Overlord III - Episode 12 [Review]

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Overlord III - Episode 12 [Review]

Though they have been used relatively sparingly, mind-boggling displays of power have always been one of this franchise's big draws. That they come infrequently has actually been to the franchise's benefit, however. Ains and his Nazarick minions are so much more powerful than everyone else that no one can even challenge them, so too many displays of naked awesomeness could actually turn the content into a yawner. (See Kaze no Stigma.) That Ains' outward confidence has always been at odds with his inner voice has also helped keep him from being just an arrogant bastard.

But sometimes story circumstances allow for a big batch of aggrandizement, and this is one of those times. The Empire has asked Ains to launch his most powerful spell as the signal to the beginning of battle, in part so that the Emperor can get a gauge on what Ains can actually do and thus formulate a strategy against him around that. So what's the best way to deal with such backbiting? Just be so overwhelming in your display of power that you leave even allies literally shaking in their boots. That's exactly what we get when Ains drops a spell which almost instantly kills off tens of thousands of Kingdom troops, and then for a kicker uses their “sacrifice” to summon these massive, Cthulhu-esque masses of mouths (what we've been seeing all season in the opener) that sprout tentacles and immense hooves and bay like goats; in fact, Ains even refers to them as such. He then lets then run rampant across the field and intimafates even allies into applauding his greatness, to say nothing of what the display does to the Empire force's commander; I have to think that this display will serve its purpose and convince the Emperor that he wants no part in opposing Ains. Even the most boisterous Kingdom forces who survive the initial onslaught certainly take the hint and flee the battlefield.

This all leads to the episode-ending confrontation that we all knew had to be coming: Gazeff Stronoff once again standing before Ains, this time as an enemy. The respect and congeniality going both ways is clear, with Ains even offering Gazeff a position as a subordinate in exchange for sparing the lives of others on the battlefield. Ains had to know that it was an offer that Gazeff couldn't accept and that he'd put Gazeff in a position where he had no choice but to call for a duel. Likewise Gazeff knows full well that he probably can't even scratch Ains, but it's a confrontation he cannot avoid without sacrificing his well-justified loyalty to his king. Essentially it's a display of honor but without all of the baggage which all too often comes with honor duels, and that's why watching Gazeff fight his doomed fight next episode is still going to be a treat.

On the downside, yeah, the CG of massed soldier movements isn't any better than last episode, and the gooey muck which oozes out over the fallen soldiers didn't look good, either. The scene involving evacuating the king was also executed in too relaxed a fashion for the situation, thus sapping much of its urgency. The sheep-creatures were more impressive, as were movements and actions by human characters and the final little bits of character-building here and there, including Climb being ribbed about marrying the princess (which is ironic because Brain has no clue how badly Renner actually wants that). Ains also leaves us with a semi-mystery about who the “three, no four” which couldn't be targeted were and why; past precedent strongly suggests that Climb is one, and Ains' offer to Gazeff seems to indicate that he's another, but is Brain also one? If we presume Renner is the third then who's the fourth?

That just adds something else to look forward to for the final episode.

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Overlord III - Episode 11 [Review]

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Overlord III - Episode 11 [Review]

It was pretty much a given that things were not going to go well for Prince Barbro at Carne Village, to the point that I didn't expect him to survive the scenario. (And really, would he be missed? Even his father, the king, seems to regard him more as a burden than a successor.) However, I doubt anyone who hasn't read ahead expected that he would be defeated in such a manner.

Him getting finished off by Lupisregina makes total sense, but things got to that point in an eye-popping manner. I liked the way things were handled up until the big reveal, with both sides making somewhat sensible decisions. The village having been saved from destruction by Ains assured their loyalty (he should probably care a bit more about the village as a whole, since it's the first population that he won over in this world without the use of force or bald-faced deception), but they also thought their strategy through, while on the Prince's side they were savvy enough to realize that some kind of deception might be going on when only five ogres showed and thus sent pursuers around to the back side. The problem was the Enri still had an ace up her sleeve, one much more potent than either she or Ains realized.

