First Impressions / Overlord / Series Introduction

OP Sequence

OP: 「Clattanoia」 by O×T

 

「終わりと始まり」 (Owari to Hajimari)
“End and Beginning”

Another story – about a man trapped inside a video game.
But not the same story that I would expect from a virtual reality game. This is not about a man trapped inside a game who has to kill all his opponents to escape or has to struggle to survive in the wilderness. No, this is a story about a man, trapped inside a game with no other players. Only NPCs (non-player character) seem to exist (so far?). As Overlord starts, we’re given some context for Yggdrasil – a virtual reality massive multiplayer online role-playing game (VRMMOPRG) which is extremely popular in the year 2138. However, like all games, Yggdrasil eventually dies down and the creators decide to cancel the game and shut it down (turn off the servers, pull the plug, etc.). Our main character, Momonga (Hino Satoshi) is a loyal player to the game; despite the fact that his other guild members stopped playing and rarely log on anymore. Momonga, being a strong player, prides himself for being a part of the best guild in the game. They even created the strongest weapon possible – sought by other players – and protect it with NPCs within their castle. After this quick introduction to Momonga and his fellow NPCs, Momonga decides to stay logged in just as the game is supposed to shut down. He opens his eyes again and his player scene is no longer visible. His avatar has basically become his body and the NPCs are talking and responding like real individuals. Crazy! Momonga experiments by ordering his NPCs around, doing inappropriate things… to test the boundaries of this “game” that he’s still playing in. Unfortunately, he soon finds out that he’s not just playing a game anymore – he’s living in it and he’s the only other person there.

Although I’ve seen the whole “trapped in a game” concept before, Overlord shows different signs of potential by giving almost little to no explanation for how this is all happening. First of all, the main character never reveals his human face – we’re introduced to him in his avatar and that’s how he will remain until he gets out. Next, there is no one else around – no human like himself anyway and the NPCs are his only forms of companionship. Which to me, is so awkward because no matter how human-like they are and how many emotions they display, they’re still just NPCs to me. It’s like a kid giving life to his stuffed animals which is still – just a stuffed animal. Finally, I’m on the fence with how I feel about the lack of explanations. Normally I would be dying to hear how and why Momonga is stuck in this world, but at the same time, I think that’s the whole point of the series so you can’t be given the answers right away. Momonga will have to venture out to find out how to get out (if he even wants to) and see what’s out there in this “life” now. Being stuck in a game isn’t bad when you have a goal or objective and friends to help you pass the time. But Momonga, he really has no one else there for him. I just hope he doesn’t get carried away with Albedo (all that fanservice…).

Overlord surprised me, not by being the best premiere this season, but by being different than what I’d expect from an anime about VRMMORPGs (compared to Sword Art Online, DanMachi, or Log Horizon). All the game play and lingo/terminology is still there and I think it’ll continue to resemble a game of sorts, but it’ll be less focused on leveling up and being the best. Momonga is already the best (and only one) so what’s a guy to do with his time? The NPCs are probably the most interesting thing to come out of this abnormal game, given that they’re like AI – they’re programmed a certain way but have potential to learn and grow over time. The Yggdrasil universe is also a fantasy one so I’d expect a lot of magic and wizardry from Momonga. How cool would it be to generate mana and summon powers from within rather than with a push of a button?

So while this anime is new and different, I can’t say that I’m too captivated by the first episode. I watched the whole thing from beginning to end because I thought it would lead to more answers… but then I figured out that there probably are no answers anytime soon. The characters aren’t exactly unique – Momonga being the typical calm, strong MC with a bit of a pervy side; Albedo (Hara Yumi) being the typical female lead that has a programmed crush on Momonga… and all the other NPCs whom blindly follow Momonga’s orders. It’s not incredibly fast-paced with a lot of action or mystery… nor is it slice-of-life with comedic moments. Overall, I don’t see the potential for this anime beyond the first few eps because I think the novelty of it will wear off. The characters leave next to no impression on me; like I said, the NPCs still don’t feel like living human beings to me. There’s not a lot that holds my interest in Overlord even though I always hope that anime prove me wrong by being unexpected awesome. I’m definitely cautious of spending more time on it, but I’ll wait and see before I completely write it off.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: So tired & the only anime I watched was #Overlord_anime. Interesting tactic by never revealing the players’ faces =X Can’t imagine what it’s like to be surrounded by NPCs all the time Must be lonely T_T

Full-length images: So much Albedo! Get it? Libido?

