Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!

WELCOME TO KONOSUBA'S RIFT

This review will be rigged with League of Legends references. If you don't get it, you obviously need to start playing the game right now. And no there's no spoiler.

Konosuba > DotA 2 *Grabs boobs*.

At a quick glance, Konosuba might be as average as any other RPG harem where the MC is Faker playing against a bunch of Crowns and Kuros, where all he has to do is perform a barrel roll on stage then proceed to win Worlds. Three times.

WRONG. It's far from that yet it was so good that I would consider this anime to be THE anime of the season. How? (MF support duh)

After 10 episodes directed by Mr. Michael Bay, our party of Bronze V garbage feeders still hasn't managed to get out of the ghetto ass town made for noobs and losers, let alone destroying the enemy Nexus. Basically, the plot moved SLOWER THAN THE FUCKING CLOCK WHEN I'M AT WORK. At the very least, they did manage to slay a super fed Mordekaiser (but he did nothing wrong ;_;), farm that clueless Tahm Kench over and over and survive a debacle of One-for-all Renekton gank.

30 SECONDS UNTIL MAIN CHARACTERS SPAWN

The art was bright and colorful, reflecting the overall mellow mood. the background and water art were especially beautiful that they gave me eyegasm. The skin, textures and animation is fairly good, but at times they were sloppy like a bunch of chimpanzees were substituted in to take charge of production.

The soundtracks and OP/ED songs were okay, fairly relaxing, mellow which captured the overall silly and light-hearted nature of the series but not that impressive (to me at least). It would've been better if the troll music from Random LoL Moments on Youtube were used. On the other hand, the voice acting was superb which greatly contributed to the comedy and overall enjoyment of the series. Kazuma's "Hai, Kazuma desu", Aqua's cries and rants were so hilarious I can't even.

What made Konosuba highly enjoyable was the team of 5 totally dysfunctional, insufferable trash players and the comedy that resulted from their inability to cooperate, which led to their flaming one another and getting utterly raped by whatever's going on around them. Konosuba makes fun of the RPG genre and its cliches in general instead of following them, leaving a stronger impression on me, the viewer who's obviously tired of SAO, Log Horizons and such. Furthermore, no anime would be complete without this most fundamental rule: Cute girls. Konosuba's cast of girls (and Kazuma) were cute, yes, they're even highly distinctive and did not fall into apparent tropes that are so overused nowadays, making them relatively fresh.

"Baa.......kaaaa Ta...taaa......taric-kun, it's not like I wanted to go bot lane with you or anything... Don't misunderstand" - Tsundere Ezreal.

"I'm sorry Lux-chan, I, Taric, Ezreal-tan's eternal lover will be the only one allowed to go bot lane with him" *Swings hammer* - *Rainbow splatters* - Yandere Taric

No, no, we don't need any of that, get outta here.

MAIN CHARACTERS HAVE SPAWNED

- The adc: Satou Kazuma, leader, our hella weak dickwad of an adc compared to Jesus-kun of the RPG world Kirito, but he's got the brain and he actually fights smart despite his auto-flaming. His cynical and realist attitude separated him from our usual never-give-up nakama-powered MCs, which might as well make him the best MC of the season. He's the only adc to not dive into the middle of the enemy team, as rare as it sounds. He's surrounded by idiots and the way he deals with them is uber hilarious, reminds me of how I deal with my own League party. You did not realize that the adc is a melee, and you're not going to question it. Move on

FIRST BLOOD

- The Mid Laner, One Explosion Girl a.k.a Michael Bay's waifu: She's basically Ziggs but with only the Ult, thus she's literally useless after using it, requiring someone to carry her (literally and figuratively) else she'll feed the enemy team's Tahm Kench and Mordekaiser. She is, of course, flamed by Kazuma throughout the series. She's cute, yeah, but she's not like your average moeblob. She's got explosive personalities, explosive ambitions and explosive love for explosions. Hue

ENEMY DOUBLE KILL

- The Top Laner, a.k.a MasoLeona: What's better than a tank? A MASOCHISTIC TANK!!!!!!! She's tankier than Rammus, Malphite, and Alistar w/ full tank build combined but her aim is worse than mine in the morning trying to piss while blinded by the Satan God Teemo (he's the real Demon King they have to kill). Needlessly to say, she joyously took all the aggro and flaming like a real M. Scenes where she verbally "abused" the honorable Dullahan were priceless. Poor Dully. If only she could aim her E properly... Who even plays Leona top nowadays? This is like fucking Dyrus trolling every game when he's streaming after having retired from TSM.

