Who Would Like this Anime?
It’s the same as season 1, but better. Nothing more to say, really.
Translation Where?
I went with Chihiro’s 1080p release, since I couldn’t find any better BD version. It’s not overedited, looks decent, and at times is even a stickler for details. I really liked it and can recommend going for this release.
Visuals
KonoSuba season two seemingly saw a boost in budget and hence production value. The visuals are a fair notch above of what season 1 put on display and this time I’d go as far as saying that it’s one of the more beautiful animes I’ve seen recently (which doesn’t necessarily mean much, but hey). Definitely a step forward in animation quality, level of detail, and sharpness. Delicious.
Conclusion
A lot of things from the first season of KonoSuba still apply to season two – it’s still the same series, after all. There are hardly any new characters.
It’s still the same quality humor, if not better. The punchlines hit hard, the jokes have great delivery. Easily one of the funniest comedy anime I’ve seen in a while, maybe even the funniest anime I’ve ever seen; not by far, but it might just be the best.
In season two, some characters get a bit more depth handed to them. You get to know a tad about Darkness’s background, a tad about Wiz’s former mates, and at long last you get to know Aqua’s worshippers and what they are truely like. Sadly – especially in Darkness’s case – the background stories are more of glimpses: too short. While Darkness is missing for a bunch of episodes, all you get are small teasers of what’s going on on her side. The actual “Darkness Arc” then lasts for merely one episode, it’s good, but I wanted to see more. The same goes for Wiz: I said you get to see her former teammates, but practically it’s a few lines about how she knows certain dude from when she was with the Demon King’s army, not even a flashback for her. It’s better than nothing, but barely so. At least you get to know what kind of caliber Wiz really is. Aqua, or rather “The Order of Axis,” however, get a whole bunch of episodes; a welcome and refreshing experience. Of course they’re a… special kind, and things don’t go the way Aqua would like them to, but you get a good idea of how Aqua, Aqua of all people can actually be a goddess once you see her followers. Anyway, that’s a lot more depth compared to season one.
The worldbuilding’s a mixed bag. Giving The Order of Axis a spotlight certainly helps, as does the introduction of other demon army generals, but I still don’t know jack about landmarks, where exactly stuff happens, the relations and scale of things. How close are they to the frontline? Where are they questing? Is the city they’re in a big one? Are there bigger ones? How close are they to the capital if there is one? A map of sorts to put stuff in perspective would help; me at least. For example, what comes to mind is a short travel sequence on which you see their progress on a half-transparent map, if that makes sense.
Another big improvement are the visuals. Season one looked weird a lot of times, scenes were kinda detailed when the picture hardly moved but overly sterile in moving scenes or open areas. Now, however, everything’s fairly detailed, neatly animated, and there wasn’t one scene that struck me as low-budget. KonoSuba season two looks good at its worst and great at its best. The up in budget and hence production value is apparent. There’s also some subtle usage of 3D models, like for carts. It’s nonintrusive and if anything, it makes the scene look smoother than it would’ve with handdrawn animations. Also, I recommend the 1080p version, it’s worth it.
All in all, KonoSuba season two is a comedy you shouldn’t miss out on. To me, it merely has two minor issues: There could be more worldbuilding as well as character backstories. If you’re allergic to ecchi stuff, you might experience a bunch of cringey moments; I, for one, didn’t mind the extent and frequency of the ecchi in KonoSuba season two – it’s from Japan, for God’s sake. I’ll give season two a great 9 out of 10. A must-see for anyone who’s into comedy and fantasy, even if you’re not much of an ecchi lover. If anything, its greatest flaw is that, right now, there’s not more of it. Really leaves you thirsty for more.
Rating 9/10
