Warning: this review contains mild spoilers!
The anime Ranking of Kings, based on the manga of the same name, took to TV screens in October 2021 and made quite the splash; it won a Galaxy Award and the series protagonist, Bojji, won the 6th Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Boy. It was no surprise then when a second series, Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage, was announced soon after the first season’s release.
This season however is neither a prequel nor a sequel – it is instead a collection of short stories that take place (mostly) throughout the events of season 1. Episodes are 20 minutes long, but most are divided between 2 or 3 stories. I found this choice really interesting as, outside of the odd OVA, I’ve never actually seen an anime studio make this decision before.
I think the series could have been marketed better however. I went into the season thinking it would be one continuous story (possibly involving pirates?). It wasn’t until I started watching it that I realised it was a collection of shorts, and that the “treasure chest of courage” (though it does appear in one episode) is more of a metaphor: the season itself is the treasure chest of courage – stories of valour, if you will.
Though the idea to release a series of shorts could be described as a brave one, there are of course certain limitations that come with it – as mentioned, most of the stories take place throughout season 1, with only a couple taking place after the events. This means that, for the most part, the writers were unable to write storyline that would have any effect on the main story. This in turn meant that while the episodes could explore the world or the characters’ personalities, practically everything had to be inconsequential. And with most of the stories being 10 minutes long, there was not much depth to most of the stories either.
This did make the series feel a little flat to me at times. At its best, The Treasure Chest of Courage explores character backstories (see “Daida and Magic”, in which Daida is only able to overcome his inability to use healing magic when Bojji is hurt). At its worst, the series gives stories that are a little too focused on the moral, with not enough actual story being told (see “The Prince and Money”, in which Bojji learns that gambling is dangerous and that we should invest in the lives of the working class – great themes, don’t get me wrong, but I felt the story itself and the way the themes were presented were too on the nose and heavy-handed).
There are a couple episodes that do actually advance the plot of season 1. These episodes mostly follow King Desha and Prince Ouken but, unfortunately, they felt a little rushed to me. The events of these stories have enormous consequences and felt really out of place in amongst stories of Bojji learning not to gamble. I don’t think enough time was given to the Desha and Ouken episodes, so I was left feeling a little unsatisfied. I would have preferred all the events of The Treasure Chest of Courage to be rather inconsequential, and then they could have left the plot advancement for the next series (if we’re getting one).
All this aside, like season 1, The Treasure Chest of Courage is gorgeously animated and stays true to its unique art style. The voice acting is, as ever, second to none, and I had a fun time watching this spin-off season. The reason I was able to have fun whilst watching this is because the characters are so well-established and I want to spend time with them.
Conclusions
Overall, though this was not the continuous story I was hoping for, The Treasure Chest of Courage was a fun and interesting approach to a spin-off series and I was happy to have more content than an OVA could provide. Though it felt a bit lopsided, with some episodes being inconsequential and others towards the end advancing the story enormously, it did continue to leave me entertained.
If all of the episodes had taken place throughout the course of season 1, I would have been satisfied if WIT Studio ended things here, as season 1 ended really solidly. However, now that I have seen an advancement in Desha and Ouken’s story, I am eager for a third season. Fingers crossed we get one!
I award this season: 6.5/10
I’d love to know your thoughts on The Treasure Chest of Courage! Do you think Ranking of Kings will return for another season?
Image sources:
Featured image + poster image
Bojji
izzy-lamb.com 