Ainz Ooal Gown, the undead sorcerer formerly known as Momonga, has accepted his place in this new world. Though it bears similarities to his beloved virtual reality game Yggdrasil, it still holds many mysteries which he intends to uncover, by utilizing his power as ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. However, ever since the disastrous brainwashing of one of his subordinates, Ainz has become wary of the impending dangers of the Slane Theocracy, as well as the possible existence of other former Yggdrasil players. Meanwhile, Albedo, Demiurge and the rest of Ainz's loyal guardians set out to prepare for the next step in their campaign: Nazarick's first war…
Overlord II picks up immediately after its prequel, continuing the story of Ainz Ooal Gown, his eclectic army of human-hating guardians, and the many hapless humans affected by the Overlord's arrival.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Eanki
The greatest allure and strength of the Overlord narrative has always been Ainz’s delicate dance between the ordinary dime-a-dozen salary man of Earth and his Overlord status in this other world. His utterly devoted fanatical underlings treat him like that of a god who can do no wrong. He can’t afford to make mistakes because his servants cannot imagine him making one. To make one is to not be a god. And he intends to keep that image because anything else might disrupt the equilibrium of Nazarick and, more importantly, jeopardize his safety and base of operations. In the strange world he finds himself in,the most powerful known beings who can threaten his safety are those under him. On and on, his everyman impulses struggles with what he thinks a supreme ruler should act. He must pretend to be prescient when he knows next to nothing and carefully delegate his subordinates in a way that gets his wishes done without revealing that he knows less than them on how to carry it out.
He’s a man trapped in a situation that already slipped out of his control, propelled by his ever-faithful minions’ tendency misconstrue his words as gospel, his musings as genius, and his luck as omniscience, as well as their fear that he would leave them as his guildmates already have. He’s all they have left of the great beings they worship, and by jove they will raze the world to the ground in his name if that’s what it takes to keep him by their side.
Everything else about Overlord is just barely decent. The problem with the anime series is that it fails so hard to translate and convey the strongest core selling point of Overlord.
What Overlord S2 is trying to sell now is the idea of a world bigger than its protagonist and that one fails too on two fronts: the core idea itself and the execution of that idea.
Overlord, due to the nature of the LN, is a series that adds and adds, but rarely expands. You might wonder how can adding more and more detracts from a narrative. It does when you keep adding without expanding on what is already established. Overlord has multiple plot points and threads hanging in the air, the energy and time establishing them being wasted away. We’re not going to tackle the source materials here though because it is a review of the anime adaptation so let’s keep it to the anime adaptation.
Suffice is it to say that the way Overlord is setup forces a quandary on the series. The first season does not easily expand into this second season and the first arc of this season does not expand into the second arc. You could say that they are merely individual build-ups sections – badly done build-ups at that, not because there is no immediate pay-off but because they feel like (and probably are) build-up to different things. It’s risking the fact that you may not get invested in the flow of the story because there is really no smooth flow of the story yet. Again, this isn’t a fault of the adaptation and it can very easily be rectified by solid execution. It starts off with a little bit of disadvantage but just really needs to present itself right and everything will fall into place.
Does it?
Season 2 is an adaptation of Volumes 4, 5, and 6 of the light novel. Volumes 5 and 6 are two continuous stories, a mega-arc if you will. Volume 4, however, connects to Volume 5 with only the barest, thinnest of threads. These are two very different arcs with vastly different locales, (massive) set of characters, and conflicts that need to be established all under 13 episodes. That’s simply not enough time for two different stories (with at least two different storylines running in parallel.) in two different types of settings. That is insane.
The characters could have been the saving grace in the transition but here’s the thing: Overlord S2 sidelines the Season 1 characters with significant screentime to side character status. That’s not a bad thing. Heck, done well it could have been a good thing. The problem is that the new season starts with a new set of characters you don’t really care about and then the show botched its attempt at making you care about them and then uses them for only five episodes before they are then discarded to introduce yet another fresh batch of characters. The problem here isn’t even in you losing track of who they all are. The problem here is if you even care at all who they are. It’s a large mess that frankly is easier to follow than to care about.
Madhouse forgot one simple Ron Swanson principle: never half-ass two things; whole-ass one thing. You can feel the oozing, overpowering, rank mediocrity as the studio rushes through the Lizardman Arc to get to the next arc. Rather than skip the first arc to focus on the next or give the first arc justice, they decide to do the first arc but do it in such a way that they get to the next arc faster, a decision that they didn’t even do justice come the next arc. This decision gives us a lot of hastened info dumps, uninspired character designs, insipid backdrops, and budget fight scenes.
What few genuinely strong moments it could have had, it squanders for lack of pacing. A painful example of this is Zaryusu's rather interesting and compelling argument (on why they should fight) that lost every sense of impact possible due to the fact that it was said immediately with nary a proper establishment of the Lizardmen economy and culture or Zaryusu's place in all that. It was pulled out of the hat and we're supposed to just accept it because it was said so without planting the seeds of ideas first in the viewers (sadly this isn’t an isolated case or adaptation specific failure even). It didn't even need to go to great lengths for its setting. It just needs to establish the setting enough to ground the arc's main character in it. It failed. It simply did not have the luxury of time for the size of the story it attempted to tell.
Imagine if it developed that. Imagine a tribal setting, a rarity in anime, with Lizardmen instead of humans as the main characters, which is even rarer. Imagine how much it could have had expanded on what little the LN established. Imagine the different tribal colors and patterns depending on the locale of a specific tribe: say solid, blocky lines for the mountainous, flowing curves for the lake-bound. Paint a picture in your mind’s eyes, a cacophony of colors and patterns anime never tackled before. Imagine the new-ness, the fresh-ness of it all. Can you see it? It’s only a simple scenario of how they could have gone with the series if they focused on one arc and did it justice.
To be frank, Overlord S2 is boring. Not because it’s too slow but because it’s too fast. The entire season feels like it’s just a pure un-distilled fan-service for the LN readers. It’s a chance for them to see their favourite scenes and characters animated and acted out. If you’re an anime-only watcher, expect not to care about anything because this show is the equivalent of you in a tour through a safari/wildlife preserve and your tour vehicle is moving at 100km/h. There’s something out there, you just can’t savour it.
In fact, the second season seemed like it was made just to keep the Overlord flame going. The studio realized they have a popular IP and they need to keep what little hype was left from the first season two+ years ago so that they can revisit the idea of another season down the road if they need to. And it shows. This is as cheap, as rushed, and as unimaginative as they can make it. Frankly you should ask yourself this: if Madhouse couldn’t be arsed enough to care, why should you?
Huyan
Overlord 2, written by Kugane Maruyama, Illustrated by So-bin. My Review About Overlord Season 2 (Winter 2018) (Sorry for my bad english :( ) It contains some spoiler, Read with your own risk ^_^ . - Story 8/10 - : Overlord Season 2, comes with 13 Episode, Animated by Studio Madhouse. First Episode you can say it as Introduction about Overlord Season 2, Flashback about what is happening in Previous season, and preparation for the next Arc. Overlord Season 2, contain a "World Building Arc", where the side characters spawn more than the Main Characters and explain what happening with this Side Characters and their Story (it's kinda like every humanhave own Story of their life). If you still don't Understand about it, I recomended you to play RPG-Game first before watching this show.
At the beginning (Episode 2) we will redirect to Lizardman Arc. Lizardman Arc is one of the "World Building Arc" which is the last goal of Ainz Ooal Gown(or you can say The writter) to make a Country where all of Demi-humans can live together with Happiness (Including Dwarf, Lizardman, Elf and others).
Back to the Story, this Lizardman Arc, show about how Lizardman live together, suffering about food, sacrifice others Lizardman using a War in order to reduce an overpopulated Lizardman. Everything you see in this 4 Episode mainly about Lizardman's Tribe. (Episode 2-5)
Zaryusu Shasa is the Main Protagonist for this Arc, it ll explained well how he re-united all of the Lizardman's Tribe after the last war, found his Lover Crush Lulu, preparing a war agains Nazarick, Killing Iguva (Ainz Undead), and later killed by Cocytus and got revived.
