Ousama Ranking

[MFauli]

The web manga centers around Bojji, a deaf, powerless prince who cannot even wield a children's sword. As the firstborn son, he strives hard and dreams of becoming the world's greatest king. However, people mutter about him behind his back as "a good-for-nothing prince" and "no way he can be king."

Bojji is able to make his first ever friend, "Kage" (shadow)—a literal shadow on the ground who somehow understands Bojji well. (Kage is a survivor of the Kage assassin clan that was all but wiped out. No longer a killer, Kage now makes ends meet by stealing.) The story follows Bojji's coming-of-age as he meets various people in his life, starting with his fateful encounter with Kage.

-----

Episode 1:

Now THAT is anime of the season material! Wow. Banger first episode.

The music and artstyle is so nice. It feels like an anime from 30 years ago with the fluid animations of 2021.

Boji is such a lovely little guy. Made me tear-up when it was said that he's deaf and can't talk (i hadn't read the synopsis). And everyone's varying degrees of mean to him :( And he puts up a brave smile and walks confident ... until shedding some tears when he was alone in his room :( :(

Kage somehow being the only one who's voice Boji can hear explains why Boji is so ecstatic about that otherwise ceepy shadow.

And wow, the two fights were amazing. Not really sure why the synopsis says Boji can't fight when clearly he's a genius of sorts.

Anyway, will continue watching tomorrow. Fantastic start.

[MFauli]

Episode 2:

Omg, my tears started flowing when Boji realized that Kage was in the same room and he wiped away his tears and instantly smiled. :(

I'm not sure I can take these emotions, damn....

[MFauli]

Episode 3:

Caught up already 🙈

Another awesome episode. That fight between Bebin and the spear guy was short, but fucking intense. Felt like I was watching Jiraiya fight Pain in terms of gravitas.

The characters in this anime are oozing depth. At first it's easy to dismiss them as stereotypes, but every single one of them has an unusual amount of realism to them.

Didn't expect Kage to disappear for that long, hopefully Boji and him can reunite soon.

[neflight86]

A good watch so far. The simplistic art isn't my style, but it serves to have more fluid action animation, so it's a wash. Just when the stories amount to being cry bait, there is always a sliver of goodness to give some more depth to the situation. It's good stuff, and the intrigue has me hooked.

[MFauli]

Episode 4:

So only nefligh and me are watching this? Guys, don't make this another Fumatsu no Anata e-thread ;(

Anyway. What a great episode! It was less tear-inducing, but so, SO chock full of bonafide interesting adventure. It actually felt a bit like watching a Legend of Zelda-anime. The giant monsters, the weird old man (probably a king, too?) and the soul-distributing cloud thing. And then the pit of hell. Everything is so intriguing! I haven't seen such an interesting fantasy world since watching Princess Mononoke.

And wow, Doumas betrayal. I wonder what's going on here. He could have just let Boji eat the poisoned meat had he wanted him dead. I assume the mirror ordered Doumas to do it. The only way I see Boji surviving a literal hole to hell is if that creepy red devil intervenes. We'll see.

[shinta|hikari]

Art looks like shit.

[MFauli]

Art looks like shit.

Wow. I hope you're just trolling. If that's your reqson for not watching ...

[KrayZ33]

Art looks like shit.

It most certainly doesn't. But I really don't want to watch a character that looks like a fancy shin-chan do stuff either.
Not sure why they go with such a shitty stylized "main character" when the rest of the show looks as good as it does. Doesn't do or add anything and I'm confident enough to say that without adding the "to me"-part in that statement.

[MFauli]

It most certainly doesn't. But I really don't want to watch a character that looks like a fancy shin-chan do stuff either.
Not sure why they go with such a shitty stylized "main character" when the rest of the show looks as good as it does. Doesn't do or add anything and I'm confident enough to say that without adding the "to me"-part in that statement.

I only watch the anime, so this is just my speculation, no spoiler:

I assume Boji looks the way, because he's Bosse's son - who's a literal giant. Actually, wasn't the first wife of Bosse's a giant, too? So Boji looking weird is not just style.

[KrayZ33]

Just because one guy has a really absurd pointy nose and so does his child doesn't mean it's "not just style".

Or rather, it doesn't make a difference. The nose is still absurd and pointy and looks like s*** - as Shinta put it.

It's like saying "this heavy-plate-costume has a heart shaped boob window because the author wanted to portray the vulnerability of this character and that under her hardened shell, there is a soft spot."
In the end, it's still a plate armor with a blatant weakness that just doesn't work the way it's supposed to.

I'm not saying it actually looks like s***.
Because the characters look fun and the animation is quite beautiful actually, but I can't get into this show due to the main character looking even more out of place than what I can handle.
Or should I say, I don't feel like I want to get into it because I'm constantly reminded about how I'd prefer a different style.

[MFauli]

Man, I guess you guys will never watch my favorite anime of all time then (Fantastic Children) :(

[neflight86]

I'll vouch for this being worth watching in spite of the art. The world building is tantalizing, the characters seem much more than meets the eye, and the animation is fluid.

Embrace the picture book aesthetic, and you have a really good shounen picture book.

I presume the wild guy is a king by the tell tale crown.

I suspect that snake guy was actually saving boji from the meat that I suspect dhomas poisoned, as evidenced by his mission reveal. I also think that Kage's "mission" is to help boji from the shadows (the bag showing up), and snake guy is the last person to talk to him on screen...

Getting HxH vibes from this, actually, with how the world building is handled. Warrior Kings with Rankings, assorted organizations keeping the world in balance, and the world feeling vast and ripe for exploring various stories- it feels familiar in a good way.

[shinta|hikari]

I finished Fantastic Children. It was good.

This shin-chan hero is not like that.

[MFauli]

He looks nothing like Shin-chan. You're seriously missing out, Shinta.



I suspect that snake guy was actually saving boji from the meat that I suspect dhomas poisoned, as evidenced by his mission reveal. I also think that Kage's "mission" is to help boji from the shadows (the bag showing up), and snake guy is the last person to talk to him on screen...

