Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Rasebu
Anime is on a masterpiece level. Characters are well written, no big villains or enemies, has a realistic world in a medieval timeline. Compared to the first adaptation, which was releasted in the end of the 00's, it has a better design and adapts more content from its source, the novel. Not really dramatic, but it has good romance lines and is funny from time to time, because it has interesting character development and a journey to the goal of mcs. Great choice for the first anime to watch, and those who like anime about travelling and medieval style, with a small amount of drama.
Read at the sourceTaki555
Spice and Wolf has a very lovely and cozy vibe. The background music, atmosphere, and overall presentation are well done, and the bond between the two main characters is genuinely good. The animation is colorful and pleasant, which adds to the relaxing feel of the anime.
However, this is a very slow series. While it’s tagged as romance, there is barely any actual romance throughout the season. Most of the focus is on adventure, economics, and drama, with only light moments like jealousy instead of real romantic progression.
Because of this, the pacing felt boring to me. After around 18 episodes, the lack of romance and slow storytelling made it hard to stay fully engaged, to the point where I found myself multitasking while watching.
Overall, it’s a nice and well crafted anime, but it’s…
Read at the sourceEleiyas
This is a really difficult review for me to write, as the original Spice and Wolf is one of the first anime I watched, after having been introduced to the world of Japanese anime as a whole.
The original series hold a special place for me, and fill me with a lot of nostalgia. It was quite upsetting that we never got Spice and Wolf III, and instead had to wait a decade, just for the only real follow-up media to be a set of very short VR games. Personally, I wasn't prepared to purchase a VR headset just for 1-2 hours of gameplay.
So, when it was announced that Spice and Wolf would be getting more anime content, I was overjoyed, and, to be honest, I didn't even care too much that it was going to be a remake, rather than a continuation.
Now, that brings us to Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf.…
Read at the sourceszmi
I chose this show to be my first introduction to this series, after hearing that it took a more 'serious' and 'faithful' approach to its adaptation. After dropping it shortly after, it was only out of sheer curiosity about its rating that I gave the original 2008 adaptation a chance. I only hope that I can prevent even one more person from making the same mistake I did: if Spice and Wolf interests you in the slightest, watch the original; this remake isn't worth your time.
Spice and Wolf is a simple narrative, and the potency of a narrative like it lies at the mercy of the way in which it is told. A remake presents a unique opportunity for a creator to improve this in innumerably many ways: raising the emotional impact of the cinematography and score, adjusting the pace of the story, rewo…
Read at the sourcecantdance
Alright. Let's be real here. Anything about this anime is amazing. I accidentally watched this anime instead of the 2008 version, but I DID NOT regret it. Everything about this anime is good. The plot, the visuals, the voice acting, and even the pacing that you might think is a little bit slow, but it's what makes this anime good, especially adventure-type anime.
If you are a romance fan like me and trying to find a good romance in this anime, I would recommend it! the anime romance isn't too rushed where the main characters kiss in the first 3 episodes, but you won't be disappointed every time the anime shows their romance scenes.
In most of the arcs in this anime, I find some of them a little bit boring, but I assume it is what a generic adventure-type of anime is like. Of course, th…
Read at the sourcePrivateJoe
I've never watched the original anime, so I'm unsure which version is better. All I know is that this version is more faithful to the light novels. You can summarize this anime as a romance drama with a plot focused on economics, trading, and peddling. Whether or not that's interesting is up to you. I thought it was boring up until over halfway in the series. It wasn't until the romance between Lawrence and Holo began growing that I found the series interesting.
Now does personally thinking that a series is boring make it bad? No, it doesn't. This anime's target audience is not aimed at shounen fans or someone like myself who enjoys action and comedy animes. There's almost no action or goofiness besides Holo's occasional antics. If you're not interested in a slow-paced romance, then you w…
Read at the sourceCaeruleus_CCXVI
7.5/10 - Great show but just go watch the original
Like many others I ask myself why does this exist when the original is just better, but for so many this will be their first exsperiance with S&W and this show is still just so great. That being said the original was never finished, and I think its not the worst idea to just restart the whole thing instead of awkwardly finishing where the original left off. This was a fine enough attempt and hopefully they will do the novels justice this time around with the content that is to come. Holo is one of my favorite characters of all time and seeing litrally more screen time of her is always appreciated.
