Trolled. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Jebaited.
If you read the synopsis and thought, "This story is about fighting against monsters in an underground dungeon," then I guess I can't blame you. That was more or less my initial guess as well. While I thought that the events would eventually advance further, I believed that at least the genres, themes, and narrative structure would remain at least somewhat loyal to the idea of a conventional battle gauntlet survival struggle. Then I actually started reading further and quickly found myself wondering "What even is this?"
The initial assumption had been reasonable, given the synopsis. After all, that is what it sounds
...
like, and usually the synopsis is a good indicator of what will actually happen. It makes perfect sense for you to assume so because it would almost always be the right call. There are good reasons for this. Authors want to make sure that the audience understands what they are walking into. In the rare case that the story is meant to be unconventional, there are usually clear signs that you should keep an eye out. Then the story is openly marketed as an unconventional experience, for instance as a particularly confusing mystery novel. But not always. Sometimes we walk in completely clueless. How meta, come to think of it.
Returning to the assumption about the synopsis, and you probably saw it coming after my intro, but there is a problem: it isn't what it seems to be. The synopsis is technically not wrong, but it makes you expect a battle gauntlet against monsters in an underground dungeon. While such fighting does in fact take place, it isn't really the main substance here. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. The plot, characters, themes, dialogue, narration, and general tone are all different than what one might expect. Even some of the genres were surprise additions, and this novel sure seems to incorporate many genres. The author must have had a good, long laugh when writing this. All the way to the bank, possibly. You really can't trust anything these days. I suppose you should always stay alert because those pesky authors keep coming up with new trolls or at least remixed versions of the classics, but I argue that I was merely being genre-savvy. Stories like this don't usually happen in isekai light novels. Actually, they don't usually happen in literature, period. My initial guesses would have been accurate in almost every instance. It isn't a bad thing though. I don't mind getting trolled as long as the trolls have been constructed well. It is only welcome that now and then people shake me awake with a fresh take on things.
Strictly speaking, it is not uncommon for novels to deviate from their alleged premises in various ways, but it usually happens in a more conventional manner. You probably know how some novels start off with a decent premise, but the author has no idea how to continue beyond it, so it devolves into random aimless filler or an uninteresting repetition of the same generic plot devices over and over again. By the time you get to volume 10, you are wondering why you keep reading the stretched-out, meandering doorstopper that obviously isn't going anywhere. However, in this case the story deviates from the premise by actually delivering a cohesive plotline. And not just any plot but something a bit different for a change.
Here the plot has strong continuity and a low amount of filler, and it moves along at a steady pace that is neither rushed nor painfully slow. It is worth noting that actual effort went into the transition from the web novel to the light novel. They added scenes, viewpoints, and various details, most of which were a good addition. A few scenes were cut, but for the most parts their replacements better convey the main substance. The dialogue and narration have been beefed up as well. Also, the plot was clearly planned beforehand. The author has set up early elements that deliver their payoff much later, and even many of the small details look like they were carefully placed for a reason. Seemingly trivial lines can turn out relevant in the long run. The decisions made by the characters have actual consequences and they usually can't hand-wave them away. One of the lessons here is that the structure of the plot matters. It really does. Events should not simply happen for the sake of filling pages but to actually play a role in the overall narrative.
It is not all about the plot on its own though. The cast of characters is surprisingly large, and they are very generously given viewpoints. And I really mean that. A volume often contains viewpoints from half a dozen people, and even the minor characters manage to get at least a few pages here and there. Sometimes multiple characters get viewpoints right after each other in the same scenes, and it can be pretty amusing to witness their inner monologue in those cases, especially when their perceptions, personalities, goals, and ideologies are entirely different. They may severely misunderstand each other's intentions or launch thinly-veiled jabs at each other. Place mutually antagonistic characters in the same room and try to hold a meeting, and interesting things may happen.
I like the morally grey characters, scheming, uneasy alliances, and temporary ceasefires for a common goal. The relationships between the characters seem to vary quite a bit, and whether they are good or evil is often pretty unclear and may depend on the situation. Incidentally, the protagonist is not a generic hero by a long shot. She is not an unequivocally altruistic person who helps everyone in need. Instead, she can often be selfish and vindictive as well. She can also be fairly ruthless and anarchistic but isn't too edgy or stoic about it (in terms of internal monologue, at least; how other characters interpret her may differ). Of course, not all the characters are equally interesting. Thankfully, some of them may seem boring or generic at first, but they too often end up playing different roles than initially expected. At the very least, the presence of outright annoying characters is relatively small. Another thing I noticed is that most of the characters do not hold self-defeating "villain speeches" in which they explain their plans. Instead, they keep their cards close to the chest. It is for them to know and for you to find out.
