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This Week in Anime
Why Ranking of Kings Deserves Its Top Spot

by Monique Thomas & Steve Jones,

Ranking of Kings has enjoyed the limelight among ANN readers after a strong debut. So what is it about this fantasy series that is capturing the hearts of viewers?

Note: You can read Daily Streaming reviews for this show here. We also have an interview with the series' manga creator, Sosuke Touka, here.

This series is streaming on Funimation

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.
Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.


@Lossthief @mouse_inhouse @NickyEnchilada @vestenet

Nicky
Hey Steve, pack your things and put on your best walkin' boots cuz this week, we're trekking on an adventure!
Steve
As long as it's an adventure about some very good boys, count me in!
Only the Goodest of Boys, here. The most precious babes. Even if one of them has about the consistency of a couple of fried eggs.
So I'll confess that, despite all my coworkers and entire Twitter timeline gushing over Ranking of Kings for the past two months, it took me until this week to start watching it. I am ashamed of my words and deeds, but I see the light now, and that light is shaped like :>
I'm so delighted and surprised by this show's sudden cult following, but maybe I shouldn't be because Ranking of Kings is an immensely charming coming-of-age story from the get-go about Bojji, a young and disabled prince supported his little shadow friend, Kage. Studio Wit really broke the mold by leaning into a more storybook-style design and colorwork, painting this show in a way that's both cartoony and surprisingly mature while leaning on both western and anime-specific sensibilities for this fantastical tale.
"Storybook" is the exact word for it. There are plenty of anime out there that take cues from fairy and folk tales, but I don't think I've seen another show do as well as Ranking of Kings when it comes to nailing the vibe of being a kid unable to put down one of those books. It's beautiful, it's cozy, it's thrilling, it's scary, it's imaginative, and it's inviting.


Like, damn, it was hard to pick only four images to go there, because every frame of this adaptation bursts with personality and color. It's really good! You should watch it!
It's a great track record for Wit who's been having a streak of ambitious projects, both their adaptions and original works have been teeming with personality this year. But the thing about Ranking is just how good it is at telling it's story. There's about thousands of stories about young underdogs trying to rise to the top but it only works if you have vested interested in said sad puppy. Prince Bojji was born unable to hear, unable to speak, and barely able to hold a sword. While he is constantly put down by others for his disabilities, he's forever an optimistic child who's framed by the animation in such a way it's easy to understand him and root for him even when he himself is unable to speak.

Though a lot of this is also helped by Kage acting as a in-story and audience interpreter, and also equally a sad baby who makes me cry. I love them so much. Is anyone else dehydrated for some reason?
Oh yeah if you are a fan of large globular anime tears, Ranking of Kings is a veritable fountain of them, both inside and outside the show (i.e. on your face).

And as much as I love Bojji, Kage is who actually sold me on the show. Look at this guy. This is peak character design.

Just a tiny little fried egg full of emotions.
He reminds me a lot of Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle tbh, a seemingly jaded little blob of emotions that's actually just another hurt child. And good at cooking.
His backstory in episode two wrecked me. Like, it's nothing out of the ordinary for a thief in a fantasy setting, but making Kage this adorable little goo bro just makes everything about him so much better. And they show his mom, who is a slightly bigger puddle of goo, and they HUG? Are you KIDDING ME?

I am dying just looking at this again.
TWO LITTLE GOO BUTTS HUGGING EACH OTHER AND ONE OF THEM HAS BIG EYELASHES AND I'M SOBBING!
One of the dumbest possible drawings, but Ranking of Kings' alchemy turns it into melodramatic gold.
Yeah, it just speaks for how much confidence it has in itself to make that kind of thing work. And despite being very bright and colorful in the forefront, the actual story is like, pretty dark? Kage had his whole clan killed and was orphaned, there's a lot of focus on how Bojji is treated as a disabled person, and the whole deal with the ranking and the internal politicking with Bojji's younger but more competent brother Daida is some real game of thrones shit that I didn't expect.
It's fitting tho. Beyond some of their sanitized modern versions, a lot of ye olde fairy tales are full of weird, scary, and "grownup" stuff. Ranking of Kings definitely knows what it's pulling from, and it's a lot more interesting for not sugarcoating either the monsters or the cutthroat politics in those stories.
A lot of the adults have these really great more serious and defined designs too, so it's an interesting visual contrast without any sacrifice to their expressiveness or distinctiveness. I'll use Domas as an example here cuz he's both a character I love for how clean his design is and also conflicted about in terms of how he ends up treating Bojji while trying to "protect" him.

