Love Equivalent Strength | Moral Ethics Of Being Omnipotent - Ousama Ranking

Image source

I've been getting super invested in fantasy animes as well as mangas. I still have Claymore left to watch and reading Berserk is literally having me tripping. But soon as I heard about Ousama Ranking, I thought it was going to be a sweet fairy tale about a deaf, mute kid trying to outdo everyone's expectations. Turns out it had a lot more going.

This is a pretty intense show, as all the characters have something at stake. Some of them goes to great lengths to prove their loyalty to their lieges, while the ones clawing their way to the top look for power from all places.

It has elements from brutal fantasy stories and has embedded them into a story about a small prince trying to rise to the ladder to the highest ranking of kings. But the protagonist himself has to confront a traumatizing, ruthless world where the strong rules in order to protect themselves from all kinds of threats like mythical beasts, a race of ogres against humanity, nebulous beings of power that have unprecedented power, and worse, treasures from god himself that'll drive anyone insane.

And yeah, this show had a good number of tearjerking moments. I never cried like this before, and I did it after the first 3 episodes. With up to 16 episodes so far, it is still broadcasting, but the show never disappoints me, which is why it'll be an interesting one to dissect.

---

---

Image source

Based on the somewhat popular manga in Japan, which didn't get its localization yet, the series is written by Sōsuke Tōka. This is his first-ever publication, which I assume also explains the lackluster artstyle. Despite that, it offered a brilliant story and a rich cast of characters.

One of which Wit Studio is now following to adapt as an ongoing anime series. They've already confirmed that part 2 is also on the way. With 7 episodes left, the first season is stated to be covering till volume 12 of the manga.

Image source

The manga has been running since 2017, over 12 volumes have already been released. So I guess we'll have to wait awhile before the second part releases. The manga series sales are reaching close to 2 million now. That number should be going up a lot after the success of the adaptation.

---

---

Image source

You could call this maybe a Ghibli-inspired work, because of the whimsy and charm it retains, yet the world is deceptively violent and brutal. Of course, Ghibli's works are a bit more multifaceted than that and tend to have grueling stuff about it whether it's depicted by art or thematically. Here, people deal with all sorts of monstrosities, from things that come out of different dimensions as well as different variations of beasts we know from fictional literature like Conan The Barbarian.

This show has so much of that in all spades. The ranking that is bestowed upon each king is based on their ability to rule and fight against all manner of foes. The kings here aren't for show, they have to portray prowess of nearly godlike powers from incredible strength, agility, to having magical powers the likes of shooting lightning out of their hands.

Image source

In one particular scene, Bojji is stuck dealing with a mad king who teaches him a ritualistic dance in order to pay respects to the giant ethereal being which creates all wildlife. Thinking that this is a somber, holistic moment, the situation contorts itself into something more dreadful when the king starts looking at Bojji as something to eat.

Which pretty much depicts the kind of world that the show represents. It's full of wonders, yet it has dangers of all kinds as well on an equal scale. The characters are hard-trained warriors to kings dealing with deception and are on their quest for immortality. It's also a violent show like people lose their limbs and children of other races get tortured.

Amidst all that, stands this one little guy who manages to be very endearing that not only affects the audience, but the characters around him. They begin to appreciate life in different ways. Because of his presence. Even with his shortcomings and attributes that he lacks compared to others with incredible power, and with him being disabled, he makes up for it with his very heightened reflexes and insane agility.

Image source

The show is smart enough to recognize the different strengths of these characters, including the protagonist who realizes that even being deaf, he can read very well and learn different ways to exploit anyone's weaknesses, including the most powerful kings.

---

This is a brilliant show, it's really growing on me and in time it feels as if it'll get only better from here. There's so much of it still unraveling and taking you by surprise. Only Wit Studio can do justice with something like this.

Also choke-full of funny moments such as this.

Image source