Is it because of how OP MC is? Is it how ruthless he is like Fang Yuan in Reverend Insanity? Is it because the plot mainly focuses on the issues of the human side characters instead of the non-human MC? I am asking this because most MCs, especially in JP novels becomes "humanized" as the series progresses and Ainz doesn't have that... at least not that it is visible. What makes Overlord popular? What is your take?
At least for me it's more how through conspiracies and such we can see how the world react to MC's misunderstandings. And waifus, overlord is full of waifus.
Im blaming how everything went according to Demiurge and Albedo's plan but Ainz doesnt even know whats happening. Plus, its a MC playing a villain character. Theres too much heroes anyway so seeing a villain be the main character changes a ton of expectations. Another is, how well written it is.
For me it's the plot. There's so much going on and it all fits well together people literally made YouTube channels on theories about it Besides, the quality is outstanding. It's head and shoulders above the rest
Looking at popular JP WN series, it's basically always about the waifus, the pets, or husbands. The all-time top popularity ranking is full of stories with bad or no story, after all. Not to say they're all bad, just that enough are bad that a well-written plot with a seamless setting is not at all important compared to whether or not readers want figurines/pillow covers of the main characters.
A fairly strong side cast that actually gets to do things / have character development over time. In that way Overlord has a more similar feel to typical "real" novels as opposed to WN/LN which tend to overly focus on the MC. Ainz by himself isn't a huge draw, imo, but he doesn't have to be. You could say Ainz does a good job fulfilling his role in the plot, while in many WN/LN the plot is fulfilling its role for the MC.
If Overlord was just about Ainz and his followers using their ridiculous powers conquering the world, the story would probably be pretty boring. Characters who never face any real challenges just aren't compelling and there's only so much you can do with them. I think that the main reasons for the difference between Overlord and the also-rans is that it actually cares about the setting and the characters, and the writer was willing to put in the effort to make all of it interesting. That may seem obvious, but it's pretty rare in the world of isekai (and Japanese webnovels in general). The other standout element of Overlord is its story. Not the plot mind you but what the story is about; the plot in Overlord is largely irrelevant to its success. And what that is is the story of a father who is terrified that his kids are going to find out that he's uncool. Just look at all the tension in the main Overlord storyline - it's always in the disconnect between how Ainz sees the world versus how the other characters (usually the denziens of Nazarick) see it. Without this, Overlord would be a much poorer book.
For me its the world building and how the author is good at setting up side characters for the big events. The MC for me isnt really likeable.. The waifus is just plain and unconditionally likes the MC too.. no build up or anything.
It's a love story to an MMORPG that has ended. By the time a game is ready to sunset, you have cleared its content, maxed out your character, and are left with nothing to do. Ains is a guy pulled into the game he loved after it was completely done. In this world based on the game he cleared, he is at the very top of the food chain but... He has no desire to do the content he already cleared. So the NPCs who suddenly have become real have to interpret his every action and nonaction as hints on what should be done. All Ains really wants to know is if any of the other players came into the world with him because he misses his friends from the game. The side characters from that world are kind of like new players to the guy who has already finished the game. He just likes to help them find the same joy in the game that he did.
For me it is the way how detailed all the side Characters are portrayed and how they react to something(Nazarick) that completely topples their understanding of the current world order.
I think this is enormously important. It makes the world feel way more lived in than you'd see in most isekai stories. Overlord being more based on tabletop RPGs also makes a big difference in how it feels compared to books that are based on video games. For starters, the secondary characters in the former live and breathe even when they're not directly in the story, and it's something that doesn't happen much in most isekai novels.
1. I'm just really curious whether there are others from Ainz's guild, I want them to reunite. 2. I like to see astonished faces or faces of horror when they realize the kind of monster they had provoked. 3. I like the subordinate's loyalty, but the girls' fanatism are smetimes too much for me. (somehow I can bear the girls around Rimuru but I can't seem to like the girls around Ainz, maybe becasue I see them as admirers/followers/family rather than love interests)