Overlord IV

Title:Overlord IV
オーバーロードIV
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , , ,
Notables: HINO Satoshi
Now that he has created the 'Sorceror Kingdom', Ains Ooal Goan must find the best way to govern and administer it, and perhaps expand it as well.

A sequel to Overlord, Overlord II and Overlord III


13 episodes.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent Stretch [series:4502#628]
(All episodes watched):

I was delighted to see that yet another season of Overlord had begun (even if I felt that it had been at its best in season one and successive ones hadn't been quite as good) probably because there has been little progress towards explaining the big mysteries of how the Yggdrasil game has become real and whether any players others than Ains still exist. Anyway, as with at least one previous season, this one begins with a largely comical episode. In this case, it is about how Ains must govern his new Kingdom via the cast of colorful characters that were not exactly designed for such a purpose. Albedo, for instance, is just as crazy about Ains as ever. He has some new ideas, including using adventurers (who have little work to do in a land where the government is more than capable of stamping out monsters of any sort) as explorers. Also, trade has fallen off precipitously, perhaps because the people live in terror of the undead soldiers who patrol their streets. I could not tell what direction this latest arc would go in based on this largely silly episode, but I knew that I'd be watching to the end.

In episode two the focus shifts to a kingdom (I have lost track of which is which) which is in a state of anxiety over what Ains will do next. He is actually approving ideas by Demiurge and Albedo, who have gotten the impression that he wishes to rule the world, out of a lack of ideas of his own. Albedo arrives in ReEstize on a diplomatic visit and an unscrupulous minor nobleman seeks to ingratiate himself. This is the land whose princess Renner is seemingly gracious but actually crazy/evil. As usual, the balance of power between different lands is more a matter of who has the strongest video game type hero rather than the biggest army or the largest budget.

Episode three is mainly about the young king of one nation and the Bishops of the Slane Theocracy as they try to devine what Sorceror King Owns Ooal Gown is up to. Ains pulls a stunt which drives a wedge between the two, preventing them from uniting, but I didn't exactly 'get' it. Why was it so effective? Maybe this was Demiurge's idea. I thought it was curious that the most awesome fighters in ReEstize are 'Adventurers' rather than soldiers or gladiators. Ains has developed an interest in 'Runes', the making of which is a dying art practiced only by a handful of dwarves. To recruit the last Rune makers he gets involved in a war between the dwarves and some dog-like monsters (I forget their name). I sort of wonder why he went off on this tangent from the much more important business of diplomacy with the major nations, but it is sort of fun nevertheless. Seeing him kick the asses of arogant people who thought they were incredible is generally fun. Two more races get taught a lesson in humility here. There's a mention in episode six that Ains hasn't forgotten about the question of whether any other human video gamers exist in this world.

Apparently by surprise (I think) a provocation is committed by a nobleman in ReEstize (I think), and, what the hell, Ains declares war. He doesn't really seem to have much of a plan for how to expand his empire, he just goes with the flow of events, but all of the level guardians naturally assume that he does and that his plan is foolproof. His promise not to employ any major spells was interesting; perhaps he sees this as little more than a game or an experiment to test the capabilities of his opponents. The portly but capable Prince Zanac meets Ains and attempts to negotiate, but finds he cannot reason with the Sorceror King. We get a declaration from Ains of just what he ultimately wants. In some ways it makes sense while in others it doesn't. A surprising and formidable opponent comes along, and Ains wonders if this person might be a player, like himself. That cannot be ascertained immediately, but there is definitely some sort of link between this person (and an ally) and the fact that this world originated as a video game. It has been a long time since any evidence on this particular case has come up.

Ains presses his campaign against ReEstize without mercy or pity. I couldn't help wondering why he was behaving in such an evil manner. In the past his opponents were no good themselves and largely got what they deserved, but it would be hard to excuse what he does to the ordinary people of this country. Once upon a time he actively tried to persuade his underlings that humans had some value. And no explanation is forthcoming, not until season five at least. A surprising ally who helped enable his victory is revealed in the final episode, and yet another character that we are fairly familiar with changes sides as well. I was left wondering what was going on and impatient for answers. But I was always looking forward to the next episode of Overlord S4 throughout the season.

Last updated Friday, October 21 2022. Created Wednesday, July 06 2022.

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