Overlord

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In general reading isn’t something I like all too much. But when you watch a show that is so good and enjoyable you want to read the source material. It really makes you want to know more. The main reason I don’t like reading is because I don’t really have the most patient attention span. I need to see stuff playing like shows, movies, or at the very least visual comics, or so I thought because when reading the actual source materials for these shows I was very engrossed into everything and everything is more in ... detail. The world building and characters in OVERLORD go in depth and are entertaining to the point you could sit there and read these characters doing nothing for an hour but talk and it would still be interesting seeing them interact with one another. A synopsis of this show would be the protagonist is spending their last day inside a D&D futuristic type game, but during the closing hours of the final moments of the game, the protagonist Ainz gets transported to a very real medieval fantasy type parallel world as his game character (an elder lich skeleton) and his game guild base and loyal NPC’s get transported along with him. When the NPC’s get transported with him, they gain their own consciousness but take after their fake backstory that was written in game. So the NPC`s are all loyal to the “supreme being” that is Ainz. The guild and Ainz were known for being an unstoppable force in game and no one would try to attack them. Now in this actual real fantasy medieval world, it shows what happens when an evil force threatens the world and how the characters react and deal with these unstoppable beings that appeared. Of course the protagonist isn’t evil or not even cut out to be an “OVERLORD” that his subordinates see him as, so he mostly goes along with whatever his subordinates think, and because his subordinates are all evil, this isn’t very good for the people of this new world. The world building in this show is absolutely amazing and detailed. While this novel is not primarily an action novel, when there are fights with the main characters and the world, It always is amazing. Overall this is definitely one of my favorite reads and is definitely a great piece of fiction.

Overlord: Um Agridoce talvez muito doce quando precisaria ser intenso.

(For English readers, I've included the translation at the end of the review.)

Introdução:

Overlord é uma light novel que me causou sentimentos mistos. Por um lado, a obra me proporcionou um refrescante contraste com os protagonistas perfeitos (perfeitos gênios, perfeitamente poderosos, perfeitamente confiantes) que proliferam no gênero, ao apresentar Ainz Ooal Gown, um personagem mais idiota e sortudo. Ao mesmo tempo, a repetição do humor e a falta de desenvolvimento de certos aspectos do mundo me deixaram com ressalvas.

Pontos Positivos:

* Protagonista Refrescante: Ainz Ooal Gown é um protagonista que nós entrega essa faceta a Percy Jackson. Em ... vez de ser um ser extremamente poderoso e inteligente, ele é mais propenso a cometer erros e depender da sorte. Essa característica o torna mais humano e relatável para o público.
* Humor Ácido: A obra possui um humor ácido e divertido que satiriza diversos elementos culturais e do gênero isekai. No entanto, como mencionado anteriormente, esse humor pode se tornar repetitivo e cansativo para alguns leitores ao longo da história.
* Construção de Mundo Rica: O mundo criado por Maruyama é rico em detalhes, com uma complexa estrutura social, política e religiosa. As ilustrações de So-bin complementam a experiência, dando vida aos personagens e cenários.
* Entusiasmo pelo Desfecho: A história te prende e te deixa ansioso para saber como tudo terminará. A trama é repleta de reviravoltas e cliffhangers que te fazem querer continuar lendo para descobrir o que acontecerá a seguir.

Pontos Negativos:

* Humor Repetitivo: Como já mencionado, o humor da obra pode se tornar repetitivo e cansativo para alguns leitores. Apesar de ser divertido no início, a constante utilização das mesmas piadas pode acabar diminuindo o impacto das mesmas.
* Desenvolvimento Inconstante do Mundo: Apesar da riqueza de detalhes, o mundo de Overlord tem suas ramificações constantemente podadas. Isso limita o desenvolvimento da história e impede que o leitor explore todo o potencial desse universo.
* Falta de Foco em Personagens Secundários: A história se concentra principalmente em Ainz Ooal Gown, e os personagens que compõem este mundo são pouco explorados. Isso limita o desenvolvimento da trama e impede que o leitor se identifique com outros personagens além do protagonista.

Sentimentos Mistos:

Embora eu goste muito de Overlord, reconheço seus defeitos. A obra te deixa com sentimentos mistos, pois ao mesmo tempo que te diverte e te prende com sua história, te deixa com a sensação de que poderia ser ainda melhor se explorasse todo o seu potencial.

Recomendação:

Se você procura um protagonista que te conecte, um humor ácido e um mundo rico em detalhes, Overlord é uma boa opção. No entanto, esteja preparado para o humor repetitivo, o desenvolvimento inconsistente do mundo e a falta de foco em personagens que poderiam enriquecer ainda mais esse mundo.


