Playing with Princess Iris

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 Episode 3 was even better than the first two episodes of the season. Princess Iris is adorable and I want to see more of her going forward. Luckily, it looks like that will be the case.

I could have watched an entire episode of Kazuma playing with Iris. Her reactions to everything he said and did were great. And, of course, Kazuma himself is great. I loved the way he acted each morning when he woke up in the castle.

Based on what I saw in this episode, the change in location for this season was the right choice. In Season 2, I started to get a little bored. It didn’t feel different enough from Season 1. Then, we got the Legend of Crimson movie, which took place in the Crimson Demon Village, and that was great.

With this season taking place in the Royal Capital, it feels more like Legend of Crimson than Season 2. What more can be done with Axel at this point? It’s kind of just a staging ground for the party to head out from on different adventures.

The Royal Capital is an entirely new location with new characters, conflicts, and wacky scenarios for our favorite party to get into. That’s very important for comedy series. Comedy stops being funny real fast when the same joke is used too many times. A new setting can prevent that from happening.

More importantly, though, new characters can prevent things from getting too stale. That’s exactly what Princess Iris brings to the table. She’s very different from the three main girls of the series. And, she’s even different from any of the other side characters. She introduces a new dynamic to the series.

Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness to the Rescue

I was kind of expecting Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness to go to the castle to get Kazuma. After all, they need him more than he needs them. Kazuma would be completely fine spending the rest of his days playing with Iris.

But, without Kazuma, the rest of the party doesn’t function. Sure, Aqua’s a powerful Arch Priestess due to being a goddess. Megumin’s the genius of the Crimson Demons and an expert in the most powerful type of magic. And, Darkness is a Crusader who can tank any hit.

However, they all have major character flaws that prevent them from using their full strength. Kazuma’s the one who makes up for that, despite not being very powerful himself. I can’t imagine those three being able to complete a quest without Kazuma there to lead them. It just wouldn’t happen.

Even if they did manage to complete the quest, they’d lose money in the process. Aqua would cause a flood or Megumin would blow the wrong thing up. Then, they’d have to pay for the repairs, just as we saw during the cabbage episode from Season 1.

The fact that Darkness is a noble doesn’t even help, either. Yes, she can technically bail them out. But, that would likely come at the cost of her giving up adventuring herself. She’d have to agree to be married off to some other noble. And, that’s not something any of them want to happen.

What about the big reward the party is expecting to get from the Crimson Demon Village? Well, this is the Crimson Demon Village we’re talking about. Either the reward will never materialize or it won’t be much of a reward at all. I’m guessing it will be some dangerous relic they found in nearby ruins.

Catching the Noble Thief

Okay, so I know I said that the Royal Capital being the new location for this season is a good thing. But, there’s actually something I wanted (and expected) to happen instead. I wanted Kazuma to take Iris on an adventure.

Kazuma told her that she should get out from within the castle walls more often and experience the world. The problem with that is that Iris is a princess. Anywhere she goes, she needs her royal guards with her. That makes it difficult for her to have experiences like Kazuma and his party have.

So, what’s the solution? Well, I thought it would be Kazuma “kidnapping” Iris and bringing her back to Axel. Then, for the rest of the season, she’d be a member of the party before ultimately leaving to go back to the castle.

This wouldn’t change the location in which the series takes place. But, the inclusion of Iris into the party would have shaken things up enough to keep it interesting. That’s what I really wanted to happen; it could still happen to an extent if Iris helps catch the noble thief.

However, at this point, I’m not expecting it anymore. I don’t think she’s going to play a major role. Instead, she’s going to be another supporting character, like Chris. And, speaking of Chris, my prediction is that she’s the noble thief. After all, she’s the only thief character we know.

The last time we saw her, she pickpocketed an item that produced gold coins from Kazuma. That happened in Axel, but there’s no reason she has to always be in Axel. And, in case you forgot, she was originally introduced as Darkness’s friend. So, she could have a connection to nobles herself.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of KonoSuba 3 Episode 3? Are you glad that it looks like the majority of Season 3 is going to take place in the Royal Capital? Do you want Iris to join Kazuma’s party, even if it’s only temporarily? And, who do you think the noble thief is?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

Kazuma’s New Business Venture

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 Episode 2 is officially here. It was unofficially here about two weeks ago when the first two episodes were leaked. But, I held off watching it until now. I prefer watching the episodes when they actually air.

