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Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?
Type
Web Novel (JP)
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Rating(4.5 / 5.0, 1372 votes)
5    76% (1046 votes)
4    11% (152 votes)
3    6% (78 votes)
2    3% (44 votes)
1    4% (52 votes)
Language
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
One entry per line
Year
Example: 2012
2015
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
330 WN Chapters + 223 WN Extra Chapters (Hiatus)
11 LN Volumes (Ongoing)
Licensed
Yes
Completely Translated
No
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
Release Frequency
Every 35.3 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #347
Monthly Rank: #523
All Time Rank: #67
Reading List
[Graph]
On 18730 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #196
All Time Rank: #10

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

The world where the Hero and the Demon King continue to oppose each other. The grand magic from the Hero and the Demon King cross over worlds and exploded in the classroom of a certain high school.

The students who died in the explosion will be reincarnated in a different world. The protagonist, who had the lowest reputation in the class, was reincarnated into a spider. Nevertheless, she adapted quickly to the present condition with strong willpower.

This is a story of she who has become a spider trying whatever she can to live.

Associated Names
One entry per line
I'm A Spider, So What?
So I'm A Spider, So What?
蜘蛛ですが、なにか?
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (WN) (18)
Evil God Average (9)
Apotheosis of a Demon – A Monster Evolution Story (8)
Sevens (8)
Reincarnated as a Dragon’s Egg ～Lets Aim to Be the Strongest～ (7)
Demon Noble Girl ~Story of a Careless Demon~ (7)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novels that Fit my taste
  2. Interesting Isekai With Unique Qualities
  3. Isekai'ed / transferred OR second chance
  4. kawaii in another world
  5. Recommendations From a Picky Reader

Latest Release

Date Group Release
11/25/18 Raising the Dead side story 35
11/12/18 Raising the Dead dragon battle
08/15/18 Raising the Dead c330
08/12/18 Raising the Dead c329
08/11/18 Raising the Dead c328
08/09/18 Raising the Dead c327
07/12/18 Raising the Dead c326
07/11/18 Raising the Dead side story 34
06/20/18 Raising the Dead c325
06/11/18 Raising the Dead c324
06/10/18 Raising the Dead c323
06/09/18 Raising the Dead c322
06/04/18 Raising the Dead c321
06/03/18 Raising the Dead side story 33
06/01/18 Raising the Dead c320
123…48
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129 Reviews sorted by


RandomHordeLord
New RandomHordeLord
November 10, 2019
Status: --
I thought I was crazy at first. After all, Kumo desu Ga Nani Ka did have large amounts of 5 star reviews. Was I reading a different translation than everyone else? Was that why I thought this book was awful while others praised it? Apparently I wasn't! I was first introduced to this book when I read the comic version. Now looking at the text of the novel, it has come to my attention that Kumo Desu Ga Nani ka is merely one LONG monologue. While unnoticeable when reading a... more>> graphic version, this glaring flaw becomes apparent when one starts reading a book that is seemingly written by a blind man. There are no descriptions to be found and whenever a fight happens it's just the FL talking to herself for multiple paragraphs. I'm beginning to suspect that the novel is just the dialogue that the author has for the comics that haven't yet been drawn. While I still enjoy the comics, I do not think that this book deserves anything more than 1 star in any universe. <<less
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TheDisturbedDragon
New TheDisturbedDragon rated it
November 7, 2019
Status: --
As other-world stories go, this one is great. There are a bunch of negative reviews, mostly based around the Taboo skill or that "Kumoko seems more like a human mind in a spider body than a human who was reincarnated as a spider."

... more>>
Spoiler

SHE IS! Kumoko isn't the girl in the class that she thinks she is. Kumoko is a spider that was in the classroom that managed to tag along. Said girl is the Administrator D, and gave Kumoko a copy of her human mind for reasons that are entirely in line with her character T_T. She's LITERALLY a spider with a human mind shoved in.

[collapse]

All in all the characters are well done. They all have flaws, Kumoko doesn't even try to hide the fact that she's a flawed narrator, and the enemies are also well made. The fight scenes feel like actual fights, rather than I attack you, you counter with some bullsh*t op move, game over for me style BS that you see in a lot of isekais.

All in all I'd give it a 4.7/5, entertaining story and characters, a little too much "Nai wa!" Just... it begins to grind on you with how much the author uses that phrase. <<less
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VanAlex
VanAlex rated it
May 13, 2016
Status: --
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!!!)

... more>>
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 Berserker and Gilgamesh Oni’ ‘Envious Badass Vampire’ ‘Mysterious loser god’ ‘evil god’ ‘delinquent tsundere with brother issues’ ‘Hard working demon secretary’ ‘Disappointing Demon King’ ‘Scum Elf’ ‘Over thinking pope’ ‘prisoned children’ ‘Cunning Monsters’... Just think about how ridiculous this novel is, especially the Greatness of Kumo-sama’s adventure.

[collapse]

NOTE: I Tried to simplify so much, but 'Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka?' is so complex that I have to mention the hidden messages, complex literature technique and the character's plot, this novel is very hard to judge. A reliable review of this series should know the Literature Technique, Tropes, Individual Elements, Character Judgment.

