The scene in the beginning to me feels partially like a way for them to say to the audience that they intend to adapt the whole story this time around. While I understand that there are consequences to doing this, there are so many moments emphasizing the loneliness of Lawrence and Holo in the source material for them to adapt that I’m not too bothered by it. From what I’ve heard from people who went to pre screenings of the first 4 episodes it’s definitely gonna get better. Seeing how we’re getting 25 episodes for this initial season we will most likely be retreading over the first 3 volumes and possibly ending this time on Volume 4 instead of skipping it. Then seeing how Volume 5 is kinda like the first half to a broader story that would be the perfect starter for a second season. Either way I personally thing we’re in good hands.

I have not seen the original in so long that I dont remember much of it. What is interesting in the new one is I did not get signs that he was bored or lonely at all which tells you how much it didn't portray it.

We are 8 episodes into the remake and I think I can give my definitive opinion. The remake is good, but pales in comparison to the original. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is, but the remake just doesn't have that charm the OG had. Three components I can point to specifically that are turning me off are the poorer shot composition, the addition of common anime tropes that are/were not present in the book/OG adaptation, and animation. First, in my opinion, the shot composition of the older anime made more sense and took the time to establish scenes and ensuring the viewer understood the point that was trying to be made. The remake often feels rushed and switches shots too quickly in my opinion. This is especially strange given that so far they are nearly identical in terms of how much story has been covered. The old and new anime are in the exact same part of the story by the end of episode 8. As mentioned in the video, Lawrence talking with his horse is a perfect example of the poorer direction. There are just little things here and there that just rub me the wrong way, and it really adds up. Second, I just am not a fan of Studio Passione's animation projects. There, I said it. I'm not sure what it is, but I can just never get used to the polished mirrors that are every characters' hair. Why does EVERYTHING have to be so darn shiny? Part of this is personal opinion, sure, but objectively, bright, shiny, and flashy does not work for Spice and Wolf specifically. It is an extremely unfortunate choice. One of the reasons the OG anime was one of my favorite animes of all time was the chill vibe it gave off. It is soul food - the type of show you can curl up in bed with a beer and watch after a long day's work, and it is infinitely re-watchable. One of the reasons the OG anime had such a chill vibe was the animation style, especially in season 1. The backgrounds were beautiful, but subdued. The coloring, while creative, just had this warm, simple vibe to them. It perfectly matches the tone of the book. The remake, however, is just way too bright and shiny and flashy. In my opinion, it completely clashes with the tone of the original story. Third, and most significantly, I do not like how the characters are now being portrayed to fit with modern anime tropes. I want to be very clear that what I am about to discuss is really subtle, but it is certainly there. In the original anime, it felt like -- just as the book -- like Lawrence and Holo were on an even playing field. They could banter with each other as equals, with both of them gaining the "upper hand" at times. (if you want to look at it from that POV. In my opinion, it is better to look at them as if they are already partners, and that competition is a pretty toxic way to look at their banter, but that's besides the point.) However, in the remake, it really feels like the director is choosing to make Holo appear to be "winning" more often and more dramatically. This is evident from the way scenes are animated and how Lawrence and Holo react to each other's banter. In the remake, whenever Holo delivers a "gotcha" comment, Lawrence recoils in shock, and often emphasizes this point with the standard anime "guh", being completely paralyzed and unable to respond for a minute. Meanwhile, whenever Lawrence delivers a "gotcha" to Holo, she seemingly always takes it in stride and reacts in a dignified manner after maybe a second or two of surprise. Holo's reactions are adult and make sense. Lawrence's reactions make him look like a 15 year-old child every single time. It is extremely frustrating to watch. I know what the director is going for and I understand the purpose of these interactions, but there are better ways of demonstrating Holo's vast advantage in life experience, such as by delivering brilliant quotes and pausing for a second or two to really emphasize the importance and wisdom in the quote. This was but one way the original anime brilliantly kept intact the author's original intent while also getting across this difference. The original anime did this. The remake does not. Instead, the remake decides to completely disregard this "even playing field" intent by going back to the tried and true anime tropes. Wise, smart, cute girl always smugly bests baka male. It's a tired trope, it's overused, and it's a bit disappointing to see in S&W, especially given that one of the unique and refreshing elements of the original that I adored was the fact the characters actually treated each other like adults, and acted like adults. The remake makes Holo and Lawrence behave like 14-year old couples in an effort to make Holo appear cuter and Lawrence appear more "baka". It's very annoying. I'm going to need more time to see how they treat Nora, but I'm already a little annoyed with how Nora is being portrayed. Not every somewhat shy girl in anime has to do the standard "stutter every other word" to appear cute and shy. The original anime was able to get this across without doing this. The book was able to get this across without doing this. Why does the remake have to change her character to fit with modern tropes? Again, not a deal-breaker or anything, it's just annoying. In conclusion, I admit a lot of this is nitpicky, and I am very much enjoying the remake, but for now, the original anime remains my favorite anime of all time for a reason. The remake has some issues that somewhat hinders the experience for me. The remake for me right now is somewhere in the ballpark of 7.5 or 8 out of 10. The OG is a 9.5 or 10 out of 10.

