By Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima. Released in Japan as “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

Sometimes, as a writer, you get a great idea. It’s terrific, it works well as a character piece, and it’s also hilarious. There’s just one slight problem – it’s only about 45-50 pages long, and you’re writing a novel. So you put the idea in the middle of the book and hope for the best. That’s basically what we get with this 15th volume of KonoSuba. The scenes with Kazuma under Serena’s control are possibly some of the most hilarious in the entire series, Especially if you enjoy watching Kazuma behave like an utter asshole. Which I assume you do, as you’re reading a review of Vol. 15 of this series. The rest of the book is okay, but it feels just not quite as spectacular. It doesn’t help that it’s trying to set up a serious arc for the series’ least serious character, which means that we’re supposed to care about how she’s feeling at the same time as we admire her total uselessness. But then, that’s what KonoSuba does.

The Demon King’s army is not what it once was, and so Serena, one of its last demon generals, is trying to make a deal with Kazuma to just relax and take it easy and not attack the Demon King, something Kazuma is pretty much fine with. Unfortunately, Serena can’t resist not only turning the adventurers into the town into her loyal puppets, but also smugly lording it over Kazuma, gloating about the fact that he’s not as uncaring as he’s said. So he decides to take back his deal, and starts working to do what he does best – humiliate her till she gives in. Unfortunately, the reason this is happening is because the Demon Lord’s army really is making its move and attacking the capital – they’ve even asked the Crimson Magic Clan to help! (No, not you, Megumin.) That said, what may be the most important takeaway we see here is that with Aqua being down here, there’s no one who can be sly enough to trick dead Japanese boys to reincarnating here… which is bad news for the heroes’ strength.

So yes, the chapter with Kazuma under Serena’s control is marvelous, and you’re just unsure enough about whether he’s faking it or not that it keeps you guessing. It’s a very tiny difference between Kazuma being scum and being total scum, and Serena has been just enough of a jerkass herself that we are amused at everything that happens to her. As for Aqua, it’s not a secret that she’s not my favorite, though I do like the fact that she’s not a romantic interest for Kazuma. I do think the idea that the world is failing precisely because Aqua is here rather than up in heaven being a shyster is an excellent one, and I wonder if that might be part of her gloom. The book has a scene near the end where she asks if Kazuma regrets reincarnating here, and it’s almost heartwarming. It almost makes me wonder if the next book will be more serious.

I doubt it, because this is KonoSuba. Still, we’ve only two more to go after this one. If it’s going to trick its readers with drama, now’s the time. Till then, enjoy Kazuma being the worst puppet slave ever.

By Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima. Released in Japan as “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alex Wetnight.

After three volumes that act as a prequel to the main series, and two volumes that give us the further adventures of Megumin trying to adventure with a different group of characters, we have finally come to the end of her spinoff. There are, of course, still a number of KonoSuba spinoffs out there, albeit unlicensed. Heck, even in Japan it’s hard to keep up with the source – one story in this volume has the author apologize in the afterword, as it brings back an antagonist from a preorder bonus story. So it’s not just English speakers who can’t keep up. More to the point, rejoice! This volume takes place after Book 14, meaning that for once, we’re getting a spinoff volume exactly where it should be. As for the premise? Well, I mean, wacky Megumin antics, for the most part, what do you expect? But mostly it’s about Megumin realizing that, much as she has fun with her side story adventuring party, there’s no party quite like home.

Megumin wants to go out and adventure, but it’s the rainy season, and Kazuma, Aqua and Darkness really don’t want to. Particularly Kazuma, which annoys her, as they’re supposed to be a couple. Clearly it’s time to get the side character band back together: Yunyun, who may be the next chief of the Crimson Magic Clan but still will walk down a suspicious dark alley with three burly dudes if they say they’ll be her friend; Iris, who is determined to go out and be a hero even though the slightest thing harming her will mean execution for the rest of the party; and Cecily, who… ugh, must we? They meet an eccentric scholar with a passion for rare monsters and a desire to impress the woman he likes, and so try to defeat a King Toad (much larger than the toads we’ve seen before) and a poison slime (which is not Cecily’s fault technically, but let’s blame her anyway) before Kazuma finally shows up with the rest of the team and they take on a Crystal Liger, its magpie tendencies, and its poop.

