Konosuba

Summary: >

Sato spent his life as a shut in, only to be embarrassingly killed on a rare excursion outside. A goddess gives him an opportunity to reincarnate, but there's also the enticing option of reincarnating in a world much like RPG Saito always enjoyed. He even gets to choose one powerful item to take along, the only catch is he has to defeat the Demon King. Saito chooses the RPG world, and chooses the goddess as his item to take with (much to her despair).

Things don't go as planned however. She may be a goddess, but dumb as a sack of rocks. Only two others are willing to join his party: a mage who passes out after casting one spell, and a masochist knight who can't hit anything. Sato at least has his brains and his luck. This is going to be one long quest.

Thoughts: >

Trends in anime quickly wear on me, and is often continue this way for years after I'd prefer they move on. Such is the case with "anime as an RPG" shows. Konosua is another comedy, making fun of the many tropes, etc, etc. Add onto that a male protagonist I wasn't so particular on, and his companion goddess I liked even less in the first episode, and things didn't look good. Until I laughed.

By the second episode I liked Sato. He wasn't the downer I originally took him as. He's a bit jaded about his situation not meeting expectations, but takes the good with the bad and enjoys the good points of the world too. Likewise I grew fond of the goddess who is always good for some comedy. Others who join Sato's party feel just right. #1 - The mage who doesn't give a damn about anything except using her awesome explosion spell. If you've played Online RPGs, you've probably met someone who isn't especially useful but just LOVES to use that one skill that makes a lot of sparkles (or maybe it was you). #2 the knight who's job it is to protect everyone, and a total masochist; which makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

The characters gel well with each other, the story and the humor. What I found endearing about Konosuba was not attempting to jam in wacky stuff for "maximum hilarity", like a desperate plea for a laugh. Instead the comedy flows naturally from the situations, and doesn't need the setup like a crutch. The story flow is another great feature, which is generally fun and engaging to see where each episode takes you.

Maybe it's not a detractor, but Konosuba gets a bit oversexed at times, which you wouldn't suspect by the artwork. The most puzzling aspect being the goddess, who's ass cheeks form some kind of panty-shot event horizon. You'd think with a skirt so short her skivvies would show. Instead it's like her ass goes on forever under there and you can never quite see them; no matter how close or what angle. Hard to explain, I just found that weird.

It's an anime in progress, but it's a fun trip along the way. I enjoyed Konosuba a lot, and hope to see much more. Worth the watch.

Screen Caps: >