Episode 18 of Spice & Wolf: Merchant meets Wise Wolf

I adore when an episode consists solely of dialogue. When written effectively, dialogue may support a story. It might be the story. Although Spice & Wolf’s conversational style is nothing new, it offers a useful framework for analyzing this chapter. This week, Lawrence has four meetings, and each one directs him toward his iron (II) disulfide confrontation with Amati.

Lawrence takes a supplicative stance with Batos. He is able to read the space. The Alchemist Quarter is nonetheless suspicious of strangers while being situated outside of the bounds of “acceptable” civilization. If anything, their level of anxiety is probably higher than typical because con artists may take advantage of their lower social standing. Understanding the power dynamics at work, Lawrence makes a merchant-to-merchant appeal to Batos in an attempt to show him that he is sincere. But Batos’s ability to see through things is what really tilts the odds in his favor. When Lawrence refers to “cargo,” he is aware that he is referring to Holo, and because of his personal bond with Diana, he can relate to the agitated man in front of him. Batos is a decent man.

Lawrence apologizes to Diana in a similar way, but her inquiries cause him to reflect more deeply. To his credit, he understands that Holo, not Amati, is the real antagonist in this story. Just as Lawrence cannot make Holo do anything, Amati cannot make Holo accept his hand in marriage. Holo chooses for herself. Lawrence believes that his talents as a merchant will be the most effective approach to showcase his attraction. This is ridiculous, of course, but it does have that certain air of male bluster that appeals to Holo, so he’s not completely hopeless. Additionally, Lawrence summons the confidence to question Diana directly about the interactions between gods and mortals. This is also the kind of candor that would make Holo laugh, and Diana acts like a true bird in that aspect. Still, she graciously answers his query. She understands this developing romance, just like Batos does, and she would much prefer see it through to the end than cut it short.

At last, Lawrence lets out some steam while having drinks with Marc. But Marc lays into Lawrence the hardest this week because he knows him the best of all the players in the lineup. Friends are for things like that. Here, Spice & Wolf also provides more information to its viewers about the pyrite bubble’s fragility. However, I believe that Marc’s candor is more significant in another part of the exchange. Marc helps Lawrence understand that he is a married person by using his vivid analogies and direct honesty. A guy with a wolf for a wife. Although this was never in dispute, Lawrence taking the time to acknowledge it himself is a significant step. It dawns on him what he ought to have said to her that night.

In their final exchange, Lawrence meets Amati, who brashly fulfills his half of the bargain from last week. After doing more study, I’ve discovered that Lawrence’s strategy is known as naked short selling. It’s as much fun to read up on as traditional short selling, despite the obscene moniker. It’s considered “naked” since the asset isn’t owned by the short seller at the time of the initial transaction, i.e. Amati had zero pyrite when Lawrence sold it to him. If you need further evidence that money is phony, this appears to be a real event that occurs in the real stock market, but it is regulated just like conventional short selling. The primary artificial detail in this situation is that Amati is aware that Lawrence intends to shoot him. The majority of short sellers do it to make a lot of money, not to court their potential wolf wife. But this is the reason I like Spice & Wolf even if I’ve never taken an economics course. If understanding about stocks leads to interesting drama, I can take it.

Holo is the one person with whom Lawrence never speaks. Considering the events of their most recent conversation, this makes sense. It’s also a grave error. He concluded that it would be worthwhile to pursue a connection with Holo as a result of the chats he had this week. He really ought to push through that throng and tell her right away. He ought to humiliate himself in the eyes of The Market, Man, and God. I think she would like that. He’s still a ways off, though. Because he’s stubborn, Lawrence is willing to risk their relationship for his plan.

I can’t express how much I love going back and revisiting this storyline. My reevaluation of the earlier two volumes brought out more of their flaws, which in turn made this adaptation’s problems more apparent. They had flaws, but they were still good. But Spice & Wolf are at their best in this pyrite storyline. It focuses more on interpersonal conflicts and economy. It chooses strategy and mind games above action. It provides further dramatic fodder for Holo and Lawrence to consider. Furthermore, the more conversational content better suits this production’s skills. Hopefully, it will adhere to the landing the next time.