Spice and Wolf: Old VS New

[@Cobren1]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

Hopefully all goes well for the new adaptation. If it does improve, I'll probably talk about it some more. I'm genuinely optimistic that it will get better, though I still do think the way this first episode portrayed its characters wasn't the best introduction to them. But if that doesn't seem to matter to me over the course of the story, I'll probably get over it.

[@etheri0n959]

It's on crunchyroll, but if that's not viable to you, then there's always pirating

[@etheri0n959]

The U.S maybe. Never used a VPN so sorry if this isn't an option.

[@PikachuFan123456789]

thekevin4330 EntroCythe has all the episodes on their channel, minus the 1st episode. The 1st episode can be found by simply searching it here.

[@alexg4711]

i just hope we get a wolf and parchment adaption. Myuri and coll are more fun to see in an anime than Lawrence and Holo, which can be better handled in written form.

[@usseg]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

It's actually the same for me. It's only after I went back to watch the original that I understood what those scenes I talked about in the new version were supposed to indicate

[@rudycastillo4150]

I didn't even realize that in the in original I seen it multiple time lol😂

[@drakechandler9014]

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.

[@sawmill035]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

This is a really well out together comment. And yeah, from what I remember the banter in the original show was pretty stellar. It always felt witty and fun, but in a way that wasn't artificial. This is probably because of what you mentioned about them being on more of an equal playing field. Makes it feel like a genuine relationship where either party can be either snappier or slower with their responses. I haven't seen the most recent episode of Spice and wolf yet, but if it is as you described, I can imagine myself being annoyed by that too. Thanks for the comment, really cool to read.

[@AJTyrant]

Bravo, I was feeling all this, but couldn't put it into words. Also I'm so worried they just gona drop this anime at the same part they dropped it in the OG. :(

[@blazewarking]

i feel as though the part you feel is off is just nostalgia not saying its unwarranted or anything just as a had no coin in the game you had many experiences with the original

[@jjstarrprod]

I'm discovering this vid (and this this comment) only now that I've finally caught up the last 4 episodes, and yes, I absolutely concur : This series is sadly leagues below the original. The only thing it has over the OG series is probably better character designs, and Kevin Penkin's formidable soundtrack. Everything else feels just so much more bland, from the stilted dialogues, non-existent nor believable chemistry between Holo and Lawrence (which is quite incredible, since those are the same VA from the OG show, really shows you what quality of screenwriting and directing does), more confused economics explanations (the OG show seemed to do much better on that aspect too, here it feels the writers themselves didn't understand what the novel's author explained and they tried to make it sound smart anyway...), the shots compositions are just ... bland... And I'll not even touch upon the overall bad quality of the animation and character emotions for 5-6 episodes in a row (I feel like they outsourced a LOT of the episodes to studios in Thailand)... And the OP and ED just didn't do much to me (OP is okay, but come on, it had to follow up Tabi no Tochuu, which is regarded as one of the most beloved OP of all times ! And the new ED is straight up a hard pass for me, I always skip it). Another thing, I believe, that is hurting this series is that it's following right after Frieren ! Another series that portrays a seemingly immortal "young" looking lady who's actually a millenium old, and this series actually showcased a VERY believable portrait of someone who's that old : Completely jaded about the importance of time and life, and completely dismissive of the people around her (why bother since they all die in the span of a weekend ?). And Holo, at least this version, is just not it at all. She sure has some flashes of wisdom, but gosh darn her bratty 14 year old demeanor all the other time of the series is just insufferable ! I was super pumped about this series when they announced it (I LOVED the OG series, and was among the people desperately waiting for a season 3), so when they announced a reboot that would go all the way till the end, I was like YAY ! Man, after the horrendous quality of episode 6, which was supposedly the end of the first arc, I was done. I never dropped a series as fast as this one. It's one of the biggest disappointment of my anime fan time (and I've been a fan of anime for nearly 35 years).

[@sawmill035]

@@jjstarrprod I'm not quite as down on it as you are, but I very much agree with a lot of your sentiments. I think it's still enjoyable, and if it weren't spice and wolf I'd probably enjoy it just fine. But they really did Holo dirty by turning her into a bratty, smart-ass 14 year old. It makes the moments where she is supposed to be vulnerable or wise feel hallow.

[@KidShadow101]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I did notice that, but I didn't talk about it since I didn't know for sure if that was her or not, but it was definitely a nice little nod to the original adaptation.

[@KidShadow101]

@@etheri0n959 Agreed. I love references like that. But those pigtails were undeniable to me when she tackled him. I jumped out of my chair like "THAT'S CHLOE!" Though of course she wasn't named and didn't speak. But those who know, we know.

[@francescofiorito7940]

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

[@wserthmar8908]

Thank you for pointing out all the flaws of the new series, and the strengths of the old one! High quality job

[@pumirya]

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.

[@Bluedeathgodess1762]

Great video I love your old vs new content❤

[@DrTreason]

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

[@williehughes1690]

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.

[@realperson69]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I do think the original Holo left more of an impression on me, but I will say that the new Holo is definitely the best part of the new adaptation at least. In comparison to the other characters at least, she has some spirit, energy, and charm behind her actions. And like I said, when she first rises out of the carriage, she does have a lot of presence in that scene specifically. I think a big part of why all the characters feel much more flat in the new version is that the camera is almost always too far away from them so it can be difficult to gauge how they react to a certain situation or how they feel emotionally sometimes.

