- Queen Hiling, Episode 23
Ousama Ranking borrows from fairytales to weave an engaging story about loyalty, trust and forgiveness. Its whimsical approach makes for an endearing series that has an exceptionally strong start; defying expectations for most of its run. Unfortunately, some of the later episodes stumble, but they don’t take away from the overall experience of watching this show.
The main plot is deceptively simple; following the main character as he tries to grow into a strong leader. Over time, however, a complex story develops that weaves some darker themes that only make it more interesting. The audience is able to easily understand the core elements of the series which is important in fantasy settings where there isn’t as much exposition in its opening. This is something that becomes lost over the course of the series, with side characters being reduced to giving exposition.
Ousama Ranking does handle its tone well; creating some surprisingly creepy moments that lure the audience in. This is done without disrupting the pacing of the episodes; allowing the plot to unravel a lot like a fairytale. The strong command over pacing does falter towards the end of the series with tonal shifts becoming more abrupt. This culminates in an ending that feels forced; trying to create harmony between the darker moments and a generally empathetic story. It can make the ending feel unsatisfying as the series has to take a couple of leaps in logic while struggling to develop some of the characters' actions and motivations. I found that the final episode took a more positive forward, reflecting the strong start.
A number of fight scenes tend to follow similar choreography and plot beats which can make them a little dull to watch at times. While the fight scenes aren’t the main focus of the series, it would have been nice to see some more variation in the later episodes; especially in their length. This would have given the show more space to show how a character has developed throughout the narrative.
This also leads to a lack of consistent tension which can make some of the episodes have a noticeable change in tone and quality. However, this is also because Ousama Ranking tackles most of its ideas really well; notably with how it subverts the audience’s expectations. Some of these are born from fairytales and others are from our own expectations, but they are challenged in interesting ways. It becomes a series that focuses on the idea of understanding others, whether it is the audience coming to understand the characters or characters coming to understand themselves. Unfortunately, at times the series becomes reliant on plot twists which causes some potentially impactful moments to fall flat.
Perhaps one of Ousama Ranking’s biggest stumbling points is over its use of forgiveness. For most of the narrative, it is woven in well as the audience watches characters come to terms with what has happened to them and grow from these moments. This makes the forgiveness feel earned and the characters are consistent. This, however, is lost when concerning Daida and Miranjo. The conflict was resolved in a rather unsatisfying way that skipped over their conflict and brushed away any internal motivations. This risks leaving a sour taste in the audience’s mouth depending on how they relate to the characters.
Despite this, the main characters do a really good job of holding the show together through the rougher moments; especially Bojji. His struggles have weight and the audience can watch him grow throughout the story. This compliments his journey while giving him more depth than what we might first assume. Bojji is also treated thoughtfully; especially with him being both deaf and mute. There is a balance struck between his internal and external struggles with his disabilities only being a natural part of this. They aren’t used as an excuse or to garner sympathy. There are, however, a couple of inconsistencies around Bojji’s ability to lip-read where we see some moments where he understands what people are saying despite not looking at them. This isn’t a major problem, but it can be a little odd to watch.
His relationship with Kage is endearing and benefits both characters as the audience can watch them grow in different ways. They mirror each other in their struggles but they are given enough difference for their perspectives to be interesting and refreshing. They aren’t bundled together and are treated as separate entities for most of Ousama Ranking. Kage is unfortunately cast aside in the latter episodes, becoming reduced to simply being Bojji’s friend which is a shame because the characters played well off each other prior to this. The character’s backwards development is mostly reversed in the final episode, so if there is a sequel series it will hopefully progress his character more.
The supporting characters are also, for the most part, well-written; often surprising the audience as they defy expectations. This does highlight an uneven pace of development for different characters in later episodes. This is a consequence of having so many plot twists centring around characters; they begin to feel like they have unstable foundations. In turn, this can make it feel like they don’t actually develop as it becomes difficult to understand who the characters actually are. Some of the relationships between the supporting characters are underdeveloped; often not given much definition or space to be explored. While this can create a sense of intrigue, it can also make some characters feel inconsistent. This means that a small handful of character resolutions don’t end up feeling fully satisfying; especially when considering their actions. It is clear that Ousama Ranking was trying to tackle a lot of concepts and ended up struggling with treating them all consistently.
One area that this series shines is through its style which captures the fairytale tone while being pleasing to watch, especially with the settings. I can see its visual style could be off-putting for some, but it does add an extra layer to the story and allows it to stand out. It also isn’t afraid to experiment with its style and perspective to heighten certain moments. Ousama Ranking doesn’t overuse these and it makes the series feel more dynamic to watch.
The colouring of the series, however, is a little strange in places. Initially, it starts off as vibrant and full of life but there is a period in the middle where it feels a little off; almost less vibrant, but this rectifies itself by the end of the series. The soundtrack is similarly interesting, fitting the almost medieval setting. There are a couple of moments where the music doesn’t really fit the scene it's in. This is most notable healing scenes during tense moments where it disrupts the flow of the scene due to its more joyful tone.
Overall, Ousama Ranking is an interesting series that, despite having a small stumble towards its end, tells a very interesting story. It wraps up with a mostly satisfying conclusion that, while it leaves room for a sequel, can stand well on its own. It is definitely a show that is worth a watch, especially if you enjoy the fantasy genre.
