Synopsis

Since appearing in another world, Ains has sent out daily commands as the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He also maintains his alter-ego Momon, the strongest adventurer in E-Rantel, to gather funds and keep an ear to the ground. He sets out on quests considered suitable for a adamantite class adventurer, like defeating the Gigant Basilisk. Meanwhile, Ains returns to Nazarick and asks Albedo for a full status report.

Review

For a show that prioritizes straightforward entertainment above all else, Overlord’s premiere was surprisingly boring. A decent chunk of the episode was re-explaining the politics of Overlord’s world and bringing in some new characters. Neither of those are necessarily bad, but the new characters aren’t that interesting yet and Overlord’s fantasy world is too generic to really care about. It would be fine if the exposition had been conveyed more naturally, but watching Ainz look at a map and exposit about the neighboring countries is just dull. Overlord’s strength has always been the sheer fun of watching Ainz and the other overpowered protagonists destroy their opponents. The world-building has always been more supplementary to that, and it’s not enough to carry the show on its own. Thankfully, the rest of the episode is more entertaining. Albedo’s psychotic/loving faces never fail to amuse, and Ainz’s internal reaction to her antics is just as fun. Hearing an evil mastermind start thinking to himself like a standard office worker is both clever and funny. The end of the episode introduces us to a group of lizard people with a surprisingly solid relationship that’s established far more elegantly than the rest of the episode. Based on the final scene and the opening, they’re likely going to play a large part in the upcoming season once the plot actually kicks in. While this episode was pretty dull on its own, it seems more like a slow start than a sign of a dull season. I don’t expect anything groundbreaking from Overlord, but I fully expect it to be entertaining nonetheless.

Recommendation: Wait and See