The plot of Spice and Wolf centers on Holo and Lawrence traveling across the continent to discover how to bring back prosperity through business and trade, as well as unraveling a conspiracy involving demons and mystical worlds;in movie trailers coming soon. While the romantic relationship between Lawrence and Holo is a primary focus of the series, economics plays an equally important role, as many of the plot developments are driven by traders and their business ventures.
The main character is a traveling merchant named Lawrence. To make enough money, he agrees to help a wolf goddess find something stolen from her in exchange for 10% of his take. The object was taken by an organized crime syndicate in town responsible for the poverty that has stricken the city local to where Holo resides. She’s trying to get them back because they are related to her past life, which she can’t remember but is somehow tied into how she ended up being reborn as a wolf goddess.
She appears as a feral wolf (well, not literally), and Lawrence goes along to make some money. The show is about their travels and troubles as they solve mysteries along the way and have adventures. Many of the problems are centered around the merchants in town who don’t appreciate her because she’s helping them out by bringing back wealth where they couldn’t do that themselves.
The show’s main gimmick is how Lawrence takes on a human form during their journey so that Holo can become human again by becoming his wife, thus averting her transformation into a wolf goddess.
Top ‘Spice and Wolf’ Facts
The fantasy anime series ‘Spice and Wolf’ was an unexpected hit when released in 2007. some of its most exciting facts include
- The wolf’s name is actually “Holo.” Yup, you’re not mistaken; “Holo” actually means “Wolf.” While it might feel like a nickname, it isn’t. However, she was never called by her real name in the 4th episode of the series.
- Holo is an ancient goddess. While the series showed her as an actual wolf at first, she’s a deity from 1000 years ago who became a part of folklore after she appeared to a young shepherd 400 years earlier than when the series began.
- Holo isn’t an ordinary wolf. While she might be very fond of cheese and lamb, she is a deity, which means she can take off her wolf skin whenever she wants to. She’s a 24-years-old woman with silver hair and red eyes who can shapeshift at will.
- Holo and Lawrence have known each other for over 400 years. While Holo initially met Lawrence when she was a child, they have known each other since she appeared as a shepherd around 400 years ago.
- Holo’s hometown is in the West area. While she is actually from the town of Casca, the name “Westarrea” was given to her by Lawrence after she saved him in the first episode of the series when he was on the verge of dying due to starvation trying to get food in a cave.
- Holo may be one of few divine beings alive today. Since her appearance as a goddess occurred over 1000 years ago, it’s hard to know how many others like her remain today, but according to Lawrence, there are very few left outside Westarrea.
- Holo is not a wolf in real life. Though her appearance is a wolf, Holo does not have fur like other wolves. She also does not have a tail or paws but rather wings and hooves on her feet and hands.
- Holo has two axes on her back that are somehow magical objects of some sort. As stated above, those are the wings and hooves that appear on her hands and feet while she shapeshifts into the form of a wolf, which makes no sense whatsoever unless you believe in the fantasy realm of this series right off the bat (which I don’t).
- There is never a time when Holo has a human face. The wolf skin that she shapeshifts into is apparently of a type known as “God’s Faces,” which are said to have fallen from the sky as ancient messages of some sort and are very rare.
- Her eyes seem to be the same whether she’s in wolf form or not, but it’s not true. Though it might feel like Holo has eyes that glow red no matter what form she takes, her wolf form gives her blue eyes, which look quite weird compared to her silver hair.
- Holo has a dream of her own. Since she is the goddess that gave birth to the environment that humanity lives in, she dreams of going home to Westarrea at some point in the future.
