JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – RANKING OF KINGS – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hello my friends.

Ranking of Kings

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Slice-Of-Life

Studio: Wit Studio

Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Now. I finished early, and right now, I have the opportunity to watch an anime that really got me from the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Well… I really wanted to watch this from a very long time, but it wasn’t during the season of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards that I deciced to try.

Once more, the title says it all. As well as this adorable face.

Behold…

I must be honest first. I was not able to watch as much episodes as I wanted, but I managed to watch the first one, as well as some clips on YouTube of this fantastic anime, and hopefully, for the occasion, that will be enough to give a sincere, complete opinion about Ōsama Rankingu.

Anyway… Before I start, I must ask again the typical question, my friends.

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Then, let’s ensure God save the King in Ranking of Kings.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written by Sosuke Toka, and published by Echoes and Enterbrain, Ranking of Kings (王様ランキング) tells the story of prince Bojji, the first son of the legendary King Bosse and crown prince of the namesake kingdom. Bosse is a giant that was once the strongest man on earth, in other words, a legendary hero. The problem with Bojji is that he is the opposite of his father, he is deaf, weak, and physically inferior, which is why many people inside Bosse consider him unfit for the throne. One day, Bojji meets Kage, the last surviving member of the Shadow Clan of Thieves that once ravaged the kingdom of Bosse; Kage robs Bojji, or at least he thinks, because Bojji was willingly giving his belongings to Kage. Better still, Bojji can read Kage’s lips, allowing them to communicate to each other. From that encounter, Bojji and Kage start living adventures around the Bosse Kingdom to become stronger, and becoming the greatest king ever existed.

By the way, the term «Ranking of Kings» refers to a system, in which an assembly that represent the Gods rank the monarchs based on their power and their prosperity, and the one who reaches top is endowed with the Divine Treasure Vault, a ginormous power doted with amazing treasures and divine gifts.

However, the ranking of kings is the cause of the madness of many kings.

Finally, there are judges that evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the kingdoms.

Now I am using a lot of images for the anime, I will talk about this later.

But first I must clarify that Ranking of Kings started publication on May 20, 2017 (Happy Fifth Anniversary), and as of May 2022, it has compiled thirteen volumes.

The studio that brought us Ousama Rankingu was none other than Wit Studio, which does not need presentation, especially after producing Vinland Saga, Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song.

And our top anime of the spring/autumm of 2022, along with Cloverworks.

Moreover, Ranking of Kings was released between October 21, 2021 and March 25, 2022, for a total of 23 episodes, and Bojji was awarded Best Boy at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards of 2022, beating Odokawa from Oddtaxi, or Senku Ishigami from Dr. Stone, season 2.

Finally, Ranking of Kings was written by Taku Kishimoto (Erased, Haikyu!!, Fruits Basket), and the music was composed by MAYUKO.

STORY

One of the first elements that hooked from Ranking of Kings was the one that probably most of you also noticed beforehand. The animation. In my personal opinion this animations looks so… retro. I remember, when I was a child, that there was an anime version of Tales from the Grimm Brothers, that I used to watch a lot, and when I saw Ranking of Kings, the first thing that came to my mind was the Grimm Fables.

Look.

Or we also have Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds.

Honestly, every time I think of Ranking of Kings, all these retro cartoon and anime come to my mind. It is like Sosuke Toka saw these anime as a child and decided to pay a tribute to them through Ranking of Kings. In fact, all the story feels like a fable form either Grimm Brothers or Hans Christian Andersen, the clothes, the setting, the atmosphere, the fantasy, and the morale.

I said once and I will said it again… Ranking of Kings is a beautiful fable that understands the feeling of our childhood memories, at least in my opinion. I hope I am not the only one who thinks like that.

Now, from now one, I will base the rest of my thoughts from the first episode and what I could watch so far from YouTube. I really like the introduction to the system of ranking of kings done on the first seconds.

You tell me that this is not epic!!

Also, the chemistry between Bojji and Kage feels really authentic. At the beginning you got this feeling that Bojji is extremely naive, if not dumb, for the way he addresses to Kage, giving his cloths, as if he does not really understand his position, but then, you slowly noticed that Bojji has bigger abilities and is more self-reliant than you think, as well as his heart, because not everyone in the Bosse Kingdom will do what he did for Kage. Also, there is part in which all the citizens of Bosse make fun of him because of his deafness, and he acts as stoic as possible. But then…

Bojji cries

As a matter of fact, the episode clarifies that itself.