You’ve really reminded me why I thought Spice & Wolf had such a strong opening. If the show does get better, it’d be cool to just watch the original anime and pick whatever sequel season the remake gets and go from there if possible.

I really like this video and thee deep dive in comparison that it does, you helped me pick up a lot on some things that the new show wants to portray but fails to such as lawrance's boredom. I really lilke the points you bring out and was worried about some of these issues but I do want to mention that a lot of this is built on heavily atleast leater on especially in showing Lawrance and Holo's true feelings. I think they wanted to make it more like the characters were trying to hid it whilst longing for it at the same time especially with how they show it later on such as the contrast in Lawrance body language and characteristics once Holo goes to bed going from something warm cozy and fond to somethign cold and dark. Just wish the first episode did more of this as it isn't as good at introducing the characters as the original and I really appreciate you making this video for that reason as it feels like it might be harder to get into for new viewers!

Personally I think the new version definitely falls short the most noticeably during Holo's howl. In the original it was both longer and had a slowly changing sound to it that in comparison sounds more supernatural.

Great video I love your old vs new content❤

I like the original better, darker lines, Bigger ears, Better dramatic sequences, Better dramatics, Good music, And I wish they had finished onto her village. Not this damn remake. I will try and watch It once it's dub. I still prefer the original. I also agree with you with having the female, Instead of a male getting drunk and talking about holo.

This is a great break down. I knew it wasn’t the same as the original and that’s fine but I didn’t feel attached after the first episode like I did all those years ago

I agree with it 100%.. I am glad I am not only the one..

While discussing Chloe, I'm surprised you didn't mention her cameo in Episode 1 of the remake. She tackles Yarei and is unmistakenly shown staring at him with the other villagers. Now I think this was just a wink and nod Easter Egg, but would also like to hear your opinion on it.

spice and wolf was one of the first anime I watched and I liked it so much that it became my favorite and made me want to read (even if I didn't know English) the entire manga and then also the light novel (I'm now up to volume 10). Now in this remake, I didn't see It highlight the loneliness that the 2 protagonists feel and does not seem to give that feeling of anxiety that everything could go wrong at any moment, which even the openings and endings of the old anime gave, instead in this remake it starts with a big spoiler that serves to make those who know the series understand how far they want to go but at the same time it can give reassurance to those new to it who know how to do 2+2. Despite this, I don't care whether it will be good or bad because I've never had any hope of a remake, just the fact that they made it makes me happy

Re Yarei I think he also represents the lack of positive change in Lawrence in comparison to the village. He was a traveling merchant who bought wheat from the village when others wouldn't owing to the duties on their wheat. Obviously his motives are to establish a relationship by doing so. When he returns the village has turned around it's fortunes but he's still a traveling merchant.

