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So I'm a Spider, So What? Light Novel #2
轉生成蜘蛛又怎樣！ 2
「我」已經習慣運用蜘蛛絲和魔物戰鬥。
雖然我以回到危險的地下迷宮為目標，來到「中層」這個新區域──
但那裡居然是岩漿亂噴的灼熱大地！
光是站著不動也會扣HP，我唯一的武器蜘蛛絲還被燒個精光了耶！
魔物們毫不留情地朝我發射火球和魔法，把我逼入瀕死絕境，
而且中層的頭目──火竜那傢伙還擁有統率那些傢伙的技能……
蜘蛛子的生存戰略第二章，即將在充滿業火的獄炎迷宮展開！
雖然我以回到危險的地下迷宮為目標，來到「中層」這個新區域──
但那裡居然是岩漿亂噴的灼熱大地！
光是站著不動也會扣HP，我唯一的武器蜘蛛絲還被燒個精光了耶！
魔物們毫不留情地朝我發射火球和魔法，把我逼入瀕死絕境，
而且中層的頭目──火竜那傢伙還擁有統率那些傢伙的技能……
蜘蛛子的生存戰略第二章，即將在充滿業火的獄炎迷宮展開！
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2016
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760 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
October 19, 2020
Spider MC is back, and she's finally made it to the Middle Stratum. Unfortunately for her, it's filled with pools of magma and fire-wielding monsters, and she's incredibly weak against fire. Not only that, but her spider silk burns up in seconds, meaning that her primary weapon is now useless. However, going back to the Lower Stratum doesn't seem like a good option, so she's going to have to focus on leveling up her other skills and get creative in order to survive and eventually make it back to the Upper Stratum.
Meanwhile, Shun, Katia, and Sue are now training at a special academy, and Shun and Katia have met most of the other reincarnated students that Ms. Oka talked about. However, there are two remaining ones that she refuses to say anything about. For some reason, they cannot be brought to the academy. While Shun is training, Julius, Shun's Hero older brother, is off fighting high-level monsters and growing increasingly concerned about the potential for a large-scale war.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first volume of this series, so I figured it was safe to pick up the next couple volumes. Unfortunately, although this volume definitely had some good points, I didn't like it nearly as much as the first one, and there are signs that I might like the third volume even less.
If you disliked volume 1's number-heavy focus on RPG-like stats and skills, it might be best not to continue on with the series, because this volume continues in the same vein and even manages to get worse after a certain point. For most of the book, the long examinations of new or leveled up skills are at least followed by or interwoven with battle scenes, but later on Spider MC gains a new ability that results in those stats and skill examinations being the sole focus for pages at a time. Yes, the new skills were usually pretty interesting and/or cool (if increasingly likely to turn Spider MC into yet another overpowered isekai main character), but there's only so much multi-page infodumping even I can take. Here's hoping the author finally moves beyond that in Book 3.
I did enjoy that the Middle Stratum wasn't the same as the Lower Stratum but with stronger monsters. It had a completely different environment and was one of the worst possible places for Spider MC to be - her body was naturally weak against fire and heat, and her threads spontaneously combusted and were therefore useless as weapons or defense. Her efforts to expand her skills and work on a different set of strengths led to a few exciting battles - my favorites were the one against the eel and the one against the fire wyrm.
I also liked that, unlike many other isekai series, there was some focus on how being reborn in another world was affecting these characters (although they still never seemed to think about their past lives, families, and friends at all, an aspect of most modern isekai that continues to bug me). New bodies and life experiences affected all of them to varying degrees. Most of it worked for me, but the one that kind of irked me was Katia, whose changes seemed to indicate that . A more diverse cast could have addressed that issue, but, well...
There were quite a few interesting revelations and developments regarding the world the reincarnated students found themselves in, and I'd really like to find out more about Ms. Oka, all the things she's hiding, and how much of it's connected to the revelations regarding Spider MC.
Unfortunately, Okina Baba's skills as an author still seem to be pretty weak, and that may increasingly become a problem. Considering the darker turn this series is taking, I don't know how much longer Spider MC's light and chatty tone (which seems to be the author's natural writing style, based on how similar the tone is to her afterwords) will be possible, and Baba's efforts to were confusing rather than intriguing.
Well, I already have Book 3 on hand, so I guess I have one more volume before I have to make the "continue or abandon?" decision. So far odds are looking good for "abandon," though. Here's hoping that Shun's POV chapters become more interesting and that the Spider MC developments don't ruin the series' best aspects.
Additional Comments:
There were several glaring errors in this volume. For example, on page 32 Spider MC leveled a skill up from 4 to 5. Only two pages later, she leveled that same skill up from 4 to 5 again. After a certain point, I stopped paying close attention to all the stats info, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were more mistakes like that.
Extras:
A folded sheet with two full-color illustrations, one on each side: one of Spider MC in the Middle Stratum, and one of Shun and his friends and family members. Also, an afterword by the author, and several black-and-white illustrations throughout. I am still not a fan of the illustrations - the full-color ones are fine, and the monster stat pages are useful, but the story illustrations are pretty terrible, basically just sketches with amateurish greyscale airbrushing and gradients layered in. Which probably explains why there are so few story illustrations. They're obviously not the illustrator's strong suit.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Meanwhile, Shun, Katia, and Sue are now training at a special academy, and Shun and Katia have met most of the other reincarnated students that Ms. Oka talked about. However, there are two remaining ones that she refuses to say anything about. For some reason, they cannot be brought to the academy. While Shun is training, Julius, Shun's Hero older brother, is off fighting high-level monsters and growing increasingly concerned about the potential for a large-scale war.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first volume of this series, so I figured it was safe to pick up the next couple volumes. Unfortunately, although this volume definitely had some good points, I didn't like it nearly as much as the first one, and there are signs that I might like the third volume even less.