It is really amazing.

And then, the episode goes to introduces us some of the other characters, Prince Daida, Bojji’s half-brother; Queen Hilling, Bosse’s second wife, Bebin, Daida’s mentor, Domas, Bojji’s mentor, and of course King Bosse, who will reveal his past as the story progresses.

And from there, the world-building of Ranking of Kings become wonderful.

I didn’t feel like that with a fantasy non-isekai anime of 2021 since…

CHARACTERS

Like I just said, Ranking of Kings has a lot of interesting characters that the series will take its time to introduce and develop better. But for now, I want to follow four in particular.

Queen Hilling, who presents herself as a harsh, ruthless queen consort, but then you will discover that she is more than what we see.

Daida, one of the best swordsmen of Bosse Kingdom, to the point that he defeated his own mentor. And that has, in my opinion, one of the best moments of Episode one.

And finally, both Bojji and Kage. Definitely he is an excellent main characters, because he is so well-written. He is a good reference of how a character with disability should be constructed. Introducing to the fans the main weakness, the one that our main protagonist must overcome, and then… his strengths, in an unique way that immediately establishes the identity of our lead, naturally wishing us to know more, to go with Bojji on his journey.

And finally Kage, who… kind of reminds me of Inosuke from Demon Slayer.

Both are brash, impetuous, blunt and very brutally honest, but both are loyal and protective of their friends.

Probably the characters are not as memorable and unique as in Kimetsu no Yaiba, but are really beautiful.

CONCLUSION

Ranking of Kings is very entertaining and indeed one of the best fantasy anime of 2021, along with Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and To Your Eternity, and Bojji is one of the best male protagonists of the year. Pretty well-deserved award at Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

If you like the first episode, you will enjoy the rest of the anime. In fact, I should go and continue watching the rest. But until then, I have to say that you will enjoy as well.

But first… I want to choose a queen of my own. Who that could be? Perhaps… Lena Milizé?

After all… her name is Bloody Regina.

No!! I already choose my queen. Mona Megistus, from Genshin Impact.

And the reason is pretty obvious.

The best, cutest, most perfect derriere of Genshin Impact!!!

I said it again!!! No regrets!!!

See you next time. And thanks for stepping by.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – SPY X FAMILY – HOW DID I FELT ABOUT THIS ADAPTATION

Spy X Family

Genre: Comedy, Spy, Adventure, Action

Studio: Wit Studio/Cloverworks

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry fo my blog.

Now. A month ago, I posted my entry blog about My First Impressions about the manga, or what I could read about the manga of Spy x Family. Here is the link for you to find out.

JAINITUOS MANGA REVIEWS – SPY X FAMILY – FIRST IMPRESSIONS (HOPEFULLY THE BEGINNING OF MORE)

And now, I am about to do something that I have not done before. And that is, first write about a manga, and then review the anime. Having said that, I must tell you that I just saw the first two episode of… Well… Spy X Family. And I was so happy, so excited about this time that I couldn’t just let it go.

So, let’s talk about the first two episodes of Spy X Family, and some of the impressions they felt me, and then the story and the characters.

But before I start, I must ask you the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy to.

Now, let’s start talking about the anime of Spy X Family.

PREMISE

I already talk about the premise of Spy X Family on my previous entry, so I will simply summarise now.

«Twilight» is among one of the best spies of the nation of Westalis. Now, he is assigned a very important mission, to spy on Desmond Donovan, the leader of the National Unity Party, under the suspicion that he and his party want to start a new war with Ostania. In order to achieve this, Twilight must adopt a child and enroll her on the prestigious Eden Academy, because that is the only place in which Donovan makes appearances. So he adopts Anya, who is secretly an esper and can read minds, and alter he «marries» with a receptionist, Yor Briar, giving himself the cover of Loid Folger, psychiatrist. Unbeknownst for him, Yor is an assassin, in fact, the only one who discovered their secret professions is Anya herself, so now Loid/Twilight must accomplish his mission while learning how to manage this crazy new life.