ENEMY TRIPLE KILL

- The Support, Best Girl (sorry Michael Bay fans): Basically your toxic feeder Nami with legs building ap instead of support items while going around trash talking to people and fucking shit up with wataah. She's super derp, always trying to ragequit, feeds Tahm Kench furiously and is constantly flamed by Kazuma but that's where the fun comes from. She just needs a hug and I wanna give her a big hug so badly because she was forced to play support by Kazuma, it's not her fault guys!!!

ENEMY QUADRA KILL

- The Jungler, Wizzlestick (because ap jungler w/ drain, but then again it's a contradiction because she is... well... thick, while Fiddlestick is... well... a stick): The one who is super fed but only came to gank like twice during the entire anime but who cares? She's kind and cute af, and she destroys the enemy when it matters most. Unfortunately the support absolutely hates her guts because she's not playing a meta champ, but this is the only time when not everyone blamed the jungler for their misery. If only she ganked lane more often, she'd be a best girl contender. Let's be honest that she's only here because I don't want to have a team of 4 when implementing League of Legends in my review.

ENEMY PENTAKILL

Everyone is 1/10 fed and 9/10 feeder, however due to the circumstances they have to stick together because 4 is always better than 1 (5 if the Jungler actually showed up). This is where Konosuba is most different and in a good way, the characters slowly get stronger, better at teamwork, more sympathetic and understanding of one another over, (still weak in the end), not shitting out powers and eternal bonds of friendship all of a sudden. Nobody gets ult from Level 1 guys...

OUR TURRET HAS BEEN DESTROYED

I could relate to Kazuma so well, being a decent League player who prefers to stick to a group of average feeders and make them better, rather than joining a bunch of diamonds because then victory doesn't feels like a true accomplishment, and there's no fun curb-stomping the enemy team all the time. Believe me, I raged hard the night I wrote this review because we played like retards lol.

OUR INHIBITOR HAS BEEN DESTROYED

After successfully defending the base from Super Siege Minion spawned by Warlord's Banner of Command, our gang must head into the counteroffensive to be brought by season 2. But until then, let's just say that season 1 was exhilarating to watch. I especially appreciated the silly comedy, the anti-harem and anti-OP MC themes from the series.

Michael Bay would be so proud of Megumin and Konosuba, someone needs to show him this series please.

DEFEAT.... barely avoided.

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Konosuba is an anime that I initially thought was going to be great. I mean, it had awesome character design, and it was funny! Well... as you can probably see by the score, my opinion changed pretty quickly. 90% of comedy anime are destined for failure, because not everyone finds them funny. This one is no exception.
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STORY: 2/10

I'm pretty sure everybody has said this already, but, it really is true. After the extreme success of Sword Art Online the reality to game genre has become an insanely overused trope. Konosuba does have one thing going for it though... Instead of choosing to become ridiculously powerfull like almost every other protagonist, this protagonist decides to take the wish granter with him to the 'subarashi sekai'. I can tell you, I wasn't expecting that!
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ART: 6/10

The art itself in Konosuba... is bad. Really bad. As in, it looks way too old for 2016 quality. It could have been worse, MUCH worse, but it is by no means impressive. What is impressive however, is the animation, especially in episode 10, with all those explosion scenes. Radiant colors flaring everywhere, shapes of all different sizes, but most importantly, in the episodes with the succibi and in the mansion..... HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THOSE JIGGLE PHYSICS?!
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SOUND: 3/10