~Story~7.75

Let me talk about the story, just by reading the synopsis, you can already conclude what it’s all about, well I can definitely tell that this series is pretty predictable and the pacing is really slow until the “Great War” and then the “Elf Village Battle”... before going to the “Great War” the story is only focusing on the mc’s grinding skills, her level ups, and some dungeon monster battle, and the good thing is, we were given a Side Story about a Typical Reincarnated Hero with an unusual ‘Love Story’ of his best friend turned into a Hot Red Head Noble, and he has a Yandere Sister which compensates to the slow paced grinding and leveling battle story of our Greatest Protagonist ever Kumo. I’ve never seen such a novel who can use plot twist greatly and can make the world fascinating and unpredictable. There’s so much references from any Japanese series in this novel, but those references are so inferior if you’re going to compare it to the combination of their elements in this novel. In the first part of the series before the great war, most of the time is about Kumo’s adventure (grinding) in a funny way, though her methods of living are fascinating. The overall story in the first half is quite predictable despite of having complex and intelligent method of fighting and survival. Next is after the “Great War” where story have become much more interesting than before. The second part is more likely encounter then deal with it, but the most surprising thing in the second part was the overpowered skills and evolution of Kumo. The adventures have expanded, and some were fun like fishing a dragon (seriously?) and the story have become complex and unique like the satirical moments like Wars because of Religion, then there’s the rise of Kumo’s EXP which is relatively comparable to EXECUTION POINTS (Undertale Reference?) which paved the way to her evolution, and lastly Soul Hacking (just read it if you want to know). Aside from Kumo’s Badass story, the side story of our Typical Hero have become dark that puts the other stories into shame, there’s so much dark and tragic twist even though it’s a side story. Just imagine where your typical MC is living an easy life and then suddenly, his life turned into hell. And now the Hype of the Story, During and after the “Elf Battle”, this is the moment where the novel becomes the BEST. There’s so much events that have happened during the Elf Battle, I wanna spoil so much about because it’s too awesome and incredible, there’s so much twist, reveals, character development and lastly Cliffhanger, but I will leave it to you who’s planning to read it. Aside from the Elf Battle, the story have turned greatly that the flaws from the first half have become irrelevant. The best in this part is about Kumo’s complex characteristics and development, the story about leveling up and grinding have fulfilled its role, in short it’s gone, and the awesome fights of Kumo, was gone too, but turned into War Against the Destruction of the world. Now going back to the Post Elf Village story, the general story of the post ‘elf battle’ or the 3rd part has so many character development and twist, to make it simple there are multiple POV’s and multiple stories in the 3rd part of the novel. The story in the post “Elf Battle” is mostly about the character development of the other reincarnated people in the demon side, or the allies of Kumo, since the Side Story of Shun the Hero is about the story of the Human Side.

This novel is using unorthodox Novel of writing, where the Timeline and the POV’s are used in different ways, and the best part is there’s no Flashback overly done which is mostly used to most series just to make the plot complex and understandable. There’s no problem in the technique, but if the reader can’t get used to the style of author, then it’s her/his own problem, because the used of multiple POV and Different Timeline have become one of the signature literature technique of the novel, and only few can do something like this, like Baccano, which is favorable to Readers who prefers Creativity, Complex Setting, Intelligent writing, Unique development and balanced character perspective, if the complaint was the technique, then the problem lies to the reader, not the novel. This webnovel have fully used its potential and was able to present reasonable complex settings and was able to utilize its themes in unique way. And there’s also some satirical themes and great philosophies in which the other series fails to do, the best example was the changed in the reincarnated people, their perception from their old world have changed so much in the new world.

~Character~7.50

Spoiler

[The Description of the Spider Godess] (Note: goshujin-sama=Kumo) {CH.261}
「But, it’s that goshujin-sama? That goshujin-sama who is like an atrocity incarnate? That goshujin-sama who loves mass-murder and eating people’s flesh such that it makes me want to ask if you were born in hell?」

[collapse]

There’s only few series in web and light novels from Japan where Characters are well develop with development, not stupid but reasonable, and Human Thinking is applied to all characters. To make it simple, this Novel have the best characters so far in my standards, the characters probably the best it is to be compared to many novels with the same themes, elements, and setting. Kumo, the protagonist, who started grinding, fighting and leveling have become a complex character and unpredictable schemes with plot twist reveals, there’s so much to talk about her, she’s an incredible interesting complex being with fascinating personality and unpredictable way of thinking, and her weakness is the best. She is a badass intelligent character with her own unreliable breaking the 4th wall narration in the first part, then second part does have a great changed of story telling, where she reveals her type (Dandy) and her powers and evolution have changed greatly. Her perception throughout the world have changed, by the way, I want to mention that she has a power which depicts her very personality, and those powers were so unique that only few in the world was able to obtain, and those powers were achieve in different circumstances and development.

The supporting characters are hard to explain, they are so incredible that only few are flat and most are well-rounded with complex personality and development. Most of the supporting characters does not support the protagonist at all, most of them are neutral or enemies to her, since story started about her soloing the dungeon. And these supporting characters were used in a different timeline with their own POV chapters and stories, which makes them the main character in their own. Now the supporting characters were not ignored when it comes to their strength and intelligence, they also have their own personality and identity, and the they are developing from their old ways and their perception about life are progressing. Not only they have memorable characteristics, they have achieve certain overpowered skills which depicts their own personality, and they are the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and the ‘Seven Virtues’, same case with Kumo. Achieving these unique skills or power gives balance on the story of the supporting characters and they give life to these skills like Full Metal Alchemist with Seven Virtues. The best thing here is the way of life of the supporting characters, since they were given a chance to witness the unique presentation of ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and ‘Seven Virtues’ they change a lot from their former flawed characteristics from the past, not only that they change and they grow, but their philosophical moments are outstanding that fits their current identity. Not only the skills represent the very characteristics of the supporting characters, the abilities of these skills are awesome. We were given a story of supporting characters with the same style of Game of Thrones or Fate/Zero and even more closer to Baccano, where almost all the characters have their own in-depth story, experience, and growth development, except there’s a clear Protagonist and Antagonist in the whole story. Now for the antagonist, the antagonist is applied to the Side Stories and Chapters in different POV, to generalize the antagonist, they are well-rounded and reasonable, some were force because of circumstances, or some moves because of their instincts, to make it simple, there’s no clear antagonist in this novel except for the System. This novel is comparable to Bacanno in many ways, where it uses an unorthodox method of novel writing and the characters have their own POV and probably the hard distinction of Antagonist and Protagonist between the Supporting characters, though the difference was Kumo’s or the main chapters.

