Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!

Waga na wa Megumin! The foremost and greatest mage among the Crimson Demons! Because Yunyun allowed me to pursue Explosion magic on that day, I became who I am now! Let the storm blow! Let the flames roar! Explosion magic is the stuff of dreams! It is the ultimate magic that turns the impossible possible! For the presumptive in the hearts of the Otaku, 2016 was a rather iffy year of finding out what makes or breaks the AniManga scene at that brief moment in time. Shows like Boku Dake ga Inai Machi a.k.a Erased and Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju showed the people that anime still had awaysto go with experimentation of the unique and niche; JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable still showcasing the best of what JoJo has to offer at the time; and modern classics in the making from Bones's Mob Psycho 100's premiere season to MAPPA's Yuri!!! on Ice. I loved the hell out of Summer's Kono Bijutsu-bu niwa Mondai ga Aru! a.k.a This Art Club Has a Problem! and Amanchu!'s premiere season...for a rather decrepit year that isn't as noteworthy as the modern day. Of course, factoring in that 2016 was also the same year that one VERY noteworthy AOTY show would break almost unfathomable scores of records for the critical reception almost unseen and/or unheard of back then: the masterpiece-regarded work of novelist Tappei Nagatsuki's Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu a.k.a Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. At the other corner, there's Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! a.k.a the well-known franchise that we now know as KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, that also broke the internet for the now-recognised novelist Natsume Akatsuki's work on a parody fantasy Isekai that easily tops as one of (if not) 2016's best when it comes to pure gag comedy at its finest. And now, 7 years later, from the same parody Isekai maestro himself, comes the fully adapted 3-volume LN spin-off of one of the greatest anime gals of all time: the proclaimed Explosion Magic Crimson Demons arch-wizard Megumin herself, set a year prior to the events of the main series. This is "Waga na wa Megumin!"'s backstory of how she became quite the distinguished character from the KonoSuba franchise, from a nobody back in her Crimson Demons clan to the unhinged "Explosion magic once-per-day use" of a arch-wizard. Of course, we got some subtle ideas of how the Crimson Demon clan was explained in both seasons and the Legend of Crimson movie, but not in a level of detail that is this intriguing and fun to watch of what the clan was like, not just from Megumin and her greatest rival Yunyun's perspectives. Megumin herself is a NEET, that is an undistinguishable fact, that precedes her Chuunibyou traits, and in the growing town of the Crimson Demons, she does not partake in this venture alone into becoming the "reliable" adventurer who honestly, just wants to party her way and not care about the world. We already know about Megumin's family: the "like father, like daughter" dad of Hyoizaburo, the cunning mother Yuiyui, and the hearty and very outgoing sister Komekko. If you didn't catch that, watch the Legend of Crimson movie first, because it technically is an OVA of sorts that's still canon for the main series. But this is outside the scope of Bakuen!, as this trip specifically follows the lives of Megumin and Yunyun as developing Crimson Demon girls with their intriguing ways of living that are a slight heft out of the ordinary. The typical girl, for one, like Yunyun and other classmates like Arue, Funifura, and Soketto, right down to the instructors like Pucchin, each have their own magic power strengths that anybody who was born with an inkling of is destined to harness through their growing-up years and is ready to contribute to the Adventurers' Guild when they are of age and ready to play their part in parties. That is all except Megumin, who, after encountering Explosion magic, has always been her go-to objective as she seeks out the woman who unleashed this exact power to learn from her the greatness of a power wielded unlike any other. Alas, through the trials and tribulations, the Crimson Demons are what and who they are, primarily seen through Megumin and Yunyun's exploits as they take turns harnessing their powers and improving upon them, until their eventual arrival in Axel, where the main series starts with Megumin meeting Kazuma, Aqua, Darkness, and the like. It's really fascinating watching Megumin's life from another POV, as if the main series and the movie itself aren't enough, Natsume Akatsuki did pitch in effort to make a story about her and her exploits before the KonoSuba series ever took off the way that it does. Through her interactions with fellow classmates, most particularly with her long-time rival Yunyun who ends up following her like a stalker, you get to see who Megumin is in more ways than one, not just the "all-knowing" Chuunibyou who can execute Explosion magic, which is the only strong and weak power in her arsenal, aside from the familiar cat demon Chomusuke (who goes by many names in the spin-off). And her VA, the well-known Rie Takahashi, always manages to make Megumin very spot-on with her colourful flavours of life that are reminiscent of the main series, though a bit more filtered since this was her starting point of all places. Nevertheless, it made watching the Crimson Demon Explosion girl a lot more tolerable but fun, and that's all that matters in the KonoSuba world: gag comedy is at the forefront of the franchise. Even as Studio Deen took the reins for the main series with the 2 seasons in 2016 and 2017, it felt intentional for the low-budget studio to go ham, and that's exactly what it did when it came out, to the amusement of all who appreciated and enjoyed KonoSuba for what it is. Despite the Legend of Crimson movie being produced by J.C.Staff in 2019, both this spin-off and the eventual Season 3 are handled by studio Drive. The 2015-founded studio may not have seen better days with some lacklustre showings at the start, but after the takeover from Brain's Base for Fumetsu no Anata e a.k.a To Your Eternity's Season 2, it seemed like the studio may have found its better footing adapting action works instead, and this leads us to the present moment now with Bakuen! Indeed, the spin-off is the studio's best yet, as all the details are much more refined than what Studio Deen mustered back in the day. And though I will miss the goofiness of the former studio in terms of expressions and the like, Drive is really committed to bringing the KonoSuba vision back alive after Season 2 in 2017, and if this showing is what we'll see in Season 3 coming soon, then KonoSuba is in very good hands. Each and every OP song in the KonoSuba series, which includes both seasons and the movie, is composed and sung by Machico, and she has pumped out great songs for the franchise up to this point. Well, that is until Bakuen!, and dare I say that while I admit that her previous OP songs were good, they didn't age all that well when it came to remembrance. But Bakuen! proved me wrong, and Machico's OP song "Stay Free" is more than just a great song, it's a well-rounded song that I can finally have something to remember about the franchise by while waiting for Season 3 to come soon. Megumin and Yunyun's Rugrats-like frazzle of an ED is interesting to say from a visual perspective, aside from being an absolute goofball of a song from a narrative standpoint. No matter if you're a casual or a die-hard KonoSuba fan, you ought NOT to skip the Megumin spin-off series, because it's ultimately still part of the entire franchise and contributes its own element to add to the overall story, which is already great and memorable on its own. We've seen Megumin and the Crimson Demon Clan's movements for three times now, and to get the full package of how Natsume Akatsuki would've penned it as a prequel story, I'm really glad that more than just for more KonoSuba content alone, we went back to the roots of how the franchise has been conceived as the way it is, thanks to one fiery girl and her pension for the near-impossible. Waga na wa Megumin! Arch wizard and wielder of Explosion magic! Axel’s foremost mage, and she who will one day master Explosion magic! Ekusupurojon!