It’s always nice to hear my exact thoughts echoed but in a coherent order. 😅 While you certainly noticed how Lawrence came across as flatter in 2024, did you find that to be the case for Holo as well? I thought she came across as more subdued and less expressive, which makes her presence less commanding, and her cutesier design certainly also contributes to that impression. That less commanding presence has ripple effects throughout all her interactions with Lawrence. The script is pretty much identical, though, so I’m hoping it works itself out.

Can you make breakdowns like this every chapter or at least season, please? I really love these types of videos and SaW means a lot to me, so I'd like to hear you opinion on the rest of the show.

as a light novel fan I appreciate the opening scene

Having watched the first two episodes, I think I can finally muster up the words to best describe my complaints about it: The new adaptation makes it overly obvious from the outset that they're going to focus on their romance development, revealing right from the intro (a major spoiler) that they’re destined for a happy ending. I think this detracts from the tension of wondering whether they might part ways or if she’ll be lonely again, which was a major selling point for me of both the anime and the LNs. I’m not usually bothered by spoilers; I’ve watched many shows where I knew key plot points and still found myself completely immersed. In this case, the spoiler isn’t merely incidental-it’s intentionally used to set the show’s overall tone. This change also distorts the original characterization of Holo. This is probably the worst part though. This is why I enjoyed Frieren so much. The show still entertains by actively stimulating that sense of uncertainty about her relationship with Fern and Stark, the inevitable passage of time ect. You can kind of see that in the second ending of the show too. This adaptation doesn’t even try(so far) I've also come realize that I don’t enjoy shows that exclusively focus on romance, especially when they blatantly telegraph that the characters are predestined for eachother. This was one of the reasons I dropped Kaguya. I won't comment on the art style apart from the fact that for a key visual that purported to stay true to the LNs illustration, her face looks rather bland and generic.(I suppose it's still "better" than the OG though)

i thought the ending song vibe would be like original, never crossed my mind that ClariS will do it

As someone who owns the original series as well as the source material, I have been enjoying the new series quite a lot, and having the original voice actors for Holo and Lawrence reprise their roles in both the sub and dub versions has been icing on the cake. Sure there are some things that are different, but that hasn’t taken away from my enjoyment thus far and right now I don’t expect it to in the future.

So basically I have to watch the old version because the characters' emotions are much better expressed than in the new version, is that correct?

That's True there's fan's who like Both New and old Anime Shows For me the original 1981 Urusei Yatsura my favorite Anime show of All Time ❤️ The New Urusei Yatsura is Good fun to watch ❤️ don't hate it but not as great as the original Urusei Yatsura but I do like both New and original ❤

I'm just hoping it goes on longer

Yeah, I more or less agree with your takes here on the difference. The benefit to a strict interpretation of the light novel will at least hopefully lead to them finishing the series and not rushing the remake of old season 2. Coincidentally, today I learned the festival in Spice & Wolf is based on an actual central European folk tradition regarding the Roggenwolf particularly its description in the "Golden Bough."

episode 2 is only 18.5 hours away

The original was flawed because the source material wasn't complete, the new one is catered toward the complete source material. You didn't ask for it, but you're getting it all now. Edit: Just be thankful all the voice actors, both sub and dub, are consistent from the original.

