Apr 10, 2023

Overlord I to IV - Quick Thoughts

Overlord is an isekai anime series by Madhouse that is based on the light novel series of the same name by Kugane Maruyama. An office worker from futuristic Japan, Satoru Suzuki, is forcefully brought to another world after he decides to spend his final moments logged into a popular virtual reality MMO Yggdrasil when the game servers are shutting down for good.

After the servers are shut down, Satoru finds that he has retained the form of Momonga, an elder lich he played as his avatar in Yggdrasil and has been brought to a mysterious fantasy world along with his dark guild Ainz Ooal Gown, the Tomb of Nazarick, and all the non-player characters his former guildmates created. Upon realizing all this, he sets out to learn more about the new world with the help of his loyal servants, hoping to find other players who might be able to shed some light into the mystery.

Season Breakdown

Season 1: Momonga acquaints himself with the non-player characters in Nazarick, and attempts to learn more about the world. He poses as a mighty warrior Sir Momon to hide his undead features, making new friends and enemies along the way. (Volumes 1-3 of the light novel series)

Season 2: Momonga takes up on Demiurge's plan to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown far and wide. He leads the inhabitants of Nazarick on a campaign to subjugate the lizardmen, and sow fear and chaos in the Re-Estize Kingdom's capital city. (Volumes 4-6 of the light novel series)

Season 3: The village of Carne is getting back on its feet thanks to Momonga's timely interventions. However, things turn ugly when the Baharuth Empire sends a team of adventurer workers to explore and raid the Tomb of Nazarick. Momonga wages war on the Baharuth Empire and the Re-Estize Kingdom to show his might and displeasure. (Volumes 7-9 of the light novel series)

Season 4: Momonga has established the Sorceror Kingdom (Nation of Darkness in the light novel) after seizing E-Rantel from the Re-Estize Kingdom. He plans to expand his country's sphere of influence far and wide, and learn more about a magical inscribing process. Thus, his adventures take him to the Baharuth Empire's arena, the underground dwarven kingdom, and back to the Re-Estize Kingdom's capital city. (Volumes 10, 11, and 14 of the light novel series)

Thoughts

Season 1 starts out slow when Satoru as Momonga or Sir Momon attempts to learn more about his place in the new world, although the pacing and story will get better with intense battles near the end of every volume of the light novel series. The captivating plot, excellent voice acting in both the original Japanese and English redubbed versions and stirring opening theme song Clattanoia definitely makes this series one not to be missed.

Season 2 feels like a disappointment following the huge success of season 1. A large part of the story is centered around the lizardman tribe's champion Zaryusu and Nazarick's guardian Sebas rather than on Momonga himself. Despite this, the season is interesting enough to watch with a stirring ending theme song Hydra, and it covers a major event that will be recounted in season 4.

Season 3 can be a mixed bag. On one hand, the story of the village of Carne in episodes 2-4 is cute and captures the villagers' interactions with the summoned goblins, the nearby forest and the town inhabitants well. On the other hand, I feel there is less need to drag the pacing of the story with character backgrounds compared to the actual battles that are over too quickly in the remaining episodes, given the huge disparity between an overpowered protagonist and his opponents. Still, the stirring ending theme song Silent Solitude which describes the protagonist being left all alone in an unfamiliar world and forced to make cruel decisions also makes this series a memorable one.

Season 4 is an interesting take of Momonga now that he has become the ruler of the Sorceror Kingdom. As a salaryman in his previous line of work, he has little experience in running a country, and this anime series highlights his uncertainties, the chance encounters, cute and comical moments well in episodes 1-7. The remaining episodes take a sinister turn along with a few surprises.

All in all, the Overlord anime series is a faithful adaptation of the light novel series with excellent voice acting in both Japanese and English, exciting battles featuring an overpowered hero with his fair share of uncertainties inside his heart, a variety of cute and comical moments, stirring theme songs, and pleasant Western fantasy music. Whether you are a fan of the light novel series, or you are interested in watching an isekai anime series featuring an overpowered undead spellcaster and ruler that is inspired by a popular fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, Overlord is an anime series that deserves its place in SinicalGeek's Favorite Isekai List.

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