{"id":2992,"date":"2021-02-01T22:00:31","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=2992"},"modified":"2021-01-27T09:24:57","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T00:24:57","slug":"the-big-secret-so-im-a-spider-so-what-hides-in-plain-sight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2021\/02\/01\/the-big-secret-so-im-a-spider-so-what-hides-in-plain-sight\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Secret So I’m a Spider, So What?<\/i> Hides in Plain Sight"},"content":{"rendered":"

So I’m a Spider, So What?<\/em> is the story of \u201cKumoko,\u201d a girl reincarnated as a spider-monster in a fantasy world after her classroom exploded. Now trapped in a dangerous dungeon where everything is out to kill her\u2014including those of her own species\u2014she struggles to survive and grow strong enough to escape.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u8718\u86db\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u306a\u306b\u304b\uff1f\u300d\u597d\u8a55\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

But Kumoko is not the only one to reincarnate in this fantasy world. Everyone who was in the classroom\u2014both the students and the teacher\u2014have also been reborn. Some are humans, others are elves or dragons but a handful have managed to reunite at the Analeit Royal Academy.<\/p>\n

Throughout the series, we switch back and forth between these two locations\u2014the dungeon and the academy\u2014as we follow what our separated heroes are up to. However, built into this story structure is a trick that hides the true nature of what is going on\u2014even as it gives you the pieces to figure it out yourself.<\/p>\n

[Note: This article contains massive spoilers for <\/em>So I’m a Spider, So What?\u2014so massive that it will change how you see everything that has happened so far.]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u8718\u86db\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u306a\u306b\u304b\uff1f\u300d\u597d\u8a55\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

The first time we meet Kumoko is the moment of her hatching. She comes out of her eggshell and is shocked by the horror of seeing her siblings feeding on each other\u2014and then her mother eating them as well. From there, her fight for survival in the dungeon begins. She learns new skills, builds a home for herself, finds a giant egg, and encounters a party of humans eager to kill her like any other monster.<\/p>\n

The first time we meet Schlain and his fellow reincarnated classmates, they are about to start attending the academy. They also run into their teacher, Filim\u00f8s, who has been reincarnated as an elf. In this scene, the show is quick to point out that, while Filim\u00f8s may look young, this is only because of her elf blood\u2014she is actually the same age as all the rest of them.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the first major hint to the big trick being pulled on the viewer.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u8718\u86db\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u306a\u306b\u304b\uff1f\u300d\u597d\u8a55\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

The second hint comes in the form of Fei. While the others were reborn as humans, Fei was reborn as a monster like Kumoko. She is an Earth Wyrm, a type of lesser dragon. Not only do we see an evolved version in the form of Fei\u2019s mother, Kumoko encounters earth dragons inside the dungeon. In fact, we have also seen Kumoko come upon a large, incredibly resilient egg\u2014one that a group of human adventurers steals from her when they burn her out.<\/p>\n

That would be the second big hint.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u8718\u86db\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u306a\u306b\u304b\uff1f\u300d\u597d\u8a55\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite the crossfades and overlapping voice lines, the big secret of So I’m a Spider, So What?<\/em> is the fact that Kumoko\u2019s story is not happening at the same time as Schlain\u2019s. Rather, her story is taking place a decade before theirs. As is hinted at by showing that Filim\u00f8s is the same age as Schlain and friends, all the characters were reincarnated at basically the same time. Thus Kumoko\u2019s egg is laid around the same time that all the human characters are born. And the egg that Kumoko tries to eat? It\u2019s a yet-unhatched Fei.<\/p>\n

Once you know this secret, so much of the story takes on a whole new dimension. Why hasn\u2019t Kumoko managed to rejoin the rest of the class? How did Fei end up with Schlain? How did Fei\u2019s mother get out of the dungeon? What\u2019s going on out there in the world and is Kumoko related to it? All these are just a few of the ever-growing number of mysteries that come from realizing the non-linear nature of the plot.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u8718\u86db\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u306a\u306b\u304b\uff1f\u300d\u597d\u8a55\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

And the fun part? This isn\u2019t even the biggest directorial trick the show throws at us. There an even bigger way we\u2019re misled in the first episode\u2014complete with hints right there on the screen\u2014but it\u2019ll take dozens of episodes (or about nine light novels) before that one is revealed. So it\u2019s probably better to leave that mystery intact.<\/p>\n

So I’m a Spider, So What?<\/em> can be seen on Crunchyroll.<\/p>\n

\n

Top image source:
\n\u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011TV\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u300c\u8718\u86db\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u306a\u306b\u304b\uff1f\u300d\u597d\u8a55\u653e\u9001\u4e2d\uff01<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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