The Story is good, its explained well from Viewpoint of Lizardman, nothing rushed in this Arc, it was same as Light Novel Story, I really love episode 3 where Zaryusu vs Iguva , and episode 4 where Ainz move like a Supreme being in front of Lizardmans. its kinda unique and interesting for me.
Move to next story about Man In Kingdom 1 & 2 Arc(Episode 6-13), about this Arc im agree with some people that it rushed since they already wasting few episode focusing on Lizardman. but im not really worried about it, basically the main plot are still there and still explained carefully so the audience will not confused about it. this Arc will explore more about the characters on Re-Estize Kingdom (Climb,Renner,Blue Rose etc), and continuation of 'Sebas Story' (If you watch season 1 Sebas was sent by Ainz to Re-Estize Kingdom as a bait to find people who brainwashed Shalltear).
About this arch i really love Last 3 Episode, especially when Entoma vs Blue Rose and Ainz vs Jaldabaoth. its make me want to watch more of this anime. (and luckly they announced the Season 3).
For me the Story of Overlord season 2 is Very Good with this all of World Building.
- Art : 8/10 -
Animated by studio Madhouse, the Art is Great, the Colour, the Brightness the Graphic and the Blur Effect, Texture, and the some Side-effect mixed well, even in some scene the character face was changed a bit but it still acceptable since it doesnt change that much.
- Sound : 7,5/10 -
I Love the Opening and the ending Song, the sound effect, and the Bg Music also well-played
- Character : 8/10 -
The World Building Arch explained well how the character grown up and their specific characteristics. it explore well how Zaryusu come as a Brave Warrior, how he has a feeling with Crush Lulu, you can even see their Sex scene !!, Crush lulu that always support him until the end.
the 'Yandere' Princess Renner, Loyal Dog Climb, how the relation about Master-Servant was build among them. Sebas that have "Touch-me settings" inside him, Tsuareninya feeling througt Sebas, and also how Evileye fallen in love with Momon, Entoma's character was shown in this Season 2 as well, Sadistict Mare ,Brain Unglaus that face up his fear again Shalltear and a lot of it. it was Very Good and explained well in this Season.
- Enjoyment : 9/10 -
Great !, im already Enjoyed this show since first Season, what makes me enjoy this show?.
*This is a Dark show with a lot of Blood, Gore, where cut human's head is acceptable, its fit well for me. its also contains a Funny scenes, especially when Ainz-sama talking in his mind about what he need to do, or when the emotion taken away because he is Undead. its fun and refreshing.
*The Master-Servant relationship between Ainz and his Guardians is also interesting, the Loyalty of the Guardian is so awesome, you can only find this relationship only when you watching Overlord (The Master-Servant relationship without any betrayal from both side). where they can accept each other, Hating anyone outside but Loves everyone inside 'Great Tomb of Nazarick', Believe that you can't betraying someone who gives you a life, the Truth about Loyalty, sometime it feels Heartwarming (If you watch last episode of Overlord Season 1).
*There is less lovey-dovey scenes where the MC is surrounded with a lot of Girls who loving him, the only people loving Ainz is only Albedo !!!, yes Albedo !!, what about shalltear??? She is loving Ainz because of her fetish about Undead !!, so dont calculate her !!! :P , Evileye? ah She love Darkness "Momon" not our Supreme Lord Ainz-sama...(eventhough they are same xD)
*Non-idealistict show, its not the show where the MC trying to save everyone he met (especially girl), even its impossible, its also not the show where someone can gain Over Power when they are pressed..., this show teach you how to become more Realistic, what you can save and what you need to sacrifice in order to save someone, the difference between the Strong and the weak,Profit and loss, it also teach you even you are OP(Overpowered) you still need a plan boyo!
Thats the point why i enjoy this show, its a Great show for me.
- Overall : 8,5/10 -
Overlord Season 2, a sequel of Overlord Season 1, was a good show, there is a lot point if you watching it carefully,If you think Overlord is Anime with full Action Genre then you completely wrong. it also have political scene and Drama like Anime "Maou No Yuusha" but with more soft scenes that make people understand what's going on, this anime will not fit for someone who searching a lot of fight and battle scenes. and this series need a continuation to connect all of the side and main event, thats why i recommended you to watch it properly.
Basically Overlord are different with some anime like SAO and Log Horizon. Overlord, Ainz and his NPC was Transported from Game World (YGGDRASIL game) to Another World (Isekai) called New World(NW), he cannot using the Game feature anymore right after transported to New World, he cannot logged out because of this, while SAO and Log Horizon still remain in their Game World(Trapped in Game World) and still able to using the Features of the game itself. Thats why they are searching the way to logged out from the Game. Some people are misunderstanding about this matter.
My overall for this show is 8,5 and it is Great, worth and enjoyable to watch.
Stark700
Sequels based on light novels aren’t too common but for a series like Overlord, it felt like it was inevitable. The meme of “Madhouse not making sequels” got flushed down the toilet when Overlord II became a reality. As someone who has read part of the novel and seen the first season, I’m sad to say that Overlord II didn’t manage to step up the plate. What could have been a chance for the series to improve itself and set new bar instead is met with a step back. If you’re expecting the second season to be a glorious showstopper, then I’m afraid I gotbad news.
I’ll say right off the bat that Overlord II pretty much screams “watch the first season!” In fact, I suggest checking out some of the more prominent episodes from the first season is necessary if you want to get a better experience. This show isn’t here to feed you with exposition anymore. The first season has done that already and viewers should expect a developing storyline with established characters. Or that seems to be the case at first. However, the first few episodes not only reintroduces previous characters but also introduces new ones. An important race known as the “Lizardmen” get their spotlight as we are introduced to their society. We learn about their culture, characteristics, military, economy, and motivations. To me, the Lizardmen possesses many human traits and emotions that aren’t too different compared to our own. Characters such as Zenburu Gugu, Green Claw Tribe Chieftain Shasryru and his brother Zaryusu displays their fierce personalities that makes them example of being capable leaders. Then, there are characters like the priestess Crusch Lulu who represents a more fragile and feminine side of the Lizardmen tribes. The point of the show seems to be trying to get viewers into accepting them and worth investing into. However, it didn’t do an adequate job as a good amount of these Lizardmen characters aren’t well developed. It’s a series that attempts characterization at non-human characters but ends up not accomplishing the job. It also doesn’t help that the story is incredibly predictable for their inevitable fates when facing off against powerful enemies.
This only consist the first half of the show that adapts volume 4 from the light novel series. These first six episodes tries to get fans back into the mood but honestly, I felt like expectations were betrayed. As a curious person, I was hoping the remaining episodes would improve but oh boy, I was wrong.
The remainder half of the show (roughly 7 episodes) covers the plot from the novel based on the “The Men in the Kingdom” (volumes 5-6). My initial expectations weren’t high as the first of these episodes had odd pacing and didn’t get me interested in characters except for Sebas. The other problem is that he is already a somewhat established character so it easy for viewers to accept him. Characters such as Climb, Brain, Tsuare, and Renner are much harder to accept. It falls into the pit of weak characterization again as they are hardly well developed outside of their personalities. We don’t learn much about their past and their motivations for fighting is hardly interesting. Renner is also a character that’s easy to point fingers at once viewers discover her true personality. The one character that does stand out a bit is Sebas during this arc as he shows a more valiant side of him after understanding Tsuare. Does that make him a breakout star? Not really. While Sebas is definitely a motivating factor to keep up with the arc, he is limited to a generic philosophy of helping a damsel in distress. I also find his role with Solution to be rather blend. The way Solutions suspects Sebas of being a betrayer to Ainz can easily make the audience dislike her. Still, I think the weakest part of this arc involves the antagonists, the Eight Fingers. Their key members are incredibly ill-written with dull motivations and stereotypical personalities. None of them are worthy enough to remember and I honestly wish they didn’t even exist. They didn’t manage to bring out the best out of anyone and in fact, I think they even puts a shame in the limited battle scenes.
