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「紅い瞳のウィザーズ」 (Akai Hitomi no Wizaazu)
“The Crimson-Eyed Wizards”
Well, it’s here, are you excited yet? Because you better be excited. Explosively excited. Or at least excited enough to give poor Yunyun (Toyosaki Aki) some well-deserved head pats. Oh yes, Konosuba finally returns to the seasonal anime schedule, and while it’s a season all about one crimson-eyed larper extraordinaire, don’t think it’s going to be boring in the slightest. If anything, it’s bound to be, heh, explosive.
As discussed in the RC Preview, the latest Konosuba is effectively Megumin’s (Takahashi Rie) origin story. This side-story focuses exclusively on the Crimson Magic Clan and how Megumin went from pint-sized terror to slightly larger (in all but the best ways) terror. In practice this means elaborating on what the earlier movie teased, where family life, friendships, and the academic grind are all front and centre for everyone’s favourite mage – including the presence of poor Yunyun among some other familiar faces. If you’re aware of Konosuba’s lore and certain character backstories everything here will be a blast from the past, and if not there’s still plenty to help fill in the blanks. After all, hard denying exactly what this show will be about after this display – boring this one shall be not.
Next to Megumin being Megumin, the main thing about this side-story is – as fully expected – the comedy. Although there was some uncertainty on this front given the lack of Kazuma for humour pile driving, any fears of super serious plot can be safely discarded courtesy of teenage desires and lower class family life. Make a wish? Better have it be world domination. Eager for a literal red meat dinner? Don’t let dad do the selling. Hell even Megumin and Yunyun waste little time in getting into the routine of embarrassed rivalry and the best moxie the Crimson Magic Clan can muster. While I’m just a tad disappointed no signature explosions made it into the runtime here, considering how hard it’s being teased alongside a few missing features critical to the whole signature one-and-done look (Arue’s eyepatch will migrate soon I assure you), best be sure it won’t be long before the crazy truly kicks into high gear.
Just have to wait and see which big, over the top, and totally not hinted at event winds up rambunctious rascal into absolute explosive terror. Best strap in boys and girls, it’s going to be like Konosuba never even left.
OP Sequence
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OP: 「STAY FREE」by Machico
Preview
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“And you thought Hogwarts was a little crazy.”
Never was invested in Harry Potter and the greater Wizarding World, anyway…save perhaps parodies like…(*looks around, whispers*)…Lord Moldybutt.
(*Glass shatters*)
Anyway…damn, when I initially saw the woman who inspired Megumin to learn Explosion, I thought, “Was that Wiz?!” And I assumed it was her because of the size of those boing-boings. Turns out it wasn’t Wiz, especially since that’s certainly not Yui Horie’s voice… *sweatdrops and nervous laughter*
Love Kazuma’s narration, though… And Megumin’s hilarious wishes for world domination, to have big booba, and to be the Devil King. Also, good to see Yunyun again.
“♪ Bakuretsu, bakuretsu, la-la-la! ♪”
Quite like myself getting so much Yunyun this time around, the poor girl deserves the attention. Even if it’s the wrong sort 😛
I see some girls have already had their development. Much to Megumin’s annoyance.
She just needs time to grow into things, no matter how fruitless the effort lol
Two weird developments I see in this spinoff—no wait make it three.
1) That sorceress with the explosion magic was normal, not whacky, for a Konosuba character.
2) Megumin, for whatever reason, seems to be more regular than every other character in the Crimsom whatever, whatever clan.
3) The shinanagans that the characters all partake or create make them seem like they are afflicted with some mental desease, mind control, on mushrooms, or crazy. Etherway the characters don’t seem normal. Especially the Teacher, that guy reminds me of a passive version of Petelgeuse from Re:Zero
Was the sorceress treated as normal though? It was through Megumin’s eyes we saw that and also came with the sorceress even trying to dissuade her from pursuing the same path. Think the jury is out on that one.
As for characters it’s IMO in line with what we’ve seen in Konosuba to date, and if anything less deranged. We’re dealing with simple chuuni larping here, not clinical masochism and drunk goddesses 😉
They are a separate race that even everyone in Konosuba’s world considers to be abnormal. So that’s very much intentional. Could say more, but it would be spoilers for those who have not watched the Konosuba movie (though I don’t remember if the anime team properly adapted the origins of their clan and why they are like that).