... you haven't read the manga, have you? That's a great guess, totally makes sense and I like it. Then I wonder whether Bebin let himself get 'killed' by Apeas to be able to work from the shadows. Or he chose to die because he hated Daida, but didn't dare go against him, leaving Kage with his final wish to protect Boji.

Now I'm just a bit scared for the young fellow that's with Doumas.

Also the queen still has a death flag hanging above her head, or why else would she say 'i have a feeling i'll never again see Boji and Daida'?


Getting HxH vibes from this, actually, with how the world building is handled. Warrior Kings with Rankings, assorted organizations keeping the world in balance, and the world feeling vast and ripe for exploring various stories- it feels familiar in a good way.

Yeah. As I said, the world feels extremely 'rich' in terms of lore and secrets and stuff that's going on. I wonder if there's gonna be a timeskip at some point and we'll see a teenage/young adult Boji. The anime gets 23 episodes, enough time for that.

[DarthEnderX]

Art looks like shit.The character designs look like shit. The animation is fantastic.


And wow, Doumas betrayal. I wonder what's going on here.Pretty sure he was just ordered to. Like he said in the inn, it's not his job to question his orders.


He could have just let Boji eat the poisoned meat had he wanted him dead.He's the one that poisoned the meat. Someone ELSE(I'm guessing Kage, using snake guy's knives) knocked it away.

[shinta|hikari]

He's the one that poisoned the meat. Someone ELSE(I'm guessing Kage, using snake guy's knives) knocked it away.

I didn't think of that, but after reading your comment, I agree. Good insight.

This is an okay story, but a bit meandering. The current king should just die. Reminds me of Joffrey Baratheon.

[DarthEnderX]

I didn't think of that, but after reading your comment, I agree. Good insight.I think neflight said it first. But thanks! :p


Reminds me of Joffrey Baratheon.1000%.

[neflight86]

Yeah; where have a seen a little blonde king that no one likes except for his mother before...?

[MFauli]

Episode 5:

It's incredible how much plot happens in one episode. I almost wish there'd be a bit of slower paced downtime to appreciate the individual scenes more. But that's complaining on a high level.

This show is sooo imaginative, i love it. It feels like a modern day Brothers Grimm-fairy tale with Legend of Zelda-epicness thrown into the mix.

Kage and Boji reuniting was touching. I love the 2nd crying after both tried their hardest not to cry, haha. Interesting also that both are cursed. I wonder who cursed Boji especially. The mirror seems to have been some slender woman in the past?

And WTF went on with Daida? Wow. Throwing Bosse's corpse into a blender. Having a Phoenix hatch, only to decapitate it and turn it into a drink :D hell of an event. However, I'm worried that Apeas is next to die :( I figure mirror will somehow manage to get that fluid into Daida's mouth, who than becomes strong and kills the nearing Apeas to show off his new power level. I hope it won't happen, but ... :i

[neflight86]

The scene of the king being ground to paste and mixed with the demon bird's blood was entirely gratuitous, but intriguing, and entirely without exposition. Nice that Daida's pride keeps at least some of his impulses in check.

The underworld king mentioned that Kage also was cursed somehow, and we now know that Bosse and wife were actually considered giants.

Also apparently King Bosse likewise consulted with that dubious mirror...

[DarthEnderX]

The underworld king mentioned that Kage also was cursed somehow, and we now know that Bosse and wife were actually considered giants.Somehow? He said Bojje's power was stolen from him. He was probably also meant to be a giant, but they took his size and strength. And possibly also his hearing.

[shinta|hikari]

He said "Kage also was cursed somehow".

The somehow doesn't apply to Boj.

[MFauli]

I wonder if they'd return hearing/talking to Boji, if it's indeed curse-based. Would kinda ruin the show for deaf people watching it ('see, it's a happy end because he's no longer deaf!!1'), so i hope he won't. But I don't think they will. Maybe Boji learns about it, but when given the choice, he gives up on it in favor of helping someone else - that'd be fitting of his nature.


As for 'we found out Bosse was an actual giant' - duh ... :p

[David75]

I would also be dissapointed if Boji regained hearing and speech with some kind of magic plot. That would be the end of his character's roots.
I wonder about Kage's curse. Maybe something to do with how everyone he cares for he gets to lose ?

[DarthEnderX]

As for 'we found out Bosse was an actual giant' - duh ... :pWell, sometimes in anime, characters are just big for no reason.

[MFauli]

Episode 6:

I forgot: Who ordered the killing of Boji? Was it the mirror or Daida?

Anyway, another great episode. This really feels like such a nice conglomeration of Zelda, Ghibli and shounen. I've love to play a video game based on this franchise.

[DarthEnderX]

I forgot: Who ordered the killing of Boji? Was it the mirror or Daida?It was implied to be Daida, but the show didn't actually show him giving the order. Daida was all "You voted against my brother? You can't be trusted. I have something you must do for me in order for me to accept you again." but then it cuts away, and Doumas tries to kill Bojji, so you're to assume that's what Daida ordered. But it might be a misdirect.

[MFauli]

That's what I meant. Because Daida appears to be another "deeper than thought" character (all of them are, kinda, lol) and him ordering to kill his brother doesn't quite fit what we saw in these past episodes.

[MFauli]

episode 7:

this is so fun. Real nice, classic fantasy training arc. And I can't wait to see the results of Boji's training. I figured he'd be using some lightweight-swing weapon, but I have no idea what he could have used to split a giant rock. Woohoo.

And damn, Daida seems to be gone, now taken over by the spirit of Bosse's. That makes me really sad.

[DarthEnderX]

Lots of quality animation gags in this ep.

[neflight86]

Now I don't know if that food in EP4 that Boji's thumbed up to Dhomas was really worth the five yelp stars!

My guess is the 'weapon' is something that somehow stores energy, perhaps via dodging, and unleashes it later as a single hit.