If you disliked volume 1's number-heavy focus on RPG-like stats and skills, it might be best not to continue on with the series, because this volume continues in the same vein and even manages to get worse after a certain point. For most of the book, the long examinations of new or leveled up skills are at least followed by or interwoven with battle scenes, but later on Spider MC gains a new ability that results in those stats and skill examinations being the sole focus for pages at a time. Yes, the new skills were usually pretty interesting and/or cool (if increasingly likely to turn Spider MC into yet another overpowered isekai main character), but there's only so much multi-page infodumping even I can take. Here's hoping the author finally moves beyond that in Book 3.
I did enjoy that the Middle Stratum wasn't the same as the Lower Stratum but with stronger monsters. It had a completely different environment and was one of the worst possible places for Spider MC to be - her body was naturally weak against fire and heat, and her threads spontaneously combusted and were therefore useless as weapons or defense. Her efforts to expand her skills and work on a different set of strengths led to a few exciting battles - my favorites were the one against the eel and the one against the fire wyrm.
I also liked that, unlike many other isekai series, there was some focus on how being reborn in another world was affecting these characters (although they still never seemed to think about their past lives, families, and friends at all, an aspect of most modern isekai that continues to bug me). New bodies and life experiences affected all of them to varying degrees. Most of it worked for me, but the one that kind of irked me was Katia, whose changes seemed to indicate that . A more diverse cast could have addressed that issue, but, well...
There were quite a few interesting revelations and developments regarding the world the reincarnated students found themselves in, and I'd really like to find out more about Ms. Oka, all the things she's hiding, and how much of it's connected to the revelations regarding Spider MC.
Unfortunately, Okina Baba's skills as an author still seem to be pretty weak, and that may increasingly become a problem. Considering the darker turn this series is taking, I don't know how much longer Spider MC's light and chatty tone (which seems to be the author's natural writing style, based on how similar the tone is to her afterwords) will be possible, and Baba's efforts to were confusing rather than intriguing.
Well, I already have Book 3 on hand, so I guess I have one more volume before I have to make the "continue or abandon?" decision. So far odds are looking good for "abandon," though. Here's hoping that Shun's POV chapters become more interesting and that the Spider MC developments don't ruin the series' best aspects.
Additional Comments:
There were several glaring errors in this volume. For example, on page 32 Spider MC leveled a skill up from 4 to 5. Only two pages later, she leveled that same skill up from 4 to 5 again. After a certain point, I stopped paying close attention to all the stats info, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were more mistakes like that.
Extras:
A folded sheet with two full-color illustrations, one on each side: one of Spider MC in the Middle Stratum, and one of Shun and his friends and family members. Also, an afterword by the author, and several black-and-white illustrations throughout. I am still not a fan of the illustrations - the full-color ones are fine, and the monster stat pages are useful, but the story illustrations are pretty terrible, basically just sketches with amateurish greyscale airbrushing and gradients layered in. Which probably explains why there are so few story illustrations. They're obviously not the illustrator's strong suit.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
November 14, 2020
Cho đến tập 2 thì mình vẫn rất thích bộ này.
Đặc biệt lời văn gần gũi, tâm tính đa dạng của nhân vật. Tuy tập 1 có phần nhanh, nhưng theo tốc độ thực tế và thú vị. Sang tập 2 rồi thì ôi trời, nhanh chóng mặt luôn, tuy nhiên vẫn rất lôi cuốn. Và ko thể ko nhắc đến kiểu xen kẽ hiện thực và tương lai qua góc nhìn của nhiều nhân vật. Kiểu này khá mới mẻ với light-novel đó giờ mình đọc.
Đáng mong đợi.
Đặc biệt lời văn gần gũi, tâm tính đa dạng của nhân vật. Tuy tập 1 có phần nhanh, nhưng theo tốc độ thực tế và thú vị. Sang tập 2 rồi thì ôi trời, nhanh chóng mặt luôn, tuy nhiên vẫn rất lôi cuốn. Và ko thể ko nhắc đến kiểu xen kẽ hiện thực và tương lai qua góc nhìn của nhiều nhân vật. Kiểu này khá mới mẻ với light-novel đó giờ mình đọc.
Đáng mong đợi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2016
I can’t say how much I love this novel enough, it’s about a girl that dies in a classroom and gets reborn as a monster spider in a different world in that world’s largest labyrinth. It’s funny and interesting and good about showing how you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone sometimes to really live. The second volume you see the main character gain real power and evolve into a true powerhouse of a monster and push herself to be the strongest in the labyrinth.
June 28, 2021
The spider enters the Middle Stratum, where her spider thread is useless--or worse than useless--because it's a magma dungeon and everything's on fire. The human incarnations age rapidly in this volume, going from the start of school at the magic academy through their late teens in a matter of a single chapter break.
There are quite a few interesting developments, and a couple of tidbits of "food for thought," in this volume. The majority of the developments, unfortunately, are crowded into the last thirty pages or so.
The spider's point of view continues to be the most enjoyable part of the story, largely because of her developing a skill called "parallel mind" about midway through. The various parts of her mind talk to each other, and even argue, and that made me chuckle a few times. The humanoids' (one of them is an elf, so the other reincarnations aren't all "human") sections have taken on a mildly grim aspect, as one of them is a sociopath, and Shun suddenly ends up taking a role that he is unprepared for.
