I’m back with the penultimate episode of Spice and Wolf! Season 1 at least. This is a big episode with lots of things happening. Some I expected, others I didn’t, all of them were pretty good. So without further ado lets dive in!
Before we get to the narrative, and some big things happened let me tell you what, let’s talk backgrounds. Toshihiro Kohama and his team did a great job with these backgrounds. I haven’t talked about them much until now because most episodes take place in a singular location. Even when traveling there’s not that much variety. This week however we not only got to see multiple locations but also those same locations in multiple ways. Whether it be the sunlit fields outside Lamtra, a dark and shadowed forest or wet and drooping pines in a storm, Spice and Wolf looked good. If only it had the animation chops to back these up. I wouldn’t have to use as many wide shots for pictures as I do if they looked good up close. You know one thing that does look good when examined up close though? The narrative.
Yes its a terrible transition but roll with me here damnit.
Anyways, I was right about the betrayal! I wasn’t sure who would do the betraying, or how, but I knew it would it happen! It’s only natural that it’s Lemerio though. They were easily the shadiest of the 3 and had the most resources. I wasn’t expecting Norah to get caught up in it however. I assumed that however the betrayal went down that Norah would come out fine, maybe just not get paid. Why hurt the Shepherd right? But it makes sense that Lemerio wouldn’t want to leave any witnesses and who is going to notice Norah disappearing. It would be really easy to blame her death on the wolves or the mercenary band just like they are doing to Lawrence and Holo. Infact it’s exactly what the church wants.
Speaking of Holo we have a lot to talk about! In regards to the betrayal Holo seems like the solution. She’s the only one unaccounted for and has the most personal power in this situation. She can rescue Lawrence, scare off the patrol and basically do anything. You know, like a God. So I expect her to save Norah and Lawrence from the physical harm. As for how they actually get back at Lemerio? Well we’ve had a lot of greedy merchant church parables recently, the very same ones I used against Lawrence before. It’s obvious they are going to get their comeuppance, the question is how. I’m expecting something like this: Lawrence and Holo go to the Church, report the gold and act like they were mugged (which they were). Lemerio gets checked, punished for smuggling and Lawrence and Holo now make off with “legitimized” gold.
Maybe that’s a bit to idyllic but I figure something along those lines.
That’s not all for Holo though as this week we meet another wolf! Not a small normal wolf but a fully blown capital w Wolf! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this happening. At least not until we got to Holo’s homeland at least. It’s nice to see the supernatural making a return to Spice and Wolf though. The conflict between tradition and a progressing society was really interesting early on. I had actually thought Spice and Wolf had dropped it, or relegated it for later on in the story. So I’m really happy to see it making a return here for the season finale even in just a small way. As for the wolf itself, we don’t know much yet. Holo called him a “Youngling” and based on all the relationship talk prior he might be looking to steal Holo for himself. Aside from that? No idea.
Big moments aside though there were a lot of small moments this week I enjoyed. For instance I liked how Holo’s skills and knowledge with wolves were noticed. Not only does it reinforce Norah as a skilled Shepherd, it also continues to tease the possibility that she could get revealed. If there was ever a moment for that to happen I think a cliffhanger ending might be it. I also really enjoyed the slow build up to the reveal of the other Wolf. Holo poking fun for kisses, leaving some clothing expecting to transform and its slow, plodding gait. These are all small things and the scene’s only take a few seconds each but I think they work together well in the build up.
By far though my favorite scene of the episode had to be Norah and Holo. There was so much subtext, so many small jokes, so much double speak here. Whether it be Holo implying she was fucking Lawrence to an innocent Norah or the implied switch that he was the rabbit and her the wolf. Then there was the whole bit about Enek being secure in Norah’s affections and looking for another, obviously a jab at Lawrence because of Holo’s jealousy over Norah. It was like 5 minutes of passive aggressive bitching coached in clever dialogue and sharp line delivery. And I loved it. I’m not usually a fan of romance, I think I’ve said this before, but these two work really well together.
All in all, it was a pretty good penultimate episode. Just enough happened how I expected that it felt properly planned out. The hints that had been given were enough that astute viewers could predict where things would go. Meanwhile the Wolf is unexpected and one I, and our leads, had no possible knowledge about. It’s a well fitting wrench that doesn’t invalidate their plans, just makes them more complicated.
At this point it’s pretty certain that I like Spice and Wolf. The only question is how much and whether or not it can stick the landing. Spice and Wolf is certainly setup for a strong finish. We have a good arc that wraps up many major themes, Holo confronting the supernatural/Wolf side of this world and Lawrence dealing with the consequences of his own actions. I only hope it can nail this finale. I hope to see you next week when we find out!