To give a brief explanation of the beginning of the remake, but as there are spoilers, I will make some extra space before continuing.... ------ SPOILER WARNING ------ I wanna start by saying I'm not 100% sure about this as I haven't finished reading the novels myself. I'm currently at around volume 8 or so. But, I think the girl she's talking to is not Holo's daughter, as I don't believe Lawrence and Holo does end up having children of their own. I can be wrong about this though, as again, I haven't reached that far yet. I think the other girl is Myuuri, the main character together with a boy named Col, that, assuming we get a season 2 with 25'ish episodes that will also adapt 4 novels, we will meet Col in season 2. Lawrance "gives up" the dream of opening up his own shop and he and Holo builds an onsen in the mountains, and they kind of make a traditional ryokan (a traditional Japanese style hot spring resort.) So indeed, if there was any doubt, Lawrence and Holo do end up together. As mentioned, Col joins Holo shorly after the events of the original anime, and what I also assume will be where this anime ends. I don't know where Myuuri joins the story, but the girl in the beginning of the first episode looks very much like her. If you wanna have a look at what Myuuri looks like yourself, try Googling "Wolf & Parchment" (or "Shinsetsu Ookami to Koushinryou" it's Japanese title), here you can see both Myuuri and a more adult looking Col, as he's only about 8 or 10 years old when we meet him in the anime/novels.

I really enjoy the new spice and Wolf, but it is enhanced alot by having watched the original for a bit more context. While i personally think shows should be written to stand just as well on their own its still a fun watch.

Totally agree with everything. That first ep without Chloe threw me off ... :(

I haven't seen the original anime in a long time. I loved it. But the new one, i have mixed thoughts so far, after watching a few episodes.

There's a spice and wolf remake?!

I didn't watch the original adaptation back then, but I am watching both the current adaptation along with the original adaptation. After watching the first four episodes of both versions, I think that the original adaptation is more suggestive and atmospheric in comparison to the current adaptation, while I would consider that the current adaptation is more expressive and vivid than the original adaptation. The original adaptation inclines to apply different camera angles and some supplementary visuals in order to present the character's state of mind. The newer adaptation inclines to allow characters to showcase their traits and convey their ideas through subtle facial and body expressions. Each method has their advantages and disadvantages, and I think that the original adaptation manages to give a cinematic feel with some occasional ambiguous presentations in need of repeated viewings for some audiences, while the current adaptation has given a natural feel with less atmospheric rendering. Lawrence is appeared to be more sentimental in the original adaptation and less mature in the narrative presentation (not in the story), as he tends to expose his emotions during several negotiations with other people, while he expresses himself more grounded with less memorable expressions in the current adaptation. On the other hand, Holo is already being really expressive in the original adaptation with a sense of minor superiority, but she has showcased more of herself through displaying extra closely depicted facial expressions and body movements in the current adaptation while becoming more engaging with Lawrence.

It's hard to talk about the opening scene without veering into spoilers, but having read the novels myself, I can't help but love the opening scene from the new adaptation. Beginning with a flash forward nostalgic-feeling scene makes a lot of sense, considering that's how most of the audience (probably the production team too) feels about the series in general, so arguably there is a bias. The original show's opening narration is mostly all information that we get again in later scenes anyway, and the same goes for the emotions involved (Holo's loneliness). I think it works either way, and I really appreciate the new adaptation doing something completely different (and, yes, appealing to nostalgia for us fans who are in the know) I broadly agree that that the original opening episode is better, but as we've gotten more episodes, I really don't think that the new adaptation is worse than the original. Particularly the recent episode 4, which features one of the first key Lawrence and Holo "emotional moments," I'd say the new adaptation is at least as good as the first. There are many aspects of the new one that I find notably better, in fact. Overall, I think we are in for a great time with "New" Spice and Wolf

Chloe is a good character yes, but probably they did her character too well for a supposed "anime original character", and her dynamic with Lawrence deviated the LN Lawrence of not having that sort of a relationship with a girl in that point of story for anime only's that probably won't bother the inclusion of Chloe that much but LN may find her inclusion confusing since her dynamic with Lawrence contradicts a lot inner monologue Lawrence had at that supposed time in the story. Like you definitely will leave episode one expecting to see more of her and that is where the dillema happens when it comes to an anime original character. I don't really have a problem with her inclusion but I do think they did her character way too good that future inclusions of her in the future of the story might make me anxious that she may deviate the plot point to unknown teritorry which could end up still being good or radically bad.

