Welcome to the weekly review of Spice and Wolf (2024)! Join us as we contextualize the business talk and discuss key differences between the anime, manga, and light novels.
Church Girl and Miller Boy
With advice given to them by Diana, Lawrence and Holo travel to the town of Tereo where they hope to find an abbey that houses stories of pagan gods. Perhaps there, they’ll find more information about Holo’s birthplace. After stopping by the city of Enberch, and a few days of travel, they reach the outskirts of Tereo, where they meet an over-eager miller boy named Evan. He warns them about the strained relationship the townspeople have with the Church of Enberch.
In the town proper, Lawrence inquires about the abbey at the local church. He’s surprised to be greeted by Elsa, a young girl who claims to be in charge. She denies any knowledge about the abbey and shuts him out. Lawrence then visits the village elder, but he too denies any answers. Lawrence and Holo conclude that Elsa and the elder are both hiding something. They also happen to glimpse Evan, meeting Elsa, in the dead of night. Not wanting to pry, Lawrence proposes they visit the tavern to gather information.
Review
It’s refreshing to see this material receiving the anime treatment. For context, the Tereo arc was not covered in the 2008 anime version. The only sources to reference are Vol. 4 of the light novels and Vol. 7 of the manga. As of this episode, it seems like the studio will adapt directly from the light novels and they are much better for it. Instead of relying on sequences and layouts from the 2008 version, this episode shows they can express their own artistic interpretation of the story. Not only do we see more sides of the characters, but the backgrounds and music are given a chance to shine as well.
It would have been interesting if the studio had chosen to follow the manga a little more closely. The biggest difference between the manga and light novels is the perspective. The light novels follow Lawrence and Holo’s point of view, while the manga utilizes tangents to showcase the other characters. For example, the manga introduces Elsa before the duo’s arrival and explores her struggles with the Enberch church officials. It would be nice if the anime starts showing both perspectives so the audience can develop more investment for the characters.
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