This is going to be complicated…
There are a few exceptions, but I’ve rarely felt so conflicted about a series at its conclusion. Even the finale itself is a bit hard to categorize, but it’s really the series itself – everything that built up to it – that’s the issue. Whatever my thoughts are now, figuring out where to place this show at the end of the year is going to be incredibly difficult. Some of that depends on what sort of year it is of course, but it would be true irrespective of that. I can say for certain that what once looked like a dark horse AotY candidate certainly isn’t going to be that.
I could pile on the finale but like I said, that was really just the symptom, not the illness. I’m not going to disagree with anyone hating on the first five minutes – as I assume any viewer with a grain of common sense will be doing. As for what came after I suspect a lot of people are going to be hating on that, too. But that’s more complicated for me. In some ways I was kind of OK with it actually (which I’m sure will be a minority opinion), at least in principle. But it doesn’t negate the damage that had been done.
I’ll at least say this much. I was close to bailing (or smashing my monitor) during those first five minutes. To go full Roger Ebert I hated that part. Hated hated hated hated hated it. But I knew it was coming – last week decided that. And I’ve got too much affection for Ousama Ranking to bail with 15 minutes left in the final episode (and I’m glad I didn’t). If the rest of that episode being OK (for me) doesn’t negate the damage the Miranjo arc did, that damage likewise doesn’t negate the good the series had done up to then. Even as recently as Episodes 19-21 it was really, really good. Seriously good, sometimes great. And that shit don’t grow on trees.
A lot of virtual ink has been spilled on the Miranjo debacle, not least by me. So there’s not much point in belaboring that point, but this was just wrong on so many levels. I mean, what right does Daida have to forgive Miranjo and pre-empt the right of all the innocents she wronged not to? And that “thumbs-up” from her murder victims – I threw up in my mouth a little. That was awful, all of it. The only redeeming element was that Daida didn’t quibble with surrendering the throne to Bojji (interesting that it was Doumas who suggested it). But that’s grasping at straws, honestly.
Things improved starting with the prime minister and justice minister showing up after having literally been in hiding while the shit was hitting the fan. There were good moments here – starting with Hilling (who has more self-awareness than anyone in the cast) admitting that she was the one who “stole” Bojji’s self-confidence. That she did it out of love is to be acknowledged, but she never believed in Bojji’s strength – only his kindness. Then we had Kage choosing to leave, which I’m sure will be met with some outrage. I kind of get it – I could see him feeling that an association with a socially poisonous figure like him would be bad for a new king trying to gain the trust of his people. I don’t think it was out of character.
Now, Bojji deciding to give the throne back to Daida and found his own kingdom? A controversial plot choice, I’m sure. I don’t hate it – not like the Miranjo trainwreck anyway. I’m not sure I agree with it, and I don’t know if Bojji would have done it if Kage had stuck around. But Bojji did quite clearly have more fun adventuring around than he did being king, so sure – if he wants to bail, I could see a kid his age doing that. That it sort of invalidates a lot of the plot development in the first 22 episodes is a problem, though. This was Bojji’s kingdom by rights, and his whole journey was, to an extent, about getting it back. And how does the whole #1 ranking thing (you know, the title) happen when the strongest isn’t actually a king?
That question is something Part II of the manga (which recently began) is going to have to address, I suppose. I have no idea whether it’s going to happen in anime form eventually – this series has done decently well commercially so it’s certainly possible (though not for a few years). If indeed we do get an anime continuation, it’s going to be a difficult prospect to assess. I’ll watch and cover, certainly – Ousama Ranking has already proved it can deliver the goods for extended stretches, and I adore Bojji and Kage and their Gon/Killua dynamic. But my expectations are certainly going to be tempered by the serious stumbles in the second cour.
