Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
EnshourT_
If I showed you a screenshot of Ousama Ranking, you'd probably think it was a cute children's fantasy anime. That's exactly what makes it so surprising.
But behind its simple art style is a story filled with political intrigue, broken families, impossible choices, and some of the most memorable characters in modern anime. What starts as a simple fairy tale slowly reveals itself to be something much deeper.
- BOJJI IS ONE OF THE BEST MAIN CHARACTERS IN ANIME
The heart of Ousama Ranking is Bojji, he's the complete opposite of what you'd expect from a fantasy protagonist, he's tiny, physically weak, deaf, and constantly underestimated by almost everyone around him. People laugh at him. They pity him. Some even think he has no right to become king. What makes Bojji so compelling isn't that h…
Read at the sourceJonaRM
A very beautiful story, full of emotions and tragedies, it shows you different dreams and what people are willing to sacrifice for them. There's a variety of powers and abilities that make this world unique and enjoyable to watch.
The protagonist is probably the best character, someone who has had something to suffer from since birth, yet still lives happily and is kind to others no matter what.
All the characters grow in each episode, and although you might not like some of them at first, there's always something that makes you empathize with them. However, I think it lacked a truly compelling villain.
It deals with betrayal, forgiveness, hatred, and the various emotions that arise in such situations, which I think it handles quite well. Although, given the repetition of certain themes…
Read at the sourcescarykitty84
Just finished this and wow, what a weird but good show. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, but the characters and story were gripping and the 23 episodes kinda flew by. I'm a big fan of WIT Studio and they delivered a really unique style with this show. The animation is sort of professional lo-fi in a way... it reminds me a bit of early One Piece in how cartoonish it is (maybe there's a better way to put that), but then out of nowhere an action scene will pop up with some cinematography that will blow you away with how cool it looks and feels. You can tell a ton of effort was put into the stylization of the art and I love that it doesn't really look like much else out there.
So, great story, great visuals, and you've got yourself a show that I think most viewers would enjoy immensel…
Read at the sourcev_the_one
I think this should be watched by anyone that plans to watch most of the "star" series. You cannot skip this one, simply because it is a cute-ish story with very good production quality, but mostly due to the peer pressure of everyone on the internet.
Now, let's do a short literary analysis, shan't we?
The main complaint that people have regarding this is the shallowness of the characters, but it can be argued that they are literary devices to advance the story, rather than having a story on their own.
Now, this brings the main issue: this anime feels large and empty, akin to a rushed RPG, in a way. For 23 episodes, it is quite huge, and every character is nothing more than life-sized paper cutouts. You can see the flatness, and you can see that there isn't a lot behind them. And the fa…
Read at the sourceMK_Alex
I haven't written a review in forever. Had to dust off the keyboard just to give my thoughts an relief valve so they don't give me a headache.
Lets get this out of the way, The production is very very good. The music is absolutely top notch, the art style and character designs are fresh and unique, the Japanese voice acting is great, and the animation and direction is excellent 95% of the time.
But unfortunately the great production and the solid first half of the show cannot save the show from the absolutely abhorrent writing that consumes the second half of the show.
I have not read the manga so I am not certain, but I am going to assume that the anime is a faithful adaptation to the manga and that all the flaws in writing are the fault of Sousuke Touka the source materials creator.…
Read at the sourceMtcAlpha
A lot of potential, kinda wasted.
I hate when something that should be a 12-13 episodes anime became a 23 episodes anime, because the effect is always awful.
In this case? Tons of cool, deep artistic moment mixed with tons of extremely stretched moments that give the feeling of being bombarded with Naruto's filler episodes that you can't skip because they are constantly.
If it would have been a 12 episodes anime? 8/10. This 23 episodes anime? Barely 6,since I couldn't give more to an anime that I constantly ponder if I should continue it or drop it, and due to which I slowed down watching anime at all for months.
Suggested? If you have nothing better to watch and you are bored, sure, why not?
Read at the sourceFanfics
I'll keep this short - Ranking of Kings does some interesting stuff with its designs, wordlbuilding and character beats. It's got an interesting premise, both for this story and its world more broadly, and I like that it's experimenting with character designs in a different style than the anime default.
That said, in the end the story fails to really achieve engagement with the audience. Character motives are vague and easily abandoned for essentially no reason - even the main antagonists of the entire series, who orchestrated the conspiracy that sets everything off, don't really have any dedication to their project and are saying stuff like "I dunno man I'm just going with the flow" and "why am I even doing all this" as the finale approaches.
