Spice and Wolf is one of the most renowned light novel series-cum-TV series-cum-video game. The series, unlike many other manga series which focus on fantasy such as swords and magic, focusses and addresses more pertinent issues affecting the society which are economics, trade and peddling.
This is perhaps the reason why the series was very well received both in the Japanese audience and in the global market as well. With the iconic fox-like gorgeous girl on the cover, Spice and Wolf is believed to be worth more than $5 billion as of the end of 2015.
Here at MTG Lion, we have been following Spice and Wolf since it made its debut on Japanese television more than 10 years ago and understand the dynamics of the game/series like any other ardent fan. Today, we want to take a trip down the memory lane and take a look at some of the little known facts about Spice and Wolf to help you get a better understanding of the game. Here are the top 5 things that you didn’t know about Spice and Wolf:
Top 5 Things That You Didn’t Know About Spice and Wolf
Her name is both Holo and Horo
Yes, for a series that is focussed on such serious matters, the last thing you expect is a heated argument over the correct spelling of the name of the leading character. There has been a lot of debate on the English side of Spice and Wolf with people arguing over the correct spelling and pronunciation of her name.
A lot of people believe it is Horo while most literal forms including the official literal forms from ASCII Media Works seem to use Holo most of the time. When contacted, Isuna Hasekura, the creator of the series seemed to be on the fence about the correct spelling. According to Isuna, both Horo and Holo can be used interchangeably and this does little to quell the raging debate that has been around for ages.
Horo is a Maned Wolf and not a wolf
The other fact that people need to come to terms with, is the fact that Horo is a maned wold and not a fox as many people claim. As much as she is a fictional character, understanding the animal that she resembles, will help you to have a better grip of the game.
The reason why it is concluded that Horo is a wolf and not a fox, is the fact that wolves are synonymous with eating red apples and this is something we see Horo devouring constantly in the series. Although in the story what she is eating is just a generic fruit, their illustration is pretty much that of an apple.
Chloe’s collusion with the church is revenge on Lawrence for rejecting her
Although most people think that Chloe was only being ethical in helping the Church to capture Horo and Lawrence, the real reason was because Chloe had an eye for Lawrence but the latter was not interested.
In retaliation or rather as a revenge move, Chloe ratted out Lawrence and Holo in a bid to get back at Lawrence for not showing any interest in her. Despite the fact that Lawrence had been kind enough to teach her how to become a merchant, jealousy got the better of Chloe and she colluded with the Church to get them captured.
Spice and Wolf’s inspiration comes from Medieval Europe and not Japan
According to Hasekura, the setting of the light novel series is in medieval Europe and not in Japan as most people think. According to the famed Mangaka, he chose medieval Europe because he didn’t think the Japanese setting was flashy enough to inspire the series.
Whereas medieval Europe was synonymous with things like bladework, swords, wizardry and dragons, a similar period in Japan was only known for yokai, katana and shamanistic sorcery which were all too dark for what the author wanted. Hasekura also notes that Europe was the fantasy land and he could step out of his comfort zone when coming up with the illustrations.
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