I’ve talked a lot about the minor and supporting characters of the show. What about the main characters? Sadly, there’s hardly any development for them. For the case of the floor guardians and battle maids, we only get to see a few of them showcase their abilities. If you’re a fan of Cocytus, Demiurge, Aura, or Entoma, then it might be a soft treat. Don’t expect much from them as their roles are limited. It feels like this second season tries to do too much to give them any sort of meaningful place honestly. Oh and how can I forget the infamous Ainz/Mmonga. It may sound strange for me to mention him this late in the review. Save the best for last right? Actually, Ainz is far from the best character in this series and I would actually label him as one of the worst. As the guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown, he feels a lot more like a background character this season. There’s virtually no development for Ainz and it’s a big slap to anyone who wants to understand more about him. We see him sit in the back like a God monitoring his servants and issuing orders. It’s incredibly stale to see Ainz in such a role. The first season at least established his personality in a way that was thrilling enough but this sequel dropped the ball. Sadly, his biggest fangirl Albedo isn’t any better this season besides glorifying her own fetishes.
Madhouse returns and while I can’t say I’m impressed by the overall quality, it does make a nice attempt at designing the Lizardmen. They look faithful to the light novels and expresses human characteristics that I occasionally find enticing to watch. Violence is also exploited to bring out the dark fantasy elements of its story. However, there are two main drawbacks that I find unappealing for this season. First, it’s the action scenes as some of them are very limited and lazily animated. Second, it’s the world setting. It feels like once you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen them all. Hardly original and uninspiring.
The first season’s OP song was quite a thrill to the ears. This season took a step back and I find it skippable at times. Similarly, most of the human characters’ dialogues consists of weak words choices that I can’t really find worth quoting. On a more positive note, I did like the way the season used its battle OST. While some of those fights did feel short, the soundtrack did make up for a bit of the impact to highlight their intensity. Some of the emotional segments of the sequel (in particular Sebas and Tsuare) also felt real with the melancholic usage of the music.
Ah, Overlord II. It’s a sequel that shouldn’t have been resurrected if this is what the creative team had planned. Adapting those light novels into a 1-cour show felt like a risky plan and they didn’t manage to capitalize. It’s a series that’s exciting to watch as a linear continuity but if you’re interested in a well-developed story and characters, then look elsewhere. Too bad really. The show boasts a talented cast that kicked off with some wild entertainment before spiraling into disappointment with no looking back.
Scientiiaa
Overlord is a Japanese light novel series that was written by Kugane Maruyama and illustrated by so-bin. It began serialization online in 2010, before being acquired by Enterbrain. Twelve volumes have been published since July 30, 2012. A manga adaptation by Satoshi Oushio, with art by Hugin Miyama, began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's manga magazine Comp Ace from November 26, 2014. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by Madhouse aired between July 7 and September 29, 2015. The second season ran from January 9 to April 3, 2018. A third season is planned for July 2018. Overlord is back. Now with 100% more lizard porn, agroup of adamantine class adventurers, a band of highly-class bloodthirsty thieves controlling many people, and a yandere princess. For those who already know what Overlord is about, I must say that the new season has not changed at all. It again takes the series some episodes to start the whole thing: you will be shown, let us say, a filler that is not that entertaining to watch. More than that, it is so bad that it might make you want to drop the second season. Fear not, if you do hate the filler, just skip it. All the fun starts afterward.
Overlord did become much better because of its story-line and characters. Ainz Ooal Gown yet again continues his quest on becoming top class adamantine adventurer to collect enough information for Nazarick. Many things are still unexplained, but the second season also answers many questions that have not been answered in the first season. Character wise, many new characters have been introduced starting from the Nazarck servants and ending with many anti-heroes that have their interesting backgrounds for you to find out about. But this is, of course, not the best part about characters. What you will surely appreciate is the fact that many Nazarick’s servants receive a ton of development. Indeed, I am not going to go into details, but I will say only one thing--you will love it.
All in all, Overlord is still one of the most epic series about MMORPG games. The second season offers you a more detailed look at Nazarick’s servants and the enemies Ainz will have to face. I would highly recommend you start watching the anime right from the 6th episode; otherwise your opinion on Overlord might change because of it.
ArmouredGorilla
I've not read the manga so i had no idea really what to expect from this show for the second season, and well it definitely surprised me Now although the first season was better, I believe this season has done its purpose really well in terms of building the world and characters, and has got me really pumped for another season! Story - 8 You can't say they haven't tried do something interesting and change it from the normal It's not often I can say I watched an anime where the main character barely graces us with his presence yet i still thoroughly enjoyed the show In the first seasonwe were somewhat thrown into this world along with Ainz
Season 2 throws us a bit of a curveball and really focus on many of the side characters a.k.a Ainz minions/companions
One thing i really liked about this was that it allowed us to grasp the power levels of Ainz and his servants much better in comparison to the world around them
As the weaker of Ainz servants fights the stronger humans you start to see general power differences between everyone. (Long story short our boy Ainz just keeps on looking more and more OP)
Art - 9
Not much to say other than pretty beautiful, nice little mix of sword/mage fighting and all looked really sleek and cool
Sound - 8
The music pretty much the same as season 1
Everything fits the mood, but other than the song started during the credits of the penultimate episode none of them left an imprint on my mind, so nothing special
Character - 10
Now I love all this ridiculous character building they have done on just random individuals or groups around the world
They have a little warriors spirit saga with Cocytus and an odd little maid master gangs conundrum with Sebas, both polar opposite sort of feel but both really endeared me to these characters (specially Sebas)
A lot of focus was also put on the humans Ainz had met and their companions, and they added a nice extra level of nerves to the show, as for a change you were routing for someone who wasn't all powerful, and actually might lose
Also I do have to do a little shout out, I wont name any names to prevent spoilers but I love that there seems to be the making of a Yuno Gasai 2.0 in the overlord world now (I'm a sucker for a Yandere)
Enjoyment - 9
I love this show, and yes it's got a slight dark undertone to the anime but I think it's important when watching it not to take it too seriously
I don't believe this anime was made with the intention to be incredibly gritty and dark with a highly intelligent story
No, but it is exciting, sometimes shocking, and I am always on the edge of my seat just waiting for that next ridiculous thing to happen
Overall - 9
Overall I think they done a good job, although the story could be seen as a little slow i feel like the extra scenes had their purpose and helped to build the world
I really hope, now that they have laid the groundwork they can press on and make season 3 something special
NatoKenichi
I can't say enough amazing things about this anime! I'm constantly at the edge of my seat watching this show and love how each episode develops into a truly masterpiece of a world. The stuck in the game plot gets so much better with this smart and heart throbbing action packed anime. Every character in this show has something to give and they all shine in their own unique ways. I definitely recommend this anime for anyone who enjoys the OP Stuck in the game theme. Also if you enjoyed the show I highly recommend the Light Novel series as well!~ - 10/10 Bloo
tomiandrecin
a simple review about Overlord Season 2. Overlord Season 2 come into 3 Arch, Each arch have a different story & characters, not only focusing on Ainz-sama or his Guardian Floor. If you said that all of them are unneeded character then its a big mistakes. Later all of this arch will be connected each other(if you read the LN or if they make it into another season), and ofc there is no harem or something like that in this second season. Maybe Overlord is the only Isekai with a Anti-Hero/villain protagonist. and if you are a gamer you will know thefeeling when the Main Character is the kind of Last Boss from the game itself.
Comparing Overlord with SAO or LogHorizon just because they have same genre "Trapped in Game World" is ridiculous, same genre doesnt means have a same plot, Momonga was trapped alone in a New World together with his NPC (Master - Servant relationship). he was trapped as a lv 100 player, thats why he become OP
About the writing skill?? oh come on Overlord Light novel won a Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi in 2017, Overlord Light Novel was the best selling light novel series of 2015. so no need to doubt it. the Anime BD sales was success with 12.000 copy for only 1 volume on 2015. what i can say is, let the result speak.