Some of the interesting developments, unfortunately all spoilers:
Shun continues to have the personality of a bowl of room-temperature oatmeal, and it continues to be a mystery that everyone around him can talk about literally nothing else than him whenever they have scenes together where he is absent. He'll inevitably become more important to the story because of an event at the very end of this volume, which makes me about as excited as the idea of doing my taxes.
One point of interest, that has little to do with his (non-)personality, is that Shun has serious reservations about killing, and vows that he will continue to be mindful about that, even as war against the demon army looms in the near future. The spider has had no such compunctions since shortly after she was born. There's a notion that one's physical form determines their decisions or attitude, to some extent. That becomes a little troubling when it comes to Katia, and I doubt that she'll be handled in a nuanced way going forward.
The spider's tactical battles that were so fun to read about in the first volume feel rather rote this time around. She's leveling up, and gaining stats and abilities, and evolving so much, that she's quickly becoming OP (overpowered). There's not much tension to a battle when the main character is OP. In between the battles, there is an iteration of the spider's "character sheet" and explanations of her abilities. This stuff is completely skippable, since any new abilities she learns are explained after the character sheet, and she always has occasion to use her new abilities in subsequent exploration and battles. I have my doubts that this kind of material will continue to be compelling forever. More humor, and less leveling up, please.
I was able to read two volumes of this series back-to-back, which is very unusual for me, and that speaks to how enjoyable and compelling it is. I'm not sure how thrilled I am about the impending war, especially since the spider . But we'll see where it goes from here.
There are quite a few interesting developments, and a couple of tidbits of "food for thought," in this volume. The majority of the developments, unfortunately, are crowded into the last thirty pages or so.
The spider's point of view continues to be the most enjoyable part of the story, largely because of her developing a skill called "parallel mind" about midway through. The various parts of her mind talk to each other, and even argue, and that made me chuckle a few times. The humanoids' (one of them is an elf, so the other reincarnations aren't all "human") sections have taken on a mildly grim aspect, as one of them is a sociopath, and Shun suddenly ends up taking a role that he is unprepared for.
Some of the interesting developments, unfortunately all spoilers:
Shun continues to have the personality of a bowl of room-temperature oatmeal, and it continues to be a mystery that everyone around him can talk about literally nothing else than him whenever they have scenes together where he is absent. He'll inevitably become more important to the story because of an event at the very end of this volume, which makes me about as excited as the idea of doing my taxes.
One point of interest, that has little to do with his (non-)personality, is that Shun has serious reservations about killing, and vows that he will continue to be mindful about that, even as war against the demon army looms in the near future. The spider has had no such compunctions since shortly after she was born. There's a notion that one's physical form determines their decisions or attitude, to some extent. That becomes a little troubling when it comes to Katia, and I doubt that she'll be handled in a nuanced way going forward.
The spider's tactical battles that were so fun to read about in the first volume feel rather rote this time around. She's leveling up, and gaining stats and abilities, and evolving so much, that she's quickly becoming OP (overpowered). There's not much tension to a battle when the main character is OP. In between the battles, there is an iteration of the spider's "character sheet" and explanations of her abilities. This stuff is completely skippable, since any new abilities she learns are explained after the character sheet, and she always has occasion to use her new abilities in subsequent exploration and battles. I have my doubts that this kind of material will continue to be compelling forever. More humor, and less leveling up, please.
I was able to read two volumes of this series back-to-back, which is very unusual for me, and that speaks to how enjoyable and compelling it is. I'm not sure how thrilled I am about the impending war, especially since the spider . But we'll see where it goes from here.
April 3, 2018
3.5
There's just something about this story, I love it.
Some things that bothered me:
- Noticeable typos (like a skill leveling up from 4 to 5 then two pages later the same skill lvls up from 4 to 5; using play instead of pay; etc)
- I don't like the demon king, I'm really really hoping it's just a lack of context
Random Thoughts:
- characters say the same thing over and over again using different words, I feel like this should bother me
- Feels like the S chapters are there for world building and foreshadowing
- NA is clearly going mad...
- LN is waaaay more blatant about who the demon king is
- Katia's dialogue chapters seem to exist to show Katia is in love with Shun but doesn't realize it even though everyone else does, I really like her so I'm hoping in future chpts she'll have more story
- Hoping the last student not found will be with NS, she should meet at least one reincarnator who's on her side
- Hugo, ugh
- definitely multiple time lines, but why?
- Julius is an actual nice guy, how rare
- So evil god... cool cool cool
There's just something about this story, I love it.
Some things that bothered me:
- Noticeable typos (like a skill leveling up from 4 to 5 then two pages later the same skill lvls up from 4 to 5; using play instead of pay; etc)
- I don't like the demon king, I'm really really hoping it's just a lack of context
Random Thoughts:
- characters say the same thing over and over again using different words, I feel like this should bother me
- Feels like the S chapters are there for world building and foreshadowing
- NA is clearly going mad...
- LN is waaaay more blatant about who the demon king is
- Katia's dialogue chapters seem to exist to show Katia is in love with Shun but doesn't realize it even though everyone else does, I really like her so I'm hoping in future chpts she'll have more story
- Hoping the last student not found will be with NS, she should meet at least one reincarnator who's on her side
- Hugo, ugh
- definitely multiple time lines, but why?