Cute that Kage is cool with doing chores while Boji trains. I also like that the trainer is pretty, but not stereotypically effeminate. That's a nice subversion of expectation.

[David75]

New ep


So Boji lost almost everything to his father because of that pact.
It's strange he was not stillborn.

I'm probably wrong but for some reason I feel like Boji got that rock spliting move the moment Bosse stole Daida's body.
I'm getting that idea from Bosse's power boost right when Boji was born.
But I wonder why that demon would let some power leak. Probably some hidden rules, eventually we'll get some explanation later.

I guess the true end is Boji ruling after he breaks Bosse's pact and saves Daida.

[shinta|hikari]

Why the heck should Daida be saved? He tried to assassinate Bojji, while Bosse created a kingdom for Bojji.

[MFauli]

So Bosse is gonna have sex with his wife in the body of their son, huh? ;>

Aaanyway, I'm pretty sure that Daida never ordered Boji to be assassinated. That must have been Kagami/mirror, it totally suits her character.

I'm just glad that Daida still exists in some way, so there's hope he'll return.

Making us wait another week to find out about Boji's new skills is torture, though >_< Assuming it's not complete bs outta nowhere, I assume his skills are related to his swiftness and speed, something that he can build up momentum with. like a chain and ball-weapon. Or he got a magic glove that lets him store power until he chooses to release all the stored power at once, considering he's skilled enough to hit his opponents, just too weak to make an impact with a single hit. A magic glove could store the hit power from every little punch and accumulate it to some enormous power. I'm trying to remember what anime/videogame hat something similar, because this is not my original idea, lol. Didn't Knuckle from HXH have something like that, where every little hit would remove some of his opponents nen and when all nen is gone, the opponent collapses?

Bosse is kinda of the most evil guy atm though, isn't he. Stealing his son's powers. Now stealing Daida's body, even though he told the devil "I didn't plan on living long anyway". And he wants to kill Hiling, too. The only character I'm curious about now is Kagami, because so far she has been one-dimensional evil, but this show has proven that no character is what he/she appears to be at first glance. Hm.

[shinta|hikari]

Mirror woman is the one who wants to kill Healing. There's probably a good reason for it too, like Healing's family doing something to her and her own.

It was confirmed that Daida was the one who ordered Bojji's assassination. Jaime said so this episode. Even if it was the mirror telling him to do it, it's pretty evil to just do it anyway, especially because he refused to drink the potion, something the mirror also told him to do.

[DarthEnderX]

Easiest childbirth EVER.


So Bosse is gonna have sex with his wife in the body of their son, huh? ;>
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/familyguy/images/c/c7/WhoelseGuy.png
"Who else but Mfauli?"

[MFauli]

Easiest childbirth EVER.

LOL, that was my exact thought during that scene, too :D



https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/familyguy/images/c/c7/WhoelseGuy.png
"Who else but Mfauli?"

Everyone. Come on.

[neflight86]

After seeing the state of his child, Bosse decided to make a kingdom so he'd live without want. Whether that was in service of his paternal affection, pity, or as a means to prepare his next vessel (and how much control of Bosse is ceded to the demon at the time) is up for debate.

For the Mirror to call Boji the most powerful in the world is suspect at best. The mechanism at play is obscured. Since it cannot be physical strength, I presume it means the general 'formidability' that anime often uses "strength" as a surrogate for, but the jump is too quick for me to buy it. That scene was necessary to inform the characters that Boji is still alive, but there's no tension in this reveal yet without Boji having a clear next step or goal. I'm surprised that wasn't touched on in this episode, instead focusing on the Bosse kingdom storylines.

Glad Bebin is still with us.

Daida's posessor calls himself Bosse, but I don't know enough about the character of Bosse to determine if what we have now is a full copy of his personality/soul, a compromised revenant, or some demon-infused variant, but it seems at least somewhat evil and territorial (ordered Domas to destroy the demon keep under the castle).

I'll welcome Hokuro into the big four. The more training arcs, the better!


So Bosse is gonna have sex with his wife in the body of their son, huh? ;>

Doubtful. He's planning to have her killed, after all.

[shinta|hikari]

Episode 9:




Bosse looks pretty whole to me, with complete memories and everything.

Healing is great. She seems to be the typical queen villain but also shows unexpected courage, tenacity, and love.

Looks like Bosse expects Bojji to come back and beat him in order for Mirror's plans to finally come to a halt. I believe his ties with Mirror were already there even before he made that pact with the red devil, so he can't simply stop at this point, yet at the same time he has affection for his wife and children holding him back from simply rushing toward his goal.

[MFauli]

I have no idea what's Bosse's plan. He makes a calm, mindful impression, yet he also sends killer monsters to his wife and takes over his son's body. Either he is unexpectedly cowards and simply cannot decide who to side with, or Mirror is more powerful than we've seen and Bosse simply can't openly go against her. Or there's a connetion to the devil thing.

[neflight86]

While the story is still plenty interesting, the last three episodes or so have plateau'd into a strange rut where it doesn't feel like the stories I'm waiting for have any advancement. Yes, Bosse's predicament and mannerisms leave some questions, but he's just sitting around right now and ... waiting? The flashbacks are still tender and the most engaging thing to me right now because I'm endeared to the side characters, but I am left unsatisfied on the whole with these last few episodes. More happened at a much greater clip in the first four episodes that kept me glued to my seat. This is a weekly viewing problem, to be sure, but I thought I'd note it anyway... for posterity.

[shinta|hikari]

We are at the build up stage of the show, leading to a climax of sorts when Bojji returns.

[DarthEnderX]

I have no idea what's Bosse's plan. He makes a calm, mindful impression, yet he also sends killer monsters to his wife and takes over his son's body. Either he is unexpectedly cowards and simply cannot decide who to side with, or Mirror is more powerful than we've seen and Bosse simply can't openly go against her. Or there's a connetion to the devil thing.It's pretty confusing, but the impression I'm getting is that he made a bunch of bargains in his youth during his rise to power that he is still forced to uphold, even though he doesn't want to.