Endings are important (I’ve said that before). How important is an endlessly fascinating question that defies easy answering. The greatness of the first cour (and some of the second) is what it is – the ending doesn’t change that. But the ending is what a lot of the post-airing conversation is going to be obsessing over, and that makes me sad. Wit did a wonderful job with this series, and so did first-time mangaka Touka Sousuke before he kind of lost the plot (literally). We shouldn’t forget that – at its best Ousama Ranking set a standard for for visual brilliance and storytelling that 2022 will be hard-pressed to beat.
When I think back on Ousama Ranking I’m going to try and see Bojji and his smiling face, Kage’s undying loyalty, Despa’s decency and wit, and Hilling’s fierce kindness rather than the unfortunate missteps of the final arc. Fortunately that’s not so hard to do, because the strengths of this series were formidable indeed. Work of this quality is not so common in anime that one can afford to toss it aside when things start to go awry. And my hope is that in the fullness of time, that will dictate how this series is remembered.
Marty
March 25, 2022 at 9:45 pmThe first 5 minutes of this episode reminded me of the Pain Arc in Naruto and the stereotype in so many modern shounen to “talk the enemy out of villany” that I find irredeemably annoying. Creating a sympathetic villain (or in this case attempting to) doesn’t mean they’re STILL not a villain, and have done villainous things for which they must pay for.
That being said, I’m OK with Bojji’s decision. He always felt like an adventurer at heart and has already proven that he is kingly material, might as well establish his own kindgom through his own might.
A lot of the questions I have for this finale, unfortunately, won’t be answered until Part II. Besides the whole Desha Ranking and Ouken Situation, I really thought Kingbo would have a greater part to play in this story.
All in all, my immediate feelings are a 9/10 story became a 7/10 (10/10 are truly elite masterpieces in this context). The Miranjo Rehab Arc was a huge miss, but like u said, there are too many other strengths on the show to completely collapse it over that poor writing choice.
dauntingoverlord
March 25, 2022 at 10:06 pmYeah, this show really fell apart for me. It felt like it betrayed its own setup. Real disappointed, and cemented this winter season as pretty much a wash for me.
L0ken
March 25, 2022 at 10:19 pmConsidering I didn’t really care about moral notions that villains should pay and be accountable for their crimes in stories like this or Daida hooking with Miranjo,this arc really didn’t ruin much for me.The writing did become more clumsy in second half,but still 8.5/10 from me.
Guardian Enzo
March 25, 2022 at 10:26 pmI may not be far off that overall score, though I don’t generally think about these things on a 10–point scale.
It’s a classic “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” scenario for me.
Arjuna
March 26, 2022 at 1:05 amI like how Bojji showed that he was capable of running the Kingdom. It atleast looked like he was doing a good job and it also seem to be what he expected.
People say he is more of an going on Adventures type character and that might be true but he seems to be a competent ruler and has no issue with the paper work. I like that.
BluBlu
March 26, 2022 at 1:39 amCome on, no mention of the great Kingbo comeback? Honestly, throughout all the episode, I was anxious about how he would come back in that magnificent second part. Anyway, this is what is called long-shot smart scenario I think…
I have already said but the first part was fantastic (to say the least) and I am saying that while absolutely not being part of the cutie cutie cinamon roll poor Boiji club. Kage always interested me more and I really appreciated the lore. But as I have also already said, to me, all that second part was a headache. Of course, last episode was the best of the worst but, everything throughout that second part was already progressively bad to make it not that surprising. Even though, I never thought that I would reach the point to say “bunch of egoistical *expletive*” as episode 22 made me say.
Anyway, I love the lore and Kage so I won’t spit on that ending. But that writing to reach it… The obsession for gray characters never made a story smart for me, let alone all the super wannabee deep, mysterious, and super duper twist of the planet, especially when you can make more simple. But anyway, as I always say, I respect feelings.
Good job on Wit and also producers who found the money for that and Vaundy for that wonderful second opening and Yama for that also wonderful first ending.
