[Spoilers] 2008 Spice and Wolf II Rewatch (2024) — Episode 8

Hello, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the 2024 Spice and Wolf Rewatch.

But you knew that already 😛

This is the first official rewatch of the show since the premiere of the remake. In fact, it’s still currently airing as this rewatch is underway. And while we can compare and contrast what the remake did as opposed to the original, I feel it’s still pretty important to remember what the original adaptation was like seeing as how that’s really what got me into the franchise. And what ultimately made me fall in love with one wise wolf.

For the purposes of this rewatch, I will be watching it subbed since that’s what I’ve been watching the remake in. I will be comparing somewhat the two series, and when I do that, I will be using spoilers. I guess I should say for transparency sake that I am writing this in late July/early August, a full month before the rewatch actually happens. That’s because of time constraints and me having four other rewatches I’m participating in planned. I also waited until the first three volumes got adapted in the remake just so I can have more stuff to talk about.

These reviews won’t be as detailed as some of the other ones, as I don’t really want to spend two or three hours dissecting every episode. I’ll save that for when I do it in my questions :]

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the sub, by the way.

Having beef tips over rice tonight. Pretty fitting dish for this show, I feel like.

The pier

Thankfully no Morgan

Holo holding a knife makes me worried.

Something about a hostage tax is mentioned.

Who knew Holo could read lips?

That alcohol looks mighty frothy.

Also, there’s no way of those 7 cups of alcohol on the table that Holo didn’t drink at least 5 of them.

And Holo is hungover. Big shock.

Lawrence meeting the local barmaid.

And my oh my, she’s a lively bunch.

Her English voice is better, but that may be because Brittney Karbowski voices her.

Lawrence bringing up the merchants hanging around the city entrance.

They all specialize in fur, it seems like.

The fifty man meeting is designed around trying to decide if the fur can be sold.

The Northern expedition was cancelled, meaning the people who’d buy up fur in bulk are gone.

Barmaid feels that they’ll prevent the merchants outside from purchasing the fur, which is sure to cause trouble.

Man, she is extremely flirtatious.

And if course Lawrence has to let it slip that he’s already wrapped around someone else’s finger.

Oh boy. Holo thinks her tail is being sold.

This arc really has Holo being overprotective of her tail a lot.

A donkey

Eh, I’d say Lawrence last arc acted more like a jackass, so it fits.

Holo playing the game of guess what’s in the box.

I have my money on Gwyneth Paltrow’s head.

Holo thinks it’s beaver, and I guess it is.

Holo doesn’t seem to mind, either way.

And now all of a sudden Holo is hugging Lawrence, with him patting her head.

Cute 🙂

I love the transition from Lawrence hugging Holo to Holo lying in bed with Lawrence on the edge of it. Really great stuff.

Holo advising Lawrence to relax a little.

And so he does by talking to the innkeep.

Lawrence saying he’s going to stay until the 50 man meeting ends.

Innkeeper recalling someone he knows but can’t remember the name of.

Now he says in a town where many lives gather, there must be trends.

“Have you heard about the one where you stick out your gyatt for the Rizzler?”

Lawrence says it’s a trend of man to fight fate.

Harold Ekrund. That’s his name.

Man, the kid from The Magic School Bus looking rough.

The mysterious cloaked figure. She has arrived.

About time, because this scene is kinda boring.

In the subs, here’s how the exchange goes.

“You.” “Yes?”

And here’s how it goes in the dub which plays off Harold’s comments of her only talking the fifth night.

“And you?” “I talk.”

Way better in the sub version

It seems like she wants to talk to Lawrence about Rigolo.

Lawrence says he’s feeling cautious because female merchants are hard to come on.

Bold of Lawrence to say Holo has animal-like instincts. That’s like Lois Lane saying Clark Kent has superhero-like strength.

And she takes off her cloak

Fuck, she’s a baddie

Fruhl Boland. That’s her name.

For business, Abe Boland.

I believe her name in the dub is Eve.

I love the way Fruhl carries herself. It’s like she knows she’s hot shit and is willing to flaunt it

Fruhl saying that Harold has good eyes for people.

He also apparently regularly says the phrase “Next year I’ll go on a pilgrimage,” which sure. We the audience never heard him say it, but if you say so.

Fruhl, who I’m going to calling Eve because it’s easier to remember, inquires about Lawrence’s traveling companion.

She also inquires why he wants to meet with Rigolo.

Eve says he wants to require from being a scribe after the fifty man meeting.

Eve letting it slip she’s trading with the church in this town, which Rigolo is associated with.

Lawrence wonders what it would cost him to meet with Rigolo.

“How about you chat with me?”

She also is seemingly interested in talking to Holo.

And they shake hands as the fire burns in the foreground. It almost looks like they’re burning in hell.

Overall, this is a decent enough episode. There was a lot of talking here, some more interesting than others. This episode has three goals in mind: further the stuff with the 50 man meeting, flesh out Rigolo as a character more, and establish Eve as a character in her own right. The stuff between Lawrence and Eve is easily the highlight of the episode and kinda reminds me of Lawrence’s first conversation with Diana. It also has a similar presentation in that Lawrence is after something only they can seemingly provide.

Not the most thrilling of outings, but I like it well enough. It does a good job of keeping the plot moving.

**Holo quotes of the day**

“When I first came to this town it puzzled me because I had no memory of it. But that has changed now.”

“Do you think I would take advantage of your kindness with a deception?” (I mean, isn’t that what you did in the last arc?)

QOTD Answer:

Probably regency bias but I’d say both our MCs from that other rewatch going on

**First Timer**

I’m watching the **Dub**

It seems like every merchant in this town is having trade disputes. The expedition being cancelled is a lasting problem

Lol, Holo is always drunk or nursing a hangover every time we get to a town now

So the town known for trading furs might not even accept or trade any furs this year. Sounds like they are intentionally trying to crash the market

Holo may still be drunk if she thinks Lawrence would try to sell her tail

I like how he’s keeping her distracted by issuing her a challenge

Lawrence is planning on trading in his horse? The infamous horse?

Mysterious person is still mysterious

Mysterious woman is actually pretty talkative

Lawrence doesn’t think Holo will get jealous??? Has he met her??

Not only is Lawrence having a secret meeting with one woman right now, he also had a meeting with the barmaid who seems to think highly of him. I doubt she will be happy to smell two different ladies on him.

As for the economic situation of the town. The council is debating whether they should limit the amount of furs traded by foreign traders so they can monopolize it but this decision is hurting the rest of the town businesses.