He's hot so I might forgive him though.
I dare not hunkshame you, BUT that does bring up a good point: one of Ranking's big thematic obsessions, if not the biggest one, is judging people by their hearts and actions and not by their appearances. For instance, it takes the knightly Domas there and has him do one of the most despicable things in the entire show.

Me sowing, me reaping, etc. etc.
There's equally a thread of people doing bad things for the sake of what they think is the right thing. We see lots of people treat Bojji like crap even though we later find out that they really love him and feel like kingship would be a burden on him. And that sheltering him, putting him down, even letting him get hurt, is easier than having him make his own mistakes and experience growth on his own terms. He gets to be treated as sub-human even though he's also truly beloved by all those who are close to him.

In the same episode we see Domas swear loyalty to Bojji, celebrating his ability to speak to Bojji via sign language. The sign language is also really well-animated and some of the scenes were animated by an actual animator who's hard of hearing and tried to use that to inform her cuts.

It's a very cool—and touching—touch from the animators. As I already detailed in our Blue Period column, I don't know anything about art, but I do know that nobody likes drawing hands, so taking the care to show the sign language is another thing that makes the adaptation so special.

And to the other point, I love that Ranking does such a good job making Bojji lovable without infantilizing him—often through the counter-examples provided by his caretakers. You can see, for example, where the queen is coming from—she has good intentions behind her sharp eyes—maybe he needs to learn how to cook, but he doesn't need to be coddled.

Queen Hilling and Her Son also have this great arrogant schnozz that just makes them look really smug. Runs in the family.
I am equally obsessed both with Hilling's prior fashion sense and with her healer hulk mode. Another masterpiece of character design.
It was really nice to see how much she was actually on Bojji's side, but his one truly ally is Kage, who is the first person who really respects Bojji for who he is. People can't accept Bojji because they want him to be manly and strong like his dad, King Bosse, who is ironically fatally ill. Bojji may not be able to fight like his dad but he's highly determined, kind, and wicked fast! He truly just needs support to find out how to come into his own, instead of trying to become a copy of his own father.

Yeah it turns out Bojji is literally cursed to never be able to wield his giant mom's and giant dad's giant strength. But instead of looking for some way to break that curse, the narrative has so far focused on finding ways that Bojji can succeed with the strength he already has. And considering the story is both literally and metaphorically about disability, I think that's the right way to do it.
This stuff in particular hit close to me as I grew up with a few disabilities. Even though I didn't consider myself disabled for a long time, it was very hard when people often expected me to perform in a way that other more able-bodied people did and not in a way that was more feasible for myself. It hurts being told or feeling that you can't/couldn't do things all the time but I also think about how much my life would've improved if I had people who would listened to and accommodate me in a way that was suitable for what I could do.
Yeah that's what makes the seventh episode so satisfying. After an entire childhood spent spinning his wheels with a wooden sword, Bojji finally finds someone with both the will and ability to accomodate him. And look for far he gets after a few lessons.

Bojji: 1, Boulder: 0
I'm totes excited to see what he actually picked up too! Though, even when Bojji receives help, I'm totally unsure who to trust in this world. Everyone really seems to be after something and there's always the feeling of weirder, more ominous shit, going on.
Yeah I mean, historically, I don't think talking to a magic mirror has ever worked out in anybody's favor, and Ranking hasn't done anything to dissuade that perspective.
Poor Daida. For such an absolute little shit, in my opinion, he's actually a pretty noble and complex character, that's totally being manipulated and screwed over by the whole game.
He's set up at first as the heel to Bojji's most baby of faces, but he certainly is just as layered and lovable. And blessed by the Face God.

The smears in this show are SO GOOD. It was actually really hard for me to get many of the cool sword fights because I couldn't stop looking at all the smears or figure out how to do it justice.
The swordfight in the premiere especially pops off. I'm assuming all the sakuga nerds have already gotten on the Ranking boat, but consider this your boarding whistle if you've been straggling.

