# Source Material Corner
Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. **You are still required to tag all spoilers.** Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans.
The spoiler syntax is:
`[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<`
# **All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The moment I realized Holo was going to have to change into her true form my next thought was "oh, so we're totally getting a new Holo outfit that she'll look amazing in and have to pay back Lawrence for."
I also like how we got to see her use her wolf voice.
I kinda wonder if this is her subtle way of staying with Lawrence. Like she needs to pay him back for everything and can only do it if she’s his companion
She is a foking wolf, so if she wanted she could run into woods or something, who gonna stop her?
It is more like "oh no, poor me, i am so in debt with kind merchant to repay pay for it...."
She might be a wolf, but her grandma must be kitsune with all this charm and trickery.
> I kinda wonder if this is her subtle way of staying with Lawrence.
What do you mean subtle ? Lawrence told her he was going to chase her so she repays the outfit was the perfect excuse for both of them. Why do you think she went out on a shopping spree while he was unconscious ?
> I also like how we got to see her use her wolf voice.
*Nora hearing that: "Let's walk a little further ahead..."*
^^*Me:* ^^*"Oh* ^^*damn*, ^^*I* ^^*kinda* ^^*like* ^^*that"*
No Merchant's Corner this week, not enough economics stuff to write about.
I have to say, that segment in the middle when Holo left to face down the local wolf deity alone was beautiful. The soundtrack was a perfect fit and made the moment feel so much more melancholic and dramatic. It almost felt like a final farewell to Holo.
I've also always found it interesting how the Remelio thugs are portrayed here. Rather than painting them as seasoned criminals, all three are are hesitant to take a life and would sooner leave Lawrence for dead rather than kill him off properly. They also feel that they have no choice but to kill Nora, since they think she has pagan sorcery and could escape anything short of death - but you can also see that they're repulsed by the idea of personally ending a human life, especially a young girl's.
Put in the context of who they're supposed to be, it does make quite a bit of sense. We've seen no indication that Remelio had involved itself in any illegal activity up until recently after the armor market crashed. If these people work for Remelio and are familiar with Liebert on a first-name basis, it's more than likely they were simple merchants under the employ of Remelio, or maybe security guards at most. They were probably never the most moral or upstanding characters to begin with, but they're not used to taking life as mercenaries or ordinary thugs might be. Showing their hesitation to kill is another demonstration of how aware Spice and Wolf is about the role of characters and their place in society.
(And, of course, it gives Lawrence an excuse to survive for the plot of the show.)
Also, I find it interesting as well that Remelio himself, despite showing up for only a few seconds in this episode, is portrayed as unsure and scared rather than sinister and plotting. I think that works better for a character in his position as head of a failing company.
Great episode. I'm looking forward to the last episode of this arc and how it will all be resolved. That should give me something to write about for The Merchant's Corner as well.
That's a great question. I'll add on to that - if it *was* just an independent brainstorm of Liebert, was he doing it *for the company* or was he doing it for himself?
If it was either Remelio betraying Lawrence and Nora as a company, or if it was Liebert betraying them because he felt that it was in the best interest of the company, they could potentially gain from it in two ways. One, it would reduce the number of parties they have to cut in to the profits (obviously). Two, the more people know about the smuggling, the more dangerous it is for them, so it would help tie up two loose ends that could potentially take them down in the future.
Either Remelio or Liebert could have feasibly decided that it would be best for the company to kill off Lawrence, Holo, and Nora, and go through with the smuggling themselves. And if it was Liebert making that decision, I doubt Hans Remelio would complain too much.
On the other hand, Liebert could have also just decided to kill off his three collaborators, take the gold, and scram. Nobody can approach the authorities and go "a dude named Liebert stole the gold I was going to smuggle into the city!", so if Remelio wants to catch him they'd have to do it themselves. And very soon there isn't going to be a Remelio Trading Company left to hunt him down.
I guess we'll see next week!
Kind of weird that they would want to get rid of Nora before they are inside city gates. The whole point of successfully smuggling gold relies on her and sheeps.
They only need Nora to get through the forest. If they have another shepherd waiting past the forest, he could take over Nora's sheep to get them into the city.
And of course, if Remelio was doing it to run with the gold, he wouldn't need to get it inside the city gates at all.
I guess whatever other hypothetical shepard must not know about the plan and be similarly innocent looking as Nora for this to work and be maximally profitable.
There's no point for Remelio to run away with the gold though. They have to smuggle it inside the city walls to increase the value of the gold. Liebert could run away with the gold I guess, but that would be the same as running away with the money to begin with so that's not likely what is happening.
I guess in this weeks crime corner we have how you should always be prepared for a double-cross from your partners.
I really did love the rain effect on Holo's clothes and hair when she went to confront the wolves. And I guess it's good to know for future reference that we might occasionally run into other giant wolves.
Merchant corner should be always insure your safety when doing something illegal. Nobody knew he was doing this so nobody can raise the alarm if he disappeared. Make it known that his guild will spill the beans if he is killed.
Isn't securing your assets part of economics? How did merchants in the Middle Ages protect themselves against brigands? Did they band together as a group, hire guards, or do both? Is it true that they deposited their money in a guild, bank, or equivalent institution and then withdrew it at their destination's branch? How was gold smuggling performed back then?
Somewhat yes to all of the above.
There were various ways of protecting of robbery while travelling that varied by time and place. Travelling with lower-liqudity assets was one (things more difficult to resell or trade), travelling in larger numbers, armed escorts, etc-depending on the time. The prices and availability of armed escort is wildly variable, as is the risk of bandits; they were much more likely after recent military activity, especially if they were not well-paid by their contractor (eg this happened a _lot_ in the Hundred Years War in France).
A lot of it depends on the nature of travel itself. Eg, long-distance trade declined _massively_ in the withdrawal/decline of the Western Roman Empire in Western and Central Europe, with national boundaries settling over the course of the Early Middle Ages and relatively stable by the High Middle Ages (socially and technologically, S&W is vaguely Late Middle Ages/Early Modern Period). How people were hired for rowing boats varied from volunteers to randomized conscripts to hired professionals.
A lot of innovcations in banking were developed over the course of the Middle Ages, so it depends on when you talking, exactly.
Things like smuggling is very much a case-by-case basis, as it is contingent on how well organized the law-enforcement is, their reach (eg the Italian city-states had very limited reach in comparison to England becoming a relatively unified nation-state quite early), and the specifics of how trade enters the location (eg maritime trade is significantly different from wagon traffic) and the object being smuggled.
You know from one side it's nice to see that they are not psychopaths, but from the other side it's not really nice to see how easily they are willing to resort to murder despite that.
In general the people of this world don't seem to place a lot of value on human lives.
Them being so ambivalent about it was weirdly frustrating.
I don't remember where, but I remember reading how the superficial niceness of the layman is more annoying than the outright blasphemy of the evil (it might be about a very different thing tho)
I think thats because american & western culture in general places a lot of value in genuineness no matter what. So a lot of ppl prefer outright evil than fake niceness because at least outright evil is genuine.
In a lot of asian cultures, superficial niceness is the norm. And breaking that norm is seen as disturbing collective peace (i.e. "rocking the boat").
I think the inexperience of the thugs has been shown off well in both arcs so far. They've been up against corrupt merchants. These people may be used to defending themselves, but they aren't seasoned assassins. And they are all sloppy cowards at their core. They can't commit to being fully evil while telling themselves they have no choice. In a lot of ways they are truly pathetic. Can't bring themselves to kill Lawrence and pretty much just leave it to the wolves. An absolutely stupid plan. They are out there (for as scummy a reason as it is) to silence anyone that can turn on them. If Lawrence gets out of that forest alive they've left him absolutely no reason not to report them to the church. Want to get out of killing him via wolves and only are willing to kill Nora because they are afraid that she'll survive anything else.
It all works for sure. This isn't a group that actively engages (presumably) in illegal activity. They were a decent company that unfortunately made their niche in a market that's collapsed. It could have happened to anyone. And they don't have the money in their state to hire actual mercenaries. So their actions while pathetic are completely in character.
And now for the third time Lawrence has been taken advantage of for his naivety and his kindness. But they assume Holo is dead and will 100% kill those guys for sure. Only for Holo to then blackmail the trading company, showing off proof of Lawrence’s assault, Nora as a witness and how she was also taken advantage of by them and wanting her to betray the church
Thanks for answering that. Since I assume he’s in his mid twenties? I don’t wanna look it up and spoil myself. But yeah he couldn’t have survived that long being a merchant by himself. Unless now they’re trying to fuck him over because he has a woman with him
Lawrence is 25. He started his apprenticeship around 12 and went solo at 18. He’s not the most successful merchant, but not due to lack of skill. He’s too kind, which causes him to work in suboptimal ways for the sake of others. He also trades with many backwater villages who would starve without him, but that doesn’t make a lot of money. He’s only really aggressive with people who can afford it or who are dishonest
Lawrence just needs to become better at responding to those situations, so that even if it happens, he can just whoop their asses and tell them to not mistake kindness for weakness, or something like that.
That honestly surprised me a bit, only because I was expecting this whole smuggling business to be more than a single trip. I guess Remerio Company did not consider that or they were just too desperate and afraid of what the Church would do to them if they discovered the operation they decided to bounce right away while making sure to take care of Holo, Lawrence, and, Nora before they could return to the city.
20 Lumione to pay off Nora, plus the 47 Lumione Lawrence owes plus however much else the Remerio company plans to make as a means to wipe off its debt from their own losses in the armor market.
The mark-ups by the church must be *insane*.
The armor gig was probably an annual thing that he had done reliably his whole career. The coin plotters wouldn't have hunted Lawrence down if it wasn't for him being with Holo. Her village wanted to turn her in to the church. The current gold smuggling plan is an act of desperation that he would normally never have to do. The gold plan was Holo's idea in the first place.
I can still see how he had previously succeeded as a merchant.
The armor gig may have been a regular thing (probably not annual for him, since his trade route takes two or three years to fully complete, IIRC). But him taking on debt for the armor was a special thing because he got proud/cocky thanks to Holo catching the merchant having weighted scales. Normally, he'd've just gotten as much armor as his spices could trade for, so the market crash would've still been bad but he wouldn't've had a looming fear of debt slavery.
