Content Consideration: nondescript nudity in screenshots

Fifteen years after the light novel series first began and twelve years after the last anime episode aired, Spice and Wolf is returning with a new anime adaptation. Long-time fans, in explaining the series’ longevity and their own personal investment, would credit the chemistry between the two main leads — the wolf goddess Holo and the traveling merchant Kraft Lawrence — holding out hope that their budding love will fully bloom on screen.

However, the compelling, balanced nature of this romance may not be evident at first glance. Holo and Lawrence’s relationship is initially held back by the circumstances upon which they first meet, rendering Holo as an owned object rather than an equal companion and stifling both leads’ feelings behind layers of performative inauthenticity. Part of the appeal of Spice and Wolf is watching these two characters overcome the gendered norms of their medieval setting, as well as their own personal flaws, to achieve an emotional reciprocity that is narratively satisfying. Even just looking at the first few episodes paints the picture of the solid foundation that will unfold.