Overused RPG and isekai tropes and literary tropes in general are pointed out on occasion, but rather than simply make a note of their existence, this time it carries more weight because the story diverges from them more clearly than most. Instead of "here is the trope, but we'll adhere to it anyway" we have "here is the trope and we are doing something else instead." The in-universe technical explanations can get unnecessarily lengthy sometimes, but the characters at least tend to comment on them in witty ways, and they are usually sufficiently relevant for the plot.
All in all, a breath of fresh air that caught me by surprise in many ways. Well played, well played.
Alternative TitlesJapanese: 蜘蛛ですが、なにか? More titlesInformationType: Light Novel
Volumes: 16
Chapters: 384
Status: Finished
Published: Dec 10, 2015 to Jan 8, 2022
Serialization:
None Statistics Ranked: #2462 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #672
Members: 27,928
Favorites: 1,886 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 21 / 25
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Your Feelings Categories Nov 24, 2019
Trolled. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Jebaited.
If you read the synopsis and thought, "This story is about fighting against monsters in an underground dungeon," then I guess I can't blame you. That was more or less my initial guess as well. While I thought that the events would eventually advance further, I believed that at least the genres, themes, and narrative structure would remain at least somewhat loyal to the idea of a conventional battle gauntlet survival struggle. Then I actually started reading further and quickly found myself wondering "What even is this?" The initial assumption had been reasonable, given the synopsis. After all, that is what it sounds ... Oct 11, 2017
This is my first review on MAL about Kumo desu ga which currently have no other reviews. Also this review is for the WN and I'm up-to-date including all side chapters.
Story 10/10 The story is about Kumoko and her classmates reincarnating into another world with gamelike features. The main story focuses on Kumoko and the side stories focuses on her classmates and world building(they are not necessary to be read but they will be referenced later). The strong points about the story is how gradually it builds up the world, the world's systems and how continuous it is. I also like the plot that will ... Nov 23, 2020
Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka ( So I’m a Spider, So What? )
“Don’t judge a book by its cover!” Well, I think everyone once looked to a book and said “What a lame cover/premisse, there is no way this book is good.” And I confirm it, I already did it once, but regreted when I ... Jan 7, 2023
Spidersekai is a compelling paragon of story progression and character traits, in not just the isekai genre but entire fiction. What Okina Baba has given to us is a web woven by multiple spiders, all of whom are characters in the story. The web gets bigger with time, and complex as the lives of these characters get intertwined.
What makes this work stand out? 🕷 After an entire class gets reincarnated in a fantasy world, the classmates don't stand on the same side. My favorite aspect from Kumo Desu, it clears the delusion of being classmates, that is, being classmates does not equal to being friends. ... Jun 20, 2023
I loved the first few volumes of this light novel. The world building, the characters, the slow buildup of the mysteries of how the world works, the strategies of the fights, they're all great. However, at some point the later volumes just start to feel tedious and filled with filler, and this gets worse as you get closer to the end.
And then perhaps because the author wasted so much time on meaningless filler, the end feels incredibly rushed, anti-climactic, and pulled out of the author's ass. Nothing in volume 16 makes any kind of sense in terms of logical actions that real people would take, ... Mar 31, 2020
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 ... Jul 24, 2023
Up untill the very end of the series it was an absolute 10/10 to me. I liked the way the story was structured, how complex it got with time without turning boring. In my opinion, characters were nicely written, had their actual personalities rather than being common tropes that can be named with one word. I can absolutely recommend this book to everybody who likes this genre. Ending however was really bad. For some reason everything happened faster than usual by the end of the series, it felt rushed a bit. Also I'm really dissatisfied with epilogue. It was really simple, to the point of
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Nov 22, 2017
If there are typical Novels out there where the MC have been transfered in the fantasy world, and then becomes OP and gets a Harem and bla-bla-bla-bla...
(WARNING SPOILER!!!) This one is totally better than any other, like you’re reading a chinese fantasy novel (god defying mc) combined with game elements (grinding) then there’s a comedy parody and breaking the 4th wall with its counter part brutal and dark plot. Our protagonist is the legendary nope ‘Spider’ and the other characters are: ‘The Pacifist Hero’ ‘Unconscious Gay Bestfriend’ ‘Moe Loli Teacher’ Yandere BroCon Sister’ ‘Stupid wannabe king of the world’ ‘Fanatic Religious girl’ ‘Pathetic Ninja’ ‘A combined ... Aug 16, 2024
Do you know the saying "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey"? I do, and I've become well aware of it... especially after I've spent 15 hours modding Skyrim for 30 mere minutes of gameplay. Anyways, we're getting offtrack here.
