Review of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3
KonoSuba! - Let's all hail the OG Isekai fantasy masterpiece King of Comedy for its long-awaited comeback! Let's not fake ourselves any further: the return of acclaimed novelist Natsume Akatsuki's mainstay series of Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! a.k.a KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, after 2 spectacular seasons in Winter 2016 and Winter 2017, plus the 2019 movie Kurenai Densetsu a.k.a Legend of Crimson (which you SHOULD definitely watch as its canon to the main series) and last Spring's Megumin spin-off (which is actually very good), the hype for more KonoSuba content for 8 years running in the anime adaptation space has neverdied down. As fellow KonoSuba fans, you already know the drill when Season 3 was announced alongside the Megumin spin-off back in 2021: more KonoSuba is great Isekai comedy to ever meet the face of the small screen, and Season 3 coming back 7 years later, still pars, and even exceeds all expectations to absolutely no doubt.
With Season 3 continuing the epilogue from the Legend of Crimson movie of Volume 5 onwards to Volume 7 of the LN, our ragtag comedy gang is back from Megumin's home place of the Crimson Magic Village, for the gender-neutral MC to almost have his time with said Crimson Demon to earn himself a close-than-thou romantic relationship in the process, to then thwart all of that as they head back to Axel and be worshipped as the gang who defeated a demon king. And then there's that "Hello, I'm Kazuma," and life returns to normal. Most notably, Kazuma's journeys are now with the aforementioned Princess of the Six Flowers: Iris Stylish-Sword Belzerg (or just referred to as Iris), the first princess of Belzerg, and coincidentally, one of his most cherished partners of the party: Darkness herself, through which she undergoes a transformation for the worse that could potentially end the eccentric gang in turmoil.
Needless to say, we should all expect how perfectly trashy a character Kazuma is with all of his gender-neutral personality, and he NEVER fails to warrant his needs and wants in the most absurd of comedic ways. Same goes with Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness, whatever Kazuma exacts on them is their folly, and they must make sure to control him more than ever, especially for this season where circumstances have gone even more awry to the point of make-and-break situations that could change the fate of the long-standing outcast of a lunatic party that has slowly grown to be respected heroes in the long run. You truly cannot say that the hate for Kazuma and his party is warranted, and although they've become better beings through progression, it's that same nonchalant personality that really brings out the best of what Natsume Akatsuki has to offer for his mainstay series (which has finished since May 2020).
What's different this time is the studio change from Studio Deen to Drive, having taken the reigns after J.C.Staff with the Legend of Crimson movie (whose art style is good, but rather iffy to look at and doesn't quite fit the series). Even with an extensive production staff team overhaul bringing in new people, as well as director Yujiro Abe (while keeping veteran director Takaomi Kanasaki as chief supervisor of the franchise), the former has proven that he has done a very good job with the unproven studio for Megumin's Bakuen! spin-off, and Season 3 is that refinement of continuing what Studio Deen has done all those years back, and bringing in modern improvements to make the series feel right at home regardless of how long time has passed. You could say that KonoSuba practically hasn't changed much, and you'd be right.
The spectacular and classic OST is there, but I'd feel that Machico isn't stepping up to the calibre of her past songs in the franchise. Don't get me wrong, "Growing Up" is an intentional OP song to show how much the cast has grown, but as a song alone, it's easily the weakest of the franchise to date, and I really feel nothing for it. However, I really quite liked the ED song by Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness's VAs for its usual out-of-pocket comedy, with the tadpole and its transformation into the gross frogs that never fail to consume them each and every time. It's a franchise icon, and you'd be hard-pressed not to love the ED.
Overall, what can I really say about KonoSuba, being the best of the best when it comes to pure, undulated Isekai fantasy comedy that still reigns king above all? It should be a no-brainer at this point, and it comes highly recommended, especially if you're a newcomer to the franchise.