First, the most important part of any KonoSuba book: the book is quite funny, with a lot of good gags. As always, Megumin and Yunyun trade off the position of “the only one with common sense” throughout the book, though more accurately Yunyun has it 75% of the time. She and Iris manage to take down a wyvern on their own, though we don’t see it, and I think she’s going to be a powerhouse once she gets over her pathetic insecurities about friends. Getting away from Megumin might also help. As for the title character, as I noted above, this book serves to show to her that it’s most fun back with Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness. More to the point, she finds she does not like being the leader of a party, and feels sympathy for Kazuma… though I assume that will vanish when she gets to go back to being the loose cannon we know and love.

So that’s it for the spinoff. Fortunately, we have more of the main series coming in the fall. Till then, Megumin fans should enjoy this.

By Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima. Released in Japan as “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

Possibly the funniest part of this book is when Kazuma and Megumin end up getting chased in the woods by one of the villains, and while trying not to spoil too much, said villain’s mission is to destroy all “reajuus with harems”. Leaving aside that the publisher/translator is expecting all KonoSuba readers to know what reajuu means, the idea that this describes Kazuma is, at first, hilarious… until you think about it. Isn’t he actually quite content with his life right now? Doesn’t he have a lot of real-life friends, a fulfilling career, and a cute girlfriend? As well as other girls also in love with him? Slowly but surely, Kazuma has become Kirito and no one noticed. That said, technically this is Yunyun’s book… although, because she is Yunyun, most of her plot is spent offscreen and she’s mostly embarrassed. Still, in the end, she achieves her wildest dreams… sort of. Because maybe the real Yunyun wants the friends she meets along the way.

In the last book, also offscreen, Yunyun had Megumin aid her in taking the Crimson Magic Trials to determine the next chief… and both times Megumin blew everything up. It’s not made clear if this was accidental or on purpose, but Yunyun now has only one chance left, so will NOT be taking Megumin this time. Taking first Darkness (disaster, but passed) then Aqua (disaster, but passed), theoretically Kazuma should be helping with the final trial. However, there is a “mad bomber” running around the area who likes to blow up folks that look Japanese, so Megumin – who is absolutely not jealous or making this all up, nosirree – forbids him from doing it. As Yunyun ends up getting “help” from a supporting character we haven’t seen in years (no, not Dust), Kazuma and Megumin try to solve the Mad Bomber problem and also deal with the fact that they’re both very awkward virgins who are not really ready to have sex yet.

This is not the longest story in the world, even for KonoSuba. Indeed, we essentially start the next book in the final chapter, as everyone returns to Axel to find a new priestess, Serena, who claims to be Kazuma’s “fan” and seems to be better than Aqua at, well, everything. It does allow us to have one last fun time with the biggest village full of dramatic dorks ever. Megumin’s mother is all for her daughter getting it on with Kazuma, who has to repeat Megumin’s age a lot (fourteen) to remind himself why he’s not doing this yet. There is a bedroom scene where they get awfully close, as she offers to help “relieve his tension”, but, needless to say, events ensue that prevent this. As for Yunyun, well, she does end up getting her dream come true, but eventually realizes that “Megumin’s greatest rival” is more important to her now than “chief of the clan”. She also gets the second best joke in the book, when an imprisoned and somewhat humiliated Megumin whines at Yunyun, telling her to “go ahead and laugh”, and Yunyun does just that – and points, too.

Given how this book ended, I expect Aqua will be the featured character for the next volume. We’re getting pretty close to the end here. KonoSuba fans should have a lot of fun.