Overlord II

Episode 2

Although Momonga is the central character of the series, he's never been all that compelling outside of his displays of bad-assery. When it comes to personality, many of the supporting cast members outshine him to the point that one first-season episode where he had only a minimal appearance (the one with Shalltear's path to getting mind-controlled) went just fine without him. This episode further reinforces the series' ability to be compelling without its protagonist, as one of the most delightful episodes to date despite the total absence of Momonga.

Instead, we get a sincerely tender exercise in cloying Lizard Man Love. Aside from a couple of short bits showing what Demiurge, Cocytus, and that penguin butler are up to, the whole episode is about the lizard man wanderer Zayusu and his efforts to help unite the lizard man tribes against the threat issued by the Ball O' Faces. The first episode showed potential in the relationship between Zayusu and his brother the chief in just a couple short minutes, and that situation comes into full bloom this week. The dynamic between them is convincing and even a little compelling, as are the details about the past war that the lizard men fought with other tribes over something akin to population control. These aren't the barbaric creatures that we often seen in fantasy RPGs but fully-realized folk as human as any other race, while still being distinctly not human. That's a hard balance to achieve, but so far this season is pulling it off beautifully.

At this point, it's expected that Zayusu would go on a diplomatic mission to the other tribes to try and unite them, as is the cliffhanger at the end involving him having to fight the leader of the most battle-driven tribe. More unexpected was the love-at-first-sight scenario at the first tribe he visited. Crusch Lulu is an albino priestess and reluctant revolutionary leader, and she's so shockingly adorable that it isn't hard to understand how Zayusu could be so instantly taken with her that he immediately proposes marriage. The scene that followed was so cute that it practically left me giddy. We saw last episode how the tails of lizard men can betray their emotional states – I never thought I'd say that a lizard man could be adorable. The ensuing byplay between them, as Zayusu simultaneously tries to woo Crusch Lulu and make his case for uniting the tribes, is impeccably well-executed, as are the revelations about how the Red Eye tribe survived the last war without participating.

It's actually disconcerting how engrossing the lizard man arc is turning out so far, as I can't help but feel that I may feel let down when the story finally gets back to the Nazarick denizens. It's still unclear whether the threat they face is from Nazarick or some other source, as well as who Cocytus is preparing to fight. I'd like to see these lizard guys working with Nazarick, so I hope these sides converge in a positive way. There are also many other nice little touches, such as the super-creepy hair of the robot-like maid, Lulu's darling traveling outfit, and even the hydra-like snake beast that Zayusu rides. The musical score is a nice complement as well.

This kind of fare may not be what fans unfamiliar with the novels expected from the second season, but it's great fun nonetheless.

Rating: A-

Overlord II is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.