Details

Videos

Episodes

Reviews

Recommendations

Stats

Characters & Staff

News

Forum

Featured

Clubs

Pictures Top Anime Overlord Reviews Write a Review Reviews Sort Most Helpful (Weighted)

Most Helpful (All Time)

Most Recent

Friends Only (Weighted) Preliminary More Reviews Sep 30, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 3 MarlyTT (All reviews)

1102 people found this review helpful Overall 3 Story 2 Animation 3 Sound 2 Character 2 Enjoyment 4



The original LN has some pretty nice art and cool character designs. That's about the only good thing about the series as a whole- Everything else, including the writing, ranges from mediocre to genuinely awful. Apparently when Madhouse realized that they were going to be animating One Punch Man, they saw Overlord's amazing budget saving potential- Most notably, zooming in the unmoving skeleton man's face so they don't have to animate anything at all while he's talking. The animation is really subpar, and there's a lot of terrible looking CGI in the show while it's not focusing on Momonga's face. It only truly picks up in quality at the very end of the series, and even then, it doesn't manage to be very impressive. The OST is very forgettable to the point that I might even consider it one of the worst in the shows I've seen- Basically take whatever Yasuharu Takanashi does and make it even more generic than some of his worst works. That about describes it. Visually and aurally, it's definitely below average.



But surely despite all that mediocrity, the writing must be amazing. After all, the main character is a skeleton wizard and leads an army of Saturday morning cartoon villains. Despite the series attempting to present the protagonist and his group as evil, the best it does is having them kill completely unlikable characters that barely get more than a minute of screen time. That's some evil right there.



Momonga is an incredibly boring character. Aside from providing exposition after exposition through his internal monologues from his experience with the MMO when describing what's happening on the screen, he really does not have much personality. His entire character motivation is to find out about the world he's trapped in, just like the viewers- Basically, it can be summed up that his motivation pretty much does not exist because it simply exists as a parallel to the plot itself. Furthermore, he's very powerful- Apparently overpowered MCs are acceptable as long as they're not designed like teenage boys, which makes it admitedly harder for neckbeards to relate to. But Momonga's degree of power exceeds even that- He's powerful to the point that nearly nothing poses a serious threat to him. This is a problem in storytelling because no conflict is ever relevant- Momonga's powerful enough to just solve it easily without any effort. One could say that it was the writer's intent to make Momonga seem powerful and impressive, but it doesn't even do that correctly. Power is relative, so when Momonga just one-shots random fodders that spend more time boasting about themselves than actually showing what they're capable of, it's not impressive in the slightest. A key example of this happens in the fourth episode, where the bad guy summons what is supposedly a super-powerful monster, and when Momonga kills it, it's supposed to look impressive. But the audience doesn't know what this monster was even capable of, outside of the bad guy boasting about its supposed strength, so it just feels completely flat.



While he makes all these unnecessary convoluted plans about how he would spread his name around the world to catch the attention of those who might have been trapped in the world like him, he essentially just solves all his problems through his raw power. His problems are more self-imposed than anything due to his tendency to be incredibly paranoid due to his fear of something that “might” be more powerful than him. And to make it worse, he just outright contradicts himself near the end of the show by risking his life in an unnecessary one-on-one combat due to his ego. Brilliant.



And to make it more brilliant, there really was no reason for the MMO backdrop at all- It's a completely unnecessary addition. The series could have worked just as well with Momonga being a genuine evil skeleton lich in a genuine fantasy world instead of “some guy trapped in a MMO world that became REAL.” All this does, essentially, is to give an excuse for some parts of poor storytelling to exist, such as exposition dumps from Momonga based on his experience with the MMO, and floor guardians being completely, unquestionably loyal to him for no reason. The series never references back to the real world, so it might as well not exist- And since the audience has no idea about the said MMO, it only emphasizes the point about this just being a pointless hook, and a justification for awful storytelling that relies on the backwards idea of “Tell, don't show.”



All the floor guardians and Momonga's lackies are uninteresting and flat- They have some interesting designs, especially the maids, but all their personality is about as interesting as a rock. First few episodes make it clear that they absolutely adore Momonga, and they spend their entire screen time thinking and/or talking about how great Momonga is. One of the worst examples is Albedo, who spends every moment of her screen time doing just all that. She never does anything outside of praising Momonga, whether he's in the same scene as her or not- Comparing this to Mahouka, she's basically this series' equivalent of Miyuki if Miyuki did absolutely nothing outside of praising Tatsuya, which makes Albedo far, far more annoying. Remember how people absolutely despised Miyuki because she wouldn't shut up about her onii-sama? There's an exact same character here, if arguably worse, but Albedo gets a free pass because her target of affection looks like a skeleton wizard and has a fanservice design.

There's also nothing interesting about floor guardians' interaction with one another, as all they talk about is how great Momonga is and how they should do their job and serve him. I guess the assumption the author made was that his target audience was so stupid that they needed to be reminded of the obvious every scene, every line.



Another awful aspect of this series is the pacing- It's always painfully slow. A lot of people seem to defend slow pacing by claiming that it's character development, but there's no development. I'm not sure where people got the idea that character interaction equate to character development, but I guess just listening to pointless filler dialogue gives some people a false impression that something must be going on even though nothing is really going on. This is especially noticeable in the episodes where Momonga teams up with a lower class group of adventurers to complete a quest- The show spends several episodes attempting to develop this group of nobodies by giving them cardboard personalities, but in the end it's completely pointless. They're not likable because they haven't really done anything, their interaction with Momonga is pretty bland, and the series makes it clear that they're not important to begin with. And surprise, it turns out they were completely irrelevant. Amazing character development for characters that never mattered with pointless, drawn-out character interaction that did nothing for everyone in the cast.



If all that wasn't enough, the series doesn't even tie itself up properly- The last part of the show involves one of Momonga's minions, who is just as powerful as he is, suddenly being brainwashed through the power of plot convenience because the author thought an actually threatening conflict was needed around this time in the series. Despite taking all the safety precautions with all his power previously, Momonga decides that he needs to make a point about how he's the leader, even though there was absolutely no need for him to do so when all the floor guardians already adore him unquestionably. Basically, Momonga is not very intelligent- Everything goes as he plans because of his raw power and having so many tools to work with- Not because he's actually skilled at strategizing. It also should be noted that this last part of the show was incredibly grating, because the brainwashed minion still sucks up to Momonga while still opposing him. Really, Overlord?



So to summarize what happened in this entire cour: First quarter spends its time on just introductions on characters that have no personality whatsoever outside of all sucking up to Momonga in perfect unison. Second quarter is about Momonga effortlessly beating an army of literal nobodies that won't matter for the rest of the season. Third quarter is about Momonga effortlessly beating an army of zombies and two bad guys that won't matter for the rest of the season. And finally, the last quarter is about Momonga beating a brainwashed minion only because he handicapped himself even though it would've been just as effortless because he's a poorly written character. I can't even really claim that this is a pacing issue with the show itself- This is more like a pacing issue of the novels because the show covers fair amount of the novels. Remember that statement about how MMO setting is used as nothing more than an exposition tool? Yeah, it's apparently being used as a filler as well in the novels, explaining things that nobody gives a shit about to pad out the content.



I really don't understand the praise for this series- Aside from simple aesthetic differences, this series has all the flaws that all generic light novels have. The MC is just yet another generic Stu protagonist that has next to no character motivation, the side characters are cardboard cutouts that constantly suck up to Momonga only because they were quite literally made to do so, and the storytelling is a complete mess where the MMO backdrop is only used as a convenient excuse to make way for exposition through Momonga's inner monologues. Instead of being from a perspective of a genuine evil villain, it's from a perspective of a generic MC that only looks like a villain with underlings who are about as laughably as evil as Akame ga Kill's antagonists. As an adaptation, it fails- And as for the series as a whole, it's just another generic fantasy novel with a gimmick element as a hook. There's literally nothing positive about the series, aside from the LN's art and character designs, which all just seem like a waste of talent and effort. Both of which are not present in the adaptation or the writer.