This isn't unrealistic, maybe, but it's not…
Read at the sourcebakuhoenthusiast
Man. I really really really wanted to like this one.
I was so excited by the premise. From the moment I set eyes on our protagonist Bojji, I thought nothing but good things could come out of this show.
Boy, was I wrong.
As many of the other reviews have stated, the first half of this show is fantastic. The characters are all complex and interesting, and Bojji faces many hardships that leave you wondering, “how in the world is this kid going to get through this??” This is unfortunately where the second half decides that it’s going to remove any and all of the actual difficulty and stakes of every single conflict, whether or not it’s involving Bojji, and everyone really just…. Starts making… the most random decisions. Every character flips whichever way the author probably needed them…
Read at the sourceeither17
Absolutely loved it from beginning to the end. The entire season felt like an endearing tale recounting the adventures of a great cast. I have read somewhere else that the conflicts were resolved too quickly - Some were some lasted for longer but overall that allowed the anime to be much more engaging and fast paced with new plot elements being added as the story went on!
The characters were all very loveable and genuine ! While Bojji is undoubtedly the focus of the story and rightly so alongside Kage- other characters deserve the spotlight thanks to their colorful personalities and make the episodes that much more interesting. All the main and support characters were in the end motivated by their own feelings and desires without being inherently bad which made them very relatable.
As…
Read at the sourceImpala
I really wanted to love Ousama Ranking. And honestly, the first half had me completely sold. The animation is gorgeous, the soundtrack is doing a ton of heavy lifting, the art style is charming in a storybook way, and I have no complaints about the voice acting. Bojji is instantly likable, the world feels cruel and unfair in a way that actually hurts, and for a while it felt like I was watching something special.
Then the second half happened, and it quietly kneecapped the whole show.
The core problem is simple: this anime is terrified of consequences. Like, full-on panic attack levels of terrified. No matter how bad things get, nothing ever sticks. Without spoiling anything, characters get mentally wrecked, physically destroyed, stabbed, crushed, cursed, whatever and it almost always ge…
Read at the sourceAshesOnFire19
one thing I have to say straight away is that this show really stands out visually. when it comes to animation quality, the show is honestly in a class of its own. the art style may look simple at first glance, but the way the characters move, the way emotion is drawn into each scene and the clarity of the action is superb. it’s easily one of the show’s biggest strengths. i also want to mention the voice acting. yuki kaji is great as aaida, his switch from a composed king to a terrified young prince in epi 9 genuinely impressed me. and i have to say, i really liked the 2nd opening as well.
the world itself also feels fresh. it starts off looking like a classic fairy tale, but the characters quickly show more depth than their storybook appearances suggest. like my favorite character of the…
Read at the sourceGlassz
Very promising at first, but as the show goes on you begin to question why all of the bad things had to happen. You grow exhausted with anticipation for characters explanations and reasoning's for why they allowed all of this suffering. I was met with a conflicting ending. Even with it's minor problems I do not regret watching this show.
Art was fun.
Music was good.
Atmosphere was great.
Characters were good and I liked many of them. The Queens relationship with Bojji was wonderful and I loved seeing the other characters help him. Watching Bojji forgive others was hard, but worth it (we all struggle to forgive those we love).
Writing was promising and felt off in places and the ending felt somewhat dissatisfying for me.
Should you watch this show? I would say yes. It's different from oth…
Read at the sourceBlackEyedGhost
Ousama Ranking is a walking contradiction. The world is full of terrible selfish people, but they all care about eachother and want what's best for everyone else. The battles are harsh and deadly, but nobody actually dies in battle. Enemy forces invade the kingdom, but decide not to halfway. Bojji is a weak and frail boy whose power was stolen, but is simultaneously the most powerful king of them all. And people around Bojji are traitors who want Bojji dead, but they're also loyal to a fault. Over and over it sets up expectations and rather than subverting those expectations in a way which feels like building upon them, it completely contradicts them. The conflicts feel contrived and if you notice the pattern early, you stop taking the stakes seriously.
