Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Volume 3 Review
In the last volume of Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Megumin and Yunyun overcame the great threat to their village and both graduated from the magic academy. Now Megumin has chosen to set out on a grand adventure, but will it all go to plan? Let’s find out in Volume 3!
This volume begins with Megumin swapping her uniform for the red robe, cape and eye patch that fans of the Konosuba series know her for. After bidding farewell to her sister and promising to become the strongest of wizards, Megumin asks her friends to teleport her to the City of Arcanletia where her adventure will begin.
The City of Arcanletia is known for its hot springs, managed by the Axis Church (fans will recognise this as the religion of which Aqua is the god). Megumin’s ultimate goal is to make it to the beginners’ town of Axel, but first she needs to make money! Unwilling to lean on the power of her explosion magic, Megumin decides to try out some jobs involving labour but soon finds it tricky to hold one down…
Penniless and without a roof over her head, Megumin eventually ends up helping out the Axis Church and being invited to stay there by priestess Cecily. Megumin offers to work in exchange for their kindness and Cecily ropes her into helping convert people to their faith. While on the job Megumin begins to realise how crazy the Axis Church is and vows never to join the religion herself. Will she ever earn the money to escape this crazy town?
This volume of Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! feels like it’s been written for existing Konosuba fans more than any other volume of the spin-off so far. The City of Arcanletia is one the anime visited in Season 2 (Volume 4 of the light novels), and if you’ve made it up to Volume 8 of the light novels you’ll already be acquainted with Cecily. That isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but it does create a bit of a disconnect between readers who may not be as up to date with everything in the Konosuba franchise compared to those who are.
For the existing fans who are up-to-date, this volume proves an entertaining read that perfectly captures the unique humour Konosuba offers. The Axis Church is often one of the best bits of the series and if nothing else, it’s nice to have them fleshed out a little more. In-between chapters there are interludes focused on Cecily and her daily routine, which is an insightful read if you like the character.
This volume of Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! comes to the West thanks to Yen Press and has been translated by Kevin Steinbach. The translation reads well and is problem-free. If you’ve been on the lookout for the original light novels for this spin-off, then you’ll be pleased to know that Yen Press has also just released Volume 1 of those!
While I remain unconvinced that the series needed to run for more than the previous two volumes, I am enjoying what it offers. Megumin fans will continue to have a blast following her adventures in Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Volume 3.