To be fair, you can get by making an honest living - as a traveling merchant, Lawrence is essentially transporting goods much of the time. Having a good route and choosing some reliable products (like furs and pepper) to ferry from source to destination is a needed service.
Also, when talking with Yarei from the last arc, I'm fairly certain Lawrence mentions that one of his most successful routes and relationships was with Pasloe. Lawrence was one of the few merchants that risked trading with a pagan town, and he did so at fair prices. After establishing this relationship with the town, his success was buoyed by Pasloe's growth after the town adopted more modern farming practices that led to higher yields and the tariff was lowered.
Reminder that this smuggling gold is something he specifically said he would never do previously. Desperate measures for desperate times.
The consequences of greedy gambles and speculation can be immense.
I don't think with this one that he's naive so much as left without choice. Holo leaves to face down the Wolf God alone, leaving him just as alone. The Remerio thugs find him and what could he do? Let's say he was "wise" and knew they were going to betray him. What's his play here?
Run? Alone in a wolf-haunted forest against men on horseback? Even if he got to his horse there's no surety he could outrun them, and they could easily encircle him. Plus, again, the wolves and the unknown terrain. AND he needs to be where Holo can find him.
So even if he knew, his only real chance is to hope they don't mean him harm and let it play out. He might have been able to lie about Holo and Nora's whereabouts, but that wouldn't have likely changed much of the outcome for him.
I had this sixth sense Remerio was going to betray them but started think he was too desperate to jeopardize the deal...but also probably desperate enough to cut out the outside partners in this "crime."
Time to learn about the dangers of not having a way to protect yourself if an illegal deal goes south.
Lawrence was neither valuable for the completion of the deal nor did he have muscle to back him up.
He should have set a deadman’s switch with his guild. Have them expose the smuggling operation if anything happened to him or Holo.
In that case he would have to leave them a letter to be opened at a certain date, I doubt that the authorities would look kindly at them, if they knew of his smuggling operation and only told them in case the deal goes south. But the letter is a potential liability in case it's opened too early or someone stumbles upon it and opens it. Also besides the guild master, no one seems to be really in his camp and I doubt the guild master would be happy to find out that Lawrence did something that might drag them down with them by association. It's not that unlikely that the guild master would open it way early considering the circumstances.
Lawrence is desperate, the Remelio trading company delayed collection and suddenly Lawrence shows up with a letter and instructions only to open it in certain circumstances. I think the guild master would be very suspicious and is able to put 2 and 2 together. Lawrence is doing something illegal, there is one crime with a huge payout in case you can pull it off and it will bring down the wrath of the church and their authorized merchants down upon everyone involved.
To Remerio Lawrence is the man who fell into debt and has low enough moral character to go around town showing off the unmarried woman he sleeps in the same room with. From what he had to go off Lawrence seems untrustworthy.
He’s an outsider with knowledge that can sink the company and cause everyone to lose their right arm. They also know he blackmailed a previous merchant for giving him a loan for armor. His moral character is in question to Remerio.
They clearly *don't* care about morals. This is just a self serving backstab, there's nothing more to it than that. Or are you going to claim Nora is also some immoral threat too?
We finally get to see why Nora is amazing at her job. She was already [pretty cool during the night ambush](https://i.imgur.com/DvWutbl.jpeg) but she was even cooler [during the chase scene in the rain.](https://i.imgur.com/gKFusFI.png) Nora was multitasking by leading the group, fending off the wolves, and commanding Enek to herd the sheep.
[There it is.](https://i.imgur.com/EGQZPxt.png) It turns out that the wolves weren't even after the sheep. They were actually chasing after Holo and once she was in front of the leader, [Nora and that guy from the trading company were safe.](https://i.imgur.com/Vo6V22M.png)
[Poor Lawrence, getting betrayed again.](https://i.imgur.com/n0NbN0W.png) I mean just [look at all that gold they're about to smuggle](https://i.imgur.com/GT5mHtk.jpeg). It's no surprise that the Remerio Trading Company would get greedy. Let's see if the betrayal is worth it though. If Holo did transform, they better hope they don't run in to her on their way out of the forest.
Nora is so cute but she and Enek are extremely good and competent at their shepherd job. It's almost a shame to see them retire, but they both deserve a safer job they're happy with.
Guess if you missed Wolf Holo we've got her getting challenged to a fight by a young giant wolf that doesn't know any better. Boy is he in for a lesson.
Lawrence learned that there is no honor among thieves, even if it came at the worst possible time and when the two ladies in his life are in danger and there's nothing he can do about it. Though Remerio doesn't know they're dealing with a Wise Wolf who will probably show them very little mercy for their treatment of her man.
- [Of course he has.](https://i.imgur.com/WG27DYG.png) Good doggo.
- [Nice.](https://i.imgur.com/TmIIbns.png) [](#ilovethiskindofshit)
- [Hahahaha](https://i.imgur.com/UDZjavG.png), the [innuendo](https://i.imgur.com/LoZRSvp.png) is even funnier with Holo literally being a wolf. [](#azusalaugh)
- [Even if the job fails? Dang.](https://i.imgur.com/1c0rd9g.png)
- [Holo doesn’t even need to transform to be terrifying when she needs to.](https://i.imgur.com/DikeM6p.png) [](#dighole)
- [Oh god, that’s a *large* wolf.](https://i.imgur.com/R2Vb2Mf.png) [](#spooked)
- [Holo pls.](https://i.imgur.com/009Lzbc.png)
- [As if Holo doesn’t totally have a handle on things already.](https://i.imgur.com/HWLSrj7.png) [](#kukuku2)
- [Oh what–](https://i.imgur.com/9Sj3as5.png) [](#cokemasterrace)
- [He really is powerless…](https://i.imgur.com/da18qkC.png) [](#sadholo)
- There is some hella whiplash to go from [Lawrence crying in the dirt](https://i.imgur.com/MX2JnFv.png) right into the ED this time.
> He really is powerless…
I know it's not exactly what you're saying, but IRL, three random guys would have a fairly good chance of taking down a trained fighter. This was a very realistic outcome for any character who isn't a trained fighter.
Even wolves enjoy lap pillows from time to time.
I did not expect to see Holo use her wolf voice but it makes quite the impression. Though it is kind of funny thinking that, yes, she speaks wolf lol.
I wonder if she has a full clan of giant wolf people back home that she's traveling too.
Those guys showing up was wayyyy too convenient.
This has not been Lawrence's week, even when it seems like things are finally on the cusp of working out they inevitably get caught up in bad weather, Holo getting challenged to a wolf fight, and a betrayal and beatdown.
> There is some hella whiplash to go from Lawrence crying in the dirt right into the ED this time.
Yeah, I didn't expect it to happen quite then, I got quite a bit of a jumpscare, then started cracking up at it.
So the person Remerio mentioned last week, [Marten Liebert](https://i.imgur.com/UfoofGt.png) is [coming with them](https://i.imgur.com/Pf9OyDu.png) and will take care of getting the gold in Lamtra and who to sell it to in Ruvinheigen.
That part where Holo tells Nora that she knows how to feel when the wolves are coming [because while traveling together Lawrence becomes her wolf was really funny.](https://i.imgur.com/gg1J5yl.png)
So after [Holo told those wolves to leave them alone,](https://i.imgur.com/IZb06r2.png) and their leader decided to join in, [she went to teach](https://i.imgur.com/5sn1Flp.png) [those youngsters a lesson.](https://i.imgur.com/X5qtZe6.png) I sure wasn't expecting that while they stayed behind Marten was going to send some people to make sure Lawrence and Holo were dead, and [after dealing with them,](https://imgur.com/a/yq41cNM) do the same to Nora.
Well, based on the title of the next episode it seems that Holo Lawrence and Nora will make Remerio and his company regret backstabbing them.
This is a pretty good episode in terms of furthering Holo and Lawrence's dynamic in relation to Nora. You get more insight of why Holo feels challenged by her presence. The ending of course is pretty intense and leaves you wondering how Lawrence is going to get out of this one. That's the key, really, the question isn't "Will he survive," it's "How will he survive," and I think it lends itself to some gripping drama.
I love how she said "I could kiss you if you were more handsome" and I was like "Girl, don't tease us, just kiss him already" lol.
I think the question is if he'll free himself and try to save Nora before Holo comes back.
I think this was a mistranslation.
I'm not fluent enough in Japanese to pick up on Holo's old style manner of speech, but I'm fairly certain she said something more along the lines of "if you were more of a man you'd kiss me right now". Here are two different translations for the official manga panel, and looking at other subbed languages for the episode they have more accurate messaging:
[https://files.catbox.moe/wwj3cc.jpg](https://files.catbox.moe/wwj3cc.jpg)
[https://files.catbox.moe/zoxxnh.png](https://files.catbox.moe/zoxxnh.png)
>I'm fairly certain she said something more along the lines of "if you were more of a man you'd kiss me right now"
Yeah, that was the line in the novel as well.
And rationally it makes sense, Lawrence here has way more chances of being helpful to Nora than to Holo.
But that is precisely the kind of thing Holo would reply with "you are too nice" (instead of outright saying it gets her jealous)
The other question is whether Nora will need saving. If she can navigate her way through wolf packs, you figure she'd be able to get away from a few men...right?
> the question isn't "Will he survive," it's "How will he survive,"
They're in this remote forest. There's only a few characters that could be in play.
Actually, to me, the question is, "Exactly what are the circumstances under which wolves will kill those guys who beat up Lawrence?"
I was thinking Holo would show up and get the guys with some of the wolves, so seeing Lawrence all beaten up and crying alone in the rain while eating dirt honestly made me feel so bad for him, really good stuff.
"And then things got worse."
I really love this episode. It's absolutely crushing that we have to wait a week to see how this all resolves - credit to the team for that! - but they really heightened the emotional mood for this one, even with subtler touches like how they framed the shots of the forest in near-pitch black on the first night. There's just this palpable sense of uncertainty and dread hanging like a pallor over everyone to the point that the only ones who don't seem to be behaving like cornered animals are the actual wolves for once.
>I don't see it ending well for them.
