Konosuba | The Chuuni Corner

November 28, 2017

Review/discussion about: KonoSuba Season 2

KonoSuba Season 2 / Episode 6 / Aqua, Kazuma, Darkness, and Megumin together

A hilarious, still-not-useless sequel

During a sequel trip to Disney, my family and I visited Disney Springs (which will forever be Downtown Disney to me). In my teal polo, white hat, and matching white shorts, I looked, dare I say, dashing.

I wasn’t there to strut my stuff, though. Instead, we sat down and dug into some delectable Ghirardelli sweets, making excuses about ignoring our calorie count. When the last morsel of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream settled in my belly, we began walking back to the bus station. It didn’t take long, however, for a drunk man somewhere in the crowd of people to holler out in a North-American-Southern accent.

“Ha! You dun crapped your pants!”

People started to stare, and a little girl pointed – everything directed at me. I had no idea what was going on until my younger brother chimed in. Apparently, the spot on the bricked enclosure where I sat to eat my ice cream also had a small chocolate surprise of its own to share.

The brown leftovers smeared onto my white shorts, giving the drunkard and the onlookers a mishap to behold. When we finally understood what all the hubbub was about, we all started laughing. My family huddled around me like a football formation to protect my backside from any more interested eyes, and no shortage of bathroom humor left our mouths that night.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2 (or KonoSuba Season 2 for short) prompted me to share a Disney-related anecdote since the first season made me do the same. Thankfully, it also brought along more of its comedy gold.

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October 10, 2016

Banjo’s Top 10 Winter 2016 Anime

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans / Episode 1 / The first appearance of the Gundam Barbatos

And the winners of Winter 2016 are…

Not too long ago, I had a conversation with one of my uncles about films. We were watching Pixar’s Up at the time, and he said something that caused us to get into a (calm) argument.

“Animated stuff will never make for top-tier experiences.”

It is his belief that films like Schindler’s List and Rain Man will always be better than something like Toy Story or Finding Nemo — simply because the former are “real” while the latter aren’t.

Obviously, I disagreed.

How could I not? While the conversation was geared at computer-generated animation, my mind instantly went to anime. It’s the same principle. Yes, anime about giant, metal balls or high-school kids competing with hover boots may not be the next All About Eve. But anime has the capacity to tell intricate stories. The rationality to explore relatable characters. The ability to simply be downright fun.

I could not change his viewpoint (which I tried to do), but, through our small debate, I grew even more fond of this medium that I have come to adore so much.

So it is that, on this day, we look back on the Winter 2016 anime season to reflect on the best of the best, those that prove anime (and other animated media) can be and are top-tier experiences.

This time around, twenty-two anime showed up to fight for a spot. Ten succeeded, but only one claimed the title of Best Anime of Winter 2016.

Before diving into the list, it is important to know two ideas: what counts and the reasoning behind everything.

First, I am an advocate of an anime counting in the season in which it completed. Meaning, whether it is fantastic or not, something like Assassination Classroom Second Season has no place here despite starting in Winter 2016. On the opposite end, an anime like Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen does have a shot since it concluded in Winter 2016 despite starting the season prior.

Meaning, if you do not see Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen here on my list, that means I either did not see it or it was simply not good enough. (It’s the latter!)

I’m going to repeat this statement one more time: An anime counts if it completed in Winter 2016.

Some of my wonderful readers miss this important detail that I adhere to, so, now having said it twice, I get to call them goofballs should that happen again (here and forever after).

Second, each anime has a personalized review that demonstrates why it deserves to be here in the first place. Simply click on an anime’s name to be linked to its review to read my complete thoughts on it. For every review that I wrote for this season, follow this link to my Winter 2016 Reviews page!

With all of the introductions, formalities, and rules out of the way, it is time to get to my Top 10 Winter 2016 Anime!

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September 20, 2016

Review/discussion about: KonoSuba

KonoSuba / Episode 8 / Aqua, Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness arriving at the mansion in need of exorcising

The opposite of useless

That night, as I started to drift off to sleep, my brain spoke to me. You forgot to brush your teeth. Gross, dude. I got up, half-groggy, and started to make my way to the bathroom. I was unfamiliar with the room’s layout, and it was dark, so I fumbled and felt for the door.

Once inside, I turned on the lights and began to brush my teeth. My eyes weren’t open, and I was barely conscious. Both of which made the sound of a door opening behind me that much more nerve-racking.

When I looked in the mirror, I saw my father sitting on the toilet in the bathroom closet. I stared at him, dumbfounded, wondering what in the world he was doing.

My father only said a single word: “Hellooooo!”

I laughed so hard, toothpaste sprayed across the counter. My father started to laugh uncontrollably, too. Our combined laughter woke up my mother and my two siblings. Upon seeing me foaming at the mouth and leaning over the sink, and John squatting on the john, they couldn’t help but laugh as well. It was a happy beginning to a truly happy vacation.

I don’t fully know what prompted my father to push open his door and say hi, but his ridiculous decision led to comedy genius. Thankfully for KonoSuba, it likewise made the right decisions.

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September 15, 2016

KonoSuba and Comedy Through Theory

Konosuba / Episode 3 / Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness sitting down for dinner following the mass-cabbage attack

What makes something comedic?

What do you call a Japanese upperclassman who is good at math?

Sen-pi.

That’s a variation of a joke I found on a discussion thread where people provided anime-related funnies. I like the joke. It’s short, contains wordplay, and uses a vital mathematical concept. But for others, the joke falls as flat as a circle.

Why is that? What makes one person grin at a joke or a pie to the face while the next person barely reacts at all?

Take another example: KonoSuba. Hilarious characters and silly situations turn it into a really funny anime. At least, to many of those that have watched the show, including myself.

The question still lingers: why? What makes KonoSuba so gosh darn funny? And for others, what makes KonoSuba not so funny?

The following essay will, with KonoSuba‘s help, investigate comedy — where it came from, why it works, and how it gets applied. Hopefully, by the end of this piece, you will not only have a better appreciation of comedy but also a better appreciation of KonoSuba overall.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

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