~Enjoyment~8.25

I’ve enjoyed this a lot, there’s so much creativity in this novel which I can’t find in other series. Despite of having terrible chapters in the first half, the second half have nullified its flaws have exceeded many novels. This novel have become one of the best novels I’ve ever read, the technique of writing is unorthodox, the creativity has reached its potential, there’s unpredictable setting while maintaining its consistency there’s so much twist. The characters were created uniquely with a depth, and only few were used as a plot device, most of them have identity to remember and with the help of the Author, most of them were given a time to their own POV in some chapters, which gives value to them. The most enjoyable here is the intelligent creativity of the novel and the interesting actions of the characters, this one deserves 5/5 but in my strict standards, it’s 7.83/10, though it has some flaws, this novel has its own original signature where other novels can’t copy, mostly it’s filled with unique elements where only few novel has and the common elements in this novel to other common novels were executed exceptionally.

Overall, if you are looking for a creative novel, read this novel, just keep in mind that this novel is different to others, expect what is unexpected then go read it. PATIENCE is a MUST before reading the story. Before you read it, prepare your BGM like from Undertale BGM or any GAME BGM. <<less
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fortunefish
fortunefish rated it
March 16, 2016
Status: --
I am mostly writing this review/advice after seeing some negative reviews towards this.

This series is a very very good one, but any new reader really should not pay attention to the enthusiastic hype surrounding it, because most of the hype is because of the second arc of the series. You should not be reading the beginning section of the novel expecting amazing plot, or thrilling scenes or anything like that because that’s not what the first arc is. The first arc of this light novel is very much a non-serious/not... more>> plot heavy slice of life. It’s just reading the funny random ramblings of a mentally questionable re-incarnated spider in a dark and scary labyrinth. Its very fun to read with a light attitude and makes you gradually grow more fond towards the main character. Lot’s of foreshowing is dropped, but it doesn’t really make you pay attention to it for a while.

The second arc is where most of the hype is coming from. It suddenly gets much more interesting and plot heavy, and never really stops getting interesting. It just grows and grows until its one of the most unique things you will really read from a light novel with tons of things all going on at the same time.

So, if you’re picking this up because everyone is telling you that its great, just know what you’re getting into. Don’t go in with pre-conceptions, or the beginning will bore you. Just read it the same way that everyone else did when we got taken in by it. Enjoy a light hearted, witty, and nonsensical journey of a spider and don’t expect anything else from it until it takes you by surprise. <<less
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arashi-chan12
arashi-chan12 rated it
May 16, 2016
Status: c260
@scandalf
If only you knew...

Well, I've been keeping up with this since Turbo was translating it, and I gotta say, it's fascinating. The writing technique can get pretty complicated with all these different perspectives, but of course, Kumoko is best.

I remember the first time I read the side stories. "What? Who the hell is this guy? Harem bastard. Hurry and get back to Kumoko!" I felt a very, very strong urge to get back to Kumoko's cute and thrilling antics. But, if you skip then you'd be failing to see... more>> the bigger picture. Once the plot twist gets in, the side story gets really interesting, and you get a lot of ambiguous information thrown at you. And, when it reaches the climax-- cliffhanger.

Ah, it stills kills me. I want to find out what happens next but the chapters haven't been updated past 260 ;-;

The start is kinda slow, but in the beginning you're in it to see Kumoko being cute, amazing and grinding. Who knew a spider could be so cute, right?

If you're not into that, I won't blame you. Once the story really starts to pick up though, it's amazing. If you're going to start it, then I recommend at least reading until the "Hero's" side story is finished. Then we'll see who's complaining that this story is boring.

To fully grasp this story, Baba Okina presents in lots of little clues in multiple perspectives. Finally, the last key holder (who inevitably is also a tease since she's unreliable as a narrator) is Kumoko, who has all the power and knowledge, but still hides it from us. If you're not going into this prepared for a long ride, then you'll be missing out on the true storyline. <<less
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Scandalf
Scandalf rated it
February 17, 2016
Status: --
Sigh... After seeing all these positive comments I thought maybe I should give it a shot. Yeah, I shouldn't have.

First, I don't know what is wrong with people who says "such a unique story, a new genre, something we don't see much". Really? a new genre? unique? I've probably read at least 10 novels like this one, and I've seen 10 more which I haven't read because I got bored of them.

First of all the way author writes makes things way too confusing, and do not mistake me, I... more>> am not saying mysterious or mind-blowing or will make sense once you learn why things happened kind of confusing, I'm saying it feels like author tries too hard to be some kind of unique creator? and he fails, miserably. The MC has no personality, I felt like I'm reading a actual spider with a human intelligence not a human reborn as a spider oh and before you start be ready for a spider that has more web than its body size inside it...

I remember starting this a few months ago and dropping it after like 40 chapters, which was when I finally figured out that the story was not unique, it was just bullshit. btw you will probably realize that the MC is a girl after you read pretty much the entire volume too. (you will know that she is a girl, but you will just forget about it because of how bad he tries to turn her into a real spider). (I think author has a thing for spiders but lets just leave it at that) a month ago I tried reading this again, and I was able to hold on until 60th chapter, and today I tried again, and guess what? it is still bad, still bad, still f*cking bad.