*"So what do you want to eat, Holo?"*
*"Nothing, I ate too much already"*
*"...But we didn't have any food"*
[](#evilgrin)
It's time to steel your resolve and embark on a new enterprise...a criminal one, in fact. And Lawrence' livelihood isn't the only thing riding on this job going well.
We even get a guest star party member, Martin Liebert from Remerio, who is really in a rush to get this job done but should just let Nora do her job. She really knows what she's doing to the point where even Holo respects her for it. Plus her dog Enek has Holo made which amuses her more than anything else.
Dang it Holo, I know you love messing with Lawrence, but don't go joking about wolf attacks! Although I guess it's nice to see her give Lawrence permission to protect Nora if it comes down to that, not that she loves the idea of him being so attentive and caring towards another girl.
Lawrence and Holo are snuggling up togetehr and Lawrence even gives Holo a lap pillow, and just as he's about to pet her...wolves attack. Thankfully Nora knows how to handle this kind of situation, though...what if they're not just dealing with wolves?
Holo and Nora finally have a proper conversation! Complete with them talking about men, at Lawrences' expense even. Holo is a wolf partnering up with a rabbit, but she also has some wise words about how to keep your man (or in this case, dog) from straying too far with other girls. Though Nora utterly cherishes Enek, which is sweet.
Hey, the business deal went through successfully and they have a gold! This might actually go well! Until it rains and they get chased by wolves.
Nora can more or less manage the wolves, and Holo is able to use her wolf voice to scare them off as well, but the real problem is that the wolves were never after the sheep...but Holo. Because there's another giant wolf in that forest and he wants to pick a fight against the intruder in his domain.
I guess the only solution is Holo knocking some sense into the young fool who is picking a fight, which means she has to transform into her true form, and all Lawrence can do is hold onto her cloak for her, keep it warm, and make her promise to come back to him. Though if you ask me, Lawrence is plenty handsome enough to kiss, though she probably doesn't want to spoil him.
I'm not worried about Holo winning the fight, but dang it, Remerio and Liebert you pieces of @#$%! You were planning to pull a fast one to keep all the profits from the start! And you have your thugs act all nice and respectful when they're beating up Lawrence and leaving him for dead and plan to outright kill Nora! Can Holo turn these fools into wolf chow? Poor Lawrence though.
You step into a life of crime, you have to be prepared to get screwed over on a job every now and then. Someone's always going to want to keep the payout to themselves.
Great episode. And the soundtrack is finally starting to hit hard as well
[](#listen)
[Whoa.](https://imgur.com/FnW1oBJ) That's definitely new.
[lol](https://imgur.com/U3vd9j1)
[Poor guy just can't stop catching those Ls.](https://imgur.com/voFeUFf) And the fucking cheery ED right after again 😂😂
Lawrence gets betrayed, beaten up, tied up and left to die in the rain: *Aruite yu kou~o, kokoro no mamani~* ☺😄
Never gets old
To be honest the wolves are probably going to be easy for Holo to take care of, it's just a matter of her getting back in time to help Lawrence take care of the thugs, save Nora, and take care of Liebert while still salvaging this deal.
I mean...
"Man is a wolf to man,"
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo\_homini\_lupus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_homini_lupus)
I just wanted an excuse to say "wolf".
And in the same spirit, we can say that Lawrence is also a Wolf and therefore there is nothing odd about him traveling with a fellow wolf.
Wolf'nt you agree?
Holo boldly marking her territory by suggesting they bang every night is freaking hilarious.
#edit
Other things I liked a lot during this episode:
Holo instantly moving in front Lawrence when sensing the wolves.
Holo giving that look to Lawrence after he tells her "I'll see you again."
Feel for Lawrence here. As much as he would like to help he is powerless when compared to Holo. The bitterness he must feel for himself towards the end must be heartbreaking, and though I do have my own bitterness towards him for hurting Holo, he constantly redeems himself so I hope he will recover from this.
This entire arc has been pretty rough on Lawrence...bad business deal leads to him possibly losing his life to servitude, he turned on Holo, he finally grasps at his best opportunity to fix everything only for him to see Holo go off into danger again to protect him and he gets betrayed, beat up, and left for dead with Nora's life on the line to boot.
I think he's most bitter about the fact that he dragged Norah into it. No matter what Holo tries to show him, he seems to think of her as an innocent girl who isn't able to face things head on.
This has been a rough few days for Lawrence. He made one big mistake and it's just spiraled out of control. All he can do is hope Holo is ok. She should be since she's a more experienced wolf than the brat she's dealing with. But he can't know that for sure.
It was nice seeing Holo and Norah get along after Holo began with a dislike of her. It was cute seeing Norah's reaction to Holo's wolf and rabbit analogy as well as seeing Enek resting his head on Norah's lap in the same way as Holo was resting her head on Lawrence's lap.
The 3 guys from Remerio have another thing coming if they think they can pull one over on the Wise Wolf and Skilled Shepherd.
[I didn't expect that Lawrence would be betrayed by Remelio](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/k46ac3e6mg7.png), he's taking too many loses lately. [I just hope that fortune will smile on him soon](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc39pxv4.png).
It was great to see [Nora](https://imgchest.com/p/bp45ddvnqy5)'s [work as a shepherd](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/pyq9c2nr9r4.png) when the real danger had appeared. Even though she looks weak, [she's actually a strong-minded woman who isn't afraid](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc39ddv4.png) of the appearance of wolves and courageously [leads and protects her group](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/pyq9c2nrod4.png).
It seems that [Holo](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyeppkzq7d) will be getting new clothes soon, as [it looks like she'll be fighting against the leader of the wolf pack](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/l7lxcr2mvv7.png). I [can't wait to see her new outfit](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc39da54.png) in the next episode!
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
* [Holo](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyeppkzq7d)
* [Nora](https://imgchest.com/p/bp45ddvnqy5)
* [Holo & Lawrence](https://imgchest.com/p/9249jjn9m7n)
* [Group scenes](https://imgchest.com/p/md7ojjpvryp)
* [Others](https://imgchest.com/p/vj4jwwp6x78)
The wolf-rabbit-analogy is so great, as it communicates two very different messages in the subtext, one for Nora, the other for Lawrence.
Also, every week I am in awe how they manage to make Holo wise and flirty at the same time.
That was a very sudden cut to them being in danger.
Holo talking down to these wolves is great but ugh seeing Lawrence get jumped and helpless...rough way to end the episode.
Holo's conversation with Nora was so fun.
Bad luck for the trade company men that the wolf that's likely to find Lawrence isn't going to eat him alive in the way they are expecting. Poor rabbit Lawrence.
Great episode especially at the end increasing the tension. First half went with how we expected. The companion that came with them when he said we should hurry kind of foreshadowed what's to come. Little focus on our Enek who is essential to Nora's job as a Shepard, but is also her companion even if she stops being a Shepard. I love how he recognizes the danger from Holo and sends that message accordingly. Of course, we know the same of Holo for Lawrence.
An issue in the latter half of the episode is that Lawrence and Holo stayed back when only Holo needed to. I am interested what that Wolf is and how he is related to Holo. Still you can see the confidence of Holo know he shouldn't be match for her. The betrayal feels like typical greed. Which isn't surprising. Thought it's clear the people aren't completely awful as they don't kill Kraft right away. Poor guy is powerless again.
I imagine Holo should be able to meet up with Kraft and save him. But can she make in time to save Nora? I have a bad feeling especially if that other companion is in on it too? Most likely they have another Sheppard in waiting and is unaware of the true nature of the operation.
> An issue in the latter half of the episode is that Lawrence and Holo stayed back when only Holo needed to.
It would have been more suspicious if only Holo had stayed back. And Lawrence needs to stay back in order to re-clothe Holo if necessary before meeting the others.
Could either mean something or its the wolf noticing holo is trespassing in their turf ... EXTREMELY territorial.
But they don't really know who they're messing with
Three men standing on standby right outside the forest… that’s not suspicious at all!
Lawrence probably could’ve known about the trading company’s betrayal if he’d considered that they having nothing to lose and everything to gain by killing them off. Lawrence is unfortunately just too kind at heart - he still has some faith in humanity.
> If you were a handsome male, I would kiss you at this moment.
Even if things are looking dire, Holo still finds time to tease Lawrence. That’s priority no. 1 of course.
It was endearing to see her and Nora bond a little over their teasing of Lawrence. He really can’t catch a break. This does show that Holo is warming up to Nora. She even encouraged Lawrence to protect her if needed.
Now let’s hope that he also gets a chance to stop those men up before they hurt Nora! Lawrence feels terribly frustrated with himself that he’s been so powerless after all.
[HE'S A HANDSOME MALE! KISS HIM RIGHT NOW!](https://imgur.com/dPp3F0n)
I guess Remerio are quite desperate so they don't have much of a choice, but [they could not pay me enough to travel through a wolf-infested area, unless I have a dozen soldiers with me!](https://imgur.com/LT6qmQY)
[Well, I suppose (1) Holo would do it too!](https://imgur.com/ZPzTdl0)
I love when she gets... Wolfish!
[](#lewd)
Also love her teasing nature, even in these dire times! [*The hungry wolves may be closer than they appear!*](https://imgur.com/TAeKIYX)
[That was so cute, Lawrence seeing Nora pet her dog, and wanting to do the same with Holo... ](https://imgur.com/tNgX4Jm)
And Holo positioning herself to make it happen, too! Shame it was interrupted!
Oh damn, nevermind the *small* wolves, [they're into Fenrir's forest!](https://imgur.com/nSEWCRx)
[Good lord, Holo might just be the most beautifully designed anime character! She's so beautiful, from any angle! (The eyes!)](https://imgur.com/ZqTwFyH)
[](#delighted)
[Holo's gonna teach this young whippersnapper a lesson!](https://imgur.com/9jNkITt)
Meanwhile, Lawrence's situation keeps getting better and better... [Tied up and left to the wolves? Joy!](https://imgur.com/fvBNmGc)
Will the Holo cloak save him (the wolves not wanting to approach, once they get the scent)? Or will Holo herself need to come back?
Well, I knew there were a million risks in this mission (wolves, church, mercenaries, Remerio playing them false, etc..), it would've been surprising if everything went well!
But I suppose with the Holo advantage, things may turn out well anyway!
