Name: Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale
ISBN: 9781626927544

Kikori Morino

A WEB OF FRIENDSHIP A young girl named Nagi and a giant spider make an unusual pair in this post-apocalyptic story, but living in the mountains is lonely, and they’ve managed to find each other. Join them in their strangely sweet domestic bliss as they spend their days sharing tea and throwing picnics, proving that love (and delicious food) can bring together even the most unlikely of friends.

Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale

Ken Yuen

Just cute! I didn't know a thing about it, but the cover just captured my interest immediately. I'm very much a fan of the art style.

Let's talk about the cover a bit more. The name "Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale" was too good. Sometimes you have to admire people who can be economical with their word usage. 

Interesting fact, the original title literally means "The Calm After The End of the World". With the word Calm in Japanese being Asanagi, a combination of the two main characters' names, so that was nice and punny. This also can be interpreted as "Asa and Nagi After the End of the World", hence you can see how that morphed into the current English title.

Surprisingly, this is a manga about cooking! Talk about a genre whiplash. But it's cute and it's interesting to see how Nagi attempts to build a non-verbal relationship with Asa. Anyone who's owned a pet can relate.

Interestingly enough, the main threat in this story so far is wild dogs. It's just funny since you could swap a giant cuddly spider with a giant dog or wolf.

FRIEND OR FIEND? Nagi has befriended Belle and her father, but trouble still abounds. She has a huge hole gaping in her roof, after all! When they take a trip to the morning market to find help, Nagi decides it is the perfect time to introduce Asa to the community. Will the giant spider be greeted with terror or a warm welcome?

Still cute, but seems relatively plot free? We're meeting new characters and encountering new situations, so I'm hoping the story gets more interesting.

The world as it's set up is pretty unique. It's post-apocalyptic, but it doesn't fall into the tropes of desolation that's common with these settings. It's more like the world was reset to a more agricultural age. That said, Nagi's kitchen is ridiculously well-stocked considering her situation, it strains belief at times.

I have to give them a slight ding for a typo I found: "Yeah, I know. I couldn't hel getting my hopes up." That "help" needs a "p". Remember the importance of editing and proofreading!

THE BIG, FRIENDLY SPIDER Oleg the hunter has dragged Nagi out into the woods in hopes of capturing Asa! Can the giant spider make it past Oleg’s ambush and save the day? The dangers of this post-apocalyptic world might be many, but when you’ve got a friendly, eight-legged companion at your side, things don’t seem so bad! The final volume!

Volume 3 is the end! Not much story, but it's a cute recipe book.

Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale

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