KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! 2

Episode 2

I don't know what it is about giant toads and this series, but those jokes are always damn funny, whether it's Aqua being frantically chased around by toads, Aqua being swallowed by toads, or Megumin and Sena (the investigator lady) also getting swallowed by toads. The staff fully understands how to milk those jokes, through the use of dramatic backing vocals, Megumin's dry delivery as she's being digested, or Kazuma's look of horror as he realizes that they may be ignominiously succumbing to a group of toads whose activity is probably their fault. (It's hypothesized that Megumin's EXPLOSION spells during the rescue attempts in the previous episode shook them out of hibernation.) The follow-up jokes about the toad slime are just as funny this time as they were back in the first season's episode 2 as well.

This is no surprise, as KONOSUBA has usually been at its funniest when making light of its characters' pathetic states. This shows up to a lesser degree later in the episode when Megumin's self-proclaimed rival Yunyun has a magical duel with her over an item that unexpectedly shows their past memories, revealing that Yunyun's past really is as lonely and pathetic as suggested. The series doesn't have a one-track mind on its jokes though, as it also introduces a cat for Megumin who seems to like Kazuma but won't tolerate Aqua. Plus, all of that toad slime leads to a Kazuma/Megumin squabble over who gets to go first in the bath, a squabble that doesn't quite play out like normal except for Kazuma making the mistake of insisting out loud that being caught in the bath with Megumin could get him labeled as a lolicon. (Kazuma sometimes gets picked on unfairly, but this definitely wasn't one of those occasions.) Let's not forget the background shots of the cat playing with Wiz's boobs in her shop, either.

Then there's Darkness, who's almost entirely absent from this episode. The implication is that she's being tortured, though there's a stronger implication that she's actually just being forced into a corset, presumably to dress her up as a high noble. (But that could also be considered torture, I guess.)

The writing in the series continues to maintain a sharp wit and does a great job of introducing lively new characters and making fun of various gaming conventions. Of course, the artistry is another story. There are indications that it is being kept deliberately loose to help make facial expressions more fluid, and I must admit that it results in some of the best anime facial expressions this side of Overlord. In general, the loose animation style suits KONOSUBA's need to play loose and wacky with its subject matter, as if it is actually part of the joke too. I'm not normally a big fan of this loose style in animation, and I'd still consider it to be at least a minor negative, but I do find the approach more tolerable here than in most other cases.

The new closing theme also debuts with this episode. It's very much in the same style as the one for the first season (down to reusing some visuals), albeit with more upbeat pacing that's a definite plus. Overall, this is another very funny episode that reaffirms this series' status as one of the best anime comedies of the last couple years.

Rating: A-

KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world! 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.