Also did you guys noticed that almost all popular anime got bad hatred review on the top, while overrated anime got a lot of good reviews? xD, yup popular show have hatred reviews means they are popular enought to get attention from those guys, how can? as you can see they make a bad and loooong review, they can wrote the details itself from the anime, isnt it make a sense they are caring about the show? they even watching it until last episode, ehhhh, if the show is bad i ll not watching it until the end and will dropped it as soon as possible....... xDDD
If it's your first time reading reviews on MAL , here i will give you an advice :
-Overrated Anime : a lot of good review with good score like 8,9,10, and all of them are in top reviews, you will see a less people giving score under 5,
- Popular Anime : there is a top review with a score like 1,2,3,4, and with bad and looooonnnnngggg review just to get the attention
Thank you :)
Juarez
Start slow and boring, but gradually getting more interesting towards the end. As a fans of 1st season of overlord, that's my impression after watching this. Without spoil anything, overlord II consists of 2 arcs (just like the prequel). and I will tell you that first arc are slow and not so good, either story or action-wise. But it's building and contributing something to the plot, and one of them I've seen it already at 2nd arc. And maybe there are more to come in the next season (I really hope there will be 3rd season). But still, it would be better if they shortenthe 1st arc in just maybe 2-3 episodes, instead of 5. And I will tell you why next.
Next let's talk about more interesting stuffs, the next arc offers a lot of good and promising developments. The story is quite interesting, and there are a lot of funny new characters too. Some are related to events in the 1st season, too bad the dangerous enemies (or should we called nation or organization) that gave Ains quite trouble before not properly updated here. but they still appear few times, that's pretty good too though it only increasing my curiosity. Aside from that, the 2nd arc provide more insight to Ains subordinates, like sebaz, cocytus, demiurge and that's nice to see.
I would like to give more score if not for the short of episodes. There are a lot of things that I think it should be explained better and/or need longer introduction. The new characters sometimes just appeared randomly in the middle of events, and later we found that they're actually important characters. Some events switch randomly too because too much happening in the same time frame. That's even worse if you expects Ains get more screen times like I do, because he rarely appear throughout entire episodes, well.. he appeared a lot in the end though. What I want to say is, there should be more episodes, maybe they should make overlord 2 into 24-25 episodes. If not, they should just shorten the 1st arc.
The verdict is, overlord 2 still good to go, it's not better than the prequel though. Well, just endure the first few episodes if you just starting and bored. Overall overlord is good series, including season 1 this series can easily become my top isekai, game like, fantasy story. The concepts evil undead as protagonists is quite unique if I should say. Though Log Horizon still ranked above this, but I think it's plain rude to compare this to simple and brainless kid show like SAO. Please refrain to watch this if you just expect a lot of mindless actions and sappy love story. And I strongly recommend Overlord for those who like great fantasy anime inspired by game and have deep and interesting story and memorable characters.
Paulo_Goncalves
There are some minor spoilers within from Overlord (season 1 and 2). It's nigh impossible to talk about it without giving away spoilers... Be warned please... Another review of another anime but this time about Overlord - one of my favourite series of 2015. With was my sixth anime since my return to anime world I really enjoy it. It was what I wanted. A series that connected to me since I read a lot of Warhammer & 40K. I wanted to watch some anime that focus on an evil character and this was it. I love it so much that I even bought the Light Noveland I was really surprised that the first season comprised of the first and second light novels and they made it so good.
The first season focus on Lord Ainz Ooal Gown or Momon who was trapped inside a game BUT DON'T WORRY - this is not SAO. This is more adult, more dark more epic if you like.
After finish the first season I quickly try other animes out there (focus on this premise of trapped within a video game or even Isekai but this one is probably my favourite (closely followed by Konosuba)).
When I learn that a second season was coming I was excited and true to be told is not as good as the first season. Why, you ask. Well, the first season focus a lot on our main character and the tower they live giving some background on the NPC that live and serve the tower of Nazarick (This in the first 6 episodes). The next 6 episodes focus a lot on Momon with the help of Narberal as he explores the nearby city and trying to understand how things work (and how different they are from the game).
Meanwhile in the second season, the first six episodes follows a LOT of lizardman (some random guys who live nearby the tower) and what the plans are for them. Here we have a lot of interaction on Cocytus (Guardian of 5th floor) and somewhat in Demiurge (Guardian of 7th floor). The second part of the series focus again on Sebas (a buttler of Nazarick) and other non-related characters of Nazarick like Climb (nice name); evileye (last three episodes), Lakyus, Lord Stronoff, Gagaran, Tia, Brain
My main question is this... WHERE IS ALBEDO???? :) Yeah... there is almost no Albedo. Combining she has what? 5 lines throughout the season?
The second half of the anime we learn that there is power people (well, to Nazarick standards they are like helpless ants) that rule E-Rantel and Momon wants to be a hero and so he with the help of Demiurge and the other Nazarick captains and Pleiades make that happen with some ruse that made some of the most awesome battles I've seen in anime.
I know some people dislike the trope (I do as well) of over-powerful characters like in SAO or Smartphone or Death March BUT here it works because even if he is over-powerful it's not the even the focus on the anime (I mean battles and such). This anime focus a lot on politics and it's what I call High Fantasy (or Epic) like Game of Thrones (minus the sex). It's all about the characters (all of them) and not only Momon. True be told in the second season he appears only in the last two or three episodes. Even Sebas or Demiurge are ovepowerful but the way the artists and writer wrote made them interesting, even if before the battle you already know he or she is going to win. That's why this anime works. The writing skill of the creator. That's why SAO sucks. Because the writer makes all about the main character and made it all too easy - the other characters exist only to give more focus on our main. In Overlord that doesn't happen at all.
That ending left me wanting for more...WHAT A FIGHT between Momonga & Demiurge (they are still master and peer but - a ruse) Who the heck is that Princess Renner... She looks kawaii and scary as shit!
Overall, if you want a dark epic anime, this is it. If you want an evil main character this is it. There are some hints in his monologue in the last episode that hints to that (well throughout the series he always did what we would considered evil BUT in this context it's acceptable... only by watching you would understand...) There is blood and fighting that last 10m per episode. There is comedy as well. Every NPC (Nazarick captains and Pleiades) are different. I really enjoy this show and I hope it doesn't take two years two have a third season.
So, why 8 instead of 9 or 10? Well first of all - NO ALBEDO! eheh and because some episodes, even if they gave a bit of wide information about the world, it was very sparse and the story really didn't jump forward that much. I think the first 6 episodes were sub-par and in moments I thought this was another anime because the main characters are the lizards. I know the purpose was to give us more info on other races/places but they over do it. The last 6 episodes with Sebas and Demiurge were way better and I would have given a 10 without any question asked... so 6 and 10 divided it's equal 8 eheh
Springball64
That OP song is wonderful though. Story: Overlord’s story is, in my opinion, one of the better isekai genre stories of recent years. It manages to not fall into too many unbearable clichés and the few that it does have are played off well enough to feel enjoyable, and at times as if a fresh take was applied to the same old idea. Overlord II is no different, as we see the return of our villains in the long-anticipated sequel. The story of Overlord II manages to improve on its predecessor by speeding up the pacing, and taking a step back from the main character, Ainz.Instead choosing to focus on the Guardians and civilian(ish) characters and telling their stories. It manages to cover a similar amount of source material as the first season, but much more seems to be happening and we are even gifted with some character development from the Guardians of Nazarick. With the method that this series has decided to take in this season, Ainz is now appearing to be the powerful and all-seeing overlord to the audience as well, not just the characters. The story arcs centralise around a Guardian’s exploits, and none of them overstay their welcomes. Unfortunately, at times there were some unneeded or, built-up and then irrelevant plot points, so I will reduce the score to an 8/10 for story (more of a 7.5, rounded to an 8).
Art/Animation: Overlord II has cool character designs that are almost always well-drawn, the animation is usually quite fluid and the use of CGI in some scenes, especially the battle scenes works very well. There are a couple instances of unfortunate CGI throughout the show, as well as some animation issues with background characters, but as a whole it is well done and smooth. Unfortunately, I do not have the best eye for animation and art (nor the best ear for sound), so anything I say should be taken as someone with no experience in either field, and only a general statement of the overall quality. I am giving Overlord II an 8/10 for art/animation (Raw: 8.4).
Sound: The sound for this anime was definitely good. The voice acting never felt too forced or unfortunate otherwise, and the sound direction was very well done. The music, whilst not being wholly unique, was well orchestrated (pun not intended) and always help accentuate the moments that they were a part of, enriching the experience as a whole. The OP song was really good (this is more of a side note) and the animation used in it (bit off topic) matched up very well and was done almost perfectly, in my opinion an improvement over OP 1 (they graduated from standing in a void, to walking with a background) (I am now ready for the riots of the OP 1 fans). Overall, I’m giving this category a raw 8.5, and personally rounding up to a 9, but objectively will round it down to an 8, as my personal preferences of music shouldn’t bump up the score.
