Daida is crowned king and imagined enemies surround him. On the new king’s orders, Domas betrays Bojji in an attempt to gain glory from the prince’s death.
Check out last week’s episode review.
Ranking of Kings Episode Three Review
So first off – was King Bosse actually a demon?
They say that Nephilim, or rather giants, were the offspring of fallen angels and mortal women. After birthing these monstrosities, the angels were punished and the women were turned into sirens to forever lead men astray.
Why Did The Demon Point At Bojji?
After King Bosse’s death, a demon exits his body and points at Prince Bojji while laughing before flying away.
Bosse may have made a pact with the demon for strength and the demon is laughing at how small and weak Bojji became due to his father King Bosse’s wish.
The fact that the demon just kind of came out of Bosse’s body, evaporated it into smoke, pointed at Bojji, and then laughed is quite unsettling. Unless it’s a hereditary demon that is being passed down through Bosse’s line to gain power.
Meaning, Bosse made a deal with some sort of entity, saved the town way back when, was rewarded with a kingdom, and in exchange promised his bloodline for future power?
Either way, it seems Queen Hiling didn’t know about her husband’s…natural state. Queen Hiling seemed the most freaked out of them all at the demon’s appearance. She’s even cowering behind her knight…I wonder what was in that letter she was sending her parents?
Speaking of which – I wonder why Queen Hiling’s attitude toward Bojji changed so much?
Does Queen Hilling Love Bojji?
Although her words are often harsh and cruel, Queen Hiling does seem to truly love and care for Prince Bojji.
From the flashback we saw, it seemed like Queen Hiling was genuine in her affection toward Bojji. She tried to befriend him, and get him to open his heart after the death of his mother.
When she was pregnant with Daida, the queen started to change.
There was also a scene of Queen Hiling taking a sword-like object away from Bojji, with Daida standing in the background looking dumb. I have to wonder if she forbade him from practicing swordplay out of fear for his safety, or to better the chances of her son becoming king.
Bojji seemed hurt by her harshness in spoken word lately. But at the same time, if you witnessed your deceased husband turn into a demon…why would you want your precious son to become King?
Does she not want Bojji to get hurt, but at the same time isn’t too worried about sacrificing her own blood son?
Who Voted For Bojji To Become King?
During the impromptu royal council meeting called by Queen Hiling, only Apeas the King’s Spear, and Sandeo the Minister of Justice voted for Bojji to become King.
All others in the council voted in favor of his younger brother, Daida to usurp the crown from Bosse’s first-born son Bojji.
Which of the Big Four Will Become An Ally To Bojji?
As it stands right now, it seems like Apeas may be the only member of the Big Four who is completely loyal to Bojji. Domas should be loyal to the Prince but has switched sides to support Daida.
Master Bebin will always support Daida because he loves him, and Dorshe seems to be the only wild card whose loyalty remains uncertain as he is Queen Hiling’s Sworn Shield and may be loyal to her son, Prince Daida.
Is King Daida Paranoid?
Has Queen Hiling been paying attention to her son Daida’s wishes?
King Daida wants to murder 1/3 of the privy council, he broke the tradition of having a spearman as a guard, and Daida spends all his time talking to the magic mirror and doesn’t even have knowledge that his warrior and teacher Bebin has fallen in battle against Apeas.
So… the magic mirror is whispering the chatter of the small council decision to Daida, but did not let him know that his retainer had fallen? Interesting.
I’m hoping we don’t get Bebin back later on in the series as an animated, possessed conduit for whoever (or whatever) is in the magic mirror.
I’m also wondering now if Hokuro read the situation with the snakes wrong.
I don’t know how Bebin formed a contract with Mitsumata, but it seems like he is indeed loyal to Bojji. Maybe the other snakes were playing with him? And based on Bebin’s reaction when Kage said he was helping Bojji, it didn’t seem like Bebin hated the young prince either.
Lots of chess moves are being played here.
Let’s move on to the next episode!
Ranking of Kings Episode Four Review
Wow. There’s so much treachery going on, I’m not sure who to focus on first.
