May 15, 2023
I went into this already knowing that it is a side story and that it will probably not be too engaging. I got what I expected.
The parent story, Ousama Ranking, was incredibly fresh, at least in the beginning. The quality of the art style, which I loved so much when it was at its most vibrant (as in episode 1), was surprisingly dull at times, and generally not consistent. The story suffered a bit from pacing issues, and despite considering Bojji the Best Boy of the year (and Kage as a great sidekick), it still bothered me that he could somehow understand what people say
...
by reading their lips; the premise was not entirely genuine. However, the fantastical elements of the story kept me going, the world of Ousama Ranking is still largely unexplored.
The side story attempts to explore and explain some mysteries, but it falls flat very soon. The first episode has two short stories that feels like they come out of a children's book, with morals and all that. They are stories that use very familiar tropes, only difference is that they're taking place within the world of Ousama Ranking. The aesthetically sweet art style saves face, and I would not be mad if the side story kept it in that direction - downgrading to a children's show that could be enjoyed by grownups too - because it was doing it right. By episode 2, however, the art quality noticeably dips down, and I would say it resembles the art we saw during the middle episodes of the parent story. OK now we have a children's show that grownups are not really enjoying.
Parts of the world is investigated: Bandits, weird creatures, magical plants in forests, etc. These instances are more random than awesome. A treasure chest may be the focal point of this side story, but I don't think I care too much.
Other themes concern the past of some characters, like queen Hiling in episode 3, and one of the key villains in episode 4. In the episode about Hiling, we learn more about her healing magic and see a rare Daida-Bojji brotherhood action. Also important is the Dorshe-Hiling dynamic and more Anne time, remember her? She is amazing and so is Hiling but unfortunately the execution of such a potentially good episode leaves a lot to be desired. There is significant time dedicated into Daida trying to practice the healing magic and I can do without that. Episode 4 attempts a boring backstory on an interesting character, I find it unnecessary. These stories about the past need much better writing, they are handled poorly.
I stopped watching because it felt like a chore. There may lay one or two interesting side quests ahead, or some random cool fight, but I don't have it in me to continue through episodes and episodes of repetitive content.
I'm not very good with the science of scores, I'm not sure if this is a 4 or a 5. I know if I continue, I will only get harsher with the score. I went as deep as 4 episodes out 10 so I will also score it the same way.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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