Ranking of Kings - Vol. 13 Ch. 167.5 - Bonus
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Against better judgement, I decided to post cuz what the author said in afterward 2 somewhat annoyed me but not for reasons one might expect. So hello whoever is reading this. I'm here from the anime, and am just catching up starting off where season 2 ends. After this special episode I will DEFINITELY be rereading the story up till the same point because I want to see for myself how the original work as written by the mangaka portrays the most controversial, and complicated, relationship in this story so far. I also would like to disclose that Miranjo... is my favorite character.... boos from the reader IM SORRY. I LIKE SHITTY DEPRESSED VILLAINESS WOMAN gets tomatoes thrown sobs
No, this will not be a pro-Miranjo post either. I just have a lot to say about this relationship because it's why the plot, for Boiji's story anyway, happens the way it tragically does. But I actually never heard people talk about this topic the way i'm about to... and I've been holding on to these thoughts ever since I watched the anime as it aired.
Anyway
"Are Bosse and Miranjo in love?" When you watch scenes of the first season, it's a fair question because the rationale for Miranjo's actions is not explained. But in part it's because it's somewhat straightforward.... to herself and Bosse anyway.
Now, the author's is for sure accurate when he said "Bosse sees Miranjo as his own child." That is how Bosse is portrayed and written regarding his actions (and most damningly, inaction) toward Miranjo in the anime. We'll put a pin in this for later. The part where I'm like hmmmm is when he says "Miranjo holds her affection for Bosse in the highest regard." In my opinion, as this question relates to Miranjo, he somewhat side stepped it at least for how it's portrayed in the anime. He's not wrong (he did write the story), but at the same time, that's also not how what he wrote came across (in the anime medium at least, in the manga maybe not as much?).
You can definitely argue, because there is TOO MUCH EVIDENCE, that Miranjo was in love with Bosse in the anime. While that is clearly not how the mangaka intended to portray Miranjo in the story when you hear his official take on this subject, unfortunately that is what was heavily implied (at least in the anime). To say "Miranjo holds her affection for Bosse in the highest regard" is just another way of saying she believes her relationship with Bosse is the most intimate and special. What do I mean by this? Well, for starters, one way of explaining Miranjo's motivation as an antagonist is that she believes her affection is ABOVE romantic love, and therefore deeper and more important. This actually aligns with how the mangaka has officially described Miranjo's feelings. It does not contradict it. This is why she had no qualms murdering his first wife (Bosse COULD have stopped it but did not out of guilt/obligation toward her as he sees her as his ward and child) and then Miranjo tried to murder HIS SECOND WIFE and he still doesn't tell her... NO we're not doing this. I will not hurt the other people I ALSO love.
Now, the question was whether Bosse and Miranjo where in love. But in truth, any romantic love there was or could have been was one sided solely on Miranjo's part. And that's the real tragedy of Miranjo. After the traumatic retaliation massacre happened and Bosse stayed with her, he never acclimated her back into human civilization. Never had her go to school. Make friends. So as she grew up, and became a young woman, she became ATTACHED to him. And reverent of him, he was a flawed man, but to her he was her well, everything. Bosse was the only man she knew, and the biggest issue in the story is that this man never told her NO. This powerful giant who cheated his way into his legendary strength, and became a respected king and fighter, could not put his foot down and tell his own child NO. So she grew up believing it would always be the two of them. And as she watched him start a family (at her own behest to help him further his own goals toward power), Miranjo always expected she would be his endgame in the end. And not necessarily romantically, but because she does as the mangaka says "hold her affection for Bosse in the highest regard." Why WOULDN'T he have picked her in the end? She never doubted he would chose another woman over her. And TBH in a way she was right. She killed Boji's mom, and that STILL did not make him leave her or give him the resolve not to stop her from trying to kill his next wife.
Personally, I will always see Bosse as the real, albeit indirect, antagonist in the story for those arcs because he could have stopped any of what Miranjo did at any point. He was ALWAYS aware of what she was doing. Put another way, imagine finding out that the spouse you fell in love with only went for you because he needed a child of his own blood to sacrifice for power. Now imagine finding out he has an adoptive daughter, she's WHO SUGGESTED the whole plan, and killed you because you were in the way of them being together like they used to be. Ok, no imagine you married a spouse who is widowed.... you have a child with him. And you grow to love his first child by his previous marriage. But one day you find out your own husband was in on the plot to posses your son's body, and will not directly interfere with the plot of his adoptive daughter (who he never mentioned by the way) to KILL YOU... so she can have your spouse to herself again. HELLO??? I don't think romantic attraction was THE motivator, cuz after all Miranjo considers what she feels for him above that, but still, her devotion to him and desire to be with him and only him again... how is the manga surprised so many people get (toxic) romantic vibes from that.
Bosse's biggest crime is how spineless he is, and he knows it. Which is why his sons have to take clean up after him. The "adoptive daughter" he never mentioned to either of them. It's not until the end of the story where she understands he never said no to her, moreso because he didn't know how else to make her happy. Can you imagine having an adoptive child and never telling your family about her after you get married? The more I think about it the more sad I get. In some alternate universe Bosse could have decided because he loves the family he made, he wants to do right by them, and tells Miranjo he regrets what he did to his child, but now has a new goal that he still wants her to be a part of that includes Miranjo as his daughter in it.