EPISODE ONE

Episode 1 starts showing us the tensions between Westalis and Ostania through the death of a very important diplomat, and how Twilight successfully spies on Edgar, a fishy minister of Ostania, from which he obtained some compromising material. After his mission, we have a glimpse on how Twilight works and how he was affected by his job and his past, from which he decided to create a world where no child needs to cry. Later, he officially receives the mission of spying on Donovan, for which he adopts Anya and work together to have her enrol in Eden Academy. Then, Anya is rescued after being kidnapped by Edgar, after the former sends a transmission to him.

The episode ends with Anya passing the admission exam, but being informed that the second part of the process is a formal interview with both parents.

STORY

I got to say that Episode one exceed my expectations. It is better than I thought, and for someone who read the manga, that is a lot to say. Loid is a pretty well defined character, and despite showing too little about his past, it is solid enough to understand and sympathise with him. Wit Studio and Cloverworks really wanted to be loyal to the story as much as possible. And the bond between Loid and Anya is so natural that it quickly becomes heartwarming. Especially after realised that she passed the admission exam.

All I can say is… AWWWW!!!

Twilight/Loid is a true badass as a spy, and it is clear that he is starting to love Anya despite his mission, and for us, the memories of Anya being used as a guinea pig for her powers is sad. And overall, the animation makes the atmosphere exciting and natural.

Like Anya says:

«Dad is a liar, but such an awesome liar.»

EPISODE 2

Episode Two kicks off with a very hilarious scene. Loid’s informant, Franky, trying to pass as his wife, with disastrous results.

Neither Anya nor me want a mom like that either. LOL.

Meanwhile, we cut to Yor Briar, a 27-year-old receptionist at the Berlint City Hall who is secretly an assassin, known as «The Thorn Princess». For years, she has assassinated important names in order to provide her and her younger brother, Yuri, with money and a decent life. However, Yor is ostracised by her peers, who suspect she is a spy, despite this, Yor is invited to a party on a friend’s house.

Then, by an extremely convenient encounter, Yor and Loid meet and agree to help each other. Loid by passing as Yor’s boyfriend at the party and Yor posing as Anya’s mother on the interview. Coincidentally, Loid is in a mission to stop a band of smugglers with Franky.

Loid and Franky stop the smugglers, Loid arrives late to the party and makes a hilarious mistake – he says he is Yor’s husband, not her boyfriend as we was supposed to. Finally, the smugglers find Loid, try to kill him, and that leads to a very unusual alliance with Yor fighting the gang and survive, with Yor and Loid making their «union» official.

In sickness and in sorrow…

I must say that the proposal is both hilarious and heartwarming. It is absolutely one of the best moments of Episode Two, ending with a high note. Saori Hayami is extremely perfect as Yor Briar, giving a bit of innocence and strength to her role.

While episode one was the time of Anya, episode two was the time of Yor.

Fantastic time, that’s all I can say.

CONCLUSION

When I started reading the manga of Spy X Family, I was very excited, because it was exactly what the people said it was, original, hilarious, exciting, and full of pretty wonderful characters, but now that I have watched the anime, I can say that this is one of the best anime of autumn 2022 (Or spring depending on where are you living now.)

I will be waiting for episode three, because there is no way I will miss this.

And thanks my friends for stepping by, I hope you return for more entries.

See you soon.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – After the Rain – My Own Impressions

After the Rain (a.k.a. Love is like After the Rain)

Genre: Slice-of-Life, Romance, Drama

Studio: Wit Studio

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry.

I do not know if I mention this before. If not, I will say it again. Slice-of-Life anime is one of my favourite genres, because it gives the opportunity to explore a bit of ourselves and the society in which we live in, not just Japan (i.e. Sing «Yesterday» for Me, Hyouka, Uzaki-Chan, and the rest of Kyoto Animation masterpieces). And in many ways, it can gives us a bit of calmness for we find something to guide in case we suffer from something like Social Anxiety.

And recently, I started watching a little series that makes me think about love and dreams. Of course, there was controversy about the plot, but we will get to there later. And I am sure that many will agree with me on this.

Having said that, let me introduce you:

After the Rain.

But before we start, I must ask you the Question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy? Protecting yourselves?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy. Now, let’s go with Koi wa Ameagari no Yō ni.