Ugh... well, here goes. Konosuba's sound factor. The opening theme is very catchy. But not the kind of way that makes you want to sing it all the time, the kind that makes you regret ever haring it because you can't stop singing it. The ending theme as well, is just plain and not something anyone will remember. I did like how some characters got themes to match their personalities, but even then the music was mediocre at best. The voice acting is done decently, but is nothing special. The sound effects were also average.
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CHARACTER: 4/10

I'm actually scared to be writing this right now, because the amount of butthurt fanboys is going to be insane. But, here goes... I'll start off with character design. Unrecognizable. Every. Single. One of 'em. They have the traditional 'fantasy world' clothing and design, through and through. As for their personalities: Kazuma is a funny lead that tries to defy the harem cliches. Aqua is funny as well, and memorable for sure, but she is outshined by Darkness, a masochist. Yep. You heard me. A masochist. Hilarious! And of couuuurse, how could I forget fan favorite Megumin! Super cute and always unleashing explosions, what is NOT to love about these characters?!....... They aren't funny anymore. Usually unique characters being fit into a 10 episode anime like this are praised and loved by all, because there isn't enough time to realize the flaws in the character. (I'm guilty of this also). That's not the case with Konosuba. I think it was around episode 7 when I stopped laughing because I had heard the same jokes over and over again. By episode 10, they were straight up annoying.
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OVERALL: 3.75/10

Konosuba... ok, I'm not even going to say it had potential, because it didn't. It was doomed to fail from the start. If you consider this anime funny it is definitely something to try, but if not, don't bother. I would only recommend it to extreme fans of the reality to game genre, and.... well... that's it. If you enjoy it, good for you! As for me, Konosuba was not my cup of tea.

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MAKE WAY FOR THE ACTUAL BEST SHOW OF WINTER 2016!!!
KonoSuba spews out pure joys and rainbows. With other shows telling great stories or exploring philosophy and other themes, Konosuba ignores all that and focuses on pure entertainment! With genuinely hilarious albeit niche comedy, any flaws this series has are just parodied to still become enjoyable. There's very little to criticize about this show, because I'm not even sure whether or not all of these "flaws" it has are there on purpose or not.

KonoSuba is the obligatory goofball of its season. It's so over the top, but it manages to execute its quirkiness in a way that's super hilarious and lighthearted. Instead of pursuing a serious story, it focuses on slice of life shenanigans that make fun of stereotypes, like character tropes and MMO characteristics. KonoSuba is an amazing anime to just sit down and relax to. Other shows getting on your nerves with their turtle or cheetah pacing? Pop an episode of KonoSuba. Feeling down because you just finished an amazing show, and you have fallen into a showhole? KonoSuba will cheer you up with its refreshing comedy, and it will get you back into an anime watching mood in no time!

Pros:
- Cast of characters are funny and resemble other awesome characters.
- Parody references of MMO mechanics are creative, funny, and now that you think about it, MMOs make no sense at all!
- For a silly series, the animation and art is gorgeous and the soundtrack is awesome too! The ED especially has a Fairy Tail feel.
- Just pure joy comes out of watching this.
- MY CABBAGES!!!!
- The show is so cliche that it's anti-cliche.

Cons:
- There is very little relevant plot.
- Only 10 episodes. Really? Are you kidding?
- Has promises of going somewhere yet never does.
- Since characters are parodies, they don't have much character of their own and aren't very unique.

Story: 6
Despite the fact that there is almost no actual story, and that it's more like a slice of life of a stereotypical MMORPG world, the little events that happen are creative and enjoyable, especially to you hardcore MMORPG gamers out there. Konosuba's first episode is actually one of the better first episodes in the medium, as it tells you exactly what you're getting yourself into. The show parodies the mechanics of MMO games to the point of boner inducing laughs, such as highlighting the outrageousness of what MMO skills can do, as well as the randomness and weirdness of MMO events and quests. It also parodies anime by using subtle 4th wall breaks in reaction to what the characters say or do. The show is a parody and the characters know it. Konosuba has this quirk of doing something so stupidly outrageous that you can't even get mad at it. This show is incredibly self aware of its silliness, and as a result, takes it even higher.

