It Feels Good to Be Bad!

Overlord III Introduction and Story

Building on Madhouse's previous two seasons, Overlord is back and bigger than ever! After subjugating a small village and infiltrating the capital as an adventurer, Ainz Ooal Gown has unwittingly set the ball rolling towards world domination! Due to a couple of greedy workers, the Great Tomb of Nazarick has been discovered, forcing Momonga's empire out into the open. Fearing the magician's infinite power, neighboring kingdoms have voted to put aside their differences to try to battle this dangerous new villain. Despite amassing a large army of capable men, the humans are absolutely no match for Ainz and his undead army! Boasting the definitive overpowered protagonist, Overlord III continues to establish Ainz's dominion over the entire world's population! How does Madhouse's third season compare to its predecessors?

1. A Worthy Final Boss

For those who appreciated the previous two seasons, please take solace in knowing that little has changed in Overlord's universe. Despite going up against an army and some of the land's greatest combatants, Ainz Ooal Gown remains unchallenged and evil to the core. If anything, season three amplifies and solidifies Momonga's status as THE final boss. Overlord has never been about a hero who needs to overcome insurmountable odds, but the protagonist is essentially a comical accumulation of every Final Fantasy post-game villain in existence. Prior to the launch of the Summer season, Momonga's plans always seemed rather limited in scope, but there was always the belief that the protagonist's ultimate goal would reach across the entire planet. For all intents and purposes, Overlord III makes good on that promise.

2. Who Said World Domination Can’t Be Funny?

Comedy might not be listed as a genre, but Overlord has never been a slacker in this department. Virtually unstoppable, Ainz Ooal Gown is so laughably overpowered, the plot cannot really depend on the action to amass any serious tension. In battle, the magic caster is invincible, but Momonga started off as a normal human who just happened to portray an evil character within an MMORPG. Over the course of three seasons, Ainz has gradually been shedding any lingering traces of humanity, but the protagonist has a habit of unwittingly stumbling into villainous proclamations of world domination. Even though the series has seemingly been building up to this point since the very beginning, Ainz only discerned during this season that he has been setting the stage to conquer the planet!

3. Outside Nazarick

Maintaining the trend established during season two, Overlord III spends an inordinate amount of time on relatively minor characters. The story is never static, but certain episodes can seem fairly slow paced. If the quality of the writing was weaker, these segments could readily thwart the anime's momentum; luckily, Overlord never has a dull moment. Out of all three years, this season pays the most attention to the actual humans living in the tentatively titled New World. Besides visiting Ainz's village, Overlord III shifts focus to the nobles and rulers governing the various kingdoms. Taking into account the type of story being told, you cannot escape the feeling that everyone is slated to die, but that is the point. This is humanity's final hour.

1. Animation Woes

Unfortunately, Madhouse experienced some budgeting issues during Overlord III's production. This only becomes a factor during the last handful of episodes, but the decline in quality is nearly comical. Regarded as an industry powerhouse, this season comfortably ranks among Madhouse's ugliest work. As long as the storytelling remains strong, we can look past underwhelming animation, but the terrible CGI is too eye-catching to not warrant a mention. Considering the final two episodes are principally dedicated to a large scale battle, the animation greatly diminishes what should have been among the anime's most memorable moments. "Massacre," the penultimate episode, sees the human army slaughtered by a horde of disfigured abominations summoned by Ainz, but these scenes end up coming across as unintentionally funny rather than intimidating.

Final Thoughts

Production issues aside, Overlord III is the strongest season out of the bunch. While it would definitely be recommended to start watching from the beginning, Ainz Ooal Gown has only improved with age. Mainstream stories with evil and victorious protagonists are rarely created, but Overlord III's brilliance proves that they can work!

Do you agree with our review? Is Overlord III worth watching? Please let us know in the comments below!

Writer

Author: Mark Sammut

Born and raised on a small island in the Mediterranean, my life goal is to experience as many different ways of life as possible. Since time and money are in short supply, anime and film provide the best opportunity to experience far away cultures and worlds. When I'm not watching the latest episode of Gintama, or wondering what series to watch next, you can find me in the corner of the closest coffee shop; writing away on my aging laptop.

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