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Ranking of Kings Season 1 Review

Ranking of Kings is a fantasy anime series that premiered its first season in 2021. It consists of 23 episodes and it’s such a good new show.

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“I want to be in your corner from now on,

no matter what happens“

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The story is about a little prince named Bojji who is deaf-mute but above all naïve, because despite many criticisms from his people about his accession to the throne, he does his best and dreams of becoming the greatest of kings. It’s a wildly entertaining anime throughout, at least in this first season. It starts off in a fairly childlike tone, but then it becomes progressively darker. The tone is uneven, I have to say, but at least those more mature themes and darker moments made for a more interesting series for adults as well.

Bojji is such a wonderful protagonist. It is important that he is deaf-mute, but that never defines him. He is so endearing that you really root for him throughout, though I did find the ways that they made him stronger somewhat silly. Kage is also great and the two’s friendship was superbly realized.

But I did wish to have seen more of Kage and his backstory. That’s the main issue that I’ve had with this series. For a story named Ranking of Kings, we never got to see the actual ranking process and how it works. The show’s emphasis on characters first and foremost is a double-edged sword. It leads to better developed characters and more heart, but it left its world and the bigger story undercooked, which bothered me.

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Daida was interesting, but sidelined in the second half of the story. The king was very unlikable, but Hiling genuinely becoming a heroine was a great development. She ended up being one of the best characters on the show and one of the most likable. Domas and his regret over trying to kill the prince were so well realized. He’s a terrific character.

Ranking of Kings has a great world, but again it needed more development. I loved the various creatures that were well incorporated into the action in particular. The fights were tremendously executed and surprisingly gory and brutal at times. The humor is also stupendous quite frequently and very endearing as are most of the characters. The dialogue is also strong, but it left a lot to be desired thematically speaking.

The animation is phenomenal. Some have said that it’s too old-fashioned, but I loved that traditional charm to it. The landscapes were lovely as was the architecture while the character design was also quite good. The score is great and I liked both of the opening themes. The overall show is superbly realized, but I wished to have seen stronger world building.

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