This work "Spice and Wolf Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf" will be reborn as a completely new animation work in 2024, but do you know what kind of work it is? This work has been a hit as a Narou work and is very well-known, but on the other hand, it has been a long time since it was noticed as an animation work, so there must be many fans who know the title of this work but do not know what kind of work it is. Since it is a completely new animation of a well-known work, many fans are feeling like watching it, but it is also true that many anime fans are hesitant to watch it without knowing what kind of work it is. So, this time I would like to briefly explain what kind of work "Spice and Wolf Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf" is. This article will make it easy to understand what kind of work it is, so please check it out.
Kraft Lawrence
The protagonist of this work is Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant who belongs to the Lowen Merchant Guild. As a merchant, he is a very intelligent person with the ability to accurately analyze situations and knowledge of the structure of society. He is a character who thrives not on his fighting ability, which is rare in fantasy works such as Narou.
Travel with Holo
Lawrence meets Holo, a wolf, at the beginning of the story and they begin their journey together. The structure of the journey is similar to Lone Wolf and Cub. The basic structure of this work is a story about the two of them continuing their journey while cooperating together, and it is also characterized by the fact that the main characters in the work are generally only these two.
To Yoitsu Forest
Lawrence himself did not have a big goal in mind for his journey, but after meeting Holo in the story, the purpose of his journey changed to heading for Yoitsu Forest, her hometown. The story is about facing various events and difficulties in the process of traveling in search of her hometown, Yoitsu Forest.
The voice actor is Jun Fukuyama
The voice of Lawrence, the main character of this work, is voice actor Jun Fukuyama. Fukuyama is a voice actor known for his roles as Kazuma in "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World!" He is not only skilled at powerful voices, but is also well-known for his expressive comedic portrayals. It can be said that he is the perfect voice actor for the image of Lawrence.
Holo
Holo is the heroine who will travel with the main character Lawrence. She has a humanoid form, but her true identity is a wolf, and she is a character who plays an active role by transforming into a human form. She is a female character with distinctive appearance, including animal ears and a tail, and is a legendary anime heroine who is extremely popular among a certain number of male anime fans.
God of Fertility
Holo was originally a god of fertility worshipped in a certain village, and is a character with a history of playing the role of god of fertility for a long time. In this way, Holo has continued to fulfill her role in her life with humans, but over time her role has been forgotten and she has become an entity ignored by humans.
Back Home
Holo, who has been forgotten by humans and has no role to play, wishes to return to her birthplace, Yoitsu Forest. In this work, she travels with the main character Lawrence to return to Yoitsu Forest, and her origins are one of the keywords. In this way, her past is a very important keyword in the work, so be sure to pay attention to this as well.
The voice actor is Ami Koshimizu
The voice of Holo, the heroine of this work, is voice actress Ami Koshimizu. Koshimizu is a voice actress known for her roles as Anemone in Eureka Seven. Like Fukuyama, she is a very accomplished voice actress, so be sure to check her out.
Medieval European Style
The setting of this work is a world view with a medieval European motif, with a unique arrangement added. Since it adopts a medieval European-style world view that is often used as the setting for Narou works, it can be said that it is a reassuring world view as usual for anime fans who have enjoyed many Narou works.
Small kingdoms galore
In particular, the setting of this work, Spice and Wolf, is an area where small countries are scattered, and the story unfolds as a travel tale of traveling between these countries. The fact that there are many small countries is a characteristic that applies to Germany in medieval Europe, so it is likely that medieval Germany is the basis of the worldview of this work.
Traveling merchants play an active role
As such, many small countries appear in the setting of this work, and it seems that the setting is that trade is active among these small countries. In fact, there were many land-based kingdoms in medieval Europe, so traveling merchants who traveled between these countries played an active role as the core of logistics. Furthermore, their role was not only to maintain logistics, but also to obtain information on each region and to be the color of the city, so merchants were very important in medieval Europe.
Religion and other themes also appear
In addition, this work features many settings that faithfully reproduce the worldview unique to medieval Europe, and for example, culture such as religion is depicted and reproduced in detail. It is an adventure drama that unfolds in a setting with a different atmosphere from medieval Japan, so please enjoy this worldview.