[@realperson69]

​@@etheri0n959 For sure Holo is the best part of the new adaptation. Even a bargain-bin version of Holo would be the best part of most anime. 😂 But I don't think the problem is just that she's farther from the camera in 2024. And I also don't think it's just because they're not lingering on dynamic keyframes as much (perhaps avoiding doing so in the name of "better" animation). Of course, both of these are contributing factors. There are of course other factors like voice direction, scene blocking, and general aesthetic, but I'm going to focus on something else. I challenge you - and anyone else unlucky enough to be reading this - to make constant eye contact with Holo at every opportunity in both adaptations. It's quite, shall we say, "eye-opening". 😂😅😐🙄 TL;DR - 2008 Holo makes funny faces and that's a good thing. To cut a long story slightly shorter, I find her expressions to be much more varied and distinct in the 2008 adaptation. This means that when she wears a more understated or typical expression, the contrast leaves us feeling uneasy. Is she playing, or is she sincere? That's a question that Lawrence, and by extension the audience, constantly has to answer. It leaves us off-balance and leaves her in control. This is emphasized further by Lawrence being more visibly frustrated when he's outplayed in 2008, despite also being initially established as slightly more levelheaded in 2008 just because of the minor differences between the Chloe/Yarei scenes. In 2024, Holo's expressions are, to put it charitably, far more subtle. (Less charitably, they mostly seem somehow stock/generic.) I'd argue that subtlety of expressions is a bad approach for anime in general, given the particular strength of big eyes is definitely not subtlety, but I digress. Regardless, the end result is that there's little contrast and therefore little reason to doubt 2024 Holo's more gentle sincerity, and thus we are neither particularly uneasy nor wary. As such, she cedes a bit of control here, subtly changing her character and relationship dynamics, but there's an important additional effect: her moments of true vulnerability don't stand out as much when she's not generally as vibrantly playful or playfully manipulative. When we expect play and get sincerity, it hits pretty hard. When we expect sincerity and get sincerity, it still hits but not quite as hard. When we expect sincerity and get play, it runs a real risk of insulting the audience (see also: bathos). Setting Holo up as more calm, gentle, and reserved in 2024 might ultimately undermine the effectiveness of both her playful moments and her sincere moments. Note again that I think the subtler expressions are themselves undermining the ability of the narrative to convey Holo's emotions, be they playful or sincere, so it's a double whammy for me. Even more unfortunately for me, having seen the 2008 anime first, this is also on top of the fact that her big, slightly abrasive personality and her ability and willingness to flaunt her control of conversations are two of the most defining aspects of her character to me, so I'm even more concerned and unable to approach this as objectively as I might like. So I hesitate to call 2008 Holo objectively superior, but I sure like her much more there than at this stage of the remake. But on the other hand, this 2024 adaptation is produced with consideration of both the 2008 anime and the since-completed source material, so maybe it will be more cohesive as a whole later on. I can only hope the changes aren't just blind faithfulness to the source or marketing ploys to construct a better waifu for modern otaku. THANKS FOR COMING TO MY POINTLESS TED TALK 😵

[@etheri0n959]

Far from pointless. I actually think you pointed out a major problem not just with this show, but a lot of modern anime in general. I've noticed that the facial expressions aren't as telling of how certain characters feel during certain situations nor do they express their personality all too much. Before, anime faces used to be really emotive and distinct and that made it much easier to empathize with the characters. And like you said the contrast between her playfulness and isolation is key to making emotions of sincerity stand out more and have more impact. I think I said this in response to another comment talking about how the new show emphasizes belongingness as opposed to loneliness, but a character finding a place to belong doesn't necessarily have that much impact unless they were previously established to be outsiders or isolated from others in some way. And it's definitely why I feel like the bedroom talk between Lawrence and Holo makes me feel a lot, whereas the new version of that scene still works by itself, but in comparison to the original, feels a little compromised.

[@Devilofdarknessify]

U could say she is less comanding cause its her version of telling. Most (non-) human would mention more the good Part of them.

[@pasindudinusha6507]

I don't remember seeing Holo's recurring nightmare in the remake. In the OG it really hit home with her fear of being alone and the uncertainty of their journey and her future. Also, they should have kept the long ears for Holo.

[@WhiteGreatDane24]

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

[@RealatGabbe]

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!

[@eddiemarohl5789]

as a light novel fan I appreciate the opening scene

[@etheri0n959]

That's perfectly fine

[@eddiemarohl5789]

@etheri0n959 and your criticisms are fine as well. After all, both of our perspectives are coming from our love and passion for the series.

[@Lilo_D._Boom]

As a light novel reader myself I also enjoyed the opening scene but also at the same time I think the original did a better job at getting new people into the show, and that is probably the most important as people already invested enough to go read the light novel (like you and I) will likely be watching this either way.

[@omegawolfbrony]

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.

[@JJH_98]

I havent watched the OG, but the Reboot is amazing. I really love Holo haha. The Story and vibe to this whole story is really good. Back in 2008 i was only just 10 years old. So i never really watched it. But now at 26 i really enjoy this reboot.

[@jamesmorgan4729]

Honestly, I haven't watched the OG and neither did I read the LN, but man do I love this anime! It pulled me in right at the first episode with that interesting intro which was, I just discovered, a foreshadow. I think the important thing here is to realize that this reboot hasn't been produced to satisfy the old fanbase, but rather pull in a new (younger) audience. You can't do that with an Inuyasha type animation style which was applied to the OG S&W. For me, at the very least, the studio did a perfect job of pulling me in and I am totally hooked now! I love the story, I love the style, the only thing I miss compared to some parts of the OG I've seen is more emotion and wittiness, but alas, can't have your cake and eat it too. I hope the foreshadow was meant as a hint that they are intending on animating the whole story rather than volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4, because there would literally be no point to this reboot otherwise. So I am quite confident we will see more of the source adapted as time goes on, but in how long, I can't say, but I hope it will be before I get married and have kids and won't have time anymore...

[@mous2894]

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)

[@etheri0n959]

That's an interesting perspective. In the original, Holo and Lawrence splitting up is still a possibility since the original doesn't do anything to confirm that they end up together in the end, but the new version's opening scene eliminates the possibility that anything will get in the way from the getgo, making a lot of the potential suspense in the coming episodes feel majorly diluted. That opening scene isn't even vague nor can it really be interpreted in a lot of ways like something like in mha when Deku says he'll become the greatest hero, it's much more straightforward and immediately tells the audience that there's no reason to worry about anything regarding the relationship between these two. I think I'm definitely in agreement and although I didn't mention that specifically when talking about the opening scene, it's an element that will mitigate any drama that comes from hinting at their separation in the near future.

