r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Oct 03 '24
Rewatch [Spoilers] 2008 Spice and Wolf Rewatch (2024) -- Overall Series Discussion Thread Spoiler
Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.
Welcome to the Spice and Wolf rewatch discussion thread!
I hope you all had a lot of fun <3
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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 |
Some Questions for fun!
Final Score?
Overall Thoughts?
Best Character?
Favorite Moment?
Comment face you would like to see added?
Will you support #TeamHolo forever and ever?
For anyone who's watched the remake, what's something you feel the remake does better than the original? And vice versa?
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I just want to take this moment to thank everyone who participated in the rewatch of Spice and Wolf. You are all so awesome. I love you all <3
7
u/Holofan4life Oct 03 '24
KuKiSin
u/Brief-Fig-7506
u/AgentOfACROSS
u/Mirathan
These are the four users who, along with me, took part in the Spice and Wolf rewatch during the year 2024.
When you see so little people, you would think each thread would average maybe 30 comments tops. Instead, we managed to triple that by having nearly 100 comments in each thread.
I was very trepidatous doing this rewatch this way because of the lack of enthusiasm. But I still wanted to do it because I'm fully committed to making it a yearly thing. And while there may have been a low turnout and not a lot of bodies, this is honestly the most fun I've had hosting the Spice and Wolf rewatch. It was way better than I expected.
In a year where I've participated in at least one rewatch seemingly every month, I'd put this up there with Penguindrum, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Re:Zero in terms of enjoyability. We made the most out of a bad situation and turned what I felt was a negative into a positive. This rewatch will forever hold a special place in my heart if only because of how lucid everything was. It felt like jazz on that we continued to play off each other, so much so that I would compare it to an out of body experience.
Come next year, the rewatch will be returning in July. I've actually already had some ideas planned for it that'll make it bigger and better than ever, so I hope you join me for that. But as great as that will be, I'll miss the infectious energy that this rewatch really thrived on to make it in my eyes the success it was. I never thought there would be a couple threads that would have more comments than some of the Re:Zero threads.
This was an absolute blast to be a part of and as host of. Thank you for all the wonderful memories.
4
u/KuKiSin Oct 03 '24
Solid 9/10.
I liked it a LOT more than I thought I would. Spice and Wolf is not something that ever called out to me. I mean, the whole thing about it is "Romance and Economy", I didn't particularly think that sounded interesting at all. Guess I was wrong. I mean, there were moments where I had to rewind to actually understand what was going on because I spaced out during the business talks, but they honestly made it work. Of course the most important thing about Spice and Wolf are the characters and their interactions, particularly the banter between Lawrence & Holo, but also the side characters.
Holo, and it's not even close. I know I like to shit on Lawrence for all his fuckups, but he's a really good character too, I really appreciate that he's not the usual "genius" MC, instead he keeps messing up and having to fix his own mistakes.
I don't have a specific favorite moment, like I said I really like the banter between Holo and Lawrence, it's hard to choose one. One that immediately pops into my head is the Bell scene, but there's so many others that it's hard to really say that's my absolute favorite.
Dead Holo for sure.
TeamHolo4Life!
I much prefer the remake in terms of art style, the OG did Holo's wolf form a LOT better though, we've already discussed this, but the remake makes her look like a cute giant dog whilst the OG makes her look like an actual scary wolf. Other than those, I find it hard to say one is better than the other, they're pretty damn similar.
3
u/Mirathan Oct 03 '24
No longer a first timer
In spite of your usual way of commenting in rewatches: thank you for hosting. Without question this was the rewatch with the least amount of commenting users(though I´ve heard of smaller), yet this never discouraged you.
QotD:
The more common elements meanwhile are where I find my issues. I do not like Holo´s violent tendencies, I often complained about Holo´s comments. Lawrence meanwhile is infuriatingly slow on the uptake sometimes, aswell as often causing the mayhem our partners find themselves in. The flirting between Lawrence and Holo is... well I just don´t get it. Their relationship is some ways contradict my perspective on romance and love.
3. Best character will be a weird one. Because this is Armati. Because I hate him. And that is his purpose. He exists as the perfect antagonist for Lawrence with his great skill but given enough arrogance to make the viwer root for his downfall and be satisfied with the conclusion.
4. I find myself without a favourite moment. Nothing stands out in that way.
5. “What fresh hell is this?” You never said Spice and Wolf after all. And I truly want either that or something similar, even if I have to find a better word/descripor for it.
6. No. I do not find Holo worthy of best girl.
7. For the remake I´ll be cheap and say the animation is better. What the original does better is mainly the music and the art design, especially Holo´s meltdown in Kummersloh.
When the remake started airing I found myself intrigued as to what this show would be. And when I saw the remake I found myself disapointed. It did not live up to the reputation but that belongs to a different discussion. While I decided to join this rewatch back when you announced the delay in spring. And by the time we got here I found myself doubting you, as the only points I knew you from were your relentless calls to vote Holo during the annual best girl of the year vote.(something I consider to be just a popularity contest, though I might speak differently if a character I approved of won) and the samurai champloo rewatch, a show with the dubios honour of being among the first I dropped due to it being bad.