- Julius is an actual nice guy, how rare
- So evil god... cool cool cool
May 6, 2020
My thoughts on "So I'm a Spider, So What?" (蜘蛛ですが、なにか?) Vol 2
Written by Okina Baba
Art by Kiryu Tsukasa
The story:
Following up last volume events, this time our spider MC goes through a lot of hardships and gets incredibly op abilities while our prince MC is just being a dumbass at the magic academy, making a lot of new and important relationships
Enjoyment:
If I loved volume 1 this volume was a masterpiece, it had a lot of character development, world-building, and some incredible foreshadowing towards the end. this is the book I have enjoyed the most ever since I read "The book" by Otsuich
Comparing it with the manga:
Damm I have been loosing on a lot. The manga just focuses on Spidy MC killing spree trough the dungeon so a lot of world-building and the best parts of the story were cut out from the manga the story of the novels is way deeper and way better.
The verdict:
Legit the last few chapters were so thrilling I had to stop reading to let all the events that happened sink in. My jaw dropped in astonishment a lot of times and tbh this volume is incredible and the story seems to be getting better and better 9/10
Written by Okina Baba
Art by Kiryu Tsukasa
The story:
Following up last volume events, this time our spider MC goes through a lot of hardships and gets incredibly op abilities while our prince MC is just being a dumbass at the magic academy, making a lot of new and important relationships
Enjoyment:
If I loved volume 1 this volume was a masterpiece, it had a lot of character development, world-building, and some incredible foreshadowing towards the end. this is the book I have enjoyed the most ever since I read "The book" by Otsuich
Comparing it with the manga:
Damm I have been loosing on a lot. The manga just focuses on Spidy MC killing spree trough the dungeon so a lot of world-building and the best parts of the story were cut out from the manga the story of the novels is way deeper and way better.
The verdict:
Legit the last few chapters were so thrilling I had to stop reading to let all the events that happened sink in. My jaw dropped in astonishment a lot of times and tbh this volume is incredible and the story seems to be getting better and better 9/10
August 25, 2018
I hate Oka
"Wait just a minute! I won’t allow that. It’s too dangerous!"
I hate Oka, so much. Subjectivly the "children" are in their thirties at this point in the story, and after more than a decade apart Oka comes out of nowhere and tries to boss them around, to the point where she orders them not to get stronger while she is obviously doing her damndest to increase her own strength. Even her manner of speaking is annoying.
It feels like the author wants us to hate her, but she is so irritating that it detracts from the story.
If it weren't for Oka, I'd give it five stars.
"Wait just a minute! I won’t allow that. It’s too dangerous!"
I hate Oka, so much. Subjectivly the "children" are in their thirties at this point in the story, and after more than a decade apart Oka comes out of nowhere and tries to boss them around, to the point where she orders them not to get stronger while she is obviously doing her damndest to increase her own strength. Even her manner of speaking is annoying.
It feels like the author wants us to hate her, but she is so irritating that it detracts from the story.
If it weren't for Oka, I'd give it five stars.
March 28, 2018
Finished in 1 day, omg my heart at the end. Nameless Spider Is amazing and I need to know more about what happened between... I need more now please?
Read
March 31, 2021Many interesting revelations about this world in this volume.
It seems that the two parts of the story aren't happening at the same point in time. In fact it looks like Ms. Spider is quite a few years early as compared to the human side.
At this point more that the demon king or the administrator, I'm intrigued about what the elves are up to, since it seems they have knowledge about the world and strange powers.
I'm not too thrilled for the fact that it seems the MC has already gotten very overpowered, even if I know that that's bound to happen sooner or later in this genre.
It seems that the two parts of the story aren't happening at the same point in time. In fact it looks like Ms. Spider is quite a few years early as compared to the human side.
At this point more that the demon king or the administrator, I'm intrigued about what the elves are up to, since it seems they have knowledge about the world and strange powers.
I'm not too thrilled for the fact that it seems the MC has already gotten very overpowered, even if I know that that's bound to happen sooner or later in this genre.
December 17, 2022
Comfortable read, exciting progress. Took me long enough to read it but I’m going to be taking another break, likely returning in 2023
August 5, 2024
Brooo con el final
October 17, 2024
The human side is still boring. I already had watched the anime so most of the reveals at the end are anticlimactic, still a great second novel.
July 5, 2022
Este libro es mucho mas bueno de lo que deberia ser
October 26, 2020
Ahhhh so much fun!!
Spoilers because I don’t wanna censor myself! I wanna get my thoughts down before continuing on with my binge!
Spider Chan is still so so much fun! She’s a lot of fun, her abilities are so much fun and how she gets through all the situations is honestly so so much fun! Plus this book she also learns some more of how the world works with the administrators and gah!! That’s so so interesting!!
I took off a star because the stuff with the other reincarnated students still isn’t very interesting. It got really good with the amazing scene near the end where Shuu figured out his brother died and he got the title of Hero. But that couldn’t save all the rest I had to drag myself through!!
Plus the timeline is super confusing!!!!! I thought Spider Chan maybe just woke up late or something in the first book because when we were introduced to the reincarnated students they were already like.. 10??? Something like that. But how dumb of I I guess?? Then at the end we got a glimpse at.. I guess future Spider Chan as a full fledged demon lord????? What????? Give me a time line or dates or something please!!
Hell yes I’m still reading the next book though.
Spoilers because I don’t wanna censor myself! I wanna get my thoughts down before continuing on with my binge!
Spider Chan is still so so much fun! She’s a lot of fun, her abilities are so much fun and how she gets through all the situations is honestly so so much fun! Plus this book she also learns some more of how the world works with the administrators and gah!! That’s so so interesting!!