The spin-off series, Ple Ple Pleiades is actually far more entertaining. Go watch that instead. Helpful to play as the bad guy in a roleplaying forum.The original LN has some pretty nice art and cool character designs. That's about the only good thing about the series as a whole- Everything else, including the writing, ranges from mediocre to genuinely awful. Apparently when Madhouse realized that they were going to be animating One Punch Man, they saw Overlord's amazing budget saving potential- Most notably, zooming in the unmoving skeleton man's face so they don't have to animate anything at all while he's talking. The animation is really subpar, and there's a lot of terrible looking CGI in the show while it's not focusing on Momonga's face. It only truly picks up in quality at the very end of the series, and even then, it doesn't manage to be very impressive. The OST is very forgettable to the point that I might even consider it one of the worst in the shows I've seen- Basically take whatever Yasuharu Takanashi does and make it even more generic than some of his worst works. That about describes it. Visually and aurally, it's definitely below average.But surely despite all that mediocrity, the writing must be amazing. After all, the main character is a skeleton wizard and leads an army of Saturday morning cartoon villains. Despite the series attempting to present the protagonist and his group as evil, the best it does is having them kill completely unlikable characters that barely get more than a minute of screen time. That's some evil right there.Momonga is an incredibly boring character. Aside from providing exposition after exposition through his internal monologues from his experience with the MMO when describing what's happening on the screen, he really does not have much personality. His entire character motivation is to find out about the world he's trapped in, just like the viewers- Basically, it can be summed up that his motivation pretty much does not exist because it simply exists as a parallel to the plot itself. Furthermore, he's very powerful- Apparently overpowered MCs are acceptable as long as they're not designed like teenage boys, which makes it admitedly harder for neckbeards to relate to. But Momonga's degree of power exceeds even that- He's powerful to the point that nearly nothing poses a serious threat to him. This is a problem in storytelling because no conflict is ever relevant- Momonga's powerful enough to just solve it easily without any effort. One could say that it was the writer's intent to make Momonga seem powerful and impressive, but it doesn't even do that correctly. Power is relative, so when Momonga just one-shots random fodders that spend more time boasting about themselves than actually showing what they're capable of, it's not impressive in the slightest. A key example of this happens in the fourth episode, where the bad guy summons what is supposedly a super-powerful monster, and when Momonga kills it, it's supposed to look impressive. But the audience doesn't know what this monster was even capable of, outside of the bad guy boasting about its supposed strength, so it just feels completely flat.While he makes all these unnecessary convoluted plans about how he would spread his name around the world to catch the attention of those who might have been trapped in the world like him, he essentially just solves all his problems through his raw power. His problems are more self-imposed than anything due to his tendency to be incredibly paranoid due to his fear of something that “might” be more powerful than him. And to make it worse, he just outright contradicts himself near the end of the show by risking his life in an unnecessary one-on-one combat due to his ego. Brilliant.And to make it more brilliant, there really was no reason for the MMO backdrop at all- It's a completely unnecessary addition. The series could have worked just as well with Momonga being a genuine evil skeleton lich in a genuine fantasy world instead of “some guy trapped in a MMO world that became REAL.” All this does, essentially, is to give an excuse for some parts of poor storytelling to exist, such as exposition dumps from Momonga based on his experience with the MMO, and floor guardians being completely, unquestionably loyal to him for no reason. The series never references back to the real world, so it might as well not exist- And since the audience has no idea about the said MMO, it only emphasizes the point about this just being a pointless hook, and a justification for awful storytelling that relies on the backwards idea of “Tell, don't show.”All the floor guardians and Momonga's lackies are uninteresting and flat- They have some interesting designs, especially the maids, but all their personality is about as interesting as a rock. First few episodes make it clear that they absolutely adore Momonga, and they spend their entire screen time thinking and/or talking about how great Momonga is. One of the worst examples is Albedo, who spends every moment of her screen time doing just all that. She never does anything outside of praising Momonga, whether he's in the same scene as her or not- Comparing this to Mahouka, she's basically this series' equivalent of Miyuki if Miyuki did absolutely nothing outside of praising Tatsuya, which makes Albedo far, far more annoying. Remember how people absolutely despised Miyuki because she wouldn't shut up about her onii-sama? There's an exact same character here, if arguably worse, but Albedo gets a free pass because her target of affection looks like a skeleton wizard and has a fanservice design.There's also nothing interesting about floor guardians' interaction with one another, as all they talk about is how great Momonga is and how they should do their job and serve him. I guess the assumption the author made was that his target audience was so stupid that they needed to be reminded of the obvious every scene, every line.Another awful aspect of this series is the pacing- It's always painfully slow. A lot of people seem to defend slow pacing by claiming that it's character development, but there's no development. I'm not sure where people got the idea that character interaction equate to character development, but I guess just listening to pointless filler dialogue gives some people a false impression that something must be going on even though nothing is really going on. This is especially noticeable in the episodes where Momonga teams up with a lower class group of adventurers to complete a quest- The show spends several episodes attempting to develop this group of nobodies by giving them cardboard personalities, but in the end it's completely pointless. They're not likable because they haven't really done anything, their interaction with Momonga is pretty bland, and the series makes it clear that they're not important to begin with. And surprise, it turns out they were completely irrelevant. Amazing character development for characters that never mattered with pointless, drawn-out character interaction that did nothing for everyone in the cast.If all that wasn't enough, the series doesn't even tie itself up properly- The last part of the show involves one of Momonga's minions, who is just as powerful as he is, suddenly being brainwashed through the power of plot convenience because the author thought an actually threatening conflict was needed around this time in the series. Despite taking all the safety precautions with all his power previously, Momonga decides that he needs to make a point about how he's the leader, even though there was absolutely no need for him to do so when all the floor guardians already adore him unquestionably. Basically, Momonga is not very intelligent- Everything goes as he plans because of his raw power and having so many tools to work with- Not because he's actually skilled at strategizing. It also should be noted that this last part of the show was incredibly grating, because the brainwashed minion still sucks up to Momonga while still opposing him. Really, Overlord?So to summarize what happened in this entire cour: First quarter spends its time on just introductions on characters that have no personality whatsoever outside of all sucking up to Momonga in perfect unison. Second quarter is about Momonga effortlessly beating an army of literal nobodies that won't matter for the rest of the season. Third quarter is about Momonga effortlessly beating an army of zombies and two bad guys that won't matter for the rest of the season. And finally, the last quarter is about Momonga beating a brainwashed minion only because he handicapped himself even though it would've been just as effortless because he's a poorly written character. I can't even really claim that this is a pacing issue with the show itself- This is more like a pacing issue of the novels because the show covers fair amount of the novels. Remember that statement about how MMO setting is used as nothing more than an exposition tool? Yeah, it's apparently being used as a filler as well in the novels, explaining things that nobody gives a shit about to pad out the content.I really don't understand the praise for this series- Aside from simple aesthetic differences, this series has all the flaws that all generic light novels have. The MC is just yet another generic Stu protagonist that has next to no character motivation, the side characters are cardboard cutouts that constantly suck up to Momonga only because they were quite literally made to do so, and the storytelling is a complete mess where the MMO backdrop is only used as a convenient excuse to make way for exposition through Momonga's inner monologues. Instead of being from a perspective of a genuine evil villain, it's from a perspective of a generic MC that only looks like a villain with underlings who are about as laughably as evil as Akame ga Kill's antagonists. As an adaptation, it fails- And as for the series as a whole, it's just another generic fantasy novel with a gimmick element as a hook. There's literally nothing positive about the series, aside from the LN's art and character designs, which all just seem like a waste of talent and effort. Both of which are not present in the adaptation or the writer.The spin-off series, Ple Ple Pleiades is actually far more entertaining. Go watch that instead. read more Obligatory spoiler warning because Overlord is a masterpiece that must be experienced first-hand. So apparently what Sword Art Online needed was for Kirito to be a skeleton wizard and Asuna to be Mahouka's Miyuki. The concept of this series is the same as what most people are already familiar with; A guy is playing a game, and then he's suddenly trapped in it because of some unexplained reason. Overlord does absolutely nothing original aside from having a few aesthetic and irrelevant differences from the rest, and people seem to consider it as a brilliant masterpiece because it apparently managed to appeal to those who wanted permalink | report Sep 29, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 9 End (All reviews)

455 people found this review helpful Overall 9 Story 7 Animation 8 Sound 7 Character 8 Enjoyment 9



Review

The series has been adapted out of Overlord manga written by Maruyama Kugane which is not yet finished and still ongoing. This manga received a very well welcome when it was published for the first time. By no time, Overlord manga has already successfully hooked a lot of fans. However, the series is still far from succeeding. The glory will be decided upon when the author ensures not to rush the storyline and naturally follow its own pace. The sole purpose is to justify the right of Manga and the Novel. Do not misunderstand me, this series has really great potential. It is a fact that you must know. Anyways, this series is already exceeding my expectations by proving that it one of the best anime in summer seasons. You might miss a few of the deeper plot elements, but it is still enjoyable and often times the story is rather buffoonery. Nonetheless, this series is standing victorious over the field.



The series fight scene is rather excessive in violence, bloody, and such bloody rain in terms of gore. To put it clearly, it’s rather a brutal way to been presented. I did not expect this since I’ve been put my mind that this series probably will be censored the scene. Regretful, it does not apply. For people who kind of new to anime series, and anime fans who can’t stand a pure bloody gore, you probably will not like this one aspect. The rating for this series is R - 17+ (violence & profanity). Keep this on your mind. Gore fans, this is a birthday gift for you. The recommended audience for this series is adults and teenagers who are mature enough to evaluate. Anyway, if some parents trying to consider watching this series with your kids or putting it simply kid underage, please never do. Kid underage tends to imitate what they have seen in the program show even though it just animation. Kids are basically pure. They still do not know anything about the adult world. Worse case, they may have trauma, laugh if you want but people should take this matter more seriously for their own goodness. In the end, undeniably Overlord is still a good series to watch.



Character

Momonga perfectly defines the best figure for the main villain and undeniably brilliant to be disliked, much less hated. He's such a manly man although his humanity is slowly fading away. His skills are significant to assess the abilities of each of his comrades to the fullest. To some extent though, Momonga does not really mind being insulted by the enemy purely because he wants to see for him selves, how superior it is the enemy powers and abilities. Momonga also is able to intelligently manipulate people without even shows his powerful demonic aura. With Momonga's abilities, knowledge and experience he had to go through, the series allows one's imagination to run wild thinking how superior Momonga existence itself. That’s one of the beauties from Overlord.



Animation

The animation for this series is very good and flawless. The artwork is colorful and each of the character designs is very well done. The concept of creating a non-human for the main lead is also a fresh scene once in a while. The Great Tomb of Nazarick also carefully designed and each floor has a different design as well as the keepers. Bluntly, I seriously like Momonga. The way He cast a simple magic trick or a powerful magic attack make it as realistic as it was definitely real. In other words, with a short brief of how his power works, we can accept it easily without too much thinking.



Sound

The opening series is very catchy with a rather interesting lyric. While the Eds has symbolized the purity of Albedo. These two Op and Eds is actually quite a good song. The sound is slowly embracing us gently and I quite impressed by the incredible sound effects in this series. Indeed such an incredible effort by the voice actors, Op and Ed's vocalist to keep up the best performance to date. The series music section deems another one extra point.



