This show has been completely frustrating. I love the manga and novel so much and was hoping to enjoy the anime. I am so disappointed because I was hoping the show was going to at least be mediocre so that it would draw in more interest for the source material. Quite frankly if this was my first experience with kumo desu ga I would not even think about watching a second season. I know how good the story is and how much I had fun with the manga and light novel but this adaptation was so frustrating because I knew how great this anime could
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have been.
I feel that the show did not bring any justice for the novel. It seems as if the charm of kumoko has completely vanished. In the novel we see kumoko as being quirky. Much of her personality seemed sucked out and warped in this adaptation. It was not just about her overly upbeat cutesy attitude which the show seemed so focused on. I noticed that this part of her seemed so emphasized to the point that she seems annoying. This was not how the character was intended. SO much of her was left out. In episode 20 we see kumoko conversing with Gülie, and in episode 24 with Ariel, but in both cases kumoko talks in her own head without ever saying anything out loud. How come? In the novel there was a heavy emphasis on how in her previous life kumoko was a shut in and had trouble communicating with others, even after reincarnated there would be pages of her talking to herself mid conversation with someone, only for her to choke out a few words, but this was never mentioned in the anime. What we have instead have is an awkward silence and a confused audience that does not know the reason for her silence. The only reason the producers might not have included this was the fact that the gimmick of the split timeline was not revealed yet and the mystery of who kumoko was before reincarnation was planned to be reveal later down the line. The only problem with this is that even before we got a glimpse into who kumoko was before reincarnation this personality trait was fleshed out and explained when she first talked to administrator D on the phone.
Honestly I tried to like the anime as much as I could, I really did, but lets address the elephant in the room.
This show is hideous.
You often hear people cry about cgi at any given opportunity, and usually I pay this no mind. I often think that people exaggerate their distaste for cgi and often think of these people as whiny and painfully fastidious, but my god is the show ugly. Taking a look at any comment section of review of the show you will find one thing in common. There is always at least one comment mentioning how badly "animated" the show is. The thing is animation is not the problem, the main problem is how the fight scenes are drawn and choreographed. In every fight there is several cuts in every action a character does. From one stroke of a sword to another the camera angle cuts multiple times while having zooms in and out. Cuts like these are not a problem when done right, but when a fight happens so zoomed in, the whole scene seem disoriented and unorganized it completely ruins any suspension of disbelief. At every fight I stop thinking about the show itself and become distracted by how badly choreographed the fight is. It feels less like a fight and more of random jerky movements as the camera switches in random directions.
I dont mind 3d animation, I really don't, but when it is done this badly it is actually painful to watch.
I will give credit where credit is due. I respect that the show decided to follow the original source and did not go down the route of the manga, which decided to completely cut out the story of all of the other students. Yes, the story with the hero was handled very poorly, but with how much more complicated the story becomes and how hard it is to divert the story away from our main protagonist while still trying to keep the audience invested, I respect the writers of the show for at least attempting. I understand how much time the producers could have saved and how fewer episodes would have been required if it had followed the mangas story and for that aspect I will respect the director.
In the novel there was also a split timeline. One following kumoko and another with Schlaine and his friends. The last episode of this show was when it was revealed who kumoko really was (lady white) but, with this it was never really mentioned exactly how or why the story is the way it is. Much like how we were not told of kumoko's communication problems the ending of the show never explained why the timeline was split. Clarification was yet again left out the story making the show confusing. The story was split in two because kumoko as a spider was able to be hatched while her other classmates were not able to do anything until later down the line because humans developed much slowly and can not do much as an infant, giving kumoko a head start in leveling up in the dungeon. This allowed for the writer of the novel to make it into a mystery as who kumoko will eventually become, adding another layer to the story, but was not done justice in the anime. We did not see as much of lady white in the anime so i'd imagine the surprise was less exciting for anime viewers.
I STRONGLY encourage those that have watched the anime to give the story a second chance and read the novel. This anime by no means do credit for the source material and it was very painful to see how negatively the show was received because I feel that less people are willing to read the novel now.
I realize that because I read the novel my perspective may be warped, that the story may seem alright for those that have only watched the anime and may not see the flaws that I do because the novel provides me a kind of hindsight. But, I was so harsh on the show and compared it to the novel in the case anime exclusive watchers felt that something was missing or that the story felt incomplete to hopefully motivate them to pick up the light novel because yes, the novel is indeed much better than the adaptation as cliche as it sounds.
Jul 3, 2021
Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?
