Written by: Gabriel Castillo | Published on: January 17, 2021
The life of a weak little spider is not easy — building and losing your home, running away, and struggling to get by — but Kumoko pushes forward and channels the energy we all need nowadays.
Excitement builds up as new aspects of the world are revealed. As expected, Kumoko's screen time is great fun as her spidernality truly pops. Watching her progress and overcome trials is oddly satisfying!
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Summary
After a brief glimpse into the students’ past life in school, the reincarnations are seen together in their new school. Meanwhile, in a dark labyrinth, Kumoko fights monsters to level up, builds a spider home, and even traps a human holding a strange egg. However, the human escapes and returns with angry allies that burn Kumoko’s home. Kumoko retreats deeper into the labyrinth and encounters her largest opponent yet. How will Kumoko defeat this humongous and high-level monster? How will Kumoko survive?
The Past
The other reincarnations reveal a few things about their past which adds depth to their characters. Notably, Fei (reincarnated as a monster) talks about karma and how she used to bully people especially a student named Wakaba Hiiro. The extra layers to the characters add good flavor and intrigue to the world (who wants boring characters anyway?).
My Home
Kumoko builds an all-web home in hopes of surviving in the labyrinth. The cute sequence adds a nice touch of fun and comedy to the episode (especially whenever she shouts “my home”). After building, Kumoko even has a funny house tour showcasing things like her kitchen, living room, an intricate alarm system for catching prey, and a cozy bed. Sadly, the humans come along and burn her cozy place.
Grind and Grit
Being a weak monster will not stop Kumoko! She decides to stop running away after tragically losing her home. Now she has a new goal — level up and gain power!
"I want to be strong. I must be strong!" -Kumoko
Kumoko is channeling some serious 2021 energy right here.
Despite being a homebody in her past life, Kumoko chooses to venture further into the labyrinth and fight more monsters in order to become stronger. A careful examination of weaknesses and strengths allows Kumoko to understand and utilize her own fighting style. As the adventure goes on, Kumoko gains some levels and new aspects of the world are revealed (e.g., HP/MP/SP bars). Eventually, Kumoko runs into her toughest and largest opponent so far — the Baldorado An enjoyable monster versus monster fight ensues! After coming out on top, Kumoko levels up and is given a choice for her evolution!
VERDICT
Author's Rating: 7.3/10
The episode was fun to watch, piqued some interest, and made Kumoko extra likable. The small bits about the past life of the reincarnations were fantastic as they reveal more about the characters and other possible mysteries. Investing in the characters (not just Kumoko) became more exciting with these revelations. On top of this, Kumoko’s performance was incredibly entertaining! Her humorous and light demeanor mixed with a serious and powerful resolve worked perfectly. From building a home with a sink to eating hideous monsters, Kumoko’s performance was amusing. Major props to Kumoko’s voice actor Aoi Yuuki for bringing such a lovable character to life. The fight with the Baldorado was decent and worked well to prove Kumoko's resolve. Additionally, the exciting concept of evolving was revealed! However, viewers will have to wait until the next episode to see Kumoko's new form.
What will become of the other reincarnations? What happened to Wakaba Hiiro? What will Kumoko's new form look like? How will she evolve further? What trials and new monsters to eat await? Will the humans come back and find her? Come back next week and join Kumoko’s adventures into the labyrinth!
Official Anime Website: So I'm a Spider, So What?
Official Anime Twitter: @kumoko_anime
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Catch new episodes of "So I'm a Spider So What" on Ani-One Asia every Friday 21:30 PST (UTC + 8)