I took off a star because the stuff with the other reincarnated students still isn’t very interesting. It got really good with the amazing scene near the end where Shuu figured out his brother died and he got the title of Hero. But that couldn’t save all the rest I had to drag myself through!!
Plus the timeline is super confusing!!!!! I thought Spider Chan maybe just woke up late or something in the first book because when we were introduced to the reincarnated students they were already like.. 10??? Something like that. But how dumb of I I guess?? Then at the end we got a glimpse at.. I guess future Spider Chan as a full fledged demon lord????? What????? Give me a time line or dates or something please!!
Hell yes I’m still reading the next book though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2021
Volume 2 picks up where we left off in volume 1, with our nameless mc finding her way out of the Lower Stratum, AKA the den of all the high level monsters, to the relatively easier to deal with level of the labyrinth, the Middle Stratum. The only downside here though? It’s a part of the labyrinth that’s full of one of her greatest weaknesses: Fire.
The Middle Stratum is home to countless fire-based enemies, where the very surroundings are so hot that it constantly lowers her HP (health). With magma everywhere, and her thread utterly useless, our spunky spider has to figure out a way not only to survive in an area basically designed to kill her, but also grow strong enough to defend herself and level up further. Believe it or not, it turns out that won’t be so hard for her after all.
After a few close calls with new enemies, she gros stronger than she ever thought she would in the Middle Stratum, and starts to get full of herself. Now this does make for some entertaining inner monologues, but it does take a little of the tension from the first volume away. Before, I was worried how she’d get out of the endless sticky situations she found herself in, and while it’s still wild to her come out on top against some of the foes she beats, it’s not the same. It’s not a bad thing though.
Seeing her progression over the course of the book is so awesome! I love seeing her get so strong after struggling for so long. And getting to see what happens next for the other reincarnations is interesting too. I still prefer the story following our spider, but the development outside the labyrinth has gotten really interesting. THere are so many things working behind the scenes that’s only hinted at, and the setup for things to come was great. We learn more about the world at large, the forces at work, and even get a devastating reveal. I’m looking forward to the next one.
The Middle Stratum is home to countless fire-based enemies, where the very surroundings are so hot that it constantly lowers her HP (health). With magma everywhere, and her thread utterly useless, our spunky spider has to figure out a way not only to survive in an area basically designed to kill her, but also grow strong enough to defend herself and level up further. Believe it or not, it turns out that won’t be so hard for her after all.
After a few close calls with new enemies, she gros stronger than she ever thought she would in the Middle Stratum, and starts to get full of herself. Now this does make for some entertaining inner monologues, but it does take a little of the tension from the first volume away. Before, I was worried how she’d get out of the endless sticky situations she found herself in, and while it’s still wild to her come out on top against some of the foes she beats, it’s not the same. It’s not a bad thing though.
Seeing her progression over the course of the book is so awesome! I love seeing her get so strong after struggling for so long. And getting to see what happens next for the other reincarnations is interesting too. I still prefer the story following our spider, but the development outside the labyrinth has gotten really interesting. THere are so many things working behind the scenes that’s only hinted at, and the setup for things to come was great. We learn more about the world at large, the forces at work, and even get a devastating reveal. I’m looking forward to the next one.
May 10, 2020
Cool Idea; Data Dump Deluge
I really wanted to like this book, and, ultimately, I did. The premise of being reincarnated as a spider and leveling up to become a Demon Lord is quite novel. Unfortunately, three things bothered me.
One, the spider/girl's voice sounds indistinct from other characters at times. Two, the video game mechanics that I found a bit tedious in the first volume returned with fanfare. Pages and pages of skill trees being filled out began to wear on me. I skimmed copiously. The third item which bugged me was present in the first book, but more prevalent in this volume. I refer to the author or translator’s tendency to use cultural/colloquial shortcuts. For instance, one character was described as having an Oedipal Complex. Oedipus was a Greek from our world. In other cases, girls use “Dude”, which is not only American slang, but regional. They’re small details that take me out of the story. I don’t know if the author or the translator is at fault. However, the story and the premise are still engaging. I couldn't put the book down. I just skimmed over the parts I disliked.
This is a good book, but the LitRPG elements will put non-gamers to sleep. My recommendation is to skim over the status updates. Any skill of importance is discussed immediately in the MC’s internal dialogue immediately after the info dump.
I really wanted to like this book, and, ultimately, I did. The premise of being reincarnated as a spider and leveling up to become a Demon Lord is quite novel. Unfortunately, three things bothered me.
One, the spider/girl's voice sounds indistinct from other characters at times. Two, the video game mechanics that I found a bit tedious in the first volume returned with fanfare. Pages and pages of skill trees being filled out began to wear on me. I skimmed copiously. The third item which bugged me was present in the first book, but more prevalent in this volume. I refer to the author or translator’s tendency to use cultural/colloquial shortcuts. For instance, one character was described as having an Oedipal Complex. Oedipus was a Greek from our world. In other cases, girls use “Dude”, which is not only American slang, but regional. They’re small details that take me out of the story. I don’t know if the author or the translator is at fault. However, the story and the premise are still engaging. I couldn't put the book down. I just skimmed over the parts I disliked.
This is a good book, but the LitRPG elements will put non-gamers to sleep. My recommendation is to skim over the status updates. Any skill of importance is discussed immediately in the MC’s internal dialogue immediately after the info dump.
