Overlord III

Episode 9

Throughout its run, Overlord has been prone to episodes where it doesn't seem like much actually happens despite the flood of new details. This is one of those episodes.

For better or worse, this is a consequence of the methodical approach that the series has always taken. Instead of annoyingly drawn-out battles (see recent episodes of Black Clover for a good example), this series draws out its setup and storytelling, creating a pace that's remarkably relaxed for a fantasy series. In this case, that mostly works in portraying the visit of Emperor Jurcniv and his entourage to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, ostensibly so that the Emperor can apologize to Ains for the affront of sending workers to the tomb. It allows time for the young Emperor to show that he's not a complete fool and actually has a couple of diplomatic bones in his body. I was actually impressed that he was more cautious than openly fearful in Ains' presence and quick to be privately distrustful when Ains seemed to be offering his EMPiRE a deal too good to be true. It was also fitting that he wouldn't be so easily coddled into loyalty; although from the Nazarick perspective that might seem villainous, trying to form an alliance against them is his only real option if he doesn't want to spend the rest of his days being servile to Ains, and trying to arrange things so that another kingdom will take the first blow is probably the best plan for his country. His observations about Renner are also remarkably insightful. It's too bad for him that Demiurge and Albedo have already anticipated what he's thinking.

Much of the rest of the episode is standard fare for this series: humans being wowed and intimidated by the awesomeness of Nazarick, Ains straining to act like the master schemer that Demiurge believes him to be, and so forth. Things get a bit more interesting where the old mage Fluder is involved; we knew that he had some kind of encounter with Momon, but begging to become Ains' student is more than I had expected, even though it makes a certain amount of sense. The supposition that he deliberately pushed the Emperor into the tomb-raiding debacle in order to get in Ains' good graces adds another layer of scheming to the scenario. I'm also a little curious about the deal with the female knight and how that's going to play into the picture. Demiurge and Albedo's shared interest in Renner also isn't surprising, as she's perhaps the one human outside of Nazarick worth their investigation. I strongly hope that we get to see such a meeting before the season ends.

The one thing I didn't quite understand was Demiurge assuming a demonic amphibian form for the meeting with the Emperor rather than his normally devilish humanoid appearance. If there's a strategic reason for this, then the anime doesn't make it clear. But in most respects, this is a ho-hum episode by franchise standards.

Rating: B

Overlord III is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.