So I'm a Spider, So What? Manga, Vol. 5

蜘蛛ですが、なにか? / Kumo desuga, nanika? manga #5

by Asahiro Kakashi (Illustrator/Adaptor), Okina Baba

You think you can beat me? You and what army?! Oh...that army...

I think I'm finally getting the hang of things! This Middle Stratum is filled with fiery magma (with monsters to match!), but I've been holding my own. I may be a weak little spider, but I've got brains on my side-three of them, in fact! I've got information brain to call the shots, body brain to execute the moves, and my new magic brain to figure out...whatever the heck is up with magic in this world, sheesh. Think you can take on me, myself, and I, Mr. Big Giant Scary Dragon?!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Fiction, Comedy, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Comics

178 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2018

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

In either this volume or the previous one (they're starting to mush together), the spider mentions having fought a fire eel, when she hadn't actually done so yet. I'm not sure if that's an issue with the writing, or with the translation.

I continue to enjoy the bonus materials in these manga volumes, (sotto voce) perhaps more than the manga itself. The main story's pacing feels a little odd, and seems to presume the reader's read the novels. Although my partner hasn't read the novels, and has enjoyed both the manga and the anime of So I'm a Spider, so I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Anyhow, the four-panel bonus comics by manga artist Kakashi, showing their agonies trying to design their own version of the spider, were fun. It was especially interesting that they tried to draw inspiration from the novels' illustrations, but couldn't make that design work for them.

Original author Baba's short-short story in this volume shows that the spider has a weakness aside from fire, and that there are some skills that she may never be able to attain because of their prohibitive cost. Maybe she can think about those skills for a few seconds and "earn" them without spending points, like she did with a lot of the ones she has already, the cheater.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was one epic battle. Maybe you can take on an earth dragon, little spider. And who is this chap at the end? Onto the next volume.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kumoko and her multiple personalities has an inadvertent family reunion, there's a fight then DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN! PLOT TWIST!

[Sunread26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2023/...

Extrait :
J’aimerais dire que c’est le dernier tome pour que je sois à jour dans les tomes que je possède de la série, mais j’ai commandé les deux tomes suivants… D’habitude, je n’aime pas trop les intrigues vraiment centrées sur un seul personnage, mais là pour le coup, ça passe super bien ! Pourquoi ? Parce qu’il n’y a pas d’autres personnages qui sont rajoutés pour au final, ne pas être développés. Certes, il y en a eu un ou deux, mais ils le seront plus tard, je le sais…

On peut dire que dans ce tome la protagoniste a eu plusieurs fois chaud aux fesses, et ce n’est pas uniquement parce qu’elle se trouve dans une zone volcanique ayant beaucoup de magma. Son combat contre le Drakôn lui aura au moins permis de devenir encore plus puissante et ainsi, de pouvoir débloquer une nouvelle compétence, peu utile pour l’instant, mais qui le sera peut-être à l’avenir, comme ça a déjà été le cas pour d’autres. J’aime bien la manière dont elle réfléchit, elle s’est vraiment approprié son nouveau corps, et grâce à la compétence « sagesse » elle sait qu’elle peut, en partie du moins, redevenir humaine. Elle va donc continuer ses évolutions dans cette voie, même si celle qu’elle souhaite semble encore bien loin. Revoir sa mère ne l’a pas enchantée plus que ça, au contraire, elle a vue toute l’étendue de sa puissance (en même temps, à force de manger ses gosses). Celle-ci déclenchera d’ailleurs un nouveau combat encore plus épique pour sa chère fille, comme c’est mignon.

Comme si le Drakôn n’avait pas suffi, voilà maintenant qu’un Dragon de feu fait son apparition ! Comme celui de terre, il semble très puissant, pourtant notre petite araignée ne semble pas en avoir plus peur que ça. C’est sûrement parce qu’entre ça première rencontre avec le dragon de terre, et celle-ci, elle s’est grandement améliorée ? Après tout, elle a déjà évoluée une ou deux fois de mémoire ! Ses niveaux ne cessent de grimper, surtout après son combat contre le Drakôn et sa troupe. Elle ne doit plus être loin d’une nouvelle évolution avec tous ses combats. Mais le suspense est là, et ça sera pour un prochain tome. En attendant, la plupart de ses skills sont utilisés intelligemment, notamment certains qu’elle n’avait pas encore utilisés jusque-là. C’est d’ailleurs à ce moment précis, que je me suis rendue compte de sa puissance ! Elle est déjà presque aussi badasse que sa propre mère, c’est dire ! Son nouveau skill, lié au Roi démon indique déjà où elle va sûrement finir, et d’ailleurs, un petit aperçu de ce qui l’attend est donné (un peu comme le garçon et son dragon, ses premiers camarades de classes connus).

