Konosuba - Legend of Crimson Review: An Explosion of Laughs

Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! was a blessing on our own world when it initially debuted, and there's been a loud and strong demand for more of this band of misfits ever since the second season came to an end a few years ago. Thankfully the wait is over with the franchise's first feature film effort, Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! - Legend of Crimson, which continues the story of Kazuma's mismatched party with a brand new adventure never seen before. Surprisingly, despite working with a film format and new runtime, Konosuba has not missed a beat.

Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! - Legend of Crimson is a victory lap for the franchise that's also teasing a future burning quite bright. An explosion of laughs, color, and all-around fun, this is a must see movie for fans of the original series and those just looking for a hilarious new fantasy adventure.

When Yunyun arrives with a strange letter teasing that Megumin's home village is under attack and in imminent danger, Kazuma and the party decide to head over to see what's really going on. Soon they realize it's not quite as troubled as it seemed, but that's where the even stranger troubles for them really begin. Legend of Crimson picks up sometime after the second season of the series, but it's not quite important to have prior knowledge of the series.

Thanks to some early scenes highlighting what each member of the Kazuma's party brings to the table in terms of their comedy dynamic and skills, you get the necessary info behind each character to enjoy the narrative. It's skillfully done considering how much it packs into a short time and you still learn all about Kazuma's cynical heroism, Aqua's literal god complex, Darkness' fondness for sadomasochism, and Megumin's flair for dramatic explosions.

With that being said, established fans of the series will enjoy the film all the more. Because while it can be considered a standalone adventure, it's also full of new information about Megumin's home life before she met with Kazuma and the others. This, in turn, leads to a few more intimate character moments that will be slightly more rewarding to those who have already seen the two season series.

Despite it being a couple of years since Konosuba has released an anime adaptation of any kind, it definitely feels like the franchise has not lost any of the pep in its step. There's a fine balance between treating its characters with disrespect and love, and it's something you can really only experience with this franchise. Because the film has such a deep love for its characters, it really has no problem making them as ridiculous as possible for a good laugh.

Characters move with an impressive fluidity, and because there's an inherent sense of ridiculousness throughout, the film has no problem contorting the faces and the bodies of its characters in order to better punctuate a gag with fun visuals. This is especially true for Kazuma, who often combats his lustful ways and gives off a real sense of physical pain as his inner conflicts hilariously become outer ones. This also extends to its fight scenes, which also expand their scope to a feature film level with the colorful personality befitting the franchise.

Due to the nature of it being a feature film without the restrictions of its usual television constraints, there are a few jokes that seem like they go a bit too far, but they by no means ruin the experience. The rhythmic nature of how the dialogue flows from one comedic situation to another keeps things moving at a constantly entertaining pace. It really does just feel like you're hanging out with old friends again.

Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! - Legend of Crimson is all-too appropriately an explosion of all-around fun. Pure laughs, ridiculous situations, and even some impressive character growth rewarding long time fans. If you have any interest in Konosuba, you'll want to check it out.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! - Legend of Crimson is screening in United States theaters as part of Crunchyroll Movie Night on November 12th and 14th with English subtitles.