A new ‘Spice and Wolf’ announcement currently has the internet in a tizzy. A promotional video was released to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the series, and it looks like the ‘Spice and Wolf’ anime is either getting a season 3, or a brand-new remake.
It’s been over a decade since Isuna Hasekura wrote the source material: a light novel series, titled ‘Okami to Koshinryo’, that released in 2006.
Since then, there have been manga, anime, radio show, and video game adaptations of the original series, as well as an official spin off series, called ‘Wolf and Parchment’.
With so many media adaptations, some people are confused whether or not the series is actually completed or not.
The original ‘Spice and Wolf’ story is finished. The light novel has 23 volumes, consisting of 12 chapters, an epilogue, and a sequel. The manga, which is also completed, has 16 volumes. The anime adaptation has 2 seasons and is incomplete.
Let me break it down further:
Light Novel:
The first 17 volumes of the light novel were published between 2006 and 2011, the last one being the epilogue. An additional 6 volumes, titled Spring Log I-VI, were written by Hasekura to commemorate the series’ 10th anniversary in 2016.
So, the ‘Spice and Wolf’ light novel series ended with a total of 23 volumes, where the last volume, Spring Log VI, was released in 2021.
Manga:
The ‘Spice and Wolf’ manga is an adaptation of the light novel, which was released between 2007 to 2017, with a total of 16 volumes, with 100 chapters.
Anime:
The first season of the anime television series of ‘Spice and Wolf’ was produced in 2008, and the second in 2009. The anime adaptation has 26 episodes, plus 2 OVAs.
On 25th February, 2022, a new anime project was announced.
How does ‘’ end?
The ‘Spice and Wolf’ light novel ending is bittersweet. Holo proposes to Lawrence, despite the fact the Lawrence would die before Holo because he is human.
There is a time skip of 5 full years, and the two get married and decide to settle down together in a town called Nyohira. They relinquish their trade rights and open a bath house called ‘Spice and Wolf’.
We get appearances from companions like the Shepherd and the Oracle, while Cole stays with Holo and Lawrence as an employee at the bath house. Volume 17 reveals that Holo is pregnant with Lawrence’s baby.
As they plan their wedding, all the friends and acquaintances like Norah, Eve, Diana, Elsa, Hildir, Loah, Myuri, Hugh, and Keeman come for the party. By the end of the epilogue, we know that the two give birth to a daughter, whom they name Myuri.
Cole and Myuri are the stars of the spin off series called ‘Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf’.
Is the Anime Ending of ‘Spice and Wolf’ the Same as the Light Novel?
The anime ending of ‘Spice and Wolf’ is different than that of the light novel. The ‘Spice and Wolf’ light novel is not chronological – the anime and manga adapted parts of it, and took large liberties with character details and story arcs.
So, some fans consider the anime and manga of ‘Spice and Wolf’ as separate works of art and do not compare or relate it to the ‘Spice and Wolf’ light novel series.
Season 1 of the anime adapts volumes 1 and 2 and season 2 covers volumes 3 and 5. Episodes 2-5 of the anime are actually completed different from the novel, apart from the bits with Violet’s flashbacks.
The last 2 chapters of the novel were heavily altered in the anime, and most of the content from the epilogue was incorporated in the OVAs – and that too, was not entirely faithful to the original.
How does the ‘Spice and Wolf’ Anime end? What is the New Anime Adaptation About?
Season 2 of the ‘Spice and Wolf’ anime ends with Lawrence declaring his love for Holo. The couple take a boat and begin their quest for Eve. Cole is not introduced in the anime, and the journey to Yoitsu, Holo’s homeland, is also untouched.
The tagline of the new promotional video is: “Shall we embark on a journey again? Holo the Wise Wolf and Lawrence the Merchant’s story continues.”
If the upcoming anime is a continuation from season 2, we could actually see Holo in her wedding dress, and the ‘Spice and Wolf’ bath or inn animated, which would be amazing.
There are also several emotional scenes where Holo and Lawrence discuss how Holo, being a Wolf-spirit, will outlive Lawrence, and how she will have to watch him age and pass away before her eyes. She would have to attend his funeral service, grieve and live without him for eternity.
And yet the two decide to be with each other and spend the time they have left together. ‘Spice and Wolf’ is already one of the best romance anime out there. If season 3 adapts the epilogue, it’s going to be game over for romantic fans.
However, if the new anime is a remake or a reboot, we could get better animation, tighter plotlines, and a more faithful transcription of the dialogues from the light novel.
One of the biggest plus points of the ‘Spice and Wolf’ light novel series is the interactions between Lawrence and Holo. The economics aspect of the series can also be better portrayed, like in the Dr. Stone anime where science is superbly interwoven within the story.
We’ll just have to wait and see what this new anime production is going to be like. Either way, any ‘Spice and Wolf’ update at this point is thrilling because the original story ended ages ago.
About ‘Spice and Wolf’
‘Spice and Wolf’ is a romantic fantasy slice-of-life adventure, first published in the form of a light novel by Isuna Hasekura in 2006. It has since been adapted into manga and anime and has a strong fan following.
It follows the story of Kraft Lawrence, a 25-year-old traveling merchant, who peddles goods from town to town, aspiring to set up his own shop in the future. One day, he finds the Wolf-spirit Holo, who was locally worshipped as the Goddess of Harvest, asleep in his cart.
Having been neglected by the farmers in favor of modern harvesting techniques, Holo aligns herself with Lawrence, and the two travel as partners. He agrees to take her back to her hometown, and in return, Holo uses her ancient economic expertise to help him succeed in business.
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