OVERLORD
STATUS
RELEASING
VOLUMES
18
RELEASE
Invalid Date
CHAPTERS
Not Available
DESCRIPTION
For twelve years, the virtual world of Yggdrasil has served as the playground and battlefield for the skeletal lord Momonga and his guild of fellow monsters, Ainz Ooal Gown. But the guild's glory days are over, and the game is shutting down permanently. When Momonga logs in one last time just to be there when the servers go dark, something happens--and suddenly, fantasy is reality. A rogues' gallery of fanatically devoted NPCs is ready to obey his every order, but the world Momonga now inhabits is not the one he remembers. The game may be over, but the epic tale of Ainz Ooal Gown is only beginning...
(Source: Yen Press)
CAST
Albedo
Momonga
Shalltear Bloodfallen
Demiurge
Sebas Tian
Aura Bella Fiora
Mare Bello Fiore
Cocytus
Narberal Gamma
Lupusregina Beta
Pandora's Actor
Shizu Delta
Evileye
Entoma Vasilissa Zeta
Solution Epsilon
Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself
Hamusuke
Yuri Alpha
Gazef Stronoff
Brain Unglaus
Clementine
Enri Emmot
Neia Baraja
Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix
Tuareninya Veyron
CHAPTERS
RELATED TO OVERLORD
REVIEWS
Budwii3245
100/100A Masterclass in IsekaiContinue on AniListThis review is a restructuring of a review I did a while ago. I had zero idea how to format text on AL so when I initially released it, I got flak for it being hard to read. So, I figured I'd redo it and add some things while making it easy to read. #__Personal Experience __ I've been into Overlord for years and have rewatched the anime multiple times and reread the novel a few times. So, I felt that writing a review on it was fitting since I've probably studied it more thoroughly than any other series that I've seen. I first got into Overlord through watching the anime. At the time I was relatively new to anime (I think it was probably one of the first 15 or so shows I saw) and being completely honest I just watched it to see the power flexes and didn't care about anything else. I know that's absolutely monkey brain, but I was 13 or something so cut me some slack guys. I liked Overlord so much that prior to S3 coming out I read up to date in the light novel. And I discovered something I did not expect to find...the anime is absolute garbage compared to the novel. The amount of cut plot points and worldbuilding, altered or removed character interactions and foreshadowing, and the garbage CGI made me realize the anime is a dumpster fire in comparison to the novel. Note that though I do not like the anime anywhere near as much as the novel as a standalone it's pretty okay ignoring the CGI. Voice acting is really good, and the openings and endings are amazing. I would recommend the anime as a taste of the series but if you dislike it and write off the series as "generic garbage" or whatever buzzword you choose I think you should be aware it's not anywhere near the real Overlord experience. ___ # __Overall Plot__ __Main Premise__ The plot of Overlord focuses on the conquest and domination of the "New World" by the protagonist Momonga aka Ainz Ooal Gown. The series starts with him playing his favorite VR game "Yggdrasil" for the last time before the servers shut down for good. But when the game shuts down nothing happens, and the timer that monitored the time till shutdown begins counting up from zero. The NPCs have become sentient, and he is unable to communicate with the admins. He has transformed into his in-game character which is an advanced species of Elder Lich called an Overlord. He then decides to explore and evaluate his new situation with the help of the NPCs who appear to be completely loyal to him. The start is your typical isekai video game power fantasy beginning but it immediately takes a very different turn than power fantasies like SAO. The world of Overlord is cruel and unforgiving with violent and gory deaths being extremely common throughout the story. It is not a "hero's journey" or anything close to it as time and time again Ainz stomps on the dreams and lives of people who were either peaceful or good in order to achieve his goals. __Worldbuilding__ Overlord excels in worldbuilding with dozens of locations and areas fleshed out and explored throughout the story. The "New World" is a massive mixing pot of game mechanics Ainz remembers from the former "Yggdrasil" but is full of entirely new civilizations, magics, and skills that did not exist before. The Great Tomb of Nazarick that Ainz and his servants live in is an extremely well-developed place with various levels that are each unique in design and purpose such as the forest level that the twin elves Aura and Mare guard or the fire level that the devil Demiurge guards. The Tomb has ten large levels each with a completely different design and residents so just the protagonist's home base already feels like its own world. The books sometimes include maps that let you get a good view of the various