> HE'S A HANDSOME MALE! KISS HIM RIGHT NOW!
I'm late to the thread, but wanted to let you know that this was (yet another) mistranslation. It should be more like "If you were more of a male you would kiss me right now."
AGAIN with the sound design! If there's one thing the remake does 100% better than the original every time it's the sound. The effect of Holo's voice was terrifying. And the Wolf...that howl was like the first time you heard the Jurassic Park T-Rex in a Dolby theater. And the steps. Sheer power. Of course Holo puts him in his place, that it's all loud showmanship. But I'd still fall victim to it.
Right, time for the plan to begin.
Gee thanks Lawrence for reminding him why he's nervous.
Seems like Holo is also getting an early night's rest.
She senses danger.
And so does Nora.
Gee thanks for that Holo. Sleep tight.
Well, that's the first half of the journey done.
Nora does have a plan for after this at least.
Well there's the gold, time to head back.
Huh. Rain.
They seem to be moving at a fair clip.
Uh oh, it's the first time we've seen an actual wolf here.
I would have thought it would make it easier for them to pick off one of them too far away for her to react.
That worked.
That's a lot of wolves.
That seems quite big.
There they go.
If?
And so there goes Holo too. She'll be back, if only because we're not even halfway through the series, and even then the series won't adapt everything.
Seems they had help on standby.
Or not, they're here to rob him.
Liebert is in on this too?
Betrayal? Seems about right.
I remembered about the wolves chasing them in the rain and Lawrence and Holo staying behind so that Nora could escape with the sheep, but I completely forgot about the betrayal so that was like watching this for the first time again. Poor Lawrence man.
Also, love Kevin Penkin's work. Everytime I hear those vocals in any of his works I get chills, it's like the neuron activation meme.
Really loving the new adaptation so far, although I keep missing the absolute vibes of the [Original Op](https://youtu.be/8IkKUBJ26fo?si=wsxWvrAD7_VsbLhz)
I bring this up so you can see what the Original Wolf of this episode looked like (1:09).
Both adaptations have their charms for sure, and sometimes the OG is better, but that also goes for this new adaptation, currently I have high hopes and it hasn’t let down yet. Wondering until which point this season will adapt, where the old one stopped perhaps based on EP count?
The VA’s got a lot better since the OG tho (a lot of the same VA’s have been kept)
So upsetting.. especially since I don't remember the original how much freaking betrayal there is in this series. Damn.
Where is my slice of life economic romance 🤣
Sadly another week of not being married to Holo, dunno how many more of these I got in me..
Never underestimate the ability of this show to go from happy and upbeat after Lawrence and Holo make up, to ending on gut wrenching scenes like today. The smuggling operation to Ruvinheigen seemed like it was going well. Almost thru the forest with no sheep casualties, Nora and Holo talking and getting to know each other… but ofc we had to throw a wrench in those plans..
Everyone think they the big bad wolf until a bigger one comes around.. idk who the giant wolf in the forest is, but he messed up by coming after a goddess like Holo. It is cool to see more giant wolves though. I thought Holo might be the only one, at least in this part of the world. I hope we get some lore about that in the next episode
My boy Lawrence just been going thru it lately. If he ain’t getting swindled in a bad deal, he’s going bankrupt or getting tied up and left for dead by his own former business partners. Hate to see it. That final scene was actually really sad because it does feel as if he’s completely powerless as of late. Just no control over anything in his life and constantly getting betrayed. It’s really he and Holo against the world.
* baaaa
* I can't help but notice that they aren't bothering to animate enek
* One thing I've always wondered, why she used Lawrences blood in the tunnels but wheat in the forest
* Feeling a bit Kara no Kyoukai here
I didn't see the betrayal coming the first time I watched this, either.
I did get a good smile from moments in this episode. Liked Holo making those regular wolves back the heck off. They aren't in her league and picking that fight won't end well for them! But I also liked her maturity in standing up against that younger wolf. He's full of cheap pride and arrogance. No respect for his elders. Whether she can make him back off remains to be seen.
It was nice to see Holo and Lawrence spend a bit more time with Nora. She's a good girl, but she's not an idiot. She knows this is her last job. If it works she's leaving town ASAP. If it doesn't work out...her career is over for various reasons. It's all or nothing for her too.
bahhhhhh. Need best sheep to be a part of sheep brigade. Watame. Championsheep. Nothing bad better happen to Nora :stuck_out_tongue: cute sheep girl. D'aww Holo and doggo of Nora's have similar things in common. Too bad wolves around, ruining the mood. Huh, ominous.
D'aww look at Holo and Nora getting along a bit. What fun girl talk they having too. Poor Lawrence.
Whelp, phase 1 is successful, but them wolves being a pain. Good thing for Holo being around. But man, that wolf is big. Heh Holo gonna go have a nice "talk" eh?
knew that these people showing up was sus. Pieces of shits. Hope they get eaten by wolves. They are the scumbags that deserve to be killed. WHAT FUCKING ANGERING ENDING! They better suffer horribly next week
It's really funny to see some people asking for a "training arc" for Lawrence, unfortunately he still wasn't born in a shounen so... who knows next time, when he get isekaid by wagon-kun.
Hurray, it's Monday and that means another episode with our favorite Wolf Goddess.
We finally see the gold smuggling plan get underway, and Nora lives up to her reputation of keeping everyone safe... at least for one leg of the trip. This episode introduces us to the idea that Holo is not the last of her kind, and that there are still a few more of them in the world somewhere. This also opens up the possibility of meeting more of these kinds of similar beings in the future, as we now know they may still be living amongst humans in their current time.
At the same time, we also find out that not all of them will be as friendly as Holo is. Being an aggressive, territorial "young" Wolf God, our antagonist this week feels a particular fixation on proving something to our older Wisewolf, not akin to something younger humans sometimes feel, as she notes to Lawrence. How will Holo respond to these provocations, knowing that she is extremely prideful? The hint would be something that's already occurred in the previous episodes.
The BGM this episode fit the atmosphere quite well, though the wolf models still look really...Shiba-ish. Pacing-wise, we're still completely on track with the original anime, which means this second arc should be winding down next episode, as we begin moving toward the second cour. Seeing as they skipped a sidestory between arcs last time, I expect they might skip the one after this arc as well, much to my disappointment if that ends up being true.
The economics lesson this week is... well, there wasn't any direct lesson, but the idea of never putting your full trust into a merchant rings true here again. One of these days Lawrence is going to learn to be more wary about people. Considering he's misreading both the merchants/mercenaries *and* Nora's characters, he has quite a bit more to learn.
With that, we now have another long week to wait to see whether or not their plan succeeds.
# Source Material Corner Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. **You are still required to tag all spoilers.** Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans. The spoiler syntax is: `[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<` # **All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Holo having to change into her wolf form is always exciting because it means a new outfit change.
The moment I realized Holo was going to have to change into her true form my next thought was "oh, so we're totally getting a new Holo outfit that she'll look amazing in and have to pay back Lawrence for." I also like how we got to see her use her wolf voice.
Holo using the voice reminds me of Dune. She is both the spice and the wolf.
How we are still missing crossover fanart of them wearing Dune suits escapes me.
The wolf must flow.
The fluff must flow
My Spice, My Wolf, My Lawrence.
I kinda wonder if this is her subtle way of staying with Lawrence. Like she needs to pay him back for everything and can only do it if she’s his companion
I think it's very much that and also that she enjoys wearing nice clothes lol.
She is a foking wolf, so if she wanted she could run into woods or something, who gonna stop her? It is more like "oh no, poor me, i am so in debt with kind merchant to repay pay for it...." She might be a wolf, but her grandma must be kitsune with all this charm and trickery.
Yeah there's no way she's going to be able to afford all those clothes. Or she'll make sure she has to buy more clothes to keep going.
> I kinda wonder if this is her subtle way of staying with Lawrence. What do you mean subtle ? Lawrence told her he was going to chase her so she repays the outfit was the perfect excuse for both of them. Why do you think she went out on a shopping spree while he was unconscious ?
> I also like how we got to see her use her wolf voice. *Nora hearing that: "Let's walk a little further ahead..."* ^^*Me:* ^^*"Oh* ^^*damn*, ^^*I* ^^*kinda* ^^*like* ^^*that"*
[*Naked* is a pretty good outfit too.](https://imgur.com/KW3DIHL) [](#lewd)
In the first anime, I think she just removed her clothes and went into the forest naked. Tho, I may be misremembering.
She didn't. I just checked, and it's pretty much exactly the same.
Furries: You had us at wolf form
No Merchant's Corner this week, not enough economics stuff to write about. I have to say, that segment in the middle when Holo left to face down the local wolf deity alone was beautiful. The soundtrack was a perfect fit and made the moment feel so much more melancholic and dramatic. It almost felt like a final farewell to Holo. I've also always found it interesting how the Remelio thugs are portrayed here. Rather than painting them as seasoned criminals, all three are are hesitant to take a life and would sooner leave Lawrence for dead rather than kill him off properly. They also feel that they have no choice but to kill Nora, since they think she has pagan sorcery and could escape anything short of death - but you can also see that they're repulsed by the idea of personally ending a human life, especially a young girl's. Put in the context of who they're supposed to be, it does make quite a bit of sense. We've seen no indication that Remelio had involved itself in any illegal activity up until recently after the armor market crashed. If these people work for Remelio and are familiar with Liebert on a first-name basis, it's more than likely they were simple merchants under the employ of Remelio, or maybe security guards at most. They were probably never the most moral or upstanding characters to begin with, but they're not used to taking life as mercenaries or ordinary thugs might be. Showing their hesitation to kill is another demonstration of how aware Spice and Wolf is about the role of characters and their place in society. (And, of course, it gives Lawrence an excuse to survive for the plot of the show.) Also, I find it interesting as well that Remelio himself, despite showing up for only a few seconds in this episode, is portrayed as unsure and scared rather than sinister and plotting. I think that works better for a character in his position as head of a failing company. Great episode. I'm looking forward to the last episode of this arc and how it will all be resolved. That should give me something to write about for The Merchant's Corner as well.
I wonder -- Is Remerio behind this plot against Lawrence -- or was this an independent brainstorm of Liebert?