[@mous2894]

​​@@etheri0n959I still vividly remember (I was around 14 or 15) the heartache I felt whenever she would curl up on herself, perhaps thinking she was burdening Lawrence/missing her homeland, or whenever they'd have an argument. It really strips away any pretense of narrative suspense. It feels more like a love letter or tribute to the fans than an actual adaptation

[@etheri0n959]

Yeah, one comment said that opening scene for example was more like reassurance that the entire story will be adapted this time around, which i can understand why people would like that, but it does end up having a profound effect on the story. Regardless of intentions, it still has it's cons that, in my opinion, outweigh the pros.

[@violet-trash]

Kind of removes the stakes from several of the plot points later on.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

yea I agree it removes a lot of the tension in the story because it tells you ultimately their relationship will succeed, even though one of the biggest sources of tension in the story is whether Holo and Lawrence will continue to stay together on their journey

[@Batman.97]

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?

[@etheri0n959]

Well that's how I see it at least.

[@Batman.97]

@@etheri0n959 thankss; I’ll start watching the old one and then the new one🙌

[@TotemoGaijin]

Haven't watched the entire reboot yet, but for me, a lot of the episodes felt like unnecessary retreading of the original anime, with the only "big" change being swapping the cute village girl for that dude. I don't know how other people feel about how this, but I think Fullmetal Alchemist did it better. When Brotherhood came out it kinda glossed quickly over what we already knew from the first show before getting into the branch off. Spice and Wolf reboot just feels like I'm rewatching the original show with very slight differences.

[@imassubs]

Sum: Original S&W uses creative directions to better demonstrate the characters' feelings (and does so on the cheap). Meanwhile, the remake wastes budget by adding more scenery and movement just because it can.

[@wserthmar8908]

Well put. Masters of the animation who understood what they were doing vs Passione's cool because cool.

[@haysen123]

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

[@mulamulelilumadi4717]

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.

[@Snzn_7]

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.

[@enricomassignani]

One compelling reason for not liking Chloe in the og adaptation is that her presence implies a love triangle between her, Lawrence and Holo. But at that point of the story, Holo and Lawrence have just met and they don't have strong feelings for each other (yet).

[@Zysperro]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I have plans to cover the rest of the show right now, but it might change in the future. For now, I can't really guarantee anything.

[@Zysperro]

​@@etheri0n959 Sweet! I hope for the best, but no pressure then :)

[@ToplessTopics]

Found this video after googling "spice and wolf is confusing" after 6 episodes and me still completely lost on most of the economic stuff. I like Holo enough that I'm trying to stick with it for now, but it's definitely not my normal anime fare for sure. Anyway this video was really well done and I'll definitely be checking out more of your content in the future!

[@zeplen373]

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

[@candypietravels]

The only problem i have is the camera angels in the 2024 verison like they be missing so much with these angels 😭

[@OdaManjiro]

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."

[@EtronX348]

Wait I can't remeber is this new a reboot or something else?

[@granio2422]

Just new adaptation of same light novel

[@ryanscanlon2151]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

That is a genuinely awesome way of looking at it. Damn it would be so cool if that's actually the case.

[@ryanscanlon2151]

@@etheri0n959 I do too, it's a refreshing angle for a reboot to take when so many remakes practically scoff at the fans. Also I skipped explaining one of my better examples. If this is Holo's memory and she's found happiness I think Cloe becomes so unimportant to Holo that she legitimately forgets about her. I don't think Holo was ever jealous of her and even though she said arguably one of the most hurtful things she had probably ever been told to her face that moment lost its sting to point of being forgotten because Laurence genuinely convinced her that it was freeing her of her obligation and the random villager of thousands that said it wasn't as important.

[@decimatorentertainmentstud8523]

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.

[@Viborgdk]

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.

[@vorynrosethorn903]

Finish the novels, you are asking to be spoiled with some of your speculations here. You should probably also wait until you have finished to read the sequel.

[@raynightshade8317]

I'm just hoping it goes on longer

[@ayambruh3800]

Man i do prefer the og one,for few reason: firstly the shot angle is kinda off,idk how to explain it,but the worst one i saw was during holo transformation in sewer,the the position doesnt make it looks scary/big,and not to mention its literally dog(weirdly enough,the second transformation in the forest seems ok ,idk) secondly,the baclground music. Yes ngl the music sound majestic and give me chills,but its the pace whats make the scene feels so off. for example,whenever intense moment happen,the music suppose to pause or change into scary/epic one,but instead they keep playing music straight. But after seen new season id say they finally fix it,but wish happen in earlier ep. lastly,design and character,the og one has sassy and charming to it,while new one is toward the cuteness ,which makes her doesnt seems like 500 yo for the op,the first one to me is damn good,its just the visual doesnt catch up the feel of spice and wolf vibe,but tabi no touchu is still remain first place

[@pyrophobia133]

episode 2 is only 18.5 hours away

[@RigbyTheGamer]

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 ❤

[@FaridoLaclass]

to those people who watched the old version of the anime like me and they were so Excited for the third part and to see what happened to Lawrence and Holo after they left town, I would like to say that this is an impossible dream. The new manga distorted the entire story the Characters and events changed 360°, and this is really a hard blow to us as fans of this anime. Unfortunately, for me, the anime ended in 2009.

[@billmurray4206]

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

[@thatonedegenerate]

I havent watched the old or the new one, should i watch the old one first then the new one? Or just the old one? Or maybe just the new one?

[@etheri0n959]

I'd recommend watching the old one first if you're going to watch both

[@tsu2155]

Honestly, i agree with everything you’ve pointed out, but the real deal breaker for me is the new artstyle. Holo looks so… soft. It’s such a generic artstyle that imo doesn’t fit a story like this. Her new wolf form literally looks like a shiba inu, I can’t do this 😭😭

[@AJTyrant]

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

[@THEANIMALGUY]

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

[@rwdisland]

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.

[@vannchhay4610]

Wait, so they didn't finish the show? I was planning to watch OG, but after you say that, I'm not should which one's i should watch anymore.

[@TotemoGaijin]

@@vannchhay4610 A good chunk of this new version is mostly just a retread of the same stuff from the first show, although I haven't watched all of the new one yet to know if anything changes.

