English Dub Review: Overlord “A Handful of Hope”

Note to self: don’t become a grave robber.

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

The members of Team Foresight are in some deep shit but are taking their surprise confrontation with Ains Ooal Gown rather well. Hekkeran, the leader, realizes how outmatched they are, and tries to negotiate with Ains to spare their lives. Ains is suspicious, but Hekkeran is one smooth operator,and manages to bluff his way through the conversation. His deception almost earns Team Foresight their freedom, but Hekkeran slips up, and Ains sees through his deception.

After unleashing his anger in a mighty roar, Ains duels with Team Foresight in a fight to the death. Team Foresight’s teamwork is on point and nearly earns them advantage over Ains, but Ains switches things up by dropping his shield and sword and using just his insane magical abilities. The magically attuned in the party quickly realize how far up shit creek they are, but nonetheless, fight for their lives as best they can. Hekkeran uses all his enhancement abilities at once and tries to strike down Ains, but gets met with a swift choke hold and is dispatched by Ains’s paralysis.

Hope is quickly fading for Team Foresight, but Imina isn’t done yet; she threatens the wrath of Momon upon Ains (Ha ha) if he doesn’t let them go. Her threat is ineffective, for obvious reasons, and so their last ditch effort is for Roberdyck and Imina to cover young Arche’s escape, since she needs the money from this job the most. Looks like there’s honor among thieves, after all.

Roberdyck and Imina plead for Arche’s life, but Ains is simply not having it. He dispatches Shalltear to give Arche a swift death, incurring Roberdyck and Imina’s wrath in a last-ditch attack. The two are defeated without hesitation, and left at Ains’s mercy. Meanwhile, Shalltear catches Arche in mid-air after she bumps into the sixth floor wall. Before killing her, she feeds on Arche’s blood.

The episode closes with Ains complimenting Albedo on her defense of the tomb, and Entoma explaining (With her newly acquired voice from Arche) that Arche’s body was put to good use. Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace, Emperor Jircniv receives news from the tomb. His meeting is interrupted by Mare and Aura, who proclaim that if no one apologizes for invading his tomb, he will destroy the entire empire.

Our Take:

Wow. This episode takes a dark turn from what I usually expect of Overlord. Unlike the funny, lighthearted fantasy intrigue we usually get from this series, this episode goes full throttle on making Ains Ooal Gown an actual, well, overlord. That makes this episode something of a mixed bag. Last week, I noticed that it was hard to watch these somewhat lovable adventuring parties (With some exception) get completely massacred by the denizens of The Tomb of Nazarick. That feeling is doubly so here, since Team Foresight has been the heart and soul of the last couple ofepisodes. Their butchering leaves a foul taste in the mouth, though their struggle was no doubt exciting to watch.

I’m not sure where Overlord wants to be on the morality spectrum. Sometimes, Ains Ooal Gown is a funny otaku who is a fish out of water in this world of magic and monsters. Other times, he is a savior, who does what the corrupt and incapable humans of this world cannot. Other times yet still, like in this episode, he acts like a complete monster totally un-phased by torture and killing. There is an uncertainty in his motivation, in what he stands for, but its very possible that this is a deliberate move to develop his character. Perhaps, through his ungodly power, and his interest in experimentation and strategy, the once nerdy lord of Nazarick has effectively become the sinister being his appearance would portray him as. However, its also possible that this is just a tonal dissonance on the show’s part, since its hard to say how deliberate his fluid sense of morality really is. Nonetheless, it makes for good viewing, even if it does diminish the empathy a viewer can have for him and the Tomb of Nazarick.

This is an episode that really plays with your emotions. Not your typical fantasy anime, Overlord seems more and more insistent on straddling the line of good vs. evil, and muddying up what that really means in the grand scheme of things. Despite Ains’s often noble intentions, this is an episode that reminds us that The Tomb of Nazarick is a guild of monsters, and Ains’s motivations can be quite selfish at times. Team Foresight’s grim fate is a heavy reminder of this, as well as an intense tale that pulls on your heartstrings and puts a rock in your gut.