Characters: This category has also seen a marginal improvement from the earlier season, as the audience is now shown the goings-on of characters other than the big man himself, Ainz. As previously stated, this allows for more character development and explores the motivations and personalities of the previously 2D Guardians. They are now fleshed out, and unlike the first season, the antagonists have now also had some of their own development, as they now appear to be actual human beings (except for, like, the Lizardmen). As always the character designs were as cool as ever, and some of the new additions were believable and understandable. There were a couple let downs here and there with my expectations for characters, and it was disappointing that the series did not innovate with them as much as I had wanted to, but overall, I’m giving Overlord II an 8/10 for its characters (more of a 7.5, rounded to an 8).
Enjoyment: This is the part where my personal preferences CAN bump up the score. Using an amalgamation of all of my past points throughout this review, I would give this a solid 9/10 for enjoyment. This series was the one that I looked forward to the most each week from its season, and I never felt the need to skip the OP (meaning the OP was good and the show wasn’t unbearable). Personally, I am an Overlord fan and thus, this specific point may have a bit of bias, but I would like to believe that the rest of the review does not. The animation was appealing, the Albedo… fan service… was dialled back a bit from the previous season, I got to see more of the other Guardians (and unfortunately more of Demiurge, I honestly have no real reason to hate him, he just rubs me the wrong way) that I really enjoyed. Personally I think S3 should feature more of Best Girl Delta, but I know that is merely a pipe-dream. All in all, I really did enjoy this, and now that I’m done trying to annoy as many people as possible with me ‘personal preferences’, I’ll move on with the review.
Overall: Overlord II is getting a raw 8.1 from me, landing it on a solid 8/10 overall score. Taking into account all of its flaws, and all of its achievements, I believe this is a fair score. The last season would be pushing the 8 I gave it ( more of a high 7), but this 8 was earned. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first season (of course), and anyone who would like to witness one of the better recent isekais. Yes, it does have flaws and clichés, but they are handled well (and y’know, the characters do have some personality to them, even if Ainz can occasionally get a bit 2D) and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season 3. That’s my final word on the topic, I hope I was helpful.
JustAnotherShiro
After Overlord's first season, full of badass characters and shows of power by Ainz, second season had a pretty rough start. Focus shifted from Nazarick to side characters, with Ainz and co. taking a back seat. Without a doubt, such change will disappoint people who watched this anime because of OP main cast. Still, it doesn't mean second season itself is bad. It's just different. Story moves from introducing Nazarick faction (first season) to outside world. Now we see lives of humans (and lizards) of Yggdrasil and Nazarick's actions from their perspective. And it rather is nice thing to see, especially when they actually show theirpower.
I'll agree with many opinions that first arc was weak. It was far too long for what happened during it. And while 2nd arc is much more reasonable, the last few episodes more than make up for everything bad in previous 2/3 of anime.
New characters introduced in 2nd season are an interesting bunch. Yeah, lizards are forgettable, I won't talk about them. But whole Blue Rose, especially Evileye and Lakyus, Unglaus and of course Renner, are really good characters that don't make you just wait for Ainz's appearance.
This season also brought considerable development for Nazarick NPC's and shown their loyalty to Ainz.
I've never watched this anime for its art or music, but I have to admit those were good. If you skip openings then don't. This one is solid.
While fight scenes aren't that special, they are pretty enjoyable. Animation is good and moves make sense. I'd even say there were some above average fights in this season.
Generally speaking, if you liked first season, you won't regret watching second one. You might not like it at first, or even be disappointed after finishing, but it's still a good anime. Don't get discouraged by slow start.
deli_
I'm very glad that Mad House decided to make a sequel to the first Overlord Season with this Season 2. I'm pleased with how it all went, from the first episodes to the end. Story 7/10 This season chooses to focus more on the side characters rather than on the main character, Momonga. There's obviously going to be some doubts regarding these turn of events, but don't worry. This is actually a good thing, we get to see character development in new characters, as well as from a few characters that we were introduced to in the first season but never really got around to actually seeingthem much.
However, the main story surrounding this sequel does feel a bit wonky in its progression. There's one arc that doesn't get much attention, therefore making it not as good as the other arcs explored throughout the anime, and the beginning to the mid-end feels clunky overall. It's not until the last four episodes or so that I actually begin really enjoying this anime. That isn't to say that it wasn't entertaining before that, I was just a bit disappointed with the execution of the storytelling. Still good enough in this department.
Characters 8/10
The characters are still as entertaining in this season just as much as they were in the first. Even without Momonga not being present most of the time, we still have a bit of character development from Sebas, Cocytus, and a few other characters that weren't delved deep into in the first season, and it makes up for this absence exceedingly so. The new characters introduced in this sequel also helped in bringing up the suspense and hype that the Overlord anime franchise has been able to do so well, and that also really strengthens my liking towards this growing anime series. Not to mention, Momonga gets a new member into his harem. Haha... yeah. Eight out of ten.
Animation 8/10
The animation is just about the same here when compared to its predecessor, although there has been a vast improvement in the combat and action scenes, mainly the CGI getting better which provides more smooth fighting sequences.
Sound 8/10
Oh boy, did I love this anime's soundtrack. While the Opening and the Ending don't really provide much relation to the actual anime itself, it still manages to bring out the awesomeness and hype that you'll get from watching it. And it so rightfully deserves that. Both songs are very entertaining in their own right, and both OxT and Myth&Roid have made me proud. I mean, I'm listening to the two songs right now as I'm writing this.
Enjoyment 8/10
This anime really relies on hype to make us watch more, and coupled with the action and humor, there's no doubt that I really enjoyed Overlord 2 so much.
Overall 8/10
This did not disappoint. I really loved watching each episode and the ending was really, really good, albeit kind of rushed. Despite some pacing issues, I enjoyed what this sequel had to offer. I'm looking forward to a third season without a doubt. With all my heart, I recommend this very much. If you want some badass characters, funny humor, and a very entertaining watch overall, then this is not for you. Just kidding. Watch it.
Ddronoz
I am not exactly sure what happened but I enjoyed every single minute of it. It was fun, quite slow paced but overall very enjoyable. The whole story can be divided into two parts (little bit of SAO feeling there), the lizardmen part and the princess part. They are not really related, I don't think they even mention the lizards after they are done with them. Or maybe they don't want to talk about them because of the thing they had to witness in the tent? The characters are awesome and there is nothing else to say about them. I was basically fangirling (yes, that is aword) over Sebas and his style. The way he dealt with the bad guys was pure awesomeness.
The story was well written but a little bit short.
I am really hyped about the next season.
Snapshot426
About a year ago, the anime community and myself were both surprised and glad that Overlord was getting a second season. This was shocking because Madhouse, the studio behind the first season, has a track record for creating one and done seasons that leave us wanting more, encouraging us to seek out and read the original material. Now with this sequel and another season of One Punch Man yet to come, it looks like Madhouse are starting to break their own tradition and create additional seasons. The question is though, was it worth it? It has been two and a half years since the firstseason started airing and now with the second season having ended its run, was it worth the wait?
Well I'm about to tell you. Sit back, relax and check what what you are sitting on isn't Kinky, as I present to you the anime review for Overlord II. Lets begin.
Story 7.5/10
The story takes place pretty much right where we left off from season 1 (like it never left us) with Momonga (or Ains Ooal Gown) having gathered information of the areas around him, plans to establish and expand Nazerick in this world that he is still stuck in. From there the story has two arcs that are each set in different locations. The first arc focuses on the tribal lives of native Lizardmen and how Ains wants to subjugate then to do his bidding. Whereas the second arc takes place in the royal capital and focuses more on an underground syndicate known as the Eight Fingers. These two arcs are used to establish what is sort of the purpose of the second season, world building. We are already established with Ainz and we know who he is and what his goals are so why not expand the world outside Nazerick to focus on areas that are going to be affected by his presence. As such the arcs are used to establish characters in those areas of the world and expand on some of Ains' followers.