[@Zysperro]

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

[@etheri0n959]

This video has really given me a new appreciation for spice and wolf fans. I love how chill they are. Aside from a few bad interactions, this community is so willing to discuss their opinions in a civil way and i love it. Other fanbases have not been this kind lol

[@Zysperro]

@@etheri0n959 pros of being a niche community, I guess :D That's why on one hand I want my favourite IPs to succeed, but on the other hand I dread the day of them going mainstream.

[@shonoworld8284]

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😅

[@etheri0n959]

Well, so far I'd recommend the original, but it's ultimately up to you. Though, I would say that the original Spice and wolf is a really good introduction to the story at least.

[@shonoworld8284]

@@etheri0n959 appreciate u🙏🏾❤️

[@alexaurelian8024]

As someone who has watched the original and is watching the new one. I would recommend watching the first one if your looking for more emotion and a superior dub and dialogue. The new one seems to be focusing on the journey for them being a fun filled adventure where they come to love eachother where as the original is more a story of two lonely people building a bond and love together. It's do you want emotional story or fun happy go lucky story. I will say so far the original is FAR superior as a adult show, while the new one seems more intended for a younger audience. The dialogue and humor in the first is extremely superior but it has moments of boredom because it goes more into the business of being a merchant. While this new one seems to water down the merchant talk but seems to lack the naturally smooth dialog of the original. If you want emotional highs and lows, the original. If you want an upbeat but without any emotional depth to it, the new one. Honestly the biggest difference is, the original Holo acts more like a mature sassy quick-witted 24 year old, the new Holo acts like a young bratty assertive 16 year old. It's up to what kind of anime you like if the original will appeal to you or not.

[@KhanMann66]

@@alexaurelian8024Hell yes you just described why I dropped the original. The merchant talk was getting annoying but otherwise a wonderful anime.

[@KhanMann66]

The original hands down. The opening for the original slaps hard.

[@zollen_boyyy6419]

2:15 the analysis of this section of lawrence is true. pretty much summed up the whole sereis probably. the studio desnt really understand the emotions of the character. shame that the va did a good job, even tho all of the dialogue feels lifeless, like just reading out of a script, bcus all the emotions doesnt conveyed well this doenst happen just in this particular scene. ive watched 3 eps , and i constantly felt this awkwardness throughout watching it

[@KelLorien]

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

[@grandshadowseal]

There's a spice and wolf remake?!

[@computerwsmallscreen2709]

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.

[@sigmoidbeast7712]

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.

[@mcash2189]

I think her voice sounded better in the 2008 version personally I don't get the point of the remake a continuation wood make more sense

[@nunothedude]

Wait is this a reboot/remake

[@etheri0n959]

It is yeah

[@nunothedude]

@@etheri0n959 crazy, mayne i should just watch the og since it seems they are missing the beats

[@gdragonsmith8123]

In most cases, the new version turns to ship, do to the company like (forgot they name)

[@artimation4710]

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

[@shuntao3475]

First time viewer, I would slow down from 140 word a minites to maybe 100. Very hard to follow along and stopped at the 5 minute mark. It sounded like you had some good info though.

[@justinpeterson5821]

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

[@valterbeicinha9633]

me drifting off on the trigun ost

[@Draico8322]

Maybe this anime will have more episodes from manga

[@vzlfkr]

at the beginning is her DAUGHTER??

[@uglymugsamson3015]

yep, as one of the people who read the light novel I kinda like it but I feel like it kinda spoils the new viewers on what would happen in the future.

[@crowhogan6854]

I just watched the latest episode and tbh I´m disgusted by how Holo constantly treats Lawrence. It comes off as she taking advantage of his good willed nature, to the point that when she finds out about her homeland being destroyed, her first instincs is... asking Lawrence to give her a child so she´s no longer ever alone? I´m sorry, I get she feeling all alone, but.. using a child as a tool not to feel alone kind of twist the knife over the already festering wound that is her character so far. Also, making her hate Lawrence for keeping untrusty information feels like cheap manufactured tension. And yet, the scene is played like Lawrence is in the wrong, so I´m left there feeling like... wtf? He did the right thing, he wanted to check the info first, that´s what you do when you don´t know if something is true or not. And he left the letter for her to read, so why is he surprised when she oppened it? Even if he though she couldn´t read, she could have well asked someone to read it to her, so it´s not like there was zero chance of the info getting out. Maybe it´s because the story was written 2 decades ago? I haven´t watched the original series, so I don´t know how the scene compares to the old anime or the LN, but back then, toxic behaviour like this used to be portrayed as somehow atractive in media for some reason. This might all be the remake´s fault for not portraying Holo correctly for all I know, so, yeah, I´m confussed.

[@FaridoLaclass]

bro i didnt watch the new version yet but in the old version holo didnt asked for a child for her benefit she litterly said that she becomed alone, and that after she asked lawrance about what she meant to him and he didnt response to her , so she asked him for a baby , Quite the opposite, holo cared about Lawrence completely. she was sad when he was sad, happy when he was happy, helped him a lot in business matters, and was very jealous of him when another girl was near him.

[@michaelbuono4007]

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

[@MMMMM999999999]

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

[@pvz_games]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I agree with this. I said this exact thing in my video. It makes sense for her to have healed by now and it's good that she has, but that's not my problem with this scene. The problem comes from the fact that this isn't a good way of introducing this character as it doesn't give the audience that much insight into her loneliness.

[@pvz_games]

@@etheri0n959 yes ig it is bad at that aspect of her, but counter argument if her lonliness isn't prevelant at that point in her life than it would feel a bit forced imo. Ofc they seem not to have much regard for the source material, which is always bad.

[@etheri0n959]

I agree it would feel forced at that point in her life, but that's why they should have probably changed the scene so it could properly convey this very important aspect of her character. I can understand the desire to start the story on a future version of holo, but if it gets in the way of the storytelling, it's probably not the best decision.

[@pvz_games]

@@etheri0n959 yeah i agree remakes rarely make the show better. Was the original ever finished or was it left open when they started to try again?

[@etheri0n959]

I think the original adaptation didn't adapt the full story, but I don't know for sure.

[@samspotz8r8s]

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.