So I'm A Spider, So What has a fairly interesting premise, in which a female (!) MC gets reborn as an average monster (!) and has to survive by any means necessary. I mean, the Isekai genre is already so overused, there must be plenty of stories similar to this one, according to the Infinite Monkey Theorem... but hey, you don't see a female ... Feb 16, 2020
Let's get the annoying details out of the door:
- isekai: a class of 25 students + 1 teacher got isekai'd by a mysterious incident into a fantasy world - main protagonist, a female student, wakes up as a newborn spider (commonly referred to as Kumoko (kumo means spider in Japanese, -ko is a suffix for girl) - Kumoko tries to survive in the Labyrinth where everything tries to kill her, including her Mother and siblings - for some reason things in the new fantasy world is game-like, with skills and stats Except it's not your typical isekai or your typical fantasy. - The novel switches between several reincarnators' perspective. Even ... Nov 30, 2020
This deserves the high rating it gets. I've seen this series around since getting into light novels but never got it. And when I bought the first volume I left it on my shelf a bit, but I decided to read it because I had another book order I was looking forward to. Well when I picked up this book I completely forgot about that other book series and instantly bought the rest of this series's volumes. Which made it the first time I've ever bought ebooks because of how impatient I was, and somehow I managed to read two volumes a day twice for
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Jan 1, 2018
This review is based on the official english release of the first 3 volumes of "So I'm a Spider, So What?"
This is also an updated version of my original review now that I have read more volumes. Story: For the most part, the story has picked up the pace and is now moving in a direction slightly similar to the Overlord series. It no longer involves just Kumoko and her adventures throughout the Labyrinth, the story has now gotten bigger and moved on to not only Kumoko's story, but the world's story. After 3 volumes the world's rules and mysteries start to unravel one by one, and ... Dec 14, 2018
I have read 4 volumes of the light novel and all of the current chapters of the web novel. That being said so far the LN is much better at telling the story than the WN. The translations, explanations, names, everything is better.
id give the LN a 4 so far and the wn a 3 1/2. Moving past that there are some problems that I have overall with the series but are bigger problems in the wn. That is the fact that the author repeats and rephrases the same info in different ways back to back over multiple paragraphs or pages for no reason. You will ... Jul 18, 2021
Maybe I'm very, very, very late on this. Normally, if it's about something really good, I'll just keep quiet, but on second thought, I guess we should leave a trail of opinion. This story is really good, without exception, that's all I feel. For me this is the best of isekai tensei. I don't understand why some people here are making very long reviews, just looking at it makes me dizzy, so I don't want to read it.
At first I thought Slime was the best, but somehow it changed to number 2 after I read Mushoku. And now that I'm reading this, you know what ... Jul 13, 2018
the light-novel is really great.
but unfortunately it goes down. its just becomes less and less good. the main flow of this novel as it seems is. that the creator don't know what to do next. it has more and more filler dialog. more and more slow paced events. while the first 2/3 of the novel ~ 200+- on the main chapters. is really good writen and exciting to read. ... Jan 8, 2021
A fantasy lovers wet dream of a read.
These light novels have it all monsters, mystical creatures, hero’s, demons, gods, aliens?, human cyborgs? Reincarnations and a not forgetting a spider. Please note this not a final review as such as the series is on going and currently 1-10 available in English translation. 1-13 in Japanese. The story gives you that constant I must read more feeling. The style of writing which is in the first person help you immerse into the characters and quickly helps make that connection with them and the bond needed to take characters to next level. In terms of main protagonists there is ... Jun 23, 2023
Regardless of anything else, I have to start with saying that this is a good series, even if I have a few gripes about it.
The title's pretty self-explanatory, and if you've seen the anime you know what to expect. The only things I'd point out against this story is that I feel the non-linear storytelling hurts it a bit (I remember getting to the point the anime left off, only to have to go through volumes of the years in between the timepoints that I didn't really care for. The end is also... kinda rough. It's not bad, but it breaks the expectations in a ... Apr 13, 2024
I adore Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? (KumoDesu), though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why I enjoy it so much. At the start, it was the inhuman protagonist struggling to survive that kept me going. Then you learn that there’s more to the world than meets the eye, and that the weird things that are happening are there for good reasons. Then the story shifts, and it’s the diverse cast of characters with interesting interpersonal relationships and conflicts that drove my engagement. In this way and others, there are multiple disparate arcs in KumoDesu that naturally lead into each other, and that might be the
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Mar 9, 2023
What a story. All I can say is that there's always something fun going on. And the fact that it's narrated from the point of view of the main character makes it that much more enjoyable, since her personality adds more to the events happening around her.
This series does right what a lot of others in the genre don't, and gives both logical and intriguing reasons for the existence of the very bizarre and out-of-place elements that pop up in just about every volume. On top of that, there were even a few twists in this that weren't entirely predictable. These books rank high on ... May 11, 2018
--The review contains spoilers--
Edit: 6/29/18 2:16 AM Quality of review update This is one hell of an emotional ride. Various things In this story seem awesome. But then the story feels the need For throwing In small things. All those small things come together and can ruin the story. I personally feel that the Manga Is leaps and bounds better. Took me longer than usual by a couple days. We get various qualities In the Grammar, It does get better later on. The stories that also happen can be lacking and don't call me back to read another chapter. Compared to the Manga, The LN just doesn't ... |