‘Ranking of Kings’ Anime Wins Galaxy Award
Ranking of Kings may just be one of the best anime we’ve ever seen. And the Galaxy Awards for March apparently agree.
On Friday, the Japanese Broadcast Critics Association announced that Sosuke Toka’s Ranking of Kings had won one of the four Galaxy Awards for the month of March. The association chose the anime for its complexity, storytelling, characters, and “remarkably impressive action scenes”. And for fans of Ranking of Kings, none of this is a surprise.
About Ranking of Kings
Definitely one of the best animes of last season and possibly one of the best animes I’ve ever seen, Ranking of Kings follows Prince Bojji. He’s a deaf-mute and very tiny prince. We also meet Kage, a living shadow originally from a clan of assassins. The two spend their childhoods being chronically overlooked, underestimated, and downright abused. But once they meet, they become fast friends and start on an adventure that will unravel mysteries of multiple kingdoms and generations.
Ranking of Kings is a show that’s hard to talk about in specifics because of its many sharp turns in the plot. If we hadn’t been watching every episode week-to-week, we would have easily consumed it in one sitting. Bojji is one of the most likable characters in fiction. And nothing is what is seems at the start of the story. As a fairy tale it’s lovely, as a mystery it will keep you guessing right up until the end, and as a coming of age story it’s exciting with some surprisingly good action sequences.
It’s also a show that, like its leads, is a little too easy to overlook. The animation style sometimes resembles an animated Precious Moments statue and at other times is just weird. But in a genre where characters often look very similar, it creates a variety of silhouettes between characters. A little like Mob Psycho, you need to get past and eventually embrace the animation style. But once you do, there’s an absolute gem.
The Galaxy Award
And so, for fans of Ranking of Kings, it’s the farthest thing from surprising to hear that it won the Galaxy Award. The Galaxy Awards have honored outstanding Japanese television, radio, and commercials since 1963. The Galaxy Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the Japanese television industry. As a winner of a monthly award, Ranking of Kings is also eligible for the Japanese Broadcast Critics Association’s yearly Galaxy Award.
Ranking of Kings‘ twenty three episode season premiered on October 14th of last year. It was simul-cast in Japan and North American and streamed on both Crunchyroll and Funimation. The dub is also available.
In addition to the Galaxy Award, Ranking of Kings was nominated for Anime of the Year, Best Character Design, Best Fantasy, and Best Protagonist at the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
Have you seen Ranking of Kings? What was your first impression versus what you thought as the story progressed? Who is your favorite character and who surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
