Spin-offs feature popular characters from the original work as the main characters and depict new storylines. But how many spin-offs have you seen so far? Numerous popular characters have appeared as protagonists in spin-off works, supporting the entire series. While this phenomenon wasn't common in the early days of Japanese animation, for production teams unable to secure revenue from anime broadcasts alone, spin-offs often offer commercial benefits, such as boosting merchandise sales by revitalizing character content. Because spin-offs also serve to broaden the boundaries of content, most are designed to be enjoyable even without knowledge of the original work. However, if you want to fully appreciate a spin-off, it's undoubtedly a good idea to read the original work first. So, in this article, I'd like to introduce "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!", the original work behind the spin-off "KonoSuba: Explosion on This Wonderful World!", which has been gaining particular attention in recent years. As mentioned earlier, this work can be enjoyed even without knowledge of the original work, but it's even more enjoyable with knowledge of the original work, so be sure to check it out.
The Original Work is a Web Novel
This work is based on an amateur work originally published on a web novel site. While the appeal of web novel sites is that anyone can easily submit their work, this ease also means that there is a lot of competition, and in most cases, a work must survive an extremely fierce battle to make it to the anime stage. Taking this into consideration, this work, which made it from a web novel to an anime creator, can be said to be of extremely high quality.
Published on Let's Become a Novelist
This work is a so-called "Narou-kei" work, originally published on Let's Become a Novelist, a web novel submission site synonymous with the internet novel site. In addition to this work, Let's Become a Novelist also publishes the original works of many famous anime series, so be sure to check it out.
The paperback edition has been significantly reworked.
While this work is based on the original work published on "Shousetsu ni Narou," it has been significantly reworked for the paperback edition. Therefore, the original work published on "Shousetsu ni Narou" is no longer available, so the only way to enjoy the novel version is to purchase the paperback edition.
A work with an unusual history
Thus, while this work is based on a novel published on "Let's Become a Novelist," it was slightly modified for publication, so it cannot be considered a pure, direct anime adaptation of a web novel. This type of transformation is extremely rare and not seen in other anime works.
A Quick Introduction to the Characters
Now that we've given a brief introduction to the original work, we'd like to introduce the many fascinating characters that appear in this work. Among the many "Narou" works, this is one of the most popular characters, so be sure to check it out.
Kazuma
This character appears as the protagonist of the original work. As is typical of isekai reincarnation stories, he was a NEET character who died in an accident in the real world and was reincarnated in another world. While he is a positive-thinking character, typical of comedy works, he also displays his versatility by playing the straight man role.
Megumin
Megumin is a girl from an extremely powerful family, with most members being skilled magicians. Although she comes from a family with exceptional combat abilities, her Crimson Demon Clan, which is known for its high incidence of chuunibyou (a condition characterized by a chunibyo syndrome), has prevented her from being accepted into any party. Despite this unfortunate treatment, she miraculously ends up joining Kazuma's party.
Aqua
Aqua is the goddess of water. Despite being a goddess, she lacks any presence and is one of the most comical characters in the series. As the goddess of water, she excels at party tricks using water.
Darkness
A female swordsman, Darkness fights on the front lines of Kazuma's party. In the original work, she appears to be a very powerful character, but in reality, she is virtually completely unable to land a hit and is essentially limited to serving as a target for the enemy. While she may seem completely useless at first glance, she possesses a powerful physique and is unaffected by casual attacks. For this reason, she is often used as a shield rather than a swordsman.
The setting is a typical reincarnation-in-another-world setting
Now that we've finished explaining the characters, let's introduce the basic setting of this work. This work doesn't feature many complicated settings, making it a very easy-to-understand reincarnation-in-another-world story. Therefore, even beginners who have never watched an isekai reincarnation story before can fully enjoy it.
A NEET Reincarnates in Another World
This story begins with Kazuma, a NEET, suddenly reincarnated in another world. His cause of death is initially portrayed as being hit by a truck, a typical death for a reincarnated protagonist in another world. However, it is later revealed that Kazuma nearly got hit by the truck and died of a heart attack due to the shock. The ambiguity surrounding this setting is what makes this story so appealing.
Taking the Goddess Involved in His Reincarnation
Kazuma dies and is reincarnated in another world. The goddess explains the circumstances of his reincarnation and where he will be reincarnated. The goddess couldn't bear the ridiculousness of Kazuma's cause of death and teased him, but in the end, she brought it upon herself by dragging him down to his new world.
Use your magic to fight!
Thus, Kazuma and his friends are reincarnated into a world where they can adventure using magic. The townscape is medieval European-style, magic is acquired by allocating accumulated experience points to skills, and quests are accepted at bars—a truly quintessential parallel world.
A Work with a Strong Comedic Aura
The defining feature of this work is undoubtedly its strong comedic influence. Just looking at the setting explained above, it may seem like a typical reincarnation story set in another world, but the greatest appeal of this work is not the setting, but the slapstick love and comedy unfolding among its many charming characters.
Fast-paced development and an exciting story
While the setting and worldview aren't explored in depth, the story features engaging dialogue between characters and a refreshingly fast-paced plot, making it a work that anyone can enjoy.
A Variety of Characters
Each character in this series is especially popular and uniquely portrayed. Even if you don't know the story, many people probably know the characters.
The Signature Character is Megumin!
This series has gained popularity thanks to the many fascinating characters that appear in it. Among all the characters, Megumin is the one who has garnered overwhelming popularity.
Chuunibyou
Megumin is one of the most chuunibyou characters in the series, often making painfully poignant poses and uttering lines. Kazuma's comments about her awful behavior are a staple of the series.
There's also a strong push for Megumin-focused movie screenings!?
Megumin's unique personality and her universally appealing, adorable appearance have earned her overwhelming support. She has become a highly-prized character, even receiving a Megumin-focused feature film. Given this trend, it's only natural that a spinoff series starring her would be created.
The Heroine Most Deserved of This Series
With her unique personality and adorable appearance, Megumin is arguably the character who best embodies the series' distinctive features. While every character is cute and unique, no other female character captures her unique personality as well as she does, making her the perfect heroine for this series.
Summary
So, what did you think? This article introduced some basic knowledge from the original work to help you enjoy "KonoSuba: Explosions on this Wonderful World!" even more. As explained in the main story, the appeal of this work lies above all in the many fascinating characters that appear, so be sure to pay attention to the many fascinating characters who surround the main character, Megumin, in this spin-off work as well!! !