Konosuba has this thing it likes to do, and that's bring everything full circle for the laughs. And when I say full circle, I mean literally full circle, as in by the end of all the outrageous things happening, the story hasn't progressed a single step. Even so, there is a sense of a growing bond, perhaps an unhealthy bond but a bond for sure, between the characters, and this is definitely something that progresses throughout the series. Unfortunately, this developing bond leaves the story in the dust. Konosuba is like parkour: it takes the most insane and outrageous route to get to where it wants to go, except it doesn't go anywhere.

Art: 8
Even silly anime have high budget art and animation, and KonoSuba is proof of that. The animation is actually really gorgeous (for example, the animation of the DNA strands are actually pretty cool!) The characters look like shit but for all the right reasons, Aqua's design highlights her adorableness and cynical nature. The other characters also have fitting designs for their characteristics, and have some little resemblances to other characters that they could possibly be based off of. However, this is Deen we are talking about, so it never keeps this quality of animation, and it lowers in quality constantly. KonoSuba is one of those shows that actually benefits from its shitty art at times, and the really poorly drawn faces make me laugh that much harder. In fact, I was under the impression that Deen was making fun of their own shitty animation with this series.

Sound: 8
The OP is catchy and the ED is amazing. The OST is pretty good, but the main highlight is the Voice Acting. The seiyuus match their characters amazingly, each line being executed with passion and energy. I wouldn't know for sure, but it sounded like the seiyuus were having a blast. The execution of the punch lines hit home every time. This show is a very loud show, characters are constantly screaming at each other and laughing in distorted ways, and I'm sure it's tough for the seiyuus' voices. When it comes to comedy, the jokes are only as funny as how funny it is told, and in this case, it was told well.

Characters: 9
This cast is so outrageous, they essentially make the show. Each character parodies a stereotype, and they do it very well. The MC, Kazuma, is the smart but talentless trope who is the only sane one around, and whenever his mindset matches the viewer, which happened a decent amount with me, it made the situations comedy gold. Aqua parodies the dumb but full of potential clumsy character, Megumin is the chuunibyou trope (except not really cause her powers are real) and has a lot of confidence. And of course, Darkness is the obligatory perverted masochist! They take their tropes as far as they can go, and it makes this show that much funnier.

However, gimmicks like these can only go so far. The real value behind these characters are their interactions. These days, character interactions are the base of comedy anime and if the interactions seem unnatural or forced, the jokes can only be so funny. In Konosuba, not only are the interactions very natural and flow well, but they are so god damn unpredictable. Despite the apparently clear cut tropes these characters follow, the interactions end up being stuff you wouldn't expect. Timing and predictability play as important of a role as the quality of the joke itself, and the cast of Konosuba goes out of their way to execute jokes perfectly.

Enjoyment: 10
This show is incredibly refreshing and, most importantly, holds a lot of rewatch value! It's a good example of a show that is good and feels good.

Overall: 8
This show is so fun to watch. If you want a show were you don't have to think about anything and you can just sit and enjoy whatever is thrown at you, this show's gotchu! Of course, many watch anime expecting a plot that actually goes somewhere, and Konosuba is definitely not going anywhere, but I implore that you at least give it a shot.

TL;DR: Take out all the flaws of SAO and replace it with comedy, and you get this show!

HERE IS TO A GLORIOUS AND OUTRAGEOUS SEASON 2!!!

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(6.5/10) - If you are curious about the point system I use to grade shows, check my profile for more information.

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Konosuba is most likely the last anime i'll be watching this summer. In a way, that makes me happy. Its a very light-hearted and breezy show that I honestly don't want to critique too heavily. At its core, its just so likable and easy to watch. However, I wouldn't be a hardass if I didn't tear up a likable show like this every so often, so lets get into it.

