Ren was quite pleased with Tom and Jerry, but the second new work left him feeling a bit disappointed.
It wasn't that it was bad; the second work was Noragami. In his past life, Ren had really enjoyed this series, especially the character Bishamon, who had beauty and strength.
However, the issue was that Noragami was heavily inspired by Japanese mythology and its deities, the Kami of Takamagahara, making it distinctly Japanese in style. Unless someone from Japan asked him to create such a manga, Ren wasn't inclined to work on a story so rooted in Japanese culture.
Ren flipped past Noragami and looked at the third new work, raising an eyebrow.
Do you know what blue represents?
Is it like Rem's devotion to Subaru, a symbol of true love?
No, blue also represents something else: silliness.
By now, many might have guessed. Yes, the third work was KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!.
Unlike Cautious Hero, which hid a deep and dark storyline beneath its silliness, KonoSuba was pure comedy from start to finish.
It stood apart from most isekai (another world) stories.
Whether in his past life or this one, isekai stories were incredibly popular. But behind this popularity, many isekai stories suffered from being repetitive and similar.
Cautious Hero had gained fans in this world not just because it was an isekai story, but because it broke away from typical isekai tropes with constant twists and turns.
KonoSuba was unique as well. Most isekai stories followed one of two paths.
One path had the protagonist achieving great dreams or ambitions in the other world, like defeating the Demon King or returning to their original world. These dreams could take many forms.
The other common path was the protagonist gathering a harem in the new world.
But KonoSuba was different. It didn't follow a traditional story structure. There was no clear main plot, no harem-building, just lighthearted, comedic adventures.
The characters were richly developed, making them unforgettable.
The main character, Kazuma, was a shut-in NEET like many other isekai protagonists, meant to be a relatable stand-in for the audience, often acting as the voice of reason.
Then there was Megumin, a chuunibyou (delusional) young girl obsessed with explosion magic. Her quirks and obsession were major sources of humor.
Aqua, the blue-haired goddess, was the very definition of "blue" as a symbol of idiocy. Her combination of being a goddess and an airhead was comedic gold. In Ren's previous life, Aqua's cult had become one of the most well-known groups in anime fandoms.
In fact, the phrase "damn Aqua" became a way to insult someone without using curse words. Sometimes, people wouldn't even realize they were being insulted!
But the character Ren remembered the most was Darkness, the masochistic knight. Despite being a noble lady, she was a total masochist, deriving pleasure from pain.
Looking at KonoSuba, Ren felt a bit regretful. If he had crossed over to that world instead of this one, he could have made Darkness beg for more.
Aside from these characters, there were plenty of others with equally strong and distinct personalities. These well-crafted characterizations provided endless material for comedic situations.
Because each character had such a unique personality, even when the plot couldn't supply humor, the characters themselves could still keep things funny.
Their quirks were the driving force behind the story's development.
In addition to great characters, KonoSuba shared something else with Cautious Hero—twists and subversions of common tropes.
For instance, when the goddess offers the protagonist the chance to be reincarnated in another world, most would choose an overpowered ability or immense wealth.
But Kazuma makes a different choice—he drags the goddess, Aqua, with him.
The series also cleverly avoided falling into the typical isekai traps.
While it may appear on the surface to be a typical harem story set in another world, it's far from that. The characters are all deeply flawed, and instead of building a perfect harem, they constantly bicker and annoy each other while also caring for one another in their own unique ways. It was a refreshing change from the usual fare.
"Not bad!" Ren nodded in satisfaction after reviewing both of these new works.
...
Time passed quietly.
Posters for KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! began appearing on various media platforms and even on Ren's social media account.
Fans of the Porter quickly spotted the announcement and clicked on it.
"An ultra-funny isekai comedy—KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Do you know what blue represents?"
As soon as they saw this, many of Ren's fans got excited.
"First comment! New manga incoming!"
"Marking this post~"
"Can't wait for the Porter's new work~~"
"A comedic isekai? I'm getting bad vibes already."
"Is this going to be like Cautious Hero again?"
"Comedy? Yeah, right. We all know how twisted you can be, Porter!"
Initially, fans were eager and excited, but they quickly remembered how Cautious Hero ended and suddenly fell silent.
If it were any other manga artist, they might have believed the claim of a lighthearted comedy. But this was the Porter.
Cautious Hero had started off funny enough, making fans laugh until their sides hurt. But in the end? The protagonist ended up fading into nothingness.
Now, everyone was convinced that KonoSuba was another story hiding a dark, tragic twist.
Daniel, a long-time manga reviewer who had followed Ren's rise to fame, was among the first to notice the news about Ren's new manga.
When he saw the announcement, a knowing look crossed his face.
Yep, he knew it. The Porter was probably up to no good again.
Still, even though Daniel was sure KonoSuba would have some hidden tragedy, he knew he'd keep reading. After all, even Cautious Hero had been incredible, despite its dark ending.
...
Seeing all these comments online, Ren instinctively replied with a post:
"I swear on my honor, there's absolutely no dark or tragic twist in this one!"
Within minutes, the replies flooded in.
"Yeah, sure, I almost believed you!"
"Porter-sensei, I totally believe this isn't going to be tragic! (sarcasm)"
"..."
Ren stared at the replies, speechless.
So, when he finally told the truth, no one believed him?
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