So I'm a Spider, So What? - Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?

[Ryllharu]

Well yeah, but, again, that's the fault of the human thread.

When half the story takes place 15 years in the futures, there's isn't much fear of consequences or sense of stakes in the part of the story that takes place in the past.

No, it's because she's the lead. The fact that there's a future arc doesn't come into play. Especially since we have no confirmation, only suspicion, that she actually makes it to that timeline.

I can think of maybe a handful of fantasy, modern fantasy, or isekai series where you can't actually be sure any of the leads will survive, and can think of maybe two where they actually bothered to go through with it.

When the consequences are death, there's no tension in a series like this. It's why Death Parade actually had tension. You knew it was somebody destined to lose...just not which. This and Sword Art Online's first arc are the same. You know the lead won't die. The same reason that people like me can't get into Re:Zero. As much as people claim, "But he says he doesn't know if he'll come back the next time!"...of course he will.

It becomes increasingly repetitive that they play the idea that Kumoko will die.