Enjoyment and Overall

But what makes it so great is the story of the game itself. Little biased with a previous concept such as Sword Art Online (SAO) and Log Horizon (LH) but amazingly arise and ascend amongst them. In my own opinion, the story, the sound and adding with art animation together were creating such a masterpiece. The only problem is our hero does not have skin, blood or any human organs. He is totally undead beings. The skeleton body is kind of cool, but highly no fangirls will be attracted to our main lead. Fortunately, our main lead shines bright through the ugliness. No need to worry about romance; he still has Albeldo who totally loves him deeply and the other girls to be with him at times of thick and thin. I'm not quite sure why but he was the only person I don’t mind getting harem. Magically, I'm supporting him. My second problem with this show is the number of episodes. The episode in the series is way too short. I do not mean the episode length, rather why this series only has 13 episodes per series that make it such a huge disappointment. Anyways, I still recommended this series as it was highly entertaining and give you quite a ride up to the finish line.



Helpful games. Anyone who tried to resist or oppose him shall face the ultimate humiliation and loss, to suffer for eternally.ReviewThe series has been adapted out of Overlord manga written by Maruyama Kugane which is not yet finished and still ongoing. This manga received a very well welcome when it was published for the first time. By no time, Overlord manga has already successfully hooked a lot of fans. However, the series is still far from succeeding. The glory will be decided upon when the author ensures not to rush the storyline and naturally follow its own pace. The sole purpose is to justify the right of Manga and the Novel. Do not misunderstand me, this series has really great potential. It is a fact that you must know. Anyways, this series is already exceeding my expectations by proving that it one of the best anime in summer seasons. You might miss a few of the deeper plot elements, but it is still enjoyable and often times the story is rather buffoonery. Nonetheless, this series is standing victorious over the field.The series fight scene is rather excessive in violence, bloody, and such bloody rain in terms of gore. To put it clearly, it’s rather a brutal way to been presented. I did not expect this since I’ve been put my mind that this series probably will be censored the scene. Regretful, it does not apply. For people who kind of new to anime series, and anime fans who can’t stand a pure bloody gore, you probably will not like this one aspect. The rating for this series is R - 17+ (violence & profanity). Keep this on your mind. Gore fans, this is a birthday gift for you. The recommended audience for this series is adults and teenagers who are mature enough to evaluate. Anyway, if some parents trying to consider watching this series with your kids or putting it simply kid underage, please never do. Kid underage tends to imitate what they have seen in the program show even though it just animation. Kids are basically pure. They still do not know anything about the adult world. Worse case, they may have trauma, laugh if you want but people should take this matter more seriously for their own goodness. In the end, undeniably Overlord is still a good series to watch.CharacterMomonga perfectly defines the best figure for the main villain and undeniably brilliant to be disliked, much less hated. He's such a manly man although his humanity is slowly fading away. His skills are significant to assess the abilities of each of his comrades to the fullest. To some extent though, Momonga does not really mind being insulted by the enemy purely because he wants to see for him selves, how superior it is the enemy powers and abilities. Momonga also is able to intelligently manipulate people without even shows his powerful demonic aura. With Momonga's abilities, knowledge and experience he had to go through, the series allows one's imagination to run wild thinking how superior Momonga existence itself. That’s one of the beauties from Overlord.AnimationThe animation for this series is very good and flawless. The artwork is colorful and each of the character designs is very well done. The concept of creating a non-human for the main lead is also a fresh scene once in a while. The Great Tomb of Nazarick also carefully designed and each floor has a different design as well as the keepers. Bluntly, I seriously like Momonga. The way He cast a simple magic trick or a powerful magic attack make it as realistic as it was definitely real. In other words, with a short brief of how his power works, we can accept it easily without too much thinking.SoundThe opening series is very catchy with a rather interesting lyric. While the Eds has symbolized the purity of Albedo. These two Op and Eds is actually quite a good song. The sound is slowly embracing us gently and I quite impressed by the incredible sound effects in this series. Indeed such an incredible effort by the voice actors, Op and Ed's vocalist to keep up the best performance to date. The series music section deems another one extra point.Enjoyment and OverallBut what makes it so great is the story of the game itself. Little biased with a previous concept such as Sword Art Online (SAO) and Log Horizon (LH) but amazingly arise and ascend amongst them. In my own opinion, the story, the sound and adding with art animation together were creating such a masterpiece. The only problem is our hero does not have skin, blood or any human organs. He is totally undead beings. The skeleton body is kind of cool, but highly no fangirls will be attracted to our main lead. Fortunately, our main lead shines bright through the ugliness. No need to worry about romance; he still has Albeldo who totally loves him deeply and the other girls to be with him at times of thick and thin. I'm not quite sure why but he was the only person I don’t mind getting harem. Magically, I'm supporting him. My second problem with this show is the number of episodes. The episode in the series is way too short. I do not mean the episode length, rather why this series only has 13 episodes per series that make it such a huge disappointment. Anyways, I still recommended this series as it was highly entertaining and give you quite a ride up to the finish line. read more Overlord, as the rank itself, was an outstanding rank to symbolize the tremendous power of the user. Unfortunately, the rank failed to save Momonga from trapped in a world of fantasy game, thus there is only one thing that you can do. Time for some real action. He himself will pass the judgments upon Yggdrasil. Which future will Momonga bring? A bright future filled with joy or a living hell full of horrors, pain, anguish, and punishment. Regarded as the highest of the Almighty 41 Supreme Beings of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. This is the right time to conquer Yggdrasil, a world of fantasy permalink | report Dec 2, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 10 DemonKingRavan (All reviews)

384 people found this review helpful Overall 10 Story 7 Animation 10 Sound 10 Character 9 Enjoyment 10



"A popular MMORPG game traps its players inside and the players now have to play the game where the consequences are quite real".



Sounds familiar?



Well, that's exactly what happens in Overlord, however, the advantage with me is that I haven't seen shows like Sword Art Online, so while the plot was known to me the inherent flaws and stereotypes were not. The show quickly sets itself apart from its contemporaries by giving us a protagonist who plays the role of an antagonist and loves it.



After a brief period of confusion, the ease



The Art and Music of the show compliment each other brilliantly, and the characters are a good mix of perverse, lovable and obedient. If you've ever had a dream of ruling your own world, then this show will make an excellent guide. Helpful with which Ainz/Momon takes charge of his servants and powers is refreshing to see. Every move he makes defines his character as a person who is a veteran of MMORPG games. And while he uses his tactics as he would in a game, he knows the consequences of his actions and accepts them without hesitation.The Art and Music of the show compliment each other brilliantly, and the characters are a good mix of perverse, lovable and obedient. If you've ever had a dream of ruling your own world, then this show will make an excellent guide. read more Overlord is the kind of anime you begin watching with some reservations."A popular MMORPG game traps its players inside and the players now have to play the game where the consequences are quite real".Sounds familiar?Well, that's exactly what happens in Overlord, however, the advantage with me is that I haven't seen shows like Sword Art Online, so while the plot was known to me the inherent flaws and stereotypes were not. The show quickly sets itself apart from its contemporaries by giving us a protagonist who plays the role of an antagonist and loves it.After a brief period of confusion, the ease permalink | report Sep 29, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 6 Stark700 (All reviews)

185 people found this review helpful Overall 6 Story 5 Animation 7 Sound 7 Character 7 Enjoyment 6



The series is based on a light novel that originated from a Japanese web novel. The original source has about 9 volumes although the adaptation by Madhouse studio consists of only a single cour. (13 episodes)



Taking place in the online world of Yggdrasil, we meet Momonga, a salary-man who apparently tried to log out at the very last minute. Things go a bit wary and he gets stuck in-game as an online avatar in the form of a ‘skeletal lich’. It also just happens so that the avatar is also a very powerful wizard. What’s more is that the NPC around him also exhibit their own personalities as if they are alive and have minds of their own. Essentially, the story marks its territory at the Tomb of Nazarick. The first two episodes establishes Momonga (or going by his in-game name Ainz Ooal Gown) as someone with immense powers. Now, I have a problem with overrated characters and Ainz is no exception to this. The show demonstrates his invulnerability to poison along with elite fighting skills, weapon set, and even an intellectual mind as the story progresses. However, the series also takes a few different turns. Monomga still display his human traits as he interacts with the NPCs he encounters. Apparently, they serve him like he is their God so it takes time for him to adapt. Momonga’s personality also becomes suppressed and he displays cunning behavior throughout the show. However, I would not say that he is an arrogant character as he is quite loyal, honest, and respects his servants. As the story progresses, there is a lack of feeling he develops towards death. (Given the irony that he himself is a skeleton, a personification of death)



The show can be taken to light from different perspectives. From the perspective of a light novel reader and adaptation, it’s easy to say that the series focuses quite a bit on Momonga. Almost every episode highlights his role, personality, or overall character. The relationship building and associations he establishes with other characters are also played out in a variety of ways. This can be seen with the seductive Albedo who is utterly in love with him. Even among the Floor Guardians of Momonga’s guild, she is one of the most loyal and obsessive towards Momonga. It doesn’t help that the show also introduces rivals such as Shalltear who shows sexual tendencies. The show’s initial impressions sets off this red flag as it almost makes fun of itself. It also introduces other characters that each get a little bit of his or her screen time such as the Mare and Aura twins, butler Sebas, Cocytus, and intelligent demon Demiurge. In relation to Momonga, they all seemingly show an undying love and respect for him; just expressed definitely from one way or another. As a bit of character driven story, this is really a miss as the characters are unappealing from first impressions. Only Momonga can be legitimately interesting as we want to find out his potential as a guild master and person in real life. It makes us wonder what he is capable of with his new role and how these new changes can apply to his character.



