Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka?

What happened?

She installed Taboo on everyone. You know, the skill that sends everyone insane.

Spoiler tagging this posts in case anime viewers come in.

Edited by Arha on Jan 9th 2021 at 6:31:55 AM

So, is there an anime thread for this? Episode 1 just came out last weekend and im trying to see if this is the right place to be.

Doesn't seem to be one.

This anime in particular really should have one, because spoilers can severely impact enjoyment for this story.

Edited by HanabiraKage on Jan 15th 2021 at 7:13:12 PM

Doesn't feel necessary since this thread doesn't see much traffic. As long as WN/LN readers are mindful and kept certain details spoilered it should be fine.

It's true that we don't really discuss much of the WN or LN happenings. As long as no one comes in with, you know, "you think that was impressive?! Wait until chapter 90 when she eats the entire world!", I think discussing the anime should be fine here.

She must have gotten really constipated after that incident.

Actually I don't know if she poops in the first place. A mystery for the ages.

Eh, as a manga-only til now, I've been avoiding this thread because you guys don't talk about much other than the novels and how much Arha hates the LNs. Given that you guys still want to talk about the novels right now, you should make an anime thread if you want to have anywhere for the anime-onlys. In my experience having two conversations doesn't really work, even with spoiler tagging, particularly given that this site has the ability to globally disable them

If people want to make another thread I'm fine with that. Though right now I don't think anyone is really talking much about the WN anyway.

Doesnt seem like there's a ton of activity in this thread regardless...maybe if it gets more traffic we can separate them. For now, I guess I'll giv emy thoughts as te episodes rolll out.

As of today eps 1 and 2 are out, and right off the bat our hero is struggling with even the most basic creatures. still, she's pretty funny and animated and wastes not adapting.

Tho it seems most the other students who got reincarnated got much better off...though im curious if the protagonist will become an OP spider over the course of the manga, toppling demons and gods along the way XD.

I figure the anime is the definitive version as it comes out, but what format have other people been reading this in? What's the best way to experience this?

The anime is an adaptation of the Light Novel, which makes some significant changes in the plot flow and also makes some changes to several characters' characterizations as compared to the Web Novel. I believe the manga also adapts the Light Novel. So if you come in with the anime, you'll be able to follow the manga after the anime ends (but it's monthly, so it hasn't gotten very far), but if you want to continue the story after both of those, you'll have to buy the light novels.

The web novel is available for free online if you read Japanese, and there have been a few stabs at translating it into English that are also free, though of... questionable quality.

Edited by RedSavant on Jan 16th 2021 at 1:37:57 PM

The light novels are the most accessible and clean, I guess? The WN is much better but the translation sucks at points while the manga completely skips the POV of Shun's party. They may be boring, but they're still important.

Edited by Arha on Jan 17th 2021 at 5:47:57 AM

I think the published volumes do include some Shun chapters, but don't quote me on that, and you won't find them online.

I just realized that maybe I do have to watch the Shun segments if this goes beyond volume, what, three? Because I don't know the LN version of that storyline past that point.

The physical copies of the manga do include some Shun bits, but they're like, just the front and back covers (under the dust jacket) I believe.

If you're going to read, pick up the Light Novels. They're the definitive edition of the story, because the manga cuts out so much important world-building.

The Web Novel is continuing and might have a slightly different ending (I think that's what the author said?), but it's a bit hard to get into because a significant portion of it is machine translated and no one's bothered to properly translate those bits since the guy who was doing it quit.

Edited by HanabiraKage on Jan 18th 2021 at 7:30:29 PM

Blastron, the original translator, has the webnovel translated up to chapter 122, which puts Kumoko into the Lower Layers of Elro shortly before heading back up. I expect this will be about where the anime will end, or further ahead at the fight against Alaba the Earth Dragon. Unfortunately, Blastron dropped the series.

A second translator called Turbo has done most of the series, from where Blastron stopped to a chapter well ahead - around chapter 290 or so. Unfortunately, Turbo's translation is crap, and either is not much better than, or just is, machine translation.

There's a third group doing translation that I forget the name of, who started at 290 and have continued on from there to the current chapter (somewhere in the mid 500s, probably). I've been told that they are also machine translating, but with editing.

Currently, I'm also working on translating the middle section myself. I only have about 30 chapters done so far, but hopefully I'll be able to bridge the gap - or carry on further if the third group's work is unbearably awkward to read.

The web novel seems like it will have a very different ending from the light novel, yeah.

Edited by Arha on Jan 18th 2021 at 7:24:04 AM

Turb0 is the machine translation yeah. He was transparent about it, that it's a machine translation with some editing.

The current one is Raising the Dead.

EDIT: Forgot to add this. Turb0 was actually the first to translate the series. Then when he stopped Blastron took over, and then Raising the Dead took over from Blastron. Blastron started retranslating the early chapters at this point(?) before throwing in the towel a while in.

Edited by HanabiraKage on Jan 18th 2021 at 10:25:08 PM

Hmm. The art really isn't doing the anime any favors. Her webs just look gross and I don't know why they chose to do them that way. It's a spider web, just make thin little threads, don't come on the page and call it a day.

I have issues with some foreshadowing that's going on.

What issues?

There are implications being left out of and added to classroom scenes that give a different implication than you are meant to get. For example, we haven't seen two important classmates.

New episode is out

Kumoko gets stronger and hungrier, but right when she gets confident she is chased by humans far exceeding her level, and ends up tumbling deep into the dpeths of the cave.... Oddly enough the focus of this episode is on Shun and friends, where they are practicing magic class up until a dragon shows up and wrecks the shit out of the teacher. Shun and Fei are able to take it down (geez, never underestimate mobs in this world I guess, didnt expect such a brutal takedown by the puppy dragon girl), but Fei doesnt seem to take it well.

Character wise, Shun is standard shonen protagonist so far, Yuugo is arrogant as all hell but with non of the charm (you arent bakugo, sorry, sit down), and Sue is giving me extreme yandere vibes....which seeing as how brutal the show is already makes me a little nervous with how much praise she's giving her brother right now.

Edited by CountofBleck on Jan 23rd 2021 at 8:43:01 AM

Honestly the white-haired girl who's also one of the re-incarnated ones (still getting names straight at this point) worries me as well. Shun, Fei and the guy who got iseikai-ed into a female body are the looking like the only stable ones at this point. Oka-chan-sensei... has not had enough screen time to judge yet.

Personally, I find the more untrustworthy seeming members of Shun's group more interesting. Conflict is always interesting, y'know? And the way they're slightly at odds with each other gives some hints on the themes of the story.

Mind you, I don't actually know how their story really plays out in this continuity. I suspect it will end up different, but even if so I still find it good to have people around Shun that disagree with him or could cause problems for him.

Edited by Arha on Jan 24th 2021 at 7:45:50 AM