Series: Her Majesty’s Swarm
Author: 616th Special Information Battalion
Artist: Eiri Iwamoto
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Released: December 28, 2021
Received: NetGalley
Warning: Spiders, Gore, Slavery
It’s time for another reincarnation manga, as Her Majesty’s Swarm Vol. 1 throws the leading lady into the video game she cherished. While we’ve all probably dreamed of becoming the leading characters in the stories we love so much, it is unlikely we’d want those wishes to be taken so literally.
Mushi-nee is arguably an appropriate nickname, as this one game is obsessed with a real-time strategy game – one that lets her control an army of arachnids. She’s the spider queen in this world, and everyone knows it.
You can imagine Mushi-nee’s surprise when she one day wakes up in a world eerily similar to the game she adores. Not everything is the same, but it is enough to make her mission clear. She must rule the Arachnea faction and help them on their path to victory.
“I am destined to become the most vile mass murderer the world as ever seen.”
With an introductory quote such as that, it is easy to understand how some people might go into Her Majesty’s Swarm Vol. 1 expecting Mushi-nee to be a monster. Perhaps one day that is exactly what she’ll become. But for now? Now she’s a girl newly thrown into a world both new and familiar to her, and she’s still trying to process it all.
I was surprised by some of the twists that occurred in volume one. I’m not sure if this is to show how different her character is from expectations – or if this will allow readers to make comparisons later down the road. Only time will tell.
I should mention that Her Majesty’s Swarm Vol. 1 does not steer away from more graphic details and implications. The first bit is obvious: there are plenty of spiders in this series. Don’t read if they freak you out. Likewise, there’s a fair bit of gore, plus slavers and the like. Their behavior isn’t condoned (hence the gore), but it is still present.
Her Majesty’s Swarm Vol. 1 was a solid start to the series. I can’t say that it was my favorite, though I did enjoy all of the surprises that it brought with it. It will likewise be interesting to see how the series evolves from here.
Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Quirky Cats Comics 
Leave a Reply