[...]

[Hanii Aburame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone feel like a fried spider?

Kumoko is stuck in the middle stratum, filled with fiery tempered monsters. And literal fire! Her multi brain ability has helped her a lot with getting out of sticky situations, but can her new magic brain figure out how to defeat monsters that are more powerful and have resistance against her attacks, while she is weak to theirs? Can the lone little spider make it out alive this time!?

The series started a little slow to me, but boy has a picked up since! I absolutely love Kumoko and all of her antics. The fights are action-packed, but thankfully Kumoko's narration of the situation and her own musings slow down the action so you can fully enjoy what is happening in the moment instead of just skimming to get to the next page. I love the designs of our little spider heroine and the monsters she fights.

However, after reading a few volumes in a row, I know have this weird habit of seeing everything as skill levels and how to level up... Which has really upped my game in completing tasks and learning new things, so it's actually been kind of fun! Reader be warned; that may be a side effect of reading this series.

I'm itching to see how far Kumoko can go, if she can really makes it out of this dungeon. On to level six— I mean, to volume six we go!


Check out my bookstagram! @Witchy.Otaku

[Doc · Rating 5 out of 5]

An army of fire spewing monsters are targeting our punky protagonist. Time to get busy.

Have you been reading a lot of wordy manga lately and want a break with a dash of action and humor? Look no further then this volume as Kumoko who was surprised by the sudden emergence of a large number of fiery monsters at the end of the last book has to deal with them now or die trying. This book seems to be a gateway to some future story points such as her ability to now be able to see possible future evolutions and the mentioning of Demon Lords so I for one am stoked for future development and will do my best not to give into temptation to spoil things before I can read it. :)

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

[review for vol. 4 & 5]
Our fearless hero is still navigating the dungeons, leveling up, and learning about her growing and evolving abilities. At the end of vol. 4, we get a clue that other members of the spider's former classmates have also been reincarnated into this dimension. At the end of vol. 5, a glimpse of the larger powers at work in this dimension. I really like the smaller, insular world of the spider and her progression and am not sure I will like the introduction of too many characters outside her immediate sphere. We also get the appearance of the separate brains (information and magic) and so far they are incorporated well into the story and not confusing things too much...

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of well-drawn, fast, furious action in this volume with thankfully, fewer walls of text. There were still more than necessary, however. The fire wyrms, the fire dragon, and all of the denizens of the magma ocean were incredible. And yes, all of the typical wish fulfillment elements are there for our even more powerful spider girl as she battles her way through a gauntlet of challengers. We even get a glimpse of mama spider. Unfortunately, a dragon dying does not go unnoticed...

[Joaquin Escudero-Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting read

The battles are heating up in this latest issue! The spider even has a close encounter with her own immensely powerful mother. The volume ended on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see where it ends up.

[Mariána K · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a battle!

I feel like the battles of the middle stratum lava zone was glossed over in the anime. The stuff going on and the manga is just buck wild! So much more going on and so much more interesting. Also the stakes are way higher!!

[Andrew Catallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

exciting

[Janday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting back to action with a touch of resource management. So many high stakes fights in this volume!

[ReadingFrog · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice way to keep from getting reading block after trying to read a celebrated sci fi author whose work turned out to be way too weird for my taste. This series is just so bingeable in contrast. I mean, it’s not great literature but who cares? (Certainly not me.) eight legs wins over tentacles is all I’m saying here.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one has a bit more than the anime gave us. I am loving this manga

[Kristia Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally got a glimpse of shiro, i hope it will continue. i only wanna read this cuz the anime left on a cliffhanger

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nail-biting fight against the middle stratum's fire beasts!

[Tomato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon fight?

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for you Kumoko!

[Darcy Roar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read all at once- see book 11's review for a brief accounting

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The character design of the Fire Dragon is quite amazing. I have seldom seen such a beauty.

[Barry Haworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series continues with the protagonist griding her way through the monsters of the labyrinth and advancing her levels. Not great literature but entertaining enough

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 5: (Chapters 25-29)

[AP · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8

[Alarna · Rating 4 out of 5]

good. :)

[Todd Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fight scenes as always!