nations and areas which is very interesting as they all are relevant in the story. _Map of the Great Tomb of Nazarick_ _Map of the New World_ This map was put together using an official map from the novel. Explaining most of the map would be spoilers so I won't get into that. __Politics__ Another area Overlord excels in is politics. The dynamics between the various kingdoms and territories like the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire are well developed and show you negotiations between royalty but also touches on economics, agriculture, and military needs that really make the world feel real and alive. The world is ever expanding and with every volume we get to see more and more of the world through Ainz's conquest coupled with perspectives from side characters. One aspect I think adds a lot to the world of Overlord is the political intrigue of superhuman figures. In a world with mechanics that allow an individual to have the power to rival a small country it follows that those people would be constantly sought after by governments and would have huge political sway. In Overlord a single top ranked adventurer could topple an entire nation, so the Adventurer's Guild has set in place restrictions on what adventurers can do and has placed the adventurers outside of the government's jurisdiction for conscription. The primary drive of the plot is Ainz and his manipulation and domination of key figures in various governments as he slowly gains control of everything. However, the world moves without him, which is key to the good worldbuilding, and I would compare how things happen to something like One Piece where the cogs move regardless of Luffy's actions. ___ #__Overall Characters__ __Protagonist - Ainz__ The protagonist of Overlord is in appearance a threatening looking skeleton known as an Overlord which is a more advanced form of the Elder Lich. After becoming an Overlord upon arriving in the "New World" Ainz gains all of the skills and powers he had with his previous game character and becomes what is more or less a god in the world. It should be noted that though Ainz is incredibly powerful many of the NPCs under him are stronger than him which makes him nervous. He feels he needs to be a good ruler and keep them loyal because if they revolt he would most likely be unable to stop them. This concept is explored in volume three. He struggles with a key part of his species which is that his emotions are forcefully suppressed which makes him more logical but also more unfeeling. As the story goes on he gradually becomes more manipulative and more inhuman as opposed to the beginning. At the start he saves some people even though it was for personal reasons but by the Dwarf Kingdom he's committed war crimes and extreme acts that I will not specify due to spoilers. As a character I find Ainz very interesting as you get a deep look into his psyche through his inner monologues (much of which are cut in the anime making his character worse) which reveal how he feels and thinks about everything. Due to his overworked life prior to being sucked into the "New World" and his depressing childhood where his mom died from overwork he became completely and totally emotionally reliant on his friends in the videogame and the game itself. Because of this he cares for the NPCs as if they were his children since his friends made them. He only cares about his friends legacy and the NPCs and therefore he gradually becomes willing to do anything to protect them and further the reputation of his guild. __Side Characters__ The NPCs under Ainz are all very interesting and get their own monologues and portions where they develop. All of the NPCs are devoted to Ainz but express it in different ways and to different degrees. Albedo loves Ainz romantically and is devoted to him to the point of seeking to kill all of his enemies. Sebas is devoted but is also guided by his own ideals and the ideals of his original creator (one of Ainz's guildmates like the the rest of the NPCs) so he occasionally will go against what may be the best course of action to help Ainz and instead do what he feels is right. This clash within the NPCs between their ideals and their devotion to Ainz is always interesting to see and helps to develop them all further. Overlord also focuses on side characters besides the NPCs often and uses them to flesh out the world while also creating additional character interactions and dynamics. Unlike the anime the light novel fleshes out the side characters to the point you actually care about them, and you hope they do not clash with Ainz because if they oppose him then it is highly likely they'll be dead soon. A good example of a side character that reflects the world of Overlord is Climb. Climb is a knight who serves the princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom. He wants to be strong to protect others and is generally good and brash in personality. He is very