Ousama Ranking Episode 4 Discussion

FMmatron said:

I like to add that Daida's appearance matches his ideal notion of a king. His aura during their spar even reminded him of Bosse. What's more is that his way of fighting inspired feelings in him, feelings that resonated with the swordsmaster(an essential part of his identity, therefore he gotta take pride in it). Considering that I wouldn't put it past Domas that he was partially driven by selfishness as well. The prospect of serving Daida must seem more fulfilling. From that angle he seems even more interesting.

Tokoya said:
This is one of the best posts I've seen all year on this forum....Well said

yasm said:


Quite true! Domas worships the King's strength, so much he modelled his own style after him. Which is why he's such a bad fit for mentoring Bojji. But in truth, it's probably for the best that he didn't end up mentoring Daida instead, as being held back in strength is one of the few things that kept the boy from rising up too early. Everyone, Bojji most of all, needs to believe in Bojji's legitimacy, and unfair as it is, his brother's weakness is his strength in this regard.



Thank you! I really appreciate your this community's willingness to tolerate long comments like that, and even take them seriously.

GakutoDeathGlare said:
If you didn't see Domas not doing that, then uppercut yourself tbh. It was obvious from a mile away, the way this series portrayed him thus far.

And no, to call this WORLDBUILDING would be an insult to actual worldbuilding. They passed through a town in mere minutes and nothing of the town where the Pit of Hell or whatever it's called was explored or even panned upon. Two new towns, nothing. Not impressed.

And again, the exaggerated emotions of Bojji to manipulate the viewer, it's honestly getting pathetic at this point.

Centoterion said:
Probably already has been said but

Doesnt it looks like Boji cant age ? or at least at a different rate than the others ? In people's flashbacks Boji looks the same while the others looks to have getting older.

...Or maybe it's just the way "of the artstyle" ? i dunno...

em_doubleyou said:


The Bojji in the Queen and Hokur's flashbacks are definitely him as a young child / toddler. He's a bit older in Domas' flashback.

The Bojji now should be a teenager as he is at least 3 years older than Daida.
As for his size, it could be style or plot-related, we can keep guessing until they reveal it.

Dukino said:
Domas that motherf*cking b*tch a*s motherf*cker!!! I knew he couldn't be trusted!

dragynfaerie said:


My sentiments exactly. I knew he was going to push Boji when he got rid of Hakuro. After the conversation about following orders, he knew Hakuro wouldn't just let Boji be killed.

I hope there's an actual gateway in that pit. Poor Boji is treated so cruelly by those he trusts and loves the most. Although, I think Hiling sent him on his journey to save him and thought Domas would protect him. Too bad she didn't or couldn't look for Apeas.

kur0wa said:
my god have to say it was one of the most interesting ones so far. I'm surprised not as many people where wondering about the crazy king in the forest? like fr in my opinion it was the most interesting part in the whole episode like even domas dropping off bojji from the hell cliff comes to second. i just find the king so interesting in its own way like first being nice not suspicious at all but then just suddenly becoming a completely different person in 1second and the way how bojji avoided the moment so well fucking running down a cliff wtf??(so cool) but really I seriously want to know more about this king, how did he become something that he is, how did he obtain his crown, why did he decide to live somewhere in the forest and not in town what is his backstory I reaaaally need to know!!! i also feel like he would be a perfect character in a dnd campaign as an enemy? or more like first a friend then just sudden which personality to enemy. but what do you have opinions on him? what would be his backstory In this world?

em_doubleyou said:


Yeah, i think we can be 99,99% sure that Bojji will come out alive somehow. I'm more curious in how Domas will handle / face Hokuro after this. Well, also in the 'how' of Bojji's survival, of course.

yasm said:
It's interesting to see the reactions of the people that gathered here. So far the story seems extremely predictable and transparent to me, but apparently I'm in the minority here, as seems most folks haven't understood what's going on. This is surprising to me, hence, interesting. It shows how well the show is implementing this narrative.

