I have been meaning to watch the remake of Spice and Wolf for some time now, but the old version resonated with me somehow, so I was a bit skeptical about the remake cause I didn’t want the magic to wane.
However, curiosity won over my uncertainty, and I decided to watch it finally.
The remake has only reached its mid-season, the same as its old counterpart’s first season.
Now, if I want to review the comparison of old vs new, it may not be complete, but it is still worth something, right?
So yes, I will go forward with this review and put some of my thoughts forward.
Table of Contents
Some Roundabout Thoughts About, Spice And Wolf
My first exposure to Spice and Wolf was very sudden.
It was such a time, I found myself acquiring a taste for seinen anime and searching for more, which led me to it.
My first thought, just after watching the poster, was, “Isn’t it just a shoujo anime?”.
Yes, it was a time when I was skeptical about shoujo and harem anime.
After watching the first few episodes, it felt like some feel-good story, but slowly it took off with its fair share of excitement.
After going through some more episodes, the flavor started to spread.
It felt like, a veil was lifted off, of my stereotypical thoughts, as I didn’t previously think the chemistry of man and woman inside anime could be this much more interesting, even though the interest isn’t so much romantic.
Both of the characters, Holo the wise wolf and the merchant Kraft Lawrance, and their chemistry is something, extraordinarily natural.
A relationship started as a deal that evolved into something more than a normal friendship or romantic relationship, something that carried the story forward in an unexpected direction.
Compared to its 2008 counterpart, the new version, of the story, had some visual and contextual material added to it.
After watching its 2024 counterpart, it felt like, there was something amiss in the 2008 version.
It also felt like in the process of trying to become the perfect adaptation, of Hasekura Isuna’s Light novel, the 2024 version of, Spice and Wolf tried something new.
Comparing The 2008 Version Of Spice And Wolf With It’s 2024 Counterpart
Animation And The Sound
The first thing I noticed while watching the 2024 version of Spice and Wolf, was a change in animation style.
The color pallet used in the new version is quite vibrant and this version has more dynamic camera angles compared to its 2008 counterpart.
The version 2008 may have been the one to introduce the beautiful outdoor world of Spice and Wolf, but its remake is the one with the more lush depiction of it.
Another factor was the lighting, especially the darker scenes are easy to follow in the 2024 version, while the 2008 one is dimly lit overall, with some exceptions.
Passione Studio did a great job making the appearance of Holo and Lawrence more unique in the 2024 version than their generic appearances in the 2008 release.
I liked, how Holo became more quirky but remained as haughty and delicate as before in the 2024 release.
Be it Holo’s serious voice while doing dialogue exchanges with Lawrence, or her cute voice while begging something of Lawrence, both are something, that was underplayed a bit in the 2008 release of Spice and Wolf.
Koshimizu Ami did a nice job of delivering the energy and wisdom exuding from Holo’s voice in the 2024 release.
Another interesting and noteworthy change in the remake of Spice and Wolf is the songs and background music played in it, those had a proper medieval vibe going for the series.
Though, I liked the opening song of the 2008 release more.
The Story
Now if we delve into the storyline, there is a major change in the 2024 remake of Spice and Wolf, Chloe is nowhere to be seen, and in her place, there is Yarei.
This somehow, took away the impact of one key moment in a later episode in which Chloe would become an enemy to Lawrence and Holo.
Yarei being in her place, just didn’t cut it for me.
Well, what do I know?
I didn’t have the chance to read the Light novel.
However, both versions stayed true to the way they depict the world of the main story of Hasekura Isuna’s Light novel.
Both the versions of, Spice and Wolf, had a world view through economic means.
All the troubles or solutions were directly or indirectly related to the economy.
So such a world would also familiarize itself with us by its economic means, isn’t that true?
Both versions of Spice and Wolf presented the social structure and condition of government to us by its currencies.
Let us be familiarised with such currencies.
- Silver Trenni Coin
- Silver Filling Coin
- Silver Ireid Coin
- Silver Lute Coin
- Fake Silver Malines Coin
- Silver Falam Coin
- Silver King Landbard The Bald Coin
- Silver Mitzfing Cathedral Coin
- Fake Silver Mitzfing Cathedral Coin
- Silver Saint Mitzfing Coin
- Silver Mitzfing’s Holy Birthday Coin
All silver coins, mentioned in the story, in both the 2008 and 2024 releases, are valued based on the purity of their silver and circulate accordingly.
Those are the index of a country or a power’s current condition, is it in its peak or waning?
This purely economic worldview is the thing, that makes this story entirely different from its peers.
2008 Vs 2024, Chemistry Between Holo And Lawrence
Both versions, 2008 and 2024, did great in delivering Holo and Lawrence pair together while cultivating the chemistry between them.
An unlikely pair, one traveling merchant with a mystic wolf who blesses a village’s crops are shown to have a bond in which they can open up to each other, devoid of any reservation against each other despite their positions.
The bond between Holo and Lawrence as depicted in the 2008 version of Spice and Wolf is a little bit romantic-ish, while the 2024 remake makes it a more neutral type of bonding where trust prevails over anything else.
However, in this aspect, the 2008 version gets more love from viewers.
Holo is shown as more expressive and proactive in some episodes of 2024 than in the 2008 release.
In episode 4, when Holo opens up about her loneliness in the 2024 remake, it’s more expressive than, it was, in the 2008 release.
Even though less romantic, however, the chemistry between Holo and Lawrance in the 2024 release of Spice and Wolf had more spark in it.
Final Thought
Both the versions of 2008 and 2024, are true to the main storyline while going at it nearly in same pacing.
If the 2008 version evokes nostalgia in me, the 2024 version gives a more wholesome experience, while avoiding some minor details.
So, it’s the Spice and Wolf remake of the 2024 release after all, that took the cherry.
There are more seinen animes, released in 2024.
Among them, I’ve curated 7 such gems, to know what those are, consider reading my Blog Post on 7 great seinen anime to watch in 2024.
