Spice & Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf is set to premiere in 2024

The official website of author Isuna Hasekura has announced a new anime adaptation of the "Spice & Wolf" light novel series. This upcoming series, titled "Spice & Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf," is planned for release in 2024 as a TV anime. A promotional video showcases the first encounter between the characters Kraft Lawrence and Holo.





Takeo Takahashi returns as the chief director for the series, while Hijiri Sanpei is in charge of direction at Studio Passione. The music is composed by Kevin Penkin, with ENISHIYA producing the series. Jun Fukuyama and Ami Koshimizu, the voices of the main characters, also return as Kraft Lawrence and Holo, respectively.

While the initial announcement did not clarify whether this anime would be a continuation, a remake, or a reimagining, it included promising headlines such as "Shall we embark on a journey again?" and "The story of Holo the Wisewolf and Lawrence the merchant continues," suggesting a continuation of the story. The series is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary.

The "Spice & Wolf" novels tell the story of a lonely traveling merchant, Kraft Lawrence. His world is turned upside down when he discovers a wolf goddess named Holo sleeping in his wagon one night. Holo, tired of tending to the harvests in the countryside, proposes a deal to Lawrence where she boosts his profits with her cunning in exchange for accompanying him on his travels. While this partnership initially seems beneficial, it brings a series of challenges as Lawrence learns to navigate the complexities of having an ancient goddess as a travel companion.

The "Spice and Wolf" novel series was first launched in 2006 by Hasekura with illustrations by Jū Ayakura. After a hiatus following the release of the 17th volume in 2011, the series made a comeback in 2016 with the 18th volume. The 24th and most recent volume was released on January 7. In addition to the original novels, there is a spin-off series titled "Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf."

The novels also served as the basis for two TV anime seasons and a virtual reality anime that premiered in June 2019, followed by a sequel in December 2020.