Honestly, I wouldn't even want to write my thoughts on this novel, but just to let you you people know what you are getting yourselves into, I thought I would be a nice guy once in a while and write this. <<less
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KKristen
KKristen rated it
February 18, 2017
Status: c118
HOW TO READ THE TRANSLATION:

There are 3 different translators. I was confused about this when I first started the series. Tip:

1) Start with Blastron - This is the highest quality translation and the most entertaining to read. Blastron is the best at capturing the personality and humor of the story. (Edit: Some people have mentioned that Blastron's translation is more westernized. If you don't mind poor grammar and want the purer form, you can try Turbo.)

2) Once you finish Blastron's chapters, if you can't wait, read Turbo Translations... more>> - the translation quality and grammar is low but it'll get you there.

3) After Turbo, read Raising the Dead's translations to get up to the most recent chapters. Their translations aren't bad but they weren't as fun as Blastron's. PERSONALLY:

I heard a lot about this series, but didn't start it until I accidentally started reading the manga adaptation. (It's good!) When I finished the chapters I couldn't wait to find out more, so I started reading the novel.

I really like the main character's personality and don't mind the side stories. I decided to wait for more chapters from Blastron, rather than reading on with a lower-quality/less-interesting translation.

PLOT:

An epic battle between a hero and demon lord creates an energy blast so powerful that it goes into another dimension and kills everyone in one Japanese high school classroom. One of those students is reborn as a tiny spider monster in an underground labyrynth. This is the story of how she levels up and evolves. (There is also a running side story about her classmates' who have been reincarnated into the same world.)

INTERESTING ATTRIBUTES:

- The basic plot of this story sounds similar to many other RPG stories (like Re:Monster).

- However, the execution is unique in that it features a funny female main character, and takes a more realistic approach to the leveling/evolution system.

- Even though some of her skills are "broken, " they're not "over-powered." It takes her a long time and serious effort to gain understanding and mastery over her skills and abilities, and nothing is ever easily explained or handed to her.

- For example, even though she unlocks magic early in the story, she has no idea what it does or how to use it until a LONG time later.

- Her advancement of skills (and skills available) are relevant to her species and makes sense.

- The world-building starts out small (since we're literally stuck in a cave) and eventually grows (thanks to the side characters' stories).

TIP:

I read a tip in another review here that really improved my reading experience -- read the story as if the spider is actually a side character, and the other characters are the real main characters. Then you will be less frustrated when she's just grinding for hundreds of chapters, while the other characters are advancing the plot out in the world.

P.S. I liked this even though I have arachnophobia. Also, you have to really like grinding/leveling in order to enjoy this story.

Update: I ended up dropping this novel around Chapter 250. I really enjoyed the leveling/growing in the early stages of the novel, but after Kumo leaves the dungeon and becomes all-powerful I feel like both her personality and character growth stopped. It was a fun ride while it lasted and I would still recommend the dungeon portion of this story. <<less
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DarkD
DarkD rated it
July 26, 2016
Status: c189
This story is basically one of the few overpowered character fictions that while being terrible, are actually written just well enough to keep you reading. For once, there's no harem. So we can avoid those cliches. It's one of those fictions you can enjoy reading, but at the same time you know it's a horribly written mess. The biggest problem with this series is the sloppy translation. There's a lot of rambling nonsense that's very poorly communicated. A few of the problems I point out below may even be the... more>> translators fault. Translators, take notes. Don't be so freaking loyal to the author's original words. If something doesn't make sense, rewrite it in a way that does make sense. There is also a problem with the author trying to be mysterious and failing miserably. There was one part where the author intentionally excluded a part of the protagonists thought process. When Taboo reached level 10. I honestly thought I missed a chapter or something because of the weird ass way the story seemed to skip over information. It wasn't until 50 chapters later that I learned what happened. The protagonist is also stupidly adversarial. Rather than negotiating anything she simply stands firm in her beliefs no matter what. Even if it leads to a bloodbath that could have easily have been avoided. Imagine a messenger coming to a kingdom proclaiming a sincere desire for peace but the king just sits there wordlessly before finally saying "No, there must be a massacre."

As far as the plot goes I'd give it a 2/5. The power growth of the character is also marginally acceptable. She did sincerely work for her power which is more than a lot of these stupid overpowered novel protagonists do, but the skills she's offered are ridiculously unbalanced. The costs associated with them don't make any sense at all. For example, pride is a 100 point skill, wtf. As a comparison, all the other sin and virtue based skills cost thousands if not tens of thousands of points and many of them aren't as good. There are various facets to the skill system the author doesn't even explain. There are these weird ass notations in various skills that look like math formulas, but even after the protagonist understands them, they aren't explained to the reader. There are various skills that the author makes clear are incredible that the protagonist should have to save for their entire lives for, but through certain actions can be acquired easily. Just by healing a few people, the protagonist gains something like a hundred thousand points worth of skills. The world building and skill systems I'd give a 3/5