[@solastro5595]

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

[@gilgabro420]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I definitely sympathize with this. Though I also do understand people wanting to see the full story of something being adapted. It just seems like a lot of the attempts to readapt something end up being far less effective rehashes of the same material we've gotten before, which I don't like.

[@MasonTheFurryCat]

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

[@Zysperro]

I ain't hating, but I want them to do better. I love the source material and the OG show and want the remake to be good. But it's kinda painful to watch...

[@rwdisland]

This is from the original Spice & Wolf Live version of the opening song. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXncdIiobpp_e7csi=yABlfBBC5_3rvKQD

[@leaflizard8485]

I do like the new version. But I do have fond memories of the original.

[@jesroe5842]

Conclusion: old is gold

[@superwario3644]

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

[@N7Tigger]

No Wolf Whistling Song. Literally unwatchable.

[@Jaemijx11]

for all the problematic parts of mushoku tensei, it surely was blessed with outstanding character design and animation and while watching this remake, i can't help but wish it had the same coloring & compositing bec i thought it would match the series so well. I really want to continue watching but the colors esp all the gloss and shine, how holo and lawrence's dynamics feel so different from the og, the character acting and lastly, the direction just aren't doing it for me. the only thing slightly better in the remake was the soundtrack

[@SagesFury]

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

[@etheri0n959]

No problem about the English. I can't speak on episode 2 of the new Spice and wolf since im waiting to watch that for a potential follow up video, but here we go. To tackle your points piece by piece, let's start with Lawrence. The original definitely conveys more than just romantic loneliness. He's not lonely because he doesn't have a wife, he's lonely because he can never settle down in one place for too long and he doesn't have anyone to talk to. The scene where he tries talking to his horse demonstrates this as well as the scene where he's looking at the couple riding on the carriage. The second scene definitely emphasizes romantic loneliness more, but the first scene still exists and you can't just ignore that it adds a layer to his emotions. Plus, after he sees the couple passing through, he turns back to look at the house of the merchant he was talking to previously before turning away and saying he would only get in the way. That scene doesn't just deal with romantic loneliness. Even in the scene where he first meets Holo, the part I brought up where he's entranced in Holo's story makes it clear that he's not drawn in by her for romantic reasons purely. He's also interested in her as just a straightforward companion who he can talk to and hear interesting stories from. The dialogue in both shows were pretty much the same and I don't see much of a difference between the two versions in that regard. Now about the villagers all welcoming him, that again doesn't mitigate his loneliness that much if at all. Just because they're all friendly towards him, that doesn't change the fact that he can't stay with them and settle down in the village. In terms of visual storytelling, the original is far stronger. These scenes I just mentioned are far better at getting across Lawrence's emotions than anything in the new adaptation for the reasons I've explained in my video. The new show has awkward and clumsy framing that gets in the way of what it's trying to say. All of those questions you brought up with Chloe are kind of unfair since you could easily infer the answer to any of those questions. Her being a woman and having a romantic interest in Lawrence doesn't muddy things at all. They have a very similar relationship to Lawrence's relationship with Yarei still. The professor and college grad or however you described it is something you could easily apply to Chloe and Lawrence. It's clearly still a senpai kouhai relationship. That's a very common relationship trope, regardless of gender. In this episode at least, they don't really set her up as an antagonist, but rather as a contrast to Holo, which still somewhat plays into romantic interest, but it also brings up the idea that Holo is different from others in general. There's something that keeps her in Lawrence's mind aside from horniness as I said in my video. This can be indicated by the way Holo suddenly flashes into his mind as he's talking to Chloe and when Chloe asks him about it, he doesn't get embarrassed or anything like you'd see in a typical love triangle thing, he simply wonders what it would be like to travel with the legendary Holo. I think it's very reductive to condense all of Holo's and Lawrence's interactions down to just romance. Even if they are romantically involved, there's more to it than, "they just like each other lol." The new Holo isn't better portrayed. If anything, I think she comes off as more cute wolf girl than the original version because of the art style and how the show animates her. I agree that the bedroom scene in retrospect adds to her loneliness, but the opening scene still doesn't, so when you combine the opening scene with the bedroom scene, nothing really happens as a result. I also find it unfair that you didn't combine the opening scene of the original with the bedroom scene from that show. If anything I think that would make more sense, since the opening scene of the original seems much more strongly tied emotionally to the bedroom scene, which is what makes me think the original bedroom scene is stronger than its new counterpart. I never really hated on the cgi as a main point, I kind of just brushed it aside. I talked about it, but I didn't really harp on it at all. I just mentioned it in an off comment. And I also don't really have nostalgia for this show, I watched it like 2, maybe 3 years ago, but I wasn't very fond of it back then. It's only after a rewatch for this video that I saw more of what it was going for.

[@SagesFury]