The remainder course of the show opens up realms of possibilities. Like most MMORPG worlds, Yggdrasil seems to be resourceful with landscapes, guilds, and monsters. The story mechanics of the series is explained such as weaponry, skills, and monsters that exhibit its world. It’s nothing original when compared to some other MMORPG style shows. In the past, series such as Sword Art Online and Log Horizon also has fantasy game mechanics; albeit in different fashion. For Overlord, it slowly does this while unraveling the main course of the story. There’s also some common monsters you’ll usually find in fantasy worlds such as goblins, undead beings, and even angels. What makes Overlord stands out a little bit more is that the show is more than just about conquering and survival. I think the key word is the title itself, “Overlord”. This is because Momonga/Ainz is actually trying to take over the world as the new ruler. So in a way, he wants to be an overlord despite his lack of inexperience. This is clearly shown throughout the show with his intentions.



As both a character and story driven series, it will definitely takes patience and adapting to get used to the show. I actually recommend re-watching some scenes to get a better understanding of the series’ intentions at few cases. Examples such as Momonga’s lack of remorse towards death, Albedo’s distasteful view on humans, and other ideals makes the show appealing. It makes the NPCs feel real. In addition, the game mechanics such as spells, weaponry, magical items, and potion making really brings out its fantasy realm to life. There’s some good amount of action as well although fairly predictable with Momonga’s newfound skills. In addition, the story also makes it clear that he isn’t the only character that matters. Others he encounters and associates with such as the Sword of Darkness and his own battle maids get their additional spotlight too. The story also introduces antagonists with their own independent malevolent intentions. It shouldn’t take too long for viewers to realize that Overlord isn’t just Momonga’s personal show.



But for all its creativity, the series suffers much from the over emphasis of Momonga. It focuses far too much on his character while adding the ridiculousness of his servants’ love for him. The first two episodes will likely be a make or break for most viewers as the feeling of an MMORPG game feels isolated. There’s also die-hard comedy with character rivalries, expressions, and overall tone of their generalization. I will say the show has a diverse cast of the characters though. And given the set up for the world, it introduces plenty of important ones to bring the best of Momonga. However, be very aware of the pacing of this story. The first half really tests the patience of the viewers despite foreshadowing some future events and making small promises of improvement. While it’s doing all of this, the comedy is also a hit or miss with its controversially timed scenarios. And lastly, it seems like the adaptation itself is more of a tease for viewers to “read the novels”.



Madhouse puts their work into this show’s animation style. Taking place in such a fantasy world, the colors are focused on the characters rather than the background. Characters are diverse and decorated distinctively that makes them look unique. Momonga/Ainz is obviously the one that stands out the most with his skeletal avatar. When on the road, he takes the form of a dark warrior encased in an armor that makes him look like a badass hero. And that’s really an underrated word. Among Momonga’s followers, the term ‘badass’ can be applied to several characters with their designs such as Albedo, Shelltear, and the battle maid Nabe. There’s also the monsters introduced that is classic to most MMORPG worlds. Human characters are created to look human and most of them gives the impressions of themselves as adventurers. As a fantasy adventure, the show is also no stranger to action and violence. In essence, the action is decent in terms of fantasy standards. It’s the type of stuff you’ll see often in MMORPG related games. On the other hand, the violence creates a grimmer tone. There’s no censorship with the blood and even gore-like scenes during battle sequences. Fan service also exists with Albedo’s role in the story. But what really brings out their characters is the expressions. It has the experimental feel when you see how they react as NPCs while displaying human traits.



If you want stereo music, then you got stereo music. Namely, the OP theme song is an intense beat to the ears while the ED theme always decorates itself with unorthodox imagery. The OST displays a familiar fantasy feel in terms of content. And for all that’s worth, character voice mannerism plays some key roles to make their characters into life. Momonga is actually one of the less noticeable characters for his voice because he sounds similarly like a human. On the other hand, the NPCs has a distinctive voice with their character roles. These voice diversity ranges from Albedo’s seductiveness, Sheltear’s aggressiveness, Sebas’ sophisticated personality, or Nabes’ loyalty. Clementine also gives off a presence of violence thanks to her sinister voice tone that persuades viewers to see how far she will go with her plans. Despite the large cast of characters, a strength of the show does come from the voices.



In the end, Overlord is more or less a refreshingly adventurous tale about a dude stuck in a skeletal avatar. It has functioning creative imagination with a colorful cast of characters. But when it comes to story, Overlord smells like a show with money in mind. In other words, it seems like an advertisement to the main novel. Director Naoyuki Itou puts his experience with other fantasy series at work and is a bit of a mixed bag. The adaptation isn’t unique in either pacing or leaves strong first impressions. The fantasy world itself does generate a decent amount of interest when it comes to its core mechanics. But for a show like Overlord, it needed to hold together and makes sense. Sometimes it accomplishes that, other times it doesn’t. Overlord is a show that needs improvement so pick your poison.

Helpful That usually sets off a red flag with the story pacing. And it isn’t wrong either as the first two or so episodes carries a weak weight on itself.Taking place in the online world of Yggdrasil, we meet Momonga, a salary-man who apparently tried to log out at the very last minute. Things go a bit wary and he gets stuck in-game as an online avatar in the form of a ‘skeletal lich’. It also just happens so that the avatar is also a very powerful wizard. What’s more is that the NPC around him also exhibit their own personalities as if they are alive and have minds of their own. Essentially, the story marks its territory at the Tomb of Nazarick. The first two episodes establishes Momonga (or going by his in-game name Ainz Ooal Gown) as someone with immense powers. Now, I have a problem with overrated characters and Ainz is no exception to this. The show demonstrates his invulnerability to poison along with elite fighting skills, weapon set, and even an intellectual mind as the story progresses. However, the series also takes a few different turns. Monomga still display his human traits as he interacts with the NPCs he encounters. Apparently, they serve him like he is their God so it takes time for him to adapt. Momonga’s personality also becomes suppressed and he displays cunning behavior throughout the show. However, I would not say that he is an arrogant character as he is quite loyal, honest, and respects his servants. As the story progresses, there is a lack of feeling he develops towards death. (Given the irony that he himself is a skeleton, a personification of death)The show can be taken to light from different perspectives. From the perspective of a light novel reader and adaptation, it’s easy to say that the series focuses quite a bit on Momonga. Almost every episode highlights his role, personality, or overall character. The relationship building and associations he establishes with other characters are also played out in a variety of ways. This can be seen with the seductive Albedo who is utterly in love with him. Even among the Floor Guardians of Momonga’s guild, she is one of the most loyal and obsessive towards Momonga. It doesn’t help that the show also introduces rivals such as Shalltear who shows sexual tendencies. The show’s initial impressions sets off this red flag as it almost makes fun of itself. It also introduces other characters that each get a little bit of his or her screen time such as the Mare and Aura twins, butler Sebas, Cocytus, and intelligent demon Demiurge. In relation to Momonga, they all seemingly show an undying love and respect for him; just expressed definitely from one way or another. As a bit of character driven story, this is really a miss as the characters are unappealing from first impressions. Only Momonga can be legitimately interesting as we want to find out his potential as a guild master and person in real life. It makes us wonder what he is capable of with his new role and how these new changes can apply to his character.The remainder course of the show opens up realms of possibilities. Like most MMORPG worlds, Yggdrasil seems to be resourceful with landscapes, guilds, and monsters. The story mechanics of the series is explained such as weaponry, skills, and monsters that exhibit its world. It’s nothing original when compared to some other MMORPG style shows. In the past, series such as Sword Art Online and Log Horizon also has fantasy game mechanics; albeit in different fashion. For Overlord, it slowly does this while unraveling the main course of the story. There’s also some common monsters you’ll usually find in fantasy worlds such as goblins, undead beings, and even angels. What makes Overlord stands out a little bit more is that the show is more than just about conquering and survival. I think the key word is the title itself, “Overlord”. This is because Momonga/Ainz is actually trying to take over the world as the new ruler. So in a way, he wants to be an overlord despite his lack of inexperience. This is clearly shown throughout the show with his intentions.As both a character and story driven series, it will definitely takes patience and adapting to get used to the show. I actually recommend re-watching some scenes to get a better understanding of the series’ intentions at few cases. Examples such as Momonga’s lack of remorse towards death, Albedo’s distasteful view on humans, and other ideals makes the show appealing. It makes the NPCs feel real. In addition, the game mechanics such as spells, weaponry, magical items, and potion making really brings out its fantasy realm to life. There’s some good amount of action as well although fairly predictable with Momonga’s newfound skills. In addition, the story also makes it clear that he isn’t the only character that matters. Others he encounters and associates with such as the Sword of Darkness and his own battle maids get their additional spotlight too. The story also introduces antagonists with their own independent malevolent intentions. It shouldn’t take too long for viewers to realize that Overlord isn’t just Momonga’s personal show.But for all its creativity, the series suffers much from the over emphasis of Momonga. It focuses far too much on his character while adding the ridiculousness of his servants’ love for him. The first two episodes will likely be a make or break for most viewers as the feeling of an MMORPG game feels isolated. There’s also die-hard comedy with character rivalries, expressions, and overall tone of their generalization. I will say the show has a diverse cast of the characters though. And given the set up for the world, it introduces plenty of important ones to bring the best of Momonga. However, be very aware of the pacing of this story. The first half really tests the patience of the viewers despite foreshadowing some future events and making small promises of improvement. While it’s doing all of this, the comedy is also a hit or miss with its controversially timed scenarios. And lastly, it seems like the adaptation itself is more of a tease for viewers to “read the novels”.Madhouse puts their work into this show’s animation style. Taking place in such a fantasy world, the colors are focused on the characters rather than the background. Characters are diverse and decorated distinctively that makes them look unique. Momonga/Ainz is obviously the one that stands out the most with his skeletal avatar. When on the road, he takes the form of a dark warrior encased in an armor that makes him look like a badass hero. And that’s really an underrated word. Among Momonga’s followers, the term ‘badass’ can be applied to several characters with their designs such as Albedo, Shelltear, and the battle maid Nabe. There’s also the monsters introduced that is classic to most MMORPG worlds. Human characters are created to look human and most of them gives the impressions of themselves as adventurers. As a fantasy adventure, the show is also no stranger to action and violence. In essence, the action is decent in terms of fantasy standards. It’s the type of stuff you’ll see often in MMORPG related games. On the other hand, the violence creates a grimmer tone. There’s no censorship with the blood and even gore-like scenes during battle sequences. Fan service also exists with Albedo’s role in the story. But what really brings out their characters is the expressions. It has the experimental feel when you see how they react as NPCs while displaying human traits.If you want stereo music, then you got stereo music. Namely, the OP theme song is an intense beat to the ears while the ED theme always decorates itself with unorthodox imagery. The OST displays a familiar fantasy feel in terms of content. And for all that’s worth, character voice mannerism plays some key roles to make their characters into life. Momonga is actually one of the less noticeable characters for his voice because he sounds similarly like a human. On the other hand, the NPCs has a distinctive voice with their character roles. These voice diversity ranges from Albedo’s seductiveness, Sheltear’s aggressiveness, Sebas’ sophisticated personality, or Nabes’ loyalty. Clementine also gives off a presence of violence thanks to her sinister voice tone that persuades viewers to see how far she will go with her plans. Despite the large cast of characters, a strength of the show does come from the voices.In the end, Overlord is more or less a refreshingly adventurous tale about a dude stuck in a skeletal avatar. It has functioning creative imagination with a colorful cast of characters. But when it comes to story, Overlord smells like a show with money in mind. In other words, it seems like an advertisement to the main novel. Director Naoyuki Itou puts his experience with other fantasy series at work and is a bit of a mixed bag. The adaptation isn’t unique in either pacing or leaves strong first impressions. The fantasy world itself does generate a decent amount of interest when it comes to its core mechanics. But for a show like Overlord, it needed to hold together and makes sense. Sometimes it accomplishes that, other times it doesn’t. Overlord is a show that needs improvement so pick your poison. read more Anime adaptation revolving around RPG and MMORPG themed worlds can usually be a hit or miss. As a fan of MMORPG games in real life, there should be expectations with the world fiction such as the monsters, mechanics, story, setting, and overall execution. Where does that put Overlord? A bit overboard? Underwhelming? It’s not really like that but Overlord is the type of show that can be hard to judge.The series is based on a light novel that originated from a Japanese web novel. The original source has about 9 volumes although the adaptation by Madhouse studio consists of only a single cour. (13 episodes) permalink | report Nov 25, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 3 deal647 (All reviews)