Much like this show, i'll keep this review breezy and to-the-point. But not before I explain the concept of comedy.

...


The very base idea of a joke is something that makes someone laugh. Something told through a story with a funny punchline that subverts expectations and causes a response of happiness. Put simply, this is exactly what a joke should be.

Jokes and comedy in general live on unexpectedness. Something called "subversion." If you think back to any funny joke, the punchline is always there to subvert some sort of expectation. Whether its making something dirtier than you originally thought, or stupider, or more random, or darker, everything in humor is there to be unexpected at its core.

I won't delve into ironic humor which is obviously become so big recently. But that's it. To prove my point I typed in "Funny jokes" on google and the first website I went on was titled Jokes.cc.com.

I clicked the first tab I saw and the first joke I saw and what I read the following :

A grasshopper walks into a bar, and the bartender says, "Hey, we have a drink named after you!"
The grasshopper looks surprised and asks, "You have a drink named Steve?"

Is it a good joke? Well, maybe not. Its a very overdone joke at this point, but it follows every format that a joke does. It had a setup, a delivery, a punchline, and a subversion of expectations with that punchline. You expect a grasshopper not to have a name but man, his name is STEVE! Fucking hilarious! Or, at least it was at some point.

So the more we see a similar setup and delivery, the more unfunny a joke becomes. The less you get surprised when the punchline has an animal saying his name is "Steve". That subversion element is gone and the joke is no longer funny. It becomes a cliche.

But still, I see so much television out there that strives on comedic cliches in bad and good ways. In a bad way, there is television out there just checking off a checklist of "cliche humor that is sure to make someone laugh", and then in a good way, there are shows out there that use cliche humor AS the setup to a more clever or ironic punchline.

With that in mind, i'll get into Konosuba.

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[PART 1] : The theme

This is a fun little show. I won't waste your time by giving you a plot synopsis, but at its core its a show about a dysfunctional group of people trying to live in a fantasy world. I automatically recommend it for two kinds of people. Avid MMO players as well as just fans of anime.

Its at its funniest when it does clever (and occasionally not-so-clever) nods to the idea of being a show about a party in an MMO.

A tank who's a horndoggo masochist.

A healer who's a weakling and a coward.

A glass-cannon DPS who's out of mana after one spell.

The party-leader who's useless in combat.

Its a funny concept in itself and it lends well to subvert a lot of expectations that anime has. Especially with the boom of MMO anime like Sword Art Online, RE:Zero, etc. Its always nice to see the piss being taken out of a really popular cliche.

I just wish Konosuba actually did that more. I felt like this concept was often a bit too hidden or even underutilized. A lot of scenes were simply cliche and not a funny twist on the cliche. Mind you, I don't find pointing out that this a cliche and still doing it with a straight face is any different that just doing the cliche and moving on. If anything, it drags it out.

The show is occasionally self-aware and occasionally not. That's what makes the tonal shifts in a few episodes so jarring. We have a lot of self-awareness in the final episode of the season and then literally none in the episode before. This makes the author of the Light Novel feel as though he's cherry picking the things he wants to make fun of. If anything, the reason this show falls a little short in execution is because the author isn't willing to to go "whole hog" with the concept.

Its like he's laughing at one thing because he thinks its stupid and then doing another, equally dumb, cliche with a straight face. It comes off as though he's not creative enough to think of something else in place of that cliche. Or if anything, do it with the same self-awareness.

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[PART 2] : Art


After I finished the show I read a little about the response it got. The show received a mostly positive response, however, I see a lot of people criticizing its art. Personally, I didn't find it any worse than a lot of anime I've seen. In fact, it did a few things better.

I'll gladly take simpler designs with enhanced animation over complex designs over literally just still images (looking at you ever Shounen-action show ever).

So this shows actual animation was fairly solid throughout. It was unclean, sure, but honestly that kind of added to the charm of the whole thing. I liked that these characters didn't feel like a perfect-looking flawed bunch. They are a flawed-looking flawed-bunch, which fits.