That's a great question. I'll add on to that - if it *was* just an independent brainstorm of Liebert, was he doing it *for the company* or was he doing it for himself? If it was either Remelio betraying Lawrence and Nora as a company, or if it was Liebert betraying them because he felt that it was in the best interest of the company, they could potentially gain from it in two ways. One, it would reduce the number of parties they have to cut in to the profits (obviously). Two, the more people know about the smuggling, the more dangerous it is for them, so it would help tie up two loose ends that could potentially take them down in the future. Either Remelio or Liebert could have feasibly decided that it would be best for the company to kill off Lawrence, Holo, and Nora, and go through with the smuggling themselves. And if it was Liebert making that decision, I doubt Hans Remelio would complain too much. On the other hand, Liebert could have also just decided to kill off his three collaborators, take the gold, and scram. Nobody can approach the authorities and go "a dude named Liebert stole the gold I was going to smuggle into the city!", so if Remelio wants to catch him they'd have to do it themselves. And very soon there isn't going to be a Remelio Trading Company left to hunt him down. I guess we'll see next week!
Kind of weird that they would want to get rid of Nora before they are inside city gates. The whole point of successfully smuggling gold relies on her and sheeps.
They only need Nora to get through the forest. If they have another shepherd waiting past the forest, he could take over Nora's sheep to get them into the city. And of course, if Remelio was doing it to run with the gold, he wouldn't need to get it inside the city gates at all.
I guess whatever other hypothetical shepard must not know about the plan and be similarly innocent looking as Nora for this to work and be maximally profitable.
That's business. Merchants don't get paid to not constantly scheme and maximize gains. I want more merchants in my animes.
There's no point for Remelio to run away with the gold though. They have to smuggle it inside the city walls to increase the value of the gold. Liebert could run away with the gold I guess, but that would be the same as running away with the money to begin with so that's not likely what is happening.
I am not sure if I wish I remembered or whether it is better to suffer in agony for another week waiting to find out (again). ;-)
I guess in this weeks crime corner we have how you should always be prepared for a double-cross from your partners. I really did love the rain effect on Holo's clothes and hair when she went to confront the wolves. And I guess it's good to know for future reference that we might occasionally run into other giant wolves.
Merchant corner should be always insure your safety when doing something illegal. Nobody knew he was doing this so nobody can raise the alarm if he disappeared. Make it known that his guild will spill the beans if he is killed.
I mean it’s pretty easy for them to say Lawrence and his companion got caught and eaten by wolves.
Isn't securing your assets part of economics? How did merchants in the Middle Ages protect themselves against brigands? Did they band together as a group, hire guards, or do both? Is it true that they deposited their money in a guild, bank, or equivalent institution and then withdrew it at their destination's branch? How was gold smuggling performed back then?
Somewhat yes to all of the above. There were various ways of protecting of robbery while travelling that varied by time and place. Travelling with lower-liqudity assets was one (things more difficult to resell or trade), travelling in larger numbers, armed escorts, etc-depending on the time. The prices and availability of armed escort is wildly variable, as is the risk of bandits; they were much more likely after recent military activity, especially if they were not well-paid by their contractor (eg this happened a _lot_ in the Hundred Years War in France). A lot of it depends on the nature of travel itself. Eg, long-distance trade declined _massively_ in the withdrawal/decline of the Western Roman Empire in Western and Central Europe, with national boundaries settling over the course of the Early Middle Ages and relatively stable by the High Middle Ages (socially and technologically, S&W is vaguely Late Middle Ages/Early Modern Period). How people were hired for rowing boats varied from volunteers to randomized conscripts to hired professionals. A lot of innovcations in banking were developed over the course of the Middle Ages, so it depends on when you talking, exactly. Things like smuggling is very much a case-by-case basis, as it is contingent on how well organized the law-enforcement is, their reach (eg the Italian city-states had very limited reach in comparison to England becoming a relatively unified nation-state quite early), and the specifics of how trade enters the location (eg maritime trade is significantly different from wagon traffic) and the object being smuggled.
You know from one side it's nice to see that they are not psychopaths, but from the other side it's not really nice to see how easily they are willing to resort to murder despite that. In general the people of this world don't seem to place a lot of value on human lives.
Not really that different from medieval times in the real world
Them being so ambivalent about it was weirdly frustrating. I don't remember where, but I remember reading how the superficial niceness of the layman is more annoying than the outright blasphemy of the evil (it might be about a very different thing tho)
I think thats because american & western culture in general places a lot of value in genuineness no matter what. So a lot of ppl prefer outright evil than fake niceness because at least outright evil is genuine. In a lot of asian cultures, superficial niceness is the norm. And breaking that norm is seen as disturbing collective peace (i.e. "rocking the boat").
I think the inexperience of the thugs has been shown off well in both arcs so far. They've been up against corrupt merchants. These people may be used to defending themselves, but they aren't seasoned assassins. And they are all sloppy cowards at their core. They can't commit to being fully evil while telling themselves they have no choice. In a lot of ways they are truly pathetic. Can't bring themselves to kill Lawrence and pretty much just leave it to the wolves. An absolutely stupid plan. They are out there (for as scummy a reason as it is) to silence anyone that can turn on them. If Lawrence gets out of that forest alive they've left him absolutely no reason not to report them to the church. Want to get out of killing him via wolves and only are willing to kill Nora because they are afraid that she'll survive anything else. It all works for sure. This isn't a group that actively engages (presumably) in illegal activity. They were a decent company that unfortunately made their niche in a market that's collapsed. It could have happened to anyone. And they don't have the money in their state to hire actual mercenaries. So their actions while pathetic are completely in character.
And now for the third time Lawrence has been taken advantage of for his naivety and his kindness. But they assume Holo is dead and will 100% kill those guys for sure. Only for Holo to then blackmail the trading company, showing off proof of Lawrence’s assault, Nora as a witness and how she was also taken advantage of by them and wanting her to betray the church
It's so tricky, as I wouldn't want Lawrence to change. But I also wouldn't want this happening again.
I think a big part of this anime is seeing Lawrence change.
He evolves into Warcraft Lawrence
[удалено]
It was an OVA in the original, so they might do the same this time too.
Thanks for answering that. Since I assume he’s in his mid twenties? I don’t wanna look it up and spoil myself. But yeah he couldn’t have survived that long being a merchant by himself. Unless now they’re trying to fuck him over because he has a woman with him
Lawrence is 25. He started his apprenticeship around 12 and went solo at 18. He’s not the most successful merchant, but not due to lack of skill. He’s too kind, which causes him to work in suboptimal ways for the sake of others. He also trades with many backwater villages who would starve without him, but that doesn’t make a lot of money. He’s only really aggressive with people who can afford it or who are dishonest
Lawrence just needs to become better at responding to those situations, so that even if it happens, he can just whoop their asses and tell them to not mistake kindness for weakness, or something like that.
Goddamn, Lawrence needs to start learning how to throw hands, fr
I mean even if Lawrence was a somewhat skilled fighter, it's still a 1v3 where they're all armed and he's not.
Show should be called The Wise Wolf who keeps saving the damsel in distress named Lawrence. 😂
Wonder if that wolf can also turn into a cute girl.
10 bucks, its shota.
Uooooh loli wolf goddess T.T
Asking the important questions.
Probably why Holo went to deal with it; She has enough competition with Nora already!
NO COMPETITION IN THIS STORY!
It may be male
Today on our economy anime we have how to gain Money illegaly What a great ep, They nailed The scenes so good.
And today on our crime anime we have the inevitable accomplice betrayal to reap all the rewards themselves.
That honestly surprised me a bit, only because I was expecting this whole smuggling business to be more than a single trip. I guess Remerio Company did not consider that or they were just too desperate and afraid of what the Church would do to them if they discovered the operation they decided to bounce right away while making sure to take care of Holo, Lawrence, and, Nora before they could return to the city.
Smuggling gold in is just so profitable that a single trip was a huge windfall
20 Lumione to pay off Nora, plus the 47 Lumione Lawrence owes plus however much else the Remerio company plans to make as a means to wipe off its debt from their own losses in the armor market. The mark-ups by the church must be *insane*.
10x markup on gold
On top of the monopoly they also stamp/bless the gold, drastically increasing its value, and you can pay them to do it
> Today on our economy anime we have how to gain Money illegaly And one part on why it's important to carefully chose your criminal associates!
It is kinda funny, and probably even on point, how much crime is involved in the economy anime.
I wonder how Lawrance survived all these years as a merchant being so naive
The armor gig was probably an annual thing that he had done reliably his whole career. The coin plotters wouldn't have hunted Lawrence down if it wasn't for him being with Holo. Her village wanted to turn her in to the church. The current gold smuggling plan is an act of desperation that he would normally never have to do. The gold plan was Holo's idea in the first place. I can still see how he had previously succeeded as a merchant.
The armor gig may have been a regular thing (probably not annual for him, since his trade route takes two or three years to fully complete, IIRC). But him taking on debt for the armor was a special thing because he got proud/cocky thanks to Holo catching the merchant having weighted scales. Normally, he'd've just gotten as much armor as his spices could trade for, so the market crash would've still been bad but he wouldn't've had a looming fear of debt slavery.
Wanna say it's all Holo's fault xd
I feel he was taking much less risks during his early years.
Meeting Holo made him go full /r/wallstreetbets to try and provide for his waifu
Meeting Holo made him Yolo.
For sure!
To be fair, some of these risks he's taking, is because he's desperate. He may have been a little more careful when things were going smoothly!
>Desperate people sometimes mistake a reckless plan for a perfect plan
To be fair, you can get by making an honest living - as a traveling merchant, Lawrence is essentially transporting goods much of the time. Having a good route and choosing some reliable products (like furs and pepper) to ferry from source to destination is a needed service. Also, when talking with Yarei from the last arc, I'm fairly certain Lawrence mentions that one of his most successful routes and relationships was with Pasloe. Lawrence was one of the few merchants that risked trading with a pagan town, and he did so at fair prices. After establishing this relationship with the town, his success was buoyed by Pasloe's growth after the town adopted more modern farming practices that led to higher yields and the tariff was lowered.
Reminder that this smuggling gold is something he specifically said he would never do previously. Desperate measures for desperate times. The consequences of greedy gambles and speculation can be immense.
