Ousama Ranking (Ranking of Kings)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: King Ranking

Japanese: 王様ランキング

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 23

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 15, 2021 to Mar 25, 2022

Premiered: Fall 2021

Broadcast: Fridays at 00:55 (JST)

Producers: Aniplex, Dentsu, Fuji TV, Kadokawa, Bandai Spirits

Licensors: Funimation

Studios: Wit Studio

Source: Web manga

Genres: Adventure, Fantasy

Duration: 22 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.52¹ (scored by 321,932 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #124²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #337

Members: 613,285

Favorites: 12,387

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@osama_ranking

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Funimation

8.52

Ranked #124Popularity #337Members 613,285

Fall 2021TVWit Studio

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Episodes: /23

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Synopsis

The people of the kingdom look down on the young Prince Bojji, who can neither hear nor speak. They call him "The Useless Prince" while jeering at his supposed foolishness.

However, while Bojji may not be physically strong, he is certainly not weak of heart. When a chance encounter with a shadow creature should have left him traumatized, it instead makes him believe that he has found a friend amidst those who only choose to notice his shortcomings. He starts meeting with Kage, the shadow, regularly, to the point where even the otherwise abrasive creature begins to warm up to him.

Kage and Bojji's unlikely friendship lays the budding foundations of the prince's journey, one where he intends to conquer his fears and insecurities. Despite the constant ridicule he faces, Bojji resolves to fulfill his desire of becoming the best king he can be.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

The sign language depicted in Ousama Ranking is supervised by the Tokyo Foundation of the Deaf. The series was released on Blu-ray and DVD from January 12, 2022 to July 20, 2022.

Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Ousama Ranking
Other:	Oz., Ousama Ranking Movie
Side story:	Ousama Ranking: Yuuki no Takarabako

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Bojji

Main

Hinata, Minami
Japanese

Kage

Main

Murase, Ayumu
Japanese

Hiling

Supporting

Satou, Rina
Japanese

Despa

Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro
Japanese

Desha

Supporting

Shimoyama, Yoshimitsu
Japanese

Ouken

Supporting

Yusa, Kouji
Japanese

Bebin

Supporting

Ueda, Youji
Japanese

Dorshe

Supporting

Tadokoro, Hinata
Japanese

Miranjo

Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Daida

Supporting

Kaji, Yuuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Okada, Maiko

Producer, Production Manager

Herek, Samantha

Assistant Producer

Hatta, Yousuke

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

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Opening Theme

	"BOY " by King Gnu
	2: "Hadaka no Yuusha (裸の勇者)" by Vaundy (eps 12-23)

Edit

Ending Theme

	"Oz. " by yama
	2: "Flare" by milet (eps 12-23)

Reviews

Nov 23, 2023

bboy_OatsnRice

Recommended

Mute, deaf, and weak, characteristics that have diddly-squat with being a king. These are the traits given to our main protagonist Bojji-sama. Next to inherit the throne after the late Bosse-Sama. A world renown giant, famous for being the strongest entity to ever live. You can only imagine the torment our protagonist has to go through to fill in the giant shoes his father left for him, pun intended. And with that being said, I think this is one of the most unique premises to be conceptualized in a long time. Like most, I was initially thrown off by the artstyle and I had already ... had plenty of shows from that season on my plate so I wrote it off initially. Many of which disappointed me. But thread after thread on /a/ I kept seeing the damn thing being posted, usually with something along the lines of, “Why aren’t you watching me? The greatest show of the season?” I figured it was bait until the third episode rolled around, I gave in, watched it, and became absorbed. That begs the question, was this actually the greatest show of the season?

Firstly, let's address the elephant in the room. DO NOT be deceived by this show’s artstyle, a common mistake among viewers. I thought the artstyle was unique from the start, but it did look like a “child’s” show initially so I brushed it off. However I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the aesthetic of the show even before watching it. Something about it, maybe it was the airiness of the style or the unique character designs, but something about it reminded me of The Legend of Zelda: the Windwaker which gave it points in my book. Which is also another piece of media that many brushed off as child’s play due its cartoony/cute aesthetic, but look anywhere beneath the surface with either this and windwaker, and I’ll guarantee that you won’t find a show from that season with more depth.

