Anime: Overlord

When the first season of Overlord came out it got promoted as a subversion when it comes to isekai type of anime by telling the same trite story from the perspective of the bad guy. Despite being the same old premise of a guy getting trapped in a videogame, where he’s overpowered and all the chicks love him, it shows what it’s like to be in the role of the final boss any other protagonist would normally go after. There, see? It’s different from other isekai! Ten out of ten in originality… Until other isekai did the exact same gimmick (The Devil is a Part Timer & How not to summon a Demon Lord).

With novelty out of the way, other elements had to carry the show… and the story wasn’t one of them as it’s hardly doing much with own premise. There have been three seasons so far that barely head anywhere in terms of an objective. Skeletor-san claims he wants to find others of his guild and return home, but he never really goes somewhere with that, and the truth is he loves being in this world where he is the most powerful and feared of them all. That’s the usual fake premise most modern isekai use as an objective. He’s a nobody in the real world. Why would he want to go back to that instead of staying in the videogame where everybody either loves him or fears him and where he is powerful enough to do pretty much anything he likes? He only pretends to not like being the bad guy during the early parts, before eventually settling with the idea of being a typical megalomaniac final boss. That is the appeal and why so many liked the show for. As an unapologetic empowerment fantasy for gamers. Ten out of ten in creativity.

And then the second season came, and it was something completely different which ended up alienating everyone who was watching Overlord for a standard power fantasy trip. It mostly focused on showing what the good guys are doing and how they try to defeat the overlord, only to fail every single time. Supposed, this is done for showing how even minor characters have an important role in the world, and for the setting to open up not through narration or a typical hero who is adventuring, but by seeing the actual world from the perspective of the NPCs. There, see? It’s different from other isekai! Ten out of ten in innovation.

And it doesn’t matter because said NPCs are nor important in the grand scheme of things. Mumra-kun can easily obliterate all of them without a power up since the first episode. As much as the show struggles to make them seem like they matter, or that they affect the world with their actions, they are nobodies compared to the main character and are instantly allying with him when he shows up and wipes the floor with them. It got pretty tiresome for anyone who was in it just to see Ghost Rider-dono and his over the top floor guardians. Because they are infinitely more powerful and memorable than anyone else outside of that crypt they are all living in. Who cares about world building if it’s not about characters that matter or offer anything to the plot? Ten out of ten in lore.

There is plot, and there is plot progression, for which the author of Overlord doesn’t care about, because he was just making up random factions that don’t do shit to affect the schemes of Kel’thuzad-sensei. The third season was more of the same shit, only with far more talking that didn’t mean anything, and a lot less care about the visuals, which made the battles to look like shit because of the terrible CGI. Texhex-sempai stops giving a damn and murders hundreds of thousands of people that have no emotional connection with the watcher, because they don’t matter. It’s a bunch of nobodies who came together, had boring dialogues that didn’t advance the story in any way, and then died without leaving a mark on a setting that has dozens of factions, none of which matter in the longrun. Ten out of ten in characterization.

The only thing people wanted to see more of is Momonga (that is his actual name in the game) and his floor guardians who are crazy psychopaths and sexualized bimbos. And they got very little of it because the plot was constantly being interrupted by meaningless bullshit that led nowhere. And let’s be honest; the protagonist was the strongest creature in the world. There was no challenge, therefore there was no tension, therefore there was nothing to maintain your interest outside of low brow humor and one dimensional sexualized bimbos. And that’s the kind of shit you can find in any modern isekai. Ten out of ten in quality.

Decided to give it a shot as I am waiting for the next episode of Tensei Shitara Slime.

General comments suggested average premise but "good execution". If you love random ass German-sounding names, non-stop named attacks with no rhyme/reason/balance (bleach fans) this will be right up your alley. If that is not your thing... keep moving... nothing to see here.

I'm not quite sure why I finished all 13 episodes. It was almost like unintended satire. It was "so bad" that "it wasn't that bad" kind of thing.

For the Saiki Kusuo no psi nan fans, this has to be Kaido Shun's dream world. Shameless chuunibyou BS at its finest. No attempts to avoid the stereotypical tropes. Hahaha, I'm actually left-handed herp derp! so what? Sorry, not sorry.

