It’s a small world. What They Say:
Momonga finds out that Shalltear has revolted against him, due to something that had happened while she was on her mission with Sebas and Solution. The story rewinds a bit and goes over that very event. What could possibly change her loyalty to him?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
There aren’t many anime this can be said for, but the most common theme across the main cast of Overlord is probably mercilessness. Momonga had a villain who made a point of being as despicable as possible to play against in his showing last week, so at the very least it was relatively easy to get behind his actions in the end. Shalltear is not the main character, not originally a human or from another world, and not the sort who has ever seemed to care much for ethics. When Momonga suddenly got the news that he had apparently been betrayed, surprised reactions likely stemmed from the obsessive devotion Shalltear shares for her lord with everyone else he rules over, not from any notion that the act seemed at odds with the fundamental nature of her character. So when we turn the clock back to see what she’s been up to and it puts her in the position to lead a strike against enemies, it’s expected to be sufficiently brutal.
Shalltear doesn’t disappoint, but also doesn’t stop at a level that would probably leave viewers satisfied; she certainly doesn’t stop at what’s necessary to accomplish her goal. In a lot of ways these two episodes have been similar; both essentially focus on members of the original core group faced with foes who are built up to be nearly unstoppable, and our “heroes” play with their pray a bit before utterly annihilating them in a way that conveys such a wide gap between the status of each it’s downright comical. Momonga is stoic and can’t do much in the way of physically emoting anyway, particularly with full armor equipped, but Shalltear (and Solution for that matter) is so gleeful in her brutality that she feels more similar to Clementine than anyone else. That’s a bit frightening, and perhaps fits with her ending up on an opposite side from the rest of the protagonists in the end, but it is a fairly unique theme in this show that none of the main characters are actually good, and that’s one of the story’s most compelling elements. The fact that they’re all so incredibly overpowered might annoy some, but the shocking abruptness that it’s used for ends up being pretty effective and in some ways unconventional.
Another theme we saw just a few episodes shows itself in this episode as well, that of an interconnected plotline that seems to be trying to adhere to the principle of Chekhov’s gun as much as possible. The application is in fact almost exactly the same; Momonga gave another unassuming girl a rare potion, and that plays back into the plot a few episodes later in a bigger way than could likely be anticipated. It seems an obvious catalyst to end Shalltear’s loyalty to Momonga, but despite the entire episode taking place before the point we had reached on Momonga’s side of the plot and dealing exclusively with Shalltear and pals until the very least, her exact motives are not yet expounded upon. At any rate the concept of one of Momonga’s top worshippers turning on him sounded like an intriguing twist when it was casually dropped last time, and it’s a good solution for no normal character being a match for any of the leads.
In Summary:
Shalltear gets the spotlight this time and uses it in much the same way that Momonga did last time. Even keeping her largely devout, this results in a frenzy of insane brutality that puts even her lord to shame, and it’s another fine example of thoroughly dominating unworthy foes.
Grade: B
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Roku 3, Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42″ Class LCD HDTV.
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