Spice and Wolf – Episode 25 Review (END)

「奇跡の行方と続く旅路」 (Kiseki no Yukue to Tsudzuku Tabiji)
“Miracle’s Path and Journey’s Continuation”

And with that it’s all over. Two seasons of comfy fun, two seasons of adorable married couple shenanigans, two seasons showing just where the weaknesses of the first Spice and Wolf adaptation lay and how to overcome them. I would be wrong saying it was a masterpiece finale (it was not), but the ending certainly tied a nice ribbon on everything this series had going since the start. Not only are Kraft and Holo now two firmly entwined peas in a pod, but both are determined to keep together and the challenges faced are now as much as source of fun for them as legitimate risks to livelihood. And let’s not forget those post credits which I seriously doubt anyone has confusion over.

You know exactly where this story is going, you know exactly what’s coming, and it’s only made better knowing we have a proper second season to look forward to. It was one hell of a wait, but Spice and Wolf really is getting the anime treatment it deserves. Onto to those final impressions!

Final Impressions

With the spate of anime remakes of late tempting a repeat of Hollywood’s recent descent into mediocrity, Spice and Wolf obtaining the same naturally led to some serious concerns from the beginning. No matter the warts, exclusions, and anime-original changes, just how could you improve on the first adaptation we received? I for one had some noticeable trepidations heading in, and while there did wind up being some blemishes, what we got outweighed them. A lot.

Arguably the key thing making this Spice and Wolf adaptation is its source material faithfulness. The original for example deviated very early on by replacing Yarei with Chloe, an anime-original gender bender effectively designed to encourage greater viewership. Although Yarei’s presence isn’t significant outside of first exposing Kraft and Holo to the weaknesses and fears of the other, simply retaining him was a major step up and showed at least in story how this remake intended on making up for prior decisions. Likewise is the Tereo arc which was cut entirely from the original show and left a very bad taste for many fans. Similar to Yarei as a character it’s not a critical arc overall (the one upcoming has more impact), but featuring it let a lot of the series’ atmosphere show through and accentuate the quirks and feelings of its main cast. That simple adherence to the base story made for a lot of the enjoyment because it became a show with a proper sense of continuity.

Of course story alone isn’t the only benefit to this Spice and Wolf – pacing and production helped out as well. While not especially impressive production values-wise (Holo’s current wolf form has nothing on the original), this remake was quite well-paced in terms of delivery, emulating the original in this aspect and ensuring its various arcs were not rushed through. For whimsical adventures like this such speed is critical because it ultimately accentuates the strengths of calmness and emotive introspection they encourage – just imagine what Sousou no Frieren’s two seasons would be liked crammed into a single cour as an idea. While it makes for boring viewing for some, it’s the defining nature of such shows and what in part has me and others love it so much. Without the medieval atmosphere, without the quiet and gradual, organic buildup of Kraft’s and Holo’s relationship Spice and Wolf just wouldn’t be right and proper, which makes me all the more thankful the production committee believed the same.

Overall while remaining a show for certain tastes, this remake did a very good job of showing what is possible when the right sort of production committee contracts a studio with an appropriate amount of skill and affection for the adapted material. Many slice of life stories and lackadaisical fantasy works never remotely receive the same level of care, many are permanently relegated to the depths of made for marketing campaigns. To have Spice and Wolf not only avoid that but get a second season on top to likely conclude its adventure shows what’s possible when the anime planets align, and I really hope it’s the start of a trend. If 2000s powerhouses like this can light the way just think what’s possible when the next batch of remakes finally appears. I for one am certainly optimistic for good things to come.