@@etheri0n959 I see your points but I respectfully disagree with some of them still. Lawrence is by far the weaker element in the new show verses the old as I agreed before. I have to say my personal bias as a book reader makes me dislike the romance pushing with Chloe though so I personally really disliked the character and any scenes such as the "I am a grown woman now" and clear hinting at Lawrence was detracting for me. I still firmly believe Yarei comes off closer to what the books intended him to be. They make small talk over the table about politics and business and there is plenty of trash talking Holo from Yarei that sets up the next scene in the bedroom much better. The original bedroom scene didn't really add much then repeat a bit of the original holo monologue at the start. I think it is better executed this time around as the original didn't do as much character building rather then try and fix a book plot hole. Chloe detracts from the main focus of the story by all the extra dialogue they gave her. The second visit scene was not in the books and the original attempt felt more distracting and jaring then their second iteration. Chloe brings up a business deal and essentially proposing to Holo. She was also a much more interestingly dynamic character then the original holo. While it is certainly not as upfront as the overall treatment lawrence is given by the villagers and chloe familiarity (He also knew here father well apparently) almost seems like this is his home town. While his dialogues add to his loneliness as a traveling merchant, the village comes off as much more of a kind of home town for him. I do think it is reductive to condense the relationship to just romantic interest which is why I dislike how the original was framing these interactions. I very much disagree about Holo portrayal not being better. The new bedroom scene is much more important to the character development and I see the directors intent in the overall changes this time around. While in the original as I said it was not really adding much, the new version become a major character moment. In the books this all happens in the cart out side of the village and they never come back. With what I feel is the better flow from first meeting, to Yarei meeting with a focus on how Holo is not needed to the bedroom scene the overall impact is a very good attempt at setting up her character and I do not see why people think there was no thought put into this. Even if certain things are weaker then the original I think there was a clear attempt at writing a more Holo focused first episode while keeping the good book changes from the old. I disagree with the idea that the original opening scene is more emotionally tied to the old bedroom scene. Yarei was a much better executed transition then Chloe as it builds Holo and does not add other distractions. The dialogues are mostly the same but the execution by the VA is what makes me like the new one better. The Japanese voice acting is the major improvement though. Holo VA is much more dynamic in the new adaptation which really adds to her character. In the original her tone hardly changes much other then mild little changes. The new attempt by the VA adds a lot more life to the character and it feels close to the old English VA over her last attempt at Holo. I still really like the old English VA but we do not have dub yet :(. I think the new episode end scene demonstrates it best where she is much more playful and teasing then the original. It is much more like what I imagines when reading the book then from the original adaptation. In the original its just a few calm words and very light teasing in contrast to the original book scene being described as holo being an "impudent prancing thing". The new one certainly fits that better. If she comes off as more cute wolf girl in certain ways that is good. Thats how she was supposed to come off when being tricky or playful. It is the shift into maturity and inhuman touches in the new one right off the start that is pulled off in the new one that makes this iteration my preference and I really want to see how this continues. I was not talking about you in particular. I see a lot of comment sorry if it seem that way my mistake. My entire response was more in general term over you specifically just talking certain points. I see a lot of people online complain about CGI again when I think it is fine in certain contexts as these studios are already overworked and these tools come down to saving their time for more quality animation where it matters, In my view only problem when the director misuses it for major scenes where it takes away rather then fill in a hole. Also this is all really minor nit picking. I really loved the original show and gave it a 9/10. If I say I dislike something in the old version it is such a minor dislike that it would be glossed over if not for comparing. I really think that the better point to compare these adaptation would be in time when the story gets darker in mood later in the arc or in the Crypto Rock arc (hope not a spoiler). I think comparing the scenes between the two at that point will really show the relative strength or weakness of the new adaptation. I have seen episode 2 already and i tried to leave it out of this response but I think there is certainly a lot of care put into how things are animated. I am not sure if you will agree with me on the wolf eating people story cart scene but the new version is far better then the old one just on the choice how its animated and the vibes it gives. I also like the backdrop art in episode two as well as the ending scene of holo reflecting on their two worlds.

[@etheri0n959]

Here's the thing though. From your response to my initial comment, it seems like you really value a faithfulness to the source material, which is fine, but I don't think that's a good enough reason to say something is good or bad. That's not all the reasoning you give, but I'm just saying this in response to any time you talked about something being closer to the books. Anyways, Chloe's scene still has the same effect that the scene with Yarei had in the new version, but it's more subtly and tastefully added in to the scene. She does talk about how Holo is a delusion and how she doesn't believe in her. She even dismisses Holo's feelings of loneliness, saying that even if she did exist, she wouldn't feel anything because she's a deity. That happens at the end of that scene and flows directly into the bedroom scene from the original. The flow is extremely natural as opposed to the new version where it's so obvious that the only point of the scene is to hammer home to the audience that Holo isn't appreciated at the last minute. It feels extremely forced because of how expository the dialogue is as I stated in my video. Just because the scene in the original establishes multiple things at once doesn't mean that it's bad or flows poorly. It just establishes multiple things at once. Also again, like I said in my previous comment, the villagers treating Lawrence well doesn't take away from his loneliness. That's because even though they like him, he still can't settle down and actually live here comfortably. He still has an obligation to move around a lot, which is why he is still lonely even if people treat him nicely. Second, my point about it being reductive to condense everything about Holo and Lawrence's relationship down to romantic interest was referring to you. You were the one doing that for the original versions of the characters and you are still doing it. I listed several scenes from the original where you can see that there is more to Lawrence's and Holo's relationship than just romance, but you didn't mention or respond to any of those points which is a little unfair. Third. When I brought up Holo being more of a cute wolf girl in the new version, I wasn't saying that was necessarily bad, I was saying that to show you that that criticism for the original version of Holo doesn't make sense because it could just as easily be applied to the new version of Holo as you yourself say in your second comment. It's a little hypocritical to say this is a con for the original version of Holo and then turn around and say it's good when applied to the new version. Fourth. I'm glad you weren't talking about me in regard to nostalgia bias, but I just wanted to clarify clearly that I wasn't because I've had that phrase tossed around at me so much. Hopefully it didn't come off as antagonistic or anything.

[@SagesFury]

