Overlord Movie 3: Sei Oukoku-hen

Overlord the sacred kingdom is the adaptation of volume 13 and 14 , a fan favorite. I was worried about this adaptation because of the words of the director that the action was the focus. I am glad I was wrong. Overlord appeal is and will always be World building and character developement with philosophical themes. The way a moral dilemna is introduced by the author via a character is fascinating. Here the central theme is justice and it is viewed through the two main characters Neia and Custodios. There are other topics explored such as kindness via Calca which is also interesting. Madhouse is ... aware of the masterpiece of writing called Overlord and thankfully they concentrated their effort on animating the dialogue rather than pointless fight scènes. In the Books, there is only a fight in the arc. Sometimes, there is zero action in the volumes. For example, Season 5 will have one fight maximum in the entire season. So, people who watch overlord for action better drop it now because the next Seasons will be more complex and political than Season 4. If it was up to me, I would have cut all the fight scenes and dedicate the time to further develop Calca' s ideology but I understand Madhouse wanted to strike a balance. Still, I am happy that Madhouse knows what is really important in Overlord. Like I Saïd, the adaptation is not perfect and with the limited runtime the dialogue should have been the only things adapted however It is reassuring that the studio knows what to prioritirize: the conversations.
Great job.

To be great, anime movies based on existing series must avoid just being a boring season recap and they must deliver goods beyond what a show can. Sometimes that can be moving the plot forward in a major way or maybe an epic spectacle that budget or canon in the series doesn't allow for.

Overlord The Sacred Kingdom charts a third way; it's not a recap, but we've already seen Demiurge and Ainz's evil demon/heroic savior act before and done better in the show. Ainz goes as himself instead of disguised as Momon, yet we never really see the sorcerer king go all out. Oh, ... don't misunderstand. He does, especially the climactic battle. We just don't get to see much of it. We see flashes, we see DBZ-style lines clashing midair. At one point someone excitedly recounts how Ainz one-shotted a strong enemy. All I could do was laugh.

In fact, the denizens of Nazarick are surprisingly absent from their own movie. Ainz is relegated to a supporting role while almost everyone else is a cameo at most. I suppose the first warning sign should've been the poster where Ainz is hiding off in a corner like some dude at a party hoping no one will notice he farted.

I actually wouldn't mind this too much if the story and new characters were interesting, but the story often feels stretched out and much of it unnecessary. Most of the characters are forgettable or outright obnoxious. The only exception is Neia, a young female squire assigned as Ainz's attendant. Their budding friendship is the highlight of the flick, made all the better with our knowledge that every sinister happening involving Neia's kingdom is Ainz's doing. I appreciate that Overlord can be wicked like that. Neia also befriends one of the demon maids and they play off each other quite well. As much as I enjoyed Neia she did kind of reinforce how much better the movie is when, you know, the regulars from the actual show are involved.

By all rights I should rate this as Not Recommended, there's no reason this forgettable TV arc needed to be a movie. However, it's not offensively bad and if you've invested four seasons into Overlord you might as well check this out, too. The movie promises more shenanigans will happen in the Sacred Kingdom so you might as well get familiar with it. You've come this far, so my final score is Eh, Why Not/10.

I just wouldn't recommend you pay theater ticket prices for Overlord The Sacred Kingdom; wait until it's streaming on Crunchyroll.

Overlord Sei Oukoku-hen is, without a doubt, the worst anime film I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching. The dialogue feels like it was written by a five-year-old, with laughably childish lines such as, “Oh, now I’ll use this spell to hit those soldiers in the back.” It’s hard to believe anyone approved this script. The characters, who had potential in the original series, are reduced to one-dimensional, infantile versions of themselves, devoid of depth or development. Every interaction feels forced, robotic, and awkward, leaving the audience cringing instead of engaged.

The entire movie reeks of a cheap cash grab, with its main focus seemingly being ... to push merchandise rather than tell a compelling story. There’s an over-reliance on a single repetitive joke that quickly grows stale, and it feels like you’re watching a series of low-quality TikTok ads with horrendous acting. It’s nonsensical and utterly detached from the tone and quality fans have come to expect from the franchise.

The action scenes—if you can even call them that—are a complete joke. There are only two fights in the entire film, and neither has any real animation effort behind it. Instead of thrilling battles, we get poorly rendered explosions in the sky or on the ground, with no sense of impact or choreography. It’s lazy, uninspired, and a massive letdown for anyone expecting the epic combat the Overlord series is known for.

This movie is an insult to fans, a middle finger to everyone who supported the franchise. It’s painfully obvious the creators didn’t care about how this film would be received and were only interested in milking the brand for profit. It’s an absolute waste of time and an embarrassment to the Overlord name. Don’t bother watching it—your time and money are worth far more than this disaster.