19 January 2016: Pleasantly surprised by Dimension W and Konosuba
Belldandy, this ain't.
If you at least skim my half-assed preview for the winter 2016 anime season, you'll notice I basically had no expectations for Dimension W or Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!, hereinafter Konosuba). Although I've only seen two episodes of the former and one of the latter so far, both shows are solidly entertaining. This is mostly thanks to their execution rather than their subject matter.
Mira follows the Multi school of body language.
Dimension W offers up a good amount of science fiction and mystery but has provided insufficient information thus far for the viewer to fully understand what's going on. However, the setting is neither incomprehensible nor filled with ridiculous bullshit delivered in the form of expository dumps. There's just enough information doled out to be interesting without sonorously explaining too much. The show also eases its generally serious tone with welcome lighter moments. For example, the mysterious thief from episode two, Loser, employs many of the same silly tropes as Kaito Kid from Detective Conan.
I wonder if Kazuma is going to be stuck wearing a chav suit for his
entire show like Saito was throughout Zero no Tsukaima.
Lightheartedness is also what saves Konosuba from being yet another insipid "trapped in a fantasy world" anime. It's not quite a parody, but it does recognize this premise is quite tired by this point and wisely avoids playing it straight. Konosuba is also peppered with a good amount of situational and visual gags, but doesn't wear them out with the endless repetition or overemphasis typical of most anime comedies. There's also a nice amount of chemistry between Kazuma and Aqua. It helps that Amamiya Sora appears to be having a bit of fun with her role. As a result, Aqua comes across as quite fetching, at least during Konosuba's first episode.
Everyone loves this montage.
Both Dimension W and Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! are fun to watch. While neither is anywhere as good as Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (nor likely as good as ERASED: Boku dake ga Inai Machi, which I'm not currently watching but understand is well-regarded), there is a place for these less serious shows. The delicious Dagashi Kashi is certainly my dessert anime of choice after a heavy Rakugo main course, but I think I've got room on my plate for Dimension W and Konosuba, too.
