No question about it, Ousama Ranking can get pretty damn brutal when it wants to. It’s a slightly different sort of brutality than one gets in Made in Abyss or Hunter X Hunter (less fetishy than the former can be, and less unutterably bleak than the latter) – more “straightforward” if you will. But it has the same effect of clashing with the visual motifs of the series. There’s no question that discordance makes the brutal moments hit that much harder. And one feels as if nothing is off limits, which gives the whole enterprise a threatening air which heightens the tension considerably.
This episode is titled “The Kingdom in Turmoil”, and it’s certainly a fitting one. Dorsche and Hilling are making a desperate stand at the castle – aided by Anne, leader of the knights protecting the Queen (if we’ve met Anne before, I don’t recall it). Apeas stands by and watches helplessly, yearning to intervene but restrained by his allegiance to Miranjo (I’m still not sure why that loyalty is so strong). Miranjo’s pet crims are preparing to wreak their own sort of havoc, and what should be the cavalry riding in to save the day – the Underworld’s royal guard – is actually there to take advantage of the chaos and seize the kingdom. What a mess.
Dorsche has certainly prepared well for the magical beasts, and Anne is a more than able warrior, but there are just so damn many of them. Things only get worse when the convicts join the fray. Black and Red are pretty clearly small fry, but Gigan is a problem, and he makes serious problems for Dorsche. whatever Zokku’s hand is, he hasn’t shown it yet – there has to be some power backing up the authority he exerts over the others besides a silver tongue. But of course we know it’s Ouken who’s the real threat.
Ouken is an interesting one. Upon arrival the captain of the Underworld guard refers to him as “Prince Ouken”, which pretty much confirms him either as Death-har and Death-par’s brother or one of their sons (and they don’t look old enough to have a son that age). He also has the ability to heal himself or is just altogether undead or a demon already, and he’s weak against light – at least Hilling’s “Holy Light” spell. Hilling manages to heal Anne after Ouken cuts her down, but as we’ve seen using all this magic really takes it out of her. And with Anne down for the count and Dorsche in no position to protect her, the clock appears to be running out for Hilling.
Poor Dorsche is literally being ripped apart, and it’s too much for Apeas – he finally uses his spear for good, though it may be too little, too late. Miranjo lays her cards on the table – she killed the old queen because giant women can only have one child, and she needed Bosse to have more to prolong his own life. The nature of her hold over Apeas and indeed her motivations for doing what she does remain a mystery – perhaps the most important mystery in the series.
Ousama Ranking seems to be a story of good persevering against overpowering evil, but that never comes easily. The conflicted existences of most of the cast reflect the moral ambiguity that reigns in this world. Bojji may have powered up but he’s still very small against all the wickedness arrayed against him. There’s Bebin, an enigma but certainly someone who seems to fall on the side of decency (and may be about to free Daida). And Death-par of course, who’s warned the captain not to try and take on Ouken himself and most especially not to let Bojji do so, as Ouken is his “natural enemy”. But he’s on that damn fat horse and his arrival may come too late for more than one of the good guys (and even maybe guys)…
Bounty
January 14, 2022 at 10:54 pmThis episode was definitely lackluster.
The fights weren’t fluidly animated like the past ones, a lot of shocking asspulls from some characters, the red beasts suddenly level down in power and become fodder when a few eps ago Drusi was almost losing to 3 of them with a full armor suit. No, the fact that he didn’t know how they fought is completely pointless. While this is true how come a bunch of kunais suddenly become the perfect weapon for instakilling the enemies? And how come are the beasts that stupid, anyway? There were countless of better tactics than waiting in a circle while getting decimated by kunais.
For some reason, the beasts were letting King Hilling escape and didn’t just kill her on the spot even though in-universe they have been established as quite smart. No, Miranjo didn’t just stop them. In a way she did, but they could have killed her countless times before. And even after that, when Miranjo left with Apis, she clearly commanded the beasts to attack Hilling and Dursi.
Also, how is Drusi coming back to life because of the power of loyalty and beating the giant with his hammer? “He didn’t actually kill him so it’s fine” is not a valid justification. Moreover, he was shown in a puddle of blood, cracked under the pressure of the hammer. The exposition shows a completely different story than what people are alluding to.
Also, why did Hilling attack the entire castle with just 4 troops at her disposal? Where are all the other soldiers? Why would you not use them while launching your all-out attack to retake the kingdom? No amount of justifications is good “They wouldn’t stand a chance, they are still loyal to King Boss…” this is pure speculation. If they don’t show a scene on-screen then it’s just pointless theorizing to fill the gaps.
Really bad step down in quality, which is a shame because I consider most if not all episodes so far to be plausible and extremely good.
