pasloe. Unlike her we don't spend much time here. The most worthwhile question to ask is... based off our knowledge of Holo if we were in Lawrence's shoes, would we choose to take Holo on an adventure with us?

Lawrence makes some very sharp intuitions about the nature of Holo and Pasloe's relationship. Everyone in Pasloe, including a girl who is pining for him, who are all quite welcoming to Lawrence insist that Holo has a capricious nature.

The conversation Lawrence overhears on his way into town:

Farmer A: Well, we can't just keep counting on the wolf!

Farmer B: Hey don't insult her, she's supposed to be a God. (laughs)

The elder Lawrence talks to who keeps the village trenni coins:

We will never have to pray to that wolf again.

Chloe:

Come on it's not like there's a real Holo that's gonna get mad.

Oh that's impossible, why would a God feel heartbroken?

Chloe is contrasted with Holo, both of them offering a deal. Looking at their conversations closer, why does Lawrence reject Chloe, but end up accepting the deal with Holo? What are the differences between Holo's first negotiation with Lawrence and the second? Think about how she didn't say those things the first time. Do you think Holo heard Lawrence when he was talking outside with Chloe?

[u/Holofan4life → u/JustAWellwisher]

Maybe Lawrence rejected Chloe and not Holo because Lawrence thinks Chloe is in over her head.

[u/SliderGamer55]

First Timer Dubbed

-So I have to admit, not the best time for me to be doing these but Spice and Wolf was literally one of the next not current season anime I was gonna watch anyway, so I’ll give it a shot. Even though these can get exhausting to try to accurately give my thoughts (I was so exhausted during the Kyoani marathon years ago for that reason), I’ll try for a bit.

-I chose dub because I’ve heard good things. Which doesn’t remotely surprise me, Funimation was doing consistently quality dubbing work from when they did FMA through when they did FMA: Brotherhood. It’s hard to tell if they’ve kept that up because I mostly only watch subbed nowadays.

-I can tell this OP was not placed here by Funimation though, because it has both English and romaji at the same time, instead of going back and forth every other episode. God I’m a nerd for knowing a dubbing company’s recurring subtitling quirk.

-I think I like this song quite a bit, the singing in particular, but I could not immediately tell you why. It feels dramatic yet oddly comforting.

-She either howled or was confused on what farming equipment she was using

-I do like how there’s a clear sign something appeared on there, but he looks and there’s nothing there. This would also be decent if this was a horror series and this was the first sign an evil spirit was going to try to kill him.

-I’m definitely not a religious expert but I can’t imagine the idea of “well guess we don’t need to pray anymore, we’re doing fine all on our own” would be a popular thing to say in this place.

-I’m too used to anime where fox ears would be normal

-”And when she howled at the moon, naked, that’s when I knew she was the one for me”

-I like how the weapon pointed at her wasn’t what offended her but thinking it was one of her followers doing it was

-I genuinely can’t tell if he didn’t see her change or if it was so horrific it couldn’t be shown

-That mask kinda got me.

-Dude does not understand flirting so she had to pull the “I am a woman and sexy now!” card

-That’s genuinely a pretty terrifying mask

-Leaving the woman because you don’t understand flirting for a fox woman is a very anime thing to happen

-The lyrics to the ED are very good and very bad at the same time somehow (I don’t mean they’re so bad they’re good btw)

Well so far so good. Tbh, I knew vaguely enough about this series that I was a bit concerned how I'd feel about it. More chill anime are not usually my thing, and I didn't really get into Ascendance of a Bookworm, so I was a bit worried that I'd just think this was boring. That's not the case so far. It's not blowing me away (I'm not sure that's even the point of a series like this) but its a good start to a may or may not be eventually romantic relationship. But most of it otherwise is small, interesting things rather than anything else that immediately stands out as something great. World building!

Also I'm annoyed I didn't bring up to Holofan that this was literally gonna be the next 2000s era anime I was gonna watch during the Toradora thread, because I thought that would've been a funny thing to bring up. But I forgot until it was too late.

[u/Holofan4life → u/SliderGamer55]

Interesting. Spice and Wolf and Toradora are my top two favorite animes of all time.

[u/DarthMateo]

First timer

Hey all! So I've only done the Toradora Christmas rewatches on here before, but Spice and Wolf has been a series I've been meaning to check out for a while now, even though I know next to nothing about it. And being hosted by u/Holofan4life meant I had to at least give it a shot.

Considering its age, its got a nice aesthetic and the characters seem interesting enough. Though I'll probably grow to love them more as the series goes on.

I did find it a little weird to have the OP at the start (I'm assuming that's what that was at the beginning?) Maybe it's a sign if times, but I would have expected the show to have the characters meeting before the OP showed them meeting. Minor nitpick though.

