KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! 2

Episode 8

Although religious recruitment is not one of anime's regular targets for joke fodder, it does pop up every once in a while. Given that KONOSUBA has previously established that worshipers of Aqua and Eris get along about as well as their patron goddesses do – not at all if Aqua has anything to say about it! – it's reasonable to assume that the series would eventually devote a story arc around the conflicts between their worshipers. However, their approach to this conflict does turn out to be a surprise, and like just about everything that the series has tried this season, it plays out beautifully. (At least as long as you're not using “beautiful” to refer to the artistry, as it seems to have regressed again after getting a little better for the last couple of episodes.)

Before that comes up, the whole business with the Running Hawk Kites has to be resolved. Watching Kazuma and crew leap into action and combine their efforts turns out be quite fun, whether it's Darkness in ecstasy over being dragged from the back of a wagon by rope (as a lure), Aqua healing her as they go, Kazuma maneuvering the Kites into a cave, or Megumin safely blowing them up there. If they actually used this kind of teamwork all the time, then they'd be a pretty potent force. Watching Kazuma's guilt over his people having caused the incident (even if no one else acknowledges that) compel him to reject a reward for their efforts is a good conclusion to that storyline, but of course the script isn't content to only milk one good joke out of that; it's even better when he does it again, after Aqua wipes out a prowling pack of zombies who were probably attracted to the site by her.

The episode doesn't skip a beat when the gang finally gets to Arcanretia, either. The city design is actually pretty cool, but what's ultimately more important is that it's a town where the Aqua-devoted Axis Church has its strongest influence. They seem to be on a recruiting drive too, as literally everyone that Kazuma and Darkness meet while exploring the town is trying very hard to recruit them, even if it means resorting to involved (but also transparent) scenarios or underhanded tactics to get them to sign membership papers. Their reactions to Darkness revealing that she's already a follower of Eris is good for a laugh too, and once again, it's even funnier for being repeated. This all raises the question of exactly why they're being so zealous, as this feels like it may be more than just a joke, and we don't get to see the result of Aqua visiting the church, either. So there's actually a bit of a mystery to look forward to next episode.

And then there's poor, pathetic Yunyun. The running jokes involving her haven't gotten tired yet, whether it's her attempts to continue to challenge a Megumin who isn't even home or the messages she's sending home during the Next Episode previews. (This time she's trying to discourage people from coming to check on her.) The little touches like that are nearly as important as the big jokes to making this series so entertaining to watch.

Rating: A-

KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.