If you’re someone who watched the episode early. Well, it looks like you’ll have to wait one week longer than the rest of us for Episode 3 because that one wasn’t leaked. Was it worth it? I don’t see how it would be.

Anyway, at the start of Episode 2, we see Kazuma’s new business venture in partnership with Wiz’s shop. In one of the previous seasons, we saw him bring the kotatsu to this world. Now, he’s brought another piece of modern comfort: lighters. That’s right, the days of carrying around flint to start fires are over!

When you think about it, Kazuma should really be focusing on these business ventures if he wants to be rich. He has all this knowledge of technology from our world that he could recreate. He’s also always complaining about the danger he’s put in when adventuring. So, why not quit and become an inventor?

It’s not like he has to be an engineer to be successful at this. There are plenty of simple objects he could reproduce — or have others reproduce on his behalf. These inventions also don’t have to be physical objects. They could be businesses.

Imagine how much money Kazuma could make if he opened a maid cafe featuring Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness. Well, okay, that might not work out. I wouldn’t actually trust those three to work with my customers. So, the first step may be to ditch them and then work on his business.

Making a Good First Impression

I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting Megumin and Aqua to clean up as well as they did. Darkness makes sense. Despite her personality, she is a member of the nobility. She grew up in that world, so she gets it.

Megumin and Aqua, however, aren’t two who I expect to be able to handle the kind of situation they were put in. But, they did a pretty good job. With the help of Darkness’s maid, they got nice outfits to wear. And, overall, they behaved themselves in front of the princess.

Yes, Megumin still did her chuuni introduction and Aqua tried to perform a party trick. But, they didn’t completely go off the rails, as I expected them to. Megumin didn’t fire off any explosion magic and Aqua didn’t hurl insults at the princess. With that in mind, they made good first impressions.

Even later during the dinner party when Iris insults Kazuma, Megumin doesn’t get involved. She wanted to — she really wanted to. But, she didn’t. Though, I wonder what she would have even done. She didn’t have her staff with her. Can she use explosion magic without it?

Or, was she planning on saying some mean things back to the princess? I could definitely see her doing that. And, not in the same way that Aqua would say mean things to the princess. Aqua wouldn’t do that on behalf of Kazuma. She’d do it for herself.

Also, I wonder why Darkness was so worried about meeting with the princess. In my review of Episode 1, I predicted that the princess might try to steal Kazuma from her. That is what happened. However, I thought that was going to be her plan all along.

Princess Iris Stylish-Sword Belzerg

I don’t know if Princess Iris’s name is supposed to be a Monogatari reference. Or, maybe I’m just Monogatari pilled. But, Iris Stylish-Sword Belzerg definitely has Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade vibes. Stylish-Sword has to be a reference to Heart-Under-Blade, right?

Anyway, Iris wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I wasn’t expecting her to be so young. And, I wasn’t expecting her to be so shy. I assumed she’d be in her late teens or twenties. Perhaps somewhere between Kazuma’s and Darkness’s ages. I’m pretty sure Darkness is a few years older than Kazuma.

Since Iris extended this invitation to Kazuma, I also thought she’d be far more forward. I expected her to be the one engaging him rather than going through her guards as mediators. And, well, as I already said, I don’t see what Darkness was all that worried about.

Of course, in the end, Iris does become a bit more forward. As she and her knights are teleporting away, she grabs Kazuma and brings him with them. Her reason for doing this is that she wants him to tell her more of his adventuring stories. But, where are things going to go from here?

Is Kazuma going to convince her to send him back? He could argue that if she keeps him there, he won’t be able to go on adventures and tell her new stories in the future. Or, are Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness going to launch a rescue mission?

My early prediction is a combination of both. I’m thinking that Kazuma will get Iris to send him back right before the other three head out to save him. However, that might not be the case. The royal castle might be the new setting for much of Season 3.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of KonoSuba 3 Episode 2? What business would you start if you were transported to the world of KonoSuba? How were you expecting the dinner party with the princess to go? And, what do you predict the resolution to Kazuma’s current predicament will be?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 3 is available now.

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?

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about the perks of supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 2 is available now.