Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?
So I'm a Spider, So What?

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This small review is based on the latest chapter I read ( chapter 15 ) , might contain some spoilers but nothing serious .

Story : How do you feel life will be like in spiders perspective ? NAI WA !! , our heroine was just having a normal day in school , when SUDDENLY THERE WAS A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX !....just kidding ,but suddenly something strange happened, everyone in the class room including Kumoko started "vaporizing" , and then , Kumoko woke up thinking she got abducted , since she felt as if she was confined in a small bag.

Little does she know ... until she finally broke free, to find that was she broke from was an egg, SHE TURNED INTO A SMALL SPOODER ! the cutest spider your eyes will ever witness that is ! and she finds that the world she is in now is different from the one she used to be in, a world with some RPG elements, and that brings us to the art !

Art: the artiest did an amazing job , seriously , how many people can turn a "NOPE" material into the cutest thing ever ? along the dungeon, Kumoko will meet new creatures that she will have to survive, this is no longer the easy life of a high school girl, in order to survive she will have to hunt while exploring this weird dungeon she found herself in, so the artiest will introduce lots of weird, usually CREEPY creatures, done very well indeed.

Characters : Kumoko will probably be only spider that you will care so much about in your life, she's just SO adorable ! and the whole story until now is focused on her.

Overall : While lots of other Mangas used the "RPG world" thing , Kumo desu ga, Nani ka did it differently , and that's why I give it 10/10, which is a score I give if I GENUINELY enjoyed watching or reading every second of an Anime or a Manga.

These days I feel like there are a lot of these monster POV/reincarnation manga coming out. I would call this one a more realistic approach of someone level grinding their way up. Unlike being unreasonably overpowered from the get go, Kumo thinks through her situations in a logical way and makes decisions with the best of her existing abilities in order to adapt and survive. In the process she gets beat up, finds herself in pain, and gets scared, and all with a touch of humor which I honestly found refreshing and relatable.

So far I am enjoying the series, but I am looking forward ... to seeing a larger overarching plot line manifest itself to add a bit of depth to the story.

Well I just caught up with the series last night and was pretty much impressed about how a story that lacks very much in terms of an overarching plot could be so enjoyable.

The protagonist is the reason why I would thoroughly recommend this story though. And, by that, I don't mean the protagonist taken by itself, but rather the synergy that a girl reincarnated as a weak spider can give.

You could recognize characters like hers in many series and they would not stand out as much. The reason why I bring into the discussion synergy is because she is all alone.

I do not intend that ... as a spoiler, but there is no real dialogue that she can entertain with others. And so, what every reader can watch is her though process and that thought process alone. We're social animals after all, and we find great comfort in communicating and being understood, so there is this wondrous charm about the protagonist's continuous attempts to enter into a conversation with dungeon critters, regardless of whether they respond or not. Even more so, her monologues are quirky and bring back short blinks of optimism into the general equation.

The art style reflects her character pretty well, with very clear strokes and very rounded lines, so we can find greater sympathy in her odyssey.

All in all, I would rate it a 9, even though objectively the story is lacking, and the great mystery of the world is not engaging enough. Even so - to work in such a limited environment and create a likeable character, I would say that this series is a really enjoyable read.

Started out fine, I actually liked it a lot, but now that I have reread and got to the latest chapter, I now realize how much of a dumpster fire this manga is. I can't spoil anything, but it gets bad, I do not suggest this (not even mentioning how long it takes to update). The story, along with my enjoyment suddenly got lower, and lower, and lower. To the point where I have basically dropped it and started reading the light novel, that I do recommend. My biggest problem is that the story tension and the "danger" all disappear at a certain point, it ... is removed completely, I don't know what the hell they were thinking while working on the newest chapters, it's just flat out bad.

After 19 chapters I have to admit, this might just be the most interesting take on the iskai genre I have ever seen.

However, it is a bit hard to judge by conventional methods, because of its lack of characters and overarching plot, metrics by which most stories are being critiqued.

As for the characters, there is only one: Our main heroine Kumoko, reincarnated as a spider. Any dialogue that the story contains is her internal monologues and commentaries on the world. While she is a sympathetic protagonist, that is the case more because of her unique circumstances, rather than an actually intriguing personality. She doesn't really ... display any special character trait, other than what you would expect from an average somebody who got reincarnated into a fantasy world. Regardless, she is still plenty entertaining to follow.

