I’m A Spider, So What: What's Better — Manga or Anime?

Summary:

• Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka? is the Dark Souls of isekai.
• This story is recommended for Rimuru’s fans.
• Manga is the superior version, no contest.

Slife on impossible difficulty

So I'm a Spider, So What? (Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka?) is a web novel, with light novel, manga and anime adaptations. It tells a story of Kumoko — a regular high school girl reincarnated in a weirdly videogame-like world as a lowly (giant) spiderling, living in the middle of the most hellish dungeon in all lands.

The story starts as Dark Souls with permadeath — everything around Kumoko is more powerful than her, and is actively trying to kill her. So she has to rely on her webs, poison and wits to survive in this horrible place. Due to her rotten luck, she even falls into the deepest layer of this dungeon, and has to crawl back to safety while battling even more powerful opponents!

Then, as Kumoko gets powerful enough, Dark Souls turns into a Monster Hunter-like boss rush as she fights the strongest monsters in the dungeon. And then, the story evolves into the well-earned overpowered protagonist story outside of the dungeon, as Kumoko’s actions attract the attention of the most powerful beings in the world.

If you thought this story sounds oddly similar to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken), you are not alone — most of the story is what Rimuru’s adventures between awakening in the new world and meeting with the Sky Dragon could’ve been if the author was not in a rush to start his fantasy Civilization playthrough — and Kumoko’s adventures, in fact, begun mere months after Rimuru’s. Though between the different mediums, one has to ask — what’s the best way to enjoy this story?

Best medium to enjoy Kumoko’s adventures

Well, there’s an easy answer to that. See, this story does not just follow Kumoko — it also features her isekaied classmates, who have a much more generic adventure, mostly as a bunch of humans going to the same magic school. And that part of the story, while absolutely canon, is far less fascinating than our spider girl’s misadventures. And there is only one medium that sidesteps this entire mess — the manga.

Kumo Desu Ga, Nani Ka? manga isn’t better simply due to its focus on Kumoko — it is beautifully drawn, combines the writing of the novels with fantastic visuals and informative page-long power lists, has better designs than the anime and no bad CGI at all. It’s currently at its 66th chapter, and thanks to the aforementioned storytime management, proceeded further than the first (and we suspect, the only) season of the anime. Ah, and it even has a wonderful comedic sidestory in Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?: Kumoko Sisters no Nichijou, about the daily lives of Kumoko’s (system-granted) split personalities, so be sure to check it out as well!