2025-12-16 Evening
I just finished watching the 2024 remake of “Spice and Wolf.” I heard the ending wasn’t ideal, and I originally thought it would be equivalent to three seasons’ worth. I was thinking that by the end of the first season, they had already embarked on the journey to find her homeland, and there was another season waiting for me to watch, so the ending couldn’t be too bad, right?
But I was wrong. It turns out what I watched was a remake combining seasons 1 and 2.
When I finished watching, I eagerly wanted to watch the third season but was told there wasn’t one. This feeling is like you’re dying of thirst in a vast desert, suddenly pick up a bottle of water, but before you can drink it, it’s cut open with a knife and spills onto the ground – that kind of despair, do you understand?
Since I had played the VR version before this, I thought the journey would be happy, pleasant, relaxed, funny, and heartwarming. I didn’t expect it to be so full of hardships, sadness, and realism. Of course, this isn’t to deny the beautiful moments and touching experiences during the journey.
After watching, my heart couldn’t settle down for a long time. I lay in bed thinking a lot, so much so that I stayed up past midnight and couldn’t fall asleep.
The music in the show is absolutely amazing.
The beginning and end perfectly echoed each other. With such sad BGM at the beginning and end, I even thought Lawrence had passed away. Fortunately, he came back through the door at the end.
It’s clear that Holo and Lawrence eventually achieved their happy ending, settled in the North, opened their own small shop, and had a daughter. This ending is quite comforting.
The ending of the new anime, after the poisoned wheat incident, didn’t linger and they hastily embarked on their journey again. As the final episode of the second season, it felt a bit rushed. Usually, it would have a more emotional moment.
It also ended with Holo’s storytelling. (But I heard a third season has been announced.)
I always feel like Holo’s homeland hasn’t been found yet, and their relationship is just one step away from completion, which is a bit of a shame.
However, after watching, I took a peek at the last episode of the old version and found that Lawrence confessed.
I guess I’ll have to watch the old version again. Perhaps that will be a good ending.
Cross-species relationships always face this problem. One person will always leave first, and the other will have to endure centuries of solitude.
Even within the same species, humans, one partner will pass away before the other, and the remaining person might have to wait one or two decades. Fortunately, when humans get old, their minds aren’t as clear, they tend to forget things, and gradually they might not remember past events anymore.
Lawrence is, after all, a regular human; he will die one day. At that time, Holo will become all alone again. Thinking about this makes me feel very sad and distressed.
The time they spent together was beautiful: playing, living, running their hot spring inn together.
As time slowly passed, Lawrence gradually grew old, while Holo remained as young and beautiful as when they first met.
Until one day, Lawrence slowly couldn’t walk anymore, his memory began to fade, and he started needing Holo’s care.
Holo meticulously cared for Lawrence day by day, just as he had cared for her and deferred to her when he was young.
Until suddenly one day, Lawrence didn’t respond when called, still lying in bed, not getting up. The day she knew but dared not think about had arrived: Lawrence was gone.
Holo knelt by the bed, clutching Lawrence’s hand, and burst into tears.
She didn’t know how long passed; Holo couldn’t snap out of it. Afterwards, she handled Lawrence’s funeral arrangements.
After that day, Holo remained in a dazed state, staying in the hot spring inn she shared with Lawrence.
After an unknown number of years, Holo decided to embark on a journey alone again, following the route she and Lawrence had once traveled, journeying all the way from the North back to the South.
The villages they had passed through before were no longer the same; people had changed. No one recognized her anymore; they were all gone, just like Lawrence. That person’s apprentice had also turned from a child into an elderly grandfather, who vaguely recognized Holo.
She also recalled those bittersweet and heartwarming memories, shedding tears.
Finally, she returned to the small village where they first met, to that same wheat field, but now only she remained. Where should she go from here…?
She was alone again…
The above fantasy is actually me putting myself in Holo’s shoes, empathizing and imagining what would happen in the future, and what I would do if I were her – I would embark on a journey again to recall the beautiful past. It’s very, very difficult to find a suitable person. A deity like Holo would only have one partner in her lifetime; it would be impossible for her to seek another.
Actually, it’s a good thing they also had a daughter. There’s still a daughter to care for, who can accompany Holo, so she won’t be so lonely.
Actually, Holo’s other companions should still be alive.
As I kept thinking, it started to reflect on my own life.
Humans are all greedy; the more powerful and wealthy they are, the more they desire immortality.
But Holo, as a deity, after being with Lawrence, began to think, “How wonderful it would be if life were finite.”
It’s not the fear of being together, but the fear of loss after being together. I’ve already seen too many people leave me, one by one.
I don’t know how to describe it; my heart feels so painful. The more I think about it, the more scared I get. My chest feels heavy, and I can’t breathe. Humans are emotional creatures after all; they can be overwhelmed by emotions. They are not cold-blooded animals devoid of feelings.
Watching anime has hurt me. If you ask where exactly it hurt, it hurt my heart.