I also adored the ingenuity in which the problem was solved at the end, which makes this story the most in-line with previous Spice and Wolf plots. Its handled well and with empathy within the larger plot, and only helps to highlight their mutual reliance on each other. It doesn’t weigh down the pacing of the plot with overwrought heaviness, but it does give the appropriate levity to the situation. This short story brings those same emotions into sharp relief, and it’s obvious that despite the time they’ve spent together, that their time together is finite. The original flirted with this idea a lot as the relationship between the merchant and the Wisewolf crossed into a romantic one, eventually forcing Holo to confront her own loneliness and issues with abandonment. It also addresses the elephant in the room of Lawrence and Holo’s relationship that has been interwoven throughout the entire series -their vastly different lifespans. Unlike the majority of Spring Log this feels the most like Spice and Wolf, with a larger plot affecting our main characters, interlaced with smaller character interactions. Muddy Messenger Wolf and Wolf is the longest, and by far the best, story of this book. It’s a simple but effective plot, and works to transition between the previous story and the next. This story in particular has a nice interaction between Holo and Lawrence that really shows off the warmth and cheekiness of their relationship. Golden Memories is a stronger piece, using the guise of a mysterious guest and his standoffishness to emphasize the message of savoring the now, and protecting and cherishing our memories. Lawrence’s concerns as a parent are totally understandable, and are unfortunately not treated as such. It’s rationalized as being a normal marrying age in-universe, and that Col is a good pious man of religion (so unlikely to do anything untoward to a girl half his age), but it doesn’t remove it from our context as readers or the uncomfortable feeling of ‘justified first love’ regardless of the age difference. I must mention in this story (and the other two focused on Lawrence) that I find it somewhat saddening to see his concerns, disapproval and denial over Myuri leaving with Col brushed off for the most part as taking after her parents far too much -especially considering Myuri is described as 12-13 years old, and everyone seems to consider it an elopement. His interactions with Holo and the townspeople are far more compelling than the impending issue of boosting business during the off-season, and as an audience we’re rewarded with seeing the shift of his character and personality in the decade we’ve missed. (Aside from being surprisingly ridiculous.) The biggest strength of this story is, in fact, how Lawrence has changed in the years since volume 17. For what we know of the characters, it’s somewhat obvious that the situation presented is not all it seems -and when it’s revealed to be a ridiculous and poorly rationalized bait-and-switch, it’s hardly a surprise. The Margins of a Journey, the first of the shorts in this book starts with a weak attempt at shock. Collecting four short stories set ‘a little more than a decade’ after the epilogue (which was also a short story collection), this particular book serves primarily as a bridge from the old to the new. Spring Log is the first of these new books, and was released concurrently in Japan with the spin-off Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice an d Wolf. Both the original series and these new volumes have been licensed in English by Yen Press under their Yen On imprint, with this book (volume 18 overall) having been released in English in June 2017. Originally published in Japan between 20, Isuna Hasekura has now followed up with several new books written for the series’ 10th anniversary. The main story of Spice and Wolf followed the travels of Lawrence the merchant and Holo the Wisewolf as they ran into various problems and business opportunities on the road to finding Holo’s homeland. 17), so read at your own risk if you haven’t yet finished the previous books. Because of this, there will be somewhat major spoilers in this review for the end of Spice and Wolf: Epilogue (vol. First and foremost, this book assumes you are already familiar with the previous seventeen books.
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