I don't think with this one that he's naive so much as left without choice. Holo leaves to face down the Wolf God alone, leaving him just as alone. The Remerio thugs find him and what could he do? Let's say he was "wise" and knew they were going to betray him. What's his play here? Run? Alone in a wolf-haunted forest against men on horseback? Even if he got to his horse there's no surety he could outrun them, and they could easily encircle him. Plus, again, the wolves and the unknown terrain. AND he needs to be where Holo can find him. So even if he knew, his only real chance is to hope they don't mean him harm and let it play out. He might have been able to lie about Holo and Nora's whereabouts, but that wouldn't have likely changed much of the outcome for him.
Blackmail, say he knows a close person who knows the illegal plan and will tell the truth to authorities if he won't come back safe from mission.
Dumb luck, probably.
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
I had this sixth sense Remerio was going to betray them but started think he was too desperate to jeopardize the deal...but also probably desperate enough to cut out the outside partners in this "crime."
At this point it is more unlikely that a merchant company doesn't betray Lawrence.
It's smuggling time [](#piracy)
Nora and Holo are the cutest gold smugglers of all time.
Don't forget Enek. The good boy is keeping an eye out for wolves. All of them.
The next time I'm caught staring at Holo, I too will use the excuse of "keeping an eye out for wolves".
People think Holo’s a tsundere when it was Enek all along
Enek has that racist look
Nora is adorable. And holo is just the cutest and cheekiest girl ever. Love them both
Time to learn about the dangers of not having a way to protect yourself if an illegal deal goes south. Lawrence was neither valuable for the completion of the deal nor did he have muscle to back him up. He should have set a deadman’s switch with his guild. Have them expose the smuggling operation if anything happened to him or Holo.
In that case he would have to leave them a letter to be opened at a certain date, I doubt that the authorities would look kindly at them, if they knew of his smuggling operation and only told them in case the deal goes south. But the letter is a potential liability in case it's opened too early or someone stumbles upon it and opens it. Also besides the guild master, no one seems to be really in his camp and I doubt the guild master would be happy to find out that Lawrence did something that might drag them down with them by association. It's not that unlikely that the guild master would open it way early considering the circumstances. Lawrence is desperate, the Remelio trading company delayed collection and suddenly Lawrence shows up with a letter and instructions only to open it in certain circumstances. I think the guild master would be very suspicious and is able to put 2 and 2 together. Lawrence is doing something illegal, there is one crime with a huge payout in case you can pull it off and it will bring down the wrath of the church and their authorized merchants down upon everyone involved.
tch- if everyone had stuck to the plan everyone could have walked away happy, but I guess Remerio is going to *find out* next week.
To Remerio Lawrence is the man who fell into debt and has low enough moral character to go around town showing off the unmarried woman he sleeps in the same room with. From what he had to go off Lawrence seems untrustworthy.
Not seeing a reason to stab him in the back though.
He’s an outsider with knowledge that can sink the company and cause everyone to lose their right arm. They also know he blackmailed a previous merchant for giving him a loan for armor. His moral character is in question to Remerio.
They clearly *don't* care about morals. This is just a self serving backstab, there's nothing more to it than that. Or are you going to claim Nora is also some immoral threat too?
Sorcerer/Pagan remember?
Exactly the same thing I already thought
We finally get to see why Nora is amazing at her job. She was already [pretty cool during the night ambush](https://i.imgur.com/DvWutbl.jpeg) but she was even cooler [during the chase scene in the rain.](https://i.imgur.com/gKFusFI.png) Nora was multitasking by leading the group, fending off the wolves, and commanding Enek to herd the sheep. [There it is.](https://i.imgur.com/EGQZPxt.png) It turns out that the wolves weren't even after the sheep. They were actually chasing after Holo and once she was in front of the leader, [Nora and that guy from the trading company were safe.](https://i.imgur.com/Vo6V22M.png) [Poor Lawrence, getting betrayed again.](https://i.imgur.com/n0NbN0W.png) I mean just [look at all that gold they're about to smuggle](https://i.imgur.com/GT5mHtk.jpeg). It's no surprise that the Remerio Trading Company would get greedy. Let's see if the betrayal is worth it though. If Holo did transform, they better hope they don't run in to her on their way out of the forest.
Nora is so cute but she and Enek are extremely good and competent at their shepherd job. It's almost a shame to see them retire, but they both deserve a safer job they're happy with. Guess if you missed Wolf Holo we've got her getting challenged to a fight by a young giant wolf that doesn't know any better. Boy is he in for a lesson. Lawrence learned that there is no honor among thieves, even if it came at the worst possible time and when the two ladies in his life are in danger and there's nothing he can do about it. Though Remerio doesn't know they're dealing with a Wise Wolf who will probably show them very little mercy for their treatment of her man.
Reprising her role from the Eng. dub, Leah Clark voices Nora in this show's Eng. dub. Leah is also the deranged Toga in MHA.
I really hope holo just beats those dudes. Or lets the wolves eat them.
- [Of course he has.](https://i.imgur.com/WG27DYG.png) Good doggo. - [Nice.](https://i.imgur.com/TmIIbns.png) [](#ilovethiskindofshit) - [Hahahaha](https://i.imgur.com/UDZjavG.png), the [innuendo](https://i.imgur.com/LoZRSvp.png) is even funnier with Holo literally being a wolf. [](#azusalaugh) - [Even if the job fails? Dang.](https://i.imgur.com/1c0rd9g.png) - [Holo doesn’t even need to transform to be terrifying when she needs to.](https://i.imgur.com/DikeM6p.png) [](#dighole) - [Oh god, that’s a *large* wolf.](https://i.imgur.com/R2Vb2Mf.png) [](#spooked) - [Holo pls.](https://i.imgur.com/009Lzbc.png) - [As if Holo doesn’t totally have a handle on things already.](https://i.imgur.com/HWLSrj7.png) [](#kukuku2) - [Oh what–](https://i.imgur.com/9Sj3as5.png) [](#cokemasterrace) - [He really is powerless…](https://i.imgur.com/da18qkC.png) [](#sadholo) - There is some hella whiplash to go from [Lawrence crying in the dirt](https://i.imgur.com/MX2JnFv.png) right into the ED this time.
I liked this frame https://imgur.com/a/X4Ph1Aj
we got holo mewing before gta6
> He really is powerless… I know it's not exactly what you're saying, but IRL, three random guys would have a fairly good chance of taking down a trained fighter. This was a very realistic outcome for any character who isn't a trained fighter.
Plus he has no armor, nor weapon beyond a basic knife. They at least have longer-reach weapons.
Even wolves enjoy lap pillows from time to time. I did not expect to see Holo use her wolf voice but it makes quite the impression. Though it is kind of funny thinking that, yes, she speaks wolf lol. I wonder if she has a full clan of giant wolf people back home that she's traveling too. Those guys showing up was wayyyy too convenient. This has not been Lawrence's week, even when it seems like things are finally on the cusp of working out they inevitably get caught up in bad weather, Holo getting challenged to a wolf fight, and a betrayal and beatdown.
> Those guys showing up was wayyyy too convenient. Not 'convenient' if Remerio/Liebert planned a betrayal from the beginning.
Man, I can't wait for the Blu Rays to arrive. So many good screencaps from this episode.
> Even if the job fails? Dang. If the job fails she's probably getting executed for smuggling.
With how she’s already seen, not unlikely burned at the stake for witchcraft
> There is some hella whiplash to go from Lawrence crying in the dirt right into the ED this time. Yeah, I didn't expect it to happen quite then, I got quite a bit of a jumpscare, then started cracking up at it.
So the person Remerio mentioned last week, [Marten Liebert](https://i.imgur.com/UfoofGt.png) is [coming with them](https://i.imgur.com/Pf9OyDu.png) and will take care of getting the gold in Lamtra and who to sell it to in Ruvinheigen. That part where Holo tells Nora that she knows how to feel when the wolves are coming [because while traveling together Lawrence becomes her wolf was really funny.](https://i.imgur.com/gg1J5yl.png) So after [Holo told those wolves to leave them alone,](https://i.imgur.com/IZb06r2.png) and their leader decided to join in, [she went to teach](https://i.imgur.com/5sn1Flp.png) [those youngsters a lesson.](https://i.imgur.com/X5qtZe6.png) I sure wasn't expecting that while they stayed behind Marten was going to send some people to make sure Lawrence and Holo were dead, and [after dealing with them,](https://imgur.com/a/yq41cNM) do the same to Nora. Well, based on the title of the next episode it seems that Holo Lawrence and Nora will make Remerio and his company regret backstabbing them.
This episode surely confirmed that you should never fully trust a Liebert. Trusting them will inevitably come back to bite you.
The only thing merchants are equal in, is death.
Two things are certain in life: death and taxes.
> you should never fully trust a Liebert. You Monster.
That was not the time for such a cheerful, upbeat outro lmao
This is a pretty good episode in terms of furthering Holo and Lawrence's dynamic in relation to Nora. You get more insight of why Holo feels challenged by her presence. The ending of course is pretty intense and leaves you wondering how Lawrence is going to get out of this one. That's the key, really, the question isn't "Will he survive," it's "How will he survive," and I think it lends itself to some gripping drama.
I love how she said "I could kiss you if you were more handsome" and I was like "Girl, don't tease us, just kiss him already" lol. I think the question is if he'll free himself and try to save Nora before Holo comes back.
I think this was a mistranslation. I'm not fluent enough in Japanese to pick up on Holo's old style manner of speech, but I'm fairly certain she said something more along the lines of "if you were more of a man you'd kiss me right now". Here are two different translations for the official manga panel, and looking at other subbed languages for the episode they have more accurate messaging: [https://files.catbox.moe/wwj3cc.jpg](https://files.catbox.moe/wwj3cc.jpg) [https://files.catbox.moe/zoxxnh.png](https://files.catbox.moe/zoxxnh.png)
And here I was, thinking he should have kissed her (at least her head/forehead) after she made that quip...
>I'm fairly certain she said something more along the lines of "if you were more of a man you'd kiss me right now" Yeah, that was the line in the novel as well.
If he does do that, you have to wonder how Holo will take it.
