Fans are wondering if they need to watch the original Spice and Wolf anime before the remake.
It’s not a sequel — it’s a fully standalone remake, and you don’t need to watch the first adaptation to understand things.
The 2008 anime is iconic, and some fans think it would be wise to watch both to compare them.
The Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou) remake is releasing very soon. As such, more and more otaku are looking at the series once again. Many newer fans wonder if the new remake is completely standalone — or if you have to watch the old anime first, after all.
The remake is standalone
The good news is: the new series seems to be a full remake — and an even more faithful adaptation of the novels than the 2008 series, which was already great at staying true to the source material.
The early reviews for the series (from those who attended prescreenings in Japan) are here, and they confirm the new anime doesn’t rush through the material, keeping roughly the same pacing as the previous adaptation.
Moreover, there are hints that point out that the new series will actually adapt more than the old one. In that sense, the new one is going to be worth watching even if you’ve seen the original already. So no, you don’t have to watch the original to watch the new one.
Why the old one might be relevant
However, there are many good reasons why you should watch the first anime anyway. The first Spice and Wolf anime is iconic, and it’s a great watch on its own. As some fans who attended the prescreenings mentioned, it does things in a slightly different way. That said, the two adaptations still share some amount of key staff and cast members.
One gripe fans have with the new adaptation is its visuals. They’re not bad: the character designs are mostly on point, and the animation is fine, outside of occasionally janky CGI.
The old anime also didn’t have amazing visuals, but they were still better: if there was one thing the 2008 animation excelled at, it was background art — which is definitely below average in the new adaptation.
Just watch both
Overall, the new anime is completely standalone — and it promises to adapt more than the old anime did. You don’t need to watch the original in order to understand the remake, as it explains things and follows the plot at roughly the same pace.
That said, there are still good arguments for watching the original anyway. It is a great anime on its own, and it still wins over the remake in the visual department. Slight changes in the story didn’t actually bother the source readers or even the author, who actually praised the anime staff for adding some anime-original characters.
For a full Spice and Wolf experience, you can watch both adaptations and decide for yourself which one is better
Well, you should have seen the original already.
Summary:
Fans are wondering if they need to watch the original Spice and Wolf anime before the remake.
It’s not a sequel — it’s a fully standalone remake, and you don’t need to watch the first adaptation to understand things.
The 2008 anime is iconic, and some fans think it would be wise to watch both to compare them.
The Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou) remake is releasing very soon. As such, more and more otaku are looking at the series once again. Many newer fans wonder if the new remake is completely standalone — or if you have to watch the old anime first, after all.
The remake is standalone
The good news is: the new series seems to be a full remake — and an even more faithful adaptation of the novels than the 2008 series, which was already great at staying true to the source material.
The early reviews for the series (from those who attended prescreenings in Japan) are here, and they confirm the new anime doesn’t rush through the material, keeping roughly the same pacing as the previous adaptation.
Moreover, there are hints that point out that the new series will actually adapt more than the old one. In that sense, the new one is going to be worth watching even if you’ve seen the original already. So no, you don’t have to watch the original to watch the new one.
Why the old one might be relevant
However, there are many good reasons why you should watch the first anime anyway. The first Spice and Wolf anime is iconic, and it’s a great watch on its own. As some fans who attended the prescreenings mentioned, it does things in a slightly different way. That said, the two adaptations still share some amount of key staff and cast members.
One gripe fans have with the new adaptation is its visuals. They’re not bad: the character designs are mostly on point, and the animation is fine, outside of occasionally janky CGI.
The old anime also didn’t have amazing visuals, but they were still better: if there was one thing the 2008 animation excelled at, it was background art — which is definitely below average in the new adaptation.
Just watch both
Overall, the new anime is completely standalone — and it promises to adapt more than the old anime did. You don’t need to watch the original in order to understand the remake, as it explains things and follows the plot at roughly the same pace.
That said, there are still good arguments for watching the original anyway. It is a great anime on its own, and it still wins over the remake in the visual department. Slight changes in the story didn’t actually bother the source readers or even the author, who actually praised the anime staff for adding some anime-original characters.
For a full Spice and Wolf experience, you can watch both adaptations and decide for yourself which one is better