I think you're spot on, my sort of head canon to this change in approach to the new show is a sort of "we aren't taking away the show you loved we are just giving you more." Like what we saw in the old show was what actually happened and this show is Holo telling us the story with a bit of nostalgia and a bit more from her perspective. Like the replacement of Cloe, Laurence being more boring in the early episodes and Holo not being bothered in that scene where he tries asserting control knowingly or unknowingly believing Laurence was much more boring before he meets her and she being the noble beast she is would be I bothered by the simple acts of a random human at the time etc. hopefully the show hits it's stride by the time this show moves past where the old show stopped.

Hmm I kinda get a sense that the new scene director (or whoever decides this stuff) tried not to offend people with the new one since they do seem capable

I think it's a little too early to be saying much on this adaptation since it's not fully adapted it's contents yet however I do think I like the remake more than the original especially in art style never been a fan of the old 2000s anime look and I have exceptions but I'd say the remake is doing a a pretty fantastic job from what I remember to the original

agreeable

I remember watching this show on bluray disk a couple of years ago hopefully the new version won't just stop two thirds of the way through like the first one did I'd rather just get a third season instead of just restarting the show from square one but at least this time it will be the whole story hopefully maybe it intends too be more faithful too the original manga by showing another original character? good shows can have a clunky beginning sometimes if their remaking it I remain optimistic

I definitely prefer the original so far but the continuation of the story is what im exited about.

Great points! I feel like the new adaptation loses a lot of nuance that build the characters. I felt the things you mentioned, it was greatly bothering me, but couldn't put it into words, and you did it for me - thanks! Not liking it so far, but the 7th episode was better than the rest, at least we get some chemistry and the OST is not so misused. Upd: I am reeeealy thankful! I felt like Lawrence was portrayed a lot worse in the new adaptation, but I couldn't tell why, it was just feeling off. Now I know! Upd2: Btw, I love how civil the discussions below are :D

I watched the original as a kid and I remember not understanding a single thing that was happening. Especially with the pyrite stuff. I think I was just too young to appreciate it.

Anime changed a lot in 12 years at least in art style

Wait is this a reboot/remake

I had the original spice and wolf on my watch list but now since the remake came out idk if I should watch the original or remake😅

Finally. Somebody who gets the problems I have with this adaptation.

This is from the original Spice & Wolf Live version of the opening song. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/la6pdrijnpuwdYk.htmlsi=yABlfBBC5_3rvKQD

I'll be honest... it's been a couple years since I've seen the original... I'm currently on episode 6 of the new sho, and I forgot the original version had the villager friend be a chick...lol

thanks for this explaining, i thought about to buy the new version too but what i see here... its stupid vs. the original

U can’t remake the Mona Lisa. Should have started where the OG left off.

I like the new and old version I can’t choose which one is better For me, both is equally good. (Except animation quality.) So… do we really have to choose a side? :/ And do people really hate the new ver this much? I see some people hating the anime for having a remake

I think new anime is more entertaining, but the old one convey character and story little bit better. Also in the old adaptation Holo looks little bit more mature and i think it fits her, but it's only my opinion.

Is Holo physically a 15 year old girl? I know from the lore she’s a 600 year old spirit, but why didn’t they choose a human form closer in age to the main character? I know you didn’t create the anime, but I was just curious.

Ok as someone who hasn't seen either i still agree in general with the majority of what you said except... The start. Really? Healing from trauma is bad now? It is obviously a good bit into the future, she is most likely married, and they have a kid of a few years old, so ofc she is happy, who wouldn't? Saying that it is weird that she isn't bothered about her past trauma while literally talking to her child is just a weird take imo. The village prob likes her at that future point in time so there isn't really a point for here to be heavily affected by the trauma. Trauma can be healed over time. So it makes sense that her opinnion about her past has changed now that she has more experience and a new perspective since being a mother can change someone quite a bit.

the original spice and wolf isn't even that old and looks fine. i have watched the old version a year ago and there is really no point for me to watch it again. Very perplexing decision to remake it. Do people really hate this older art style this much? I think it looks fine and the pacing was also fine. I struggle to understand this.