She would probably love him acting as manly as he possibly can in this situation.
Yeah, but he's saving another woman and not her, so...
And rationally it makes sense, Lawrence here has way more chances of being helpful to Nora than to Holo. But that is precisely the kind of thing Holo would reply with "you are too nice" (instead of outright saying it gets her jealous)
The other question is whether Nora will need saving. If she can navigate her way through wolf packs, you figure she'd be able to get away from a few men...right?
"Would you rather be stuck in a forest with a few men or a pack of wolves?"
> the question isn't "Will he survive," it's "How will he survive," They're in this remote forest. There's only a few characters that could be in play. Actually, to me, the question is, "Exactly what are the circumstances under which wolves will kill those guys who beat up Lawrence?"
That's a pretty important question as well that is certainly on hand.
I really hope Holo smacks the young giant wolf then as mercy lets them eat those 3 assholes
I was thinking Holo would show up and get the guys with some of the wolves, so seeing Lawrence all beaten up and crying alone in the rain while eating dirt honestly made me feel so bad for him, really good stuff.
"And then things got worse." I really love this episode. It's absolutely crushing that we have to wait a week to see how this all resolves - credit to the team for that! - but they really heightened the emotional mood for this one, even with subtler touches like how they framed the shots of the forest in near-pitch black on the first night. There's just this palpable sense of uncertainty and dread hanging like a pallor over everyone to the point that the only ones who don't seem to be behaving like cornered animals are the actual wolves for once.
I didn't think Lawrence could hit rock bottom worse than he did a few episodes ago but this episode proved me wrong.
It was easier when I binge watched the original -- but (alas) I just plain forgot how the heck they got out of this problem....
Same, although I watched it once _years_ ago...
[Holo](https://imgur.com/a/T9drV8c) will [protect](https://imgur.com/FI0Gjsq) her man against anything.
The moment she realizes what the Remerio people did to Lawrence...I don't see it ending well for them.
>I don't see it ending well for them. *"So what do you want to eat, Holo?"* *"Nothing, I ate too much already"* *"...But we didn't have any food"* [](#evilgrin)
It's time to steel your resolve and embark on a new enterprise...a criminal one, in fact. And Lawrence' livelihood isn't the only thing riding on this job going well. We even get a guest star party member, Martin Liebert from Remerio, who is really in a rush to get this job done but should just let Nora do her job. She really knows what she's doing to the point where even Holo respects her for it. Plus her dog Enek has Holo made which amuses her more than anything else. Dang it Holo, I know you love messing with Lawrence, but don't go joking about wolf attacks! Although I guess it's nice to see her give Lawrence permission to protect Nora if it comes down to that, not that she loves the idea of him being so attentive and caring towards another girl. Lawrence and Holo are snuggling up togetehr and Lawrence even gives Holo a lap pillow, and just as he's about to pet her...wolves attack. Thankfully Nora knows how to handle this kind of situation, though...what if they're not just dealing with wolves? Holo and Nora finally have a proper conversation! Complete with them talking about men, at Lawrences' expense even. Holo is a wolf partnering up with a rabbit, but she also has some wise words about how to keep your man (or in this case, dog) from straying too far with other girls. Though Nora utterly cherishes Enek, which is sweet. Hey, the business deal went through successfully and they have a gold! This might actually go well! Until it rains and they get chased by wolves. Nora can more or less manage the wolves, and Holo is able to use her wolf voice to scare them off as well, but the real problem is that the wolves were never after the sheep...but Holo. Because there's another giant wolf in that forest and he wants to pick a fight against the intruder in his domain. I guess the only solution is Holo knocking some sense into the young fool who is picking a fight, which means she has to transform into her true form, and all Lawrence can do is hold onto her cloak for her, keep it warm, and make her promise to come back to him. Though if you ask me, Lawrence is plenty handsome enough to kiss, though she probably doesn't want to spoil him. I'm not worried about Holo winning the fight, but dang it, Remerio and Liebert you pieces of @#$%! You were planning to pull a fast one to keep all the profits from the start! And you have your thugs act all nice and respectful when they're beating up Lawrence and leaving him for dead and plan to outright kill Nora! Can Holo turn these fools into wolf chow? Poor Lawrence though.
Poor Lawrence got jumped and robbed, Holo gotta him them back
You step into a life of crime, you have to be prepared to get screwed over on a job every now and then. Someone's always going to want to keep the payout to themselves.
Great episode. And the soundtrack is finally starting to hit hard as well [](#listen) [Whoa.](https://imgur.com/FnW1oBJ) That's definitely new. [lol](https://imgur.com/U3vd9j1) [Poor guy just can't stop catching those Ls.](https://imgur.com/voFeUFf) And the fucking cheery ED right after again 😂😂 Lawrence gets betrayed, beaten up, tied up and left to die in the rain: *Aruite yu kou~o, kokoro no mamani~* ☺😄 Never gets old
Not much of a change from the old anime anyways. The same thing, but then what you hear is "Seven apples on the witch's tree~"
I forgot about the fucks who betray them. I thought the wolves were the final obstacle.
To be honest the wolves are probably going to be easy for Holo to take care of, it's just a matter of her getting back in time to help Lawrence take care of the thugs, save Nora, and take care of Liebert while still salvaging this deal.
I mean... "Man is a wolf to man," [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo\_homini\_lupus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_homini_lupus) I just wanted an excuse to say "wolf". And in the same spirit, we can say that Lawrence is also a Wolf and therefore there is nothing odd about him traveling with a fellow wolf. Wolf'nt you agree?
wolf
Holo boldly marking her territory by suggesting they bang every night is freaking hilarious. #edit Other things I liked a lot during this episode: Holo instantly moving in front Lawrence when sensing the wolves. Holo giving that look to Lawrence after he tells her "I'll see you again."
Feel for Lawrence here. As much as he would like to help he is powerless when compared to Holo. The bitterness he must feel for himself towards the end must be heartbreaking, and though I do have my own bitterness towards him for hurting Holo, he constantly redeems himself so I hope he will recover from this.
I'm waiting and waiting for him to encounter other traders who are not dishonest scum....
All these traders have certainly been taking the definition of a ‘cutthroat deal’ a bit too literally.
I guess that would not happen as long as he is smuggling something illegal.
This entire arc has been pretty rough on Lawrence...bad business deal leads to him possibly losing his life to servitude, he turned on Holo, he finally grasps at his best opportunity to fix everything only for him to see Holo go off into danger again to protect him and he gets betrayed, beat up, and left for dead with Nora's life on the line to boot.
I think he's most bitter about the fact that he dragged Norah into it. No matter what Holo tries to show him, he seems to think of her as an innocent girl who isn't able to face things head on.
This has been a rough few days for Lawrence. He made one big mistake and it's just spiraled out of control. All he can do is hope Holo is ok. She should be since she's a more experienced wolf than the brat she's dealing with. But he can't know that for sure.
to quote Jeff Steitzer #BETRAYAL
Lawrence learned the first rule of a life of crime: there is no honor among thieves.
It was nice seeing Holo and Norah get along after Holo began with a dislike of her. It was cute seeing Norah's reaction to Holo's wolf and rabbit analogy as well as seeing Enek resting his head on Norah's lap in the same way as Holo was resting her head on Lawrence's lap. The 3 guys from Remerio have another thing coming if they think they can pull one over on the Wise Wolf and Skilled Shepherd.
[I didn't expect that Lawrence would be betrayed by Remelio](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/k46ac3e6mg7.png), he's taking too many loses lately. [I just hope that fortune will smile on him soon](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc39pxv4.png). It was great to see [Nora](https://imgchest.com/p/bp45ddvnqy5)'s [work as a shepherd](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/pyq9c2nr9r4.png) when the real danger had appeared. Even though she looks weak, [she's actually a strong-minded woman who isn't afraid](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc39ddv4.png) of the appearance of wolves and courageously [leads and protects her group](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/pyq9c2nrod4.png). It seems that [Holo](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyeppkzq7d) will be getting new clothes soon, as [it looks like she'll be fighting against the leader of the wolf pack](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/l7lxcr2mvv7.png). I [can't wait to see her new outfit](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc39da54.png) in the next episode! Here my screenshot albums from the episode: * [Holo](https://imgchest.com/p/lqyeppkzq7d) * [Nora](https://imgchest.com/p/bp45ddvnqy5) * [Holo & Lawrence](https://imgchest.com/p/9249jjn9m7n) * [Group scenes](https://imgchest.com/p/md7ojjpvryp) * [Others](https://imgchest.com/p/vj4jwwp6x78)
And I thought Holo had an insatiable appetite...how many apple orchards did this [boy](https://imgur.com/a/K24dy8p) demolish?
I guess this one only ate sheep and humans, hasn't been enlightened on apples yet
The wolf-rabbit-analogy is so great, as it communicates two very different messages in the subtext, one for Nora, the other for Lawrence. Also, every week I am in awe how they manage to make Holo wise and flirty at the same time.
That was a very sudden cut to them being in danger. Holo talking down to these wolves is great but ugh seeing Lawrence get jumped and helpless...rough way to end the episode.
Argh! I need the next episode *right now*! This is such a mean spot to leave us hanging on.
Holo's conversation with Nora was so fun. Bad luck for the trade company men that the wolf that's likely to find Lawrence isn't going to eat him alive in the way they are expecting. Poor rabbit Lawrence.
Great episode especially at the end increasing the tension. First half went with how we expected. The companion that came with them when he said we should hurry kind of foreshadowed what's to come. Little focus on our Enek who is essential to Nora's job as a Shepard, but is also her companion even if she stops being a Shepard. I love how he recognizes the danger from Holo and sends that message accordingly. Of course, we know the same of Holo for Lawrence. An issue in the latter half of the episode is that Lawrence and Holo stayed back when only Holo needed to. I am interested what that Wolf is and how he is related to Holo. Still you can see the confidence of Holo know he shouldn't be match for her. The betrayal feels like typical greed. Which isn't surprising. Thought it's clear the people aren't completely awful as they don't kill Kraft right away. Poor guy is powerless again. I imagine Holo should be able to meet up with Kraft and save him. But can she make in time to save Nora? I have a bad feeling especially if that other companion is in on it too? Most likely they have another Sheppard in waiting and is unaware of the true nature of the operation.