Low-level mob simulator: The Grind, would be a less faithful but more accurate translation of the title. The story is entirely focused on the moment to moment plot of Kumoko trying to survive and grind her way up the food chain, in the dungeon she seems to be stuck in. And this is where the manga shines. Although this does not seem to be its main intention, the story's atmosphere has a rather dark and depressive edge to it. When most stories want things to go dark they, they often introduce heart-wrenching drama or tragedies, but this manga is a lot more subtle about it. Kumoko is far from being overpowered, struggling against even opponents of her own level, she is just a small fish in a big pond with a lot of bigger fishes. In a place where high-level monsters constantly roam around, where every victory must be hard earned and a safe spot for sleep is usually a luxury leads to a sense of constant dread, a sense of impending doom, because you just don't know what danger awaits at the next corner. It's a survival story, where the protagonist has to struggle just to stay alive, and it is not uncommon for our heroine to suffer grievous wounds, losing eyes or entire limbs (or just legs, in her case). Thankfully the fact that she heals when she levels up, coupled with her optimistic and resourceful nature and the cutesy art style, the atmosphere is overall well balanced, relieving most of the stress.

As for the art style, while it isn't anything special, it is very expressive. I was surprised how humanlike the artist could make the spider, in regards of its expressions. Making it a rather creative and overall pleasant thing to look at.

What keeps me giving the manga a rather well deserved 8, is the fact that as of now the story seems to be going nowhere, and despite it only having 19 chapters, thanks to the unique numbering, the number of existing chapters is closer to an actual 40. And after almost 40 chapters of dungeon crawling, I can not to do but yearn for a bit more variety. Don't get me wrong it's still a very interesting and compelling read, but since I don't really know where the story is going, at times it feels like a bit of a drag.

All in all, I can wholeheartedly recommend this manga to anyone who is looking for something different, because if nothing else, it is truly a unique experience.

A stellar premise for an isekai manga, with it's own unique twists and turns.

Personally I'm a huge fan of manga and anime that adopt the whole "hopeless stuggle" theme, and this one is no exception. Being stuck in a parallel world wouldn't be a walk in the park; no overpowered abilities or magical smartphones here, "Kumo desu ga"s protagonist, Kumoko, only has her own wits and a hell of a lot of luck rely on.

Well I say that... While the earlier chapters are spent in tension and suspense, Kumoko eventually becomes somewhat overpowered. This put a dampener on the series for a bit for ... me personally, before reminding the readers that there's still far more insurmountable foes ahead. In retrospect, it works pretty well. The absurd number of skills she obtains ends up becomming a source of amusement in and of itself, and while reading all of them each time gets tedious, the fact she can't use a majority of them until much later adds a nice touch of mystery.

The only meaningful criticism I have about the series is the amount of pages spent with Kumoko talking to herself (and later, talking to her "selves"...). It makes sense with how isolated she is; a lone spider with nobody else to interact with; but I do think the isolation aspect could've been explored better than just saying "I've always been a loner", "I prefer it this way" etc. Aside from that I think recall a few minor continuity issues here and there, though it's nothing heinous; maybe even down to different translators.

At any rate, it's a highly enjoyable, addictive read, which I'd greatly recommend.
So it's not 100% perfect, so what?

Ever read one of the isekai mangas only to be bombarded with a bunch of clichés right from the very beginning? Ever wanted to read fantasy manga with somewhat realistic world setting in a sense that it isn't full of plot holes? Tired of moe blobs being the main focus of the visual storytelling? For me, this manga is like a breath of fresh air in an overused yet still fascinating genre.

This small review is spoiler-free. "Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?" was the first manga that kept me interested enough to read LN and I tell you, it was very much worth it.

Story: So far ... manga covered the less plot-focused part of LN. The story is very straightforward with the protagonist "grinding levels" to get out of a great dungeon. The best (for me) part about it is that story doesn't try to forcefully shove new characters or major plot twists in there just to keep you interested: it is entertaining enough by itself just to see the little spidey getting stronger in a most logical and realistic (given the setting) way possible while still being lighthearted and cracking jokes here and there.
Having read the LN I should tell that the series takes a complete 180° turn and becomes completely focused on the plot pretty soon.

Art: the art is of high quality. It's not overly detailed or realistic. Instead it is on the cartoonish side to keep the light tone of the story. The main character - spider - is cute and the artist managed to make it very expressive.

Characters: right now in manga Kumoko, the protagonist is the only sentient character and her action are very believable and she gets plenty of chracter develompment later on.

This manga also inspired me enough to write my fist review here so I can't wait to see the anime based on it that was recently anounced!

