Episode 16 – Spice & Wolf: Service provider Meets the Clever Wolf

I’ve a protip for Lawrence: while you really feel assured about one thing, maintain it in test and put together for the worst. Murphy’s Regulation is a common fixed. I am not complaining although. Herbs & Wolf can be lots much less spicy if Lawrence weren’t so vulnerable to miscalculations on each financial and emotional ranges.

I just like the intersection of gender dynamics/expectations in Amati’s problem to Lawrence. There’s lots happening. Amati’s perspective aligns carefully with the stereotype that ladies are damsels who want safety from males. Holo sensed this and performed the position final week for her personal amusement, and Amati wasted no time in enjoying the hero. Lawrence is aware of Holo higher than that, after all, however he too is topic to societal pressures. When Amati publicly takes up the gauntlet, Lawrence accepts his contract to protect his status as a person, which impacts his status as a service provider. He assesses the state of affairs and makes the secure alternative. Holo, nonetheless, is absent from this scene. She could be the heart of this battle, however she will not be allowed to have a say in it.

Holo is magnanimous when Lawrence offers her an account. She understands the angle of the scene, and she or he’s impressed when he turns his confidence right into a praise directed at her. That doesn’t cease her from critiquing the inherent absurdities, although. She dissects the folly behind what a “good grownup” and “good man” would do. One is cowardly, and the opposite is reckless. I like this change as a result of it adheres to the same old playful rapport between our protagonists, however you may as well sense a little bit of retribution behind Holo’s teasing. None of Lawrence’s choices would have been solely proper in her eyes, and that’s the purpose. Holo is many issues, however she’s not a trophy.

Earlier than this battle involves a head, Holo and Lawrence mull over Amati’s plan and benefit from the competition collectively. Not surprisingly, Lawrence isn’t too involved about whether or not Amati will elevate the cash. Both he does, and Holo and Lawrence take pleasure in a hefty payout, or he doesn’t, and so they proceed on their journey as normal. The facet bets on whether or not Holo will betray him are a enjoyable recurring factor, although they change into darker and extra dramatic after the explosion on the finish of the episode. For now, although, the competition scenes supply a cute showcase of the chemistry between our heroes. Although Lawrence later laments this distraction from his business duties, he ought to actually admire the calm earlier than the storm.

And what a storm it’s. Holo has by no means been extra offended at Lawrence, and you must admit he deserved it. However there are loads of feelings overlapping in her outburst, and he’s solely answerable for a few of them. I might wager that the information of Yoitsu’s seemingly destruction is an important a part of her despair. After tons of of years of wandering the wheat fields, Holo has anchored herself to 2 factors, Yoitsu and Lawrence, to floor and preserve her sense of self. Yoitsu acts much less as a bodily vacation spot for her and extra because the avatar of capital-H Residence. It’s proof that she by someplace and that she is not only a harvest goddess who has come from the ether. When Yoitsu is gone, she is unmoored. She has misplaced certainly one of her anchors.

Sadly, this information additionally places her different anchor in jeopardy. Whereas Lawrence’s intentions weren’t evil, Holo nonetheless feels betrayed by his lack of honesty. Certain, they’ve indulged in lies and video games earlier than (usually at her personal discretion), however the stakes listed below are far more critical. She’s livid that Lawrence didn’t deal with her like a accomplice, however as a substitute like a type of delicate flowers she likes to tease him about. She’s additionally pissed off with herself as a result of she will really feel how weak and lonely she is. So she leans into that. She throws all shyness and playfulness apart and asks Lawrence outright to have intercourse along with her. That is the second gauntlet thrown down on this episode, however Lawrence backs down from this one.

It’s the best factor to do. Holo is feeling depressed, determined, and pressured, and people feelings don’t make for a very romantic second. The tragedy, after all, is that they need to beat one another’s brains out. However like most lonely folks, they’re as afraid of dedication as they’re of being alone. To commit is to interrupt down the partitions you’ve already constructed to guard your self from your individual loneliness. That’s a tough factor to do. Lawrence hesitates to reply Holo’s pointed query in regards to the nature of their relationship, however he additionally notes that Holo avoids asking Lawrence instantly if he loves her. Begging him to mate along with her is much less scary than asking him if he actually cares for her. Retreating into Amati’s passionate and one-sided affection can be safer than tangoing with Lawrence on an equal footing. If that is the one alternative she’s allowed to make, she’ll take no matter benefit she will. If she will not bind her coronary heart to something, she is going to stay as chilly, huge, and unstoppable as a glacier.

I really like this scene. It’s annoying to look at as a result of I need these characters to recover from themselves and be completely happy collectively, however I additionally stay for the drama. This premise additionally works exceptionally effectively as a plot growth. It pushes the story ahead, undermines Lawrence’s earlier belief in Amati, and it places his and Holo’s emotional complexity on show on the heart of the battle on this arc. The voice performing and character animation additionally do that scene justice. Ami Koshimizu captures Holo’s ache and sorrow completely, and the animators do an admirable job of transitioning between her myriad facial expressions. This edit is aware of this is a crucial second. As painful as this struggle is, it skillfully exhibits the psychological richness that drew me in Herbs & Wolf within the first place.

Judgement:

Spice & Wolf: Service provider Meets Clever Wolf is at the moment streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter whereas it lasts. He nonetheless is aware of “The Wolf Whistling Tune” by coronary heart. It’s also possible to hear him chatting about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.

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