I like the original dub. It makes it feel more medieval european feeling.

at the beginning is her DAUGHTER??

We did not like the new anime so we watched the original to see why people like the series so much. I can say that we liked the 1st half of the original series and believe it is better than the new series. However, we did not like the 2nd half of the original series. It has nothing to with the series itself but more to do with the content. To us it is dark because Lawrence keeps dealing with shady people and honestly not does not treat Holo very well.

yeah, pretty much the kid shows that holo and weiz fckdd. One of things I liked about the show is the will they? or will not?

at any rate... أشهد ان لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له واشهد ان محمد عبد الله ورسوله وخاتم الانبياء والمرسلين

I thought the manga leaned WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to far into the fanservice, and I really worried that the anime would follow suit. Holo is cutesy and unashamed, but it’s her wisdom, and years of experience over Lawrence that really drew her to me. I want to see more of her witty banter than i do her body. I think i’ll still watch this reboot, but things like theming being off the second time around are common for new adaptations. My hopes are that when we finally catch up to where the original ended in s2, they’re won’t be as much pressure to try something different. I also just won’t have anything but the novels (or the manga) to compare too.

Wow, we're getting a lot of anime re-adaptations. Even One Piece is getting one.

I watched the old and new back to back a couple of times and been comparing them so I have some thoughts. TLDR I actually do prefer the new adaptation though I see a lot of pros and cons to both versions but after watching the second new adaptation episode I am fairly confident in which I prefer. Apologies for english. I rewatched the episodes while writing this so might be long but I will try to keep it short as I can. The new one seems to rely more on visual story telling. There are certainly more weaknesses in Lawrence so far but they are made up by (in my opinion) better portrayal of Holo. The original really played into the romantic companion aspect to play off chloe being the initial antagonist, while at face value it makes it simpler to sympathize with his loneliness the old series overstepped its bounds a bit trying to make that love triangle thing which went against lawrences character by the end of the arc. While I see where you are coming from saying lawrences loneliness if not well portrayed in the new adaptation....apart from talking to his horse and looking at a couple (more romance pushing and as you said on the nose).... it wasn't very well portrayed in the original either. I looked back over the old episode to see where you are coming from on this one but I don't see it being much better. On the contrary Lawrences warm greeting from the village with all the people knowing his name made it seem like he was a well known guy in the town and just missing out on having a wife. From the books we know Lawrences loneliness is much deeper then lack of romantic interest and this is fairly hard to show on screen. The new adaptation had dialogue and made him feel a lot more out of place among the villagers initially then the old adaptation. I will get to familiarity with chloe later but I do not think either show did this well and I don't see it as much of a mark against the new adaptation. Holo in this version is comes off as much more.. inhuman then the original which I think is to the shows benefit. The original was more cute wolf ear girl while the VA (same Va as old) this time around has decided to switch between different tones much more from mature to playful which makes Holo as a whole more interesting to me. I think it really shows the experience and better understanding of the character with the changes she made this time around sounding almost like a mother at times to Lawrence while maintaining her playfulness. The second episode continues showing the more inhuman side with the new adaptations potato scene sounding very much like a dog. The mannerisms and animators have done a good job with Holo which was a huge point of concern for me when looking at the trailers. We don't get this inhumane side of holo in the old show until way further down the line (I think scenes like the big lie reveal in season two will tell us much more about which adaptation is better over nitpicking the first episodes). The way the story of the wolf eating human heads was shown was also much better then the old version. Holo looked mean in the old adaptation looking right at lawrences face while she talked about the humans being eaten and the wise wolf could not tell she was striking a nerve looking at him like that???. The new one where she