Welcome back to another episode of Spice and Wolf Season 2, this week released on time! In this episode Lawrence and Fermi clash, Holo makes a choice and the arc finally concludes. Who wins? Read on to find out!
Now the question becomes: Where do I start? You see, my feelings on this arc are conflicted. It was a long and overall good ride to get here don’t get me wrong! I like the progress Lawrence made and the new stage his relationship with Holo has entered. But at the same time it feels like everything was resolved to… cleanly. There was no real confrontation with Fermi, no parting words. In fact it was largely skipped over via narration as if he never mattered at all. And in a way I suppose he didn’t. The primary conflict of the arc wasn’t with Fermi but within Lawrence himself and overall I think that’s fine. It does the job it needs to. Personally though I don’t feel wholly satisfied. Allow me to explain after the break.
First lets about the lead up to the finale. Everything around the market was great. The building tension around the messenger, the revelation of Diana’s failed negotiations, Lawrence’s plan falling apart. Spice and Wolf did a great job here of selling Lawrence’s panic and at the same time showing us how far he has come. What do I mean with that. Well the last time something unexpected like this happened, IE the armor in season 1, Lawrence panicked. He ran around town making a fool of himself, insulting people and demanding money. It was only Holo who broke him out of it that allowed him to come up with the gold scheme to save himself. This time though there was none of that. Ok well there was a little panic. But Lawrence managed to recover without Holo’s aid this time, trusted his instincts, and committed to the plan.
On top of that Spice and Wolf also managed to surprise me with how it ended! Once Diana’s pyrite failed to arrive I had no idea how Lawrence would get out of this. Would he come up with a new plan? Would he beg for Holo back? I half expected Lawrence to lose, not accept Fermi’s money and instead make a public all or nothing statement like “I either want Holo or nothing”. The kind of public proclamation Holo teased him about when he first signed the contract and the admission of his feelings for her. Basically putting Holo above money and profit and really selling the romance angle. We didn’t get that of course. But the fact that I didn’t know what we would get was quite enjoyable. Spice and Wolf managed to surprise me when it mattered most.
As for what actually happened, the reveal that Holo was the one buying Diana’s pyrite was… good? Fine? It certainly fits and the idea that she was playing Fermi the whole time is quite appealing. I actually guessed 2 episodes back I believe when she passed on that letter of Fermi’s current finances to Lawrence. But even then it never crossed my mind that she was the one who visited Diana, not Fermi. Like Lawrence I assumed she had become a passive observer of sorts, watching how things would play out. That Lawrence had to win her back when instead she had already made her own choice. In that way Spice and Wolf did good work here. It reminded us that Holo isn’t some passive love-interest, she has her own agency and is more than willing to take charge in any given scenario. But it also undermined Fermi, a lot.
And this is where we get to the unsatisfactory bits. Because, being frank, Spice and Wolf did Fermi dirty. The moment Holo revealed her play to Lawrence the kid basically got ignored by the story. He collapses in a heap, distraught. He’s not given any final lines and the resolution to his entire futures contract with Lawrence is done in a wordless flashback. After all the time Spice and Wolf spent building up and establishing him this finale is just… unsatisfying. Maybe it’s my fault for being invested in him to begin with. After all it was pretty clear that Lawrence was the primary focus of the arc. But this kids only mistake was falling in love with Holo, and maybe being a bit of a dick, but mostly the love! He didn’t deserve this treatment.
This brings me to this weeks question: Where does Spice and Wolf go from here? Of course there’s the obvious answer in “Yoitsu” in the long term and “Lenos/Nyohhira” in the short term. But I’m more curious in what kind of story Spice and Wolf will tell there. Are we going to get some kind of unifying mercantile story where Holo and Lawrence work together? Using it as an opportunity to strengthen their bonds/relationship? Or are we going to get a more somber arc as we learn about Holo’s past and what became of Yoitsu? I’m very curious about where Spice and Wolf will choose to go here and so long as Holo and Lawrence continue to carry the show I expect I’ll enjoy it!
Finally I want to talk about a few small details that I enjoyed but didn’t warrant an entire section. Stuff like Eu Landt, Mark’s apprentice, professing his love or the reveal that Diana was just like Holo. Both of these were small scenes but I like what they added. How Landt reminded Lawrence of what was important. How Diana expanded on the lore/history of ancients like Holo. Those were really cool side-bits and helped flesh out the story! Giving important scenes to side characters and making it more than just the Lawrence show in its final moments.
So when all is said and done, how was this weeks episode of Spice and Wolf? Well despite my dissatisfaction with how Fermi was treated I did still enjoy the episode. Lawrence and Holo’s relationship, surprise surprise, continues to be the best part of the show. I wish there had been a bit more of a straight forward conversation but maybe I’m just an idiot when it comes to subtlety. Either way I look forward to where their relationship goes from here. As for the rest of the episode, while I wanted to get out of this town I think I’m going to miss this arc’s cast. Mark is still great and I want to spend more time picking Diana’s brain. I suppose that must be the mark of compelling characters though huh?
What about you, are you glad we are done with this arc or are you going to miss it? Looking forward to whats to come? Let me know down below and I will see you next week!