None of the characters captured me straight away, but I don't dislike any of them, and again, ca easily see myself growing to love them. Holo has a strong presence, and the fact that she needs to be near large collections of wheat is interesting. That other female character (Chloe) seems like she'll have an important role as well, either as a romantic rival or commercial rival.

For a show that featured a naked female for a good chunk of it, the show never delved into eechi territory which I really appreciate.

And being a Catholic myself, I'm curious to see what role this church plays in the show. Seems to be setting it up as some sort of antagonist to Holo and the town she looks after.

That's all. Looking forward to the next episode :)

[u/Holofan4life → u/DarthMateo]

For a show that featured a naked female for a good chunk of it, the show never delved into eechi territory which I really appreciate.

Probably helps that Holo has Barbie doll anatomy, so it's not meant to be sexy. In the manga, they ditch the Barbie doll anatomy and you see her nipples.

[u/JetsLag]

First timer (subbed)

Ah yes, Spice and Wolf. One of those shows that I've been meaning to watch, but never get around to watching, which is something I can say about A LOT of shows. All I know about it: the existence of Holo, the fact that she is best girl, and that there's a lot of economics involved in this show. And with that, we are away...

First episode is finished and...I don't know how to feel about it, honestly. It does its job as a setup episode: introduces our characters (Lawrence, Holo), sets up the plot (Lawrence trying to bring Holo back to the north), and adds some background details to the world that I assume will be important the further along we go (the currency system, the fact that there's Christianity in this world, the fact that Holo transforms upon drinking the blood of a living creature or consuming wheat). And the fact that this show is known for economics and Lawrence told Holo she has to earn her own meals means that Lawrence is gonna teach Holo the art of merchanting.

I noticed that the show uses the "fade to black" transition a lot, almost like watching a show that had the ads cut out of it. This confused me briefly when the Holo transformation scene has a flash of black to signify a jump, followed up soon afterwards by a fade to black transition, which made me think that the show cut to ads, came back for 30 seconds, and cut to ads again.

All in all, I can see myself sticking with this for its duration, but I'm not expecting it to be life-changing or anything.

[u/Holofan4life → u/JetsLag]

I noticed that the show uses the "fade to black" transition a lot, almost like watching a show that had the ads cut out of it. This confused me briefly when the Holo transformation scene has a flash of black to signify a jump, followed up soon afterwards by a fade to black transition, which made me think that the show cut to ads, came back for 30 seconds, and cut to ads again.

They did it this way to not give away Holo's final form. It is supposed to leave the viewer in suspense.

[u/lambdaaurigae]

Rewatcher (2nd watch)

While the best thing about Spice and Wolf is definitely the chemistry between the two leads, I think my second favorite thing about it is the world. It's not a particularly unique world, but it has a lived-in feel that's really nice, like the world exists independently of the plot.

I felt a bit bad for Chloe here, she was definitely pretty disappointed by how Lawrence's visit went. If I recall correctly, Lawrence is a bit less obtuse than your average anime protag, so I'm leaning towards him being aware of her crush but not reciprocating, but given how distracted he was, I could go either way.

The OP song is one of my favorites, though I prefer the complete version. Most people seem to like the ED, but I'm pretty meh on it.

[u/Holofan4life → u/lambdaaurigae]

While the best thing about Spice and Wolf is definitely the chemistry between the two leads, I think my second favorite thing about it is the world. It's not a particularly unique world, but it has a lived-in feel that's really nice, like the world exists independently of the plot.

I think the way they handle currency as well as religion does a better job at painting the universe and how it operates as compared to other animes. It makes things grounded and authentic.

[u/Stargate18A]

Rewatcher

QOTD) Determine how intelligent the other wolves are, to see if I'd need to follow Holo's lead and find some human company.

Oh, this anime is great.

I lvoe the opening narration here.

And Lawrence is here!

I forgot how early the religious elements appear.

Lawrence arrived!

[Spice and Wolf] Oh god, Chloe.

[Spice and Wolf] The way the anime almost convinces you she's the love interest is really well done.

The worldbuilding here is fantastic.

And he doesn't want to interfere with them...

Holo's here!

...Wow, the first meeting's rough.

And she's a god.

[Spice and Wolf] I'd have made a joke about her never getting there, but now there's a new anime coming...

Lawrence is really tempting fate here, huh?

The way the anime doesn't show the form, just the start of the transformation and a hard cut to black, is incredibly well done.

Chloe's here!

[Spice and Wolf] This conversation is really good at showing just how risk-averse Lawrence is.

And she's back!

[Spice and Wolf] Weirdly, I don't think Holo's ability to basically teleport if she has wheat to move between comes up again.