So he's doing what's required of him, while secretly trying to get others to undermine him.

[shinta|hikari]

That, or getting power is just a means to his true goal, which is to create a better/new world with Mirror.

[DarthEnderX]

I dunno. Last week he was all "So I have to keep that old promise?" to mirror. Which suggests to me he was hoping he wouldn't have to.

[shinta|hikari]

He doesn't want to because he grew affection for his family. That is not inconsistent with having an original goal he is working towards.

[MFauli]

episode 10:

Ok, the thing he learned is KINDA bs, but I'll allow it because in the purest of theory it makes sense for Boji to fight light this and I like him.

The thing that's actually less believable is that his swiftness was learned and not his inherent ability. Kinda begs the question what exactly the curse prevents him from ... just pure strength?

Anyway, can't wait for his triumphant return! Go save you mommy!

[shinta|hikari]

His swiftness and senses are inherent talents. It was just trained and improved by the snake. Just because you train hard doesn't mean you become amazing at something.

Bojji has like never been hit when he was actually trying to dodge something.

[DarthEnderX]

Ok, the thing he learned is KINDA bs, but I'll allow it because in the purest of theory it makes sense for Boji to fight light this and I like him.I mean, it's just straight up pressure point shit. Which is a pretty ubiquitous anime fighting style. The lethal version is literally Fist of the North Star.

I wanna hear Bojji say "Omae wa mou shindeiru..."

[MFauli]

I wanna hear Bojji say "Omae wa mou shindeiru..."


"Ai ai, aaaai, AI!"

[neflight86]

I'm more looking forward to the 'extra something' he's mastered, as his style will falter against the armored otherwise. I wonder why Despa decided to be deceptive in this quasi test of Boji's abilities?

We'll probably have to see that in Boji's first 'life or death' battle. Also, is Kage ever going to grow, or just be a cheerleader for Boji?

Either way, I'm pretty good with the underworld and await the next leg of the story, whatever that is.

[MFauli]

I wonder why Despa decided to be deceptive in this quasi test of Boji's abilities?

Dear god, for a few seconds I understood that scene as Despa actually having tricked Boji, and Boji really hasn't gotten any stronger, Despa just created this act to make Boji believe he did.

Almost had a heartattack, because I wouldn't have made it through another "boji said because of betrayal" scene.

[David75]

My guess is Boji can find and strike weaknesses in anybody AND anything.

I also thought Despa was tricking Boji, when in fact he just wanted him to gain confidence.

I love it he has a foil ( well more a very slim rapier) as a weapon.

He's the complete opposite to his father now, weapon and strengths.

Also fencing as always been linked to nobility, it really fits a future King.

[MFauli]

episode 11:

eh, transition episode. Lots of setup. Excited for next week.

Highlight: Bouji and Kage having fun on the horses' back lol

[neflight86]

Good thought experiment. It reflects Daida's relative immaturity, and the wisdom of those around him.

Is Miranjo just evil now, or was she always evil? Good question, and I'm confident that the series will delve into that in more detail in due time.

Looks like we're getting our first honest to goodness shounen battle arc. I'm most excited about how the underworld king wants to essentially beat the victor to 'steal' the kingdom, whatever that means! Obviously the captain is conflicted about it.

[MFauli]

episode 12:

Ooof, I'm glad the recap only lasted 5 minutes. Was about to skip the whole episode ...

These guys are a fun bunch. The defeated guy seems to be the son of that crazy king Boji met on his journey, right? With the snakes reviving him, that's an ally for Boji right there!

The knight armor dude is kinda lame though. He either kills you without effort, or, probably, he will be defeated easily via some trick weakness. No way to fight him fair and square.

Very excited for the clash!

[DarthEnderX]

New OP is fire.

[David75]

That armor guy(girl ? haha) is the anti-boji. He strikes every weaknesses to leave the oponent helpless on the brink of death, all for enjoyment/pleasure.
Battle of styles and prowess to come. Will Boji win ?

[MFauli]

That armor guy(girl ? haha) is the anti-boji. He strikes every weaknesses to leave the oponent helpless on the brink of death, all for enjoyment/pleasure.
Battle of styles and prowess to come. Will Boji win ?


"Strikes"? Looked like magic to me. No physical contact at all.

[neflight86]

New OP is fire.

Amen.

So they mentioned that the no. 1 king always picked the same item and went missing or crazy; boar dance king was both missing and crazy, so it makes sense he was the number 1 at some point.

I like the bandit king most out of these ruffians. He provided our exposition this episode, and has his thinking cap on.

Miranjo just hates the Bosse kingdom for some reason?

[MFauli]

episode 13:

What a weird cut at the end. Why not just show how Apeas gets punched/stabbed and falls to the ground? Are they trying to keep the age rating down? But we literally saw a leg get bitten off earlier.

[neflight86]

I thought the implication is that what we saw was not the real Apeas.

[MFauli]

Was there any hint of an ability that can create clones?

[DarthEnderX]

What a weird cut at the end. Why not just show how Apeas gets punched/stabbed and falls to the ground? Are they trying to keep the age rating down? But we literally saw a leg get bitten off earlier.I doubt a punch/stab would have worked.

He probably has a special ability they don't want to reveal to the audience yet.

[MFauli]

episode 14:

Finally Boji in full action! The explanation is kinda uber bs (so what, he can see at the molecular level AND his sword is so thin yet hard that it can sever molecules? lol), but it fits this type of anime. Just lots of good feels all around. It actually sucks that the immortal king killed all the golden knights, because if not for that, pretty much nobody would have died in this anime. Although it could be a said that all death involves these vandals that came to the castle.

Did Bosse attempt to help Healing from his own will or did Daida influence him? hm

[neflight86]

This episode was a bit of a let down. It just went from healing, to dialogue, a split second of action, more healing, and some late character introductions. It might be fine in the context of the wider story, but was wholly unsatisfying as a single episode. I'm confident it will get better, though.

