I’ve been harder on Ousama Ranking than any other reviewer I’ve seen. I’ve criticized, nitpicked, complained. But it’s not out of spite – it’s out of love, because I can see the immense potential here. So let me be the first to say – “Intertwining Plots” was absolutely fantastic. It earned the highest compliment that I can give a seasonal episode: I watched it twice in a row. This episode was everything I want out of this show – and more. Let’s take a look!
When I really think about it, this whole episode pretty well addresses all of my previous complaints (except the character designs, which I’m getting over). Shadow’s reunion scene – which we all knew was coming! – was still just incredibly adorable. (Actually, that’s my only complaint this episode, and it’s a translation annoyance – the subs I saw had Shadow saying “we’re both big boys”, but I think the better translation there is “we’re both men.”) I adored Shadow’s recounting of his adventure in Bojji’s bag – where the arms popped out to scare the thief off had me dying. If that was the level of storytelling that we got out of this episode, I would have been satisfied. But no – Ousama Ranking is just getting started.
This is the story of two basements: one in the underworld, the other in the palace. Let’s start with the palace, because this has to be one of my favorite settings of any anime I’ve seen. Giant doors, a monster freezer, and a complicated set of mirrors to heat up potions? You had me at the doors. There is a whole lot of plot happening here (and we have the spear guy showing up, which is interesting), but the thing that stands out the most to me turning all expected troupes on their heads. Did I expect the Bosse’s body to get turned into a potion? Absolutely not (I expected the demon thing to show up or something). Then I figured Daida having some hesitation, but then drinking the potion (that we just saw made in a very, very complicated fashion)? Nope. Okay, he chickens out, surely the weird guards will force him? Yeah right, apparently that crown isn’t just for show! Daida might be sneaky, jealous, and a little murderous, but he does have his personal principles. I respect that.
Bojji’s descent went about as expected…until it’s revealed that cursed gas doesn’t do anything to him because he’s already cursed! And poor Shadow, they basically said, yeah, he’s just cosmically unlucky. Definitely a bruh moment. All of this is setting up exactly how I was hoping – training arc in the underworld. While we didn’t get it this episode, I greatly prefer this pacing to the previous episode’s breakneck speed.
Domas’ backstory turned out better than expected. Given the twists this episode, I’m actually starting to wonder if Daida ordered Bojji’s assassination after all – he probably did, but we don’t explicitly know that yet. Plus, Ousama Ranking has pulled a few switches on us, so who knows. Domas….well he’s an idiot alright, but he has a slight conscience. I’m a little concerned that this show is bordering on a disability fetish (I think we’ve have a character with some form of disability just about every episode – Bojji, three head snake, whatever is happening with the hunter king, now Domas), but it fits the story, so we’re okay for now.
Where does this leave us? My hope for this series has risen dramatically. But I must remember – one good episode does not make a great show. Sonny Boy had some excellent single episodes, and I consider that show a complete misfire. But Ousama Ranking has shown us what it’s capable of – excellent writing, brilliant animation, and loveable characters. If we get even half the quality of this episode the remainder of the season, it’s my AOTY for sure.
While I personally feel the previous episodes were all great, this one was the best one yet as it tapped into the darkness that lies hidden beneath the bright, colorful exterior of this world.
And I say ‘yet’ knowing full well that it has immense potential to get even better simply because this show embodies a snowball down the hill. Everything builds onto itself. Characters and their motivations are constantly flipped on their heads, each one of them painted in hazy, murky grey. The world expands, darkness closes in.
It’s just a joy to watch this every week! ^~^
Dude, Amun…did you really use the word fetish to describe a show just wanting to include disabled characters in it?
I said “bordering” ^_^ – it’s just started to seem like this show’s thing. Plus this episode was so good, how else am I going to get people to come after me with pitchforks? 😀
I don’t know. Having more than one disabled character in a show doesn’t really fit the criteria of a fetish. I think a better way to put it would be that you felt the show was starting to overuse them a bit. I don’t mean to sound like a negative nancy or anything, I’m just saying that people can take what you say the wrong way and use that to claim you’re being intentionally ableist towards the disabled. Plus, there are plenty of media out there that do, in fact, intentionally fetishize people with disabilities or strip them down to nothing but their disabilities for the sake of manufactured inspiration porn (Ex: Making them do little more than be a prop to build up an able-bodied person or be used so others can feel good about themselves).
This page can give you a more detailed explanation for the kind of non-flattering portrayals of the disabled that goes more into what I’m talking about: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InspirationallyDisadvantaged
That’s a great link. Do you think Ousama Ranking could be trending towards the latter two with Bojji?
Of course this is a sensitive issue, no question. I very much like your phrase “inspiration porn” – I’m concerned that Ousama Ranking is walking a fine line on the topic by introducing more disabled characters than are necessary for the sake of such inspirational narratives (i.e. hurt snake becomes palace retainer’s most powerful familiar).
“Do you think Ousama Ranking could be trending towards the latter two with Bojji?”
Not sure. It ultimately depends on the execution. That’s not to say anyone with a disability can’t aim for greatness or achieve their goals, but whether they do so or not, it should be more about the work they put in and how they get there, or because of their skills, rather than it being just because of their disability. “Oh look! This person with a missing leg is so inspirational for playing basketball in the playground! Isn’t she so brave for doing that without a leg?” See how condescending and patronizing that sentence I wrote comes across?
I believe a lot of such representation comes down to the viewer’s perspectives more than anything.
If you ask me, Amun, then this show does not overuse characters with disabilities of one kind or the other. It has one character with a speech impediment, that is the protagonist Bojji. None of the others you mentioned are ones I would consider disabled.
The snake isn’t disabled but rather wounded and has a head severed. That’s the fantastical equivalent of a lizard having its tail cut-off. I wouldn’t call that a disability, per se.
You mention the king Bojji meets as well. Possibly on account of him being a bit peculiar in his demeanor, dancing along with Bojji out of the blue. But that is being idiosyncratic, not mentally inept. If you believe that this is a disability then by your metric Shirakawa from Odd Taxi was disabled too, doing the capoeira dance in the middle of the park out of the blue like that.
Lastly, Domas cutting off his wrist. It’s meant to be a show of his disgust with himself. A tragic, Shakespearean parallel of the realization for what he’s done. A desperate attempt at forgiveness to whoever can forgive him (possibly God, if this world has one, for he surely cannot forgive himself) for breaking the trust of the one person he was meant to nurture. It’s more of a symbolic motif than just another disability.
So, you see what we mean? Like Firechick says, if you put all these under the same umbrella of “disability fetish”, it just gives the impression that you’re being a bit ableist, even though it might not be your intention at all.