And man, what an ace! Instead of a small troop of goblins, this horn gets her a full elite goblin army that's plenty capable of taking on a 5,000-human army, all fully loyal to "General Enri." The seemingly-endless parade of all of the elite goblin units was a bit overdone, getting so ridiculous that it actually became amusing, but Ains' shocked reaction at seeing what all appeared was well worth it. The notion that one of his cast-off items had an incredibly potent hidden ability that only triggered under special circumstances (that he was unlikely to ever meet) is an interesting additional twist, though with only a couple of episodes left in the season and a major battle to be fought, I can't see that going anywhere. Still, the presence of the goblin army effectively makes Carne Village into a military new power and will inadvertently bolster Ains' position. I have to wonder at how the logistics for the army will be maintained, as this is a whole 'nother level of providing housing, food, etc. over the existing goblins, but I'm also guessing that's an issue that the series won't get to this season, either.

There were a couple of nice character moments too, especially Enri's embarrassment at being called Chief by all of the villagers and the first real romantic tension with Nphirea. The artistry, however, did not impress. While I've definitely seen worse in the past couple of years for CG, this definitely wasn't a high-end effort for massed troop movements. Ultimately it was only a minor distraction, and now we should all be set for the big battle against Re-Estize Kingdom.

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Overlord III - Episode 6 [Review]

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Overlord III - Episode 6 [Review]

The business with Carne Village may not be entirely done for now, as it's referenced in this episode as a possible destination for certain characters. However, it's at least on hold for the moment while the story shifts its focus to what's going on outside of the immediate sphere of Nazarick, setting up a big and fairly complicated story arc.

In the Re-Estize Kingdom, they're still picking up the pieces from the Jaldaboath affair, and we finally learn the startling scope of the citizens that Demiurge absconded with. (Frankly, it's an unbelievable number unless Nazarick is far vaster than it appears to be.) Gazef Stronoff is still raising some tensions over his lack of nobility, and I have to think that this will lead to something down the line. Brain stepping into the role of his successor is interesting but hardly unexpected. Renner barely makes an appearance, but her eldest brother looks like he'll be the most trouble going forward. Meanwhile, much is going on in the Baharuth Empire, where the chief wizard Fluder is doing experiments with undead that might pique Ains' interest if he knew about them and the Emperor – the fellow we saw at the very end of last season – is taking an interest in Nazarick himself. He's also apparently progressive in his reforms, having deposed some inefficient nobles, which naturally doesn't sit well with them.

More immediately relevant to the plot is what the adventurers in Baharuth are up to. The notion that non-Guild-affiliated adventurers are called Workers is intriguing, and we get introduced to one quartet, called Foresight, which is featured prominently in the opener and has an involving set of relationships and problems. They're going to be part of a greater mission to investigate a recently discovered ruin with a village nearby. Clearly it's either Nazarick or its stand-in, as Ains shows up as Momon with Narbarel to be the security detail for the mission's base camp. So is this a scheme that he's running, or is he just positioning himself to deal with a potential problem?

What I liked most about the way this episode laid things out is how interconnected everything already feels. One of the members of Foresight is the eldest daughter of a deposed noble family who is saddled with incompetent parents, to the point that she seeks to move her younger siblings away, quickly connecting her to the bigger problems in Baharuth. She also has the ability to sense the level of someone's magical power on sight, which could prove quite troublesome if she ever meets Momon and Narbarel. All of this contributes to fleshing out a more complex picture than we've seen before. Added to that is the first appearance of an elf in this setting (or more precisely, a half-elf) that I can recall. The series generally continues to shine in its introduction of new characters, who may have some flavor of traditional archetyping but still clearly come off as individuals. Just one episode into their appearance and I'm already starting to get invested in what happens to Foresight.

In other words, this is all setup, but it's setup done well.

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