I'm not a sakuga nerd myself, so I don't know what I'm talking about. However, I do like how the show makes the most of simple character designs, using a lot of smears and perspective tricks to give them a satisfying sense of fullness. Plus, and I cannot stress this enough, I love this stretchy egg boy.
The show goes pretty hard in other ways too, I love Bebin's snakes. And then all the weird magic shit and the designs for the other kings are equally weird. Like the random void that eats the souls of animals and then poops out new ones. The forest king was NUTS!

It's breathlessly creative! It keeps pulling from so many mythologies and iconographies and philosophies, yet they're all integrated in a way that feels natural. Like every episode we see a little bit further into the workings behind this world, and they're all stranger and more awe-inspiring than we initially assumed. For instance, I love the moment when we learn that Bojji happens to be buds with a giant two-headed snake. It's yet another early sign that Bojji can form friendships and alliances all on his own, and it foreshadows Bebin's loyalty, in addition to being a small, sweet, and visually striking diversion.
Yeah, and that's another "not what it seems moment". Like Bebin might be scary snake man, and Daida a little shit, but they may actually be more honest characters than someone like Domas who waffles on his real virtues. Even the King himself isn't spared from him. After he dies an oni is left by his bedside. The king declares Bojji as his successor which makes nobody happy, even though they greatly respected Bosse.

This makes me think the King did some shady ass shit and it might be tied to why Bojji is the way that he is.

In retrospect, burping up Satan upon death was a pretty big clue he wasn't such a great guy huh.

I like that the thematic through-line of Daida's plot is a fairly straightforward example of the ways in which power—especially in monarchies and oligarchies—is an inherited and corrosive force, but Ranking goes out of its way to show us every gruesome step of the resurrection potion concoction. Just really hammering how gross it all is. Don't trust creepy disembodied voices and eggs. I know what I'm talking about.
LOVE TO SEE THE FROZEN CORPSE OF YOUR DAD GET SLUSHIFIED, FED TO AN EGG, AND THEN CUT OFF THAT GIANT BIRD'S HEAD TO DRINK IT'S BLOOD!


It's so freakin' metal.
I have it on good authority that this is also how the British Crown's succession works. Meanwhile I love that Bojji is just kinda chilling in Hell right at the same time. It's a mood.
Also the king of hell is Waluigi, but don't tell him that cuz he's got a complex about his face.
Ranking being as empathetic as it is, even Waluigi gets a little pathos. As a treat.
Even Daida gets some, he calls Domas a coward for betraying his own pupil. He refuses the magic mirror's order because he wants to grow strong on his own, and it's clear he's still just another child who wants the same love and attention Bojji gets. I love my shitty son. Every character in this show is just so full of layers. Like an ogre.
The jerk who killed Kage's mom can get bent, but otherwise I wholeheartedly agree! Ranking is a lovable show full of lovable characters, with a wide swathe of influences and a pioneering spirit in how it blends them together. It barely feels like we've gotten started, too. The narrative has been so winding and whip-quick, I can hardly believe it every time the end credits show up.
It's a 24-episode season and apparently the manga is still ongoing so that might be true, but it's been one of the best shows to tune-in every week. I have no idea what's going to happen but every episode is just super fun. creative, and engaging experience. It can even be super tense and it's not afraid to be weird.

If one thing I'm kinda worried about some of the twists or if it suddenly takes a turn that might be too dark that it goes against tone? When Daida drinks the Dad Juice, he kinda stops being himself (literally) and it felt a little sad if that were truly the end of his character arc with the little bits they had done to set him up. And it makes me feel like with the existing characters I really want to see ways that they could possibly redeem themselves. But the show has been pulling things off so well, I have the utmost confidence in it, so far.

I'm hoping this dream sequence foreshadows that we haven't seen the last of Daida proper, but the show has also certainly bought enough good will to earn my trust regardless.

And honestly, as long as Ranking keeps giving me good smol Bojjis, I can hardly complain.
Yeah, as long as Bojji keeps being tiny and cute the show will remain as an uplifting source for me and I can't wait for everyone to jump on this anime that quickly climbed to the top rankings of my heart.
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