KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 Episode 1 Review

Kazuma Becomes a Monk

The gang is back in KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 Episode 1. And, it was a good first episode. Even after all this time, KonoSuba is still as funny as it’s always been. But, Kazuma was the one who stole the show in this episode.

I hope you watched the Legend of Crimson movie because this season is a direct sequel to that, not Season 2. In that movie, Kazuma & co. protected the Crimson Demon Village from Sylvia of the Demon Lord’s Eight Generals.

In case you didn’t watch it or forgot, Sylvia is a chimera who has both male and female genitalia. And, that’s the trauma Kazuma was dealing with in this episode. Kazuma thought he was going to get laid by Sylvia only to find out that he was the one who was going to get penetrated.

That trauma, combined with his lack of success with other women, led Kazuma to make a radical decision. He’s going to give up adventuring and become a monk. He doesn’t care what denomination he follows as long as it’s not the Axis Sect (Aqua’s church).

As you might expect, this decision doesn’t go down well his his companions. Megumin has a crush on Kazuma, so wants him to stick around. The same is true for Darknes. And, Aqua needs Kazuma to defeat the Demon Lord so she can return to heaven. However, none of them bring up these reasons.

Instead, Megumin and Darkness talk about how much fun it’s been with the four of them together. Meanwhile, in classic Aqua fashion, Aqua ridiculed Kazuma and said he’d come home within a day. As a monk, Kazuma wouldn’t be able to drink, which Aqua knows will be a dealbreaker for him.

Tranquility Girls

In this first episode, we’re introduced to a new type of monster: Tranquility Girls. These are plant-based monsters that take the form of cute girls in need of help. They use their appearance to lure in adventurers before killing them. They then bury the bodies beneath their roots for nutrients.

Kazuma and his companions come across a Tranquility Girl on their way from Axel to the nearby monastery. And, when they do, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness want to help her. But, Kazuma isn’t falling for the monster’s trick.

He tells the others that she’s a monster and that his enemy detection skill is going crazy. At first, they believe him. However, the Tranquility Girl begins to look at them with pleading eyes and even starts to cry. So, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness decide that Kazuma’s just being his usual mean self. Surely, he’s wrong about this girl.

At this point, I was really hoping for the Tranquility Girl to reveal her true nature/form. I thought she would transform into some kind of carnivorous plant. Or, that it would be revealed that the girl is nothing more than a lure on the monster’s much larger body.

But, neither of those things happened — at least, not right away. Instead, the Tranquility Girl speaks and says that she hopes she’s reborn as a human after Kazuma kills her. And, that line was enough to thaw even Kazuma’s ice-cold heart. He decides not to kill the monster and the quartet continue on their way to the monastery.

As we saw, though, Kazuma doubles back because he figures he can make a deal with the monster. He’ll bring her food if she promises not to attack any travelers. But, that’s when he finds out about her true personality.

The Gang Heads to the Princess’s Dinner Party

At the end of the episode, we get a glimpse of what the rest of this season is probably going to be about. Kazuma, via Darkness, receives a letter of invitation from the first princess, Iris.

She’s heard about his exploits in defeating some of the Demon Lord’s Eight Generals. And, she wants to hear more of his heroic tales in person. So, she’s invited him to a dinner party, presumably at the castle. Aqua and Megumin also assume they’re invited, though this isn’t stated.

It’s clear from Darkness’s reaction that she and Iris don’t get along. In fact, it might be that Iris invited Kazuma specifically because he’s one of Darkness’s companions. Darkness says that if things go wrong, Kazuma could be beheaded. But, I have a feeling that’s not what she’s actually worried about.

What this could be is a case of Iris trying to steal Kazuma from Darkness. With what little information we have, that’s my prediction. And, I have a feeling that Iris isn’t going to be thrilled with Kazuma bringing three women along with him.

However, more than anything, this sounds like the setup for the gang having to take down another of the Eight Generals. It’s possible that Iris is going to request that Kazuma defeat another one — or the Demon Lord himself. But, I could also see it being that one of the Eight Generals attacks this dinner party.

Regardless of what happens at this dinner party, I think it’ll be what ignites the main plot of this season. Yes, I know there’s not that much plot in KonoSuba. It does still have a plot, though. The plot is the thread that connects all the wild situations the gang finds themselves in.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of KonoSuba 3 Episode 1? Are you disappointed that Kazuma didn’t even make it to the monastery before turning back? How did you think the Tranquility Girl reveal was going to happen? And, what are your predictions for the dinner party with the princess?

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My review of Episode 2 is available now.