Manga 95353 Kumo Desu Ga Nani Ka

I am a big fan of Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? as I have read both the Light Novel and Manga for the series long before this anime was announced. It is probably one of my all time favourite Light Novel series. That being said, the anime is kind of a let down if I am to be honest. I didn't really expect much from it to begin with after seeing the promotional trailer for the anime.

Story 8/10
The story is kind of unique in a sense. The main character dies and gets reincarnate. However this time she is reincarnated not as a hero or an ... overpowered character, but instead as a weak spider. In a sense this is similar to That time i got Reincarnated as a Slime but unlike that anime Kumo Desu Ga, Nani ka? actually shows the Kumoko's progression from being a weak spider with no abilities whatsoever to becoming a really powerful arachnid. The anime does this plot point how you would expect it to. Its not anything amazing but still quite enjoyable. The anime does also include a side plot involving the rest of Kumoko's class after they had been reincarnated as well. This story wasn't included at the start of the Manga like it is in the anime but its something else that can add to the story.

Art 5/10
The art in this anime has its ups and downs. Like a lot of anime it suffers from the bad use of CG at quite a few points throughout the anime. Other than that however, the animation and art style isn't too bad, I have seen a lot worse even from this current season of anime, and even the CG used has moments where it can genuinely look good

Character 7/10
Kumoko's personality, while not being completely original and perfect, suites her character quite well and also brings some comedic value to the whole anime in general. However, I feel that Kumoko is one of the only character whose personality and character are worth watching for. The rest of the cast including the rest of her ex-classmates have somewhat bland personalities even if they do provide something to watch.

Overall, despite having a lot of obvious flaws with the series in general, the anime for Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka? is something that I would recommend you to watch if you are a fan of the Light Novel, Manga or just a general Isekai fan like me. It seems like a show that you can watch without thinking too much and going full analytic mode. Just turn off your brain for 25 mins and enjoy.

A stellar premise for an isekai manga, with it's own unique twists and turns.

Personally I'm a huge fan of manga and anime that adopt the whole "hopeless stuggle" theme, and this one is no exception. Being stuck in a parallel world wouldn't be a walk in the park; no overpowered abilities or magical smartphones here, "Kumo desu ga"s protagonist, Kumoko, only has her own wits and a hell of a lot of luck rely on.

Well I say that... While the earlier chapters are spent in tension and suspense, Kumoko eventually becomes somewhat overpowered. This put a dampener on the series for a bit for ... me personally, before reminding the readers that there's still far more insurmountable foes ahead. In retrospect, it works pretty well. The absurd number of skills she obtains ends up becomming a source of amusement in and of itself, and while reading all of them each time gets tedious, the fact she can't use a majority of them until much later adds a nice touch of mystery.

The only meaningful criticism I have about the series is the amount of pages spent with Kumoko talking to herself (and later, talking to her "selves"...). It makes sense with how isolated she is; a lone spider with nobody else to interact with; but I do think the isolation aspect could've been explored better than just saying "I've always been a loner", "I prefer it this way" etc. Aside from that I think recall a few minor continuity issues here and there, though it's nothing heinous; maybe even down to different translators.

At any rate, it's a highly enjoyable, addictive read, which I'd greatly recommend.
So it's not 100% perfect, so what?

Started out fine, I actually liked it a lot, but now that I have reread and got to the latest chapter, I now realize how much of a dumpster fire this manga is. I can't spoil anything, but it gets bad, I do not suggest this (not even mentioning how long it takes to update). The story, along with my enjoyment suddenly got lower, and lower, and lower. To the point where I have basically dropped it and started reading the light novel, that I do recommend. My biggest problem is that the story tension and the "danger" all disappear at a certain point, it ... is removed completely, I don't know what the hell they were thinking while working on the newest chapters, it's just flat out bad.