The show’s greatest aspect is the amount of depth it gives to its characters. Each character is layered beyond belief, the way characters act and react to certain situations vary. And when I say a character has depth, I don’t mean that they look evil but are actually good. A more accurate simplified depiction would be to say that nothing in this show is black and white, and that everyone and everything resides in this gray area, even Bojji himself isn’t this perfect underdog of a woe is me archetype that you root for, for he too is flawed beyond his aforementioned shortcomings. This is another example of a show that benefits greatly from having almost no inner-dialogue, where we can hear characters' thoughts. The nuance and subtlety delivered sheerly through the facial expressions and body movements makes you understand the stakes of a given situation. Along with the depth this show gives its characters, this show also loves throwing curve balls at you.

Now I’m a sucker for any sort of media that keeps you on your toes. Whether that be anime, music, etc, but when it comes to anime specifically it’s a double edged sword. On one end you could get a brilliant show like Samurai Flamenco that will sweep the rug from under your feet the moment you think you’ve nailed down the kind of show it is. Also a show like Sonny Boy falls on this side of the sword as well, a series that you’re better off just letting it kick your ass the first time around before taking a breather to fully grasp all the themes it psyched you out with, for round 2. On the other side of the spectrum you get the multitude of atrocious anime that go a million miles an hour without giving a moment's reprieve to understand what’s going on due to the lack of coherent explanation the show does. Some notable examples of this include Garzey’s Wing and Cross Ange, both shows famed for their low quality. I’m happy to announce that Ousama Ranking is the former. For me at least.

Though I'll say for me at least because this actually a point of contention for most fans, and nonfans alike. Because about halfway through the show's run, it becomes a battle shounen of sorts. With a name like “Ranking of the Kings” I half expected some form of battling to happen at some point, however many were displeased at the direction it decided to go when it did, because up to this point most thought that this was an adventure coming of age story, which it is. But after Bosse’s Kingdom(Bojji’s father) is invaded and overrun by evil doers, it shifts the focus from the world building onto the in-fighting at the palace over the throne. I did not mind this at all, though I will say there is one episode in particular where Bojji is almost not at all present and all we get are the royal guards fighting each other with not much else happening aside from the characters you root for getting jobbed. It doesn’t help that the animation quality also takes a dip during this part, almost as if they knew these few episodes were just filler for what’s to come. This null in quality lasted maybe an episode and a half before it picked itself back up again and absolutely decimated my expectations.

Now the only gripe I have with this show lies with the ending, which I’ve learnt to understand and appreciate more so overtime but initially was thrown off by it. Basically, the big bad of the series is essentially let off the hook. In fact, I’d go as far to say as they’re rewarded despite everything they’ve done up to that point. And no matter how much they bring up this bitch’s backstory, you don’t empathize with her. Anyways, that and the light animation dip for an episode or two are my only legitimate complaints. My only other nitpick is Kage being reduced to a cheerleader for bojji after such great development.

So is this the AOTS of its season? Yes and no, for it was split across two seasons. And I consider both cours one complete season. However, during the season it aired, it was competing against both Sonny Boy and Odd Taxi and between those three I chose Sonny Boy as my AOTS. However, for the second cour this season was released, this is most definitely the AOTS and has quickly become one of my all time favorite series. Good job Ousama Ranking, I only wish the manga translations were up to date so I can continue this marvelous journey that has just begun.

Ps- Forgot to mention that the music during the show is great too, but the OPs and EDs for this show are incredible.

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May 18, 2023

AgonyOfTheGarnet

Mixed Feelings

Osama Ranking is a disappointment with a lot of wasted potential. It is a show with a nice premise and a strong opening trio of episodes that slowly descends into an average revenge story and bad Deus Ex Machina.

Let me explain:
(Minor spoilers ahead)

Bojji is a mute-deaf Prince in a medieval European setting with the dream of being the best King in the world.
The first impression is that the story is going to be about the emotional journey of Bojji overcoming abuse and prejudice of society and family, doing the best for his kingdom despite his disabilities. The first emotional aspect is that Bojji is ... incredibly aware of the mockery he is submitted to, which he can tell by not only the physical language of others but also through reading lips. Now, I get that Bojji knows he is being abused but how can a Mute-Deaf know exactly what people, and even animals say about him if he never heard a single word in his life? Not that I was expecting realism but the shows opens with heavy emphasis on Sign Language, so one would expect that this would a reoccurring element of the show, but the moment other characters learn that Bojji can read lips sign language gets thrown out of the window and characters that know it stop using it completely. The author/show had the opportunity to teach something to the audience but instead just ignore one of the distinguishing elements of the story.