September 12, 2019
Me encantó, seguimos a la protagonista por su camino dentro de la capa intermedia del laberinto de Elro. Junto con ella descubrimos sus el crecimiento de sus habilidades y como consigue otras... Me encanta la relación que sostiene con la Voz del cielo (habilidad valoración) jajaja y sus nuevas relaciones paralelas con Investigadora y Magia, creí que esta arañita ya enloqueció, estos pasajes son divertidísimos. También la seguimos durante su proceso de evolución y nos dan un tremendo spoiler sobre lo que puede llegar a ser, también seguimos el camino del Héroe quien se adentra dentro del laberinto para matar a nuestra protagonista y vemos como se enfrenta con monstruos pertenecientes a la familia de las arañas. Fuera del laberinto vemos como Shun se enfrenta a su vida en el colegio y en donde se encuentra con personajes que también son reencarnados. Al igual que con la araña vemos su crecimiento. El salto de tiempo que hay al final de la novela, me dejó con muchas dudas y ya tengo algunas teorías... Las peleas me parecen muy originales y muy bien planeadas. Me encantan. No puedo esperar a tener el tercer tomo en mis manos...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2018
The books still have the Shun parts in them and honestly they give more book over to him than they do Kumoko, despite the fact the book is supposed to be about her.
When they DO give her some page time it's all just blocks of stats and leveling up and her killing things.. and leveling up again. There's no real character building at all. That's saved for Shun and his party.
I hear the manga ditches the hero and focuses on Kumoko, if that's the case hopefully Baba can take the hint and ditch the Shun parts.
When they DO give her some page time it's all just blocks of stats and leveling up and her killing things.. and leveling up again. There's no real character building at all. That's saved for Shun and his party.
I hear the manga ditches the hero and focuses on Kumoko, if that's the case hopefully Baba can take the hint and ditch the Shun parts.
February 9, 2020
3.5☆
La trama comienza a hacerse repetitiva y no me convence que las expectativas por la protagonista sean tan altas.
Odio los capítulos dedicados a Shun. Es el típico protagonista noble, amable, súper poderoso y con una gran posición social. En otras palabras: aburridooo
Las batallas de la araña son geniales, así como su proceso de ganar fuerza y habilidades, y ni hablar de su personalidad tan divertida, genial genial. Lástima que el resto de personajes estén tan faltos de carisma.
¡Ya quiero el siguiente volúmen!
La trama comienza a hacerse repetitiva y no me convence que las expectativas por la protagonista sean tan altas.
Odio los capítulos dedicados a Shun. Es el típico protagonista noble, amable, súper poderoso y con una gran posición social. En otras palabras: aburridooo
Las batallas de la araña son geniales, así como su proceso de ganar fuerza y habilidades, y ni hablar de su personalidad tan divertida, genial genial. Lástima que el resto de personajes estén tan faltos de carisma.
¡Ya quiero el siguiente volúmen!
July 15, 2022
Yeesh! This book feels like it was at least 50% people looking at stats. Seriously, literally every other page was stat vomit. I get it. This is one of those RPG light novel things. Stats and levels are part of the schtick. BUT GOOD FUCKING GOD, TRY SOME FUCKING MODERATION!!!!!!!!!!!!! The characters and the story are always supposed to be more important than a freaking running spreadsheet of stats and ability levels.
May 12, 2020
After the rather slow start in volume one, this 2nd volume really started picking up the pace! New characters, lots of revelations but also a lot of new questions. While our baby spider slowly works her way through the dungeon, levelling and evolving, we get glimpses of the future and plot twisting foreshadowing!
January 17, 2021
Unexspected
Viewing the first episode of the Anime, I expected an irreverent take on the alternate world theme. Pleasantly surprised that this is far more complex and entertaining.
Viewing the first episode of the Anime, I expected an irreverent take on the alternate world theme. Pleasantly surprised that this is far more complex and entertaining.
January 8, 2021
A genuine pearl of the Genre! Great fun to read!
Plot complexity: 5*
Suspense & Plot twists: 5*
Consistency: 4*
Humor: 4*
Character depth: 4*
Literary aesthetics: 2*
Literary depth: 1*
Plot complexity: 5*
Suspense & Plot twists: 5*
Consistency: 4*
Humor: 4*
Character depth: 4*
Literary aesthetics: 2*
Literary depth: 1*
February 26, 2021
Nothing but mob grinding and stat pages for our spiderling. The male MC is just as dull as in the first one, please get eaten by our arachnid friend soon.
April 5, 2021
I feel like either the translator/author either hit their stride with this volume, or I just got more used to the light novel experience.
August 7, 2021
A spider monster traversing lava land. That's what this volume is about. It is (almost literally) the crucible where Komoko becomes the legendary monster known among humans as "The Nightmare of the Labyrinth". Yet the whole time she's just trying to survive in the worst environment possible for an ambush thread-user like herself. It is a fun experience on all levels, and both forwards and backwards.
By that I mean two things.
ONE, it is fun to read on its on as well as after watching the anime episodes that cover this arc, the Middle Stratum Arc. The anime splendidly brings Komoko's struggles to life, from the construction of the scenes themselves, the way relevant information is provided to the viewer, and the voice-acting of Aoi Yūki (I haven't watched the English dub yet, but Brianna Knickerbocker does a good job in the clips I've seen). It is fun, but it doesn't include everything. The light novel go further into her trek in the Middle Stratum and more of her thought process, especially as she now has a couple of Parallel Minds to talk to.
TWO, this volume continues to develop the double perspective initially set up in the first volume. Namely, that Komoko was reborn before her classmates. This fact sets up some delightful dramatic irony that continues into volume three. For instance, after seeing Fei (a human girl reincarnated as an earth dragon) quickly gain power and evolve into a more powerful dragon-type creature, Shun shutters to think how powerful Fei would be if she had hatched in the Great Elroe Labyrinth (where her egg was discovered) and spent years living in there (just like Komoko is doing now/has already done).
