Overlord (Episode 4) – Ruler of Death
Momonga and Gazef Stronoff discuss the mysterious attackers when they realise the village has been surrounded. Gazef asks Momonga if he could hire him, but he refuses, however, he promises to protect the village.
Overlord (Episode 4) – Ruler of Death
What did you watch?
In the last episode, Momonga saved Carne Village and then met Gazef Stronoff, the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It ended with the two of them discussing the identity of the mysterious attackers which left me hanging for a week while I caught up on all the other shows I was watching. Of course, I knew what was coming and that made it even harder. Well, the time has come for Momonga to show off the strength of Ainz Ooal Gown… I can already feel the goosebumps coming… Let’s get it on!
What happened?
Gazef was grateful to Momonga (who was going by the name Ainz Ooal Gown) for saving the villagers and even asked if he could hire his services to take care of the group that had surrounded the village. He believed them to be from the Slane Theocracy and since Ainz didn’t know who they were that meant that they were after Gazef. Ainz refused to accept his offer of a contract but did promise to protect the village. He even gave Gazef a gift before he led his men out to meet the enemy head-on. That would give the villagers the chance to escape.
However, Ainz had other plans. He had been listening to Gazef’s battle against the enemy. He heard how their commander told Gazef to lie down and die and he would make it painless. Gazef refused to submit which made the commander confirm that he would massacre the villagers once he was done with Gazef. Moments later, Gazef found himself standing in a barn surrounded by the villagers and all of his men. There was no sign of Ainz, however, as he had swapped places with Gazef. Now, it’s time to find out just how strong the people of the Slane Theocracy are!
What did you think?
One thing, I always notice with this series is that while it generally looks nice, there’s a lot of fairly clunky 3D animation that doesn’t blend too well with the background. That on top of the lack of animation when it comes to Ainz could be seen as being a big problem. However, in this instance, it really isn’t. In fact, Ainz simply standing there as they throw a barrage of magical attacks at him is exactly the point. He doesn’t need to move. He doesn’t need to dodge. He doesn’t need to do anything. So, when he starts laughing or the commander gets the wrong idea from his reactions, it just gets better and better. For me, the story and the characters are what pulled me in and I stayed for the reactions. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as seeing some scumbags realise they are in way over their head. I loved this episode.
What was your favourite moment?
So, Ainz has just killed all their angels with one move. Then, he killed the big overseer with a single spell. That forced the commander to pull out a shiny crystal that contained a miracle. He had been ordered only to use it if things got so bad that there was no other choice. When he pulled it out, Ainz could only say “Wait is that…” before the commander spoke over him, believing that Ainz was worried. He continued to overplay his hand and ask Ainz if he was ready to take back all of his bragging and bluffing. Ainz put his hand on his face which looked like he’d made a mistake to the commander. However, Ainz followed up his earlier statement with “This is stupid.” I absolutely loved the reaction on the commander’s face when he realised he had misread Ainz. He tried to believe that he still had the upper hand, but I think he knew even before Ainz destroyed his miracle without breaking a sweat.
Who was the most impactful character?
I like Gazef Stronoff. He’s the perfect character to follow in a fantasy epic. He’s chivalrous and strong. He fights for the people. He can recognize when someone is good which is why he accepted Ainz as an ally from the off. He didn’t question his motives for saving the village. The fact that he did, told him all he needed to know about Ainz. I loved how the last thing he told the commander before he switched places with Ainz, was that there was a man in the village that would show them what a massacre really was. The commander got to replay that soundbite in his head as Ainz destroyed his trump card. If only this was Gazef’s story! Who am I kidding? I love that we’re following the evil overlord who hasn’t quite worked out how he’s going to live this life.
What have you learned?
So, I’ve seen plenty of shows that had poorly implemented 3D CGI or used way too many still shots and simply panned the camera and it killed the show. Of course, I’ve seen shows with average animation but the show was a massive hit. Now, I know we’re looking at anime and animation should be a bit part of the experience. However, a good story and compelling characters can make up for those shortfalls with ease. Frankly, that’s the way it should be. The greatest animation in the world cannot improve the story. It might make it look really nice, but it won’t make the characters more interesting and it won’t make an average story great. Now, it depends entirely on what you’re watching for, but for me, anime is just my preferred medium with which to consume stories. I want great characters, an intriguing story, and an interesting world. Overlord has all three!
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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