KonoSuba: God’s blessing on this wonderful world! (Season One)

A tragic accident ended Kazuma’s life prematurely. Soon after, he found himself sitting in front of a beautiful goddess who gave him a couple of choices – be reincarnated into a magical world or move on to the afterlife!

What did you watch?

As it appears with most shows, I was late to the party with KonoSuba, first watching it at the end of 2019. At that time, I had a lot going on and had no time to write up my thoughts. It was one that I really enjoyed and wanted to do it justice. So, when I decided to revisit some older shows to examine why I loved them, KonoSuba was one that instantly sprung to mind. I knew I loved it, but now I got the chance to look at it more closely, knowing what happens. If it’s possible, I think I may have enjoyed it, even more, this time around… I guess we’ll find out soon. Expect spoilers too.

KonoSuba Episode 1 Is Aqua wearing Panties

What happened?

Kazuma died saving a girl from his school… or at least, that’s what he thought. In actual fact, she was never in any danger and neither was he, however, he believed he was and died of a heart attack. He woke to find himself in a strange place with a goddess who offered him a chance to live on. There is a magical world where fewer and fewer people are being reborn there as it’s ruled by a powerful demon lord. In order to get more people to go there, they are giving those that die young the chance to go there with the body and mind intact, plus they can choose to take any one item with them.

For a shut-in hikikomori like Kazuma, the idea of a world filled with magic and adventure was too good an opportunity to pass up. The goddess, Aqua, however, seemed to be determined to mock him at every opportunity and was getting quite impatient with him. Finally, he snapped and said that he would like to take her with him. To Aqua’s surprise, another goddess appeared and confirmed Kazuma’s request sending them both to this new world. Aqua would be able to return once they had defeated the demon lord!

What did you think?

I love this series, which should be a given since it’s one that I decided to revisit because I love it. However, I enjoyed it, even more, this time around. The jokes were just as funny and I was able to see much more coming. There’s a lot of foreshadowing in KonoSuba and it just builds up and up, making each joke that much stronger, and the action that much more exciting. I don’t think I can truly do this series justice, beyond saying it is, without a doubt, one of my favourite series.

What was your favourite moment?

This is actually a really hard one to pick. I thought that the last two episodes were particularly special. One was the succubus episode which was too funny and surprisingly explained a lot as to why there are so many seemingly experienced adventurers in this newbie adventurer town. However, the sheer epicness of the final episode cannot be ignored. If everything before episode nine was building towards that moment, then everything before episode ten followed the same idea.

The Destroyer was a perfect final boss for the season, and knowing what I know of season two, it only gets better and better. We got to see all of Kazuma’s party shine in the final episode and it was glorious. Aqua started things off, Megumin and Wiz kept it going, Darkness stood firm, and Kazuma came up with some great ideas. Everything that happened had been perfectly foreshadowed and it all fell into place to deliver a stunning finale!

KonoSuba Episode 10 Megumin Explosion Twice in one day

What was your least favourite moment?

I really can’t think of a single moment that I would say stood out as a weaker one. Even when the series introduced flying cabbages as a monster to be defeated, it was incredible. It really was a lot of fun and I shall not be drawn into criticising it. Maybe, the animation had some less than stellar moments, but whatever, the story and the comedy was consistently good.

Who was your favourite character?

I enjoyed all of the main characters and each brought their own unique brand of craziness to the table. That said, Darkness is my favourite, but it’s close. She’s a crusader that can’t use a sword. She never hits her target, but as a defensive tank, nothing can get past her. If they could just get her some points to use on sword skills, she would be unstoppable. Oh, and she’s also a raging masochist…

KonoSuba Episode 3 Darkness protects the adventurers from the Cabbages

Who was your least favourite character?

This one was actually pretty easy. There was one person who stood out as annoyingly pompous and completely irredeemable. That was the hero, Kyouya who had also been sent to this world by Aqua. He selected a cursed sword and was a formidable hero. However, he was a massive jerk who challenged Kazuma to a duel, despite their obvious difference in skill levels, tried to force Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness to join him, even after they said no and said that he was creepy. He got everything he deserved, especially being beaten by Kazuma and having his magical sword stolen and then sold.

Would you like some more?

This question is kind of redundant as there is a second season that I will be diving straight into (again), a couple of OVAs, and then there’s a movie, which I have not seen before, so I am extra excited to get to that point. Either way, I am keen to continue this journey and, hopefully, learn as much from KonoSuba as I can. I’ve even bought the first light novel, which I am working through.

KonoSuba Episode 3 Kazuma stole Megumin's Panties

What have you learnt?

I don’t think it matters what story you are trying to write, foreshadowing is one of the most useful tools you can use. It helps you to set up events and make them feel natural and expected, even if they come as surprise. For example, the scenes with the Dullahan are great examples of this, especially when he returns, disappointed that Kazuma didn’t come to save his friend whom he cursed. All the little things that they had done up to that point made this scene that much more entertaining. In a comedy, it’s often used to set up a joke, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Foreshadowing makes a story fit together in a satisfying manner.