Now this is a good thing because we didn't know much of the world in the first season so having a second season expanding the world does alleviate some of the criticism that the first season had. But the second season establishes factions and characters that we don't get to see beyond the the first opening minutes of the first episode. So it isn't perfect. Likewise in order to keep you up to date with that particular area of the world, there is a lot of dialogue that explains current events and events that have happened before Ains' arrival. I'm not gonna lie, some of these dialogues going back and forth between these characters can be longer than they should be; making it boring to listen to after a few minutes and can make you tune out. But thankfully, there are some moments that do intrigue you and help you get to know this world and its inhabitants better.
Characters 8.5/10
Since we are pretty much established with Momonga, I will not be entirely focusing on him. Instead, I will be focusing on the characters that this season establishes.
So I said that this season focused more on Ains' followers. Well the followers that were focused on were Cocytus and Sebas in the first and second arc respectively. So lets start with Cocytus. Cocytus is a warrior, an honourable warrrior at that who has respect for other warriors who he deems worthy of earning his respect. He is also a bit of a single minded character who doesn't see the big picture and relying on characters like Demiurge for advice. Honestly, his character isn't that unique outside of proud warrior with an unshaken loyalty to Ains. Despite him being the focus of the all of Ains' servants in the first arc, his character isn't all that interesting. It is like he is built up to be this deadly warrior that the Lizardmen have no hope to beat. Speaking of the Lizardmen, it is surprising how much development they get. We see how they live and their traditions, all in the eyes of one Lizardmen, Zaryrusu Shasha. Zaryrusu is an outcast, opting to travel rather than to stay with the tribe. But when Ains starts knocking on the Lizardmen's door, he opts to unite the Lizardmen together to fight back. It's from there that we see the lives of the Lizardmen and how they live. In all honestly, seeing these events from the Lizardmen's perspective made me care for them more than I should have. Even though I knew their eventual fate, it was still entertaining to see what happens because I grew to like these characters, even with the romance angle between two Lizardmen being super awkard.
Now Sebas is defiantly the more interesting character of the two mainly due to the people he encounters who also play quite a big role in the second arc. Simply put, Sebas is a gentleman. A character who has morals and is the most caring out of all of Ains servants, despite his actions make the people around him suspicious of treachery, even though he has shown unquestionable loyalty. We see this through him taking care of a girl who was casted aside and we see how much of a gentleman he can be. Of course he then runs into the Eight Fingers and just shows how much of a badass Sebas is. This causes him to encounter some of the characters the we get plenty of screen time for, mainly Climb. Climb is a character like Sebas, who has an unshakeable loyalty and has selfless morals. He may be not that great with a sword, but he has unquestionable determination and lack of fear because of his duty to bodyguard the Princess of the royal capital, Princess Renner. This is a double edge sword however. While his loyalty and determination makes him a character that is liked and respected by people around him, it also makes him blind to the Princess' intentions as her personality gets more......interesting as the show goes on, with an interesting smile to boot (gives me shivers just thinking about it).
It is nice to see characters outside of Nazerick getting personalities rather than being blank characters with names for Ains and co. to slaughter. It makes the world seem more vibrant and seeing it from their perspective helps to establish characters that will eventually cross paths with Ains. That doesn't mean Ains is dropped from the picture as we see him trying to keep his Overlord persona by expanding and conquering his kingdom while also maintaining the loyalty of his followers. It is clear he cares for them because they remind him of his former guild members and doesn't want to doubt their loyalty although he will do what needs to be done to maintain his image.
Animation 7.5/10
Now back in 2015, Overlord, while still having good animation, didn't really live up to Madhouse's standards. This was mainly due to the fact that Madhouse had a tight schedule with their releases so cuts had to be made in some places. I bring this up because it really doesn't feel like the animation has changed much. While there is notable up in animation in the fight scenes, it really doesn't feel like much has changed. This could be because Madhouse split the budget between Overlord II and the other Madhouse anime that aired in the winter season, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen. But like I said earlier, Overlord season 1 still had good animation and still applies here. It still animates well and there is still detail in the world but I feel disappointed that not much has changed.
Sound 7/10
Do you like orchestral music? You should, because you will be hearing a bunch of it. The music from Overlord season 1 has pretty much carried over to season 2 which is actually rather nice. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Whether Ains' theme is playing in the background whenever he does something awesome or when something bad happens to "Ains and co."'s opponents and the music is like "oh s***, you're f*****." There is one new track that stands out to me and it is a sombre, quiet piece played when Princess Renner goes into one of her interesting personality moments. It sets an atmosphere really well and amplifies that aspect of Renner.
The opening "Go Cry Go" by OxT is interesting to me mainly because I didn't get into it until I listened into it more. It's one of those openings that grows on you and you like it over time. Altough I don't know why this anime opening is obsessed with tilting heads. Like every character has to tilt their head in this opening. But if I have to choose to listen between this opening and the Season 1 opening "Clattanoia." I probably choose Clattanoia. Go Cry Go didn't really impress me with its visuals as it is just a lot of the same imagery but with different characters. Clattanoia looked and sounded more fun which was appropriate for the kind of anime that we were watching.
The ending didn't impress me although I like the subtle changes of imagery as the show went on.
My feelings towards the dub are about the same as I felt about Seasons 1's dub. Besides Chris Guerrero's performance as Momonga (which was brilliant by the way), the performances for the dub characters were rather meh. Probably because the performance of Ains was that good due to him sounding like an evil Overlord with a voice that makes him imposing and is always planning something like a villain would. Although I did enjoy the performance of Bryan Massey as Cocytus since he gives Cocytus a more vocal range than his sub counterpart. But if I had the choice, i would probably listen to this anime in sub.
Conclusion
So I will bring up this question earlier, "Was it worth the wait?" Well considering that we had to wait almost two and a half years for a sequel we didn't think we would be getting. I would say sort of yes. While this sequel expands the world and its inhabitants, it isn't all clean cut and there are problems. There is also the disappointment of only slight improvement in animation quality, but I still enjoyed it and that what it really comes down to. I expected an enjoyable sequel and I got an enjoyable sequel.
It ain't finished though. There is still plenty of ground to cover in the overarching plot as areas of the world are still yet to be expanded upon. Thankfully, we are getting a new season this summer which is good news. It feels like the plot is getting really interesting and needs a continuation. So I will be looking forward to that but for now, I will enjoy what I got.
My Personal Enjoyment: 8.5/10
Overall score: 7.8/10 Recommendation: Watch it
Injenss
While I enjoyed this season of Overlord, I did not like it as much as I did season 1. While the beginning story of the Lizardmen was the usual quality that comes from Overlord, especially the final battle, it was the transition into the Eight Finger's storyline that brought this season down a few notches. The primary problem is that too much attention was focused on Climb and Tuare, who were easily the most vanilla characters in the entire anime. A young earnest boy who wants to be stronger and an innocent girl traumatized by the brutality of her world. Theseare overdone tropes in anime, so it was a bit disappointing that so much of this season focused on them, when literally every other character on the show is more interesting. The thing that saved the middle portion of the season was just how cool Sebastian is as a character.
The battle in the capital was also entertaining, but, its not the kind of thing that should end a season because there was no true sense of danger there considering the circumstances surrounding the clash.
Nevertheless, there was much to enjoy about this season of Overlord. As usual, the villains of Nazarick are entertaining to watch, the action was good, and there were some surprising moments and a few swerves. But, still, I hope season 3 will be more like season 1 than season 2.
Story: 8
Art: 8
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 8
PrettiBoiSlim
I finished Overlord II on my lunch break at the office today because I was THAT excited to see the season finale. In fact, I’m actually writing this review at work right now. It wasn’t always this way, though. I was actually a little concerned after watching the first couple of episodes back in January. Overlord II is primarily a world-building season. That's great if you like seeing minor characters get significant screen time. Not so much if you're a fan of one of the previously establish characters that becomes less relevant because of it. While hesitant at first, I’m now convinced this was the rightapproach to take. The story is written in such a way that by the season finale I found myself actually caring about many of the “extras” despite their overall weakness relative to the main cast.
