English Dub Review: Spice and Wolf MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF “Night of the Festival and Misaligned Gear”

Overview

Amati (a fishmonger who’s an instant Holo fanboy) learns about Holo’s debt to Lawrence and announces that he will take on the debt and ask Holo to marry him…

Our Take

While Lawrence was away, Amati, who had been exploring the festival with Holo, was told that Holo was burdened with debt from Lawrence. Taking this story seriously, Amati declared in front of a large crowd that he would pay off the debt and proposed to Holo. Confident in his bond with Holo, Lawrence accepted this and went out to enjoy the festival with her. Despite Amati’s meddling, the festival atmosphere provided some levity, though the undercurrent of tension was greatly felt.

Amati’s involvement in Holo and Lawrence’s relationship adds another layer of complexity. Lawrence’s struggle with professional and emotional communication says a lot about his character as he grapples with his feelings for Holo and the pressures of his merchant lifestyle. And this is sort of made worse when Holo reads a letter that was left behind at their inn leading to one hell of a reaction upon reading it…

Overall, the episode knew how to deliver quite a tonal shift, with Holo’s emotional outbursts and Lawrence’s clumsy attempts to handle the situation along with the fragile dynamics between the two. Part of me felt like this twist was coming a mile away with Lawrence’s withholding of crucial information about Holo’s homeland, coupled with Amati’s challenge, he clearly shot himself in the foot on both of those blunders. But we can only hope that despite the small rift this caused, Lawrence and Holo will somehow navigate through their turmoil for a solution that makes both sides happy.