@@etheri0n959 Not at all antagonistic. For the first point I am just highlighting my disagreements but I do think you have valid points too. These in the grand scheme of things are small differences and could be just matters of taste and experience when viewing. The feeling I got from how lawrence was treated had more impact on me. Establishing multiple things in a scene is fine but I think it is my bias knowing that the additions are not needed in the grand scheme of the arc. As a stand alone episode, it can be fine but I think the Yarei dialogue does not add the unnecessary subplots and still drive the same main ideas across. Yarei and Lawrences interactions were just as good at establishing the same points. It didn not come off as being there only to hammer home holo being lonely either since it does a good bit of focus on Lawrence and Yarei reminising about their careers while in the setting of eating the offerings meant for Holo. It is not like Yarei was the one to bring up Holo either in the conversation. It was Lawrence bringing her up at the start and the end and Yarei takes it as his old co worker teasing him about his local custom and dismisses it. Yarei dialogue is focusing on his relationship with Lawrence and it does not at all feel like its just there to hammer down to the audience that Holo isn't appreciated in the last minute. The scene adds to Lawrence as a merchant as well establishing him as being a decent one at the very least to leave such an impact on Yarei. For Chloe... to me the relationship just comes off much too strong and it just doesn't serve a purpose. The relationship is too good and friendly in my view. I had to watch the scenes again a few times and the general idea I get from Chloe and Lawrence just doesn't fit his character very well. In regard to his loneliness I am not sure how to explain well but the best way I can put it is feeling of loneliness from being a traveler while having some place to call home while being a person traveling and nowhere to call home is the difference in feeling I get between the reaction of the villagers. The new version does a better job showing that the village is just a stop for him with only notables really recognizing him and the farmers being more like "I seen him before I think". This seemed like a deliberate change to me to make him seem more out of place in the village setting. He does not come off as an outsider in the original is what I was trying to explain but I think its fair to say its fairly minor and fine to disagree. For the second I think the original show is more pushing the romantic interest triangle side is what I was trying to explain. I did not address as much as overall I said I agree with Lawrence being set up better in the original and I see it as the main thing I think is surely weaker in the new show. I was not trying to be unfair I just agreed with much of what you said such as about the horse scene and some of the dialogue. I just add the caveat that the love interest push for chloe I found to be distracting and the old show seems to weigh into lawrence wanting some sort of female companion. Much of the scenes are fairly similar between Holo and Lawrence though apart from what is better voice acting from Holo. And for third. I was bad at explaining with this sentence "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.". The original did not come off as varied and was just came off as cute wolf girl the entire time. I do not think I was being a hypocrite as the con I was making a point of was the dynamic of the character between the adaptations. One is more static while the other is more varied in this first episode. I was not saying Holo being cute girl is con in old and pro in new. Fourth, My bad. I do see a lot of Nostalgia bias for some things for the community though. Like I said I really do like both versions overall and these differences would be glossed over if not for comparison. I just see criticisms saying things akin to this being poorly direct or with less thought then the original when I see that there was care put into this adaptation this time around. While the execution may not be perfect in the new one, I dont think it was perfect in the old one either. These are very minor criticisms and I wonder what someone with no experience with the IP would say if the watch the new then old episode. These differences we are discussing are fairly minor and based in feelings we got while watching. Reading other perspectives help appreciate certain things more and I do not believe anyone can be wrong in matters of preference here.

[@etheri0n959]

All right, thanks for explaining your side of things and clarifying whenever I responded to you. It was nice to hear your perspective and I can see where you're coming from a lot more now. In regard to Holo's portrayal, I think the original did a pretty good job of showing both sides to Holo's different layers as a character, but if you prefer the new version's way of doing that, I can't knock you for it. Again, thanks for the discussion man. Hope, the new anime keeps getting better and lives up to your expectations.

[@royaljatt5449]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

Yeah, it's a remake.

[@FullmoonPhantom-dn2sr]

This way it will hopefully give us the entire story. Vs ‘08 only gave us the adapted story from LNs 1-3, and 5. That’s out of 17 LNs for the main storyline. And it looks like it will be a remake that acknowledges the spin offs as well.

[@10112380]

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.

[@Zysperro]

People describe her as a teen, yes. But she's basically a petite woman, nothing wrong with that, IMO. There're plenty of petite woman, especially in EU, and you won't notice difference in them between 15 and 25 if they look after themselves. IMO, making her look older would sexualize her more and her young looks work well in contrast with her sharp wits and experience.

[@mojo303]

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.

[@Morraak]

While I'm glad they're trying again, I think the 2024 remake is inferior in almost every way to the original anime. It's not just Lawrence that is stiff and expressionless, and not only in the first episode. But it's all the characters. It doesn't even seem like Lawrence and Holo like eachother most of the time in the new anime. Granted, this is my opinion while watching the dub. Also, the music throughout the episodes in the remake isn't as memorable in my opinion.

[@ThePreciseClimber]

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

[@etheri0n959]

Tell me about it lol. I'm starting to get overwhelmed with how many I've been covering recently and I haven't even finished up Rurouni Kenshin.

[@Devilofdarknessify]

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

[@AwolRemains]

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

[@hasanmuttaqin464]

*side glance at gushing over magical girl* Yea sure bud, that's definitely their main target

[@Dell-ol6hb]

what are you even yapping about? They removed her because she's not a character in the novels, they made her specifically for the first anime to fix a potential plot hole in the story, her close relationship with Lawrence detracts from the themes of loneliness and feeling of not having a home that Lawrence and Holo deal with throughout the story

[@Solus-qn3ur]

Exactly

[@etheri0n959]

Honestly no, I don't think so. I don't like Yarei as a character but it's far more likely that they put him in instead of Chloe because he was the original character from the source material and not because of any ulterior motives like that. While I don't approve of this change because again, I like Chloe more as a character, the possible reason you've brought forth for them doing this is most likely not why they did it.

[@AwolRemains]

@@etheri0n959 yeah i agree with what you say but given the recent happenings in the industry lately, it isn’t really hard to speculate the latter otherwise

[@kromysol2189]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

That is true in terms of her movement, but I do think that the original Spice and wolf played around with the camera a lot more so directed those scenes in a way that made Holo still feel alive. Like in the scene where she just appears again after disappearing earlier. But the new Holo is still really fun. I liked her little dance at the end as she was praising Lawrence for example.

[@kromysol2189]

@@etheri0n959 i feel like the appearance kind of play in Holo being a god with her appearing out of nowhere, despite the fact that the story is all about showing she’s very much human, so i’m not very fond of that camera play as a LN reader, but there is multiple layers to everything.

[@realperson69]

Her movements are more expressive but her face is less expressive. The animation is better but the storyboarding is worse.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

She's more animated but her face is less expressive and the softening of her features isn't appealing to me, it makes her come off as less mature than she should be

[@kromysol2189]

@@Dell-ol6hb She isn’t supposed to come off as mature, i’m sorry that it isn’t appealing to you but this is how it is in the source material.

[@brianhall23]

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.

[@goodluck8806]

agreeable

[@cyriloboco3083]

Although the original was more charming and better written, the remake has better animation and art, bringing it to modern day anime standards. Either way, i was happy to watch the remake just because i loved the OG and have forgotten most of it after all these years.

[@wserthmar8908]

The original has older animation, but they still had the superior technique that worked for the narrative. Passione has newer animation, but fails at visual storytelling.

[@not4umc71]

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?

