Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!

Episodes 1-3

I'm in something of an odd middle ground with this show, as I have seen a good chunk of the first KONOSUBA anime, but I have not read the light novel that this is based on. I am familiar with the TRPG, and enjoy that a far bit. The series is fun and silly, though it's also cheesecake to a level that can wear on me at times. I enjoy it, and like when its light-hearted sensibilities harken back to the goofball fantasy anime of my youth, but I wouldn't call it a favorite or anything.

Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! starts with a pretty strong first showing. This is a prequel story in the KONOSUBA world, set before Megumin joins the rest of the crew in the main series. We get insights into Megumin's early life at the Crimson Demon magic academy known as the Red Prison. As far as negatives go, the setup is not terribly original. I'm generally not a fan of this kind of setting, if for no other reason than I find most of these stories tend to fall prey to the same story beats and character archetypes such that the “school” half of the equation overrides the magical part.

Time will tell if An Explosion on This Wonderful World succumbs to the school trappings—as far as the first episode goes, it all seems pretty expected. The premise of the second episode shows more narrative potential. It leans all the way into the first-level adventurers vibe; having the young wizards go out and do what amounts to routine maintenance is a great comedy bit. The third episode has less structure, being more of a character exploration, but that's fine too, as I think the characters on display are strong more often than not.

There are a lot of smart choices at play here that make the entire outing more than the sum of its parts. Megumin has a simple and direct ambition that—despite its surface-level silliness—is easily understandable for the audience. She's petty at times, but still an easy lead to root for. Truth be told, who among us wasn't a bit petty and childish when we were that young? I think the decision to only have 11 students in the school is a wise one too, as it will give us a pretty tight-knit cast rather than potentially dozens to track. To keep things from getting too stale, the kiddos interact with some of the oddball adults around.

Obviously, Megumin and Yunyun are the big stars. Basically any time one or the other is on screen, hijinks ensue. That's a great place for a show to be! There are times when they just don't work for me (like the constant references to “development” or Megumin slapping people in the chest) but thankfully these moments are the exception rather than the norm. Nine times out of ten something was exploding, I was getting a good chuckle, or both.

The other characters are a bit more one-dimensional, though that's to be expected at this stage. I find most of the cast members are just fun supporting gag characters, like the other Crimson Demon teachers and staff members; they shout at the top of their lungs and provide dubious guidance while sentai-posing and blowing things up. That's exactly what you want at this stage for a comedy wizard show.

Overall a very strong start, and we'll see how it goes from here.

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Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.