Will not be watching the sequel but not quite regretting season 1.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This anime is including as my best anime so far. Usually we will get an anime with Weak MC/Pervert MC/ or something like "when we try hard we will get it" MC.
But wait ,it ll be different !! On this anime you will see an Overpower MC with a serious plot(not comedy like OPM), not just Overpower, in Overlord we will got villain viewpoint, not as a hero viewpoint(like SAO/LH/Danmachi).
STORY : the story itself was really good, the MC doesnt care with a "Justice, or Other people's feel" , he just want to Protect all his servant even it ll be killed thousand human, so you will not find too much of "Sad" drama on this anime(sorry). Overlord also have light comedy(not too much) and low Fanservices, cause this anime was focused on serious problem about Great Tomb of Nazarick and their Guardian.
CHARACTER : the character is also good, i never imagine that the MC ll be non-human(Elder-Lich), and his servant is also from any kind of monster type (Vampire,Demon,Imp,Ant,Elf),

This anime is worth to watch even it just have 13episode on first season, but later we will got the 2nd Season and its from Madhouse(which we all know rarely doing 2nd season) it means this anime was in a good sales at Japan on both BD/DVD or LightNovel&Manga(2.000.000 copy)

Hope you all like it !

Review
After a while watching shows you start to see them repeating past works over and over. You see no originality, even if they have it, and only a few within thousands can truly make you smile. While watching Overlord I was certain this was a parallel story from Log Horizon or a tribute to Disgaea. I mean... it lacks originality in most of its aspects. The stuck-in-a-MMO start certainly makes you sad, the anime tropes of sexy demons, vampire lolis, traps, and obsession with pairing all of them with the protagonist leaves you tired, and the game terms forced into the world always make you lose any hope of realistic progress.

All of that, however, manages to be covered by a decent execution of a tale where the protagonist tries to be a villaneous hero and the mystery of the world makes up for the lack of its originality. It could even be said that, amongst all MMO-inspired shows, Overlord can perhaps share the higher echelon with a selected few.

It all starts when the servers of the game Yggdrasil are about to shutdown. Momonga, the leader of a monster-only guild which amassed wealth and power in the game, remains alone to see off the legacy he and his friends built. When the servers finally shutdown, however, Momonga finds himself still inside the game and with all the custom-made NPCs of his castle gaining life.

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1. A mysterious world and a insane protagonist
   Overlord is initially about discovery. The fortress from Momonga's guild is warped to a foreign place he knows nothing about. He must learn about where he is, what happened, and what exactly are the rules of this new reality. Unlike other shows where you wish to know about what is happening in real life, Overlord quickly throws off any reason to worry with that, as Momonga simply doesn't care he is stuck in the game, for him that was already his life.
   
   Momonga, in fact, starts off with the typical japanese style and is interestingly shaped through the episodes to become the undead necromancer he is in the game. This slow transformation from man-who-played-MMOs to an evil overlord makes him far more interesting than most other protagonists you see around like the annoying Kirito or the cold-but-cute Shiro. His knowledge of Yggdrasil and his power are massive, but faced with the unknown he starts to make careful advances in this new territory.
   
   NPCs given life
   One thing that really made Log Horizon interesting was the fact the NPCs were like real inhabitants of the game and the players were more akin to alien superheroes from another world. Overlord uses a similar concept, making the world around Momonga a place that is alive and not just a random virtual world. It goes even further and surround him with NPCs he and his friends made to protect their fortress, and they now all pledge loyalty to Momonga as their supreme ruler.
   
   Kingdoms filled with their own agendas, shady assassins, war bewteen nations of religious belief, many things fills the land where Momonga and his servants now reside. This, as in Log Horizon, makes the show much more likely to feel as your old-school type of "boy in a parallel world", which is always a good thing these days.
   
   However...
   What is the problem with Japan and immortal lolis? Damn... there is potential in having his own horde of superpowerful NPCs, but Momonga's crew is half-filled with your average and annoying ecchi stereotypes. I could stand the sexy succubus, but here she is insanely obsessed with having sex with her master even if he is just a bunch of bones with no flesh to give her pleasure. There are twin lolis, one of them being a trap, that play the role the genki type and the cute-always-sorry vassal. Then there is a vampire loli who is also obsessed with the lord of bones. Seriously, why? Why? This crew offers one or two funny dialogues, but the focus of the show lies elsewhere so they are just there to remind you this was made in Japan and it is likely the vision Japan has of demonic/undead villains, as if this was a copycat of Disagea's netherworld.
   