60 people found this review helpful Overall 3 Story 3 Animation 1 Sound 3 Character 4 Enjoyment 2

Let me start this review by stating the reason I started watching Overlord; it had an 8.14 on MAL. I figured it must be pretty damn good, considering it was the second highest rated new anime of the Summer 2015 season. Wow was I wrong to assume that.





Story: 3 - Poor

So this anime starts off with a really generic crappy MMO story, nothing amazing about it, nothing that hooks the viewer. However, you can't always judge an anime by its first few episodes. Gurren Lagann had a pretty slow beginning; as did Rokka no Yuusha and numerous



About 4 episodes in, I found myself thinking, "Oh Boy, I bet something cool's gonna happen and this show is gonna become amazing to overcome it's lackluster start!". But the story just never hooked me. Ever.



Was there a story?

It's been 10 minutes since I finished watching and already I'm beginning to wonder if there was any semblance of plot in that giant pile of garbage. But you know what? Story isn't everything. K-On!, WataMote, Gintama, all lack a straightforward and cohesive story, yet they are some of my favorite animes of all-time.





Art: 1 - Pathetic

So in terms of artistic design, it's probably the worst anime I've ever seen. I am taking into account that it's 2015, and this anime looks like a garbage-tier animation product from 2001. Seriously the original Yu-Gi-Oh looks nicer than this. The CGI is actually great 100% of the time, 10% of the time. So I guess it has that going for it, which is nice.





Sound: 3 - Poor

Was there an OST? I can't recall. I know the Opening was pretty good, and the Ending was so bad that I skipped it half the time. So all in all, sound is one of this anime's better aspects, because it makes itself scarce.





Character: 4 - Decent

I feel like if I had read the manga, the characters might have been okay. But I didn't. I watched this anime.



You know how there are a plethora of extremely generic anime male leads with the same look and personality? Brown short-medium hair, with a plain looking face, and a very bland personality, with no real character at all? Well this anime tries to cover up its extremely generic male lead by putting him in this "cool" looking MMO Undead Lich skin. But it doesn't work. He's still generic. He's still uninteresting.



The side characters all have okay aesthetic designs (besides Shalltear, who is just stupid amounts of cliche), but we don't get to know any of them on a personal level, so the design is mostly wasted.



If you are interested in the really bad acting that pornstars do in the beginning of their videos (like pretending to be a pizza guy, a mailman, a nurse, an innocent virgin schoolgirl) then you will be pleased to know that 2 of the 3 "main" female side characters emulate this form of acting every time they're on the screen. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is not quite my cup of tea, so I'm only adding 5 points to this category's rating for it.



In terms of character development, there is none. I'm trying incredibly hard to think of one example where a character is different from how they were when they were introduced; but there is no example. I'm reaching for stars that don't exist.





Enjoyment: 2 - Dreadful

I think watching this anime was the first time I seriously considered gouging my own eyeballs out. I might need some sort of third party confirmation on this; but was this show supposed to be funny? I felt like it was missing a laugh track. I didn't smile a single time during the course of the show, but I feel like it might have attempted to be funny a few times during each episode.



Again if somebody could PM me to confirm my suspicions that'd be great; because I honestly couldn't tell.





Overall: 3 - Poor

I have years of MMO experience. I regularly watch shows of the same genre. I am a straight male. I am this show's target demographic. I feel like my words have to carry some amount of weight here. And so this is my final verdict:



This show is a work of "Art"; if you consider "Art" smearing your own feces all over a wall and then furiously licking it up whilst listening to the the Barney Theme Song on loop for 5 to 6 hours. Helpful other shows, so it's nothing to be ashamed about.About 4 episodes in, I found myself thinking, "Oh Boy, I bet something cool's gonna happen and this show is gonna become amazing to overcome it's lackluster start!". But the story just never hooked me. Ever.Was there a story?It's been 10 minutes since I finished watching and already I'm beginning to wonder if there was any semblance of plot in that giant pile of garbage. But you know what? Story isn't everything. K-On!, WataMote, Gintama, all lack a straightforward and cohesive story, yet they are some of my favorite animes of all-time.Art: 1 - PatheticSo in terms of artistic design, it's probably the worst anime I've ever seen. I am taking into account that it's 2015, and this anime looks like a garbage-tier animation product from 2001. Seriously the original Yu-Gi-Oh looks nicer than this. The CGI is actually great 100% of the time, 10% of the time. So I guess it has that going for it, which is nice.Sound: 3 - PoorWas there an OST? I can't recall. I know the Opening was pretty good, and the Ending was so bad that I skipped it half the time. So all in all, sound is one of this anime's better aspects, because it makes itself scarce.Character: 4 - DecentI feel like if I had read the manga, the characters might have been okay. But I didn't. I watched this anime.You know how there are a plethora of extremely generic anime male leads with the same look and personality? Brown short-medium hair, with a plain looking face, and a very bland personality, with no real character at all? Well this anime tries to cover up its extremely generic male lead by putting him in this "cool" looking MMO Undead Lich skin. But it doesn't work. He's still generic. He's still uninteresting.The side characters all have okay aesthetic designs (besides Shalltear, who is just stupid amounts of cliche), but we don't get to know any of them on a personal level, so the design is mostly wasted.If you are interested in the really bad acting that pornstars do in the beginning of their videos (like pretending to be a pizza guy, a mailman, a nurse, an innocent virgin schoolgirl) then you will be pleased to know that 2 of the 3 "main" female side characters emulate this form of acting every time they're on the screen. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is not quite my cup of tea, so I'm only adding 5 points to this category's rating for it.In terms of character development, there is none. I'm trying incredibly hard to think of one example where a character is different from how they were when they were introduced; but there is no example. I'm reaching for stars that don't exist.Enjoyment: 2 - DreadfulI think watching this anime was the first time I seriously considered gouging my own eyeballs out. I might need some sort of third party confirmation on this; but was this show supposed to be funny? I felt like it was missing a laugh track. I didn't smile a single time during the course of the show, but I feel like it might have attempted to be funny a few times during each episode.Again if somebody could PM me to confirm my suspicions that'd be great; because I honestly couldn't tell.Overall: 3 - PoorI have years of MMO experience. I regularly watch shows of the same genre. I am a straight male. I am this show's target demographic. I feel like my words have to carry some amount of weight here. And so this is my final verdict:This show is a work of "Art"; if you consider "Art" smearing your own feces all over a wall and then furiously licking it up whilst listening to the the Barney Theme Song on loop for 5 to 6 hours. read more [NO SPOILER REVIEW]Let me start this review by stating the reason I started watching Overlord; it had an 8.14 on MAL. I figured it must be pretty damn good, considering it was the second highest rated new anime of the Summer 2015 season. Wow was I wrong to assume that.Story: 3 - PoorSo this anime starts off with a really generic crappy MMO story, nothing amazing about it, nothing that hooks the viewer. However, you can't always judge an anime by its first few episodes. Gurren Lagann had a pretty slow beginning; as did Rokka no Yuusha and numerous permalink | report Nov 25, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 10 Salokannel2 (All reviews)

38 people found this review helpful Overall 10 Story 8 Animation 10 Sound 8 Character 10 Enjoyment 10



The very simple difference between Overlord and other doppelgängers is the approach.

