OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom

Ainz Ooal Gown, a player trapped inside the body of a skeletal sorcerer in a game world, now rules a kingdom of his own. In this film the neighbouring Sacred Kingdom is attacked by demons and asks for help. Ainz goes; but the help has a calculation behind it, and who planned the attack is a separate matter. Naoyuki Ito directs. It was made at Madhouse. The source is Kugane Maruyama's light novel series, and the film adapts the Sacred Kingdom section, positioned as a continuation of the fourth television season. What distinguishes the series is that its hero is evil. Every move Ainz makes that looks merciful in fact enlarges his power, and the narrative does not hide it; whose side the audience is on is left deliberately unsettled. The battle scale here is larger than the series and civilian losses are shown plainly; it is the first time the series has depicted destruction this directly. A new character, Neia Baraja, takes the emotional centre and becomes the only point of view that sees Ainz from outside. Who it is for: viewers following Overlord and anyone who likes dark fantasy anime. Who it is not for: the characters and rules go unexplained for a newcomer, it runs long, and there is more talking than fighting.