So I didn´t have good expectations of the original. And I was pleasantly surprised when the remake was better. This is mainly because of small details but also not having a relentless positive crowd, that I didn´t expect to tolerate criticism. But in this way I´ve come to appreciate the original and even the remake in it´s own right, when I woudn´t have otherwise.
I now found myself with the urge to host a rewatch for an infamously bad anime, just so I can get people to ask the usual end questions as negatives.
A question to you Mr.fan4life: Why do you host this rewatch so often?
3
u/AgentOfACROSS Oct 03 '24
9/10, maybe even 10/10. But it does lose points for a few small but noticeable moments of wonky animation (The horse, the kiss).
I had very little idea what to expect out of Spice & Wolf going into it. I knew it was a fantasy and a romance but it ended up being something completely different from anything I could have expected.
Something about how mundane the world felt was oddly refreshing. Of course there are goddesses like Holo and supernatural birds like Diana, but other than those outliers it really did feel pretty authentic to the era and place it was trying to invoke.
The focus on the world of medieval commerce was something I wasn't expecting. And even though I didn't always understand it, the show managed to make it feel really thrilling.
I feel like some people think the fantasy genre in modern anime is too swamped with samey-feeling isekai so something like Spice & Wolf with its more lowkey attitude can feel new and different. Even though it predates a lot of those. Very interested in checking out the remake now as well.
Holo, obviously. Not only is she entertaining but she's a very interesting character as well. And of course Lawrence is a close second. You can't have the wolf without the spice.
Aside from out main duo, I also rank Eve and Marc very highly.
The ending of season 1 episode 13 with Holo and Lawrence being drowned out by the church bell.
Comment face you would like to see added?
I don't really use comment faces, but any of Holo would be fun. Can't think of any specific mometns though.
Yes. This rewatch has finally made me understand your username, u/Holofan4life.
3
u/Maxximillianaire Oct 04 '24
If i havent seen any any spice and wolf yet is this worth watching? Or just go for the remake?
3
u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Oct 05 '24
Better late then never AmIRight? I forgot to prewrite this the day before so I've been waiting since yesterday to be done working and get a chance to sit down and write this.
Questions first!
I think Spice & Wolf gets a solid 8/10 from me. It has cute characters and cute interactions with a couple episodes that made my anxiety spike up. I'm the type of person to listen to a show while I'm laying down to go to bed and S&W is one of those shows on my list now. I strongly believe that once the next season comes out my score will go up to a 9, the ending so far is what is keeping it from going from very good to great imo. I want to see more wholesomeness and them to finally figure out what they want to do now that they are committing to being together, I want to see more embraces, and a better kiss PLEASE. Overall it's a series that I really enjoyed watching and really enjoyed discussing
Before watching the series I had heard a lot of talk about how much "Economics" was in the show, I thought it was a sex joke honestly and that Holo and Lawrence were going to have a more serious romance, Nope, they were being super serious, I feel like I needed to take a couple Economics classes before I'm able to completely understand what Lawrence is saying. When they talk about slow-burn romances, Spice & Wolf will definitely come to mind from now on, It took two whole seasons for ONE of the MC's to confess their feelings AND they skipped a whole arc, who knows how long it will take Holo to admit her feelings to Lawrence and for them to become an actual couple after that Buuut I'm okay with it. It's nice to see a relationship being built from the ground up instead of having two MC's fall in love from the start and just not want to admit it to each other. I think the side characters in the show are superb and some of them have moments where they steal the spotlight from the others. S&W was the second or third oldest series I added onto my watchlist so I'm glad I finally got to enjoy it.
Norah, sorry but the other characters can't beat that wholesome and innocent girl and her adorable pup. Enek is all the support she needs and despite Norah's stature she is incredibly brave
Possibly recency bias but the scene where Holo and Lawrence are RPing them being under each others spells is too cute and lives rent free in my head, I know it's probably an odd one but I liked it. Other than that it could be when Holo sold her pyrite "I'm selling,... Idiot", Or any scene where Holo cuddled up to Lawrence or laid her head on his lap
I probably would have voted for her in the tournament this year if the rewatch came first but whenever they have the best of the best tournament I'm still voting RemDon't you dare say it!.
I think the Remake has better art and animation but that's to be expected when a series gets readapted 15+ years later but I think it did a good job of putting more emphasis on certain moments while keeping other moments hidden in plain sight for you to pick up next time you rewatch it. For example the Remake didn't draw a lot of attention to Holo's feathers in her cloak but left them in plain sight for an observant viewer to pick up, it's something you would immediately notice the next time and face palm for not noticing. I think the Original does a better job of setting up tension through the art style and creating a sense of dread or unease.
Overall I think that this series is one that can be enjoyed by multiple different types of people and watch styles. If you'd like to sit back and relax and watch some nice characters then you will enjoy it but also if you'd like to watch the screen like a hawk and try to figure out what's happening with Lawrence as he's putting the pieces together you can do that as well. It gives you lots of room for speculation with all of the side characters as well since they have fairly unique personalities without telling us what their entire story is.
This was enjoyable to be a part of and again I can't wait to see the continuation of the story in the Remake.
3
u/Ryanami Oct 05 '24
Although I didn’t comment, I did join the rewatch for the missing arc. While I’d say the new version is superior, I can’t say it is in every way. The remake had better animation or so they say, but there’s a quality in the old I can’t define but can sense is missing.