Overlord (Episode 2) – Floor Guardians
Momonga meets with the floor guardians who instantly pledge their loyalty to him. Sebas returns and reveals that the Great Tomb of Nazarick has moved, forcing Momonga to make some plans for the future of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Overlord (Episode 2) – Floor Guardians
What did you watch?
I am back with Overlord to continue the slow start as Momonga gets his head around this new world and the fact that it’s no longer a game. I can see why someone new to the series could get frustrated in the early stages. There’s not a lot going on action-wise. It’s all dialogue and figuring things out. A lot of Isekai anime will get that over within the first few minutes and then leave the rest to work out in the future. I like the way Overlord does it. By the time stuff happens, we know the characters and are invested in their adventure. Anyhow, let’s find out if anything happens…
What happened?
Fresh from catching up with Mare and Aura, Momonga was soon greeted by several more of the floor guardians. First, there was Shaltear Bloodfallen, a vampire who is the guardian of the first three floors. Then, there was Cocytus, a tall insect race that was pretty much designed for fighting. He watches over the fifth floor. Next came Demiurge, guardian of the seventh floor. He is a pure demon. They are accompanied by Albedo, the overseer of the guardians. They instantly pledge their allegiance to Momonga, aware that he is the last of the supreme beings from Ainz Ooal Gown. Momonga tells them that he is pleased with their praise and then relays the information he has received from Sebas.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick has moved to a strange new location. They are to keep their defence at the maximum level until he says overwise. Then, he orders Mare to use her earth magic to blend the tomb into the surrounding area. Until they know what they are dealing with, caution is to be paramount. Later, Momonga tests out the parameters of this world by attempting to use a sword, however, since he is a mage, he cannot wield it. If he equips some special armour he can use it. There are ways around the rules. In order to see Mare’s work, Momonga takes to the skies accompanied by Demiurge. They see the far reaches of the world from the sky. Momonga wonders if he should conquer the entire world. He was joking, but Demiurge did not see it that way.
What did you think?
More posturing and more set-up, and I loved every second of it. Seeing Momonga work out how this world works was good. It opens up all sorts of paths for him to take as he explores and conquers the world. Of course, I loved that Demiurge heard his offhand comment about taking over the world and is quite keen to see him do that. I do love a good misunderstanding and this is a whopper. It’s great because it’s something you would expect an evil overlord to say, and while Momonga is only playing the part, he may end up becoming it for real now that he’s in this new world with this new body.
What was your favourite moment?
I love that the guardians all have very different personalities because they were all created by different players. They often butt heads about things which makes it quite entertaining, especially when Momonga silences them with a word and his terrifying aura. As time goes on, it’s going to make sense that they aren’t just a group of sycophantic yes-men. If everyone tells you everything you do is right then invariably you will become more wrong than right. It’s good to have people who aren’t afraid to say what they’re thinking, even if it’s not always what you want to hear.
Who was the most impactful character?
It’s hard to pick one in this episode so I’m going to go with Demiurge. He was with Momonga in the skies when Momonga joked about taking over the world. Of course, to Demiurge that was the green light to begin plotting to take over the world for real, and that made him very, very happy. As time goes on, I love the way the guardians are almost pushing the story forward and Momonga is happy to let them think that he was thinking that way all along.
What have you learned?
Quite often misunderstandings are used to delay things such as a couple getting together, but Overlord flips everything by making them the thing that pushes Momonga further and further into becoming the overlord. Momonga is just lucky that he is a: powerful enough to do what he wants and b: quick enough to play along with their ideas and allow them to think that they guessed his plans all along. It works on two levels. It gets him out of a jam when he’s not sure what to do next and it gives the guardian extra pride by believing that they can keep up with a supreme being like Momonga.
Other posts in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – End and Beginning
- Episode 2 – Floor Guardians
- Episode 3 – Battle at Carne Village
- Episode 4 – Ruler of Death
- Episode 5 – Two Venturers
- Episode 6 – Journey
- Episode 7 – Wise King of Forest
- Episode 8 – Twin Swords of Slashing Death
- Episode 9 – The Dark Warrior
- Episode 10 – True Vampire
- Episode 11 – Confusion and Understanding
- Episode 12 – The Bloody Valkyrie
- Episode 13 – Player VS Non Player Character
- Bonus
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Great post