The overall format of the story is also somewhat laughable. 75% of the story is centered around the protagonist explaining his skills and then re-explaining his skills after they level up. Over and over again. These explanations often take up entire chapters or several chapters. Eventually, even the author becomes aware of how painful these explanations are, but instead of just toning them down, he cuts them out completely and then the protagonist just starts acquiring random skills. I'd give the style a 2/5. The character of the protagonist is basically a day dreaming introverted girl. Overall, I'd say the protagonist is bipolar with how she suddenly and inexplicably changes gears. One moment she'll be saving a town, another she'll be massacring both sides of a war because of some perceived slight. Once one of the gods showed up before her and they couldn't communicate at all. He wasn't hostile or anything, but another god came in to explain things to him. She didn't understand ANY of the conversation between the two, but after the meeting was over, she left with a deep hatred and grudge against this guy that she didn't even talk to. Side characters are never introduced in this story. People come and go, but they pretty much disappear right away. So there's pretty much nothing to say about them. In the end, we're drowned one-sidedly in the protagonists personality. I'm not sure how to rate the protagonist really. She has a personality, but a completely retarded one. 1/5

Overall, it's a subpar read. I only really read it because I like fantasy, non-human protagonists, and overpowered characters. So if anything, I'm actually biased in favor of liking it. 2/5 overall <<less
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Seiryuudo
Seiryuudo rated it
February 3, 2016
Status: --
A story about a spider.

In novels, books, mangas or movies, the title is always the first and most important reference to the story. The next is the cover, followed by the description.

So why am I counting these obvious things here? It’s because the author of “Kumo desu ga, nani ka?” likes to use the element “foreshadowing” in a way, leading the reader either jumping to conclusions or not noticing anything at all. (sometimes I’m reading through boards with old posts discussing over the plot just to get amused about how... more>> wrong they all were xD)

As a story using plot twists and secrets as a main element, writing a review without spoiler is pretty hard. But to grasp the essence from such a well thought out masterpiece, its important to know that there is waaaaaaay more than anyone would expect after reading through the first 100 chapters.

Some facts first. Kumo desu ga, nani ka? Is the most popular Webnovel 2015 with currently about 370 chapters. Yeah it just started 2015. The author is pretty quick in writing and the chapters arent very big in the first place. In december 2015 it got a Lightnovel and manga adaption. Apparently the LN is selling like hotcakes in Japan. That aside, it’s one of the few webnovels which actually gets translated into english almost catching up the Japanese raws. There are even translations into german, spanish and french for what I have seen so far.

So, what is this story about, getting liked by so many people already? I’ll try to reduce the spoiler to a absolute minimum.

Actually, the story is plit into 3 main arcs.

1. Dungeoncrawling & grinding. The prologue.

As a novel about reincarnation into a RPG fantasy world, our protagonist wakes up as a low ranking newborn spider into the most deadly environment on this world, fighting for her life from second 1 onwards. She’s neither overpowered, nor does she got any cheatskills besides her human intelligence.

That setting was enough for me personally already to start reading actually xD I never could have imaginated where that would lead to...

As I mentioned grinding, you can see similarities between other reincarnation novels here. As she levels up, she’s getting stronger of course, just to spot another even stronger monster behind the next wall. Her only weapons which makes her superior than her environment are her willpower, intelligence and pride.

The main story is completely told from her perspective which results into funny monologues about different things she encounters. What seemed to be a horror survival thriller gets on a lighter level due to the way she’s seeing the world, which is needed to present the novel to a mainstream audience. As a gamer in her past life, she’s mentioning other manga or rebirthnovels quite frequently, making her even more likable and easier to symphatize with.

2. Who wakes up inside a dungeon with only monsters and monsters and monsters would like to leave this dungeon as soon as possible of course. But living among humans as a monster, unable to speak with a human mind only... you can imagine problems incoming. After several encounters with the humans living on this world, the point of view moves to that of these humans sometimes, giving her actions an interesting additional perspective (oh how I loved these chapters xD).

3. After a certain point in the story the plot thickens in an unexpected and fascinating way. What feels like the end is actually just the beginning of the story. If you had skipped all the side stories until that point you’d think, “Huh, thats not the end!?” No lol, that was just the prologue!!!

“Sidestories” is a frequently used element used for this webnovel. They are used to tell the story of the classmates who died in that incident as well. Here’s the usual cliche hero who got reincarnated into a fantasy world with a cliche personality. As being placed after every 5th or 10th chapter of the main story, they seem to disturb the reading flow alot at first, making you want to skip them. But they are important to understand this world. As they reveal elements our little spider can’t experience while fighting in the dungeon, they are used to get a different perspective on that world.

Every single one of them will confuse the reader. Is that happening on the same timeline? Who’s that? What the hell is happening? If that’s the future, what has happened with Kumo-chan ???

The author is having fun teasing you alot with them. But everything will be explained at some point. Even the whole skill system. Everything has its reasons. Nothing happens at random, just be patient. At some point you will follow the plot and stop, just to read old side chapters, the description and even the title again and think “Oh my f*cking god... ” It’s just that kind of a story.

.

.

.

Actually I’d have to review the 2 main arcs plus the connecting arc individually, as they are in a way so different from each other and yet still part of the same story. If you don’t like all this grinding and talking about skills and how to use them bores you, but you really like a thick well made plot, you’d have to force yourself through that prologue (I enjoyed it!!)

Later in the novel, with the sidestories revealing the past of other characters there is so much going on in the story that its hard to follow sometimes. There is enough plot to fill even standalone series with these short sidestories.

Spoiler

Talking about a reincarnated vampire-girl building up her own reverse harem on a demon school... about a reincarnated goblin boy living peacefully in his small goblin village getting raided by human knights, forcing him into slavery and forcing him to kill and eat his own little sister, eventually enwrapping him into an endless rage...

about one reincarnated former classmate being reborn as a girl (yes, gender bending!!!) now becoming a genuine girl with only memories of being male in his past life, gradually developing feelings for his former best friend...