In overlord you get like the antagonistic (the main villain) kind of feeling.

The second difference is that MC is already capable of doing almost anything and is clearly out of every single ones league.



The way the story forwards is cool in its own way. The idea is probably nothing fresh or new but quite enjoyable.



Story: 8



With Madhouse Studios as the producer you can't



Art: 10

Sound: 8



The character design was absolutely brilliant. The MC is seen as a firm leader while inside he is just your typical gamer. Every other character was either prefectly fit into story or was otherwise funny

Overall I enjoyed this anime throughout every episode always leaving me thrilled to see the next one. With a big cliffhanger left in the end I eagerly wait for possibly the next season?



Character: 10

Enjoyment: 10



Overall: 10

Helpful complain about the art. Fight scenes & character designs are especially cool! What comes to the music, I didn't myself see it as the best (excluding the OP and ED)Art: 10Sound: 8The character design was absolutely brilliant. The MC is seen as a firm leader while inside he is just your typical gamer. Every other character was either prefectly fit into story or was otherwise funnyOverall I enjoyed this anime throughout every episode always leaving me thrilled to see the next one. With a big cliffhanger left in the end I eagerly wait for possibly the next season?Character: 10Enjoyment: 10Overall: 10 read more The concept of this anime is familiar to most of you. A player gets stuck into video game (e.g. SAO, Log Horizon) where he/she is trying to find a way out.The very simple difference between Overlord and other doppelgängers is the approach.In overlord you get like the antagonistic (the main villain) kind of feeling.The second difference is that MC is already capable of doing almost anything and is clearly out of every single ones league.The way the story forwards is cool in its own way. The idea is probably nothing fresh or new but quite enjoyable.Story: 8With Madhouse Studios as the producer you can't permalink | report Dec 22, 2015 13 of 13 episodes seen Overall Rating : 4 BanjoTheBear (All reviews)

30 people found this review helpful Overall 4 Story 0 Animation 0 Sound 0 Character 0 Enjoyment 0



Hanging out in the front of Ironforge. Karazhan runs. The snowy hills of Northrend. World of Warcraft is not just a game, it is its own, complete world. Beasts to slay, treasure to find, and quests to complete. Dailies for gold. Instances for gear. Fishing for fun. There is so much to do that it more or less became my second life for a sizeable chunk of my teenage years. After going to school, chatting with friends, and taking care of what needed to be done in the real world, I would hop onto the computer



That sounds bonkers, but it is the truth. The amount of time, the resources, and the effort I sunk into that game were enough to make my avatar a natural extension of myself. Of course, I did not don armor, I did not ride an undead horse, and I did not have a gray beard, but I shaped my character into the kind of person I saw myself to be.



I was always big on questing. I loved going to the different countries like Stranglethorn Vale and Tanaris, searching high and low for those distinctive yellow exclamation marks above Hemet Nesingwary or the Goblins of the desert. I will never forget, for as long as I live, how I was one of the earliest players (within the first year or so) to earn the “Insane in the Membrane” achievement before it was nerfed. The requirements were being near or at “Exalted” reputation for some of the most obscure factions. Ones like Darkmoon Faire, which needed thousands of gold and cards, and Ravenholdt, which needed me to make a brand new “Rogue” class character specifically tooled to steal over 2000 junkboxes from enemies. Getting the “Feat of Strength” took months, but it was worth it.



The tedious work earned me a sweet new title of “the Insane” next to my character’s name. But that was not what ultimately made the game worthwhile. What made World of Warcraft worthwhile were the people around me. The guild I was a part of, my brother going with me to get some levels, and the various friends I made throughout my time in the Eastern Kingdoms is something that I will always hold dear. The game is way too addictive and way too much of a time-sink. And the game was not always smiles. But the memories I have of the game and the people I played alongside are and will only ever be positive.



Overlord gets at the same notion, how the past, while no longer with us, never truly leaves. However, unlike my time in World of Warcraft, Overlord is not all positivity.



STORY



Unfortunately for Overlord, its narrative is somewhat sloppy in its execution. Plot lines are unresolved, entire areas are ignored, and its overall purpose is lacking. Often relying on the same trope – that Ainz Ooal Gown is impossibly strong – the show stops itself from doing much of anything else, severely hampering the experience.



The anime has essentially three arcs: the opening arc, the undead arc, and the Shalltear arc. The beginning arc is mostly setup. Characters are introduced, parts of the world are explained, and Ainz Ooal Gown’s absolutely overpowered self is made known. Nothing wrong exists at this point since the anime is simply gearing itself for the rest of the season.



The problems start with the second arc. First, the anime moves away from the literal home base of Nazarick. This would be fine but the show introduces and works with another new character (Nabel) rather than using the already-established and yet-to-be used rest of the cast like Albedo, Cocytus, and Demiurge. Second, the anime then continues to introduce more people, like a bunch of random adventurers and the protector of the forest, that further detract from what the anime provided earlier. Third, and worse still, these adventurers are killed and the protector of the forest is hardly referenced again, meaning their inclusion means little in the grand scheme of things. Fourth and furthermore, simple tactics like explaining more of the world – how the magic works, the various factions, and so on – and not fully showing specific moments – the assassin attacking the adventurers, what happened immediately after saving the alchemist’s grandson, and so on – create holes in the narrative that stop the narrative from staying afloat. The point of this arc is to extend Ainz Ooal Gown’s reputation further, in order to attract attention and gain fame. But because the following, final arc does not build off of what happened in the second arc, the plot comes off as directionless. Having this problem already occur between the first and the second, and then having it occur again between the second and the third, disjoints the narrative, thereby ruining the tale Overlord is telling.



This third arc, featuring Shalltear’s “betrayal,” does not stop Overlord’s downward trend. Disregarding the shift from spreading reputation to saving Shalltear, the plot introduces another new character (that is used only once), the background forces-at-work are very briefly alluded to (while still making next to no sense), and the outcome effectively returned everything to how it was before the debacle (meaning it was a diversion that minimally affected the narrative). All the while, the rest of the cast is still underutilized, the world is still unmapped, and the previous plot points – like the original general he helped and the need for more reputation – are forgotten.



The cause for these dilemmas: Ainz Ooal Gown. More specifically, it is his elite status that causes the narrative to tumble over itself. Interestingly, the point of the show is the overpowered-ness. Watching him wreck a group’s trump card with just his finger. Seeing him literally hug a woman until her insides explode. Witnessing him going through legendary weapon after legendary weapon. The anime always has to showcase him in his ridiculously unfair state but doing so takes away from the rest of the anime. He is super-strong, so the rest of the cast is unneeded and thus is not shown. He is super-smart, so going into detail about the world and the magic is pointless for him. He is super-awesome, so diverting attention to other plot lines that do not involve his esteemed abilities would ruin the magic. Paradoxically, the anime’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness.



Weakness continues in Overlord’s shoddy attempt at creating a theme. Throughout the season, there are distinct moments of reminiscing. Ainz Ooal Gown has recollections of the past, he feels longing when trekking with the random group of adventurers, and near the end he clearly wishes for his old comrades to still be with him now. The show is trying to get at the notion that nothing lasts forever. Life eventually moves forward, people come and go, no matter how much one wants it otherwise. The problem, though, is that he is still there, he is still lasting. He is performing the same role – leader of a guild – as he has always done. In essence, he wants the old days back. But when so little is given about his past escapades let alone his past comrades, this theme, of cherishing what once was yet looking forward at what is to come, loses value.



A potential argument in favor of this theme is that foregoing the past is difficult. It is not easy letting go when those days gone by were so memorable. However the anime never makes this type of thinking clear. For example, there is a what-should-be tender moment where his lackeys invite him to berate Shalltear, the purpose being to get him standing and moving forward. But the reversal of authority in that scene – where his followers, especially Albedo, “help” him – is too contrasting with the entire rest of the season’s “Ainz Ooal Gown is the greatest” motif. Another example is his reaction to the death of the random adventurers. Initially he is more annoyed than caring since they were tools to further his reputation. But his offhand comment calling himself a “hypocrite” makes it confusing since forward movement is seemingly made but then immediately taken back. Beyond these moments, and perhaps more of a problem, is that the show rarely explores this theme to begin with. Again, since the anime is determined to push the overarching, overpowered idea to the front, it never places aside adequate time to talk about or investigate this theme. Thus, what is given are these minor moments that, when compared to the rest of the anime, make up a very small and therefore inconsequential portion.



What does make up the “rest of the anime”? Overlord includes a nice amount of action sequences in the form of dragon battles, zombie knights, and vampire warriors. Other scenes focus on “ecchi” and comedy, sometimes both. For instance, Albedo straddling a body pillow that has Ainz Ooal Gowns’ face on it is both sexy and hilarious. These sequences would seem to get repetitive considering that these and the previously investigated events surrounding them have little substance. But because the outcome is already known – that Ainz Ooal Gown will decimate whosoever stands before him or will effortlessly command them – that the anime gains an alluring quality. The anime becomes less about seeing where it ends up and more about how it gets there. The awe of the passersby, the utter annihilation of foes, and the complete servitude of minions is something that is easy to revel in, and since the show achieves these effects through its regular happenings, the anime likewise engrosses the audience on a regular basis.



Granted, Overlord is not a complete tale, meaning it is unfair for the audience to expect the narrative to be wholly fulfilling. Still, the anime’s need to lean on the same, overpowered trope hurts where it should help.