This is probably up there in my top 3 favorite " Reincarnated in another world " Genre's.

I love how the MC isn't an idiot. That itself puts this entire story leagues above other stories of the same genre. I'm not talking about the " Smart" Some stories try portraying their characters. She actually thinks things out in smart and reasonable ways while also keeping it funny.

Not a single moment in the current 26 chapters have left me bored or wanting to skip past it. I was actively dreading watching the current chapter number get closer and closer to being caught up.

The art ... is nice. From the way the story is designed to the action and models for characters/monsters. The creepiest scene was the mother spider we see around chapter 24 or 23. The model actually seems threatening and doesn't seem like it's just there as a future boss.

Might just be from where i read it, But the start seemed pretty rushed. It seems like we were meant to see more such as the Mother Spider. Cause in later chapters the character will make mention to seeing it even though we never saw it.

Really i'd only say two things that bug me and even then it's not really that bad.

First is the middle floor or Lava floor. It seems to go on way to long. It's been kind of dragging on.

The other is the introduction to the MC's alter ego's. I don't know my full opinion on them. I kind of like it because if they helped keep the story from feeling the same. They also have some nice moments. What i don't like is how they're implemented at the start at least. The character i feel talks to them too much. I much prefer it when it's mostly by herself. From what i'm able to tell is that these alter ego's are more like things she made to keep herself company while them also having able to manage other things.

Weirdly enough i'd say this is the most " Realistic " Story of the genre. I know it sounds weird but the fact that the MC isn't an idiot that keeps screwing them self over is a really nice thing about the story.

It kind of feels sad that this girl is now a Spider. Straight from the start was was wanting her to be one of the Half Spider Half Human monsters. It seems like the story will be going that way too.

Overall i wish we had more chapters already. I really hope one day we get a anime adaptation of this. I'd imagine a 24 episode series would be great with this. I'm probably gonna go read the Light Novel soon.

I stared this read after completing one in a similar vein and was quite pleased with it, although this story is not particularly original I think it has good charm and would recommend this to any people who are into Isekais.

(spoiler free)
Story: started very similarly to others like it and although the premise is not original in the slightest (including being reincarnated as a monster)
It was very refreshing to read as it lacked almost all the common tropes. No harem setting, and the protagonist is not overpowered. The story is very different to others as it focuses on dungeon crawling and less on ... actual people.

Art: I would not say it blew my mind but for the type of story is was perfectly clear and easy to follow.

Character: the story only has one character and in this case could be a good thing as the protagonist is humours and has a interesting mindset for the situation she is in, thinking about leveling and smart strategies to defeating opponents.

Overall I think this is a fun and unique read so far and am awaiting more chapters to come.

I am a big fan of Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? as I have read both the Light Novel and Manga for the series long before this anime was announced. It is probably one of my all time favourite Light Novel series. That being said, the anime is kind of a let down if I am to be honest. I didn't really expect much from it to begin with after seeing the promotional trailer for the anime.

Story 8/10
The story is kind of unique in a sense. The main character dies and gets reincarnate. However this time she is reincarnated not as a hero or an ... overpowered character, but instead as a weak spider. In a sense this is similar to That time i got Reincarnated as a Slime but unlike that anime Kumo Desu Ga, Nani ka? actually shows the Kumoko's progression from being a weak spider with no abilities whatsoever to becoming a really powerful arachnid. The anime does this plot point how you would expect it to. Its not anything amazing but still quite enjoyable. The anime does also include a side plot involving the rest of Kumoko's class after they had been reincarnated as well. This story wasn't included at the start of the Manga like it is in the anime but its something else that can add to the story.

Art 5/10
The art in this anime has its ups and downs. Like a lot of anime it suffers from the bad use of CG at quite a few points throughout the anime. Other than that however, the animation and art style isn't too bad, I have seen a lot worse even from this current season of anime, and even the CG used has moments where it can genuinely look good

Character 7/10
Kumoko's personality, while not being completely original and perfect, suites her character quite well and also brings some comedic value to the whole anime in general. However, I feel that Kumoko is one of the only character whose personality and character are worth watching for. The rest of the cast including the rest of her ex-classmates have somewhat bland personalities even if they do provide something to watch.

Overall, despite having a lot of obvious flaws with the series in general, the anime for Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka? is something that I would recommend you to watch if you are a fan of the Light Novel, Manga or just a general Isekai fan like me. It seems like a show that you can watch without thinking too much and going full analytic mode. Just turn off your brain for 25 mins and enjoy.