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「L.L.L.」 by MYTH&ROID

62 Comments

    1. https://randomc.net/image/Overlord/Overlord%20-%20ED%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
      No kidding, even the ending is completely centered on her. It was good that our MC changed her setting, to be more positive, but I hope he doesn’t regret it; technically I don’t know what he means by “dirtied,” He actually “fixed” albedo’s setting. XD

      https://randomc.net/image/Overlord/Overlord%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2026.jpg
      This is just based on speculation but I think
      Show Spoiler ▼

      https://randomc.net/image/Overlord/Overlord%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2032.jpg
      I just realized our MC has his own “Gate of Babylon,” its very good he is keeping a humble attitude since it would have been sad if he becomes another “Gilgamesh.” At best, he is only becoming a REALLY lucky version of Brook (one piece) since he has a rather hot lover.

      L002
      Reply

      2. …he is only becoming a REALLY lucky version of Brook (one piece) since he has a rather hot lover.

        Some bad news, some spoilers, but if you have eyes you’ll notice it later anyway.
        Show Spoiler ▼

        LGM
        Reply

  2. First we had, Overlord, the western video game where the villain was the main protagonist.
    Now we have Overlord, the Japanese novel / manga / anime, where the MC looks like he could be the villain..Seems like a really interesting setting too.

    I’ll just put my faith in Madhouse for now, this series could turn out really good.
    https://randomc.net/image/Overlord/Overlord%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
    Albedo sure does remind me of Jibril from No Game No Life, just much more lovey dovey.
    I wonder how OP she is?

    Techim
    Reply

    1. Let´s just say that it´s not good idea to mess around with her, in fact it´s not wise to make eye contact with any of the residents of Nazarik, specially if you are human.

      haseo0408
      Reply

  3. The thing is that Overlord is not about a guy who is trapped in a VMMORPG. It’s about how a part of something that was once a game, actually became reality.

    To compare, I would say that Overlord is more like this season’s “Gate” than last season’s “Log Horizon” because while Momonga and his NPCs are getting accustomed to the “real world”. The real world has already established its history and those at Nazerick are the intruders into their world.

    Either way, looking forward to the adaptation because judging from the Opening sequence, we might get to around volume 6 of the LN.

    Ðusk
    Reply

    1. That is pretty much it. Part of the game somehow got transported into another (real) world, and everything in that part of the game is now REAL. He is no longer in an VRMMO, this is reality. It is pretty cool. Another manga/light novel that covers something similar is THE NEW GATE.

      Azriel
      Reply

      1. It’s kind of a shame it’s NOT ‘Momonga in Cast Away’. Having an actual player suddenly alone in a world of NPCs (which think and learn and so on) would be neat.

        Guile
        Reply

    3. Well to be fair it is a bit more like Log Horizon then SAO. Actually it’s very similar to that of Log Horizon as both LH and Overlord were originally games that then “transported” that play into that world but with it being an actual breathing universe rather then just being trapped in a game.

      Although with Overlord most of the game mechanics like the HUD (Heads Up Display) are gone.

      Mogar
      Reply

  4. I hope Madhouse doesn’t intend on censoring stuff because the novels are pretty dark. The first episode was actually a bit more light than I expected, with them taking stuff out and increasing the fanservice a bit.

    That being said, it wasn’t a bad first episode, more of a setting up beginning. We’re introduced to Momonga, the guild leader of The Great Tomb of Nazarick, on the day Yggdrasil is shutting down. Some people might find themselves identifying with Momonga’s pained nostalgia about the game. The fact that the requirements for membership to the guild was being a functioning member of society, it feels right that real life ended up intervening at some point. You really can’t have it both ways: a functioning member of society won’t be able to spend their whole lives on games the way NEETs are capable of doing.

    Also, from what we were shown in the scene Momonga hears back from Sebas and what he monologues afterwards, I highly doubt it’s still a game he’s trapped in. He talks about how if this were a different world, should he return to his old one. Implying that it’s a new world he’s in and not the game. We just need to find out what kind of world he’s in and I’m sure Sebas will report that next episode.

    I’m hoping people won’t get too caught up in the opening similarity to other MMORPG anime to miss the little hints that makes it different.

    TG
    Reply

    1. I agree. Overlord’s hook is that it involves a much older protagonist than our usual shounen heroes. Momonga has strong feelings of melancholy and nostalgia that does resonate with old fogeys like me as we think back on old friends and what we once accomplished together. Its very much in the Japanese mono no aware aesthetic where all things must pass.