much the shounen protagonist archetype. But the world of Overlord spits on him and tells him he has no talent and therefore no matter how hard he works he cannot succeed. This is hammered in by his repeated failures and inability to defeat any truly strong opponents by himself. Overall, the story does a great job of fleshing out characters and making them interesting and I think Ainz is by far one of the best isekai protagonists and just a great protagonist in general. ___ #__Artwork__ Since it is a novel there is not a ton of artwork but when it is there, it is absolutely breathtaking. Each volume has cover art, pullout art sheets in the front, and artwork between and during certain chapters. The art is done by so-bin, and I have so much respect for how beautiful it looks. His skills have only been getting better with each volume and continually impress me ___ #__Summary__ In conclusion I think Overlord is a masterpiece in the isekai genre and a fantastic read for anyone who loves fantasy. Both the worldbuilding and plot are fantastic, the characters are awesome, and the artwork is beautiful. I highly recommend it to anyone especially if you liked the anime and even if you didn't like the anime, I'd still recommend it. If you have any interest in reading Overlord, I recommend visiting the r/overlord subreddit FAQ [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/overlord/wiki/faq) and checking out their resources. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments feel free to message me and I'll respond as quickly as I can. Also consider dropping a like if you enjoyed the review or are an Overlord fan who saw the perfect score and scrolled down without reading to hit like (I don't mind I'll take your like anyway) KuroGFX
0/100Overlord: Gamer loneliness, Skeleton President, and Moral Ethics in World DominationContinue on AniListHonestly, I’m extremely hesitant to make such a review since <a target='_blank' href='https://anilist.co/user/Budwii3245'>@Budwii3245</a> made such an amazing in-depth review that I also recommend you check out [here](https://anilist.co/review/14971) just shouting him out. To preface note that the synopsis portion is skippable by all means __<html><head><style> h1 { font-size: 50px; } h2 { font-size: 50px; } p { font-size: 54px; }</style></head><body><h1>Main Synopsis </h1></body></html>__ Overlord is about a middle-aged gamer named Momonga who role-plays in the VRMMO RPG online fantasy game of Yggdrasil which borrows many aspects of fantasy games like WoW and D&D specifically in its classes, species, aesthetic style, and especially the RPG online format which is filled with cosmetics and tons of extras to personalize each player experience. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6r3Zvpj.png" alt="Paris" width="400" height="400"></body></html> Even the actual cover art of the series is draped in meticulous lurid medieval fantasy curiosities which mirror the aesthetic of D&D covers which gives you a taste of what the experience is meant to be like in a painting styled chronicled portrait <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/JrV7CJb/A1-VYm-VGuea-L.jpg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="500"></body></html> In the game, Momonga role-plays as an evil Licht Overlord with his friends as a non-human monster role-playing evil-aligned guild called Ainz Ooal Gown, or at least he used to until the priorities of reality such as marriage and child-rearing along with the burdens of employment caused every friend/member of the guild to start taking their leave all except Momonga who takes it upon himself to keep the guild in shape, paying the fee’s for having a guild, and data cost for the NPC's he and his friends created in hopes that his friends come back one day so they can have fun again. They never do and on the last day of the game before the shutdown, Momonga takes one last view of the guild taking in memories and joys he had with his friends before the shutdown. Except it never happens. For whatever reason not only has the game, not shut down but Momonga finds himself having literally become the skeletal Licht overlord and to top it off the NPC's his friends created have become sentient and alive the personalities programmed into them coming to life. