I had previously read a portion of the light novel this manga is based on and found it lacking. I do find the manga adaption more expressive but quite cliché in a number of ways. I have read ahead from tis volume and the series get far more violent and adult, but still within the bounds of the Isekai genre. Recommended for fans of the light novel or more adult Isekai.

For fantasy and isekai lovers, you will definitely love this one!

The story centers around the protagonist, Azuma Kouzou, who is thrust into a virtual reality game-like world as the queen of a swarm of giant insects. Azuma's transformation into a monstrous queen is a captivating and unexpected twist, immediately setting "Her Majesty's Swarm" apart from traditional isekai stories. This unique premise opens the door to a host of moral, strategic, and existential questions that drive the narrative forward.

I think one of the things that I liked besides the artsyle was the worldbuilding for this one. The world-building is intricate and immersive. Somewhat, the author had masterfully describes the mechanics of the virtual world, the various insect types, and the strategies employed in battles, making it easy for readers to visualize and understand the intricacies of this unique setting. I liked the pacing as well.

Overall, definitely a good read for beginners of this genre.

3.5🌟 for this one~

1 out of 5 stars

This is another one of the manga I wasn't going to review on here because I just really didn't like it and I couldn't bare to finish it. I almost always finish manga because they are so short usually but this was just so bad to me. I was just confused the whole time and completely uninterested from the beginning.

Thank you for allowing me to read this for free but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this.

Her Majesty’s Swarm follows a teenage girl who is absorbed into a world that feels very similar to an online game that she’s obsessed with. For seemingly no reason she wakes up in a strange cave and is seen as a queen of Arachnea by the giant arachnids in the faction. Using her knowledge from the game she sets forth to help the faction and find a way back to the real world.

The first volume of this manga is the definition of average. It’s not great, it’s not terrible, just incredibly average. The art looks alright, but it’s nothing to write home about it. It’s always clear what’s going on and it’s an easy enough to follow story. The characters are really underdeveloped, at least in volume 1, and by the time it ends there’s no desire to carry on reading into volume 2.

The first quarter of the manga is very slow, in that it’s mainly the main character questioning how she got to the new world, and that’s about it. She then adapts quickly, using her gaming experience to take control of the hive-minded arachnids and finds a village nearby that she befriends the locals of. The story picks up from there, but it’s still not completely gripping or intense.

Overall it’s not the worst manga I’ve ever read, but it’s far from the best. It’s something that blends into other things and not something that’s very memorable.

Mushi-nee finds herself sucked into her favorite game, and as she is such a skilled player the other characters in the game have tapped her to lead them. Now head of the arachnids, she must use strategy to identify and utilize the skills of her team members, determine how to obtain their needed resources, and determine who are their enemies and how to target them. The artwork is amazing with lots of imaginative arachni-hybrid characters and Mushi-nee starts developing what evolves into an increasingly harder edge as the story progresses.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would say overall my reading for this was average. I'm never a big fan of game but the concepts in here are quite cool although it can be confusing at times. The beginning was a bit rough but it gets progressively better with each chapters. What i really like the most is the protagonist, she is a very string character and had charisma so she made the story interesting. The artsyle is not my kind of style but it worked for this manga. Hopefully, the next volume will get better because there are not much actions in here but i can see the potential.

3.5 stars from me

I always like seeing media with a strong female protagonist. Her Majesty's Swarm is off to a good start with this, and it's one of those mangas that don't shy away from grisly details. The beginning did feel a bit not totally thought out, or as if pages/content had to be cut and a decision was made to do that in some of the introduction areas, but overall it was an enjoyable read. While not a pioneer in any of the aspects it touches on, it is nonetheless memorable, which is saying something given the popularity of the isekai genre.

The art style probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, it isn't the generically approachable kind that some mangas have, however I personally thought that it's quite good. There's a lot of attention to detail and fine line work, indicating to me a good technical skill level of the artist, which is something that I always enjoy seeing.

The download of this graphic novel resulted in the complete confusion of the layout, it made the title unreadable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I did not expect to enjoy this one a much as I did, but I ended up really enjoying this one! Despite the choppy beginning, the story as a whole was intriguing to me, and I was actually a pretty big fan of the protagonist—she was so clever! I wasn’t always a huge fan of the art, but then again, at times it was really beautiful. I was 100% here for the gore, but I know that not everyone enjoys that, so be aware that this is very violent and gory. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m actually really looking forward to volume 2!

2.5
Thanks to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I just saw this manga Her Majesty's Swarm, Volume 1 I already knew that it will be good, but not really my style. I mostly prefer more of romantic mangas than action. Action is interesting to watch, but reading as a manga doesn't really flatter me. It wasn't something I expected, I wasn't too invested, it was just a simple quick read for me.

Though I think that idea with some kind of computer game characteristics and the fact that you're in a game itself is quite interesting.

The artstyle was absolutely fabulous, but plot wasn't it. Considering it was an action manga, it actually lacked that action. And I know it's only volume 1, but keeping that in mind, readers have to get invested to think about reading other parts of the manga.