      The main thrust of Overlord is (without going into any specific spoilers) Momonga exploring the new fantasy realm that he and his dungeon have been thrust into. Momonga’s own character arc is more about cherishing what his guild has created while attempting to play Evil Overlord in front of the NPCs. The first episode seems to follow the LN route of making Momonga the viewpoint character which makes for more consistent storytelling. Overall I agree that for better or for worse, it and Gate are far more similar to each other than the other works that have before them. Gate is more geopolitical while Overlord is more about exploring and subverting RPG tropes. Given the kind of guild Ainz Own Goal is, sometimes it veers into horror tropes for certain unfortunates. Momonga is a more methodical and conservative protagonist without a drop of hot blood who seems more interested in understanding his new circumstances than anything else. As Cherrie mentioned, this seems more to subvert our expectations than anything and is something of a pleasant surprise for the season.

      Mechamorph
      Reply

  5. I hadn’t really noticed it before, but it’s kind of strange that a lot of RPG anime have characters who are these awesome veteran players and yet remain dressed like generic, Walmart-brand “fighters”, “mages”, etc., instead of like rainbow pimps, combat strippers, and Chaos sorcerers, like you’d normally expect of players at level cap. It’s kind of refreshing to see a character dressed as tacky as me.

    Axe Armor
    Reply

    1. Just imagine how much work it would be to animate usual top-level twitching and turning high-level gear in ten different colours…

      Maybe when they will do 3D MMORPG anime using actual MMO assets (eventually graphics should get good enough for this to happen).

      Shalcker
      Reply

      1. Give that job to Polygon Pictures 3:)

        On-topic: This anime has an interesting premise, and for once, playing as a villainous race fora protagonist — reminded me a bit of Disgaea.

        shiningHatsya
        Reply

  6. I was curious about this ever since hearing about and can’t say the first episode disappointed. Certainly “weak” on the explanations and world building, but that should come in the later episodes; really the only issue I can see right now is the show being given 13 episodes to work with.

    Can’t pin it exactly, but what Overlord reminds me currently .hack, likely due to the sudden shift in the game world and our protagonist here being wrapped up in it. There is also the use of the player’s avatar as his image, rather than showing us his appearance in real life, along with the desire to figure out just what happened to the game world.

    Either way I’m holding out hope this show turns into a slow burner because I’m a sucker for these types of stories/settings, plus we do have a need for a good Log Horizon replacement at the moment 😛

    Pancakes
    Reply

    1. In the LN, Overlord is painfully detailed.

      I actually applaud Madhouse for properly adopting the important parts while skimping out the not so important ones.

      Ginobi47
      Reply

  7. And thus the saga of Skeletor and Evil-Lyn begins.

    No, Seriously, all this needs is Shuki Levy and you could have the parallel universe adult swim cartoon where Skeletor just screws around with no interference from He-Man.

    ConanThe3rd
    Reply

  8. Read a bit of the LN/manga, and what I loved is a particular spell that in the game was instant kill death type magic. In this world, it’s something more. I’ve never seen spells that can kill things that cannot actually die, like air. Yes, he can kill AIR.

    DmonHiro
    Reply

  9. Alright:

    1.This is not like Hack or SAO. Our guy’s not trapped in a game. Neither is this Log Horizon. The game didn’t become real. The main character was turned into his avatar and his guild headquarters, along with everything in, it was dumped into a fantasy world.
    2. “It’s like a kid giving life to his stuffed animals which is still – just a stuffed animal.” Apologize to Ted.
    3. That whole thing with Albedo was just a test to see if he was in reality. Even though this guy’s all bones, he’s got no boner!

    bakato
    Reply

  11. I read the novels… just a small spoiler: Momonga will not try to return to home. He will try CONQUER that new world, like a good EVIL supervillain.

    With relation to Albedo, I doubt something will happen. Momonga is an elder lich… no sex is possible because Momonga have no “organs’.

    Joao Carlos
    Reply

    1. It always boggles my mind when characters end up transported in another world with an awesome setting, often gain amazing powers/abilities, fame.etc, and all they want to do is go home. If it was me I would not even think about coming back.

      Azriel
      Reply

      1. Usually it comes down to family and friends. They got around that here by explicitly stating he has no family or friends. Which is actually pretty ridiculous and clearly just a get out of jail free card for the writer to have him stay in this world. But sure, nothing wrong with get out of jail free cards on occasion. Sometimes you just don’t want to deal with random details that would weigh your story down. That’s why every superhero’s family is dead.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  14. I can’t believe how hooked the 1st ep of Overlord got me. I’m hardly a fan of mmo anime. In fact, I’ve managed to stay away from all of them besides SAO(and like many others, not much of a fan of the 1st season, thought I did enjoy the 2nd). Even with SAO, if I didn’t happen to get into it already then I wouldn’t pick it up at this point. Log Horizon doesn’t really interest me even if it’s claimed to be “better”(if anything, I prefer SAO because Kirito-Stu make’s it fun once you’re able to not take it seriously and revel in his Stu feats).

