Light Novel Adaptation by Passione
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Premise
Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant delivering goods to a village during a harvest festival. While passing through, he picks up an unexpected companion: a girl claiming to be the harvest god the village has been praying to.
Jel’s verdict: But… Why?
Have you ever thought, “I’d love to rewatch 2008 anime classic Spice and Wolf, but this time 25-50% worse”? If so, do I have the anime for you! The first episode of Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf (MMtWW for short) is almost identical to the first episode of the original series, but this time its flat and bland and drained of its charm . To make sure I wasn’t overcome with nostalgia, I even went back and watched the original first episode to confirm. I’m really scratching my head as to why this exists.
If you are new to the series, Spice and Wolf is many things. It’s a show about medieval European economics. It’s a story about a world slowly moving toward modernity at the cost of its soul. It’s a refreshing take on the classic magical girlfriend anime. These elements are technically present in MMtWW, but everything is just… slightly worse. There is the art and animation, which is mediocre at best. I don’t know why they made everything so gray and colorless. But there’s also a few tweaks to the dialogue, for example with Lawrence, that somehow make everyone less likable. The original Lawrence instantly comes off as kind and vulnerable, whereas Lawrence here is kind of a jerk? How did they make that happen with just a few small changes?
Normally I would say judge a series on its own merit and don’t lean so heavily on comparisons to the past. But in the case of MMtWW, they are doing a near scene for scene remake of the original, not to mention 2008 Spice and Wolf is just as readily available to watch as this new version. So it again leaves me with the question, why not just watch the original? I suppose we’ll see if future episodes make more changes. To be fair, there are some details in this first episode that lean closer to the content of the novels. But unless you’re a real die hard Spice and Wolf fan, I don’t think those details matter. As a final nail in the coffin for MMtWW, the new OP and ED are mid while the originals are all time greats. I leave you with this:
The Glorio Blog 
Oh, that’s too bad, but not really surprising. Considering that the series is about medieval economics, it was interesting and fun. The original series was unique, but there really wasn’t a reason to remake it. I think the story would have to change significantly for fans of the original to want to watch it.
only thing I was thinking is maybe they will continue past where the original left off, but then why not start there? I don’t know
That sure was just the same thing as the first time. Really disappointed that they don’t seem to be doing a simuldub either. What’s the point indeed.