Whether this was done on purpose or not doesn't matter to me. I'm going to give Studio Deen the benefit of the doubt here. Where this show is also a bit hit-or-miss with is the character designs.

We get a generic looking protagonist with Kazuma, who gets elevated by VA Jun Fukushima's voice work, which is often times deadpan and the highlight of the show, comedy wise.

Other characters are also fairly uninspired looking. From the goddess, Aqua, and her "seen her before" look of "anime goddess". To a few of the locals having the whole "same-face" treatment.

That being said, the show stands out with its design of Darkness, the crusader tank of the group who's armor looks pretty great. As well as the adorable Loli mage Megumin who quickly skyrocketed to my favorite character in the entire show. Her design is the shows most unique (and cute) as well as a pretty nice performance by her VA, Rie Takahashi, who from the looks of it is newer to voice acting than the others in the show.

So the design is a mixed bag that's elevated by the entire style of the show. I'm also a complete sucker for fantasy, as its my favorite genre. So everything from the quaint starting town to the grass-swept hills are things that I look at extremely fondly.

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[PART 3] : Sound


I'll keep it short. The sound design in the show is OK. It seems to be using the same effects as most other shows in similar environments use. This is fine, to be honest. I'm not expecting some crazy level of detail in the sound design. Apart from the cool popping noises we get from Megumin's magic, and the magic itself looking pretty cool, its generally run-of-the-mill.

The intro song is also fairly forgettable, to be honest. There's really nothing about it that's memorable and it plays as every other Shounen opening does. Its loud, poppy, and features scenes of the characters looking at the camera or at each other.

Where this show REALLY excels in sound is the credits song, which is fucking. AMAZING. It might actually be my favorite song I've heard an anime produce, ever. Its really really good and I found myself constantly just listening to the entire credits track, which is something I've never done before.

It honestly perfectly encapsulates the starting zone feel in MMO's. It has this soothing, catchy, and memorable quality about it. It also reincorporates the shows title in it. Its perfect and I wish i heard more of it as I believe that in the second season when they inevitably leave the starting area, the song won't be used.

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[PART 4] : Comedy


Inevitably, lets talk about comedy. I touched a little on it in the first part, but lets get into it fully. This show is a action-comedy show which means that the comedy is equally, if not the biggest element in the show. Its also the first action-comedy anime I've seen. Even if a lot of the action Shounen that I've seen did have comedy elements.

This show is very "anime" with its comedy. I hope that doesn't sound offensive, but every single anime i've seen approaches comedy in a very similar way. For some reason, and I cannot for the life of me place it, maybe its cultural or something, anime has this necessity of making a joke TOO obvious. It makes the joke right in your face. It suffocates you with it. Every reaction is usually overdone and HUGE.

This is great for some people, especially people who love unsubtle slapstick. But for someone like me who finds comedy to be the funniest when its subtle, it falls flat more times than one.

Although this show does do some funny facial expressions as well as cuts the music for some deadpan delivery, which actually did get a few chuckles from me, it often feels as though its too deep in its "roots" to try and create anything subtle about any of its delivery.

The only actor who really nails it with the concept of "subtle" is our protagonists VA. I don't think I've ever called the protagonist of an anime its "best" part, but honestly, Kazuma wrung the most laughs from me. He plays the deadpan to the other characters crazy, which makes him a funny foil a lot.

The show also has a tendency to drag its very obvious setups and jokes on. A panty-stealing scene is forgivable as it helps establish our protagonists knack for the 'steal' spell. But a bathing scene that goes from chuckle-worthy eye-roll-inducing cliche to "please this is just getting stupid" is the show cutting it a bit too long.

To reiterate my point about comedy way above in the start of the review. The writer needs to realize that adept watchers who watch a lot of television pin-point cliches from a mile away. Just because you point out certain cliches doesn't make the cliches you do any more forgivable. If anything, it makes them LESS forgivable.

...