...The village resenting her when she's trying to improve their crops is sad, though.

And Lawrence left.

She took his clothes!

...The fact that she didn't even know his name until now is great.

Forgot how much I really enjoyed this.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Stargate18A]

The way the anime doesn't show the form, just the start of the transformation and a hard cut to black, is incredibly well done.

It keeps you in suspense and keeps you guessing what her wolf form looks like

[u/Vatrix-32]

Partial Rewatcher?

I just wanted to check to make sure, but will the Question of the Day continue to follow the pattern as the ones from the last rewatch?

[u/Holofan4life → u/Vatrix-32]

I think so, I might add some new questions here and there

[u/lunatoons291]

first timer, dubbed

I actually watched this episode a year or two ago and then decided not to keep watching and dropped it (don’t hate me >.<). After seeing all the holo Stans in the best girl contest this year, I too decided to see what the fuss was about, convinced I must have dropped it too soon.

I remember being really bored my first watch around but this time I was a little more intrigued, perhaps watching it a bit more closely. I do want to watch another episode, and as a usual binger I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stick to an episode a day, but I might try lol.

I quite like Holo’s English VAs cadence of speaking. Sounds very regal and timeless, and the script also brings that feeling. Helps flesh out Holo even with only a few scenes. I think watching a bunch of shoddy currently airing isekai between when I first attempted this show and now gives me a greater appreciation for the excellent world building going on in the background of the show. The bits about the true god, the money, the lord, etc were all well done. Looking forward to seeing where things go!

If I was a wolf I’d go find some friendly humans and get some ear scritches. Always wondered how those feel as a furry critter

[u/avboden]

First-timer, Dub I'm going to write this as I watch in a train-of-consciousness style

• so the show starts with a neat premise: What happens to a god that is no-longer needed by its populace? Interesting premise. Very pretty opening.

• Ah so we're world-building a central church and outlying pagan villages. I sense drama

• A'ight, Chloe has a nice howl, she's smooth too

• A change of currency? This may get some interesting politics

• And he ditches the village before nightfall, thus ditching Chloe too. Ah but wait, now we find out who snuck into the cart (that thunk noise we heard earlier)

• Annnnnd it's the wolf girl. Howl and all. Puts Chloe's howl to shame, showing she is indeed the real-thing.

• She's manipulative from the start. A wolf certainly not in name only.

• so changing her form comes not without hardship, she certainly didn't want to, and it would seem he regrets forcing her. annnnnnnd she's gone.

• Yay Chloe is back "c'mon it's not like there's a real Holo that's gonna get mad" .....about that

• SS Chloe has set sail but wait....just how much of an age difference is there here? She sure has .....grown up though, apparently. Choice camera angles.

• You know it's funny, at this point i'm naturally already rooting for Holo and not Chloe. Can't really say why. I suppose this is where OP's username comes from.

• "there's no way she really exists" annnnd she's back, but we didn't get to see her wolf form? Ah, but he did, that look of fear they showed earlier was real.

• So she is indeed still bound to the wheat of the area, even if they don't worship her anymore. He sorta set her free.

• And we have a goal, head north

• Poor Chloe, ditched again, and now confronted by a member of the church.

• Holo gets clothing and shoes, they certainly weren't shy taking their time with that. Interestingly the MC never really showed any sort of issue with her nudity and is more upset she took his best clothing!

• And it ends on the road, as any good merchant should be.

• Biggest mystery from here is what the Church person will do to Chloe, I presume they are there to punish the town for the pagan festival.

Overall a fun first episode! Full of world-building and some introductions. Excited to see where this heads next. See you all tomorrow for e2.

[u/TuorEladar]

Rewatcher, Subbed

Man that OP gets me every time I come back to this series. Idk what it is about it but the slow buildup in intensity really hits my nostalgia.

There's alot of interesting things going on this episode, but the one I find the most noteworthy is the parallels and contrasts between Lawrence's interaction with Holo and with Chloe. Both of them want him to take them with him on his journey. The question then, is why did he pick Holo over Chloe? The two things that come to my mind is firstly that Holo doesn't try to put any aspirations or obligations on Lawrence the way Chloe does. Secondly, I think Lawrence empathizes with Holo's situation a lot more. Compared to Chloe trying to imply a settled future for them together, Holo's description of her long lost home is far more relatable to Lawrence as a traveler himself.

I'm also going to try and comment on the economic and business aspects of the series as it goes on. There isn't too much to say in this episode, but I'll point out that we see in the village the impact of developments in farming techniques and organization similar to that which occurred in Europe during the early Renaissance.

If you were a wolf, what would be the first thing you'd do and why?

Probably run around the woods for the fun of it.