Ranking of Kings – Bojji the Beloved

Production

The first thing anyone will notice (or tell you) about Ranking of Kings, is the art style. It looks like a children’s picture book. An illustrated fairytale for kids just starting to learn how to read. And make no mistake, that is very much on purpose. The art style adds so much to the atmosphere and feel of Ranking of Kings that I can’t imagine it any other way. It might be an acquired taste for those who prefer their anime characters in the detailed bishie style but it adds so much character that I think most people would agree that it was a great choice. Not to mention that it really makes Ranking of Kings stand out.

But just because there is something childish in the designs and art, doesn’t mean it’s not good.

There’s a character named Kage in the series. He shares the lead with Bojji. Kage is a cursed human and his form is just a shadow. In practice that means he is a rough two circle completely black shape with a simple eye in each circle. He occasionally puts out a pincer-like arm. Ok, it’s ridiculous for me to try to describe it. Here’s Kage:

As you can see, this is not a very detailed design. A child could probably draw it. He has no features to speak of other than his eyes and those are fairly crude as well. But the point I’m driving to is that Kage is one of the more expressive anime characters I have ever seen. With those simple shapes and minimal features, the animators over at Wit were able to create a full range of emotion that can be clearly seen on Kage’s face without the need of dialogue. I can’t even explain how they do it. Magic?

The simplicity of the designs and art style is sitting atop a very well crafted anime with a complex and skillful production.

However for me, that’s not the impressive part, believe it or not. The visuals are great but it’s the sounds that had me mesmerized. First of all the score is often great. I have several notes in my notebook that just have the word SCORE in all caps and underlined as during different parts of the season, I was taken by how wonderful the music was for the scene.

And then there’s Bojji. Bojji doesn’t exactly speak. He has been deaf his entire life so he has never learned how to communicate with words. But he isn’t mute, he can make sounds. However it’s those sort of formless grunts and yelps that are common in people who have never been able to hear. And he stays that way the entire show.

The reason I said Kage is one of the more expressive anime characters, rather than most expressive, is because he simply doesn’t hold a candle to Bojji. Now Bojji is also more emotional to begin with so there is more expression to be had. Still, I spent the entire season just marvelling at how much I empathized or even related to Bojji. Even in scenes where he is alone and there is no actual dialogue, you can clearly understand Bojji.

I kept thinking how challenging this role must have been for the voice actor. It’s a pretty involved performance and Bojji has to carry a number of very different scenes more or less by himself. Not to mention hold his own as a character when surrounded by a very strong cast that have actual dialogue. Bojji is voiced by Minami Hinata, and you’re never going to believe this! Are you ready for it? It’s her first voice role! At least the first one listed on AniList. That is amazing! I don’t know if this lady captured lightning in a bottle or if she’s a genius. I’m going to have to watch out for her future roles to find out!

Story & Characters

I spent a lot of time on the production of Ranking of Kings. It really is rather unique. The thing is, the story is just as unique but much more complex. I admit, I’m a little intimidated by how to start a proper review.

I’m not going to go over the plot too much. Bojji wants to prove himself a worthy king so he goes on an adventure with his new friend Kage and meets a lot of eccentric (and dangerous) people along the way. At times, I saw traces of A Night on the Galactic Railway, at other times, I saw Game of Thrones. While Bojji is on his quest, the entire castle that he’s left behind, have their own problems to deal with.

Even though I talk of Bojji and Kage a lot, and they are the main characters, this isn’t a simple buddy adventure story. It’s a large cast epic with personal stories and histories continuously intertwining. Ranking of Kings has this gift for creating a very recognizable character archetype and then subverting it in a completely relatable way. No one in Ranking of Kings was what I expected them to be, except perhaps Bojji but I expected him to be great. However, when faced with their personal histories and motivations, everyone in Ranking of Kings made perfect sense. There wasn’t any contrived or forced subversions for the sake of it, this was simple a case of very developed and layered characters that are more than meets the eye.

One of the messages of the show is to not judge a book by it’s cover. And both the production and the character development enforce that message on a meta-level.

If anything is going to rub people the wrong way, I figure it’s going to be the ending. I’m not going to spoil it, ok maybe I will a bit. Be warned I’m going to give a very general statement that’s still going to tell you a lot about the ending. So the ending was a bit odd and unexpected in a way. It’s also very happy and that’s surprising because Ranking of Kings can be very brutal at times.

I liked the ending for the most part. I certainly liked the happy part! And I understand the weird part.

One of the things about this show is that there is no real bad guy. Let me rephrase that, everyone is a bad guy at times. Every character has their own interest and occasionally those will clash with the interests of the characters you like best. Also everyone in this story is flawed, occasionally deeply so, and they will act in ways that are just terrible because of those flaws. But no one is evil per see. No one is simply selfish or power-hungry or greedy. They all have other things going on as well, and with the exception of a few minor characters, everyone ultimately has noble goals. Often, the antagonists in this story are what happens when a character has a whole lot of sympathy but very little empathy. And I think that’s fascinating as a character study. And Ranking of Kings is a story that truly loves its characters.

I have avoided going into specifics because we would be here all day. I’m not kidding, I have something to say about everyone and every episode. And everyone got a backstory. That still amazes me. No character left behind!

I am going to make an exception for Hiling. Queen Hiling has one of my favourite characterizations in the show and just in general. Both her flaws and qualities shine very bright. However, at one point her son is in danger and the fury with which she responds was awe-inspiring. Hiling is a mother. She is also a whole lot of other things. Her character was never reduced to just one aspect and I appreciate that a lot. But the fact that she was also a ruler, a maiden trying to impress her new husband, a healer and occasionally a target, never took away from her being a mother either. And the way that motherhood is illustrated through her character is wonderful. I occasionally see these great mothers in anime and I’m always thrilled. Too often they get ignored or killed for some personal tragedy in the lead character’s backstory. It’s not easy being a mom in anime. So when one gets a chance at the spot light and is balanced so well, I have to call it out. (Erased also has a great mom character).

Let me say right now, this post has not captured Ranking of Kings. It really is a show you have to experience for yourself. And because it is so unusual in many ways, I figure it won’t be for everyone. But you’ll see quickly enough for yourself, so you should just try a few episodes. And go watch those OPs!

You might like this anime if:

You like adult fairytales that seem like they are for kids at first glance.

I save all my screencaps on my Pinterest and you can find more there if you are interested. But I still like to show you a few in the post. If you’re like me, screencaps are something that really helps you decide to watch an anime or not.