Let’s hope the show is not going downhill from here.
Red
January 15, 2022 at 12:50 amUneven in terms of animation and choreography though the tension manages to hold it in. I hope this isn’t some sort of a new budget approach from the production committee.
BluBlu
January 15, 2022 at 4:38 amI had many comments to make but…as somebody else already almost summed up all of them quite well. This is funny because after last week episode, I was starting to wonder what that manga/anime could do wrong. Well, I really hope that second part won’t be at the same level (especially scenario-wise) than this episode. Regarding animation, every series (especially if not split-cour) has some letdown moments so this is normal (and always better if it allows some staff “rest”) so I won’t panic (won’t be surprised if it had been mainly outsourced but I don’t know) Anyway, nothing is perfect, so…
Anyway, I am interested in understanding that intriguing universe so for me this is fine. But, my main critics will really start to be the handling of death (especially after the end of episode 12). Yeah, this is brutal, gruesome but so far this is more shocking factor (except for limbs). I will be the last person being surprised and complained about people surviving the worst injuries in anime “non-realistic” fiction but I will be honestly quite disappointed if the only person really dying in that show will be THAT person just for shocking/power-up factor. But also, so many mysteries surrounding the “true nature” of the characters.
On another matter, one friend told me that the early episodes were animating a huge number of volumes. So I am starting wondering if it will be a full animation of the 12 volumes.
blargnobia
January 15, 2022 at 9:27 amUff, tense episode. Go save your step-mom, Bojii!
Random thoughts:
There was one panel very early in the manga that vaguely hints about Apeas’ backstory, but I don’t think it made it into the anime.
Anyone else laugh when the soldier said “Bojji’s here to save us” before passing out? It didn’t seem like sarcasm, but no one in the kingdom knows about Bojji’s power-up and he already had a reputation for being a weak, foolish, deaf child. …actually it kind of pisses me off that people expect Bojji to save them, considering how little they used to think of him. I suppose that’s a king’s duty, though.
Ouken wouldn’t be half as creepy if he didn’t have those blushing, chubby cheeks. That’s just nightmare fuel. Interesting that Despa thinks he can defeat him.
Miranjo’s anti-theft protection needs work.
Lastier
January 15, 2022 at 11:04 pmI don’t particularly wish to pile on negativity but I think this series has started to lose me with this episode. Though from the very beginning, I was not quite on board with the rapturous praise people were handing out. I never really found Bojji to be a compelling character (unlike Gon, for instance). The pitiable way he’s portrayed felt high-key emotionally manipulative (eg, the constant crying/welling up of tears). I’m not immune to it but it feels like the author is constantly telling me to feel bad for him, even when I already do.
What ultimately won me over was, as you have pointed out, all the other characters have a great deal of nuance and refuse to be pigeon-holed. Bebin, Dorsche, Apeas, and Domas all seemed to go one way and then went another and even now, it’s impossible to predict their true motivations or future actions.
My main issue right now is pacing. Ever since the focus shifted to Miranjo and Bosse, it’s been complete chaos. There are so many questions, and very few answers, but all it feels dragged out and I don’t know if I’ll be satisfied because I’ve been teased for a bit too long. By comparison, the training arc with Despa was I suppose more straightforward but far more entertaining. Full disclosure though, I think 2-cour series do tend to lose me, even when the first cour is very strong (Dororo and Great Pretender come to mind).
Zooming in on the actual details this episode just makes me more frustrated.
I don’t think the series’s strength is in extended action episodes. What went down here felt lacking in rhythm and purpose.
Hiling’s last stand was woefully underprepared, and she herself was a huge liability. It’s not heroic, she looks downright foolish with her bulky armor and completely lack of combat ability, basically just waiting to be attacked and for her royal guards to sacrifice themselves for her. Again, this feels manipulative. Prior episodes already (and more effectively) made the point that she is kind and worth protecting, and in those contexts, I really did see her value. This was a fumble.
To my point about the action lacking rhythm — I’m talking about Dorsche easily beating multiple beasts, then getting pulverized by the orc (flattened, bleeding out), then going berserker (seemingly stronger than ever, and unharmed? Jojo-style) and then ultimately getting mauled by the beasts that he was easily beating earlier. Also the back and forth of the mirror being stolen from Apeas, him getting up, only to get knocked back down by someone else. And even Ouken attacking the townsfolk, why does it seem like everyone there is just standing around waiting to be cut down? It’s bizarre. This is the sort of unremarkable runtime-filling action I’d expect from a weaker series like Fire Force.
Not sure how to close this out and sorry for being a wet blanket if you are still greatly enjoying this series. I guess I just felt I had to call out what I thought was a very weak episode and I hope it returns to form soon by playing on its strengths.