Highlights
- KonoSuba Season 3 picks up right after the movie, showcasing Kazuma’s trauma and ridiculous adventures with his party.
- Kazuma contemplates becoming a monk but encounters a deadly trap in the form of a Tranquility Girl in the forest.
- A magic mallet leads to unexpected wealth, stolen by Darkness’s friend, setting the stage for a royal invitation and new adventures.
The following contains spoilers for KonoSuba Season 3 Episode 1, “God’s Blessing on this Bright Future!”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
After seven years since the second season ended (and five years since the movie), KonoSuba has finally returned with its third season. The show became renowned for its lampooning of common fantasy and isekai tropes, as well as its ridiculous and absurd takes on character archetypes. Fans have been waiting with bated breath for this anime to return, as there is still plenty of content from the light novel that has yet to be adapted.
Season 3 picks off right after where the movie left off, with Kazuma and his friends having defeated Sylvia, one of the Devil King’s Generals. The first episode mostly deals with the aftermath of that incident, with Kazuma still dealing with the events that transpired during that adventure. This kickstarts a series of events that are sure to lead to some incredibly hilarious shenanigans.
Kazuma’s Trauma
The Trigger For A New Journey
Though Sylvia has been defeated and the threat to the Crimson Demons is gone, Kazuma is still traumatized by his close encounter with Sylvia. This, combined with his recent string of romantic failures, leads him to make a drastic decision to become a monk. Though his party thinks he’s just having a breakdown, Kazuma immediately sets out to a nearby temple to change his vocation.
Megumin and Kazuma’s relationship developed quite a bit during the movie, and this first episode builds on that development, giving the two the chance to have a heart-to-heart during this journey. Megumin is grateful that Kazuma encouraged her to continue exclusively using explosion magic after beating Sylvia, and while the two still bicker, it’s clear that they’ve become a little closer. Of course, it’s always one step forward, two steps back. Although Kazuma sees her closeness as a chance to push forward romantically, she falls asleep in the middle of their conversation, ticking Kazuma off once more.
The Tranquility Girl
A Deadly Trap Disguised As A Sweet Flower
Kazuma persists in his journey to become a monk, despite nearly taking back his decision the night before during his talk with Megumin. As they continue their way through a dense forest, they come into contact with an injured young girl. Though the others immediately show concern, Kazuma’s enemy detection skill clues him in to her true nature. She is a Tranquility Girl, a plant-like monster who uses her human-like appearance to lure in well-meaning travelers and use them as sustenance. Despite the girl perfectly matching the description laid out by Kazuma, the girls refuse to harm a hair on her head, and even Kazuma is forced to show mercy when confronted by her pitiful tears.
In the end, the party leave without killing the girl, convinced that she means no harm. Realizing that the girl lived close to the temple, Kazuma rushes back by himself to tell her not to harm any monks that might be in the area. However, he instead catches the girl with her guard down, as she reveals her true personality to be completely rotten. As the Tranquility Girl monologues about how to trick other travelers, Kazuma sneaks up behind her. Realizing her ruse was revealed, the Tranquility Girl tries to get Kazuma to keep her true nature a secret, but he immediately refuses.
A Sudden Invitation
A Lost Treasure And A New Call To Adventure
While watching the Tranquility Girl’s monologue about food, Kazuma saw her pull up a corpse with a mallet in its possession. Kazuma takes the mallet for himself, hoping it will earn him some money. When he returns to the party, Aqua’s attention is immediately taken by the mallet, and when they get into a fight over her trying to touch it, a few coins drop to the ground. They soon realize that the coins appear whenever the mallet is swung, meaning they essentially have an infinite source of income.
The party immediately return to Axel, with Kazuma being so elated over his discovery that not only has he given up on being a monk, but even his trauma over Sylvia hardly bothers him anymore. However, the mallet is immediately stolen by Chris, Darkness’s thief friend. Devastated, Kazuma and Aqua swear off adventuring for good, only for the party to be visited by Hagen, butler to the Dustiness family. Hagen explains that Darkness’s noble privilege is in danger of being revoked, and delivers a letter inviting the four of them to the royal palace from the first princess, Iris.
Ultimately, this was a strong first episode that built on story threads explored in the movie while introducing new plot elements to keep people excited about the new season. What’s Chris going to do with the magic mallet? What business does the princess have with Kazuma? Furthermore, is there going to be more development between Kazuma and Megumin? There’s a lot for this season to go through, and hopefully, it’ll bring it all to a satisfying ending.
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