[shinta|hikari]

episode 14:Did Bosse attempt to help Healing from his own will or did Daida influence him? hm

That was Bosse reacting to his wife calling for him, but then he remembers Miranjo and her fanatical desire to see his wish fulfilled.

[MFauli]

episode 15:

man, this anime is so good. What a jolly good fighting-centric episode this was. <3

Also, it just occurred to me, but: This whole anime feels very One Piece-y. If it had a slightly different art style, i'd totally believe that this is set in One Piece' medieval times :D Desha really has that One Piece-villain energy. And Gigan just grabbing Boji and Kage and jumping down the hole recklessly had some serious One Piece-energy, too.

Man, I reallyhope this anime can land its finale.

[DarthEnderX]

Desha really has that One Piece-villain energy.I was thinking the exact same thing! That guy looks, sounds and acts like a One Piece villain.

[neflight86]

Looks like Miranjo is going to be a tragic villain/victim, if the OP hasn't already spoiled as much. My issue is that, for how much fighting happened this episode, it wasn't visually interesting, like- at all. No flair, just some really basic 'attack one at a time' shots with some pretty sparse animation. Story beats are still good in their context, like Boji having to face his betrayer, jumping down that pit instead of walking like Apeas did for an entire episode, and Desha's over the top laugh is a real gas. The timeline of events is also starting to blur as the characters are so spaced out.

Desha may look the part due to his goofy character design, but the mannerisms don't remind me of One Piece much, personally, except maybe the laugh. I don't even think I see him as a villain. The morality play in Ousama is too un-heavy handed for me to pick up OP vibes.

[shinta|hikari]

ALL action in this show sucks. Barely animated, and when they do, it has barely any detail.

[MFauli]

ALL action in this show sucks. Barely animated, and when they do, it has barely any detail.

Yeah, I severely disagree. This show has some of the best fighting scenes. The animation may not have the depth of other shows like Fate or SAO, but it has the direction that gives it a lot of oomph and weight, both physically and dramatically.

[shinta|hikari]

I like the story behind the fights and how they go, but the animation and art are so simplistic and at times very repetitive. It's like watching an American cartoon.

[MFauli]

episode 16:

godamn, this anime is now full-on suffering Attack on Titan-syndrome, aka "20 minutes feel like 5" >_<

Desha is such a bonafide REAL king, that attitude of his is just majestic. And I love how the anime isn't sugarcoating that he's not 100% good, cutting that orc child's throat, wow.

Speaking of realism: I also love how Boji hasn't yet forgiven Doumas. I'm so trained to shallow reunions in fictional stories where someone is instantly forgiven to proceed the plot, but ... it makes full sense that Boji would NOT forgive him, even when he probably understands that Doumas has seen the light. After all, that's a guy that literally killed you, and only the greatest of luck kept you alive. -Would anyone here want to hang around with someone that tried to murder you, but only barely failed to do so?

That's just great writing. The shitty underworld army in the flashback, too. And even contextualizing why the present-time army of the golden knights is such an upright bunch.

Looking forward, the only one I cannot see getting a "oh, but ACTUALLY she's not that bad" is Miranjo. No matter what tragic reason they give her, she caused so much death and misery onto others, including Boji. However, I also cannot imagine an explanation for Bosse's behavior, how he can side with Miranjo when she killed his first wife, tried to kill his 2nd wife and his son. The literal only excuse I can come up with is "I was mindcontrolled the entire time!". Oh well.

[DarthEnderX]

Would anyone here want to hang around with someone that tried to murder you, but only barely failed to do so? As opposed to someone that tried to murder me, but completely botched it? :p

[shinta|hikari]

Miranjo might be getting revenge for a genocide, or trying to prevent a mass extinction event. In that case, assuming there were no other alternative methods, she is justified, just like how Desha is justified, but still evil.

[David75]

We now know she's also affected by that devil.
We don't know why Miranjo had to kill Boji's mother and Boji too, even if she didn't kill our MC in the end.
Bosse needed a female giant to have a child for the devil's contract.
We now know that Bosse had feelings for Miranjo and I'm pretty sure Bosse didn't care much for Boji's Mother. She was only baby carrier.

We know that Bosse and Miranjo want to get rid of that demon and that's the story we are told. Miranjo and Bosse's "evil" actions probably being necessities to that goal.

[neflight86]

17

A little backstory on the previous King of the Underworld, and his sons. I guess we'll see Ouken's transformation into insanity later, as it was implied the possession of immortality itself eroded his humanity, or was it another 'power' manifesting? We then move onto some more awkward interactions as Boji finds Apias, accidentally crushes him spiritually, and then runs into the criminals having a little falling out.

So Miranjo can more or less control Ouken; I'll assume the power to do so is limited being the reason she let him wander off in the first place. She had multiple of the magical beasts in her control for episodes, so that seems off, and the mouse leading Hiling to Apeas to heal him was cute.

Bandit King's a boss- he knew when to get out of dodge, and his only real mistake was provoking Miranjo with incomplete information when he could have played her capture closer to his chest for a while longer, so to speak.

Ouken throws tiny pebbles to paralyze people; not the dumbest thing I've seen in shounen, but it's up there :3. Also could be a nod to Despa's arts, as the principle could be the same. His cackling was also funny and the fight animation had some life to it this episode. Overall, a much better weekly watch than we've been getting for the last month.

[MFauli]

I'm really glad that Bouji is actually fighting him. After all of Despa's "he mustnt fight him! It's the worst match up!!!1" fearmongering I had assumed that Bouji would be insta-defeated by some bs ability. Turns out the issue is simply that Ouken is immortal and the only thing that can "beat" him at least temporarily is brute force.