The main attraction of Konosuba is that it is a complete comedy that isn’t serious. If we compare this season to the previous two seasons and the legend of Crimson movie, it does its job just fine. Konosuba never had a plot in the first place so the fact that absolutely nothing happens in this spin-off shouldn’t bother you given that you have watched the first two seasons and the movie. Right off the bat, the characters are obviously different, and the show is too. I simply think that the series is not as funny without Satou Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness. Don’t get me wrong,I believe that Megumin and Yunyun are good characters, but the two of them alone could not sustain the levels of comedy that the main cast was able to. There are essentially 3 split arcs in the season. I think the comedy picks up from episode 7 onwards specifically Plot: [7/10] - As mentioned earlier, there are about 3 main arcs in the series, the first one taking up about 6 episodes and around 3 each for the second two. Essentially, Megumin and Yunyun find themselves in different places in each of these arcs. The story is told in a fashion where a conflict or scenario is introduced at the start of each episode and then largely resolved by the end. It was interesting enough that you will be entertained to watch the whole episode but its nothing special or complex. Characters: [6/10] - Konosuba suffers without its main cast and it’s evident in this season. The way Kazuma bounces off of Aqua and Darkness for comedy is sorely missed and just cannot be replicated by Megumin and Yunyun. Megumin isn’t a super complex character but her ideas and desire to become a powerful explosion magic user as a prodigious talent leads her into funny scenarios where she is scamming people, blowing stuff up, and yelling at people. Comedy-wise, she functions as a straight man along with Yunyun. Moving on to our second main character Yunyun, she isn’t a great character. She lacks autonomy and clings to Megumin and does not really do anything. She just exists to move alongside Megumin as her “rival.” She is basically the same fanservice-y character from previous seasons. The side characters like dodonko, funifura, and arue don’t get enough screentime to be super relevant in the rating but they are average at best. Arue is pretty funny though. There is barely any Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness so they won’t be included here. Art/Animation: [8/10] - Same artsyle, but the animation is still brilliant. The few fight scenes are done admirably and the infamous megumin explosion is always visually appealing. The animation felt smooth overall, did it’s job and a litttle more. Voice Acting/Soundtrack: [6/10} - Apart from Rie Takahashi on Megumin and Aki Toyosaki on Yunyun there is nothing special in the voice acting department. Same old goofy nonsense. Opening and ending were alright, nothing special. Conclusion: Konosuba does it’s job in being somewhat entertaining for Konosuba fans, and maintains enough of it's comedic value and goofiness to be an ok watch. However, the main cast is sorely missed and the quality does suffer as a result due to overly repetitive comedy and plot. It is serves as a prequel of sorts and is worth watching for konosuba fans to set up season 3. 6/10 thanks for reading, -nashy