ANIMATION



Overlord’s art is similarly lacking in appeal. This is mostly due to the bland backgrounds that the show incorporates for most of its scenes. To be fair, the show is dark in tone so the artistic direction likewise follows this pattern. Gloomy woods, haunting caverns, and gothic interiors are common but quickly become repetitive. Especially so when the lighting is constantly dreary, making each location the same as the next. The anime can switch it up now and again – a sandy plain, a weathered road, a view from way up high, and so on – but these moments are few and far between.



However, the anime can pick up its artistic direction when it chooses. Camera shots, like a decapitated head seeing its own body as it floats through the air or viewing the world through Shalltear’s eyes while she is in her ravenous state demonstrate the show’s ability for flair. Other moments, like a black hole evaporating an archangel or Nabel squaring off against some skeletal dragons push the boundaries of the anime’s lighting, action, and detail. Furthermore, the CG elements – like the death knight near the beginning and the ogres near the middle – are not overly obtrusive in their presentation, meaning they do not distract the audience when they do appear on-screen, keeping attention on the aforementioned pizzazz.



Pizzazz of the fight choreography, however, is often subpar. The reason, per usual, is the overpowered nature of the characters involved. Nearly everything takes one hit. To put it differently, these are not so much skirmishes as they are one-sided romps. Little time for extensive or prolonged fights is had, and the only one that can call itself thus – the fight between Ainz Ooal Gown and Shalltear – is mostly magical, meaning the two of them stand around for roughly the majority of the duel.



Actual animation remains about average throughout the experience. Ainz Ooal Gown in particular barely moves. He is a skeleton, so his skull, jaw, and other body parts rarely jostle. When he does move, his actions are often choppy, lessening his overall impact. Once again, there are exceptions: many of the fights feature explosions, ruffling robes, and sword dances that elevate the animation considerably. Yet these, like the art, are not frequent, with the majority of the show resting rather than moving. Facial expressions sporadically increase in quality from time to time, with incredulity, scorn, and anger plastered across faces for the given situation. However hair swaying and other minute details are generally missing, a trade-off for the higher detail placed on the characters and their designs.



This is not an understatement: the character designs are quite detailed. Ainz Ooal Gown (he is always the odd-man-out) sees the most, his black, yellow, and purple robe, his myriad of rings, and his immaculate, golden wizard’s staff portray him as the king that he is. The contours on his skull, as well as his black-and-red eyes, maintain his demonic disposition. The rest of the cast, while not as detailed, are still very imaginative. Albedo’s normal attire – a pure white dress, devil horns, and black angel wings on the small of her back – contrasts with her dark brown and concealing battle armor. Cocytus’s teal carapace matches his bug-like form. And Shalltear’s gothic gown, umbrella, and ribbons, each mired in purple and red, highlight her pale skin well. Unfortunately, while the designs are elaborate, they do not have much value in terms of symbolism or representation. In other words, they are more for show rather than for expounding further on the characters.



CHARACTERS



Arguably Overlord’s weakest aspect are the characters that inhabit Nazarick and the surrounding area.



It is very difficult to talk about Overlord’s characters. They all worship Ainz Ooal Gown. They all hate humans. They all hold strength of immeasurable magnitude. Therefore, at a surface level, they are identical to one another. Digging deeper, the cast does have character traits that separate them. Albedo would literally do anything for her master, her love for him unable to be matched by anyone ever. Cocytus has dreams of being an “Uncle.” Shalltear is a vampire who pads her bra to give her a larger bust. This list of characterizations goes on. The problem, though, is that many of characters go unused. Yes, Albedo’s unfathomable love for Ainz Ooal Gown reoccurs indefinitely, as do some of the other known traits of the servants. But since the anime spends so much time away from the main group, the consequence is that nothing else is known about them. A huge issue, to say the least, because the characters turn from being people into being slots to fill. This speaks nothing of the development of the Albedo and the rest which, understandably, is nonexistent. Understandable since, if the bare minimum of characterizations were provided, then development of any kind will not occur. Devil’s advocates would argue that, as it was with the story, the incompleteness of the overall tale obviously infers that the cast would not undergo extensive development at this point. However, unlike the story, where attempts at constructing a coherent adventure are apparent, the anime never does the same for its characters.



Less important side characters exist, such as Enri (the village girl), Ninya (the girl posing as a boy in the random adventurers’ group), and Clementine (the assassin who is hugged to death). But, once again, very little is given or known about them outside of the offhand comments they or those around them make. Enri has a younger sister and is loved by Nfirea, and that is it. Ninya seems to have lost her older sister and fights to protect the land, and that is it. Clementine is demented and cocky, and that is it. Hyperboles, but so little is given outside of these facts and so little time is spent on these characters that these types of generalizations are warranted. Here, the argument is that these people are so inconsequential that they are practically pointless compared not just to the rest of the cast but to the entire series.



This is true; Enri’s romance, Ninya’s backstory, and Clementine’s psychotic behavior are utilized at most once or twice, constituting “enough” for each person relative to their importance. But because they are unimportant, the purpose of their characters has no meaning besides adding superficial feelings that barely affect the viewer. A case for Ninya and her group is possible, how they mirrored (to an extent) Ainz Ooal Gown’s own, original friends, but this quickly crumbles since, due to their inconsequential status, they are neither referenced after their arc concludes nor are they used to further him or any of the other characters.



So it stands to reason that Ainz Ooal Gown, the almighty ruler and destroyer of men, requires adequate attention since everyone else around him received none. This is the final nail in the figurative coffin: he as well is a markedly weak character. Part of the problem stems from the recurring overpowered motif; Ainz Ooal Gown is so perfect that there is nothing to fix. His character has no flaws which, from a literary standpoint, is automatically an issue since without conflict he is unable to grow or change throughout the season. Taking into account that this is the whole point of his character – simply being overpowered at everything, from fighting to strategizing – the anime does try to convey the change in his personality. Before, as a human playing a video game, killing people was not real, meaning he was not attached mentally to his actions. After, having become a skeletal warlord of another world, this disconnect is still present but has manifested as a part of his personality rather than him consciously making the decision to not care. So, in the very beginning, he changes, but at no point afterward do the events affect him. He does have a split persona, one for his internal monologues and one for his external portrayal. But the former exists purely to understand what he is truly thinking and the latter is how he had always acted, meaning neither side sees noteworthy development, thereby stagnating his character from start to finish.



Still, no matter if it is Ainz Ooal Gown’s inner or outer self, the remembrance of the past is a theme that persists. Despite having complete loyalty of everyone, despite having the capability of crushing anything in his path, he still feels alone, wanting the past to come back in one form or another. His servants are on the opposite end. They know of their personal creators and they know where they came from, but they do not dwell on the past. Instead, they devote themselves to Ainz Ooal Gown. For them, what happened before should be celebrated, but still they understand that then is not now. This is interesting because of the dichotomy: the master is worried about this trivial matter while his servants are not. But once again, Ainz Ooal Gown and the rest of the cast is not expounded on enough to support this theme between the characters. Albedo and the others are rarely shown interacting with their previous masters, Shalltear having just about the only scene where this happens. As for the ultimate ruler, he likewise is barely shown interacting with this old buddies, making it hard to empathize with his feelings. The combined result is a broken link within the dichotomy, fragmenting the theme instead of unifying it. Worst still, Albedo and the others are the result of code. Therefore, their loyalty and outlook is not by choice but by circumstance, meaning their relationships are fake which in turn reduces their thematic presence.



So while the cast of Nazarick might be unbelievably strong in a physical sense, they are unbelievably weak in a writing sense.



SOUND



Overlord’s strongest area is easily the sound it uses throughout the season.



The opening theme is hard rock, but takes on a semi-spooky vibe to coincide with Ainz Ooal Gown and the tone of the anime. The rising and falling lyrics, the catchy beat, and the rapid drums work together to create an arrangement that is simply cool. The random English bits are somewhat jarring and do not mesh all too well with the song, but the piece hypes the viewer for the inevitable awesomeness that awaits.



Awesomeness such as the ending theme, which is downright wonderful. The ED, like the OP, adopts a rock or metal vibe to make the piece more aligned with the gritty and cool aura that the show gives off. However the ED, unlike the OP, has English bits whose emotion and meaning fit the Albedo-centric track well. The breathing part in the middle is weird but oddly satisfying, since it stops the song and builds it up for the final half of the piece. Alongside the strong vocalist, the background whispering, and the catchy beat, the track comes together, being filled with nothing short of “love and passion.”



While the rest of the soundtrack is not filled with as much love, it still manages to encompass the same feeling of MMORPGs and overpowered-ness that the anime thrives on. A fluty tune for the downtimes that relaxes both body and mind like a famous inn. Choirs and hard drums fill other tracks, maximizing the splendor of Ainz Ooal Gown and his battle prowess. Violins and pianos to follow the gothic feelings. Many of the tracks are steeped in gloomy sounds that heighten the dark mood while also keeping the events cloaked in a veil of mystery that improves the darkness further. Despite how atmospheric the pieces tend to be, none are particularly memorable, serving as appropriate background music and not much more.



Voice acting, however, is superb, with the majority of the cast providing stellar performances. Yumi Hara as Albedo uses a sultry voice that amplifies Albedo’s sexiness and thus her attractiveness. Satoshi Hino as Ainz Ooal Gown uses two voices, the first higher pitched and younger to match his normal self and the second lower pitched and older to match his overlord self, demonstrating his large vocal range. And a special shout-out is deserved for Aoi Yuuki as Clementine for nailing the psychotic inflection and way of speaking, making Clementine creepier in the process. Altogether, the voice actors and actresses performing so well immerses the audience, a much-needed outcome given the immersive undertones of the anime itself.