Ofc, Miranjo gets some first glimpse of a tragic backstory, but I will say this: Having a tragic past doesn't excuse being a villain in the present! It merely EXPLAINS how you ended up the way you are. We can all agree that if Hitler told us about a tragic past, we still wouldn't go "oh, poor Hitler, all the Holocaust is forgiven." Fuck that. I really hope Miranjo gets the proper punishment for her evil deeds. Especially since her dream is so incredibly selfish and dumb. Bosse can go to hell, too.

[shinta|hikari]

I mean, if Miranjo's reason for all her evil acts is that she wants to travel with Bosse again... then she deserves to rot in hell.

[DarthEnderX]

We can all agree that if Hitler told us about a tragic past, we still wouldn't go "oh, poor Hitler, all the Holocaust is forgiven.""...I was rejected from art school."

[MFauli]

"...I was rejected from art school."

Japanese Mangaka: "See, THAT is why he's actually a victim, too! There are no evil people truly."

/s

[MFauli]

Episode 18:

omgomomgomg :D

I love this so much ^^

But let's start with the bad first: The flashback. As I said before: Whatever backstory Miranjo and Bosse have, it can only be an explanation, NOT an excuse. Hey, bosse, you ass, sacrificzing your son, letting your current wife get murdered, and many more, is not okay if you want to save someone else. Choosing Miranjo as your "dearest" just makes you a massive asshole. Is there something you can do to help her? Okay,do that. Does it come at the expense of your own family? Bad luck, then. Seriously, this guy makes me angry and I wonder what more twist there could be to have me change my mind.

As for the good things:

I just loved how Ouken took the 2nd lightning on his own choosing, leading it in a way that made it non-lethal. It's amazing how this anime introduces characters with rather lame design and 1-dimensional attitude, and then later they're revealed to have lots of depth. Do you think the inner-dialogue between Despa and Ouken was sincere or was it a trap to get Ouken the chance to stab Despa? I'm not sure.

Bouji's final burst of shounen energy was great, too. One last attack, mass-hitting Ouken until half of his armor was shattered. Really badass moment.

And FINALLY Kage snaps and can no longer listen to his friend saying "no, don't come, it's dangerous!". Of fucking course it's dangerous, but it's dangerous for you, too, Bouji, so here I come and I don't care if I die! <3 Kage is the best. And fortunately he's getting some power upgrade, although it remains to be seen what this can actually do.

Btw. I love the whole "gods walking on earth and waging war against humans" setting in the flashback. This anime has so much interesting lore, I keep saying it, but: Give me an open-world videogame on a big budget and let me explore this world Zelda: BotW-style :>

Edit: Oh, btw was there a more gruesome implication when the flashback showed little Miranjo in her room, then the shitty people came upstairs ... and then the camera wouldn't show her anymore, only the reaction faces of Daida and the snake guy. Are we supposed to believe the villagers raped her? Was weird how they cut away from the scene like that.

[DarthEnderX]

I wonder if Bosse's kingdom is just the current version of the asshole kingdom. And they've been plotting it's destruction all this time.

[neflight86]

I don't know how else that this whole plot could be relevant to Miranjo's backstory.

Sadly, Bosse's recanting was far less interesting than I'd hoped it would be. The whole country 'fighting gods' thing doesn't strike a cord because we haven't been introduced to any of them or had any dealings with that until now. People taking advantage of other's kindness is novel, but the idea that an entire culture just willingly uplifted and was then fleeced by a lower one is so naïve as to stretch belief. By itself, not satisfying, but I'm sure they'll do something with it in the future.

Strange that Hiling just told Apeas to go and do what he wants after fixing him up. I hope she's (still) shook, because that seems like some questionable reasoning, though he did save her once. Her new complete confidence in Boji feels abrupt as well.

We end in a dire straight after a simplistic fight and some jobbing, and Kage gets a random power up to close it out.

As simply as I can put it, Ousama Ranking is no longer giving me what I want out of a quality shounen. The fights (action) are bare bones with little technicality, the lore is haphazardly expanding without tying back to the central story or themes, and characters feel more like they are there to deliver commentary than develop or grow. The two who do are currently confined to a (mirror in a)chair and a prison cell. Until Boss/Miranjo's story starts moving again, this series may well remain in a rut.

I'm glad to watch it, but I'm no longer excited for new episodes. Those first five were almost perfect and set my expectations maybe too high...

[MFauli]

I don't know how else that this whole plot could be relevant to Miranjo's backstory.

Sadly, Bosse's recanting was far less interesting than I'd hoped it would be. The whole country 'fighting gods' thing doesn't strike a cord because we haven't been introduced to any of them or had any dealings with that until now. People taking advantage of other's kindness is novel, but the idea that an entire culture just willingly uplifted and was then fleeced by a lower one is so naïve as to stretch belief. By itself, not satisfying, but I'm sure they'll do something with it in the future.

Strange that Hiling just told Apeas to go and do what he wants after fixing him up. I hope she's (still) shook, because that seems like some questionable reasoning, though he did save her once. Her new complete confidence in Boji feels abrupt as well.

We end in a dire straight after a simplistic fight and some jobbing, and Kage gets a random power up to close it out.

As simply as I can put it, Ousama Ranking is no longer giving me what I want out of a quality shounen. The fights (action) are bare bones with little technicality, the lore is haphazardly expanding without tying back to the central story or themes, and characters feel more like they are there to deliver commentary than develop or grow. The two who do are currently confined to a (mirror in a)chair and a prison cell. Until Boss/Miranjo's story starts moving again, this series may well remain in a rut.

I'm glad to watch it, but I'm no longer excited for new episodes. Those first five were almost perfect and set my expectations maybe too high...

LOL
I couldn't disagree harder, and if not for how ridiculous it'd be, I might think you just wrote that to spite me :D Oh well. Bummer that you don't enjoy it much anymore.

I think the naivety of the wizard-country can be explained by this basically being a classical fairytale story. Ofc, it's not realistic. But that's not the genre for realism.

[neflight86]

It's still good, but my enthusiasm for it has significantly cooled since the first dozen or so episodes. I'm glad you are loving it. I'm just not as fired up as I once was and was trying to organize exactly why. When its good, it has some impressive highs, but that makes the lows stick out all the more to me.

