So I'm a Spider, So What? (2021)
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Director: Shin Itagaki
Studio: Millepensee
Starring: Aoi Yuki, Sumire Uesaka, Ayana Taketatsu
Episodes: 24
Synopsis:
After dying in an accident, a highschooler finds herself reborn in another world as a monstrous spider.
Impressions:
The title of this series alone was enough to catch my interest. Casting Aoi Yuki as the main character was a stroke of genius as her performance is the saving grace of the series. Why do I mention a "saving grace" right off the bat? Well, this is Millepensee we're talking about. It's not so bad in the first half, but things break down significantly in the second half, to the point where a series that was the highlight of my week started to become one of the chores. I haven't read the original novels or the manga adaptation, but based on the word of those who have, this adaptation had a weedwhacker taken to it and there wasn't much good left by the end. Proving they haven't learned anything from their 2016 abomination of Berserk, the janky CG starts to dominate in the latter half, making the final battle of the B plot a nightmare. The CG was decent for Kumoko and tolerable for the random monsters, but once humanoid characters started getting CGed... just ugh. But enough about the crappy production values, let's talk about the meat and potatoes.
It's a testament to how good the source material must be for it to shine through despite its butchery. While Kumoko does get overpowered like a lot of isekai protagonists, she has to work for it and her resourcefulness and sheer stubbornness is a joy to watch, along with her goofy personality played to perfection by Aoi Yuki. There seem to be a lot of people who don't like the B plot with the other reincarnates, but I initially appreciated it for providing a wider perspective at the world and acting as a counterbalance for Kumoko's antics. However, as the B plot became more dominant in the second half, it became less enjoyable. (Corruption of the source material may be part of it.) Shun is a vastly blander sort of character, practically a stock character, but the characters around him are the main good point about his storyline. However, everything getting jumbled up at the end very nearly makes you forget everything that was good in the first place.
If there's a continuation, unless it passes into the hands of a more competent studio, I'm not going to bother. However, at least I'm interesting in going to the source, so I guess this hasn't been a total wash. I can't really recommend this except for Aoi Yuki's performance. Maybe just watch the first half. The second half is so bad I'm sorely tempted to rate it lower, but there's just enough memory of the good times for me to say take it or leave it.
Rating:
50/50