    Yet Overlord’s premiere was quite alluring. Big reasons are probably that it works in the opposite way in various aspects than the thing one could expect with MMO anime. The most obvious is the protagonist not being the hero, but the opposite – but not an evil one(unless he has to act that way for appearances sake perhaps). But it seems to be more than that. Where other such anime present a newer MMO, or a very popular & functional one at least, this one’s about one that’s about to go down. Like, it doesn’t start with a beginning, but an ending.

    But maybe I’m getting too hyped here based on just a premise that reek’s of potential because I actually wanted a MMO anime but something different. Heck, I remember being hyped after the 1st few episodes of SAO(s1) too.

    So with all that being said, in Madhouse we trust?

    MgMaster
    Reply

  15. As a fan of the LN, I would like to clarify some things to the anime-only viewers pertaining to the first episode.

    1. As stated many times in the previous post by others, Momonga is not trapped in a game nor did the game became real life. He and his guild were actually thrown into a fantasy world where there are some similarities to the game he is playing.

    2. Overlord is one of those LNs that has too much detail for its own good. It wasnt explained properly but this little scene

    https://randomc.net/image/Overlord/Overlord%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2015.jpg

    is actually very important. This shows that Momonga’s Lich body is actually affecting the Momonga’s personality, more specifically, his emotions are being forcefully supressed and his morals being altered.

    3. All NPCs that has a name is a personal creation of one of the guildmembers via payment. This includes their looks, personality, class, etc similar to what people do on Dungeons and Dragons tabletop games. This, in turn ,causes the NPCs to view their creators as godlike figures that deserves their absolute loyalty.

    4. The reason why the first episode lacked a hell lot of explaination is because, like I said earlier, Overlord is very very VERY complex. If Madhouse didnt do such a good job in the pacing, we’d be subjected to a massive info dump. From the start to the end of the episode, its LN equivalent is probably at the 20,000+ word mark (this is only my estimates)

    5. @Cherrie. Your concerns of Albedo being a fanservice machine is unfound. While Albedo is indeed perverted by nature (due to her race), Momonga is a freaking skeleton…. he lacks the equipment to induce a proper BONER (sorry, couldnt resist the boner joke).

    6. Since I have the opportunity, I’ll take first dibs at Shalltear Bloodfallen! Shalltear is my waifu! NO TOUCH!

    https://randomc.net/image/Overlord/Overlord%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

    She may not have much screen time in this episode, but she is awesome later on!

    Ginobi47
    Reply

  16. Interesting premise. I never read the LN but my first impression of it is something like Log Horizon or some other RPG type anime but from the point of view of a Maoh. Correct me on this one but Momonga isn’t really a bad guy right? He just happens to have an avatar that looks evil and like any other guilds he’s just protecting his territory from other players, kind of like a group PlayervsPlayer in MMORPGS (I don’t play them so I don’t know the exact term). I’m also gonna be watching for Albedo since she’s voiced by Yumi Hara. I can hear bits of my favorite idol Shijou Takane from iDOLM@ster in her voice.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

    1. He basically is a normal human player. But he chose a non-human race. His guild is made up of slimes, tentacle monsters, dark elves… etc None of the NPCs serving are human either. (Only can have one account) His guild was prejudiced against due to being non-human. PK. Yet, they were the light for all non-humans to gather.

      joshua
      Reply

  17. your last comment “The characters leave next to no impression on me”… if you read the novel the true felling of character NPC is sadist…
    but they didnt notice it because its the true nature of their race….
    so… dont move your expetaction about the character…

    caromokyulin
    Reply

  19. I Let my Fantasy go free:

    Warning! This is Speculation in how he got from MMO World into this Fantasy World, of me.(No i do not know the Manga or LN)

    When they where about to Shutdown the MMO Server, they transferred the Housing stuff Servers (where he is right inside) to a New better Fanatsy World.