On that subject, the light novel does a much better job of developing characters outside of Komoko herself than the anime does. They have more time to themselves so that they can be established as actual characters. Yes, they are still kind of generic: Shun the All-Loving Hero protagonist, Hugo as this rude and aggressive Rival archetype, Kaita as the Patient Childhood Friend love interest etc. However, they are not simple archetypes in the light novel, and "generic" does necessarily mean "bad". Okina Baba breathes life and emotion into these characters.
Now about the "crucible" thing that I mentioned earlier. Yes, the Middle Stratum is a place of tremendous growth for Komoko. In this area, the air is so hot that her spider thread burns up quickly, and the monsters who live here can hide out in magma when attacking her. So her usual methods of ambushing and thread control are not effective. She has to continue innovating to create new tactics, and continue conversing with Miss. Appraisal (^_^) to gain new information. This is where she becomes the Ruler of Pride, Perseverance and Wisdom, which all come together to shape her development.
I suppose it's needless to say that I really enjoyed this second volume, but I have to. It's part of my grading system. SO!
Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2) an A+
By that I mean two things.
ONE, it is fun to read on its on as well as after watching the anime episodes that cover this arc, the Middle Stratum Arc. The anime splendidly brings Komoko's struggles to life, from the construction of the scenes themselves, the way relevant information is provided to the viewer, and the voice-acting of Aoi Yūki (I haven't watched the English dub yet, but Brianna Knickerbocker does a good job in the clips I've seen). It is fun, but it doesn't include everything. The light novel go further into her trek in the Middle Stratum and more of her thought process, especially as she now has a couple of Parallel Minds to talk to.
TWO, this volume continues to develop the double perspective initially set up in the first volume. Namely, that Komoko was reborn before her classmates. This fact sets up some delightful dramatic irony that continues into volume three. For instance, after seeing Fei (a human girl reincarnated as an earth dragon) quickly gain power and evolve into a more powerful dragon-type creature, Shun shutters to think how powerful Fei would be if she had hatched in the Great Elroe Labyrinth (where her egg was discovered) and spent years living in there (just like Komoko is doing now/has already done).
On that subject, the light novel does a much better job of developing characters outside of Komoko herself than the anime does. They have more time to themselves so that they can be established as actual characters. Yes, they are still kind of generic: Shun the All-Loving Hero protagonist, Hugo as this rude and aggressive Rival archetype, Kaita as the Patient Childhood Friend love interest etc. However, they are not simple archetypes in the light novel, and "generic" does necessarily mean "bad". Okina Baba breathes life and emotion into these characters.
Now about the "crucible" thing that I mentioned earlier. Yes, the Middle Stratum is a place of tremendous growth for Komoko. In this area, the air is so hot that her spider thread burns up quickly, and the monsters who live here can hide out in magma when attacking her. So her usual methods of ambushing and thread control are not effective. She has to continue innovating to create new tactics, and continue conversing with Miss. Appraisal (^_^) to gain new information. This is where she becomes the Ruler of Pride, Perseverance and Wisdom, which all come together to shape her development.
I suppose it's needless to say that I really enjoyed this second volume, but I have to. It's part of my grading system. SO!
Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2) an A+
March 31, 2020
This is an excellent installment in the Spider series. (I'm so addicted to this I even had a dream about battling a spider last night...)
There isn't as much action in this volume as the previous one. I can see some people being turned off by that, but if you loved the game mechanics in volume 1 then you're going to gush over this. A lot of this volume is about leveling up and using magic, trying to figure out how skills, traits, etc. work and help you as you go through this world. In some manner it can feel like an uber long info-dump to some people, but I honestly loved every word of it. It felt like I was going through a Pokémon game or an RPG without a rulebook, and there are many instances where the main character (the cute spider that loves to eat) reacts to certain events that I would if I were playing this as a game.
My biggest drawback other than the detailed mechanics turning some people off would be the fact that there are mistakes. I noticed a few mistakes in the first volume, but chocked it up to first time translating, of course some mistakes will slip through, but I noticed more in this one and they were pretty obvious too. There weren't that many to where it took away from the story, but there were enough for me to pause and go "this should have been taken care of."
This volume ends with a reveal that I was starting to suspect, but now that I'm understanding the story structure that Okina Baba is writing this fantasy epic as I am so much more pumped-up to start the next volume and see where all these (no pun intended) threads come together. Yay spiders!
There isn't as much action in this volume as the previous one. I can see some people being turned off by that, but if you loved the game mechanics in volume 1 then you're going to gush over this. A lot of this volume is about leveling up and using magic, trying to figure out how skills, traits, etc. work and help you as you go through this world. In some manner it can feel like an uber long info-dump to some people, but I honestly loved every word of it. It felt like I was going through a Pokémon game or an RPG without a rulebook, and there are many instances where the main character (the cute spider that loves to eat) reacts to certain events that I would if I were playing this as a game.
My biggest drawback other than the detailed mechanics turning some people off would be the fact that there are mistakes. I noticed a few mistakes in the first volume, but chocked it up to first time translating, of course some mistakes will slip through, but I noticed more in this one and they were pretty obvious too. There weren't that many to where it took away from the story, but there were enough for me to pause and go "this should have been taken care of."
This volume ends with a reveal that I was starting to suspect, but now that I'm understanding the story structure that Okina Baba is writing this fantasy epic as I am so much more pumped-up to start the next volume and see where all these (no pun intended) threads come together. Yay spiders!
