Spice and Wolf – Episode 16 Review

「祭りの夜と狂ったの歯車」 (Matsuri no Yoru to Kurutta no Haguruma)
“Night of the Festival and Misaligned Gear”

Well, did promise there would be fireworks this week and indeed we got them. And then some. While Spice and Wolf remains fairly muted in terms of theatrics, this is the first arc where a lot of running themes come to a head and, as seen now, where they must be resolved. No matter the fun and games of before or the risks of debt collection previously, this is the moment which could make or break this show’s key pairing.

Although not explicitly revealed before, I imagine a few worked out how Amati, Kraft, and pyrite ultimately came together in an explosive (figuratively) combination for the favour of Holo’s hand. Considering how Holo has played around and how sheltered Amati is (his noble origins give him away) it’s not hard seeing where this outcome arose: Amati went head over heels at first glance, Holo played him for all it was worth, and noble honour led to the rest. The ironic part too is how this duel has less risk for Kraft than before given in the end it all comes down to what Holo decides. Amati could very well win and secure the right to Holo, but if she chooses to stay with Kraft there’s nothing the kid can do. And if Kraft wins? Nothing has changed outside some festival fun given where Holo’s mind and heart are at now. It’s the sort of trade which a merchant like Kraft would never refuse because why turn up the chance at a win-win?

Of course it didn’t exactly work out like that because Holo herself wound up being the throw out of left field. I mentioned before how this arc is the point where Kraft and Holo come to tackle the outstanding issues of trust and understanding between them and the last part of this episode is why. Holo’s outburst at Kraft isn’t as much nonsensical as it is fearful: it’s a response driven first by Kraft’s initial fear of her true form, his later suggestion of she going on ahead by herself, and then by the discovery of Kraft looking for her place of origin which, in Holo’s mind, affirms the former and makes it seem like Kraft really does want to dispense with her. That kernel of anguish in turn got fed by Kraft’s quick acceptance of Amati’s challenge and enjoyment of attending the festival with Holo, leaving to little surprise a self-feeding cycle of doubt and fear that finally resulted in the girl’s breakdown. Yes, it’s entirely the wrong way to read the situation and undeniably ignores everything Kraft has done to date, but these are the sorts of misunderstandings I can understand and empathize with because I’ve had them too. Overthinking is a curse, yet it’s a curse easily handled through open talk and Holo and Kraft will be no different.

Mind you the first step will be getting both together in a way that leads to honest and heartfelt words, but given what we’ve seen Kraft get up to so far, I don’t think creating the circumstances for it will be too hard. After all *spoiler alert* speculation has an uncanny habit of producing profit in both directions.

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