Perhaps one of the most popcorn comedy worthy franchise of this generation adapted straight out of fantasy novels is the one and only Konosuba. The Konosuba franchise is one that draws on the viewers' laughters, one that loves to make fun of its own cast, and one that plays around with its story. Now, we have a spinoff focused on Megumin, the explosive magician who loves making the world explode. A big question we may ask of ourselves is if we need to watch the first seasons of Konosuba. As a spinoff standalone, the answer is no so save yourself some time and take this spinoffexperience in. In fact, I would even say the show is watchable if you've never heard of the Konosuba franchise before. But enjoying it? That may be a different story. You see, the Konosuba franchise has never been serious about world conquest, trying to escape some fantasy world, or deep character driven narratives. It takes on a simple layer of fantasy and molds it into a comedy or a parody if you can imagine it. While I'm not a fan of the recent trend of endless amount of isekai fantasy anime being adapted, Konosuba is an exception to this rule. I wouldn't even call this anime or franchise as an isekai as it adheres to more fantasy elements and more importantly, its humor. Let's face it, this show wasn't met to be taken seriously from day one. We're treated with a girl named Megumin who has talent with explosive magic. It's her signature attack and practically the selling point of the title and anime itself. Following her adventures, we take a much deeper look into how she became an explosive mage, her life at a magic academy, and how she became who she is today. Be aware that because this is the spinoff, we are not going to see the familiar faces of Kazuma, Aqua, or Darkness from the mainline series. We are however greeted with her friends such as Yunyun, Arue, Cecily among others. Watching this spinoff immediately gave the impression that you should not be expecting a deep narrative. The storytelling is very loose and has an almost slice-of-life style narrative. Every episode focuses on Megumin's life and as we can tell, she becomes talented in explosive magic. Like most standard fantasy anime in today's age, she joins guilds, make friends, and take on quests. It's like an RPG formula that doesn't break the generic trend we're familiar with today. Instead, we should focus on the character chemistry with its colorful cast. Most prominently, there's Megumin and Yunyun, with the latter serving as her close friend and rival. Their sisterly relationship is a centerpiece of the anime that we'll be fed to. But to put it simply, if you don't appreciate the humor and style of the show, it's going to be a frustrating anime to watch. On the other hand, if you embrace the character engagements, dialogues, and humor of Konosuba, this anime will be no less than a fantastic return of the franchise. After all, it's been over 5 damn years. And thankfully, the studio that managed this spinoff still adapts the familiar style of the franchise without losing touch. Konosuba has not been known for its high quality production yet captures a level of entertainment that holds up even today. The character expressions sells itself like memes while the cast are protrayed with humorous personalities. The explosive energy also comes from Megumin's own personality as she carries this show. Even if you don't like Megumin as a character, she does a fantastic job at delivering Konosuba for what it is. Fans of the Konosuba franchise had to wait more than 5 years for a new anime to appear on television screens again. It's a wait that made us wonder what the direction of this franchise would go but thankfully, this spinoff hasn't lost its touch after all these years. And with a third season on the way, we may not need to wait much longer again.

This show's tagline should be: 'do you remember the explosion girl from Konosuba? (of course you do, you perverts) well, here's more!'. With one of the most explosive intros in anime history, Megumin makes her triumphant return to the small screen... or not? Animation: 7 Standard grade from Konosuba and it's consistent all the way. Story: 7.5 This show starts low and ends high, fellas. We got a few major arcs. The first arc is a school arc which quite honestly blows. Second mini-arc is the after-school special and then we get Arcanletia and the real fun begins. After that one we get Axel which is the bestarc in the show hands down. A real throwback to ye olden days of 2016. Style: 6 Konosuba never was a show-off anime in terms of style. It's not generic but it's not a looker either. Your average digital anime flair. Overall: 7 The bad first half of the show drags the score down quite a bit but it redeems itself by the time you get to episode 12. You really get to see a new side to Megumin after all of the madness of two seasons of Konosuba + Movie.

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