Spice and Wolf – Episode 04 Review

「夢見がちな商人と月明り別れ」 (Yumemi ga China Shounin to Tsuki-akari Wakare)
“Romantic Merchant and Moonlit Festival”

And so begins Spice and Wolf’s march into the, shall we say, more exciting parts of its material. Much like the first adaptation it’s somewhat of a slow (yet methodical) move into conflict, however it’s conflict which highlights just how paradoxically high the stakes are for one lone merchant and his newfound companion. And rest assured, it’s nowhere near the worst that Kraft will have to deal with.

As teased last week Kraft’s discerning of the truth behind Zheren’s currency manipulation scheme was only half the battle – the other half is knowing how to take advantage of it. In short anyone familiar with shorting stock will have a good grasp on the idea: you profit off of other’s failures by effectively reaping the margin difference. Debased currency losing value? No big issue when you can simply replace the quality of high value through sheer quantity of the starting resource bought for pennies on the dollar. It’s a fairly scummy move, but it’s a valid move given the business, something which Marhait never fails to emphasize in his discussions with Kraft. In the end it’s just business; if you don’t make the profit someone else will, so why concern yourself too much with morals when the same fate awaits everyone at the end? As we’ll see going forward this line of thought will be something Kraft (and Holo) will have to come to terms with as the pace of travelling picks up, the stakes grow larger, and the opponents more ruthless.

Part of what guarantees the last point in particular is the nature of Kraft’s and Holo’s growing relationship. For pretty obvious reasons. Although romance isn’t the key aspect of Spice and Wolf (currently), the tension is there, especially as Holo starts revealing more of her concerns and personal worries. Her opening up about her fear of loneliness is the biggest thus far, and besides showing her in a more complex and endearing light – that moxie attitude is as much for her own well-being as it is for others – it also begins, courtesy of Kraft’s own open dreaming, to show how it will impact the intentions of both main characters. Kraft after all wasn’t entirely truthful saying he’s in no rush wanting his store, he would very much leap at it right now if not for the fact Holo has ingrained herself on him that much. There’s a sense of responsibility now, an understanding and desire to help Holo given how she’s helping Kraft and how Kraft is coming to appreciate her for a partner in both business and travelling (hint: Kraft himself is also a tad lonely). It’s this development leading to his angst at having Holo play decoy, and his willingness to reveal her secret to Marhait, because Holo is quickly becoming someone whom is more than a simple business partner to the guy.

Unfortunately for Kraft though, it’s a discovery that will have some major consequences. Let’s just say neither Kraft nor Holo are going to like who’s ultimately responsible for their predicament.

Preview