(Anime)
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This show has been completely frustrating. I love the manga and novel so much and was hoping to enjoy the anime. I am so disappointed because I was hoping the show was going to at least be mediocre so that it would draw in more interest for the source material. Quite frankly if this was my first experience with kumo desu ga I would not even think about watching a second season. I know how good the story is and how much I had fun with the manga and light novel but this adaptation was so frustrating because I knew how great this anime could
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Dec 30, 2020
Just Because!
(Anime)
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I liked this show. A lot. This is my favorite romance anime. It is a great complete story that does not leave on a undecided lover like most shows these days. It wraps up it story completely and concisely not overstaying its welcome by dragging out the plot and leaving on a cliffhanger to boost sells of another work. I think the anime being an original plays a part in that, but regardless, this is truly an anime that you should watch if you enjoy romance. The emotions that this anime invoke is something that I haven't felt from an anime in such a long
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Jun 23, 2020
Kami no Tou
(Anime)
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How is this enjoyable. How. Have we sunk so low as to accept mediocre trash as the norm? Have we no longer the will to dislike an anime for being a shit adaptation of a story? Can we no longer draw a distinction between the original work and its bad anime equivalent. I have only watched the anime and all I can really say is this is garbage. This is not to insult the manhwa in any way it could be great for all I know. Hell it is one of the highest rated in the manga section of MAL. But no, it is not
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Jun 23, 2020
Pain. I can only feel pain when reading this manga.
What we seemingly have at first is an isekai with a female lead that is oriented towards more of the romance and drama than the fantasy we would usually see in an isekai. It has some pretty character designs, but make no mistake if this was a romance/drama manga its certainly a bad one. What we have is a generic dense main character so mind numbingly dense I have a hard time believing she wont't collapse in on herself to form a black hole, so stupid I have a hard time believing she isn't some ... May 25, 2020
Non Non Biyori
(Anime)
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A relaxing and wholesome experience.
I will be the first to admit that when I first watched this show I was bored and put it on hold but i've come to realize that it was caused by my misunderstanding of this anime. This is an anime in the niche of having no plot what so ever. So one might question, whats the point in watching it? Well its simple, to sit back and enjoy its comedy. This is a slice of life comedy, but i feel the main purpose is just to kick back and relax. It is not a fast pace comedy like say, ... May 3, 2020
School Days
(Anime)
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School days is one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated anime to ever come out.
What we have is a story about a student that gives into his desires with no understandings of the repercussions that they may cause, only for this attitude to be the cause of his demise. What I feel people misunderstand about that anime is that, yes, the main character is to be hated. The frustrations that arises from seeing him oblivious of the pain he causes to those that care for him are well deserved and planned. We are SUPPOSED to hate him and despise his actions. The hate that ... Apr 4, 2020
Keijo!!!!!!!!
(Anime)
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A surprisingly wholesome and fun sports anime. Yes, that's right, wholesome. What may first come across as a show that is catered to those that like overly ecchi turns out to be an anime that is funny and very shounen. Beneath all of the breast and ass, it is a heartwarming story about a girl trying to achieve the dream of becoming a professional sports player. Reading the description one would assume that the shows only ASSpect is that it is overly sexual to cover up for the lack of story or have likable character but this is not what Keijo is. Keijo is a comedy ... Apr 4, 2020
Disappointing and unenjoyable.
The premise of the show is what sparked my interest. The ability to reset after dying. I assumed that with this concept the main character would be able to handle situations that may seem impossible so that he may progress in the story and perhaps get stronger both physically through his ability to fight, and mentally through his psychological development of knowing he can overcome even the hardest of obstacles because of his infinite lives. This was certainly not the case. The show is in fact 25 episodes of what ammounts to nothing. We cheer the main chracter through the story in hopes ... Mar 31, 2020
Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?
(Manga)
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Truly a great read for anyone that enjoys an action fantasy novel.
The characters in this story are some of the most enjoyable and likable that I have ever read from a fantasy novel. What makes this novel such a great one is the clear progression each and every one of the protagonists makes becoming ever so stronger and the exciting encounters of stronger and stronger antagonists. This is prevalent in the fights involving more and more ridiculous skills and stats that are displayed when characters appraise their opponents, which gave me one of my favorite scenes in the novel with kumiko appraising an opponent that ... Aug 7, 2019
Kyoukaisenjou no Limbo
(Manga)
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I remember stumbling upon this manga years back and to this day I still think fondly of this manga. It's a real crime that this manga is so underground.
It is a cute and lighthearted story about a girl finding her place in a world called limbo. We follow the character Fuu around on her adventures as she makes new friends and explores this fantasy setting that is beautiful and makes me wish that I was there myself! It is not really that plot driven and it doesn't need to be. The story is heartwarming and the character design are so cute. I love it! |