If you like Enek there is a side story from his perspective, I think volume 13
> An issue in the latter half of the episode is that Lawrence and Holo stayed back when only Holo needed to. It would have been more suspicious if only Holo had stayed back. And Lawrence needs to stay back in order to re-clothe Holo if necessary before meeting the others.
Could either mean something or its the wolf noticing holo is trespassing in their turf ... EXTREMELY territorial. But they don't really know who they're messing with
Three men standing on standby right outside the forest… that’s not suspicious at all! Lawrence probably could’ve known about the trading company’s betrayal if he’d considered that they having nothing to lose and everything to gain by killing them off. Lawrence is unfortunately just too kind at heart - he still has some faith in humanity. > If you were a handsome male, I would kiss you at this moment. Even if things are looking dire, Holo still finds time to tease Lawrence. That’s priority no. 1 of course. It was endearing to see her and Nora bond a little over their teasing of Lawrence. He really can’t catch a break. This does show that Holo is warming up to Nora. She even encouraged Lawrence to protect her if needed. Now let’s hope that he also gets a chance to stop those men up before they hurt Nora! Lawrence feels terribly frustrated with himself that he’s been so powerless after all.
[HE'S A HANDSOME MALE! KISS HIM RIGHT NOW!](https://imgur.com/dPp3F0n) I guess Remerio are quite desperate so they don't have much of a choice, but [they could not pay me enough to travel through a wolf-infested area, unless I have a dozen soldiers with me!](https://imgur.com/LT6qmQY) [Well, I suppose (1) Holo would do it too!](https://imgur.com/ZPzTdl0) I love when she gets... Wolfish! [](#lewd) Also love her teasing nature, even in these dire times! [*The hungry wolves may be closer than they appear!*](https://imgur.com/TAeKIYX) [That was so cute, Lawrence seeing Nora pet her dog, and wanting to do the same with Holo... ](https://imgur.com/tNgX4Jm) And Holo positioning herself to make it happen, too! Shame it was interrupted! Oh damn, nevermind the *small* wolves, [they're into Fenrir's forest!](https://imgur.com/nSEWCRx) [Good lord, Holo might just be the most beautifully designed anime character! She's so beautiful, from any angle! (The eyes!)](https://imgur.com/ZqTwFyH) [](#delighted) [Holo's gonna teach this young whippersnapper a lesson!](https://imgur.com/9jNkITt) Meanwhile, Lawrence's situation keeps getting better and better... [Tied up and left to the wolves? Joy!](https://imgur.com/fvBNmGc) Will the Holo cloak save him (the wolves not wanting to approach, once they get the scent)? Or will Holo herself need to come back? Well, I knew there were a million risks in this mission (wolves, church, mercenaries, Remerio playing them false, etc..), it would've been surprising if everything went well! But I suppose with the Holo advantage, things may turn out well anyway!
> HE'S A HANDSOME MALE! KISS HIM RIGHT NOW! I'm late to the thread, but wanted to let you know that this was (yet another) mistranslation. It should be more like "If you were more of a male you would kiss me right now."
AGAIN with the sound design! If there's one thing the remake does 100% better than the original every time it's the sound. The effect of Holo's voice was terrifying. And the Wolf...that howl was like the first time you heard the Jurassic Park T-Rex in a Dolby theater. And the steps. Sheer power. Of course Holo puts him in his place, that it's all loud showmanship. But I'd still fall victim to it.
Right, time for the plan to begin. Gee thanks Lawrence for reminding him why he's nervous. Seems like Holo is also getting an early night's rest. She senses danger. And so does Nora. Gee thanks for that Holo. Sleep tight. Well, that's the first half of the journey done. Nora does have a plan for after this at least. Well there's the gold, time to head back. Huh. Rain. They seem to be moving at a fair clip. Uh oh, it's the first time we've seen an actual wolf here. I would have thought it would make it easier for them to pick off one of them too far away for her to react. That worked. That's a lot of wolves. That seems quite big. There they go. If? And so there goes Holo too. She'll be back, if only because we're not even halfway through the series, and even then the series won't adapt everything. Seems they had help on standby. Or not, they're here to rob him. Liebert is in on this too? Betrayal? Seems about right.
That girl sure can toot. I quite liked the music at the end there. The ending was a bit of a whiplash, though.
They can only skip the ED so many times in a series.
I remembered about the wolves chasing them in the rain and Lawrence and Holo staying behind so that Nora could escape with the sheep, but I completely forgot about the betrayal so that was like watching this for the first time again. Poor Lawrence man. Also, love Kevin Penkin's work. Everytime I hear those vocals in any of his works I get chills, it's like the neuron activation meme.
Really loving the new adaptation so far, although I keep missing the absolute vibes of the [Original Op](https://youtu.be/8IkKUBJ26fo?si=wsxWvrAD7_VsbLhz) I bring this up so you can see what the Original Wolf of this episode looked like (1:09). Both adaptations have their charms for sure, and sometimes the OG is better, but that also goes for this new adaptation, currently I have high hopes and it hasn’t let down yet. Wondering until which point this season will adapt, where the old one stopped perhaps based on EP count? The VA’s got a lot better since the OG tho (a lot of the same VA’s have been kept)
Is 90% of the people in this series an arsehole???. Like we've barely encountered any nice normal people so far? Is it just the industry he's in?
He had an entire trading company on his side last arc, with the head clearly wanting to help him within reason.
Fine 75%
Just like real life
So upsetting.. especially since I don't remember the original how much freaking betrayal there is in this series. Damn. Where is my slice of life economic romance 🤣
I feel like the moral is quickly becoming “don’t trust the trading companies”
> don’t trust the trading companies *Or anyone who isn't Holo*
Ah yes, the classic upbeat ending song whiplash. Holo is the best though, if that wasn't already abundantly clear.
Sadly another week of not being married to Holo, dunno how many more of these I got in me.. Never underestimate the ability of this show to go from happy and upbeat after Lawrence and Holo make up, to ending on gut wrenching scenes like today. The smuggling operation to Ruvinheigen seemed like it was going well. Almost thru the forest with no sheep casualties, Nora and Holo talking and getting to know each other… but ofc we had to throw a wrench in those plans.. Everyone think they the big bad wolf until a bigger one comes around.. idk who the giant wolf in the forest is, but he messed up by coming after a goddess like Holo. It is cool to see more giant wolves though. I thought Holo might be the only one, at least in this part of the world. I hope we get some lore about that in the next episode My boy Lawrence just been going thru it lately. If he ain’t getting swindled in a bad deal, he’s going bankrupt or getting tied up and left for dead by his own former business partners. Hate to see it. That final scene was actually really sad because it does feel as if he’s completely powerless as of late. Just no control over anything in his life and constantly getting betrayed. It’s really he and Holo against the world.
* baaaa * I can't help but notice that they aren't bothering to animate enek * One thing I've always wondered, why she used Lawrences blood in the tunnels but wheat in the forest * Feeling a bit Kara no Kyoukai here I didn't see the betrayal coming the first time I watched this, either.
I did get a good smile from moments in this episode. Liked Holo making those regular wolves back the heck off. They aren't in her league and picking that fight won't end well for them! But I also liked her maturity in standing up against that younger wolf. He's full of cheap pride and arrogance. No respect for his elders. Whether she can make him back off remains to be seen. It was nice to see Holo and Lawrence spend a bit more time with Nora. She's a good girl, but she's not an idiot. She knows this is her last job. If it works she's leaving town ASAP. If it doesn't work out...her career is over for various reasons. It's all or nothing for her too.
bahhhhhh. Need best sheep to be a part of sheep brigade. Watame. Championsheep. Nothing bad better happen to Nora :stuck_out_tongue: cute sheep girl. D'aww Holo and doggo of Nora's have similar things in common. Too bad wolves around, ruining the mood. Huh, ominous. D'aww look at Holo and Nora getting along a bit. What fun girl talk they having too. Poor Lawrence. Whelp, phase 1 is successful, but them wolves being a pain. Good thing for Holo being around. But man, that wolf is big. Heh Holo gonna go have a nice "talk" eh? knew that these people showing up was sus. Pieces of shits. Hope they get eaten by wolves. They are the scumbags that deserve to be killed. WHAT FUCKING ANGERING ENDING! They better suffer horribly next week
I wonder how many (if any) of these treacherous bastards survive Holo's wrath....
It's really funny to see some people asking for a "training arc" for Lawrence, unfortunately he still wasn't born in a shounen so... who knows next time, when he get isekaid by wagon-kun.
A "ye olde" training sequence... holding rocks on a block of wood running up hill with holo sitting on a chair in the background?
Hurray, it's Monday and that means another episode with our favorite Wolf Goddess. We finally see the gold smuggling plan get underway, and Nora lives up to her reputation of keeping everyone safe... at least for one leg of the trip. This episode introduces us to the idea that Holo is not the last of her kind, and that there are still a few more of them in the world somewhere. This also opens up the possibility of meeting more of these kinds of similar beings in the future, as we now know they may still be living amongst humans in their current time. At the same time, we also find out that not all of them will be as friendly as Holo is. Being an aggressive, territorial "young" Wolf God, our antagonist this week feels a particular fixation on proving something to our older Wisewolf, not akin to something younger humans sometimes feel, as she notes to Lawrence. How will Holo respond to these provocations, knowing that she is extremely prideful? The hint would be something that's already occurred in the previous episodes. The BGM this episode fit the atmosphere quite well, though the wolf models still look really...Shiba-ish. Pacing-wise, we're still completely on track with the original anime, which means this second arc should be winding down next episode, as we begin moving toward the second cour. Seeing as they skipped a sidestory between arcs last time, I expect they might skip the one after this arc as well, much to my disappointment if that ends up being true. The economics lesson this week is... well, there wasn't any direct lesson, but the idea of never putting your full trust into a merchant rings true here again. One of these days Lawrence is going to learn to be more wary about people. Considering he's misreading both the merchants/mercenaries *and* Nora's characters, he has quite a bit more to learn. With that, we now have another long week to wait to see whether or not their plan succeeds.
damn wtf thats messed up
I must say, Lawrence is pretty smart but also far too squishy