Why isn’t Ousama Ranking – for all its engaging characters, immersive world, and outstanding animation – the anime I want to watch first every week? On paper, this show should be perfect – what’s my problem? This week I think I’ve figured it out. Let’s take a look!
I won’t keep you in suspense – I think the problem is too many good components. There just simply isn’t enough time per episode to fit these many stories into one show. Let’s count: Bojji getting stronger, Daida and Miranjo in mirror-space, Miranjo backstory, battle of humans vs deities, Kage emotional trauma, each of the Big 4, Hilling, Underworld brothers…that’s at least 10 and I can keep going. We haven’t even seen the large demon friend of Miranjo explained, who I’m sure is going to be important. I would say the story is still cohesive, but it’s just overflowing with content. And Ousama Ranking isn’t just everyone standing around talking – there’s usually at least one (if not more) protracted, highly visual fight scenes per episode. It’s an embarrassment of riches – and Ousama Ranking has too many good things that have ended up fighting each other for screentime.
The essence of these two episodes is Miranjo’s backstory. As an aside, I don’t agree with that controversy nonsense – look, if a fictional story happens to mirror a historical event, so what? Even if it was inspired by it, I think it’s entirely fair to use a modified real-world tragedy in the context of the plot. So every horrible event in human history is off-limits? That would be the end of storytelling- no thanks.
Getting back to the episodes, I think the humans vs deities is probably the most interesting of the competing storylines, and I suspect it’s going to bring us more clarity into the Ranking of Kings. From the one deity’s comments, the tournament is probably their new form of control. Humans vs Humans is a much better outcome – clever.
Also, this is now the second time that a child has been chained to a pole and brutally killed. Sheesh – for a show with character designs that would be at home in children’s books, Ousama Ranking is certainly not for younger audiences.
Folks, this is still a top tier show of the season. What I think holds Ousama Ranking back from being an all-time great is the very uncommon problem of having too many positives and being unable to focus on just a few. What do you think? Am I just being overly critical? Should I just enjoy the quality, since it’s becoming rarer and rarer? Let me know!
P.S. looks like someone’s about to come across the river Styx and have a nice chat with Miranjo….
I think the issue is that the story is seemingly painting Japan in a positive light and portraying the countries they invaded in a negative light.
Maybe…there’s always a bit of nationalism in anime, but I’m not even sure that’s the case here. I think it’s ambiguous enough to pass mustard.
Plus, you gotta know that this is all being told by Bosse, who throughout the flashbacks is clearly shown to not be a very good guy in spite of being the #1 ranked king and caring deeply for his son, what with selling his soul to the devil, all of his acts of violence and everything he did with Miranjo. This is clearly a very romanticized and biased view of history he’s telling to Daida, and we haven’t even seen everything be revealed yet as we get to Bojji vs Bosse in Daida’s body.
Coincidences =/= allusions, parallels or references.
Is he an unreliable narrator? It seems as though Daida was seeing his memories as Bosse remembers them, so I would think it was fairly accurate. Also, small point, but Bosse isn’t the #1 ranked king – I think he was #4 or something. #1 gets some gift from the gods that makes you go insane.
I don’t think that too many competing (and interesting) plots will be an issue when bingeing this show. I think ousama ranking needs to kill some current characters. That’s it. But even if it doesn’t its an excellent show.
That would solve the competing storylines nicely 🙂
Unfortunately I share the sentiments with the author. I even paused watching recent episodes. Every time this show seems to go somewhere, it skips to something else and jumps too far ahead. Or something. I don’t know exactly what it is but it does frustrate me. It’s like watching Naruto skipping everything but the boss fights?
Anyway for me it started when the prince went after Bojji – it was too soon imo. Then the show did not make a good case for his supposed killer. Then before the prince’s character was realized, he was taken over by Miranjo, who also came into the picture way too soon. Then bunch of random things happened and I started to not care and took a break.
So, I too believe the ‘lack of singular focus’ is the primary issue.
See I already forgot that Daida tried to off Bojji – that shows how much plot has been developed in the last few episodes. That Naruto comparison is spot on.
I bet the pacing and focus was better in the manga. If I am wrong please let me know.