Overlord - Season 4

Definitely better than the previous two seasons. There's nothing here that I didn't enjoy or that distracted me from the main storyline. No lizard courtship, scenes of everyday life in the village of Carne, or other filler. Sure, you could say that the opening plotline with the empire or the dwarves could be thought of as similar digressions, but to me, they were important, intriguing, and fun parts of the series, and they didn’t feel redundant. Oh, and the second half is literal carnage. It's interesting to watch Overlord’s actions and to realize, with a chill running down my spine, that I'm watching the other side of the story than is common in fantasy. Instead of wondering if Overlord will take over the world and how much more epic the journey is going to be, you start to wonder if anyone will be able to stop him, and you gradually come to the realization that someone probably should... Luckily, this series also introduces new and interesting antagonists who could play a big role. It hints towards a big faction being formed, so the future confrontations could be epic and insane. Everything is well thought out and put together, and all the world-building truly pays off. At the same time, everything keeps expanding in new directions. Many characters get closure, some unexpectedly quickly... What the story goes to show is that the biggest and most dangerous monster that set everything in motion is nothing but a human. Heightened and intense emotions (Renner) as well as stupidity (Philip) can sometimes do more harm than you’d expect. It's simply a breathtaking series. I'm looking forward to the continuation of the story (in the form of a movie this time), and I pray that Kugane Maruyama will find new strength and motivation to write, get over his burnout, and return to his original plan, which is that the Overlord novella will have at least 30 parts, and the anime a few more seasons. His talent is undeniable and it would be a waste for an office job... 9/10 (27.09.2022)