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/WVBMZCJ/704422.jpg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="500"></body></html> Now Momonga has to traverse his way through his newly acquired managerial position on the top hierarchy of immoral evil-aligned monsters who revere him as a literal god and the newfound stress that eats away at him mentally as he is as far from the actual idea of being an all-knowing overlord figure as one can be to top it all he’s been indirectly railroaded into a world domination plan which basically what the series is about, Momonga shifting more and more into a true Overlord literally and physically albeit winging all the while. Overlord avoids the pitfalls of what can happen with overpowered characters something along with the likes of the audience not being able to emotionally connect with the characters due to obstacles being blown away so the struggle of the character gets blotted out and removed making it feel all pointless without any drama or obstacle A good example of working with the strengths of a character being overpowered in their fictional universe is Saitama’s whose lack of passion he once had in his younger years was replaced by a persistent dull and despondent attitude to any challenge knowing that it won’t even be a challenge to him <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://preview.redd.it/ke247n4qx7o71.jpg?width=515&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cba084e0e2b36467f964c1a642b9647e1c6503f3" alt="Paris" width="400" height="300"></body></html> Thus the emotional attachment comes from seeing Saitama get his expectations built up only to be disappointed or seeing him get angry over the mundane details like when he’s late to a weekend sale or losing at games even though he has conquered the physical limitations the character still has human moments of stress and his own obstacles of importance that audiences can relate to like finding passion in your life again. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/099/078/e38.gif" alt="Paris" width="400" height="250"></body></html> Luckily what makes Momonga such an engaging character to be with is that the bulk of his real problems come from the overseeing of the vast organization of powerful NPC's, the constant pressure to conduct himself as what he see’s as the equivalent of a president of a company a completely daunting facade that he can never catch a break from, navigating an unknown world like learning the monetary exchange rate or the threat/danger that this new world poses And While Momonga is competent and cautious let’s just say he has to feel his way around this setting and roll with a lot of the punches. __<html><head><style> h1 { font-size: 50px; } h2 { font-size: 50px; } p { font-size: 54px; }</style></head><body><h1>Who is Momonga </h1></body></html>__ Ultimately Momonga is a guy who can be characterized in the beginning even before being transported to a real fantasy world if you were to just monitor his behavior. 1. he feels frustrated at his friends for leaving but understands that they all had other things in reality that was worth more than that of a game world showing that this world is basically all Momonga has in his current life or at least the thing he values the most even during the times when his friends were long gone. 2. He is constantly shown to talk to himself which is a side effect of loneliness in his life further amplifying that this game world of his was probably the only place he felt like he could socialize and be himself <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.imgur.com/kTG18HV.jpeg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="500"></body></html> From even these bits we know that instead of moving on and maybe finding happiness elsewhere in life he clings to the romanticization of his epic adventures with his friends as if they were legendary chronicles he would reminisce Momonga has no real friends left so he clings to the only things that feel real anymore which are the NPC's often time overlaying his friend's images on top of the Nazarick NPC's because of how his friend's personalities bleed from the NPC's they've crafted Momonga idolized his life in Yggdrasil more than his real life and his current life becomes that life he idolized __<html><head><style> h1 { font-size: 50px; } h2 { font-size: 50px; } p { font-size: 54px; }</style></head><body><h1>The Characters of Overlord </h1></body></html>__ <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/2FLWsRJ/gNpqquq.jpg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="500"></body></html> The denizens of Nazarick are bursting with the idiosyncrasies of the people that created them you get a feeling that the characters have personalities likes and dislikes and theirs even a great web of interpersonal relationships linking people in Nazarick But what makes the Nazarick NPC's come off as in a strange way is their acceptance of these personalities they’ve been given remember all the NPC's are player designed characters from clothing and face to personality and there’s never this inter conflict with the NPC's even little bits of friction between characters are explained by those very characters as the fact that they’ve been designed to taunt each other and that they don’t hate each other at all rather they have this understanding that they were created with these personalities because they’re creators deemed it as such and just accept it as is. