Rating: B+
Even if I hadn’t read the source novel or seen the original adaptation, I think I still would have seen all the major twists in this episode coming. While the series can pull off some genuine surprises, those are predicated more on readers/viewers not fully understanding how things work in a practical sense rather than the developments coming out of nowhere. As I mentioned last review, the story arcs here follow a regular structure, and once you know what to watch out for, the hints about major plot developments are usually there from early in the arc.
In this case, the comments tossed out on a few previous occasions about unusual wolf activity in the forest finally come into play here. One of Holo’s kind (albeit a comparatively younger one, rather than one of her previous companions) is lurking and in charge of the wolves. That he would be more interested in another great wolf intruding into his domain than the sheep makes perfect sense; Holo has shown on many occasions that, despite her intelligence, she’s not entirely divorced from base wolfish characteristics, so why should we expect any differently from another? She would absolutely seem like a threat to him. And the fact that he didn’t show up until the return trip for the gold-smuggling group could easily be explained by him either not being nearby or scouting the group first before making a move. Holo being upwind from the forest during the trip to Lamtra would also explain why she didn’t pick up on his presence at first, either.
Of course, that’s not the only fully-predictable crisis afoot here. Remelio Trading Company is desperate, and apparently thinks that they can come out better with Nora, Lawrence, and Holo eliminated, both in a financial sense and because it would eliminate potential loose ends. Hence them sending out people to deal with those three is obvious enough that Lawrence not anticipating something like that is a little surprising, even if he was distracted by his worry for Holo (who, ironically, is probably the least-endangered individual in this scenario). The most interesting aspect here, though, is that the three agents sent out to do the dirty work clearly aren’t dedicated thugs. How skittish they are about killing even Lawrence – much less Nora or Holo – indicates that this isn’t a normal tactic for them. And as they’ll almost certainly find out next episode, things tend to go awry when you’re pushed into unfamiliar territory like that.
The episode isn’t all dramatic content, though, and the interim scenes where Lawrence, Holo, and Nora are waiting for the gold to be purchased are some of the most fun. I’d dearly like to know what, exactly, Nora whispered to Holo concerning her appraisal of Lawrence, but that’s not revealed in any iteration of this story. Lawrence at least has enough sense to understand that he and Enek are destined to be the victims of the girl talk and take it good-naturedly, especially since this is the first time Nora has really talked to Holo. Yes, the advice Holo is giving Nora woman-to-woman can be called into question, but it’s still a delightful little exchange with multiple layers of meaning.
This episode covers the exact same territory, and has the exact same starting and stopping points, as episode 12 of the original adaptation. However, there are some minor differences, mostly in points of emphasis. Marten Liebert, the Remelio agent, is a bit more talkative in this version and gets a little more screen time, while Holo calling off the wolves who gathered around her and Lawrence is a bit more dramatic. The musical score is also in top form during the flight through the forest; while it’s not necessarily more effective than the original’s, it effectively provides more variety. On the other hand, the old version explains much better what the tactics of the wolves are and why the stretched-out formation that Nora leads the smuggling group on is actually an advantage in this situation.
Ultimately, the most important detail of this episode is the establishment that Holo is not the only giant beast still prowling about the land in this era. But before Lawrence and Holo can encounter more, they have to get through this crisis first with their tails (both figuratively and literally!) intact.
USA Anime 