Elementos Adicionais:

* Comparação com Percy Jackson: No início da minha review, mencionei a similaridade entre Ainz Ooal Gown e Percy Jackson. Ambos os personagens se consideram "idiotas", mas para aqueles ao seu redor são quase tão deuses demais para este mundo.
* Lapsos de Seriedade: Apesar de ser uma obra predominantemente humorística, Overlord possui alguns momentos de seriedade que exploram o passado de Ainz Ooal Gown e seus sentimentos em relação ao mundo em que se encontra.
* Contradição na Crítica: Reconheço que a crítica pode parecer contraditória em alguns momentos. Ao mesmo tempo que elogio a riqueza do mundo de Overlord, também critico a falta de desenvolvimento de certos aspectos. Isso se deve ao fato de que a obra possui um grande potencial, mas ainda não o atingiu completamente.

Conclusão:

Overlord é uma light novel que vale a pena ser lida, mas que também possui seus defeitos. Se você está buscando uma leitura leve e divertida, com um protagonista diferente do usual, essa obra pode te agradar. No entanto, se você espera um desenvolvimento profundo do mundo e dos personagens, o título da minha crítica poderá encaixar com o sentimento "Um Agridoce talvez muito doce quando precisaria ser intenso".


###EN-REVIEW###

Overlord: A Bittersweet Delight That Could Be More Intense

Introduction:

Overlord is a light novel that evokes mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, it provides a refreshing contrast to the flawless protagonists (perfectly intelligent, perfectly powerful, perfectly confident) that permeate the genre by introducing Ainz Ooal Gown, a more idiotic and lucky character. On the other hand, the repetitive humor and lack of development in certain aspects of the world left me with reservations.

Positive Points:

* Refreshing Protagonist: Ainz Ooal Gown is a protagonist that reminds us of Percy Jackson. Instead of being an extremely powerful and intelligent being, he is more prone to making mistakes and relying on luck. This characteristic makes him more human and relatable to the audience.
* Acidic Humor: The work possesses a sharp and amusing humor that satirizes various cultural elements and the isekai genre. However, as mentioned earlier, this humor can become repetitive and tiresome for some readers throughout the story.
* Rich Worldbuilding: The world created by Maruyama is rich in detail, with a complex social, political, and religious structure. So-bin's illustrations complement the experience, bringing the characters and scenarios to life.
* Excitement for the Conclusion: The story keeps you hooked and eager to know how everything will end. The plot is full of twists and cliffhangers that make you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

Negative Points:

* Repetitive Humor: As mentioned before, the humor in the work can become repetitive and tedious for some readers. Although it is entertaining at first, the constant use of the same jokes can eventually diminish their impact.
* Inconsistent World Development: Despite its richness in detail, the world of Overlord has its branches constantly pruned. This limits the story's development and prevents the reader from exploring the full potential of this universe.
* Lack of Focus on Secondary Characters: The story focuses mainly on Ainz Ooal Gown, and the characters that inhabit this world are poorly explored. This limits the plot's development and prevents the reader from identifying with characters other than the protagonist.

Mixed Feelings:

Although I enjoy Overlord a lot, I acknowledge its flaws. The work leaves you with mixed feelings because, at the same time that it entertains and captivates you with its story, it leaves you with the feeling that it could be even better if it explored its full potential.

Recommendation:

If you are looking for a relatable protagonist, sharp humor, and a world rich in detail, Overlord is a good option. However, be prepared for the repetitive humor, the inconsistent world development, and the lack of focus on characters that could further enrich this world.

Additional Elements:

* Comparison with Percy Jackson: At the beginning of my review, I mentioned the similarity between Ainz Ooal Gown and Percy Jackson. Both characters consider themselves "idiots," but to those around them, they are almost too godlike for this world.
* Moments of Seriousness: Despite being a predominantly humorous work, Overlord has some moments of seriousness that explore Ainz Ooal Gown's past and his feelings about the world he finds himself in.
* Contradiction in the Review: I acknowledge that the review may seem contradictory at times. While I praise the richness of Overlord's world, I also criticize the lack of development in certain aspects. This is because the work has great potential, but it has not yet fully reached it.

Conclusion:

Overlord is a light novel worth reading, but it also has its flaws. If you are looking for a light and entertaining read with an unusual protagonist, this work may appeal to you. However, if you expect a profound development of the world and the characters, the title of my review may resonate with you: "A Bittersweet Delight That Could Be More Intense."

You can describe this light novel with one word: a power-trip.
The story is based on what I like to call the pyramid of power-trips. Its only goal is to create as many of them as possible.
Every character has a set place in this hierarchy and on top of it is our main character Ainz.
It goes something like this: a new character is introduced. This new character then goes on to have a power-trip destroying the good (or bad) guys until he is met with a similar fate.
Now repeat this over and over again with different characters and minor variations and you can see how it ... quickly becomes dull.

Just like in many works with an overpowered main character, the focus shifts away from the MC.
There is almost no character development and ironically the antagonists get most of it.

The MC goes against his traits and does irrational things just to have more power-trips (a.k.a. the Lizardmen arc).

The MC simply starts at the top and stays there.

The main character is described as acting only with his own interests in mind and that is a trait that can really make a character deep.
But does the author really need to fill prologues/epilogues with these words over and over again in order for the reader to get it?

I'd say the world building and the character design itself is good and if you are a fan of power-trips, this light novel is definitely for you.