'So I'm a Spider, So What?' Is Decently Fun, but It Doesn't Measure Up to Its Epic Plot Twists

So I'm a Spider, So What? is an isekai about an entire high school class being killed by a mysterious explosion and then reincarnated into a fantasy world.  Most of them are reborn as humans or humanoids, but a few are reborn as monsters, including the main character, “Kumoko.”

Waking up in a dungeon filled with high-level monsters as a newly born Taratect, a weak, dog-sized spider monster, she remembers being the socially withdrawn high school otaku Hiiro Wakaba in her past life, and quickly realizes the RPG isekai nature of her new existence.  Drawing from her wits and gamer instincts, she sets out to face her daily life, which is an unending fight for survival.  But she perseveres, and gradually, she becomes stronger and stronger, gaining more powerful skills and evolving into more powerful spider forms.  Eventually, she gains the notorious reputation of “Nightmare of the Labyrinth.”

I initially picked up So I'm a Spider, So What? because it reminded me of the intriguing hooks of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest.  In the end, it’s just your standard isekai, for the most part.  However, it also has some original and interesting ideas to offer as well as a couple of pretty amazing plot twists.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the anime did a great job in presenting these strengths in an impactful manner.

The most immediately noticeable detrimental factor is the bad CGI.  This really sucks out the energy to fully get immersed into the show.  Now, it’s not a really visually insufferable show, and it has some good aesthetics here and there.  But bad CGI come up enough times on screen to be a significant turnoff.

The storytelling also doesn’t feel as strong as it should be, especially whenever the perspective shifts toward Wakaba’s classmates.  While watching, I was mostly only interested on following Kumoko’s arc.  I really liked that she wasn’t immediately OP, and had to grind her way from the bottom.  On the other hand, I was usually bored with the storyline involving the rest of the class.  This is a shame, since an early twist (SPOILER) is that it’s pulling a Witcher – the two storylines aren’t actually unfolding concurrently; Kumoko’s storyline is happening in the past!  While impressive by itself, this plot twist would have been more striking if I cared for both storylines.

Again, this anime has a couple of epic plot twists to offer.  But it feels like these are wasted, as they aren’t given the justice they deserve by the plot around them.  Now, the plot itself is not the problem, but its presentation and execution just fall short of consistency, appeal, and oomph.

Actually, there are still greater plot twists (these details were spoiled to me when I was reading its wikia) down the line of this series, but unfortunately, these probably won’t be getting the hyped reception they deserve.  The 24-episode first season didn’t really make a splash, and thus, either further seasons won’t get made or, if it does get a continuation, there won’t be much fan excitement for it.

In the end, I still had a decent amount of fun with So I'm a Spider, So What?.  If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have sat through its two-cour run during Winter 2021 and Spring 2021, which were jam-packed with great anime.  Better storytelling and production will have undoubtedly put it right up there among the top-tier of isekai entertainment.  As you watch it, you get glimpses of that potential, keeping you sufficiently invested.  But at the same time, those glimpses also provoke a sense of disappointment for the fact that that potential was not met.