Title’s quite the mouthful. Then again, so is the humor attributed to this franchise. Konosuba is a series I’ve kept up with over the years and have found generally enjoyable. I have posts on both seasons, and with the “film” quota of the month yet to be checked off, it seemed fitting to finally dive in.
Then again, it’s been over five years since I’ve consumed any content from these misfits. From what I recalled prior to seeing this film, there is quite a bit of salacious material that the current me would probably squint at. Yet the energy the cast brings to the table is hard to despise entirely. Almost like a “guilty pleasure” wrapped in a genuinely rambunctious shell. Does the film do anything that the parent series doesn’t?
Copy-Paste Synopsis
“A video game-loving shut-in, Satou Kazuma’s life should’ve ended when he was hit by a truck, but through a twist of fate, he ends up reincarnating in another world–and dragging the troublemaking goddess, Aqua, the wildly dorky mage, Megumin, and the unrelentingly delusional lady knight, Darkness, with him.
“Now, the Crimson Demon village that Megumin and Yunyun are from is facing a threat that could mean its ending. Kazuma and his gang follow Yunyun, who returns to the Crimson Demon village intent on saving it… when they are faced with their greatest threat yet! What will become of the unremarkable adventurer Kazuma’s life in another world?!“
– AniList
Actual Review
It’s Konosuba. Sure, that’s something of a copout to say, but there’s nothing about it that can be refuted. This film harnesses much of what the parent series already has: a cast of characters who are either incompetent or morally questionable that take on situations far beyond their grasp and end up working it out through some convoluted nonsense. All in the execution, my dudes.
Tonally speaking, the best part of the film is that it rarely takes itself too seriously. While the series already does this well, the ending ten minutes or so incorporate just enough genuine heart and effort that it sort of takes you by surprise. How it manages to balance the 90% satirical nature and remaining percentage of wholesomeness is sort of impressive. It picks its moments well, even if some are kind of used as jokes, anyway.
Speaking of jokes, some of the jokes in here felt pretty gross. For example, there are multiple instances of using the threat of sexual violence as humor. The male lead is legitimately almost raped by a pack of female orcs, in which he’s saved last minute (with most of his clothes off) and it proceeds to cheekily comment that he’s “psychologically scarred.” That’s… pretty edgy. But he’s a devious pervert and a guy, so it’s fine, right?
Then there’s an antagonist character named Sylvia, who is revealed to be a chimera, a being who assimilates things into their physical form. To the male lead, she looks like a busty woman, which drives him to indulge himself when she pulls him into her breasts (because of course). However, she then heavily implies that she possesses a penis, causing male lead to cry out and immediately regret everything. The film once again cheekily describes him as “psychologically scarred.”
So, unfortunately, this begs the question: How can I gauge positive quality when jokes like these occur on a semi-consistent basis? I’ve had no issue in the past docking points for gratuitous amounts of sexual fan service (which this film certainly employs), but things like this are more morally obscene. At the same time, that’s kind of what Konosuba is known for. Its style, humor, and characters all exude a quality of degeneracy. Should I fault their inclusion with the viewpoint that we shouldn’t take the characters’ perspective as “correct”?
I decided to go a little of both ways. Just know that these things are present, though it didn’t ruin the entire experience for me.
As a film, one would expect the animation to be a little more expressive than what a series would provide. Such is certainly the case here, though sparingly. Again, the last ten minutes include a lot of animated pizzazz and magical sublimity, which adds to the quality. Then there are a lot of subtle character movements that would otherwise be used as stills. The expressiveness that this series has always been known for is still present, with an added boost of quirkiness.
It was nice to be able to see all sorts of strange transformations and backdrops, too. Magical spells and assimilations and bizarre, otherworldly set pieces. J.C. Staff did a pretty nice job with the material they were working with, particularly with the act of animation. Sometimes the characters themselves were a little bland-looking, even if it’s made up for in big, fancy explosions.
Also, I hope you all like Megumin, because this is definitely a Megumin film. Much of the attention goes to her and her own ambitions. Aqua has a little bit of enthusiasm to her, and Darkness… exists. Almost like this should’ve been called “Konosuba Movie: Megumin’s New Groove.” The attention afforded to her trumps almost every other character, and she ends up being the most likable and developed by the end because of it. Nice for her, though it leaves others with little to do.
Conclusion
Outside of some questionable humor, I had a pretty solid time overall. Much in line with the series before it, the film exudes the same sort of debauchery and satirical nature that succeeds by virtue of the goofy tone and hyperactive cast. About on par entertainment-wise and better in the animation department, it’s a more than acceptable addition. Again, I just wish the humor was less edgy, along with the blatantly uneven inclusion of the cast in integral moments.
The rating for this title and all others can be found on MyAnimeList.
For more anime reviews, check out the associated archive.
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Thank you for your time. Have a great rest of your day.
The Visualist's Veranda 