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qsGV5pv.jpeg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="500"></body></html> Demiurge is the suave, dapper/fashionable, and sadistic demon advisor of Nazarick to put it simply this personality of him is reflected in his creator who is essentially a Chūnibyō obsessed with roleplaying as evil character's which helps explain why he is the evilest affinity character in the guild this type of stuff has been excerpt from the show and its sort of why I dislike it a bit because these NPC's have a lot of layers to why they are like they are and why they act how they act. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.imgur.com/n13K8Om.jpeg" alt="Paris" width="500" height="500"></body></html> This is also without going into the many characters that exist outside of Nazarick which range in species and backgrounds whether it's a fallen noble girl trying who become the breadwinner of her family or a heroic lizard warrior who goes on his own epic quest and tale. Overlord is sprawling with characters and they all range in creativity and play with tropes of old mix and match and they’re a staggering detail that the novels go into with characters that can deliver poignancy and empathy or carve a characters nature and this juxtaposed the quick or cruel deaths that can come afterword. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://cdn.donmai.us/original/fc/c5/__sixth_lumiere_and_foire_overlord_drawn_by_so_bin__fcc548dec9da565514a3b17f29c1f92e.jpg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="500"></body></html> __<html><head><style> h1 { font-size: 50px; } h2 { font-size: 50px; } p { font-size: 54px; }</style></head><body><h1>The Play of Perspective in Overlord </h1></body></html>__ You might begin to compare Overlord to other fantasy stories on the line of Tolkien for the epicness of the tale’s being told or maybe you’ll go for the dark fantasy route with things like The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski or Kentaro Miura’s Berserk due to Overlord having quite a bit of dark elements and bites of hopeless butchery but I think its proper to say that the series has a more George R. R. Martin approach with the multiple factions and extensive cast of characters major and minor. But at the same time, the show holds so many different tones it's dark one second but then it’s extremely comedic. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://cdn.donmai.us/original/b0/4e/__shalltear_bloodfallen_aura_bella_fiora_demiurge_and_sous_chef_overlord_drawn_by_so_bin__b04ef41096ad839b6f25048799b6f400.jpg" alt="Paris" width="500" height="250"></body></html> Take a look at our main character on one side we see him essentially anxious and paranoid in his head as he mules over what to say but there’ll be times when we're effectively shifted to another group of characters perspective and it turns into a more serious laced perspective on Momonga as we get to view this character from outside thoughts and its almost as if the tone reverts to what it actually should be a horrifying dark series. <html> <head> <style> img { border-radius: 8px; } </style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/xDN101P/Screen-Shot-2022-01-24-at-10-43-06-AM.png" alt="Paris" width="350" height="500"></body></html> <Overlord will play with these perspectives in really funny and dark comedic mannerisms that creates this unusual tone for the series it's not entirely dark and gloomy like Berserk but its also not just a lackadaisical comedy show rather it blends the two using Momonga as the tool to do so shifting between a perspective as a player and then from the perspective of those he goes on to brutally step on without thought. You can often forget that the NPC's have zero compassion for humans or rather any life other than Nazarick and this is because of how different scenes can really liven the characters past their cruel actions almost disassociating them from the people they acted like before but only for a brief second before the novel reminds you who these people are __<html><head><style> h1 { font-size: 50px; } h2 { font-size: 50px; } p { font-size: 54px; }</style></head><body><h1>The Ethos of Overlord </h1></body></html>__ <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.imgur.com/MheSLYs.jpeg" alt="Paris" width="500" height="500"></body></html> "I don't believe the main characters in novels and movies who rescue people without asking for anything in return. Readers who acknowledge that prioritizing yourself is the right mentality will enjoy this book. It's very direct." - Maruyama, Kugane As put well by the author himself Overlord takes a different approach it throws the idea of a hero out the window in a sense. In Overlord it's about prioritizing yourself over others because you simply are not some God with endless might everybody has their limitations and if you bite off more than you can chew for something that doesn’t benefit you then you're breaking yourself for no reason other than suicidal posturing that weakens you or creating a persona for others to latch onto. In KOTR 2 (or Knights of the Old Republic 2) Kreia says this <html> <head> <style> img { border-radius: 8px; } </style></head><body><img src="https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/star-wars-project-luminous-kotor-2-kreia.jpg" alt="Paris" width="350" height="200"></body></html> _"If you seek to aid everyone that suffers in the galaxy, you will only weaken yourself… and weaken them"._ _"If you care for others, then dispense with pity and sacrifice and recognize the value in letting them fight their own battles. And when they triumph, they will be even stronger for the victory."