Ookami to Koushinryou: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF, episode 3

banner image

Alternative Names

*Ookami to Koushinryou (2024), Spice and Wolf (2024), สาวหมาป่ากับนายเครื่องเทศ *


Additional Links

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.


All discussions

Episode Link
1 Link
2 Link
3 Link
4 Link
5 Link
6 Link
7 Link
8 Link
9 Link
10 Link

This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.

  • wjs018@ani.socialM
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    3 months ago

    Holo had been calling herself a wise wolf up to this point, but we finally get to see that wisdom come into play this episode. She managed to add a 50% premium to Lawrence’s pelt sale through what amounts to a bit of apple perfume paired with a compelling story. If you ever find yourself in a workshop or seminar about marketing, you will often hear about how the story of a brand or product is one of the most important aspects of marketing. If people buy your story, then they will buy your product. Turns out that is also true in Lawrence’s world.

    Finally, turns out that the silver content is being reduced in the coinage. I was trying to figure out how Lawrence might profit from a devalued currency, but was having trouble. It wasn’t until he said that he was heading to the Milone Trading Company that I had an idea. Essentially, what is happening is that the currency is being devalued. Countries in our world will intentionally devalue their currency for a couple reasons, but the primary one is to make imports more expensive and domestically produced goods cheaper on an international market thereby boosting their exports. China and Brazil are two examples of countries that have strategically devalued their currency with this in mind.

    The important part of this is that the Milone Trading Company is a foreign company. So, most of their goods are being imported from abroad. I think that Lawrence is going to buy up imported goods now from Milone and then sell them later after the currency has been further devalued and imported goods are more expensive. The other idea I had is that he might be trying to sell the devaluation information to Milone as they would surely stand to have their business heavily impacted by this.

    Anyway, I hope we see more of Lawrence’s money changer friend. He was fun (@rikka@ani.social):

    • Lvxferre@ani.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      (If any of you all did not see season 1, please skip this comment. It’s actual, heavy spoilers.)

      When you mentioned Brazil, you were likely referring to the devaluation of the real in the 2010s, right? The situation actually resembles older events:

      what's going on

      Money printing.

      Brazil mass printed money in the 1980s, and the Trenni kingdom is doing the commodity money equivalent of that, melting old coins with higher silver content to issue more of a newer coin with less silver, but same nominal price.

      Even the motivation is the same, the government is trying to pay off its debts. Likely the internal consequences too*.

      The kid dealing with Lawrence is part of a huge scheme. His company is amassing the old silver coins, to exchange them with the kingdom itself - basically “Look, I gathered 100 high purity old coins. You’ll be able to make 150 shitty coins out of them. But I want some part of the profit, and a few concessions”.

      *It’s a bit off-topic but I remember those events in Brazil well, because they taught me what inflation is. First I was able to buy four sweets with a 100 cruzeiros cowfish coin, then two, then only one. I was eight back then.