Also, let me just get this out of the way:
Domas! Why?
Daida! Why?
*ahem* Okay, let’s get into this.
Daida Opens Pandora’s Box
Queen Hiling had a strange dream last episode, this episode Daida has a strange dream. Notice that only after these dreams, they became more susceptible to doing what they previously would not.
Queen Hiling did not want Bojji to go on a journey and allowed it after a dream.
Daida did not want to consume his father’s remains and is now doing so after a dream.
So…is the spirit like the fates in Greek mythology? Or well not the fates (I’m thinking of Blood of Zeus) but more like a Morpheus-type of figure? (or, figures – since it seems like it’s most definitely more than one).
The spirit can influence the unconscious human psyche, and plant suggestions in the dream world that alter the person in their physical waking reality.
It’s an interesting thought…
Anyway, before we get into Domas – what on earth was that forest king about?
Bojji Meets The Mad King
While on his adventure with Domas and Hokuro to the Underworld, Bojji gets separated from his retainers and enters the forest. There, he meets a mad king who may have been one of the rumored first-ranked kings who went crazy.
(In later episodes, it is heavily alluded to that The Mad King Bojji meets in the forest is Kingbo’s father.)
The Mad King seemed cool, showing Bojji the hunter’s cycle of death and rebirth. Maybe the black cloud in the sky was harvesting spirits under the full harvest moon? The dance the two did under the full moon might have been to appease it from attacking by “showing gratitude”.
The Mad King also thought to mention that Bojji was from the secular world.
I first thought he was some kind of spirit, but since magic is a thing, he could also just be a mortal gone mad due to the Ranking of Kings system.
Magic And Prophecy In Bojji’s World
The magic mirror seems to be telling Daida that the world will fall to ruin if Bojji is King. In the same dream, Queen Hiling warns Daida against opening Pandora’s Box and the cracked magic mirror eggs him on to do it.
In the dream world, Daida realizes that Bojji is the one to save them all against calamity.
So… wouldn’t it be safe to deduce that Daida will bring about wrought and calamity to the kingdom, and Bojji will save it as its rightful heir?
Why Did Domas Ultimately Betray Bojji?
It seems that Domas received an assassination request from Daida in secret, due to the magic mirror whispering sweet nothings into the young King’s ear.
After being coronated due to Queen Hiling tearing up King Bosse’s will and overruling the royal council, King Daida ordered Domas to betray and kill Bojji in order to secure his claim.
Bebin was also instructed by King Daida to kill Apeas, one of the two people who voted in favor of Bojji becoming king.
Despite his former treatment of Bojji, Domas was a knight who took fealty to his king very seriously – even overriding his own personal moral objections to his tasks. Domas remained conflicted between loyalty to his kingdom, and the duty to protect Bojji – as King Bosse appointed Domas to the role of sword teacher.
Why Domas Pushed Bojji
In order to fulfill King Daida’s wishes, Domas pushes Bojji off a cliff in an attempt to kill him despite feeling visibly conflicted over his choice.
I don’t believe that Domas, who has been shown staying awake and alert all night – just allowed Bojji to wander off and get lost in order to encounter the Forest King.
Domas may have attempted to poison Bojji earlier in their trip, recognizing Bebin’s kunai knives which shot the poisoned meat the foxes later die from out of Bojji’s hands. Allowing Bojji to wander into the forest alone may have been another ploy by Domas to end the Prince’s life in a subtle way.
I have to wonder if there is an even bigger scheme at play.
The shadows in the magic mirror are playing kingmaker for some reason, I just can’t figure out why.
Anyway, let me wrap it up here.
Tell me your thoughts.
Judging by the tombstone of the first queen, do you reckon she was a giant like King Bosse?
(Unless she just has a huge tombstone because she was “more important” than anyone else in the graveyard.)
Did the town by the Gates of Hell and the graveyard scene appear kind of modern to you?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more weekly Ousama Ranking reviews and discussions!
次のエピソード: Medieval Smoothies With Daida
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