_ Helping others at the cost of your own strength is a weakness and relying on others to win your fights is also a weakness both will make you weaker for it and I find this very same concept in Overlord as our main character never extends help towards situations that don’t or won’t benefit him in the future. He saves a village to establish a good persona and to learn the currency of the land and the geopolitics of the region and the surrounding regions he ultimately gains from saving them in two major ways. This isn’t a story about heroics or survival its about world domination __<html><head><style> h1 { font-size: 50px; } h2 { font-size: 50px; } p { font-size: 54px; }</style></head><body><h1>The Anime Adaptation </h1></body></html>__ to put it plainly while the adaptation did put the series on the map for me in a big way one of the big reasons why Overlord works as a novel is that novels can fit so much more detail and info into its pages if you tried to do the same with any other medium like movies, tv shows, and anime the info dumps would eat into the episode time and it would be extremely boring so in essence the adaptation was forced to make cuts to the novel in order to fit it into a tv anime experience which I don't mind but I think unlike with other adaptations of novels like Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Konosuba, or Baccano where the adaptations elevated the material in interesting ways <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/qD3qQ7Y/Screen-Shot-2022-01-24-at-3-00-00-PM.png" alt="Paris" width="250" height="250"></body></html> Konosuba is drop-dead hilarious with no thanks in part to the amazing vocal performances of its characters and the amazing comedic editing which enhances the comedy of the serious being a total inversion of the romanticized otherworld fantasy adventure cut with the utter horror stemming from Kazama's voice as he is forced to carry and haul his utterly atrocious set up of an adventurer team with him <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/PDCrqph/344748.jpg" alt="Paris" width="400" height="250"></body></html> Baccano reorganizes a lot of the novels and trims down the cast of characters in order to streamline its story elements of bouncing between different characters to make the show feel more cohesive add in the kinetic action moments and an amazing jazzy score coupled with the best dub impersonation of a depression-era new york city. <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/BCy83GK/683612.jpg" alt="Paris" width="500" height="500"></body></html> with Overlord I feel the team chopped as much info-dumping as they could and then proceeded to animate the basic events of the narrative of the adapting volumes and while this works to an extent you lose out on a lot of information that really makes the series feel different __SPOILER __ <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span>take a scene from the novel adapted to the anime in which six incredibly skilled assassins/mercenaries are all killed within seconds in the anime it played straight you see the characters they say their names and then at the drop of a hat within less than a minute they all get pulverized. now when you look at the novel and the same scene taking place the novel goes into so much more extravagant detail into the background and abilities of all the enemies their battle styles their rise to fame and the danger they possess as well as comparing them to other characters that were introduced and giving us a sense of they're rank. all of this is dished out before each one takes their swift and horrifying death and their mental state as each of them begins to realize they're going to die they're something about being in the mental state of characters as they're in the action what they think and how they react to it that adds a layer of familiarity with the characters as they are then torn asunder </span></span> <html><head><style> img { border-radius: 8px; }</style></head><body><img src="https://i.ibb.co/QDcpMKG/Screen-Shot-2022-01-24-at-2-29-06-PM.png" alt="Paris" width="500" height="200"></body></html>
holy shit this took forever I want to shoot myself ha ha ha ha ha the worst part theirs more I want to talk about but I decided to cut this short
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