seems to be look up at the sky and had become careless in her teasing with out giving lawrence any eye contact made it seem like much more of a genuine mistake on her part and the entire make up felt smoother with Holo coming out as much more likeable at the end compared to the old. On the note of VA I actually really preferred the english VA for the old adaptation over the Japanese and I look forward to the new one with english VA (I hope same just like the jp) While I see the criticism of the direction of the new show, Watching them back to back the new episode flows better using yarei over chloe. Chloe was given too much emphasis and importance in the old adaptation and trying to set her up as a romantic interest while tempting lawrence into some sort of business deal felt fairly awkward. The way the scenes flowed in the new episode (keeping the return to village change from the book to cover a plot hole) with yarei coming off as more of an old acquaintance yet someone who very much respects lawrence as a mentor in the past. Chloe brought up too many questions... lawrence is not that old how did he build such a relationship with this girl, why is she trusting him with this business deal, How long did lawrence mentor her.... how long ago... was Lawrence aprenticing this girl when he was an inexperienced merchant himself. Yarei being a party to successful buisness deal with Lawrence and learning a thing or two from Lawrence as a new merchant just out of aprenticship is much more believable to me (like a new college grad teaching an inexperienced coworker some new tricks they learned from their professor). With out this extra fluff that is in my opinion entirely unnecessary, that time is given to a lot of environmental story telling which I really liked I do agree with the original intro being better and the new one seems a bit nostalgia baiting but it was well executed. It sets up the story more on the happy side initially and based on all the new time viewers the expectation is about a carefree happy little adventure story. Depending on how they handle the character development the drama of the series could either be more impactful or feel misplaced but time will tell which. Based on the second episode though I really have my hopes up on the former. While the original intro sets up Holo very well, I think once in the actual episode the bedroom scene in the new one does the job of setting up Holo well enough and makes up for the nostalgia bait intro. A huge plus of the new bedroom scene is it sells her character to Lawrence and the audience much better then the old one. The scene portrays her reasons to leave the village a bit more strongly then the original and I think you take this together with the intro scene it is as strong as the original. As I said before I don't think the old one sets up Lawrences loneliness as better as you seem to remember apart from in the name of pushing the useless romance triangle. I get hating on 3d CGI but I hardly noticed it unless I am looking for it. As long as its not front and center (Overlord lol) I don't really care. Back ground details such as the villagers dancing on a side shot don't bother me given they animate what matters well. My preference and opinion may be heavily biased since I REALLY enjoy the light novels and read them a number of times as well as the manga. I do think everything above is fairly nitpicking but I see a lot of the same arguments against the new show online and some of the things being said I feel are unfair to the new adaptation. Overall I still think they are both good and neither are bad. As hard as some people seem to try, I think nostalgia is really biting some of them to dislike the new one unfairly. Again sorry for english mistakes

Wait i havent watched it yet since im waiting for it to all release in dub so i can binge it. Its a remake? And here i was hoping for a continuation with a season 3.

i honestly believe the only reason why they changed Chloe is because they know twitter fools will nuke the show to the ground the moment they see a female character try and win a male character over

No Wolf Whistling Song. Literally unwatchable.

why do you have to talk fast? it's exhausting listening to it

nah old is def better, alone the art looks much better

Something you haven't touched upon is how expressive is the new Holo compared to her old counterpart with the animation, the old spice and wolf was a lot of flapping mouth with still frames meanwhile in this first episode she uses her whole body to expresses herself by moving around with it which feels more natural and helps to display her playful nature, that's a thing the remake has over the old one so far.

The original was better.

Waiting for the dub and I'm gonna be so pissed if J Michael Tatum & Brina Palencia don't get to come back as Lawerence & Holo respectively.

