Alli Predicts- Part Two: So I'm A Spider, So What?

If we look at all the anime that has been released in 2021, what do you think the leading genre would be? Everyone always thinks shonen, but this year they'd be wrong. It's isekai!

Shonen has been the top genre in anime for a long time, but the past few years we've seen creators take a step away from that to let other genres shine. Thank goodness. With that being said, if we wanted to call 2021 the year of anything, then it is hands down, the year of isekai's! You might be wondering, Alli what in the world is an isekai? What in the world indeed... That's a pun. Let me explain. Isekai is a genre that centers on person who is transported [usually through rebirth] to another world. That's the simplified take. Isekai used to be looked at as a subgenre to fantasy, but for a number of years, especially recently, it has been able to stand as a genre all on it's own. It has become so popular in fact that the list of this years candidates are chalk full of isekai's! Including the anime we are talking about today!

So I'm A Spider, So What? what a title am I right? To be honest, I'm not even sure where to start on this one. It was a wild ride. I went through a roller coaster of emotions and opinions all the way through, all the way up until the last second. When I started it, I hated it immediately. But by the end? How do I put this...It's in my top ten of favorite anime right now. Maybe even top five. Quite the leap I know but what can I say? That little spider has got mad hops.

Let's back up a minute and talk about what this show is about. In typical isekai fashion, the show starts off with a horrific accident. A classroom full of high school students, and their teacher, are mysteriously killed in a huge explosion and then... they all wake up in a new world. A world of magic, monsters, heroes, and even demon lords. Luckily for them, or maybe unluckily, they are reborn into this magical new world while maintaining all of their memories from their previous life. Most of the student's are reincarnated as humans and elves, but there are some exceptions. One of those exceptions being our main character, Hiiro Wakaba, who is reincarnated into a spider monster in the darkness of a monster infested labyrinth. Without knowing what exactly happened, and without any connection to her classmates Wakaba, who in her previous life was a quiet otaku, uses her knowledge of anime and video games to level up until she is.... well... we should stop there. Spoilers.

This anime is filled with suspense and many loopholes that will give you whiplash and leave you screaming at the end. This is not a one shot so we are currently waiting for announcements regarding season two. If you are feeling impatient though, no worries, the anime is just an adaptation of the original light novel series which is still coming out with new volumes as well. There is also a manga adaptation, so you have choices. The light novel series has ranked high on reading charts but neither the light novel nor manga has won any awards, meaning the anime now has a chance to bring home a win for the series.

Does that mean you think it will win? Well, I wouldn't say that...I do have some misgivings about the show despite how I personally ended up loving it. For starters, I have never watched an anime that I felt should only be watched by seasoned otaku. But this certainly fits that bill. This is not a show for beginners or anyone with little knowledge of anime or videogames. It is heavily reliant on viewers already having a certain level of knowledge base in the nerd world. It also has one of the fastest read times I have ever seen. Meaning the main character talks at a faster pace, so the subtitles are faster. Not only that but it is extremely dialogue heavy. Couple that with the speed and it is easy to get lost or miss something if you aren't careful. They heavily lean into the videogame aspect of "leveling up" which comes with a ridiculous list of stats and abilities that non-nerds might not know what to do with. Granted you could write them off as "unimportant", if you aren't trying to guess what in the world is going on, but most probably will want to try and solve the puzzle. Which means- you're in for a lot of reading.

My biggest complaint about the show is the layout. It took until episode two or three for me to realize that they were being confusing on purpose. Multi-timeline shows can be hard to work in the best of situations. Not to say it can't be done, because it certainly has, and it's even been done well! But more often than not it can become...well, messy. And this is one of those times. They are trying to be confusing on purpose and that's fine, but I can see about ten different ways they could have done it without it being as muddled as it is. This is another reason why I hesitate on it's nominations because it is by no means an easy watch and I can see many reasons why watchers would abandon it.

But for those that stick it through, you are in for a treat! This anime is like putting together a very intricate puzzle. It is magnificent and sparked many excited in-depth discussions in our household. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time; enthralled and thrilled! I would think about it all day, not being able to wait for the next episode. And now that I'm waiting for the next season, I feel like combusting. So, though the execution was subpar for me, the story itself is utterly brilliant. Which is why I think it will make it to nominations. I can see it being nominated for quite a few categories but namely- anime of the year. I guess we will have to wait and see.

If you want to check out So I'm A Spider, So What? you can find it on Crunchyroll. I highly recommend it for those of you who love anime and RPGs. I can't wait for season two and hope to see it in the awards! Stay tuned next week for part three of our mini series- Alli Predicts!

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Thank you for joining me this fine Wednesday evening, or whenever you are reading this. I hope you are having a great week, if not, fear not, it's almost over. Stay strong, power through, and I will see you on Sunday for Rantt and The Mess. Until then, stay safe, stay nerdy, and stay messy otaku!