Konosuba is perhaps one of the most polarizing series ever when it comes to looking at how it offers. It’s the type of anime where you often see people say that it aims for comedy and comedy ONLY. Now to be fair, that is certainly understandable. It’s a parody Isekai that makes quite a lot of jokes and such and I can’t blame you for saying that it’s purely for laughs. But contrary to popular belief, the series offers way more than just laughs. There’s far more to the whole “parody” thing and we’re gonna talk about that today.
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The start of the series is pretty much similar to the other Isekais you’ve watched but at least with a few unmatching mirrors to differentiate it. Kazuma went outside and despite being a neutral nobody, he saw a girl about to get run over by a tractor and he nearly risked his life to save her. After that, he passed away just because he thought that he got killed by a tractor even though the tractor didn’t physically kill him. Upon his death, he meets a goddess named Aqua, and both of them go on an adventure seeking to their objective and making friends despite their problems of disagreements and sudden annoyances. Despite how the series introduces stuff, it then proceeds to make fun of a lot of stuff, including its own characters. It makes fun of the subgenre, that being Isekai. It makes fun of its world-building. And of course, it makes fun of how the characters are doing. Season 2 is self-explanatory; continue expanding what season 1 offers.
The series does a great job of developing its humor. It creates a unique comedy where that tends to mock things that fail around. It laughs at its own properties while still landing its own jokes very well. You know, there are a lot of comedy anime that tend to overblow their own jokes just to try too hard to be funny when they really fail to do so. But Konosuba is one of the few comedy anime that truly stand out by avoiding that prevalent and fundamental problem that most others suffer from. Despite having a lot of jokes around, it doesn’t overblow them nor does it attempt to take any of them seriously. It gives all the jokes more freedom to be fresh. Granted, comedy is always subjective no matter what show you watch but they can be bad and even potentially affect the story when you don’t land them properly. Fortunately for Konosuba, it’s the exact opposite. Some jokes slipped such as the panty ones tend to be a little liking but most of the others are still great.
But enough talking about comedy and stuff. As I said, Konosuba offers way more than one would say otherwise. Yes, it’s a parody anime, but that’s not the only thing it presents. It also shows how friendship can be bittersweet and casual despite the rough doings. It shows how despite Kazuma and his friends tend to fuck around while still trying to reach their goals, no matter what they do, they always love each other. They truly care about each other and how they are doing depending on the day. Now this may sound foreign for a show that creates a lot of jokes but season 2 expands that really nicely in contrast to season 1. Kazuma and his team suck at venturing and sometimes, they tend to live with that. They tend to be selfish but at times, they know that they’re not the best at that. This is because they have their own fun and sometimes, they equally have fun with each other. Konosuba really excels at tackling group relationships in ways that make the cast the most lovable kinds of idiots, whether you relate to any of them or not.
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Speaking of idiots, it’s time we talk about the characters themselves! Starting with Kazuma, the cheeky thief, Aqua, the drunk goddess, Megumin, the psycho mage, and Darkness, the masochist. Kazuma is one strange case where his dirty deeds make him one of the most controversial protagonists in anime. While I do agree that he’s not the brightest person to gaze eyes upon, at the same time, he’s arguably well-developed. His wanting to reach the endgame yet admitting that he will be stuck with his very own decisions make him a very endearing protagonist. He’s human in the sense that he tries to do his own thing but could barely do all because of both his flawed stats and his friends. Despite this, he still is a very valuable friend. This likewise goes to Aqua. She’s an alcoholic and she wants to stick with what pleases her. She only works with Kazuma so she can get her shit done. Despite that, she’s still a great friend all around despite how idiotic she can become.
Megumin is a strange case here. She’s kind of a psycho who always likes to stick with her own fun. She may annoy you whether anything’s your intention or not. Despite how crazy she can be, she’s probably the best character in the series because of how energetic she acts while also developing very creative chemistry with most of the characters, especially Kazuma and Yunyun. She’s the type of character who can annoy you in person but still has a special place when it comes to development and catharsis. Darkness is honestly a little disappointing, though. She’s a decent character who nails the masochist type well but for the most part, she doesn’t get as much character as the others in the main cast. Either way, all of them have great chemistry with one another.
Oh, how can I forget about the side characters? They also play an important role in the series, albeit not really a huge one for that matter. You have characters like Luna and Chris being fun characters. They have their own roles in the story despite them being small. Though, the best ones here are Wiz and Yunyun. Wiz solely for the whole wholesome merchant type she plays around with and Yunyun for her personal relationship with Megumin, especially in the movie. Oh yeah, also shoutouts to Dullahan for being a unique side villain with how human his emotions are. Not really much to say here, honestly. The side characters are just as good as the main cast.
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Now, for things that don’t matter to the story at all. Both the art and animation are surprisingly decent. They’re not the greatest to what they indicate but they still have a place. The character designs are pretty nice, but one of my personal favorite designs in fiction is Megumin’s of how simple, silly-looking, and charming she looks with her hat, cape, and boots. Oh yeah, can’t forget about the explosion scenes. Those look really fire as well. The music is surprisingly really good. Same with the voice-acting. The voice-acting is both human and crazy at the same time and each voice actor nails their characters excellently.
--- Quick tier list to recap my personal thoughts on the cast
And that does it. Konosuba is just great. Sure, some of the aforementioned jokes tend to be questionable but most of the time, it manages to be consistently funny while having such great writing and narration. It has very solid storytelling, profound direction, and enticing character writing. It also shows that being a parody is more than just cracking up a pun. It shows how friendship is universal, even in the most chaotic moments occurred. While I do get that it’s a 50/50 for certain viewers, I still personally believe it’s one of the best Isekais and comedy shows ever.
