AFTERWORD
Hello, I’m Okina Baba, who created this series.
Yes, the series has finally reached a conclusion of sorts.
I might still write side stories and such, so I’ll hold off on calling this “the end.”
But it’s definitely hit a major stopping point.
The first volume came out in December 2015, meaning it’s been about six years.
Six whole years?! I’m surprised, too.
Those six years flew by in the blink of an eye.
But looking back, they were actually very eventful.
Of course there are major milestones like the manga adaptation, the spin-off manga, and the anime adaptation, but there were also so many smaller events that I can’t list them all here.
Then again, I guess the fact that they were so action-packed is probably why those years went by so fast.
Yes, so fast that I seem to remember constantly wondering, Am I going to finish this in time? as I wrote each volume…
Which is why, rather than feeling like “it’s over!” with a sense of accomplishment, or even “it’s over…” with a certain sadness, I feel burned-out to the point that my mind is a total blank.
Heh…heh-heh…now that this series is over, I’d better rest for a little while…
But, well, if I rest for too long, I might get rusty, so once I’ve had enough of a break I’ll get right back to writing.
In fact, since I still have some other jobs to do, I won’t really be taking a break from writing at all…
Still, I’m sure I’ll have a little bit of leeway soon!
Definitely, probably, maybe.
Now then, this So I’m a Spider, So What? series originally started as a web novel.
When I first started serializing it online, my one and only goal was to write it all the way to completion.
I wasn’t thinking about getting it published as a novel, or even paying much attention to the view counts, points, and all that.
The most I ever dreamed of was that it might become a cult classic of sorts when it was finished, popular only among those in the know.
Instead, I got a big positive reaction relatively soon after starting the series, and next thing you know, the novelization was set into motion.
It was such a huge change that part of me couldn’t even keep up.
I mean, it’s a story about getting reincarnated as a spider.
We’re talking about the already small niche of monster reincarnation, and this is even more niche than that.
Since I went in assuming no one was even gonna read it, my expectations were totally upended in the best way possible.
And then the novelization. What? Are you crazy?
And then the manga adaptation. What? Are you crazy?
And then the spin-off manga. What? Are you crazy?
And then the anime. What? Are you crazy?
Yep, I really thought that way every single time something happened! Seriously!
In fact, when the editor-in-chief at the time first proposed the novelization, my very first question was: “Umm, if it doesn’t sell, how many volumes do you think it’ll last before it gets canceled?”
Clearly, it never got canceled, and now here we are at the final volume.
I don’t think I ever would’ve made it this far without the support of a lot of people. I’m incredibly grateful.
From here on, I’d like to write some thank-yous. Since this is technically the last volume and all, I hope you don’t mind if they’re a little longer than usual.
Firstly, to my illustrator, Tsukasa Kiryu-sensei.
Kiryu-sensei became the illustrator for this series because I fell in love with their art at first sight and told the editor at the time, “I want this person, please.” Luckily, we contacted Kiryu-sensei and got the okay.
To be honest, at that point, I already couldn’t imagine the illustrations being done by anyone but Kiryu-sensei. I didn’t know what we were going to do if they didn’t agree!
To this day, I can’t imagine anyone else illustrating this series.
Kiryu-sensei’s illustrations and designs were so vital to the story that I don’t think I could have told it without them.
Thank you so much to Kiryu-sensei for illustrating So I’m a Spider, So What?
Next, to Asahiro Kakashi-sensei, the manga artist.
To be perfectly honest, when I first heard the series was getting a manga adaptation, I was more nervous than excited.
It’s already hard enough to adapt a novel into a manga, and in this case the protagonist is a spider.
Spiders don’t move like humans, you know…and they don’t look like humans, either…
There’s no way any normal manga artist would have a lot of experience drawing something in this realm.
On top of that fundamental artistic problem, the story itself wasn’t very well-suited to a manga adaptation, either.
Explaining skills and stats and so on is fun in a novel, but not so easy to depict in a comic…
But Kakashi-sensei blew away all of my various concerns.
Just look at that bold redesign that veers so far from Kiryu-sensei’s redesigns in order to be viable for a manga protagonist.
And the art that uses this redesign to the fullest.
Then there’s the explanations of skills and stats, told in such a wild variety of ways that the reader never gets bored.
How can one artist have so many talents?
I’m so glad that Kakashi-sensei is the one in charge of the manga adaptation!
Thank you so much!
The manga will still continue, so please keep reading it, too!
Speaking of manga, there’s also the spin-off manga by Gratinbird-sensei.
Here I was wondering what a spin-off manga could possibly entail, and the answer turned out to be totally wacky: The protagonist gets split into four sisters right from the start.
Then I wondered how the story could possibly stay fresh when chronologically it can only take place inside the Great Elroe Labyrinth, only for things to get even crazier than the initial concept.
How can another artist have so many talents?
I know I said the same about Kakashi-sensei, but in Gratinbird’s case, the story is self-sufficient, too. That makes it even more surprising.
The surprises and laughs keep coming with every new chapter.
Truly, thank you so much! Please continue to read the spin-off, too!
Thank you to Director Itagaki and everyone else who was involved in the anime adaptation.
It’s thanks to all of you that the anime made it to completion in spite of all the setbacks and such during the production.
I’ll never forget how emotional I felt when I saw Kumoko moving on the screen.
Thank you very much!
To my editor Ms. W, and my former editor Mr. K.
Mr. K first picked up my story, and Ms. W saw it through to completion.
I’m sure it was far from perfect in many ways, but it’s thanks to the backup from both of you that I made it all this way.
I can’t thank you enough!
And finally, to everyone who picked up this book, and this series.
A novel lives only because of its readers.
Thank you all so much for reading this series!
I hope we meet again somewhere, in some way! Until then!
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