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... just to note some elements. (these arent hardcore spoilers, just hiding them before anyone gets mad. I’m just careful)

I could stop here but I wanna talk about the heroine. As a story being told from her perspective, it’s important to know whether she’s likeable or not, right?

Kumo, Kumo-chan or Kumoko-chan (Nickname given by herself and readers) is a very fascinating character. Unlike the most MC’s in reincarnation novels, she’s an unsocial sociopathic shut in who spent most time with gaming in her previous life. At the same time, she’s absolute lovely, silly, cute and loyal to her values – just trying to live a simple life avoiding troublesome things whenever possible. Her personality eventually develops into a pragmatic badass doing whatever is needed to survive without losing any of her lovable characteristics. She’s the main reason why this novel got so popular in the first place, after all.

[i]You are strong in every way. You taught me the fear of death and you overlooked me in the past because I was weak. I was right to fear you then. Thank you. Now, you will die.” – Kumo-chan vs Earth Dragon Alaba.[/i]

Nai waaaaa!!!

So whats “Kumo desu ga, nani ka?”? It’s a masterpiece in the making. <<less
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Arafell
Arafell rated it
November 2, 2016
Status: c140
Until about chapter 130 or so, I was very happy with this story. It wasn't a 5/5, but it was at least a 4. I could get past the irritating story jumps to the future of characters I don't care about. They were easy to skim, even if the plot was extremely confusing since it doesn't TELL you when the interludes are occurring. Until 130, the progression was good. The protagonist - who's unnamed, but is usually referred to as Kumoko - fights and eats a lot of different monsters.... more>> She faces obstacle after obstacle, and has both terrible and good luck. She pulls through by the skin of her teeth each time, and the pacing - barring the interludes - is on point.

Then 130 hits, and the whole story turns sideways.

Spoiler

Turns out, that taboo skill she's been accumulating turns her into a rampaging sociopath with practically no empathy for humanity. What used to be a lighthearted fantasy fic about a shut-in girl doing her best to survive turns into your standard edgelord novel.

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Character progression? Ruined. I now hate the protagonist. That 'plot twist' turned out to be more of a bait and switch. <<less
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Hamsta
Hamsta rated it
September 28, 2016
Status: c273
Going to be lenient: 4.5/5

Recommended Read. It's like Charlotte's web except with more spiders and more VRMMO-esque concepts and lolis/shonens.

The PoV cuts are interesting but they get extremely repetitive. (Especially after you figure out everyone's archetype, it starts to feel like padding.)

That awkward moment when the author's writing is skilled enough to dangle twists in front of the reader and reviewers don't even realize they've figured out one of the twists.

... more>>
Spoiler

"I felt like I'm reading a actual spider with a human intelligence not a human reborn as a spider" - Scandalf.

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¯\_ (ツ) _/¯

Sadly like virtually every CN/JP novel, power creep is something that no writer so far has properly accounted for which generally collapses the story & really takes the wind out of plot. <<less
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dreamer2908
dreamer2908 rated it
September 6, 2016
Status: c261
The plot seems to have been planned very carefully from the first chapter.

The beginning was kind of slow and confusing with multiple point of views of different characters in different timelines. It didn't look much different from other oh god so common reincarnation stories where MCs pop into the world and farm stat. Impatient readers might not like this. Several times I tilted my head and wondered why the hell those characters did those actions. What kept me reading is actually MC's humorous and self-mocked monologue.

But as the story goes,... more>> the big real plot is being unveiled gradually. Timelines connect and previously illogical actions start to make sense. Hints are laid in good places. Twists are unexpected and actually make sense. I was pleasantly surprised to realize most of what I assumed about MC from the beginning were wrong. How come I missed those hints!?

Overall, it's a very interesting and well-written story. But it requires a lot of patience. <<less
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fanobody
fanobody rated it
June 27, 2016
Status: --
The author of this novel is a genious, just read the comment of Scandalf then read the story to the end then reread the comment

... more>>
Spoiler

His feeling that Scandalf have about the spider girl is what the autor wanted him to have

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But don't recommend this novel for crétin because this novel need you to think.

YES, this novel don't repeat endlessly the same thing to make sure you do understand like the majority of the chinese novel BUT more than that, you will have to use the super ability Deductive reasoning that will allow you to have inference in which the conclusion is of no greater generality than the premises. Because there are many hidden hint that will maybe not have a conclusion. There is also the fact that there is many story that you have to follow at the same time.

The story may be plain like re:monster at first but...

Spoiler

They contest the system itself lather

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<<less
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Shiraori_
Shiraori_ rated it
November 3, 2016
Status: c283
Honestly, the medium of Light Novels is littered with a sea of garbage, especially when it comes to the Isekai genre. Perhaps it's because this is one of the first I've picked up by reading the manga, and then binging the novel after running out of material to read.

I don't think I have to waste my time explaining the premise, nor would you want me to waste your time re-explaining it, so I'll get to the point. I'm going to list a bunch of points, list-style, since it's the easiest... more>> way to write this review.

1) I highly recommend reading the manga first. The 13-something translated chapters cover about 40 chapters of the web novel, and the manga is excellent. It's what I'd expect an animated version of it to be like -- the Web Novel writing tends to be a bit subdued and simplistic, lacking energy, whereas the manga is bursting with visual humor and personality. Read the manga, and if you're hooked, pick up the novel from there. I'm sure even one chapter should give you an idea of what to expect.

2) Chapters are short and easy to read, and the author updates the web novel every few days or so. Translator is fast, good, and consistent.

3) Side Stories are important to read in the order they come out. Every 10 chapters or so there'll be a chapter from the perspective of some of the other students that reincarnated. Don't skip them.