ENJOYMENT



While I find the story and the characters to be severely lacking in meaningfulness, there is one reason why I like this one so much: Albedo. She is amazing. Her sacrificial servitude, her sexual spark, and her sensual self won me over immediately. Watching her get extremely mad whenever Shalltear tried to do anything with Ainz Ooal Gown, hearing her go on and on about the clothes she made (up to five years old) for their future child together, and seeing her almost completely lose it after the enemy merely scratched her beloved was hilarious, ridiculous, and endearing. Other moments, like her screaming at the top of her lungs for receiving a ring from Ainz Ooal Gown and her “so freaking cool” line followed by her goofy grin made me love her that much more. She may not be a well-written character in the slightest, but I do not care. She makes me swoon regardless.



The rest of the cast was also fun. Cocytus’s singular moment where he gets lost in his Uncle fantasy, Nabel constantly calling the humans some variation of insect, and Shalltear believing that Ainz Ooal Gown was going to have his way with her in the middle of the throne room were all scenes that made me smile and laugh. I was therefore disappointed that they – and Albedo, of course – were not around as much as they could (and should) have been. They are an interesting bunch of characters, so not including them as much as possible made the moments when they were not nearby less exciting.



The rest of the events are actually entertaining despite them not having much substance whatsoever. It was a lot of fun watching the enemy cower in fear, unable to grasp how powerful Ainz Ooal Gown was. The death knight stabbing the captain guard over and over was gruesome but funny. Albedo deflecting the pebble back at the mage and literally exploding his head made me love Albedo even more. And Shalltear going berserk in her vampire form was chilling, gross, and crazy all at once. The anime definitely understands how to create scenes filled with entertainment, proving at the minimum that the show could do well when it wanted.



Overlord has prevalent problems in both its narrative and especially its characters. The art and the animation also has issues, though they are not as glaring as the first two. Still, strong music and enjoyable scenarios stop this one from immediately being put up for auction at the Stormwind Auction House.



SUMMARY



Story: Bad, disjointed plot, individual arcs lack purpose, overarching theme is improperly explored, with the overpowered trope simultaneously harming and helping the narrative



Animation: Fine, a mix of boring and interesting artistic decisions, subpar fight choreography, about average actual animation, and detailed yet meaningless character designs



Characters: Terrible, the side cast is barely investigated, the minor characters are inconsequential, Ainz Ooal Gown stagnates very early, and the dichotomy between him and his servants has no foundation



Sound: Good, good OP, great ED, okay OST, above average VA performances



Enjoyment: Good, Albedo is amazing, the rest of the cast is fun though not around enough, and the overpowered action was really entertaining



Final Score: 4/10 Helpful and become someone that was not technically me but might as well have been.That sounds bonkers, but it is the truth. The amount of time, the resources, and the effort I sunk into that game were enough to make my avatar a natural extension of myself. Of course, I did not don armor, I did not ride an undead horse, and I did not have a gray beard, but I shaped my character into the kind of person I saw myself to be.I was always big on questing. I loved going to the different countries like Stranglethorn Vale and Tanaris, searching high and low for those distinctive yellow exclamation marks above Hemet Nesingwary or the Goblins of the desert. I will never forget, for as long as I live, how I was one of the earliest players (within the first year or so) to earn the “Insane in the Membrane” achievement before it was nerfed. The requirements were being near or at “Exalted” reputation for some of the most obscure factions. Ones like Darkmoon Faire, which needed thousands of gold and cards, and Ravenholdt, which needed me to make a brand new “Rogue” class character specifically tooled to steal over 2000 junkboxes from enemies. Getting the “Feat of Strength” took months, but it was worth it.The tedious work earned me a sweet new title of “the Insane” next to my character’s name. But that was not what ultimately made the game worthwhile. What made World of Warcraft worthwhile were the people around me. The guild I was a part of, my brother going with me to get some levels, and the various friends I made throughout my time in the Eastern Kingdoms is something that I will always hold dear. The game is way too addictive and way too much of a time-sink. And the game was not always smiles. But the memories I have of the game and the people I played alongside are and will only ever be positive.Overlord gets at the same notion, how the past, while no longer with us, never truly leaves. However, unlike my time in World of Warcraft, Overlord is not all positivity.STORYUnfortunately for Overlord, its narrative is somewhat sloppy in its execution. Plot lines are unresolved, entire areas are ignored, and its overall purpose is lacking. Often relying on the same trope – that Ainz Ooal Gown is impossibly strong – the show stops itself from doing much of anything else, severely hampering the experience.The anime has essentially three arcs: the opening arc, the undead arc, and the Shalltear arc. The beginning arc is mostly setup. Characters are introduced, parts of the world are explained, and Ainz Ooal Gown’s absolutely overpowered self is made known. Nothing wrong exists at this point since the anime is simply gearing itself for the rest of the season.The problems start with the second arc. First, the anime moves away from the literal home base of Nazarick. This would be fine but the show introduces and works with another new character (Nabel) rather than using the already-established and yet-to-be used rest of the cast like Albedo, Cocytus, and Demiurge. Second, the anime then continues to introduce more people, like a bunch of random adventurers and the protector of the forest, that further detract from what the anime provided earlier. Third, and worse still, these adventurers are killed and the protector of the forest is hardly referenced again, meaning their inclusion means little in the grand scheme of things. Fourth and furthermore, simple tactics like explaining more of the world – how the magic works, the various factions, and so on – and not fully showing specific moments – the assassin attacking the adventurers, what happened immediately after saving the alchemist’s grandson, and so on – create holes in the narrative that stop the narrative from staying afloat. The point of this arc is to extend Ainz Ooal Gown’s reputation further, in order to attract attention and gain fame. But because the following, final arc does not build off of what happened in the second arc, the plot comes off as directionless. Having this problem already occur between the first and the second, and then having it occur again between the second and the third, disjoints the narrative, thereby ruining the tale Overlord is telling.This third arc, featuring Shalltear’s “betrayal,” does not stop Overlord’s downward trend. Disregarding the shift from spreading reputation to saving Shalltear, the plot introduces another new character (that is used only once), the background forces-at-work are very briefly alluded to (while still making next to no sense), and the outcome effectively returned everything to how it was before the debacle (meaning it was a diversion that minimally affected the narrative). All the while, the rest of the cast is still underutilized, the world is still unmapped, and the previous plot points – like the original general he helped and the need for more reputation – are forgotten.The cause for these dilemmas: Ainz Ooal Gown. More specifically, it is his elite status that causes the narrative to tumble over itself. Interestingly, the point of the show is the overpowered-ness. Watching him wreck a group’s trump card with just his finger. Seeing him literally hug a woman until her insides explode. Witnessing him going through legendary weapon after legendary weapon. The anime always has to showcase him in his ridiculously unfair state but doing so takes away from the rest of the anime. He is super-strong, so the rest of the cast is unneeded and thus is not shown. He is super-smart, so going into detail about the world and the magic is pointless for him. He is super-awesome, so diverting attention to other plot lines that do not involve his esteemed abilities would ruin the magic. Paradoxically, the anime’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness.Weakness continues in Overlord’s shoddy attempt at creating a theme. Throughout the season, there are distinct moments of reminiscing. Ainz Ooal Gown has recollections of the past, he feels longing when trekking with the random group of adventurers, and near the end he clearly wishes for his old comrades to still be with him now. The show is trying to get at the notion that nothing lasts forever. Life eventually moves forward, people come and go, no matter how much one wants it otherwise. The problem, though, is that he is still there, he is still lasting. He is performing the same role – leader of a guild – as he has always done. In essence, he wants the old days back. But when so little is given about his past escapades let alone his past comrades, this theme, of cherishing what once was yet looking forward at what is to come, loses value.A potential argument in favor of this theme is that foregoing the past is difficult. It is not easy letting go when those days gone by were so memorable. However the anime never makes this type of thinking clear. For example, there is a what-should-be tender moment where his lackeys invite him to berate Shalltear, the purpose being to get him standing and moving forward. But the reversal of authority in that scene – where his followers, especially Albedo, “help” him – is too contrasting with the entire rest of the season’s “Ainz Ooal Gown is the greatest” motif. Another example is his reaction to the death of the random adventurers. Initially he is more annoyed than caring since they were tools to further his reputation. But his offhand comment calling himself a “hypocrite” makes it confusing since forward movement is seemingly made but then immediately taken back. Beyond these moments, and perhaps more of a problem, is that the show rarely explores this theme to begin with. Again, since the anime is determined to push the overarching, overpowered idea to the front, it never places aside adequate time to talk about or investigate this theme. Thus, what is given are these minor moments that, when compared to the rest of the anime, make up a very small and therefore inconsequential portion.What does make up the “rest of the anime”? Overlord includes a nice amount of action sequences in the form of dragon battles, zombie knights, and vampire warriors. Other scenes focus on “ecchi” and comedy, sometimes both. For instance, Albedo straddling a body pillow that has Ainz Ooal Gowns’ face on it is both sexy and hilarious. These sequences would seem to get repetitive considering that these and the previously investigated events surrounding them have little substance. But because the outcome is already known – that Ainz Ooal Gown will decimate whosoever stands before him or will effortlessly command them – that the anime gains an alluring quality. The anime becomes less about seeing where it ends up and more about how it gets there. The awe of the passersby, the utter annihilation of foes, and the complete servitude of minions is something that is easy to revel in, and since the show achieves these effects through its regular happenings, the anime likewise engrosses the audience on a regular basis.Granted, Overlord is not a complete tale, meaning it is unfair for the audience to expect the narrative to be wholly fulfilling. Still, the anime’s need to lean on the same, overpowered trope hurts where it should help.ANIMATIONOverlord’s art 