Collectr
March 26, 2022 at 1:39 amThe first five minutes are straight out of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, when Darth Vader, who has slaughtered millions, is somehow apotheosized into a noble hero and given an approving sendoff by the ghosts of Jedis past – at least one of whom he killed. If viewers can swallow that (I couldn’t), Miranjo’s redemption, and the nodding approval of the ghosts, should be a digestible piece of cake.
The tone of the final episode reminds me of the conclusion of Act I of “Into the Woods”, when the Narrator says, “And it came to pass, all that seemed wrong was now right, and those who deserved to were certain to live a long and happy life. Ever after…” Of course, the “deserving” have committed fraud, theft, and even manslaughter, but hey, they’re the good guys. Of course, if you’ve seen that show, you know that the chickens come home to roost in a BIG way in the second act; but here, probably not.
Si
March 27, 2022 at 12:25 amImo with Vader it makes more sense because it’s a personal thing; he receives forgiveness from his son, and the other Jedi who appear are also closely related to him (and have reason to feel like they share some guilt for the road he eventually went down). But he’s still dead. That would have been equivalent to Miranjo being released from the demon and passing on with Bosse. This was more as if Luke saved Darth Vader, had him healed so he could remove the armour, and then proposed him as President of the newly formed Republic because hey, he’s changed now!
Riv
March 26, 2022 at 6:28 amI really lost interest in the show during these last few episodes and haven’t even watched them and won’t take the time to either. The Miranjo arc was a complete nonstarter for me. I enjoyed the beginning, although it isn’t in my top shows of the year, personally.
Simone
March 27, 2022 at 12:22 amEh, the Miranjo thing is honestly just the culmination of a trend this show has had for its whole run. While not being always “kiddy” in content, with plenty of violence and existential horror all around, one thing it has always done consistently is chicken out of killing any named character. This whole mess full of war and fighting ends with King Bosse as the only victim – died of natural causes. Miranjo was just the cherry on top, not just resurrected but rehabilitated. I think this is the limit of trying too hard to NOT be cynical in any way – forgiveness for everyone can feel as wrong as edgy thirst for revenge, when the crimes are at the level of what was seen here. I agree that it would definitely have been a lot more appropriate if Daida simply wished for Miranjo’s soul to be able to pass on, free from the demon’s torture, and rejoin Bosse in the afterlife.
As for the rest of the ending… eh. When Bojji’s whole motivation was wanting to be King for like the entire show, seeing him go “you know what, this is boring, gonna bail and go on more adventures with Kage” hit kinda weird. If anything it kinda confirms what everyone said from day one, that personality-wise he’s just not King material, no matter how strong and brave he may be. The whole drama with Kage simply leaving felt a bit forced too (“he’ll have no use for me”… gee, sure, Kage, you’re just the perfect infiltrator and spy, no way a King will have any use for a loyal friend with those skills…). And overall this whole episode was sort of dragged out. I usually appreciate proper epilogues but given how cringe most of the content was here, this felt slightly unpleasant and boring to watch instead.
I wouldn’t say the show is ruined for me but yeah, it puts an asterisk next to any recommendation I might want to make in the future. It’s a good show, even great at times, BUT.
Bounty
March 27, 2022 at 3:37 amThis episode was bad from start to finish. In a sense, I am impressed how basically every narrative choice in 23 minutes was wrong and actually ruined previous episodes (like Kingbo coming in and handling Ouken in such a cheap way that ruins the entire fight against him that happened before…)
I am honestly dumbfounded, I didn’t expect it to be this bad, and makes me end with a 5 out of 10 score (indicative, since I don’t trust numeric scores that much anymore). On a more practical level, I won’t be suggesting anyone watch this series, I don’t think it deserves the time unless someone suddenly stops watching it at episode 10 or something like that. It feels especially bad since I was sure this wasn’t going to be a trainwreck but an actual AotY, and I carefully select my anime in order to watch what I am sure I’m going to enjoy. What a disappointment this was.