4) One of the things that makes Kumo a bit unique I'd say is that everything in the Universe has a reason for existing. Game elements, like skills, text boxes, leveling up, status bars, magic, "the voice of the world" that announces game messages like level ups and such, and even the setting itself exist for a reason.

5) The plot changes significantly about 150 chapters in. Keeping it brief, the first half is Kumoko surviving in the labyrinth, learning various things, and gaining strength. The second half almost entirely ditches that set up for something more akin to information warfare. Some light politics here and there, negotiations, manipulating others, developing connections, and expanding influence. Basically, things Kumoko couldn't do until she
Spoiler

gained a human form

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, now that she's actually gotten out of the labyrinth. Some might be vexed at this shift in story, but I thought it was great. It's a logical progression after Kumoko obtains the knowledge she does.

6) The writing is concise and to the point. No wasted words. Author shows clear planning in her writing, foreshadowing various reveals from the very beginning, and occasionally she'll drop some tidbits of intrigue here and there that are a bit unsettling, like something is slightly off. Don't expect a lot of pseudo-science or exposition dumps.

That's all I really have to say. I'm not too good at writing reviews, but I hope this helps give you an idea of what to expect. <<less
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alphaGulp
alphaGulp rated it
October 9, 2016
Status: --
I enjoyed the beginning, although in the end it goes nowhere good at all (hence my relatively poor rating).

FWIW, this light novel (LN) validated my now-established approach to reading (mostly crappy) LNs: whenever the dumb author switches focus to some boring side character that you don't care about: SKIP ALL THE TEXT until the MC is back to being the focus.

In this case, doing so is very easy because entire chapters are dedicated to external characters you don't want to bother reading about:

... more>>
Spoiler

From what I could decipher, these external characters' side stories are actually happening in a distant future, and the annoyingly incoherent and (self) destructive queen-of-evil is some ultra 'evolved' form of the MC. All these external side characters that the author spends a dozen or more chapters on just get killed off later by her with no impact to anyone we care about, so it's not even like they matter at all.

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All I can say is that I am SUPER HAPPY I didn't bother reading those lame side stories, once I found out how they turned out - ya know what I'm sayin'?

Anyhow, the MC was fun as a messed-up introvert stuck in a do-or-die scenario, but unfortunately the author never had any intention to develop the MC's character, to make her grow or learn to make sense. Instead she just devolves from being a dysfunctional-reclusive to being a dysfunctional-mass-murderer-on-a-whim.

The MC is so COMPLETELY self-absorbed that she has absolutely no empathy for anyone. She seems like a terribly wounded individual, and thus it was sad to see her never get any healing throughout the story.

---

If you read only the beginning (skipping the side stories), then you can have fun for a while, but once she accumulates enough power to impose her will on others, then she becomes insanely callous and just all around moronic: she clearly has no idea what to do with her power, so she just flails around and flip-flops all over, while practicing the victim stance - you should pity her while she murders thousands of people for no good reason! <<less
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delorz
delorz rated it
January 8, 2017
Status: c200
At first, it was pretty good. But everything changed when the author decided that it was a good idea to spoil the future of the MC through the side characters. That left me with less of an incentive to care for the concurrent chapters. The existence of the MC has no logic behind it:

... more>>
Spoiler

So the MC turned out to be a real spider before reincarnating into another spider and not the girl that she thought she was, so I guess the credibility of Scandalf's thought on the Author having a spider fetish is not that high. Anyway, she is reincarnated by the real girl who she thought was herself, but the spider just had her memories.
That original girl however, is supposed to be this guardian of Hell or something and created the spider to sub for her in Hell. The girl is like, powerful as hell since she can reincarnate people so we know that even if the spider or other class-mates die, Hell-girl will just resurrect em.

So whats the point of the whole story if the end is given to us? You expect me to read 200 more chapters? Na boii

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Vrethalya
Vrethalya rated it
March 24, 2016
Status: --
Okay, this is a story of a certain spider in a certain fantasy world. To some, this series is very interesting, but to some it would be a bland series. Why? Because those who follow and stick to this novel would think that this is about a happy go lucky spider and her journey in pursuit of power, but turns out to be something different. Those who saw the rating would expect this to be a mind bending story, but sadly, the plot twist would came in latter (about ch... more>> 150-180ish). All those first 150ch is about grinding MC and her epic fight

At first, I was going to rate this as 3.5 (4 at best since it's updated daily), because it's quite good in killing time since the author write it in a usual clown like MC who is pursuing power (and things that is interesting to her). Not to OP, but definitely not weak. That is until I read chapter 198, I was left with "what the f*ck are you trying to write here, Mr author??" kind of feeling. It's ridiculous, alien things are mixed here and there and the development is just to fast. Few chapters ago she's like making a nest here and there, and then wham. And then came those seemingly unrelated extra chapters. It seems boring at first, and feels as if the author just want to extend MC's POV just to f*ck with the readers. But then, at the end of the introduction of blood chapter's MC, it all hits me, all those what ifs, about the truth behind the taboo, about MC's relation with all those side chapters.

And it's suddenly turns to something else. It suddenly become so interesting, that even when Turb0 have to left the translation, Risingthedead's team decided to immediately pick this up, and continue his work (i dunno about the deals between them, it's just to fast)

This past few chapters started to reveal more and more about the truth about this world's system, how the world is coming to and end, how MC came with a seemingly twisted plan on saving this world from destruction, and what role does those character from those seemingly boring extra story are holding. At this point, I think that the author really think things through as he writing this novel

yes, this web novel is very very long. It took their time in explaining the grinding part. It took a long ass time for the author to move the plot into the next arc, but it seems so natural, that upon realizing, you'll finally ask yourself "what the f*ck is going on, when does things turn into this direction?"