Aside from a few ugly bits of CGI, the quality of animation is on par with what we've come to expect from Madhouse. If you liked the first season, there’s no reason you shouldn’t at least give Overlord II a try. I mean, Madhouse did.
RebelPanda
I have never understood why Overlord receives so much praise. It is practically a generic isekai light novel adaptation, but with older characters, giving it the illusion of maturity. Overlord is not mature, it's not remotely well written, its visuals don't even look good. The character designs look cool, and all but that isn't enough to carry a boatload of mediocrity. Both this season and the first were at best disposable entertainment, like any other isekai light novel adaptation. What's the appeal of it? Is it that Momonga is a ridiculously overpowered self-insert protagonist and his legion of ladies all want him? Momonga is a typical isekaiprotagonist. An overpowered character doesn't become good just by not being a teenage boy. Skeleton or kid, there is no difference. Skeletons are cool and all. I like them as much as the next guy, but he's not a very interesting character beyond his intimidating design. He is entirely devoid of substance, only existing to continue the story. Even his character art fails at conveying the intimidation. The light novel's designs look amazing—but this adaptation's art lacks detail. His skeleton face remains unanimated in conversations; his voice is undeniably booming, the actor puts on a fantastic show, but there's no impact.
Momonga being a villain changes almost nothing. Everyone still loves him anyway, and he acts like the generic 'nice guy' harem protagonist. He's always speaking in his friendly guy voice in his head to remind us, he's not actually a real villain. It's lovely how nice of a guy he is really–wait, stop right there... If the villain protagonist isn't even a villain, then this show is literally just the same as anything else… Like the meek voice hiding behind the intimidating demonic skeleton exterior, Overlord masquerades as something far better and more original than it actually is. The philosophy of: "How can I self-insert if my main character isn't a good guy?" breaks any potential this show had to become something original.
It's funny how Overlord shamelessly admits that its female characters are coded to love Momonga, but that doesn't make it better writing. A story's world should ebb and flow without the audience needing to be there. Here it feels like a pandering fest; the characters bend over backward to praise Mr. Skeletor, he wins nearly every fight, and there is no substance.
This new season of Overlord isn't all harem bullshit; it tries a few new things… and fails at all of them. For some reason, whenever the story follows any character other than Momonga, it becomes insufferably dull. We got classic stories to be loved for ages, like the tribe of lizard idiots who inevitably get taken over by Momonga, the compelling backstory for Momonga's butler (aka Plank of Wood), some random knight guy, and a princess with a dark secret! Remember how Overlord's first season had somewhat slow pacing at times? This is 10 times worse! Entire episodes are dedicated to characters that we don't have a reason to care about. We're forced to watch them fighting in their stupid battles and their boring melodrama, and all of it barely connected to the characters introduced in the first season. In the end, the stories come together, but does the moderately entertaining end justify the tiresome means? Not at all.
It's rare for anime to put me to sleep, but Overlord's first three (lizard-focused) episodes truly tested my fortitude. The only plausible reason for the story breaking off from Ainz to follow the lizard people is to keep his harem junk from becoming too repetitive. The thing is, Overlord will be redundant no matter what crap they shove down our throats during the filler episodes. Isekai anime are so oversaturated that only making more of the same isn't enough these days. I've seen so many of these isekai power fantasies—perhaps Overlord was more original when the light novel first began publication, but today it's trite, overdone, a waste of time.
At least the few episodes Momonga gets are slightly more entertaining than the filler ones. He and the people around him have eye-catching character designs, wacky personalities, and enjoyably overdone voice acting. There's almost no substance to any of them, but at least they're fun to watch in small doses. The thing is, this new season is barely about the actually exciting characters. The only one in Momonga's legion who gets a backstory is his butler (the blandest of them all). He has an even intimidating personality but none of the charisma necessary to hold up entire episodes independently. There was a small amount of development seen for a few members of the enormous cast, but it's for the boring ones that no one is watching the show for. An occasional twist in a character's personality following a surprising betrayal may offer some fleeting intrigue, but you will quickly realize that all those twists exist. To momentarily add a fresh coat of paint to a cast of rotting cardboard cutouts.
Momga's episodes were at least better than those about random bland side characters, especially during the last three episodes of this season. We see all-out violence using nonsensical magic to create exciting gorefests and lots of angry expressions. It's still never what I'd call good, but it's passable entertainment. Momonga's storylines do tend to get repetitive quickly. An issue arises among his legion or in the world; he is literally the most powerful being in the universe and kills shit, then gives us a comment on it in his 'nice guy' voice, rinse and repeat. The only reprieve from the mind-numbing formula is the final few episodes, full of gory action, plot twists, and even betrayals that actually had me surprised. Although I struggled to care about the turns the plot took or the characters who took radical changes, it provided a fresh perspective on the tired story, even if for a moment. Sadly, the action-packed moments weren't much better than what we've seen before from Overlord, plagued with issues caused by a rushed production.
The action scenes are lackluster at best. Madhouse is airing three anime just this season alone, so it would be unreasonable to expect flawless quality, but this is just flat out the same mediocre visuals as the first season. Action scenes rely on zoom in on still shots, unanimated motion tweens, and jarring CGI. Environments are dreadfully ugly to look at; dull colors, low res repeated textures, a lack of detail, and defining traits. It all feels so lifeless and flat. It's the kind of show I would have forgotten entirely if I wasn't reviewing it.
The soundtrack is equally mediocre, totally forgettable. The bog-standard sort of booming orchestral music fades into the background. The opening was ok; a generic rock song. The ending track "Hydra" was wonderfully wispy with haunting vocals. It was the best part of the show, the only reason why I was hesitant to drop it all season.
Anything separating Overlord from the hordes of low effort isekai adaptations we see every season is only superficial; neither the audiovisual nor writing are above average. The main character being a 'villain' is just a cheap facade, the setting is lifeless, and even the cool designs are diminished by lackluster visuals. Overlord is overrated. It's just more of the same boring isekai drivel.
ShadowBlah
STORY: 1 I'd like to begin by asking the following: What story? What exactly is this show about? Season 1 of Overlord couldn't really make up its mind either, but at least it was an enjoyable time enough for me to not mind. In fact, I marathoned all of Season 1 faster than I have ever watched an anime before in my life. Season 2 of Overlord got lost in a rabbithole. After Momonga becomes a part of his MMORPG, but is simultaneously transported to a different setting (starting to get a little convoluted, but it's workable), he decides to do... Well, it's not really clear. Heeventually decides to spread the name of his guild across the lands with the hope that someone else from his MMORPG is there also, which is a rather weak goal for an entire series to hinge on. BUT! Earlier he considers taking over the world as an evil overlord since he and his crew of NPCs have all the powers they acquired in the game while the people of the world they find themselves in are comparably weak. It would be the same as waking up in DragonAge Origins as your max-level character from World of WarCraft.
The problems start right out the gate because Momonga doesn't want to start a conflict he can't win, so is very slow and deliberate, scouting the world to see what powers he might be up against and if other players like himself are there. This grinds the pacing down to less than a crawl. The fact that Momonga can't be sure if he's 100% invincible in this world is an artificial barrier that prevents the story from pumping along at a nice even pace. More importantly though, while much is cut out from the original light novels, I believe much more should have been cut. For example, most events (in both seasons) take several episodes to complete when they could be done in just one, (mostly by removing extraneous dialogue that accomplishes nothing), making that event more impactful and freeing up time for more character development and story progression. It would bother those who have read the light novels since they would know just how much was excluded, but it would be necessary for the sake of making the adaptation into an anime even slightly functional.
The pacing problems carry on in Season 2 but are far worse. We never really know what the story is about because we don't see Momonga or his crew enough to stay saddled onto the overarching story. We divert to new characters as they rally to defend their homes from an invasion by Momonga's forces. That may sound interesting, but it's not. Seeing the conflict from the lizards' perspective (they're lizardmen, by the way) could be good, but it's jarring to focus on them so completely when this isn't their story to tell. This is Momonga's story of how he slowly learns more about the setting and, we assume despite him never really confirming it's actually his ambition, take over the world. This season doesn't allow us to follow along with that premise because we get bogged down in the immediate plot and endless and awkwardly written info dumps about history that really doesn't matter going forward, and could be safely left out, freeing up time for more interesting and relevant world building.