A wide range of cultures blend together
Thus, the story is set in medieval Europe, but it has the distinctive feature of blending the cultures of a relatively wide variety of countries to create a world. As mentioned earlier, Germany is considered the most likely source of inspiration for the story, but the cultures of many other countries also appear, so it cannot be said that Germany is the only setting for the story.
Not based on one country
As a result, while this work has a clear image of Germany as its base in medieval Europe, the world view is constructed slightly different from the culture of each country, and as a fantasy, you can enjoy a good imaginary world that does not exist in reality. I think that this mix of cultures is also an element that creates the unique world view of this work, so please take a look at it.
People may have different tastes
While this work is based on the image of medieval Europe, it has a unique worldview created by fusing the cultures of various regions. On the other hand, for fans who are familiar with world history and love the faithful worldview of medieval Europe, this worldview may be a bit stressful, so it could be said that this is an element that is a little bit selective.
A work to enjoy as a fantasy rather than as a historical piece
However, I think the essential part of the fun of this work is that it is enjoyed not as a historical piece, but as a fantasy piece with a worldview that is unlike anything in reality, so I would definitely recommend that anime fans who like historical pieces watch this work as a fantasy piece that is close to historical pieces. There is also a unique fun to this work that can be depicted because it is not bound by the faithful worldview of European society, so please pay attention to that.
A society where humans and beasts coexist
So what kind of form does the society in this work, which is depicted in such a worldview, take? The setting of this work is basically close to real society, but the unique point of the setting of this work is that the beasts have a self-awareness and can live like humans. Of course, not all beasts have such characteristics, but please pay attention to the fact that many creatures with a self-awareness appear, just like in the time of the main character.
Beings superior to humans
The beasts that appear in this work are depicted as beings with the same intelligence as humans while maintaining the physical abilities of animals. Therefore, they are basically beings with many superior characteristics to humans, and the complex balance that arises with humans as a result is one of the themes of this work.
Beasts and Persecution
Unlike the real world, the beasts have special powers, but in this work, coexistence with them is not going well. Humans do not believe in the existence of creatures with more power than themselves, and even if they acknowledge their existence, there is a history of persecuting them as different beings from humans. Even in medieval Europe, there is a repeated history of persecuting civilizations different from their own when they come into contact with them, but in this work, such human persecution spirit is depicted as being directed towards the beasts.
Lawrence and Holo
In this parallel world where the relationship between humans and beasts is far from good, pay attention to how the protagonist Lawrence and heroine Holo build their relationship. Through the depiction of their relationship, the work will provide its own answer to the unfulfilled challenge of coexistence between humans and beasts in the story.
Portraying commerce
As you can see, the setting of this work has many unique features, but this work depicts Lawrence working as a merchant in this fascinating setting. In the Narou genre, which is set in a medieval European world, there are very few works that focus on commerce rather than monster hunting, so we would like to draw attention to the depiction of commerce in this area.
The fun of commercial works
Commercial works are a genre that are not often depicted in animation works, but this work depicts the fun of commercial works well, and this can be said to be the unique charm of this work. I think that it will be quite appealing for anime fans who like animation works set in a medieval European worldview but are tired of battle developments.
It's packed with the ABCs of business, including foreign exchange
In particular, this work is a way to learn about the concept of foreign exchange and how the business model of a peddler, which is the basis of business, works. It is a work that depicts extremely primitive commerce, but it is also a work that is packed with the fun of pure business.
A rare idea for a Narou series
This unique setting of the work is relatively rare for a Narou series. Narou series works are currently in the midst of a boom in reincarnation into another world, and the protagonist who was not successful in the real world is reincarnated in a medieval European-style world and begins to be successful, but in Narou series works where such situations are becoming the main focus, a work like this one that pioneered a new genre of peddler stories is extremely valuable.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we have briefly introduced the characters and worldview that appear in this work, "Spice and Wolf Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf." This work has already attracted attention as a Narou-style work, and has been made into an anime, which has been a huge success. Due to its overwhelming popularity, it has become a particularly popular work that has led to the production of an animated series again. There is no doubt that this work is a masterpiece, so if you are a fan who has become even a little interested in this work after reading this article, please do not hesitate to watch the completely new animation of this work.
