WARNING: The following contains spoilers for So I'm a Spider, So What?, streaming now on Crunchyroll.
So I'm a Spider, So What? is part of a trend of increasingly unorthodox isekai anime that put their protagonists in equally unwieldy circumstances. As its name would suggest, So I'm a Spider weaves a story in which the protagonist dies in her previous life, and is reborn as a measly spider, albeit one with an unnatural size and fantasy-based powers.
The show quickly has the heroine grow accustomed to her new life, but this doesn't make things any easier. As soon the nameless spider settles into a status quo, So I'm a Spider turns things on her head and adds an extra sense of danger. From human and animal foes, to even family, everything is out in force to wash this particular spider out. Here's how the series keeps itself from falling into a comfortable rut.
In So I'm a Spider, Danger Is Around Every Corner
The threat level in the series is immediate, with the heroine realizing very quickly just how vulnerable she is. She's born as a spider, after all, along with several siblings -- many of which turn on each other to feed. This early act of cannibalism is only made worse by the mother spider callously stepping on some of her young, showing how worthless spider life seems to be even to their own.
The heroine is then quickly attacked by other predators, such as frogs and lizards, who put up a huge fight despite being the ones caught in her web. They employ poisonous attacks against her, scarring her eyes and blurring her field of vision. She later tries to fortify the defenses of her webbed home, which is proven to be useless against humans and common tools like fire. This makes basically anything, everything and everyone she encounters her enemy. Her lowly status turning almost all of the world into a threat.
The heroine still tries to roll with the punches, which never let up for too long -- making things as harrowing for the audience as they are for her. She simply never seems to get a break, especially since her reincarnation is the absolute worst of the bunch among her classroom of high schoolers. This is made worse by several of her former classmates being reborn as royalty, living lives of luxury without so much as missing her.
How So I'm a Spider Avoids Isekai's Common Mistakes
This unenviable situation is the exact opposite of what many have come to expect from the isekai genre. The genre of light novels, manga and anime has, in recent years, been seen as a mere power fantasy, particularly for male viewers. This results in stories wherein the hero quickly attains vast powers and influence in a relatively short amount of time, typically with an even smaller amount of effort. This removes any and all stakes from the series', turning them into exercises in seeing how fast the overpowered protagonists can deal with their supposed threats.
So I'm a Spider not only starts with an unfortunate premise, but it ensures that things remain relatively uneasy for its protagonist. It's telling that much of the beginning of the series has her talking to herself, with nary a friend to communicate or relay her situation with (save for her 'mind' selves later on). This has definitely made the show the current face of isekai anime, helping to keep the genre from becoming as stagnant and trite as harem anime.
Likewise, newer entries in the genre are all vying for the spot of the most ludicrous premise, many of which run wild with the idea of the weak or unfortunate hero being increasingly at a disadvantage with the world around them. All of them now have So I'm a Spider's masterclass in stake-raising to compete with.