English Dub Season Review: Ranking of Kings Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Bojji is a prince, but he isn’t treated like one. Due to his tiny size and inability to speak like everyone else, he’s shunned and disregarded by his parents and the kingdom. But he does have one friend, a creature from the Shadow Clan named Kage. When his father King Bosse dies and entrusts the kingdom to him, Bojji embarks on a journey through treachery and treason in order to learn how to become the ruler he knows he can be.

Our Take:

Ranking of Kings was one of the more hyped shows last season, and now that it’s officially released entirely in English dub form, I’m sure that following will only grow. It’s a unique show that has some enticing tricks up its sleeves—but it also has plenty to dissuade potential fans, too. In short, I think it’s a series that deserves a trial run if you’re into fairy tales and stories where the little guy triumphs over evil, but it definitely won’t be for everyone.

To start with, it has a very particular tone. It’s the kind of series where a tiny child can defeat a massive giant because of reasons. This world is less logical and more magical, as most fairy tales tend to be. Sometimes things happen that don’t make sense, even in the world the show sets up, and if you’re not okay with that sort of gelatinous world building then you don’t even need to keep reading.

The overall story is typical fairy tale stuff: a girl makes a deal with a demon and subsequently dooms an entire kingdom. There’s murder and bloodshed, but it’s mostly of a cartoon-ish variety. The main character is Bojji, a precious little boy who starts out as the world’s weakest prince and ends up as the strongest in the kingdom. We see things through his eyes much of the time, although the show does tend to randomly switch that up and give us episodes in flashback from other character’s points of view to fill in backstory. I think those episodes are some of the weakest ones, though, and the show is definitely at its best when it follows Bojji and Kage during the middle portion of the season.

The second half of the show has its moments, but ultimately feels a bit like a downward spiral as we get bogged down fighting the same immortal bad guy over and over again in the same courtyard. And when the end comes, it comes too quickly, as we get a marriage and a Bojji break-up and reunion all in the span of a single episode. I think the show’s pacing is one of its most egregious weak points.

What isn’t weak is the visuals. Animated by WIT Studio in fine form, Ranking of Kings looks really nice most of the time. Some of the strongest moments come in the later episodes, especially the stand-out where Bojji battles his father King Bosse. It’s definitely one of the most take-your-breath-away animated sequences in a series this year. The English dub is solid, without any negatives to speak of besides some clunky dialogue here and there.

Ranking of Kings takes place in a world where kingdoms are ranked based on their strength. But whereas Bojji’s kingdom might end up being one of the top ranked, I wouldn’t give the show itself the same spot. It has moments of brilliance where the fun fairy tale nature shines through and allows us to follow in Bojji’s footsteps, but it has many more moments where we follow a dull storyline or get taken back into the past for twenty minutes of pointless backstory. For a show that purports to be so fantastical, it’s a shame the end result isn’t as magical as it could’ve been.