As a light novel reader I'll say: The loneliness on Holo's part is something Lawrence comes to learn through the story, and not something we're given immediately. It's part of how they get closer to one another. Her being slowly pushed out of importance from the village is also something she herself opens up about, and not an immediate part of her character that Lawrence understands. In the argument about him not conveying himself very well looking at the villagers, I thought it was done just fine. Showing the couple in the cart somewhat denotes the rarity of Holo traveling with him and people assuming it's a romantic partner later on (just my opinion). I also wouldn't say a driving factor of Lawrence is his loneliness as you've emphasized. He is indeed lonely from traveling weeks alone, but his main drive in the beginning of the story is to open his shop, and he's little to no regard of others being friends or of importance to him outside a transactional relationship. That's something that he grows to change through the course of the story. His loneliness came from his horse being the only other one to talk to, rather than desiring a romantic partner at this point. My main issue with Chloe has always been that a love triangle was introduced for no good reason, when we already meet a female who makes Holo a little jealous later on. It's a change that wasn't needed. Yarei isn't meant to be a likeable guy, he's young and not driven by a romantic interest in Lawrence.

chole as a character contradicts part of your criticize since she is a smart, young and pretty lady that not only is Lawrence apprentice but also is in love with him so if he was that lonely he will try to court her. her existence is to make a love triangle/tension since it make her hate of holo more petty but relatable since she is not only is the old good who her people was at the mercy of her whims but also stole the man she love, since in that age love triangles and tension were very popular so she is a product of her age.

Holo does not look like Holo in the remake. She looks more like Mameda from My Master Has No Tail.

i feel like the animation in the remake is worse and they use parallax shots to hide the limited animation; this is because traditionally parallax shots are very expensive. unless they used AI.

The new one focuses on belongingness, imo. Holo doesnt feel she belongs, and she's just a tool. Lawrence, well, kinda the same. A merchant who happens to come by at the right time, no where to be, no where to come home to. Basically, theyre wanderers now instead of lonely people. Both strong, can live by themselves. What I find interesting through the VR we are told hintingly that Holo has love at first sight on lawrence. Im curious is theyre going down that path, since the intro with Myuri implies this would focus on the mentioned theme above. Two capable people finding they need each other, instead of two lonely people finding each other.

By 2:32 so you’re telling us it’s fine to change and grow, but you’re implying in Holo’s case, that once she’s lonely she has to be lonely forever and isn’t allowed to reflect fondly? We saw in the original that she’d reflect on old memories fondly, an example is when she tells Laurence of the boy who fell out of a chair, she was smiling and chuckling at that memory. By 3:54 bro Laurence is a knowledge f that events are happening and things are changing, sure we don’t get to see how bored or lonely it is but the world doesn’t revolve around him. There are other people in the world, showing the large building shows a passage of time since he only sees that village every few years, and that wasn’t there before, emphasizing time passed and he was too busy to even notice. 4:51 bruh what? You can’t imagine a couple riding together in a carriage? How’s that the anime’s fault? That shows a level of ignorance on your part, not theirs. Furthermore, Laurence’s expression is so blank because it’s showing he just doesn’t care- he’s in a village for work only, and feels like he’s intruding on a festival he’s got no business being a part of, he’s not saddened by it but feels like a minor nuisance hence his decision to leave and the comment he makes about an outsider not fitting in. 5:49 bro I just can’t anymore, like wow you’re nitpicking every minor thing you don’t like. If the viewer is familiar with the light novels then they’re expected to know these details and hence not waste time recapping what we already know. If the viewer is NOT familiar, it serves as a cute and intriguing introduction to a traveling romance, which is what this story fundamentally is. Either way, the new version does things rather well, I saw the original and had very few complaints which immediately vanished once I saw it’s a closer adaptation to the light novels. It’s perfectly fine if you don’t like something, we’ve all got our tastes, desires, etc. but picking the smallest details like this, it’s just stupid- you’re complaining to complain and doing it to an audience that really doesn’t care that much