   It is kinda slow as well
   Once again we have a show divided in seasons that we never know when they will get a sequel, but Overlord manages to pick his first dozen episodes and deliver only very little content. You end up knowing just a tiny bit of the seemingly interesting world and the only real threat found by now lies within Momonga's own cavalry. For an overlord who quickly sees he is a powerhouse in a world of worms, he could certainly change his careful tactics to something that would broad his view in this short span of time. I truly hope the next season offers a better pace, but even with this slow season it manages to catch your attention.
   
   Madhouse pedigree and generic sound direction
   Madhouse is a certainty of consistency and quality. Overlord is a great experience to the eyes with solid animation when it is required, which means little, even if when paired with Log Horizon and SAO, this seems far more frantic. Sadly though, Overlord does not escape the colorful palette that does not pair well with all the villains, undeads, demons, and dark magic within it. The rare moments where it gets gritty and dark are certainly where Overlord shines the most, so being mostly colorful and vivid is a huge let down. The same thing happens with its sound direction, offering generic themes much like what happens in the other MMO-inspired shows and rarely make you remember this is an MMO in this regard.
   

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Comments
Overlord was a decent surprise for me. It is far from being a masterpiece, but it manages to pick the good heart of Log Horizon and the villain-inspired protagonist to make something worthwhile. Considering other MMO-inspired shows, Overlord certainly sits amongst the very best, which is not exactly a feat, but a good thing nonetheless. You have a guy who slowly becomes a villain, a mysterious world, a welcome lack of focus on MMO terms, and a good execution.

For a first season this is certainly a decent start, but many things now can turn the second season into only yeat another MMO generic show. I am quite certain they will fail to keep up Momonga's transformation into a true villain and overlord, and I am more likely to see him turning into yet another Shiro, loved by everyone else as the guy who slays the evil empire and free the people. The world that sits below him and which just by chance manages to give him a challenge is more likely to ass-pull some heroes or resources enough to pose a true physical/magical threat to Momonga, which will make the whole idea of the show a mess. So, for being disapointed with most second seasons of recent shows, I cannot expect Overlord to do what it should, meaning embracing its title and crafting a mastermind overlord. But hell... I can still hope it will do that, can't I?

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Want to see an anime that shows you the dark side from a heroic perspective?
Here you go: D

Be warned it’s not a finished anime. (But hopefully we get more episodes)

Story: What happens if a gamer fanatic with good morals and bit of anti heroic realistic thinking, takes over a Dark op society and enter to a fragile phantasm world?
In one word FUN XD. To add to this: consistent, reasonable, detailed, exciting and well made.
If you gave in…I mean enlightened…rather endarkened by the dark side already, and now know only the antihero’s path is the way you must watch this. Let the nerd flow trough you. 9/10

The graphics is beautiful, the spell the character designs, the environment, everything is as good as it gets. The character designs are astounding, and final spoilers alert my favorite fantasy race, Vampire’s don’t sparkle. :D you were warned. 10/10

Characters. : I fallen in love with the entire Dark cast, well I love amity hero’s, and the dark side so them as thy were, perfectly fitted my taste. The succubus was seductive, the vampire was hungry for power blood and love for the master, the dark knight representative (Cocytus) had the knight mentality. The problem is this show directly hit my taste with a spark of humor. So I can’t guaranty it will be the same for everyone. But all characters are as good as they get. 10/10

Enjoyment: If you are into op characters, dark humor. Want to see/experience what would happen if you favorite game character played by you enter to world of alike rules but lakes power. What would happen than? Here you go. Personally I found this anime most satisfying to watch. The battles were well choreographed, and power thinking and planning had a great role as it should be. If you get into it you will also. 9/10
I revoke this ones the anime is finished (most likely to 10/10), but there is no doubt enjoyment takes a scar, if its a book you start to read leaves in the shadow of not finished yet. (It was finished first season)

Value: Original, if they make more I will sure rematch this. I don’t think it will make huge impact because I can’t imagine everyone would love and praise such a work of art. But it decently is something that I would love to watch more alike. 8/10

Sounds, the sound were well made nothing too good nothing too bad, the opening was awesome, the ending…let’s say….it’s for special tasted people and as such deserves praise :D 7/10