And she’s baaaack!
After a week-long break, our favorite spider finally resumes her journey in episode 13 with a new goal: evolve to her human form. And for the first time, she is free at last… or is she? There is at least one who is displeased with Kumoko stepping outside her home: Mother! And in true “motherly” fashion, the great spider sends her other children to bring back their rebellious sister.
It is interesting to note that much like ants, the Taratects behave like a hive with Mother as the “queen”, allowing her to command her children telepathically. This should have also applied to Kumoko, but her skills actually resists Mother’s mental commands. The result? A hilarious and epic battle between Mother’s children and a very rebellious Kumoko.
But Mother won’t be denied, and so Kumoko devises a way to fully cut herself off from her kin: by sending all of her Parallel Minds to attack Mother’s consciousness and, hopefully, sever the telepathic control for good.
Meanwhile, things are heating up in Shun’s side. A meeting between his kingdom and the chief of the elves, Potimas, revealed some curious revelations: first, Leston seems to know Oka by her real name; and second, the elves were once the mediator between the humans and demons. However, even Oka could not stop the new Demon Lord from declaring war on humanity, and now the human race must prepare for a massive onslaught. This makes Shun a crucial piece in the war, but since he is pretty much still a student, even his family is reluctant to send him.
Unfortunately, that’s the least of his problems; a vengeful Hugo finally makes his move by kidnapping Katia and Sue. But the horrifying twist is the presence of Cylis, Shun’s own half-brother. Still, it is a little bit expected since of the three brothers, Cylis seems the only one who looks and acts suspiciously, evident when he suggests sending an untrained Shun to battle.
Overall, the second cour of this anime’s first season is off to a great start. The new opening song contains(and spoils) the highlights we should expect in the coming episodes, while the ending song continues the wacky narration of Kumoko’s journey. Here’s to more adventures for our favorite spider!
Episode score: 9/10.