I heard about this on Tvtropes and so I found it at my local library and decided to give it a shot. It's premise is what attracted me. It is a Reincarnation Isekai, but it has an intriguing twist to it.
The protagonist does not reincarnate as a human, or any sort of humanoid. She reincarnates as a spider; a small spider monster that would likely fit into a human's palm with room to spare. This is the story of her struggle to survive in the dungeon that is her birthplace, a natural underground cavern inhabited by many other creatures. Many of them are bigger than her, and all of them so far are carnivorous.
It is a story that is both funny and serious. Surviving in this dungeon is no joke. The first scene is Komoko's frantic escape from her "siblings", who are killing and eating each other, as well as her "mother", who is also killing and eating her siblings. She almost starves to death because she doesn't know how to hunt as a spider. The moment she resolves to do whatever it takes to survive in her new life is a powerful moment. There is a great deal of emotional build up here.
The reader is regularly reminded how precarious her situation can be. Komoko learns quickly that her spider thread is her greatest asset, and so she works best as an ambush hunter. When she attacks head-on or is surprised, she is at a severe disadvantage and has to flee or innovate quickly. What happens to her first major nest is particularly devastating to her because of the unexpected threat. It was devastating to me as well. That was a REALLY powerful moment, vividly expressing the raw emotion of this tragedy. Then the story follows through on this moment, developing the story further.
I also said it was funny, and it is. Komoko has a fun personality, lively and cute. Kudos for the author for devising her personality and melding it to her situation, and kudos for the artist for expressing this in the manga adaptation. The pose Komko strikes when she tries to use her "heretical magic" or her attempt to gain a dancer title are both funny. Then there are running gags about how Komoko's prey and how gross they taste, and the one about her Appraisal skill.
This volume ends with a cliffhanger, and I normally don't like that, but in this case I'm willing to give it a pass. This whole volume has been slice of life so there is always more trouble. Indeed, several of the chapters here end in "cliffhangers" so the volume itself was likely to as well. Nothing is left "unresolved". Not really, since this is about Komoko's daily struggle for survival.
I like the art. Komoko's spider form is cute and expressive. The other monsters look good as well but more fearsome. The human adventurers look just as threatening as they should to a small spider monster. The dungeon cavern itself is set up and established effectively. One gets a sense of how Komoko can use the cave to her advantage as an ambush hunter, and also a sense of the size of the cavern. This is a large dungeon, filled with things that would happily eat our protagonist if given the chance.
Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider So What? manga volume 1 an A+
Click here for my previous book review: Enola Holmes and the case of the Missing Marquis
Click here for my next book review: So I'm a Spider , so what? volume 2 (read for fun)
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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