Ousama Ranking is a hidden gem! (mostly) SPOILER FREE
I know it's not totally obscure, but many people would skip right over this anime entirely, deeming it childish or simplistic. This anime is anything but that.
Ousama Ranking, or Ranking of Kings, is about Prince Bojji, a young prince who is deaf and dumb, striving to become the greatest king in all the land, and rank Number 1 among kings. He meets Kage, an ex-shadow assassin making a living of stealing. Kage is the only one able to perfectly understand Bojji somehow, and the two hit it off and become friends within the first episode.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: At first, I went into this show expecting something lighthearted, a little dramatic and mainly heartwarming. I got what I wanted, and so much more! The first episode captured my heart entirely! Bojji's struggles as a disabled person are realistically portrayed in the beginning of the episode. I felt so bad for him as he was being mocked and ridiculed by his townspeople. Poor kid doesn't deserve all that. And all the while, he keeps walking and pretending everything is fine, only to break down crying when he is alone in his room.
CHARACTERISATION
Already, Bojji is shown to be a nuanced character. Despite not being able to speak nor hear, he perfectly understands everything that's going on around him. He's not your typical happy-go-lucky, naive, kid protagonist. He's someone who feels just as deeply as the rest of us.
In fact, every single character is written with depth and nuance, and the anime is 9 episodes into it's 23 episode runtime. Notable characters are Domas, Queen Hilling, Beben, and Daida. How they appear at first is not who they truly are at their core, and just when you think you've seen their true colours, they reveal another layer of their personality. Nobody is fully good nor bad. Well perhaps except Bojji, he's such a ray of sunshine!!
PLOT
I gave a brief summary of the overarching plot earlier, but that's not all there is to Ousama Ranking, as you've probably deduced by now. Episode by episode, layers of story are peeled back like onions. Underneath the cheery and heartwarming exterior is a darker, heartbreaking plot. The story does have many moments of levity, which balances out the plot and also prevents it from nosediving into edgy, overdramatic territory.
Also, I cried 13 minutes into episode 2. Take that information as you will.
CONCLUSION
Ousama Ranking is a wonderful anime with a incredibly unique, riveting plot and intricately written characters whom you'll fall in love with, hate, and then begrudgingly accept again. You can never expect the expected with this anime. GO WATCH IT!!!