[DarthEnderX]

We end in a dire straight after a simplistic fight and some jobbing, and Kage gets a random power up to close it out.Not that random. He's always been shown to be a walking Bag of Holding. And his clansman's corpse was literally a portal.

[MFauli]

episode 19:

Ouken is such a great, creepy villain. Powerful, but not actually that powerful. Howevr in combination with his immortality, he becomes a true monster.

Had to lol at "oh no, I can't stop Boji's bleeding" - dude, if Ouken rammed his broad sword into Boji's little body, Boji must have several pierce organs as well as crushed bones :D

Still don't care for Miranjo. Yes, terrible what happened to her. Doesn't give her the right to murder other people that aren't directly involved with her misery.

[neflight86]

Really enjoyed the boat scene, with Miranjo holding the rope keeping Kage's soul from crossing over fully. Some more redemptive qualities, deserved or not.

Nice to see the big four in action for once. Surprised that none of them committed to restraining Ouken except shield guy for a second, and instead simply kept inflicting ineffectual wounds? Oh well, the menace is real.

Seeing how this has played out, it is weird that Desha(sp?) (no. 2 king) just turned and left earlier when advised to do so when clearly no one is capable of restraining Ouken in that area. Wasn't one of his goals to kill Miranjo, anyway? Boji probably wouldn't have interfered with that- she's just a mirror, after all.

[MFauli]

episode 20:

oh my :D The good old Hidan-death :D Being immortal really sucks once you realize that it doesn't protect you from being trapped eternally.

Bosse is super strong, really wonder if Boji can keep up. One hit and he's dead. That said, I still don't understand Bosse's behavior at all. Sacrificing everything, including his two wives and two sons for Miranjo's sake. That's just so nonsensical. And I still don't feel sorry for Miranjo with all the flashbacks. I understand her. But I don't think her actions are right.

No idea how this ends.

One complaint: The heroes survive a whole lot of full body piercings, that's Bleach-levels of bad lol

[David75]

Remember Ouken pierces his oponents missing vitals to bleed them to death, as he enjoys their slow death.
Feels like a plot device, I know.

[DarthEnderX]

I kept expecting Bosse to just bat him into orbit. Especially after he crushed him into a ball.

[MFauli]

I kept expecting Bosse to just bat him into orbit. Especially after he crushed him into a ball.

Thar was my thought, too! :D Totally saw him baseball-batting ball-Ouken into the sun :D I guess it was too cartoony even for this anime ^^

Plus, there's probably going to be a redemption arc for Ouken, too, so can't just get rid of him.

[MFauli]

Episode 21:

Amazing!

The battle was super epic and it was a nice surprise to see Boji win. I love when the final boss isn't some ultimate superior being, in this case Ouken actually was the bigger danger to Boji. Although in the end it was classic "I'm SUPER Vegeta!" hybris, where speed trumps power. Boji's speed and precision trumped Bosse's overwhelming power. I loved how Boji chipped away at Bosse's weapon's structural integrity until it burst into pieces.

Now, the part that fell flat on me was anything involving Bosse and Miranjo. They STILL haven't shown me any justification for all the evil (and evil it was) they committed against others. yes, we know Miranjo had to suffer a lot, and we know that Bosse acted for someone else's sake. But neither makes it okay to cause death and suffering to countless other people! I cannot get emotional when there's such a clearly egotistical motif to these two characters. The ending scene of Miranjo being swallowed by the devil and transferred to a hell-like environment is tragic, too, but again, she caused suffering to so many others and ddn't give a shit about them. Now I can't give one about her.

Still, I guess this isn't over yet. Two more episodes to come if I saw correctly.The final goal seems to be the rescue of Miranjo's soul from thad devil. Did we already find out about why that devil appeared to begin with? I'm not sure whether that was shown already. Or was that simply the scene where Bosse made a deal and sacrifized Boji's strength? But how did that involve Miranjo?

Anyway, this anime is close to truly hit the landing, my only wish is that the last two episodes give me a reason to feel sorry for Miranjo and why her actions were actually not as evil as, right now, they still appear.

[DarthEnderX]

They both made deals with the devil that he'd claim their souls on death. They died. So he came to collect.

[MFauli]

They both made deals with the devil that he'd claim their souls on death. They died. So he came to collect.


But Bosse got away. Why? Because he gave up on what he wished for and that cancelled the deal?

[DarthEnderX]

But Bosse got away. Why? Because he gave up on what he wished for and that cancelled the deal?Seems like he had to physically catch their souls and she slowed down so his could get away.

[MFauli]

Seems like he had to physically catch their souls and she slowed down so his could get away.

Eh, didn't look that way to me. But maybe I'm wrong, don't wanna re-download to check. neflight, your opinion here? :>

[shinta|hikari]

Maybe she fully sacrificed her soul to the demon to save his? Like maybe the demon can only keep soul for a certain period, but she doomed herself forever to save Bosse from the demon completely.

[MFauli]

Episode 22:

A nice happy episode for once, I enjoyed that. My past criticism remains, though: Nothing so far has justified Miranjo's and Bosse's actions and seeing her being forgiven so easily and quickly feels a bit weird. Miranjo isn't even the worst here, it's Bosse. Stole his son's power to become the strongest, only to realizethat, duh, winning against strong opponents is actually worthless when you haven't earned the victory yourself. Then went on to steal his 2nd son's body, watch his first wife be murdered, and even would have let his 2nd wife get murdered had things gone less than perfectly well.

I wished there was a scene where Hiling, Daida, Boji and everyone really gave Bosse a stern talk, telling him off how awful he was. Instead he gets off scottfree, flying off into the afterlife.

Anyway, I can look past that and when I do, this really has been a perfect anime, enjoyable from start to finish. Has anyone heard whether there will be a 2nd season? The happenings with Desha seem to set up a new story arc revolving around the actual title-giving ranking of kinds. I'd love to see more. :>

[DarthEnderX]

I can buy being willing to forgive, but Daida wanting to marry Miranjo doesn't make ANY sense.