December 18, 2020
6As always there are strong creatures in the great Elroe Labyrinth the lower stratum being the worst place to be in if you are a spider who's top priority is staying alive since that's where the strongest monsters are
So in this volume we try to run away from the lower stratum and head up to the upper floors where the creatures aren't as strong
But the great Elroe Labyrinth keeps breaking our hearts, I mean even in the middle stratum there are incredibly strong monsters and you just can't let your guard down
well it's a journey of growth and overcoming extreme odds where mistakes could cost you your life
Well....
It was interesting to see how her other classmates who were also reincarnated coped with being in this new world
I don't think they were as interesting as the spider I find the guy shun the prince rather lack lustre fretting about killing a monster and going on and on about the value of life and this moral bullshit
But I loved the antagonist who in this new world couldn't give a fuck about anything and had one goal in mind amassing power and trying to take over the world
I mean it's always something I personally dream of..I mean world conquest and such excite me so yeah me and him meshed well I sappose
But our plans were stopped and it seems that taking over the world will have to wait
On the other hand the demon lord..I mean the demon lord ... well things are building up
The plot that is and there's foreshadowing all over the place so can't wait to see what happens in the next volumes
I love the spider alot
The end
So in this volume we try to run away from the lower stratum and head up to the upper floors where the creatures aren't as strong
But the great Elroe Labyrinth keeps breaking our hearts, I mean even in the middle stratum there are incredibly strong monsters and you just can't let your guard down
well it's a journey of growth and overcoming extreme odds where mistakes could cost you your life
Well....
It was interesting to see how her other classmates who were also reincarnated coped with being in this new world
I don't think they were as interesting as the spider I find the guy shun the prince rather lack lustre fretting about killing a monster and going on and on about the value of life and this moral bullshit
But I loved the antagonist who in this new world couldn't give a fuck about anything and had one goal in mind amassing power and trying to take over the world
I mean it's always something I personally dream of..I mean world conquest and such excite me so yeah me and him meshed well I sappose
But our plans were stopped and it seems that taking over the world will have to wait
On the other hand the demon lord..I mean the demon lord ... well things are building up
The plot that is and there's foreshadowing all over the place so can't wait to see what happens in the next volumes
I love the spider alot
The end
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2020
This volume was an enjoyable read through and through... at least until the foreshadowing part. You see, foreshadow is a sticky business. Depending in how you use it, with some readers, you might excite them. With some others, well, it might just bring down almost all the enthusiasm they might have had for the book. Like in my case with this Vol.2.
I'm still gloomy after reading the foreshadow of what our spider-heroine will turn into. I HOPE it will not end up as bad as I think it would. If it did, then I might just revisit this review and pluck off a star from the 4 stars I'm giving this LN now.
Update: I'm reading the #3 volume now and I simply have to say, that I am GRATEFUL my assumption about the foreshadow in the final part of the #2 volume was wrong. Nobody can blame me though honestly. I feel that the author purposely made it all vague to set our imagination on fire. Oh this isn't a complaint, just a statement. With that unease out of the way, I am happy to rate this book 4 stars.
Update 2: Turns out my suspicion was right. The situation really devolves into the way that I don't like. I still think this LN is good but my enthusiasm for it has been noticeably droused. I'm just hoping for an explanation how it ends up this way, or rather how it would end up that way, and maybe enjoy the story along the way. .... ..... ..... Or I could be wrong again. I hope I am but I honestly think I'm right this time. And if I'm right... Haihhh.
I'm still gloomy after reading the foreshadow of what our spider-heroine will turn into. I HOPE it will not end up as bad as I think it would. If it did, then I might just revisit this review and pluck off a star from the 4 stars I'm giving this LN now.
Update: I'm reading the #3 volume now and I simply have to say, that I am GRATEFUL my assumption about the foreshadow in the final part of the #2 volume was wrong. Nobody can blame me though honestly. I feel that the author purposely made it all vague to set our imagination on fire. Oh this isn't a complaint, just a statement. With that unease out of the way, I am happy to rate this book 4 stars.
Update 2: Turns out my suspicion was right. The situation really devolves into the way that I don't like. I still think this LN is good but my enthusiasm for it has been noticeably droused. I'm just hoping for an explanation how it ends up this way, or rather how it would end up that way, and maybe enjoy the story along the way. .... ..... ..... Or I could be wrong again. I hope I am but I honestly think I'm right this time. And if I'm right... Haihhh.
October 24, 2025
Yeah, this was a fun read. Watching mc get stronger and cleverly get through tough situations is really fun. Even though last time I said I enjoy Shin's pov more in the book than in the anime, which I still believe, I definitely think it is less entertaining than the main story. It definitely has its parts, the twist at the end of this book was pretty well done I think, but still, its a lot less interesting than the parts with MC. There was one part where after Shin killed the dragon, he kept going on about how hard it was for him to take a life that I thought was kinda stupid. I get it's mostly there as a literary device and I like how that side of Shin contrasts so heavily with MC who just kills swarms of monsters with no second thought, but Shin had a life-or-death fight with a giant dragon and instead of thinking "holy shit me and my friends almost all died" he goes on for a page about le sanctity of life and all that. Like cmon man, you're reincarnated in a fantasy world with monsters and videogame skills, the life-or-death aspect would definitely be scarring but surely you can compartmentalize the fact that its kill or be killed here, taking a monster's life is the least of your worries. The Julius parts dragged a bit too imo. Other than that really enjoyable read though. Excited to see where MC goes in the next book.
Mid 7/10
Mid 7/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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