Review of KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!

There's one of two reasons to watch this: you're a fan of Konosuba or you're a fan of Megumin in specific. Or both, that's definitely likely. And while this spinoff does deliver on both of those aspects, leading to a decently entertaining watch, it misses on both things in spite of that, or maybe a better way of phrasing it is that it doesn't hit as well as it should. But first off, the good points. Soundtrack still has that usual Konosuba feel (as far as I can tell it's all the same anyway) of feeling whimsical and fun but serious when it needs tobe. So things like the explosion OST still sounds great. On that note, animation hasn't gotten any worse despite the (second) different studio, as the explosions at the very least still look beautiful. And given what the show is and what it's trying to be, it damn well should be. Artstyle, from my lack of artistic talent's eyes, isnt any different from the way it looked when Studio Deen as at the wheel. The humor, when it's there, also has that Konosuba feel to it. However that leads to my first point: said humor just feels kind of hollow sometimes as a result.

What gives Konosuba its humor and identity is two things: the main cast being complete incompetent fools 9.5/10, and the fact its whole existence is based on parodying generic isekai and fantasy stories. And that's where this show runs into a problem: all that's left is one of the four main cast members and Yunyun, who was already more of a side character in the first place. Sure the other members of the cast makes cameos in the last few episodes, but those are more of just there to give a reaction like "Oh hey I know those guys!" instead of actually having them there to properly do something. So ironically enough, this spinoff ends up looping around into being a more generic fantasy. It's not like the original show had entirely new ideas, it just took the old ones and put a spin on them. This one takes those old ideas and just runs with it. So the best way the humor can be described is if you ate at a Michelin star restaurant one day and then went to Chick-fil-A the next ordering a similar kind of food. You'll likely be satisfied regardless, but one way more than the other.

But what about the second thing I mentioned at the start? If you're watching because of being a fan of the character? Well honestly the same analogy that last paragraph ended off on applies here too. Sure, there's A LOT of Megumin. No duh, look at the key visual and the title. But here's the thing with Megumin: her stubbornness, narcissism and pretty shitty treatment of Yunyun is entertaining at all because of what she was in the main show. She was a main character, sure, but not the main focus. That allowed her to strike a balance that made those otherwise not desirable personality traits fun. But of course this show puts those in the focus and it gets kind of tiring and unlikable after a while. By episode 7 or 8 I got pretty fed up with it despite the fact she is my favorite character from the main show. It's like Power in the Buddy Stories LN from Chainsaw Man. Sure she's a fun gremlin who is quite entertaining to watch despite how generally unpleasant she is, but put her in the spotlight like the first chapter of that LN does and then it just gets grating.

So overall, I'm not saying this is a bad watch. Like mentioned at the beginning, there are definitely good points, and while the negatives are there, maybe they're not negative for everyone. Maybe some people getting a face full on Megumin is a positive regardless of execution; after all it is perfectly in character the way she acts. Ultimately, this is just to present what this show does. Because in the end it does deliver on those things mentioned at the beginning, just not to the best of its ability. But hey who knows, maybe for some people it's good enough.