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So this episode does something interesting. At the end of episode 5, Holo and Lawrence jump into the waterways again to make their escape. The Medioh Company goons get wind of this, and begin chasing them around the labyrinthine tunnels. Holo senses an exit, and leads Lawrence to it, but it turns out to be a well that they can’t reach. Cornered, Holo transforms into her wolf form and fights off all the men.

What I found interesting was Chloe. At first, I thought she was kind of an arbitrary choice to have as an antagonist. Up until Holo transforms, I didn’t really buy it. But then I realized Chloe isn’t really an antagonist. She betrayed her friendship with Lawrence and her god, but I ended up feeling bad for her. What does she really stand for? Progress. She represents humanity’s ability to rely on itself and not, in her own words, the whims of a deity. She strikes the deal with the Medioh Company in hopes of getting her village more profit, as the harvest had been poor by Holo’s own doing. Chloe is not wrong to want what she wants—she’s just a bit unethical in getting it. When menaced by Holo, Chloe’s lines say it all: “God is always like this... always... always unfair!” Even though Holo’s actions (reducing the harvest) were for the good of the land, it still hurt the villagers in the short term. Chloe tries to bring prosperity back to Pasroe, by her own power, and is seemingly punished for it. So who is right? God I love complex ethical dilemmas.

This ends my episodic coverage of Spice and Wolf. My impression so far: I see why this anime is special, but I don’t really enjoy the subject matter that much. Still, there are bits and pieces that I find brilliant, like the situation with Chloe. Hopefully the series will delve deeper into the main characters and their relationships with each other, and maybe drop some of the dealings with the faceless merchants.

Tags: Spice and Wolf, Okami to Koshinryo, Super Serial