In 2016, at the height of the isekai genre, Konosuba came and instantly took over the world. People love the simple premise, the strange humor, but most importantly, the quirky characters. There are only four main characters in this series, but all of them are hilarious. The pervy weakling Kazuma, the airheaded goddess Aqua, the masochistic knight Darkness, and the eccentric archwizard Megumin. The interaction between all four of them is honestly the best part of the series.
At the time of writing this article, Konosuba has been adapted into two full seasons of anime, and one feature-length movie. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the third season is currently in the works as well. Before the new season comes around, we get to see a spin off series that is scheduled to be released in this Spring 2023 season. It’s called Konosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World!, and here’s all you need to know about it.
The Story of Konosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World!
As the name suggests, Konosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World! will focus on the chaotic archwizard. The one who wields Explosion Magic. The one who seems to be stuck with chuunibyou syndrome. The one and only, Megumin. In this spin off series, we’ll get to see Megumin before she joins forces with the other three dysfunctional individuals. Or to be more precise, about one year before she ventured into the city of adventurers, Axel.
In this series, we’ll follow Megumin during her days as a student in the Magic Academy at her hometown, the Crimson Demon Village. We’ll see her interacting with her rival/friend Yunyun, and the other students at the academy. We see her having fun with her chaotic little sister, Komekko. We’ll see her dealing with the unexpected trouble regarding the Dark God. But most importantly, we get the chance to see how Megumin earned the strongest offensive magic in the world, the Explosion Magic, what she has to sacrifice in order to get it, and how she gets ridiculed for it.
A Perfect Companion To The Movie
Just like the original series, this spin off series is also an adaptation of a light novel by the same name, Konosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World!. And before it is adapted into the upcoming anime series, this light novel has already been adapted into manga first. So if you’re curious about the stories and don't have the patience to wait for the anime to come, then you can always read either the light novel or the manga.
However, for those of you who simply want to enjoy the upcoming anime alone, then there’s one thing that you need to know. This series is a perfect companion to the 2019 movie, KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson. Because as the name suggests, this movie focuses on the people of the Crimson Demon Village, and the dangerous incident that happens to them. And unlike the upcoming anime that will tell the story of Megumin’s past, the movie takes place in the present day. So by watching both the movie and the upcoming series, you’d get to see the same characters in two different timelines, the past and the present.
The Characters
As mentioned earlier, the main character in this anime is Megumin during her final year at the Magic Academy. Although Megumin is still the same tsundere and chaotic girl as we all know her in the original series, she is a bit calmer here. After all, she hasn't acquired her iconic Explosion spell yet. The other notable character that often interacts with Megumin is her rival/friend, Yunyun. Compared to the other people in Crimson Demon Village, Yunyun is actually just a normal teenage girl who simply tries to get along with the people around her. However, when the whole village loves to be tacky and extravagant, she ironically ended up being the odd one out.
Other characters that will interact with Megumin in the series are her little sister, Komekko, and a trio of classmates that often hang around Megumin and Yunyun, which is Arue, Funifura, and Dodonko. We get to see Komekko whenever Megumin comes back home after school. Komekko loves her sister very much and wants to be like her, but she is actually a bit more extreme and fearless than Megumin. As for Arue, Funifura, and Dodonko, we usually get to see them during a group activity at school. They love to tease Megumin and Yunyun and see their over-the-top reaction.
The Staff and Release Date
Unlike the previous seasons, this spin off, along with the upcoming third season of Konosuba, is produced by Drive, the studio behind the second season of To Your Eternity, and the anime adaptation of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki. This series is directed by Yujiro Abe (episode director for Great Pretender and Megalobox). The music is composed by Masato Koda (Domestic Girlfriend, Maria The Virgin Witch). The opening theme song is “STAY FREE” by Machico, while the ending theme song is "JUMP IN" by Rie Takahash and Aki Toyosaki.
Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! will be part of Crunchyroll Spring 2023 anime lineup, along with sequels such as the new season of Dr. Stone and Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, and also new series such as Hell’s Paradise and Dead Mount Death Play. This series is scheduled to be released worldwide on April 5th, so be sure to stay tuned and watch this series on release.