Read at the sourcePlaybahnosh
The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this is "why?".
There was absolutely no need to remake this anime, as we already have the 2008 rendition, which still stands the test of time to this day. The art and design is beautiful, the animation is great, and since this is not some edgy action anime, frame rate and CGI doesn't play here. The VO and localization team is the same as well, and bring about the same quality.
What [b]did[/b] change is the characters themselves. In the original, Holo is a dignified albeit fickle goddess with surprising bouts of vulnerability hiding under her austere and beguiling nature. While Lawrence is an experienced and shrewd merchant who wouldn't take her shit, but is also mesmerized by her often playful nature and incredible insight. Holo is intr…
Read at the sourceSeeNyu
I never write any reviews. But for this remake I just cannot handle the dissapointed I encountered. Just watch the old one. You can't fully feel how Holo is like. Art even if it looks better / fresh at the begining is actually is very poor in detailed sense. Ahhh... My childhoods best anime was torn to pieces. When it comes to "fan service", it's been a an inseparable part of the main character's animalism, very sophisticated. But they removed it which results in you perceiving Holo like a casual human
Art style - bad, not matching the anime well.
Details - poor.
Voice actors - same actors but worse performance
Read at the sourceRudiculous_07
This love story is a slow burn, it's an important subplot that nurture their chemistry together, don't expect excitement or comedy. This more of a mature story of man and women traveling together and to overcome predicaments they get into revolving currency and their tsunder tendency of accepting their love . Its gradual and evident where they rely upon each other. This story capture the manga well.
Even though the story was told differently which is an improvement, their was some missing depth that was added in the old version. However the story felt more fluid and enjoyable. The beginning of the Mid part kinda felt lacking, it seemed they didn't miss any important parts from the story which huge step up. The scenery and the atmosphere felt more realistic and lively compared to the old…
Read at the sourceinfiniteORBIT
A boring, slow, surface-level show.
When you ask someone why they like Spice and Wolf you usually get a mix of these three: romance, banter, economics.
The economics is the most basic simplistic surface-level macroeconomics. Feeling impressed or greatly educated afterwards is similar to a student feeling mastery after econ 101.
Lawrence sells something, gets some other good, trades it for another good etc., etc., etc. Wow such economics. And yet somehow a seasoned merchant does not keep up with the news on his travels? After time on the road the first thing he does isn't to approach a nearby merchant company/guild to get the latest news? He initiates a trade in a new town while unaware that the local currency gold coin has a going rate of 32 and 5/6 coins of Trenni silver, and just take…
Read at the sourcemimiouka
Being a merchant is tough—balancing trade deals, trying to make a profit, and oh, occasionally traveling with a centuries-old wolf goddess who outsmarts you at every turn. Spice and Wolf throws you right into the mix, where Lawrence, a merchant just trying to get by, ends up with Holo, a sharp-tongued wolf deity who turns every business deal into a battle of wits. Welcome to Spice and Wolf, where the economics are complex, the banter is gold, and Holo is always two steps ahead of poor Lawrence, who’s just trying to keep his business (and sanity) intact.
Holo is basically the queen of sass. What can be better than having a cute goddess around you all the time. She flirts, teases, and still manages to give Lawrence business advice that he probably didn’t ask for but definitely needs. Her vo…
Read at the sourceOkiChris
MUST WATCH IN DUBBED. Great adaptation! Extremely close to source material, especially compared to the first anime. Tried switching subbed to dubbed multiple times throughout the series. Holo is a completely different character in comparison between the two and much more closesly resembles the personality within the light novel in the dubbed. Sounds cute and charming in subbed but doesn't convey the same sense of matureness, sarcasm, and fierceness that Holo is supposed to have. Subbed VA is amazing but does not fit the character nearly as well. Completely different watch; trust me (coming from a 99% subbed watcher). So taken aback by the performance here, especially in the more crucial scenes for Holo and Lawrence; they were so impactful, bravo!
Only small things I could complain about a…
Read at the sourceChuy_diazz
I think I can understand a little bit why this anime has such a classic status.