Then went on to steal his 2nd son's body, watch his first wife be murdered, and even would have let his 2nd wife get murdered had things gone less than perfectly well.I got the impression that Miranjo did all that without Bosse's consent. His last words made it pretty clear he didn't want Daida sacrificed. Getting rid of first wife seemed like all Miranjo's doing as well.

[MFauli]

I can buy being willing to forgive, but Daida wanting to marry Miranjo doesn't make ANY sense.

Don't forget that Miranjo was with Daida for all his life in form of the mirror. As he says, she helped him grow into a strong prince. I actually celebrated when he asked her to marry him :D Although you have to ignore the creepy situation, considering it would be considered grooming by her lol.

Bosse still would have let Healing get killed, so screw him.

[shinta|hikari]

OMFG this is so disgusting..!!

Like wtfuck....

Such a PEDO this miranJO!!!!

How dare dis bitch fuck KIDS! FFS??

Like ewwww.....

[DarthEnderX]

It's kind of a cycle of weirdness. Miranjo seemed to be in love with Bosse, and he knew her since she was a small child. And now Daida loves Miranjo, and she's known him his whole life.

[shinta|hikari]

Except Daida and Miranjo are gonna get married and have sexual intercourse.

[DarthEnderX]

So...how did Bosse fuck Hilling?

[shinta|hikari]

Jizz all over her.

[MFauli]

Jizz all over her.


I must LOL, because that's what I thought about, too. :D Literally "fullbody-bukkake", because there's NO way they'd have actual intercourse.

Ok, let's go back to other topics

[DarthEnderX]

23

---

Megahappy ending! No wait, adventure arc!

[MFauli]

Great ending. But there's not season 2 announced, is there? I'd love to see how Boji and Kage build their own kingdom. Ideally they'd start by looking for other shadow clan-members, because it'll always be depressing for Kage if he's the only one of his kind.

That said, I have to say that I still don't understand how easy Miranjo and Bosse are forgiven by the writing. I try to rationalize the queen that got murdered by Miranjo happily waving at her and Daida with "well, she's dead, so she's probably long over it and enjoying heaven or whatever". But it's still difficult. And no bad word about Bosse. So many people were murdered by or had to suffer because of Bosse and Miranjo, and yet that just isn't ever adressed in the way I'd need it to. That's why my MAL-rating is only 8/10, without this issue I'd give a 9/10.

That older king solving the Ouken issue just like that was super cool, though :D Just like that, and in a way that's believable.

Boji just giving up on being a king has me split, but I can accept if because of his even bigger plans of founding his very own kingdom. Way cooler than just taking over what's already there.

IF we get a season 2, things I'd like to see:

- in-depth story feat. the shadow clan. That ongoing racism must stop. Just heartbreaking how Kage was treated again after leaving Boji's side
- freeing Ouken of the curse
- the Kings Ranking, ofc! After a great adventure story in this season, give us a nice battle arc where all the kings participate :D
- Boji meeting the "gods", unless it's implied that Bosse killed all of them
- fighting the kingdom that betrayed and killed all the shadow clan members. That record must be set straight

Well, that's already a lot, so I'll leave it at that.

Really great anime, we don't get these often.

[neflight86]

The last three episodes were scattershot for me.

The Bojii v Boss fight was too abstract for me to enjoy; with no choreography, this was just a bunch of wasted animation for my taste, sadly. Then, the demon and his extremely nebulous mechanics felt very ham-fisted and contrived much beyond any previous story beats. I felt that could have been handled much better and made for a more satisfying ending for Boss and Miranjo's plot.

...then Daida's Stockholm syndrome kicked in and he proposed to Miranjo- oh my. To be fair, the mirror did spend alot of time with him growing up, but to so quickly shift from trust/admiration to romantic/life partner interest seemed like we missed an arc or two's worth of development.

Assuming this episode was the last, it wrapped things up well enough and didn't dwell on the weaker elements like Daida's marrage plan and getting characters up to speed with Boji's ascention to the throne. Thankfully they didn't see fit to leave the season/series on Kage's boneheaded assumption that Boji doesn't need his life saving friend around anymore and reunited them past that little forced drama.

My favorite part of the episode was easily Kingbo getting his revenge on Ouken like a true madlad. Such disrespect. No word on underworld king's fate, though, sadly.

A good, approachable series that started out great; not many can maintain that kind of energy for an entire two cour run, so good job trying, Ousama.

[Munsu]

Just watched this series and loved it, don't have anything to add to what was already expressed. That said when Bojji finished his training, Reigen's (Mob Psycho) ancestor said that on top of his pin point accuracy to hit pressure points, he had another trump card power wise, but that never manufactured into anything... that was a bit disappointing. Unless I missed something.

Also I would've hoped that we would've seen more drama centered on the anime's namesake, we barely got anything to do with king rankings themselves.

Anyways, from what I've seen we are getting more animation next year. Looking forward to it. I also hope Kage becomes more than merely a cheerleader.

[DarthEnderX]

he had another trump card power wise, but that never manufactured into anything... that was a bit disappointing. Unless I missed something.It's the friends we made along the way. Obviously.

[neflight86]

I think that was supposed to be his atomic-precision blow that can physically shatter materials.

[Munsu]

I think that was supposed to be his atomic-precision blow that can physically shatter materials.

Hmm, could be. I figured it was an extension of what he was already doing, but I guess you're correct since they made it a point to show the split boulder and also we got the diamond flashback.

[Munsu]

Just watched the first episode of the new series, and honestly not going to care for it. Seems like it'll be a collection of side stories... was hoping for a sequel. Though even then, I think it'll be tough to match the first series.

[MFauli]

unfortunately, same. Not sure I'll even watch episode 2. I didn't know that this isn't a proper season 2, so my disappointment was immense.

[DarthEnderX]

Gaiden Anthology.