After a month off from writing about Ousama Ranking, I’m here to wrap up my Spring show. How did our small king end up? Will this kickstart a franchise or be just a pleasant show in a crappy season? Before we look at the series as a whole, let’s examine these final four episodes – two of which were fantastic…and two of which were not.
Normally, I’d say here “let’s start with the good.” Episodes 20 and 21 were not just good – they were great-Plus-Ultra-fantastic. The backstory and the River Styx were spot on; Mama Bojji’s death glare sent shivers up my spine. Then came the first fight of our doubleheader – Bosse vs. Ouken. That was as well animated a fight as I had ever seen – Ousama Ranking is just in a class of its own visually this year. And that’s not even the finale.
Episode 21 – “Swordsmanship of a King”. It was as though Episode 20 – legitimately impressive – was just a warmup for one of the most visually satisfying episodes I have seen – not this year, but in all anime. Switching lenses is a trivial feat when shooting reality; in animation, it’s just flexing for the camera (haha, literally). Every shot from “Swordsmanship of a King” is a wallpaper. This was unexpected Attack on Titan level (I guess fighting a giant does make you think of that), with JJK’s spinning camera work. Sublime. I think the visuals of this show are like Bosse’s strength – if that was the only measurement, first place in all time rankings for sure.
Alas. There’s more than just looking good. Episodes 22 and 23 – which I’m really considering an epilogue to the series – were just not up to par. Bosse and Miranjo’s journey was cute (and serves as prelude to Bojji and Kage’s journey), but there is only so far I can suspend my disbelief when it comes to Daida x Miranjo. And that everyone conveniently forgot Daida tried to off Bojji (although I do like when Bojji’s dodge instincts turned on when they tried to throw him). Plus, we have a side story with Desha, which seems like a backdoor pilot to more Ousama Ranking? One can hope! However, these episodes were a letdown, no two ways about it – understandable, given the heights the previous pair reached, but still a bit disappointing way to end the series. Riding on the accumulation of character development (Bosse and Miranjo especially) is fine, but everyone else (including Hilling) just seems to kind of go through the motions to make sure this is a happy ending.
So there we have it – this shining series in a forgettable season finally draws to a close. I must admit, towards the back half, I lost much of my enthusiasm (as evidenced by the frequency of my posts). I’ll cover it more in the final review, but Ousama Ranking’s final four mirrored my experience of the season – mostly great, with a bit of meh. And you know what, just being half great is enough for AoTS here, so I’m grateful. If (more like when, given the current popularity on streaming platforms) another season is announced, I’ll be watching for sure – just maybe not as the first show of every week.
I thought you would have more to say about the “redemption” of miranjo. Loads of people hate it. It was similar to Steven Universe where the villains, despite all the horrible things they did, where forgiven just because of they were sad and “misunderstood” It left a bitter taste in my mouth so I understand why fans if ranking kings were so upset.
I understand how the “redemption” is necessary for the overall narrative, so while I don’t really love it, I’m willing to give it a pass.
What is NOT necessary is for Daida to wife up Miranjo – that just being silly. I can stomach forgiveness, but then making her queen plus full pardon? Come on now.