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) Deutsche Rezension
2) English Review

1) Deutsche Rezension
Mehrere Aale, mehrere Augen, jedes Mal ein Treffer. Unsere kleine Spinne ist, weit gekommen, sie ist jetzt eine tödliche Kampfmaschine. Und scheinbar merkt sie das auch nicht, denn sie war erschrocken, dass ihr Titel jetzt "Schreckensbringer" ist, obwohl sie Dutzende Affen abgeschlachtet und gegassen, und gerade erst eine Armee von Monster niedergemetzelt hat, da passt der Titel eigentluch sehr gut und sie sollte sich nicht beschweren.
Daher hatte ich auch keine Bedenken, ob der Drache sie töten könnte, egal ob sie die Hauptfigur ist oder nicht, vor allem nicht, da der Drache bereits einen von der riesigen Spinne gewischt bekommen hat, der wurde schon weichgekloppt. Auch gut für sie, dass sie die Illusionsmagie gelernt hatte.
Dieser ganze Band ist im Grunde eine riesige Trainingsrunde. Und sicher, das ist ein Kampf gegen eine Drachen, aber sie hat bereits so viele Monster niedergemacht, dass für mich wirklich keine Spannung aufkam. Ich glaube, es wäre besser gewesen, wenn sie in diesem Band ihre Welt mehr erforscht hätte, anstatt schon wieder zu kämpfen. Im Grunde wissen wir fast nichts darüber wie diese Höhlensysteme aussehen.
Und warum wir jetzt eine vierte Spinne haben, von der ich nicht mal mehr weiß as sie macht, aber keine neuen Figuren will mir auch nicht einleuchten. Sicher, am Ende tauchen neue Figuren, auf aber dass war wirklich spät.
Und ist der Drache ebenfalls eine wiedergeborene Person? Wie er wieder aufsteht und bewegt scheint das zu suggerieren. Ich hatte den Verdacht schon mit anderen Monstern und die Bonusgeschichte hatte bestätigt, dass es andere Wiedergeborene in dieser Welt gibt. Also, ist der Drache so eine Person oder liegt das nur an der Autorin, dass es so scheint?


2) English Review
Multiple eels, multiple eyes, one hit each time. Our little spider has come a long way, she is now a deadly fighting machine. And apparently she doesn't notice it either, because she was shocked that her title is now "Bringer of Terror", even though she slaughtered and ate dozens of monkeys and just slaughtered an army of monsters, so the title actually fits very well and she shouldn't complain.
So I had no worries about whether the dragon could kill her, regardless of whether she is the main character or not, especially not since the dragon has already had one hit by the giant spider, so has already been softened. Also good for her that she had learned illusion magic.
This whole volume is basically one huge round of training. And sure, this is a fight against a dragon, but she's already killed so many monsters that I really didn't feel worried. I think it would have been better if she had explored her world more in this volume instead of fighting again. Basically we know almost nothing about what these cave systems look like.
And why we now have a fourth spider, of which I don't even know what she does, but I don't see any new characters either. Sure, new characters appear in the end, but that was really late.
And is the dragon a born again person too? How he gets up again and moves seems to suggest that. I had suspicions with other monsters and the bonus story had confirmed that there are others born again in this world. So, is the dragon such a person or is it just the author that makes it seem so?

[Tatiana Comet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione volumi 4-5 ~ ATTENZIONE SPOILER!

Ed eccoci qui, al fatidico momento delle 5 stelle!
Gli ultimi volumi (anche se in ritardo) li ho praticamente divorati!
Il fatto di aver livellato così tanto ha portato la nostra piccola ragnetta a fare cose che avrei creduto decisamente op per una della sua razza. Vederla muoversi negli scontri è un piacere, perché denomina quanto l'autore sappia muoversi all'interno di un dungeon e un gioco di ruolo come quello che, alla fine, stanno impersonando.
In più, l'arrivo degli umani (in modo finalmente consistente) mi fa presagire che da adesso in poi ci sarà un crescendo di situazioni uniche in cui non vedo l'ora di immergermi!

[Cat T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider Vs. Wyrm

This, among with the previous volume, are great ones. They cover important tuning points for Kumoko, too. Most reincarnation novels wish they were half as good as Spider.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading. I still really like this. I was just going to skim this to remind me of what happened before reading more of the later series, but it looks like I'm sucked back in and will be reading the series again.