The biggest problems I have with the story is that the show had the opportunity to show how medieval people lived with disabilities, build a long arduous story of overcoming the odds and becoming the best King in the world but after a few episodes Bojji starts getting thrown into the sidelines and a succession conspiracy starts taking place but instead of him being directly involved in unfolding the mystery, he goes into a Training Arc while the mystery slowly unfolds regardless to him. The mystery has indeed something to do with him and he gets involved but it doesn’t feel like he truly contributes heavily nor did it feel like his accomplishments and power were truly earned.

Just to add a final note on presentation and music:
The art style is highly reminiscent of Princess Knight, Heidi of the Alpes and anime from the World Masterpiece Theater. Personally I love it, I grew up in Europe in the 90’s and these anime were popular on TV, the style is Old School but not necessarily bad.

Music is great, it is very medieval with orchestral elements and a lot of 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures which are part of the Medieval/Renaissance style of composing.

All in all, Ousama Ranking anime could have brought a lot fresh air to the anime landscape with it’s Old School style and standout premise but went to an unsatisfactory fantasy mystery I personally did not find necessary or interesting.

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Dec 5, 2023

douve_atomique

Not Recommended

What happened to Ousama Ranking's story? Did someone kidnap the author halfway in and force him to write a mediocre battle shounen with terrible pacing? This show is incredibly confusing.

In short, Ousama Ranking felt like watching two different shows. Its first half or so was actually very enjoyable, making use of complex and interesting characters in a context à la Game of Thrones topped with gorgeous art and symbolic writing - albeit as subtle as a brick through a window -, but then the fire nation attacked the mangaka or something must have happened because everything turned to trash. After the first half I just ... kept wondering what happened, what caused such a shift in quality, I was so focused on this that I could barely comprehend what I was watching anymore but maybe that's a good thing, in a way I got spared.

I don't want this to be a full review of the show, so I'll just briefly talk about the most important aspect of any show for me: its characters. Ousama Ranking's characters are surprinsingly good, or that's how they seem to be at the start of the show. They all have their backstory, allegiance and motivations and even those that appear shallow at first end up being interesting. Two characters have to be talked about: the two princes, Bojji and Daida. Daida is the second prince, he is gifted, strong-minded, ambitious and uncompromising. Even though he seems to be a complete asshole at first, it turns out that he has standards, morals that he's not willing to abandon. Bojji is the first prince, he is exactly the opposite of his brother. He is weak, cursed, and not fit to be a king. He is also deaf and mute.

This next paragraph contains spoilers
These two princes are interesting because of how drastically different they are and because they are basically competing for the crown after the death of their father. Even though Daida is most fit to become king, he's the second prince so Bojji should take the crown instead. This premise is very solid. It made me wonder how Bojji was going to deal with conflicts. Being deaf, he cannot hear what people are saying to him. Being mute, he cannot speak to them. Being extremely weak physically, he cannot resort to force to solve problems. How is he going to deal with his brother and everything else? What an interesting conundrum! Well, guess what... Everything that was established through the first half of the anime is simply thrown out the window. Daida is manipulated by a mirror and removed from the story because his father is reincarnated in his body and Bojji undergoes training which makes him the strongest character in the show (this is not a conjecture, it is stated in the anime). Daida's complex struggle to emulate his father's strength is gone. Bojji's physical handicap is gone; him being mute and deaf doesn't matter because he can read lips and people somehow understand him when he's 'speaking'. Thus, the anime turns into a battle shonen where there is absolutely no tension, people are gravely wounded but then healed, wounded again but healed again, and wounded one more time and left for dead just to be healed again because why not. Nothing seems to happen for the remainder of the show. We learn about the main antagonist's backstory which apparently is some sort of Japanese nationalistic memorandum. I was at first very confused by this backstory but it now unfortunately makes a lot of sense.

One last thing to mention is the series' main antagonists and one word to describe them is boring. The series goes into such great lengths to make them complex and misundertsood that it forgets to actually make them interesting.

If you really want to watch this series, just pretend it's 10 episodes long and has an ambiguous ending and call it quits, or turn your brain off and watch the whole thing.

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