In a show that's bases is its interactions between characters, i'm also sad to say that these interactions become a bit stale. Especially the relationship between Kazuma and the goddess Aqua, which becomes repetitive by episode five.

Thankfully romance is never really introduced into this harem-esq show as that would spoil any amount of fun I was having. It just doesn't need shit like that. Especially since these characters talking is so one-note a lot of the time.

The only scenes which honestly don't have semi-cliche and repetitive dialogue are the scenes with Kazuma and the best character, Megumin. Their scenes feel more natural and as though they actually have a friendship, instead of darting from "caring about these people " to "hating their guts", like our protagonist does so often.

This impacts the shows development. Which a comedy show doesn't necessarily NEED to have, but if it prompts not to have development, it NEEDS to have a solid base of characters.

...


Shows like Rick and Morty, Community, Parks and Recreations, The Office, Arrested Development, all have character development and progression.

While shows like Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia do not. So how does Always Sunny stay fresh? Well the base characters that we were introduced to had a various amount of personality to them. They came stock with so much personality that the show can ring eleven, ten episode long seasons from them and it still feel fresh. The show is still going onto its twelfth too.

So where Konosuba should really focus next season is on making sure these characters don't feel as one note. Not every dialogue scene has to end with Aqua and Kazuma yelling at each other. Not every scene has to end with Darkness being awkwardly sexual. Its just not necessary since those parts of the characters are already established.

Much like the joke about the grasshopper named Steve has become old and overused, these characters interactions became somewhat of a drag midway through this shows VERY short season!

This is only emphasized by the messy introduction of a lot of background characters that fill up the show. From Kazuma's two friends that get randomly introduced in episode nine to the lich Wiz, who all feel like stories cut from the Light Novel that were still included in the show.

Its more than a bit messy.

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[Conclusion] :


So I don't find it THAT funny, I find the base concept generic, I think it misses a lot of opportunities to comment on MMO's, it cherry picks too often on what it wants to be meta about... why does this show have a 6.5/10? Which is by all means an above average score!

Well, as I said early in the review, its likable. If I wasn't laughing at certain scenes and jokes, I had a little grin on my face. It was a fun little show to watch and I found myself thankful that it only had ten episodes. These ten episodes were a bit messy, much like the animation and dialogue, but they were endearing if anything.

Everything from the montage in the third episode of Megumin and Kazuma blowing shit up to the way the shows slice-of-life feel is formatted with quests these characters need to complete.

And these quests were the shows more entertaining aspects because I know many people including myself have had these experiences with players in an MMO before. The hilarious incompetence is something we look fondly back on. I only wish this show focused more on that. Its most laugh-out-loud moments came from quests as well as the events that came about because of those quests.

Most specifically the entire string between episode two and three, where a quest involving giant frogs leads to some pretty damn funny results. These results are what build this shows undoubtedly large heart.

I think it wrongfully thinks that its heart comes from emotional scenes that it sparingly includes in its run-time. No. Its heart comes from everything but that. Its the working for money. The questing and getting overrun by mobs. The high-level player encounter. Its all what makes MMO so memorable.

I hope the show doesn't lose that feel when the second season airs next year. I hope it keeps that and doesn't instead go into its own more focused story. Have them move around doing higher level quests, gear up, and just work together. From that there could be ample time to develop these characters more.

I get that their point is that their all just a dumb bunch of shlubs, but if they aren't going for an Always Sunny in Philadelphia level of unlikable douchebaggery, then the author shouldn't be hesitant to give them a better relationship with each other.

I give this show a lot of merit because for everything that it does wrong or messily it makes up for in memory and heart. For every joke that falls flat on its ass and every prolonged scene of awkward and not very well done fan-service, the shows more relaxed moments are what kept me watching in the end.

This brings me back to the end-credit song of the show. That songs perfectly explains the feelings this show occasionally delivered. That's what I want to see more of. Not another scene of Aqua being bitchy or Darkness having giant jiggly tits. Let the comedy come naturally through the flow of events that a lot of people can relate to.

Let the breezy heart of the show take you away into the world.

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