The following content contains spoilers from Konosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World! Season 1, episode 2, currently streaming onCrunchyroll.
Megumin has everything planned out. She dreams of world domination and has found the effective tool to obtain such a feat; now she just needs to learn how to use it. Enrolling atthe local “wizarding school"seems like the next best step towards becoming an Explosion magic expert, or at least, so she thought.
The education system at the Red Prison is evidently warped and clearly does not prioritize teaching the aspiring mages how to effectively wield magic. However, although Megumin’s education experience has been all-talk no-action, she and her classmates finally get a taste of power in Season 1, episode 2 ofKonosuba: An Explosion On This Wonderful World!
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Chuunibyou First, Competency Later
The Crimson Demon Clan are instantly recognizable, and not only because of their blood-red eyes and sorcery aficionado. One could pick a Crimson Demon out of a lineup based purely on their characteristics, which are eccentric, theatrical, and quintessentially Chuunibyou. So whilebeing an all-powerful magecertainly has its perks, this clan of misfits is more concerned with howcoolthey look while doing it! Having the appropriate suave and flair while conducting business is more important than practical magic methods, which Pucchin makes very clear to these ambitious ladies during their introductory classes.
Atypical lecture from Pucchinsounds like this:
“Arue, For the Crimson Demons, why are grammar and vocabulary important?”
“To prevent the appearance of strange aliases like ‘Flame User of Exploding Flame’. Also, to present an interesting monologue before a battle and hype up the mood.”
“One hundred points! Yes!”
To Megumin’s dismay, the Red Prison’s lesson plans rarely revolve around learning actual spellwork or increasing their magic potential, just all the other bells and whistles. Like practicing surfing on the beach, and never actually making it into the water. Besides striking the perfect pose while producing a witty, egotistical introduction, the girls' greatest challenge so far has been rounding up a bunch of rogue flowers. At this rate, can Megumin ever reach the mysterious Goddess' level and fulfill her dreams of world domination?
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AlthoughMegumin is evidently a natural-born Chuunibyou,all eyes tend to fall on Arue, the perfect student who has her bases covered (and most importantly, isn’t preoccupied with all this Explosion Magic nonsense.) She is aloof yet engaging, stylish, confident, and not easily caught off guard, not to mention Arue always has the perfect one-liner tucked away in her back pocket. So, even though she is technically the third-ranking student in the class, her impeccable Chuunibyou instincts score huge brownly points, especially with the impressed adults. Surprisingly, even though Megumin is her direct competitor, Arue elects to team up with the little wannabe witch as the class goes on their first so-called training mission.
The Crimson Demon Augmentation Surge
Pucchin has been dawdling with his seemingly low-reward lessons, and probably had no sense of urgency considering that everything is relatively peaceful; preparing for conflict with gusto seems like a waste of energy. However, the barrier of protection has unexpectedly started weakening, allowing the sinister reach of the Tomb of the Dark Lord to encroach upon their village. It’s time tokick these girls into action,and quickly, as the monsters are approaching at an alarming rate. But how can these inexperienced youngsters shape up in such a short time? Why, by cheating, of course!
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Obviously, Pucchin doesn’t see any problem with takingshortcuts for the sake of progress.He sees no shame in overpowering a relatively defenseless creature and encasing it in ice, trapping it in place, and urging the kids to slaughter the “monster” in cold blood. Guaranteed success, no sweat, no fuss! Even though this episode is titled “The Magic Academy’s Taboo” this procedure is evidently a common practice among clan members, as it even has its own name: Crimson Demon Augmentation Surge (which suggests that “Taboo” may be referring to something else entirely.)
Megumin: Taking No Prisoners
The task may be a bit easier for those with reptilian-looking targets that are easier to antagonize, however, many of the girls have been paired up with cute and cuddly critters. As to be expected, Megumin and Arue have no qualms with completing the task and are thrilled at the opportunity to raise their magic stats so significantly with such little effort. Each student gets to choose an elaborate, oversized weapon (that is basically just props to make the girls look good, which Yunyun ineloquently points out sonotChuunibyou!) Thebloodlust takes hold of Megumin, who bounces around looking for more victims while Yunyun, Funifura, Dodonko, and many others are overpowered by their moral compasses.
Although Megumin shows no mercy to the charming monsters, it would be unfair to claim that she has no compassion at all, considering how deeply she cares for her sister and the lengths she has gone to adopt (and rescue) her kitty. So while the Crimson Demon Augmentation Surge ceremony paints Megumin in a rather unflattering light, her reaction is actually more indicative of how ambitious this feisty pyromaniac truly is.
“As sad as it makes me, this is our fate as Crimson Demons, whose lives are a battlefield.”
Even at a tender young age, she is well aware that sacrifices must be made to reach greatness.
