Anime Review: So I’m a Spider, So What? Episode 1

So I’m a Spider, So What?

Studio: Millepensee

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy

Streaming: Crunchyroll

This isn’t the only ‘reincarnation in another world’ anime series airing this season, but it is however one with a slightly more offbeat premise. When a high school class is all untimely killed in an explosion at the beginning of the episode, they all reincarnate in a fantasy style world as attractive and powerful people. All that is, except for one girl who is reincarnated as… a lowly spider. Thus is the premise for So I’m a Spider, So What?

As expected, comedy is one of the best elements of this show. Kumoko is a very likable and hilarious protagonist who adapts remarkably well to her new form and resolves to use her former experience as a gamer to progress. Life as a little insect however is anything but simple, especially when practically everything around you is more than twice your size and you’ve just spent all your skill points on an ultimately useless Appraise ability. Still, Kumoko has a lot of drive and will power for someone who apparently was just a shut-in back in her human life. It’s a lot of fun watching her fight for survival and she’s a character that is easy to root for.

As strong as the first part of the episode is, centring on our arachnid heroine, the latter half which flashes over to the rest of her classmates who are doing markedly better is unfortunately rather boring. The comedy here is much weaker and nothing really about the characters shown there is enough to really make you warm to any of them. They all just seem kinda bland and tropey, and it’s obvious that their lives here in the fantasy world are rather easy. The promo images do suggest we’ll be following both them and Kumoko over the course of the twenty-four episode series, but personally, I hope we see little more of her other classmates from this introduction we were given. Where the anime shines best is where it parodies computer games and other isekai series, and with Kumoko herself.

Animation-wise, the series is decently attractive with lots of colour which suits the more up beat tone of the series. Kumoko herself is CGI animated and this actually works to good effect in scenes, making her stand out, but not in an uncanny way (see, Ex-arm for that). I personally am not a fan of spiders in general, but she was animated in such a charming way that I was able to still watch this anime and enjoy it, regardless. Likely it’s that they gave her just enough human elements to distance her from her spider kin – not many spiders have big kawaii eyes and can dance as she can. The opening song is very catchy, whilst the ending is a crazy mix of vocals featuring our spider as an… idol? It’s bonkers but it kinda works, regardless.

This first episode of So I’m a Spider, So What? starts off strongly and despite a bit of a dip in the second half with the look at Kumoko’s classmates, I’m definitely interested to keep seeing what this series has to offer.