PREMISE

Love is Like After the Rain (Or After The Rain like many media names it now), is based on the same manga written by Jun Mayuzuki and published by Shogakukan, it tells the story of the seventeen-years-old student, Akira Tachibana, who also works as a waitress in a restaurant, part-time of course. There, she fells in love with her site manager, Masami Kondo, who is a divorcee and has a son called Yuto. Now, she is trying to find out some sense toward her feelings, as Kondo invited her to a coffee, unveiling a story about our feelings and what could possible be the true meaning of love.

Before the events of the story, Tachibana was a member of the track and field team, but a leg injury forced her to quit, making her more introverted. But… is perhaps her infatuation toward Kondo a path for her to find a way to believe in herself and the future?

Sorry. That was my own assumption.

Anyway, After The Rain starts publishing in June 27, 2014, and recently ended in 2018, having a total of ten volumes. Furthermore, the original anime consists in 12 episodes, released between January and March, 2018. There is also a live-action film, released in Toho in May, 25, 2018, and the whole series is available on Amazon Prime Video.

STORY

Now, before I continue with the story, I must revealed that I already read on the Internet all those pointless, ridiculous comments, accusing After The Rain of promoting pedophilia, that the author is a perverted, and that the protagonist Masami is disgusting. That kind of crap! And… At first glance, I was surprised that an anime had a story of a middle aged man having a friendship with a high-schooler.

But on the other hand, I must ask you all:

How many of us has fallen in love with a person older than us?

And keep in mind that just because I say «fallen in love» does not necessarily mean you guys ended up… you know! But we go in an inner journey to understand why do we have these feelings? How come? Or better yet.

The Simpsons’s New Kid on the block deals with Bart falling in love with Laura, a teenager

Furthermore, one character falling in love with another, and then confessing, does not lead to a relationship, whether is platonic or sexual, but too many possibilities that help the characters to mature, to both of them. For instance…

Ikuno and Ichigo (Darling in the FRANXX – Episode 18)

Well. I am going off the track. My point is that, for what I have seen so far, is that this is the main story of After The Rain. The full title says it – some of us feel the rain as hopelessness, that life is not worth it. But then, we find the solution and some hope on the least possible outcome, and that leads us to have experiences that teaches us to handle life better. In this case, Akira is a girl who is going to that process, to understand how love works, how we have to deal with those feelings, and regarding Masami… I would say that he is the same, trying to be strong, and learning new things of life through his time with Tachibana, and getting better.

I have seen just 2 episodes, so this is only another assumption.

But this is exactly why I love slice-of-life anime and manga. And After the Rain manages to be relatable, and kind of nostalgic in many ways; and because of the story, I got to say that I have a lot of excitement of knowing more about these characters. Furthermore, After the Rain has a narrative style that takes its time in character development and backstory, helping us to understand our protagonists better.

Finally, the animation is really beautiful, but has better colour palettes than Sing «Yesterday» For Me. And that makes it for a nice slice-of-life story about love. Not a romantic one, I will not call it like that, I will simply say that it has a good start about helping us to learn about what we feel for another person.

CHARACTERS

Both Akira and Masami are very sympathetic characters. While Akira has this cool, aloof expression that makes her very stoic about her world, Masami is a generous and reliable man, who is always trying to do the right thing fir his family and his employees, including Akira. And throughout the series, we will see that both are more complex that we could imagine

One thing that got my attention is that Masami looks like a relative from Kogoro Mori, from Detective Conan.

• 

• 

Honestly, I cannot stop thinking that they are relatives.

On the other hand, every time I see Akira and the rest of the characters, they remind me of Clamp, who draw very tall characters, both male and female, incredibly attractive, and with beautiful face expressions.

Yeah. And I still need to see the rest of the series.

If that is the things we are about to see, then After the Rain is a winner is my book.

CONCLUSION

And there you go!

I really enjoyed watching After The Rain, because I feel that it is a more original, and perhaps profound story that I could ever expect, and hopefully, you will enjoy the other episodes as much as I did. Just give it a go… And remember, it is not that… crime against humanity called…

UKOB ON OCIP (Or There are really Fates worse than Death)

And more importantly. After The Rain reminded of the importance of self-love. If you want to love others, always remember to love yourself.

And now… Despite Valentine’s Day is over. I will Rent-A-Girlfriend, and I decided to rent… MAMI.

Why does Hori-San keep saying that?