[@gail_blue]

IMHO the English dub of the new version is way better than the Japanese. Holo sounds old and wise, and young and impulsive simultaneously. In the Japanese version, she just sounds like a little girl to me. But I don't think that's the case in the original version where the Japanese sounds a bit better than the English(Lawrence in particular). Lawrence sometimes bugs me in the new version (the English dub), as his voice often stays too steady.

[@ជួងសុវណ្ណគីរីរាជ្យ]

The original was better.

[@PuckPick-bt3ve]

Its like "compared an highschool DxD S1 animation and S4 animation" some of culture guy will agree that S1 is better than S4 🤣🤣

[@elijahguest1885]

@@PuckPick-bt3ve difference between spice and wolf and dxd is spice and wolf isn’t shit all the way through

[@bannana4-f9l]

They shouldn't have gotten rid of Chloe in the new one. It added more depth to the betrayal scene in the sewers.

[@hereticxhexen]

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

[@Warglein]

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

[@Morraak]

The art, the music, the voice acting, it's all better in the original.

[@GnaReffotsirk]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I mean, I feel like that theme is better conveyed if you get across the loneliness of both characters better. When characters find a place where they belong, it's usually impactful because they previously didn't belong or were lonely. Neither Lawrence nor Holo has this conveyed well enough prior to their first meeting. It's especially strange since for Lawrence in particular, it feels like the new show is trying to get across the same general idea as the original, but not as effectively. But that's just my two cents.

[@tototaniwha]

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.

[@etheri0n959]

I think Holo works better as a character if you establish her loneliness right away. I mean, even in the new anime, this is done in the first episode during the bedroom scene, which means that that aspect of her characterization is crucial to the story this first episode is trying to tell. From the opening scene in the new version though it's much harder to empathize with her feelings, which makes the dramatic aspect of her character far weaker to me. I don't think loneliness is a driving factor of Lawrence, but I do think it's an element of his character that is important to convey to the audience. Both the original and the new version are trying to make this point about the protagonist in the scenes I bring up. I mean, you yourself even say that you did get a sense of loneliness from the scene of Lawrence leaving the village. That's why it's important to mention why I feel as though the new adaptation's way of conveying that emotion is lacking. I can see the couple making Lawrence's loneliness seem more like a romantic thing in the original, but combined with the scene of him trying to talk with his horse and you can interpret his loneliness in a more general sense. The show just chose to represent his loneliness with a couple in this one scene. Besides, even in this scene, they add layers to his emotions. After seeing the couple, he looks back at the building of the merchant he was talking to previously, which implies sadness about leaving and not being around people anymore not just girls he's attracted to. This is similar to the scene in the new version which you say conveys his loneliness fine, which I think is most likely due to the fact that you already know about this character. When I watched this first episode, I had forgotten almost everything about Spice and wolf, I wasn't very fond of it when I first watched the original, and I didn't even know those scenes I bring up were meant to convey his loneliness. It was only after going back to watch the original, that I understood their purpose. And finally, the idea that Chloe is solely there just to be part of a love triangle is strange to me. Did they make her take an interest in Lawrence? Yes they did, and it may even have been PARTLY for a love triangle, but she still ultimately has the same role as Yarei and her interest in Lawrence at least from what I remember didn't really distract from that. I actually remember it adding to it. And I do think Yarei is supposed to be likable, maybe not the most memorable, but likable. The fond way Lawrence talks with him over dinner and the way the new show tries to establish how far back they go and how much Yarei wants to work with Lawrence again. The new show isn't trying to make him some guy you don't like, but rather someone you look at and go, you know he's not that bad of a guy and Lawrence likes him so I guess he's cool.

[@tototaniwha]

@@etheri0n959 Appreciate the response! You raise some good points. A lot of my opinions come from a bias of being a LN reader too, so it's neat to see the different feelings from other perspectives.

[@etheri0n959]

Yeah, it was nice to hear your perspective as well. And sorry if I came off as aggressive at all. I genuinely love having discussions like this with people.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

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

[@etheri0n959]

Yeah, she also bears a slight resemblance to raphtalia from shield hero imo.

[@nameless8789]

I mean that's a bit debatable since the remake's design is more akin to the light novel art.

[@dominichunt1431]

Honestly, she looks more like Holo in the new anime.

[@FullmoonPhantom-dn2sr]

I like the way Holo looks. She looks like the LN. I also don’t think ‘08 anime and the LN look that different. I’m not really liking the ears though. They look like those ugly covers that came out for the LNs. Not the original ones, but it looks more like cosplay. Idr. It’s been so long, but I hated those covers when I saw them in a few stores. Or was it online? Idr. I remember the ears though. Everything else is alright in the design, but the ears don’t look right. It could be worse though. Oh, it could be so much worse. I’ve been even pickier with other anime that feature animal eared characters or characters that look like they have ears, but really it’s just hair. It was a thing for a while in anime. I suppose, like the fanged tooth anime character was a thing for a while as well in the 2010s. I wanna say it was the 2010s.

[@Mana-qp4uw]

people who say this never actually read the LN

[@sidolanters1394]

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

[@etheri0n959]

Cuz that's just my style of talking. I want my videos to feel like a continuous train of thought and if you don't like it that's fine.

[@jaylennash5058]

It sucks to say this, but it’s definitely not what I hoped it would be. I was honestly hoping for a sequel series detailing what happened after the original shows ending.

[@Ultra206]

It will eventually reach the later books. Unfortunately the early series wrote itself into a corner by skipping one of the most plot relevant books, so i doubt a continuation, especially after so many years, would have done much good for the series.

[@bef5582]

The remake of this show, as of 99% of remakes are unnecessary, and pale im comparison to the original. It doesn't improve on any of the old issues, but adds on them or make new worse ones. Lawrence is the biggest example, in the original he was more understandable, better written with more character development. Aside from looking 45 and being 27 ,which is still hard to suspend disbelief in both adaptations, he was believable as a main character who is capable, have relationships and connections but still really lonely due to his lifestyle. Also the relationship between him and Holo is more believable and better portrayed, and the female side characters and their interactions with Lawrence adding on it. I only wish there would have been more of Chloe in the story.

[@GeatMasta]

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.