For those who are impatient, here's some warning, and some insight about the plot and be advised, there some minor spoiler (i love to call it insight instead of spoiler though)

Spoiler

1. Grinding arc (ch 1-150)
wellp, it's the begining story. Yeah, it's the usual grinding chapter, leveling up, evolving, racking skills up, lvling up Taboo (wait, what), acidentaly learns about the world's truth (ch 130, 148-150) and some insight about her true nature (ch 150, also some side chapter. Dont be lazy, keep looking). It's nothing but battle and eating.
this part is also where most people decided to give up and left this novel

2. Learning the world's circumstances and preparation arc (ch 151-201)
after learning the about the world, MC finally think that it's time for her to make her move. While preparing for her final stage, she travel here and there to understand about the world's condition. Here, the author decided to finally inform the reader about the human residing in this world (not really detailed though, since in the end, they all are nothing but trash), and all the important faction that affecting this world
this, is where everything turns into what the f*ck

3. Let's save the world, while accidentally kill some and intentionally kill the rest (ch 202-206, current recent chapter)
after grasping the mean to realize her plan, MC started to intentionally interact with the dwellers of this world and manipulate the factions from behind in order to realize her plan
this is where you finally realize "holly shit, it's becoming something else, and it's starting to become more and more awesome", and where all those side chapter starting to make sense and hold their own role (wellp, except the part where demon lord and her acquintance is crying over spilled fruit)

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TLDR; READ FROM HERE
In short, this is a silly story that ended up being serious (still in a silly way). Some come for the silly part, and left at the serious part. Some come because they say the serious part is epic, but left disapointed because it need about 200ish chapter until it finally became serious but those who rated this as 5/5, definitely because they come for the happy go lucky part, and hyped up when sh*t gone serious (wellp, me included).

Be warned though, the first silly half, depict spider in such a cute way, that you'll start to question your disposition about spider and the later half with the impresion that the MC is not a spider, but is actualy a snake <<less
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mrezman
mrezman rated it
January 20, 2016
Status: --
I saw a bunch of reviews annoyed at how the story went from a funny rpg leveling type story to the complex, plot twisty, intricate story right now, and was a bit bewildered. I loved the beginning of the story, but I also really like how the story is going right now.

Although the beginning may have been really great and funny, those rpg elements can only go on for so long before it gets super boring. The twists are well-planned and cool, and the story has a mysterious and convoluted... more>> feel to it. Although sometimes, it is a bit too confusing, maybe because of the MTL translations.

I loved the MC, and loved the new arcs. I just wish the story would go a bit faster, and be a bit more fast paced... We’ve been stuck with the same cliffs regarding many events that happened in the side stories for so many chapters by now. <<less
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Fghsses
Fghsses rated it
April 16, 2018
Status: side story 35
This novel and "Demon Girl ~Tale of a Lax Demon~" are by far the best Reincarnation Novels I've found out there, I could write more than 50 paragraphs to explain to you why this novel is amazing, but instead I'll simply warn you: BE PATIENT!!!

If you're the type that likes novels whose plots can be easily understood, where the good guys and the bad guys can be seen through easily, then turn around and leave instead of becoming angry or disappointed and giving this piece of art a low rate.

Also,... more>> don't judge this Novel before reaching at least the chapter 250 while also reading all the side stories. Otherwise your evaluation would simply be distorted and far from the truth. This story has a lot of 180° degrees spins and the writing style changes a lot from a certain point (to the point you'll double-check to see if you missed a dozen chapters or even if you started reading another novel by mistake) but the author meticulously planned it from the begging to the end. Some facts that might seem confusing and get you anxious will be brought back and explained tens (or in some cases even hundreds) of chapters later.

So I'll say it again: BE PATIENT, read things thoroughly and don't hesitate to re-read any amount of chapters needed for you to grasp every detail of this novel and understand what's going on.

If you're not the type who would do that then don't even start reading. You'll only become another person whose low evaluation will be lost in the sea of high evaluations this Novel has.

PS: Be prepared for extremely violent Guro scenes.
Spoiler

Including cannibalism.

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Spoiler:
Spoiler

In fact, the story is so well written that Scandalf rated it 1 star saying the MC was badly developed and seemed like an actual spider rather than a girl that became one, and he was right! She IS an actual spider instead of a reincarnated person. But instead of badly developed, it's the opposite, her personality was so well thought that Scandalf was able to unconsciously grasp the traces of her personality and reach a conclusion that would only be confirmed many chapters later!

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Bunnypillow
Bunnypillow rated it
June 21, 2016
Status: --
Spoiler

I love this light novel! Kumo-chan (Aka, Shiro) is so adorable even though she was a spider but how's she's a Arachne and a smart one too! Technically I think this light novel should get 5 stars, no problem ^^

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sixhundrednineteenth
sixhundrednineteenth rated it
May 29, 2016
Status: --
Stupidly adorable MC.
Loner MC.
Spoiler

Somewhere along the story (or maybe at the beginning of the story), she doesn't care completely about the people and surrounding as long as she becomes strong and can eat delicious food. Detailed skills.

You can totally imagine the battle scenes... Great character development (main and side characters) and world building.

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13 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
raxadian
raxadian rated it
November 19, 2016
Status: c284
While the sidestories are annoying at first, once our spider catchs up to that parts of the story is very interesting. This starts as level grinding and fight for survival and evolves into much more. I recomend this to everyone who was disappointed with how RE: Monster turned out.
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