As we continue in Season 2, we shift focus to another series of new characters that aren't all that interesting as they go about their generic lives. They all have goals and pasts to tell, but none of it is relevant to the story of Momonga (presumably) taking over the world.
Just as an aside, I must mention the indecisiveness of the character of Momonga. He never really decides to be a villain protagonist. Even until the end of Season 2 he is only acting in small ways to gain resources and information and otherwise just react to events rather than causing them. He doesn't clearly act towards a greater goal, and many times appears to go out of his way to not be a villain. It's hard to describe, but it's like the writer couldn't make up his mind what kind of character he wanted Momonga to be. Does he want to be an evil overlord? Does he want to be a compassionate ruler who all the people love? We really need to stick to one or the other so we can have a unified point to the story.
I could ramble at length about the utter atrocity Overlord Season 2 is in the story and plot department, but I'll leave it here for now.
ART: 8
I've seen talk of the art quality going down and up and being overall bad through the middle of Season 2, but I didn't notice it. It looks quite nice to me, but doesn't have the flair for a higher score.
SOUND: 5
The sound is there. The music works, but it's very generic. Some of the pieces are overdramatic and it makes me roll my eyes. Sometimes less is more.
CHARACTERS: 1
What characters? We rarely see the protagonist, Momonga. The scenes with his crew of other main characters (that we didn't really get established in Season 1 but we loved all the same just because we appreciated them being there and the promise of new and interesting interactions when they got to make their debut in the story) are similarly shafted in favour of bland, generic characters that, in some cases, are simply frustrating to watch. Characters like Stronof or Climb (what a name...) are the embodiment of NPC. No one has ever wanted to know the entire life story of an NPC. A little background is nice, little humanizing moments are great, but giving so much focus on characters that can't drive the story forward (think Yamcha) and are boring anyway, is an awful decision for the writer and doubly bad for the team who adapted the source material. It's a season of anime that you weren't sure you were even going to make, and without any certainty that there would be a Season 3. You can cut these characters or at least give them less screentime without having to worry about needing them later. Just look at the lizardmen for example. We got all that development for them, but does it pay off with them doing something later in the season? Nope.
It's been said side-characters are what's interesting and important about Overlord. This is absolutely mind-baffling. Side-characters are great! Do you remember Jeremiah Gottwald from Code Geass? I DO! But he was also interesting from his first appearance, which is something Overlord can't do with its side-characters to save its life. The show is trying to reassure us with each episode that these characters will be important later, which I doubt, but regardless, they're worthless now. And even if they do become important later, they're still only side-characters and should never overshadow the main cast when it's not their time to steal the scene completely, otherwise what's the point of having a main cast or protagonist at all?
I'm not saying the main characters have to be in every scene, but if they are quite literally absent from the show, not even being in some way related to the events that are being portrayed onscreen, then you're doing it wrong. They aren't really main characters if that's the case. If the show is about the setting and showing it off, then don't have main characters. Make it an anthology series.
ENJOYMENT: 1
The pacing is a sin. Most the characters aside from the main cast (which you can largely rename Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Anime) are cringe. The dialogue is trite and redundant and forced. Every episode is a 'build-up' episode but without there ever being an equal payoff. Characters are dumb sometimes which strains our ability to stay invested. For example, Sebastian and Solution are going to leave their recon assignment but first they have to go on an errand - "Better leave the human girl who's completely defenseless and also wanted by the mob completely alone for a long period of time so she can get kidnapped, otherwise the rest of the season's plot wouldn't happen!" It's contrived.
And the action! Oh, the action... One isn't automatically an action junkie for demanding SOMETHING happen that we can all be invested in at constant intervals. All we get is extended dialogue scenes between two or more characters who we don't really care about on a subject that we don't really care about because it doesn't relate to the main cast.
When we do get fight scenes they're abysmal. The characters just shout names of attacks and stuff happens, usually after a transmutation circle appears. Then they stop to talk. Then someone else comes and they all stop to talk. Then the new guy fights the other guy calling out names of attacks, usually accompanied by transmutation circles, then they stop to talk again, then the fight's over. It's not the definition of heart-pounding, I'm telling you now.
One reason I keep seeing why there's so much dialogue and time spent without the main characters is because the show is trying to do world building. While I'll agree that's what it's trying and succeeding to do, it's doing it wrong. Completely disengaging from the overarching story is bad. Completely disengaging from the overarching story for characters we don't know or care about or are actively annoyed by just to have a meaningless conversation or practice swordfight is very bad.
Even if the world building wasn't shoved in your face like a child showing off how much spaghetti they got on their hands, it would still be bad because the world itself isn't interesting. For all intents and purposes, the world that Overlord takes place in is a reskinned Middle Earth or generic D&D setting, just like a lot of fantasy stories, whether high fantasy, dark fantasy, or whathaveyou. As a result, we don't need to spend an exceptional amount of time exploring the world because looking at a map is enough for us to begin guessing the state of the world and who exists in it. Simply looking at the side-characters is enough for us to more or less understand what they're like going forward. And if that isn't enough, a few lines of dialogue makes it clear.
Compare this to Swort Art Online. How that show does world building is by having the protagonist go on many unrelated adventures to various, interesting locations, meeting new friends and enemies along the way. We see the world, we hear the world, Kirito interacts with the world. We get enough of the world to feel like we know it without being inundating with information, while also implying that there's much more to the world than what we've seen. This is not the only way of doing world building, but it's vastly more effective than whatever Overlord is doing. I imagine it's trying to go for the Lord of the Rings approach, but you never read in the books or saw in the movies that one time when Jim and Pillock were standing on the walls of Minas Tirith before the armies of Minas Morgul showed up, talking about their pasts or explaining the hierarchy of their government to each other. To sum this up, what I'm saying is Sword Art Online does better world building than Overlord. To say that Sword Art Online does anything better than anything else is not a compliment.
Just as a side-note, I don't know if it's just Japan or what, because I've seen this in other anime too: Nobody ever mentions the fact that a kingdom is a kingdom in real life unless it's because they're being formal. If a guy was a messenger in Medieval France and was going to travel across the border to Aragon, he wouldn't say that he's going to the Aragon Kingdom. He'd just say he's going to Aragon. The Re-Estize Kingdom, the Slane Theocracy, the token evil empire that I've already forgotten its name (Bahamut? Or is that Final Fantasy?) really should not have their form of government mentioned aside from when it's revealed what kind of government it is. Imagine if we went around saying that we took a vacation in the France Presidency, or the United States Representative Republic. It's just silly.
OVERALL: 2
This season of Overlord misses the mark in every single major way, undermining what was good and making the whole thing an absolute slog to get through. To top this review off, I'll paraphrase something I once read on the subject of the main cast and action: I would rather watch Ainz (Momonga) sit at his desk and do his taxes for an entire episode than see characters we don't care about fighting in an epic battle. Because I don't care about those characters or that battle.
Momnga_Ainz
This is not a full review, but rather explanation why I feel Overlord stands above the standard. Something are good because they are good, and somethings are good because they are something that others are not. For me, Overlord is good not because I feel it objectively shines above all other in terms of story and characters (though I feel they are certainly above average), but because it scratches a very specific craving I've developed over the years with excessive anime consumption. To put it short, I've had my fill of holy savior protagonists, the messiahs, the good boys, the infallible morally just protagonists. I am alsosick to death of the edgelords that talk all dark and edgy, yet also never do no actual harm to anyone who isn't literally so evil they eat babies for breakfast. Also I am sick of settings that make antagonists facing these protagonists so reprehensible that killing them is a just act and their assets spoils of war for the side of justice. In short, black and white morality in all aspects.
What I wanted, was either a pragmatist or a hedonist who, upon given powers far greater than those around them, would act as I would assume most people would act if they had the chance: self-servingly. Source: History of the humankind.
Overlord is not perfect, but it scratched that itch of mine that has been growing for years now. Here we finally have a protagonist that does not act as would be morally good, but as how he will reap the greatest rewards. And the world around him does not conveniently make all of his opponents so cartoonishly evil that him killing them and taking all they have defaults to just actions.
