Welcome to the weekly review of Spice and Wolf (2024)! This week, we’ll discuss episode 22, wherein Lawrence and Holo finally discover the whereabouts of the elusive abbey. They’re not out of the woods yet and danger comes for the town of Tereo. Let’s see what this week has in store!
Church Teachings and Memories of Father
Lawrence and Holo visit Elsa’s church once again, asking to pray for say travels. Once inside, Lawrence exploits Elsa’s devoutness and asks directly if the church is itself Diendran Abbey. In order to convince Elsa that they are not agents of the church, Holo reveals her ears and tail. At that sight, Elsa faints. When she wakes, they further convince her of their sincerity and she leads them to a hidden cellar-library containing Father Franz’s writings.
The day quickly passes. Elsa and Lawrence discuss the nature of the church’s God, the duo share a meal with Elsa and Evan, and Holo even swallows her pride to nap in Lawrence’s lap. Then Lawrence discovers a book with accounts and legends about the “moon-eating bear,” the same bear spirit that supposedly destroyed Yoitsu. Before he can read further, a messenger rides into town bearing ill news. It seems someone in Enberch has suddenly died from eating Tereo’s wheat.
Review
So far, the anime adaptation of the Tereo arc has played it very safe. It has adapted almost one-for-one the events laid out in the light novel, with some atmospheric embellishments. By all accounts, it’s a very faithful adaptation but they could have taken more time to develop Elsa’s character. Her connection with Father Franz and the struggle she faces with Enberch’s church officials feel ancillary, like they’re only going to be a brief footnote.
It’s nice that Lawrence and Holo are facing new obstacles together and growing closer because of it, but investment in the other characters is lacking. In contrast, the manga added scenes of Father Franz raising Elsa, teaching her and caring for her. This helps the reader understand and empathize with Elsa’s actions, thus making Lawrence and Holo’s involvement more meaningful. It would have been nice to see some of these scenes make it into the anime.
For an episode titled “…and Memories of Father”, there was a distinct lack of memories of Father. The story is being told strictly from Lawrence and Holo’s point of view, but a few cutaways to other characters’ lives would have been nice.
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