KonoSuba: God’s blessing on this wonderful world! (Episode 8) – A Loving Hand for Our Party When We Can’t Make It Through Winter!
It’s still winter and things are getting desperate. Aqua tried to used Kazuma’s tracksuit to keep the fire going which prompted Kazuma to look at upgrading his skills and he knows just the person to learn from.
What happened?
Kazuma takes Aqua to a small shop in town and before entering tells her not to overreact or cause a scene. She’s furious that he would think she would do that, but as she’s loudly protesting, Kazuma walks in leaving her behind. Inside the shop, they are greeted by Wiz – a Lich. That sets Aqua off who seems to be determined to purify her.
Kazuma stops her and then tells Wiz that he would like to learn a skill from her. It would be useful to have something that he can use in a battle and it’s almost impossible to learn from a Lich as they are usually trying to kill you. Wiz shows him how to drain magic from someone and transfer it to another. Kazuma learns the skill and manages to stop Aqua from purifying Wiz again.
They first met Wiz when they took on a mission to help keep spirits away from a graveyard. Wiz would regularly go to the graveyard and helped the spirits move on to the next life. However, that’s now Aqua’s job. After enjoying some tea, they discover that Wiz is one of the eight Demon Generals that work for the Demon Lord.
After deciding to let Wiz live and keep her secret, someone enters the shop with an urgent quest. A wealthy landowner has a mansion that is haunted and no matter how often the spirits are exorcised, more appear. Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness move in as they attempt to cleanse the place.
Kazuma wakes in the night and needs to use the bathroom, however, there is a creepy doll sitting on the chair staring at him. He closes his eyes and hopes it’ll go away. It doesn’t before long, he’s running through the halls chased by a horde of creepy dolls.
What did you think?
This episode was hilarious and it also finally moved Kazuma and Aqua out of the stables. The introduction of Wiz was done nicely. It made it clear that they already knew her, even though we’d never seen her, instantly making me want to know more. Thankfully, they quickly explained how they met Wiz and who and what she was. All of this will become much more important as the episode and series go on.
It’s rare to see Aqua so fired up about someone and that instantly creates an interesting dynamic. There’s much more to Wiz than we’ve been told and I can’t wait to find out more.
All right, let’s talk about the dolls. That was insanely creepy, especially Kazuma waking up to see one sitting opposite him. However, when he closed his eyes and tried to pretend it wasn’t there, things got far worse. Seriously, though dolls were so creepy. The best thing about this episode was the origins of the dolls, which I’m about to get to.
What have you learnt?
It’s very easy to just make things happen and watch the characters react to them. However, it’s far more satisfying when their own actions are the cause of their latest plight. This seems to happen a lot in this series and that makes for some great moments. Of course, it was Aqua being lazy that caused the spirits to settle at the mansion. I love when the author looks at cause and effect. Everything the characters do should create a new situation and some of them should absolutely come back to bite them on the bum!
What is Aqua wearing?
In episode eight of Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!, it was cold. Real cold. So cold in fact that Aqua sold her coat for firewood and was prepared to burn Kazuma’s tracksuit. it would probably be warmer if she was wearing underpants… although the jury is still out on whether she is or isn’t. It really is a mystery and I’m starting to wonder if we will ever find out. That doesn’t mean I’m about to give up… oh no! I will uncover the truth…
Other reviews in the series
Series Information
| English Title | KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! |
| Japanese Title | Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! |
| Genres | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Parody |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
Season One
Season One – OVA
| English Title | God’s Blessings On This Wonderful Choker! |
| Japanese Title | Kono Subarashii Choker ni Shukufuku wo! |
| Released | Winter 2016 |
| Animation Studios | Studio Deen |
Season Two
Season Two – OVA
| English Title | God’s Blessings on These Wonderful Works of Art! |
| Japanese Title | Kono Subarashii Geijutsu ni Shukufuku wo! |
| Released | Winter 2017 |
| Animation Studios | Studio Deen |
Movie
| English Title | Legend of Crimson |
| Japanese Title | Kurenai Densetsu |
| Released | Summer 2019 |
| Animation Studios | J.C.Staff |
Season Three
