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Spice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf Anime Debuts on April 1

The official website for the new Ōkami to Kōshinryō: merchant meets the wise wolf (Spice & Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf) television anime based on author Isuna Hasekura's Spice & Wolf light novel series revealed on Monday that the anime will debut on April 1. The anime will debut on TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, and TV Aichi on April 1 at 25:30 (effectively April 2 at 1:30 a.m.). The show will also air on BS TV Tokyo and AT-X.

The site also revealed a new "cherry blossom" visual on March 1.

The anime will be a completely new series, which tells the story of Kraft Lawrence and his meeting with the wolf girl Holo. Jun Fukuyama is returning as Kraft Lawrence, and Ami Koshimizu is returning as Holo.

Takeo Takahashi is returning to the franchise, this time as chief director. Hijiri Sanpei (Spice and Wolf II episode director) is directing the anime at studio Passione. Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss, Tower of God, The Rising of The Shield Hero) is composing the music. ENISHIYA is producing the series.

Yen Press publishes the novels in English, and it describes the series:

The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine—that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of “Holo the Wisewolf” to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?

Hasekura launched the Spice and Wolf novel series with illustrations by Jū Ayakura in 2006. The novels took a break after the 17th volume in 2011, and returned with the 18th volume in 2016. The 24th and latest volume shipped in January 2023. Yen Press published the 24th novel in North America in August, and is also publishing the manga adaptation. Hasekura began a spinoff series, Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf, in April 2016. Yen Press is also releasing the spinoff series in English, as well as its manga adaptation.

The novels also inspired two TV anime seasons from director Takeo Takahashi and scriptwriter Naruhisa Arakawa. The first season aired in Japan from January to March 2008, and the second season (Spice and Wolf II) from July to September 2009. Funimation released both seasons on home video.

A virtual reality anime followed the television anime and debuted in June 2019 for Oculus Rift, HTC VIVE, and Oculus Go Edition. A sequel debuted in December 2020.

Sources: Ōkami to Kōshinryō: merchant meets the wise wolf anime's website, Comic Natalie