Particularly, seems most are misunderstanding a few characters:

• Domas: he is a genuinely good guy, but he's also got a very inflexible sense of moral. He truly cares about Bojji, and wishes to protect him and make him stronger, but he's come to believe Bojji is hopelessly weak and destined to suffer. So in his eyes, killing him is a mercy. He believes in direct confrontations and fair fighting, yet he chose to poison Bojji's food - a great betrayal to his sense of fairness. Why? Because that would be quicker and painless. Same for throwing him into the pit - although less ideal, the fires would quickly burn the life out of Bojji, so his suffering wouldn't last long. If you pay attention to Domas' reaction after betraying the boy, he was greatly anguished because that was playing dirty, and because he cared for the boy, but he believed it was necessary and even unavoidable (if he didn't do it, the boy would die some other way). I don't feel sorry for Domas, but I can't hate him for doing what he thought was right.
  
• Bebin: he is also a good guy, but the sort of guy that will do whatever it takes to protect the kingdom, no matter how underhanded. Kind of the opposite of Domas, in a way, but the same in another. He taught Bojji a way to fight, weak as he was, knowing that this style would never earn Bojji respect, but it would keep him alive. He also protected the boy by assigning Kage to keep an eye on him from, err, the shadows. He's probably also lost the fight against Apeas on purpose, though not sure what rescued him (I assume the three-headed snake).
  
• Kage: hope this is obvious to everyone, but he never really left. He's just been hiding, and protecting Bojji from the shadows. He's probably the one that got Bojji's bag back, and he saved the boy by throwing those kunais into the poisoned meat. He might also save him from the pit too, though I suspect that's going to be another character.
  
• Daida: he's not a bad guy, just a misguided boy. That mirror is clearly manipulating him, trying to promote his greed and paranoia, so he drives everyone else away. But the fact that he wants to grow out of his own power shows he's got a sense of moral, and I suspect he wants to become a powerful king to protect the kingdom and his family. He must feel like he must make up for his brother's weaknesses. It's a brutal world, after all, and everyone thinks strength equates a good king.
  
• Apeas: despite his declared desire to protect Bojji, he's probably the least equipped to do so. He's too honest about his intentions, and too naive to understand the forces at play. He will probably seek support from some external kingdom, trigger an invasion and make everything worse. But ultimately, he can be a good ally if guided by a wiser partner. We'll see if Bojji can find such a friend in time.
  
• Hiling: I was pleasantly surprised to learn her backstory. She's actually a fairly good person, kind at heart, and a true mother. She literally jumped out of the window to try and protect Bojji from his fall! Issue is, like Domas, she's got a very narrow sense of how a royal family should be like and what makes a good king, so she's decided to appoint her own son as the next king. She probably thought that was a kindness towards Bojji, as well as a rational choice for the kingdom. But she understands Bojji more than most, and realised how she's become too strict and distant recently. Sensing he wouldn't be safe in the castle, and understanding that the boy wouldn't be happy there, she sent Bojji on the journey he so desired. But she didn't realise how much her, her son, and the kingdom needed Bojji there. She's probably going to be killed soon, as she's the last anchor Daida has on goodness and reason.
  

Don't think there's been a twist to this story yet, though I suppose if you didn't read the signs, some outcomes might come across as surprising. I've seen all this play out already, in one variation of this story or another, but I think they are doing it wonderfully here. A mute/deaf hero is extremely original, and although a bit of a likeability cheat, it's a solid choice for an interesting MC. So far Bojji has demonstrated resourcefulness that befits his status as a trained prince and his condition both, and that's excellent characterisation. In fact, despite cliched motivations and stereotypical personalities, every character has been very well developed - so much most people are misunderstanding them. That's depth and that's great storytelling.

Boijji's strength is clearly his capacity to read people and empathise with them, as well as his undefeatable sense of determination. A true king is not determined by his fighting skills, but by his talent for attracting talented people and inspiring loyalty. And for governing people. Boijji excels at those, he's just a bit too naive yet (but nothing that some sensible allies can't compensate for).

Smudy said:
Definitely appreciated your bit as well as some others did, it mostly summarized my thoughts except for the Apeas bit which i thought different about.