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.

My first manga ever! and Im glad it was this one - its brutal af

I absolutely love the art in this! The queen is so cool I was just like 🥰🥰🥰 the whole time and why do I love the swarm?? Its a good story when you end up loving the spiders lol

Im definitely going to be continuing this story im invested as hell

I really enjoyed this manga, it was a qwuick, easy and gripping read that I couldnt put down. I loved the story, the writing and the characters who were sometimes morally sketchy at best but were still so loveable. If you have never read manga before this would be the perfect book to dip your toes into and test the temperature, trust me you will be hooked.

I've read several manga but I haven't found one that has stuck with me and kept me hooked this much
This one is a page turner for me! It has a morally grey female protagonist and an intriguing plot. I'm excited to see what will happen next and I can't wait for the next volume!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for giving me access to the e-ARC for review purposes!

I was initially drawn to Her Majesty's Swarm because I thought it was an interesting take on the isekai genre. I really enjoyed reading it, but this book definitely isn't for those that don't enjoy violence and gore since there is plenty of it to go around.

My favorite part of the book was the main character. I thought that the concept of the monsters and the MC all existing together within the Hive Mind was really interesting, and the MC's struggle to maintain her individuality is compelling. She is a morally gray, anti-hero type (which I love) that saves and kills based on her own principles. Additionally, she's clever and pretty quick to adapt to her new situation and establish herself in the new world she's transported into.

What I didn't like about the book was the pacing. The plot was moving a bit too quickly, and before I knew it, the book was over. I would have liked it if the world was established a bit more and if the MC had a longer, more realistic exploration with her morality. Since the MC is a college student, it was a bit jarring to see her so willing to kill people so quickly after being transported into the new world.

Overall, I would recommend Her Majesty's Swarm to those that are fans of violent isekai and morally gray female characters. I'm excited to read more volumes in this series!

4.2/5

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Isekai story where transported human girl is now Queen of the Arachneas (so psycho spider/scorpions yay)
~ A balancing act where she must protect her swarm and her individuality
~ Great art (spiders and other creatures are distinctive and well done)
~ I appreciate how quick this girl is, very little time wasting in realising what NEEDS to be done
~ Cute girls 💁

We don’t know her name, but Mushi (game handle) has been transported into what appears to be the world of the game she has played for years. She is disoriented and faced with a mega swarm of insects she has only seen on her screen. As she learns about the new world she is trapped in, she must fight the hive mind to preserve her individuality, while protecting and providing her swarm with the blood and slaughter they desire before they turn on her and feast on her body (They seem nice though).

I can’t wait to read the other volumes! 😍 I think it will only get better.

✨Give it a read.

🌱THE MEH
~ The beginning is a bit jerky and happens very quickly (semi-fast forwarded almost)
~ Humans being humans 🙄
~ Limited explanation on how this magical transfer happened (should be clear in other volumes)

♡🌱 But that’s just me ;)

This book was a tad graphic with the violence, but I absolutely loved the storyline and the MC and I really love spiders, so this is a win for me! Definitely one I recommend and I am looking forward to continuing with this series!

4, if not for the graphic violence (I have a weak stomach) it would be the full amount, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Her Majesty's Swarm is an isekai series, but actually quite refreshing and brutal. Our main character is a girl that plays this spider video game and somehow ends up inside it. Well, it's not sure she's actually there and now she tries to understand how the world works and how she became the queen of the spider forces, Arachnea. The series is quite violent and dark, somehow even humorously twisted. Our queen is a handy girl with lots of talent and she actually ponders a lot. So, not your typical female heroine (if you can call her a heroine that is). I really enjoyed the fact that this is about spiders though and they look quite realistic too. The series reminds me of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, since the structure and feeling are very similar if you don't count the violence.

The art looks very nice and quite realistic. The characters have facial expressions and the view angles are interesting too. The flow of the story works, but somehow I kind of expected more, since the genre is so used. The plot has just started and it all depends where it's going whether this will be a hit or not. The potential is there though.

Thank you to netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the e-arc!

So this girl, mushi-nee, who was a college student finds herself transported into her favorite game, and she’s the arachnea queen with a swarm of spiders to do her bidding.

So I’m not super fond of isekai or of spiders but if I overlook those parts it wasn’t bad. The Mushi-nee was giving me yumeko vibes and I was kinda here for it. The mushi-nee started off with the idea of being this huge mass murdered but slowly changed into a vigilante and I kinda liked that aspect. I also enjoyed her character arc of hating the spiders to caring about them. I also really liked where the plot was generally going and it wasn’t different than I expected. Overall it was bad but it just wasn’t for me personally.

This was fun to read, a bit creepy at times.

Girl gets into alternate world that reminds her of the computer game she used to play.

▪️SPIDERS ▪️SLAVERS ▪️ELVES ▪️PC GAMES

The only thing I would wish more is the game itself being explained (sorry if this is made based on the real game).