    So short story: he is lucky be the First ever Player Online, they oversaw him when transfer the Stuff and all, so our Skeleton Boss has an Headstart against the New Players

    Show Spoiler ▼

    as i said, this is my Anime Version of this. Not based on the LN or manga

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

  20. Mamonga isn’t really perverted in the LN at all (I believe the chest fondling is the most Perverted thing hes done so far out of 4 volumes). I figured the 1st episode wouldn’t be too exciting having read the light novel but the episodes to come are going to be really good assuming they do a good job with the adaptation.
    The guardians pretty much obey Mamonga because they revere him as a god so they are 1 dimensional at first glance but Show Spoiler ▼

    The story starts to get really dark and somewhat gorey later. I wonder how much gore they will keep for the adaptation. Hopefully alot of it since it airs late night in Japan.

    kurudesu
    Reply

  21. Well i didn’t think that Overlord is this interesting. But it is indeed lack info or whatsoever. I hope the 3 episode rule will give this anime it’s time to shine. Momonga is mysterious as hell.

    Shinwinds
    Reply

    1. Second and third episodes prob will have a lot of blood spill… I am assuming they will close the first volume of LN at third episode and fourth episode will start the Dark Knight arc… taht will have a lot of blood at the end…

      But I am not sure if Madhouse will go too much graphical like the LN…

      João Carlos
      Reply

  22. Wow, there are a huge amount of unmarked spoilers on this page. Probably a good thing that there is no intention to blog this after having half of it spoiled here (I believe).

    That said I’m of two minds. Sure it’s nice that it’s a bit different from the average LN, but only in specifics really. Having the maoh be a hero/protagonist is actually a really common plot right now, as is the hero trapped in another world, whether it’s an MMO or not. This seems like it took a bunch of currently popular stereotypes and smashed them together in a slightly different way.

    Not that that’s the end of the world. A lot of fine stories are stereotypical. I guess a bigger question for me is the characters. While I don’t have Cherrie’s weird insistence that the ‘NPCs aren’t real’ (it’s an anime, they’re as real as anyone else in the cartoon) I also don’t really see anything in the group appealing to me all that much yet.

    I’m the type that always plays the good guy in an RPG, so the idea of a whole story about non-human villains isn’t immediately appealing. It was vaguely interesting though, so I’ll keep watching for now.

    KaleRylan
    Reply

  23. Did anyone notice Shaltear in the opening? That was a shock.

    I love this Skeletor guy, but he is going to regret being a Lich King. So many female worshippers and he can’t do anything.

    Lastywinfan
    Reply

  24. Gonna see where this is going. MMO RPG anime turned fantasy anime? The MC looks interesting since he seems to be a normal guy that’s going to act as an evil overlord. That may lead to some interesting situations.

    theirs
    Reply

  25. I’m actually gad that the anime cut stuff out. The LN is way too detailed, to a point that I had to force myself to finish the four volumes. It really didn’t help that the character all feel the same in their POV. tho I am not sure if this is due to the double translation (from japanese to chinese to english) or the source text. So! the anime should greatly improve on that.

    noodles
    Reply

  28. I don’t mean to offend or anything, CHERRIE, but it seems like most shonen type shows just isn’t for you.

    I like how you point out both the positives and negatives of shows like these, but it’s getting to the point where it seems to me that you glancing over the good just so you have something good to mention, and then getting straight to the bad with a clear bias (it’s almost to the point that it’s sounding like you’re whining a bit), missing certain parts of the show where I would not expect you to miss.

    Again, I don’t mean to offend or anything, just offering my opinion. I personally love your posts on shows like Death Parade, where it shows best of you via your analysis of the show. Maybe shonen is just not for you. It’s almost like you’re giving a vibe of not enjoying what you’re watching.

    bakakubi
    Reply

  34. I’m concerned with where this anime is going, with every NPC being loyal to him what else is there to do beside play with Albedo. There will probably be another player but maybe I just wait until episode 3 for my final impression.

    Aquarian DragonSlayer
    Reply

  35. Ep 02:

    Yes, Overlord is on the right Track, doing the right things, and even the timing to move forward (and backwards) are good

    Yes 2/3 passed without problems

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

  36. So far nothing from the anime is different from the Light Novel which is good but seriously only 13 episode shit i don’t think that will get past the 3rd volume and Overlord has like 8-9 volumes that i’m aware of.

    I’m Saddened that this wasn’t made into 24 episodes cause the Light Novel really got me hooked even though i’m still waiting for more translations…..
    Note if they did do 24 episodes it would probably past volume 5 which would be awesome cause translations only up to volume 5 chapter 1 (-.-)

    As for those concerned about fan service stuff if they follow the Light Novel there isn’t much except some hanky panky from some lizards which you won’t even know about cause i doubt 13 episodes will get that far into the Light Novel.

    bakuoni
    Reply

  37. Why has Random Curiosity quit covering this anime? Its a great LN and I for one would love for them to cover it. I have high hopes for this one, even though i don’t think madhouse will keep it as dark as the LN.

    geassrendering
    Reply

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