I started watching this anime out of curiosity to understand why people considered it a classic. At first glance it seems like a romance between an adult man and a furry girl. Little by little the story gives you information about the world and the characters to understand that this goes beyond a simple romance. The protagonist is a merchant and not just in name, he knows his stuff and we constantly see him talk about economic concepts that some are understandable and others not. The furry girl is a furry goddess where they use her image to implement religious and theological themes within the work. The anime can be very interesting or very heavy, it all depends on how well versed you are in economic-theologic…
Read at the sourcejoemaamah
I held off on this review to check the new content, and wasn't disappointed at all. For all the lame producers out there that want to reboot beloved franchises, this is your study in how to do it right.
The artwork was splendid. Even the original background work didn't compare to this. The animation was better than I suspected it would be, They managed to blend hand drawn, 2D and a light touch of 3D CGI about as perfectly as I have ever seen done.
The characters are what made the original so special. I must say that this rendition improves on all the characters. I like what they did with the MCs. They made Lawrence more assertive, and less clueless about non-business things. Holo still retains her cute capriciousness, but shows a more serious side, as well as being a touch more sassy a…
Read at the sourcePhoenixItachi
As a huge enjoyer of the original, and especially the story, I'm happy to say that the remake is a very welcomed addition. Don't get me wrong, is not the most awe inspring, jaw dropping thing in world of anime, but it's still Spice and Wolf, a story that moved so many readers/watchers. At it's core, the remake captures what the story is, and I'm grateful it exists, and that it gives us hope we'll see a full telling of the story.
STORY: 9/10
It follows the original's story bit by bit, except for the addition of the missing arc that the original didn't adapt (volume 4), and the remake ends one arc earlier then the second season of the original, meaning that season 2 will start more than likely with the end of the original.
Aside from that, it's still Spice and Wolf, the thought out stories…
Read at the sourceFlacion
A merchant accidentally meets a wolf deity and ends up traveling with her, which turns out to be a very beautiful journey through the land.
In Spice and Wolf we follow Lawrence and Holo on a trip through the land, its a trip with both a goal and trip for trading, since Lawrence is a traveling merchant. This gives a story that has a steady cast of our two main characters, but also with a steady flow of new characters as they travel.
The plot throughout the show very much centers around it being low fantasy in a medieval setting. Which results in a lot of plot revolving around common problems that happened in that time, which our two main characters somehow get involved with. We then see how the wisdom of Holo and trade skills from Lawrence is used to solve their situation and in it deepen…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
As someone that’s never seen the original Spice and Wolf but seen tons of Holo memes and hype over the last decade, all I can say after watching this remake is “I get it”. She lived up to the hype as a waifu, but more importantly, this lived up to the hype as a fantasy story about two people who couldn’t be further apart coming together and changing one another for the better. Lawrence and Holo’s relationship is a breath of fresh air in a world full of shallow ones. This show exudes the magic of the early 2000s and even at nearly 20 years old, is still better than most fantasy anime.
I just love the trope of an immortal being journeying with a human and learning what makes humans special. Coming off the high of Frieren recently, spice and wolf kind of stepped in and filled that gap for me…
Read at the sourceStark700
If someone told me a few years ago that Spice and Wolf is getting a new anime to air in 2024, I would've laughed it off and called them crazy. Looking backto 2022 from the announcement and here we are. Holo, the wise wolf makes her grand return on the television screen, her first time in well over a decade.
Back in 2008, the first Spice and Wolf anime holds a special place for me and I'm sure it's a special anime for many fans. It's the first fantasy anime that I watched that didn't revolve around swords, magic, or some sort of plot about saving the world. Spice and Wolf ventures into an unique category that deals with economics and business. For a franchise like this, Spice and Wolf was ahead of its time.
Rather than adapting a direct sequel, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf…
Read at the sourceKANLen09
Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf - A return to form for the remake of a beloved and classic franchise that is the gateway to Economics 101? It'd better be good, and it delivered.
The current trend of anime nowadays is getting too predictable, being Isekai or fantasy series all the seasons over, and something must be done to break that trend. So...how about bringing back classic IPs and giving them reboots, remakes, and the like? This is certainly the upcoming trend for the AniManga industry's scope as it is today, since Japanese corporations like to cash in on existing IPs that have made the mark in the past decade or further. And in the past year or so, we have series ranging from the remake of Rurouni Kenshin (which is coming back for Season 2 of the Kyoto Disturbance arc ne…
Read at the source