It’s rare for both old and new fans to like a remake.
Summary:
- Most remakes end up being forgotten, unless the original adaptation was bad.
- Spice and Wolf is a remake that’s liked by both old and new fans.
- It appeals to both, and it’s actually a faithful adaptation that shows a lot of promise.
Remakes have been quite a controversial topic for anime fans. Many feel like they are just cash grabs, which exist to earn money and nothing else. They often don’t appeal to either fans of the original or newcomers, and get ignored at best and universally panned at worst.
Still, there are some exceptions from the rule. Some remakes are just better than the original (that happens when the original is just too short or was not a faithful adaptation, like in the case of Yozakura Quartet).
However, there’s a case in which both the original and the remake are good — Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou), the remake of which is airing right now.
It Appeals to New Fans Because the Original Isn’t That Old
So, what exactly makes the remake successful compared to other remakes we’ve seen recently? Well, actually, it’s a combination of reasons.
The first one is simple: most remakes actually remake anime series that are pretty old, and don’t quite appeal to modern fans. Even if the art style is updated, often they rely on tropes and storytelling methods that are unknown to modern viewers.
Spice and Wolf, compared to many remakes, isn’t that old. The light novel started publishing in 2006, and the anime came out in 2008 — and was quite popular for a long time. It’s not that different from modern anime, and it appeals to the new audience quite well.
Why Older Fans Still Think It’s a Good Remake
In addition to getting many new fans, the remake is actually liked by fans of the original — which is actually quite surprising. Usually, anime watchers react negatively to all changes, and remakes are supposed to make changes. Well, this one does, too, but they aren’t met with a negative reaction.
While many still say the new anime looks worse than the old one did, it looks decent enough — and some moments are surprisingly good.
But, outside of visuals, the new anime actually promises to be a better adaptation. It is more faithful to the light novels, it keeps the pacing of the first adaptation — which was already perfect — and it looks like it’s going to adapt more content.
Overall, the new Spice and Wolf anime has everything that makes a remake successful: it’s a good adaptation of the source material, it looks decent, and it doesn’t rush the events. The source material being really good also helps: its appeal is timeless, and it’s easy to get invested in for both old and new fans.