KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World is an epic and entertaining adventure-comedy. Created by Natsume Akatsuki, Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World features original character designs by Kurone Mishima. Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World features animation production by Drive (KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world! 3, Tying the Knot With an Amagami Sister). The series features theme song performances by Machico (opening), Aki Toyosaki (ending), and Rie Takahashi (ending).

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World is a prequel anime series in the KonoSuba franchise occurring two years prior to the beginning of KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!! (which started the anime franchise). This spin-off prequel will appeal to fans of the original series. Adapted from the Japanese light novel series penned by Natsume Akatsuki, Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World was originally broadcast on Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, TVA, BS11, and SUN. The series first aired in Japan between April 6^th, 2023 and June 22^nd, 2023. Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World features Japanese voice performances by Rie Takahashi and Aki Toyosaki.

Megumin (Rie Takahashi) has one epic mission in her life: to become a successful master of exploding magic and rise to the top. Now that Megumin is attending school at a prestigious magic academy, Magumin meets her fellow classmate Yunyun (Aki Toyosaki). Yunyun and Megumin become rivals against one another while at the magic academy. An unexpected rivalry brings a lot of competition to the forefront of their magical education.

Can Megumin or Yunyun surpass the other and rise through the ranks to the top spot? Adventuring and magic go hand in hand as the two girls learn about exploding magic and master everything there is to learn about it. Monsters and enemies better watch out! Megumin and Yunyun are ready for action. Adventure ho!

The characters on Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World are a huge part of the fun. Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World brings back fan-favorite character Megumin. Megumin is one of the best characters from the KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!! series and it is nice to see a prequel series delving into her character more. The character is charming and a fun part of the anime franchise. Her personality and spunk are a big part of the series appeal (both in the original saga and the prequel).

The character designs by Koichi Kikuta (KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!!, Tamayomi: The Baseball Girls) are well-done. The designs are excellent and certainly fit in line with the original installments from KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!! and there is something to commend in that continuity working well. The designs work nicely in the franchise.

The animation is stellar and one of the best components of the production. The animation direction and art direction add a lot to the production merits. The team of animators involved on the series did a good job with the production aesthetic and providing it with nice and colorful background animation and crisp line art. The art style feels true to the KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!! series and it certainly is worthwhile for series fans.

The score composed by Masato Kōda (KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!!, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill) is another nice component of the production. The original score is engaging and fun. The music adds to the series. The score fits the action well.

Written by Makoto Uezu (KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!!, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero), Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World has fun exploring the prequel setting and adding something on to the narrative from the KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!! anime universe. Fans who adore Megumin will be thrilled to see a focus on the character from the previous saga front-and-center.

Directed by Yujiro Abe (KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world! 3, Tying the Knot With an Amagami Sister), Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World feels tailor-made for fans of the KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world! franchise. The tone is a little lighter in this one, compared to the somewhat more mature tone of the other, but as a prequel adding to the anime franchise it should certainly appeal to its target audience in spades.

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The Blu-ray release features an excellent native high-definition presentation. The encode provides a crisp and colorful presentation of the series animation. The art style is impressive and there are many wonderful elements to the series design that are well-reproduced through the Crunchyroll encode.

Blu-ray continues to reward videophiles with a more impressive presentation. Blu-ray provides higher video bit-rates compared to streaming video services, which tend to provide video with a somewhat more compressed image by comparison. For those seeking the absolute best presentation possible – looking to eek out extra bits in the presentation – the physical format provides a distinct advantage.

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release capably highlights the sound direction by Yoshikazu Iwanami (KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!!, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure). The audio presentation has crisp dialogue – clear and easy to understand. The English dub option has a more expansive surround soundstage with the rear channels utilized more to expand the score and some of the audio effects too. The Japanese language version is limited to 2.0 stereo but the lossless audio is excellent and purists who prefer the original language version won't be disappointed by the results. Subtitles are also well done on the release and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Blu-ray disc format provides lossless audio encoding – with better bit-depth and higher bit-rates compared to streaming video services. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality. For audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts with expensive gear and equipment seeking the best possible audio presentation, Blu-ray provides a distinct advantage over streaming services.

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique artwork that is different from the key artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. For physical media fans who love additional artwork, the extra artwork highlighted on the slipcover adds an extra level of quality to the package and the presentation – the set will look great on a shelf and in hand.

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World includes the following on disc extras:

Promo Videos (HD, 00:45)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Unfortunately, the supplemental package for Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World isn't as robust as one might hope to find. The supplemental package would have been nicer with some audio commentaries, cast/crew interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, art galleries, and more added. Supplements can add a lot of value to collectors and fans. A more robust package adds value to ownership.

KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World is a cute and charming prequel anime exploring the beginning origins of Megumin from KonoSuba. Fans of the original and action-adventure enthusiasts may wish to explore the series. The series delves into Megumin and her tale more and fans of the character will appreciate the prequel origin story.

The Blu-ray release offers an impressive native high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The release also includes a nice o-card slipcover on the first print run of the release. Fans of the popular anime franchise KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!! will appreciate this prequel. The earlier seasons are available on Blu-ray by Discotek Media. Fans of the franchise should consider a purchase. Recommended.