Pride always comes before the fall, but, as KonoSuba Season 3 episode 5 shows, that’s a fact of life that means little to Kazuma. As the Devil King’s forces storm the capital one more time, an APB goes out, alerting all adventurers in the city to prepare for battle. And as fellow adventurers hype up Kazuma as Crunchyroll does the same with Kaiju No. 8, he lets it all go to his head.
No-No Squares
As someone fond of cryptozoology and ufology, nothing grinds my gears more than hearing someone say, “I couldn’t take a picture of it; I just saw it for a minute or two.” Sure, there’s a slight delay due to the shock of what you’re witnessing. But two minutes is a long time. Just ask Kazuma. With his flash black and inner monologue included, it took Eris almost two minutes to answer him. And, like a lot of people, I panicked and wiggled my mouse thinking that my computer was frozen during that scene.
After letting Kazuma know that people’s no-no squares are a “don’t touch” area, she uses his current worry to her benefit by getting him to look for the divine treasures. While she does this, she lets him know she’d only ask someone she trusts. I may not be the best judge of character but telling someone who got no-con frisky with you a day prior that you trust them—I’m not sure about that one. If I were Eris (we all know she’s Chris), I wouldn’t even accept a sealed bottle from the guy.
Failing Does Not Equal Failure
What I love the most about KonoSuba is that it has an honesty not usually seen in anime or any medium for that part. It shows that despite being a menace to society and being unhinged, as long as you have redeeming qualities, people will love and care for you. And Kazuma, despite having had all the bravado in the world and failing to do anything worthy of praise, still gets welcomed with open arms by Iris and his party.
As Kazuma makes his way back to his temporary castle room and throws Megumin on the bed, they’re interrupted by Iris, who, as fate would have it, has one of the items he’s now supposed to be looking for. Kazuma, realizing this and not bothering to think about the consequences of reading the inscription on a magical item that’s in Japanese, triggers the item and causes him to switch bodies with Iris.
In some religions and meta-physical arguments, one’s body would be only its parts. More abstract elements, like personality traits and memories, are part of one’s soul. In these cases, reincarnation or life after death is a possibility. Then, the transfer of one’s soul to another body should also be a possibility.
As KonoSuba Season 3 episode 5 heads toward its end, Kazuma and Iris eagerly come to terms with that possibility. They decide they’ll enjoy things that are normally out of reach. Iris will see the world that lies outside her gilded walls. Kazuma will use his newfound authority to put a smile on his face and joy in his heart and does so by luring Lalatina and Claire into an immodest situation.
KonoSuba Season 5 Episode 3 Wrap-Up
Taken at face value, KonoSuba could even be called cringeworthy. From heavy innuendos to sexually offensive jokes, it can offend. But, as previously mentioned, it’s an honest show, and I’d argue that we need more of those. Can a person have questionable or even problematic personality traits? Yes. Can that same person have great achievements to their name? Also yes.
Likewise, certain traits in “problematic” individuals let them get farther than those who may not have “problematic” behavior. Things like narcissism and Machiavellianism are useful when climbing corporate ladders. Someone with a lack of empathy and a realpolitik approach to problems is more suited to come to a logical decision than someone with heavy emotions. Kazuma, as a character, can actually do the things he does because he’s not approaching the situations he finds himself in with a pure heart. And the fact that he’s lauded for his achievements and consoled when he fails might really bug some people, but personally, I think it’s a breath of fresh air.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
© Natsume Akatsuki, Kurone Mishima / KADOKAWA / KonoSuba Production Committee
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