Review of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3
If there's one franchise out there that can be described as 'the gift that keeps on giving', Konosuba deserves to be in that conversation. What started as an anime adaptation back in 2016 quickly attracted a global audience. Since its airing in 2017, fans had to endure a 7 year long drought before this season finally aired. It's part of the mainline series that brings back our comedic adventurers, led by the hikkimori Kazuma Satou. When it comes to the premise and overall style, Konosuba needs no introduction. It sells itself through the sheer amount of comedy, satirical jokes, and overall lighthearted storytelling. There are dramaticmoments from time to time, but most that is played on by humor. That has been Konosuba's strongest point as the show never took itself seriously from day one. Watching the third season gives a familiar impression when we see Kazuma on his adventures with Aqua, Megumi, and Darkness. Among one of the first segments includes them encountering an elf who feigns being a damsel in distress before their true colors are revealed. This is played off as more of a parody after Kazuma discovers the truth. And yes, that is how Konosuba usually cooks up its comedy.
Among the most noticable strengths in this show is the unorthodox chemistry between the main cast. While the group has gotten very close to each other, there are still many moments when each member can't stand each others' personalities and habits. For instance, Darkness' sadism carries into this season that Kazuma still has a hard time adapting to. Megumin's chūnibyō characteristics continues to appear frequently to the annoyance of her friends. And Aqua, who can forget about her childlike-tendencies? Fundamentally, each of the main cast are flawed in some way. Kazuma himself is also his own worst enemy at times when he makes irrational decisions. But hey, who are we to judge? This anime is absolutely self aware of what it's doing and that's to use these flaws to spice up that popcorn entertainment.
Konosuba's third season also introduces us to some fresh faces including princess Iris and her aides, most noticably Claire. Iris' tomboyish personality along with her curiousity causes Kazuma's daily life to spiral into chaos. Luckily, Iris herself turns out to be a rather friendly person and views Kazuma as a friend. He serves as a guide for Iris and rids of the lonliness she feels. Despite the comedic nature of their relationship, most it is innocent. Konosuba's humor sometimes go over the line but this season sticks with its roots. On occasions, it still pulls off wacky gimmicks such as body swapping or Darkness' everlasting sadism. Other times, it occasionally dives into more emotional drama in the case of Darkness' story arc this season. Just do yourself and get used to it. It's not going to change any tme soon because this is Konosuba.
If we compare this show with more modern mainstream anime, the visual quality is subpar at best. Some fans go as far as label Konosuba a "low budget" anime, but this is mostly done intentionally. The main selling point is the cartoony moments and character expressions rather than how stellar the art looks. Let me just say that since the first episode back in 2016, this anime hasn't lost its touch. You're going to get the same style of Konosuba's art budget and that's not some secret. The promotional material and visuals showed that Konosuba will always be what it wants to be.