Every character is an antagonist (e…
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
Ousama Ranking is well made, as is to be expected from Wit Studio, but the nice guyification of fantasy is becoming a tiresome trend. If it is not a pretense like "gray morality" that rules the day and reveling in vileness, then we are increasingly presented with (basic bitch) layered villains who have the most unbelievable redemption arcs of all time. This results in authors trying to inject a touching backstory into their villain's motivation and having the hero spare or forgive his arch-nemesis, even if what they have done is treacherous, resulting in the deaths of many and the ruination of the kingdom. The trend is a strange one because you'll often see the heroes ruthlessly dispatching their world's equivalent of personality-free stormtroopers or goombas without a thought, but for som…
Read at the sourceEvans_Born
Having finished Ousama ranking, it must be said there is little to object to, and there is much to praise this show in terms of it's narrative merits, and artistic qualities. On the surface it looks like a kid's show, taking many fairy tale tropes and combining them. It then takes them all and re-contextualizes them in a complex narrative frameworks. There is much kids would miss even though they have much to learn and enjoy within it. What is has to say overall is better understood by the mature and sensible. This anime in many respects is written for those who grew up with fairy tales, and as adults forgot all the lessons that were therein. Just like the fairy tales the lessons within make sense for adults and prepare children for some of the challenges of adulthood. Children already kno…
Read at the sourceVrozty
[Ousama Ranking is a surprisingly wholesome fantasy anime with lots of unpredictable twists and turns, with complex worldbuilding and a satisfying ending. It's so wholesome yet doesn't lack a bit in variety - adventure, family, comedy, action, politics, even gore. 10/10]
Perfect, flawless. I enjoyed it through and through, because wholesome happiness is my kind of thing.
Story: The set up, the world building, the twists; they honestly make me so speechless. From start to finish, from the beginning to the end - everything is so well written and well-paced.
The overall storyline is so original and wonderful. The story is a part of the zero-to-hero cliche, but twisted in so many ways resulting in such a complex yet clear writing. From the start, I thought the story will have a very... gloo…
Read at the sourceVasto-Kurogo
What begins as a seemingly simple folk tale, complete with princes and wicked step-aunts, soon reveals itself to be far more than that.
With unexpected twists, layered schemes, and a protagonist so endearing you can't help but root for them, this anime captivates both young and old alike. Breathtaking animation and a perfectly crafted soundtrack elevate the experience, making this a true masterpiece, a stunning reimagining of classic folklore.
On a personal note, I’ve always been a huge fan of classic European fantasy, a genre rarely explored in anime beyond the usual “demon king” trope. That’s why this masterpiece holds a special place in my heart. It stands as a shining example of how beautifully European fantasy can be brought to life in anime.
Read at the sourceCaeruleus_CCXVI
7.5/10 ~ Extremely strong start
Ranking of Kings is a show that really grows on you, it takes a very classic tale of the "Emperor's new cloths", but really builds on it in the most anime way possible, mix in the the art style of something similar to 7DS (and add the ENG VA of Meliodas) pair him with ProZD and Vegeta, add in some fantastic directing and camera work and you get This. However my biggest gripe is right around the time that Vegeta shows up the show just turns into a battle Shonen and really goes down the tube, but most of the main charecters are compelling enough that its kinda worth the slog.
Pros:
- Not every day a Shonen type show makes me cry, this one did have some real touching moments
- most of the cast were enjoyable and or interesting
- the begining 10 or so episod…
Read at the sourceMidniteAndBeyond
BOJJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will be shocked beyond belief if I find another character this year who even comes half as close to being as beloved to me as Prince Bojji. Such a brilliant ball of sunshine who positively impacts the world around him and brings smiles and joy to everyone within it. Literally every single second he was on screen, I was either rooting for him, crying for him, wishing him the best, etc. I was DEVOTED to seeing his success and happiness. I wanted to destroy every single character that brought him any sort of pain, no matter how minor. But of course, Bojji is completely pure-hearted and continuously does his best to better himself and will always help those in need and forgive pe…
Read at the sourceCookie111
I loved the vibe of this series with a slow pace and the fantasy elements of the story characters are built effectively from the interactions between them and the people around them and how they interact with their environment. Boji, the main character, is amazing it is refreshing to see a disabled character who gradually develops and was always strong and capable even though others had been cruel to him building onto the underdog story. I think I appreciate this more as I myself am partially deaf and have other conditions that make the world difficult to interact with having also experienced how people underestimate your abilities because of this. Suffice to say I connected to Boji a lot though while I appreciate his constant positive attitude I do wish he would get angry sometimes but th…
Read at the source
