Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!

Episode 12

Episode 12 of Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! is solid, if not exactly stellar, end to a fun season of anime.

I have two major problems with the episode, but at the same time, I understand why things are the way they are. My first major issue is YunYun casting sleep on Megumin before the big battle. I know this trope is well-worn territory, and I know it's probably silly to be upset about it. Still, the whole “This is too dangerous and you're going to fail - so instead I'm knocking you out and I'm going” thing just doesn't work for me. There are plenty of tropes I don't mind at all, but this one for some reason just kicks me out of the narrative completely. I guess my thinking is that if the plan is doomed to failure, maybe don't do that plan? Maybe come up with another one? Together even? I get that it's like this so that Megumin can arrive at precisely the right moment and save the day, but still, it bothers me.

Furthermore, I think this final episode highlights my earliest criticism about the show regarding explosion magic. A central tenet is that explosion magic is not worth pursuing, and I suppose there are some possible in-universe reasons why. But, folks, I think being able to summon a giant explosion is a great power to have, especially when you need something exploded. And wouldn't you know it, in the final episode that demon had to get exploded, and - gasp - Megumin's magic came through! Who could have guessed it? Even YunYun saying basically “Wow I really underestimated explosion magic” is kind of the cherry on top. Yeah, yeah you really should not have overlooked the advantages of being able to explode things at will. Again, I understand the narrative need for this - positioning Megumin as an underdog so that we root for her as an audience. But it's just so silly at face value, and here in the finale that is even more hilarious.

That said, this finale does still have all the things that you would want. We get heartfelt moments between YunYun and Megumin. We get some gorgeously animated spellcasting effects. There are also the characteristically hilarious and expressive KONOSUBA faces when YunYun drank the paralyze spell amplifier potion. And there's a nice resolution where our plucky heroes part ways amicably to make room for Megumin to join the main crew. All in all it's perfectly fine television, let down by some trope-y structures that force the narrative in ways that are a tad too transparent.

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.