KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!!

Episode 10

Good news for KonoSuba fans! For those who haven't already seen the announcement, the series has earned both an OVA episode (due out in June) and a second season (timing TBD). The latter is also announced at the end of the episode, which should partly assuage fans disappointed by this being the last episode.

And it is a disappointment, because for all of its comedic ups and downs KonoSuba is still easily the funniest show of the season and one of the season's surprise hits. (At least it wasn't on my radar, anyway.) Everything that makes the series into the RPG parody that it is also shows up in this episode, too; despite some initial suggestions that the story might actually turn serious for a change, it never forgets its snarky wit or clever twists on game mechanics even in the face of crisis.

That crisis is that the Destroyer, which has been mentioned several times before, now seems to be making a beeline for the city. We finally learn that it's the product of an ancient magical kingdom which went amok and destroyed that kingdom, one which appears as a classic quadrupedal tank. Apparently it's been randomly wandering around ever since. Why something that big and dangerous is still walking around after decades or even centuries without having been dealt with is left unexplained, and that's not really important anyway. What does matter is that the adventurers have to take a stand or it will wipe out the city, too. Despite its assorted dysfunctions, the group best-suited to spearhead that effort is Kazuma's, as they have someone who can break the Destroyer's magical barrier (Aqua) and someone who can drop a hellish amount of damage on it, even if it is only a one-shot effort (Megumin). Help also comes from the lich shopkeeper, who can match Megumin on casting Explosion. And it's not like Darkness is going to back down from the challenge, either, partly because of her perversion (the prospect of not surviving against it excites her like nothing else before) but also partly because she reveals herself to actually be the daughter of the local count, which means that she feels a sense of responsibility towards the locals.

And my, the effort they put out is, indeed, spectacular, both in initially stopping the Destroyer and then in trying to stop its self-destruct feature. While the girls get most of the heroics, Kazuma serves as the enabler. He knows what buttons to push to get the best efforts out of everyone, provides some of the strategy, uses luck in a key way to help get rid of part of the self-destruct effect, and uses Drain Touch to transfer magical power as needed. In effect, he's the hero behind the heroes, almost like he is manipulating his characters in a fantasy RPG. Doubtless that kind of impression was intended.

For all of the serious action and dramatic music it dumps out, the humor is still there. It is sprinkled throughout, whether in Darkness's (misinterpreted) motivations for charging into the downed, the suggestions about what the other male adventurers actually are most concerned about protecting, the commentary on the creation of the Destroyer left in a diary inside the machine, or Aqua contemplating that the city being destroyed wouldn't necessarily be bad since that would also destroy her debt. Naturally the world isn't nice to Kazuma in the end, either, and there are more involved jokes like what Mitsurugi is now up to. (Farming while still wearing full armor?!?) All of it makes for a lot of fun, and the visuals are decent this time around, too.

So will I be back when the next season eventually shows up? Oh, absolutely! Whether as a reader of fantasy literature, an anime fan, or a longtime role-play gamer, this series hits the parody mark about as well as anything produced in recent years. It may not be the best new series of the Winter 2016 season but for me it's easily the most enjoyable.

Rating: A-

KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.