Now here's where I think even in the manga it you could still interpret her feelings as being in love, and that's because of how her story resolves with Daida's marriage proposal (I assume this is the same outcome in the manga, no?). In his arc, he learns how to be a more compassionate person. And that true strength is the power AND resolve to protect the people you care about. The latter is important, because that's where Bosse failed. He couldn't protect his first wife from Miranjo. And TBH he didn't really protect his second wife from her either. He was a WILLING participant in his body posession of Daida, yeah he disliked it and regretted the outcome, but c'mon now. Miranjo was not holding a gun to his head. He did not have to do all that and fight his knights y'all. But he DID, and that's cuz he could not find the resolve to tell Miranjo NO. I would go as far to say that to me it seemed like he felt like his obligation to her and her happiness is why he couldn't tell her no. He feels like its his responsibility to make her happy, but I think deep down he knew the only way she would actually be happy WITH him. And its the one thing he could never do (cuz he sees her as his ward and child): marry her.
That being said, while I also dislike how Miranjo's story is resolved with Daida's character arc, irritatingly I understand it makes sense. In order to do right by Miranjo, Daida did what his father could not (for moral and ethical reasons) and decided to marry her. It's a bit hard to explain, but it's very fairytale logic if that make sense. He understands that she was his fathers ward, and she had no one without him, so he's thinking of it more in an honorable way rather than romantic. She doesn't want to be alone, and that's what Bosse did when he thought he was making her happy. The more time he spent with her, the more special their relationship felt to her, and the less inclined she was to make any bonds outside of him. That's why it makes sense later how Daida encourages her to EXPAND her social circle. That's something Bosse never did. And it really screwed with her psychologically because she fixated on him. Think of it this way, had Daida not rationalized the correct answer was marrying Miranjo then I think I would be more inclined to say it wasn't that she was in love with Bosse. But because he DID, and it makes sense as a narrative resolution to tying up the lose ends Bosse couldn't and Daida making right where his father failed, that's why I do believe she was in love with him. Had Daida not offered to marry her, and find some other way to appease her and finish what his dad couldn't, I would be more inclined to say its more ambiguous whether Miranjo was in love with Bosse.
Now to be clear, I DO NOT APPROVE OF DAIDA x MIRANJO. Even if you rationalize it like this, it's still fucking weird. She is a woman in her 30s-40s who looks like shes in her late teens to early 20s at most, and she DID groom her adoptive dad's/object of her deep affection's son. Who in an alternate universe where Bosse was not a coward, might have been her little brother. Sure, the grooming was for manipulative body stealing reasons, and not for kiddy diddler reasons, but that doesn't make it any BETTER. Cuz she literally watched him grow up. Had Bosse not been just as spineless in his second marriage, Miranjo would NEVER have come into Daida's life as the mirror he regarded as his closest confidant. Bosse would have come out with it and just TOLD Healing and Daida that the mirror held the soul of his adoptive daughter. I'm pretty sure had she been introduced as a SISTER, Daida would not have thought to resolve the issue via marriage. Cuz she would already have been a apart of the family, yknow. There would have been no need for the marriage. But nope. We get the train wreck of a resolution we got on that front.
In conclusion, Bosse is a coward; good for Healing on moving on to her next man cuz Bosse was a shit husband and father; I love messy AF villainess female characters; Miranjo x Daida resolution makes me feel like the bad taxidermy fox on a chair image,
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
No, this will not be a pro-Miranjo post either. I just have a lot to say about this relationship because it's why the plot, for Boiji's story anyway, happens the way it tragically does. But I actually never heard people talk about this topic the way i'm about to... and I've been holding on to these thoughts ever since I watched the anime as it aired.
Anyway
"Are Bosse and Miranjo in love?" When you watch scenes of the first season, it's a fair question because the rationale for Miranjo's actions is not explained. But in part it's because it's somewhat straightforward.... to herself and Bosse anyway.
Now, the author's is for sure accurate when he said "Bosse sees Miranjo as his own child." That is how Bosse is portrayed and written regarding his actions (and most damningly, inaction) toward Miranjo in the anime. We'll put a pin in this for later. The part where I'm like hmmmm is when he says "Miranjo holds her affection for Bosse in the highest regard." In my opinion, as this question relates to Miranjo, he somewhat side stepped it at least for how it's portrayed in the anime. He's not wrong (he did write the story), but at the same time, that's also not how what he wrote came across (in the anime medium at least, in the manga maybe not as much?).
You can definitely argue, because there is TOO MUCH EVIDENCE, that Miranjo was in love with Bosse in the anime. While that is clearly not how the mangaka intended to portray Miranjo in the story when you hear his official take on this subject, unfortunately that is what was heavily implied (at least in the anime). To say "Miranjo holds her affection for Bosse in the highest regard" is just another way of saying she believes her relationship with Bosse is the most intimate and special. What do I mean by this? Well, for starters, one way of explaining Miranjo's motivation as an antagonist is that she believes her affection is ABOVE romantic love, and therefore deeper and more important. This actually aligns with how the mangaka has officially described Miranjo's feelings. It does not contradict it. This is why she had no qualms murdering his first wife (Bosse COULD have stopped it but did not out of guilt/obligation toward her as he sees her as his ward and child) and then Miranjo tried to murder HIS SECOND WIFE and he still doesn't tell her... NO we're not doing this. I will not hurt the other people I ALSO love.
Now, the question was whether Bosse and Miranjo where in love. But in truth, any romantic love there was or could have been was one sided solely on Miranjo's part. And that's the real tragedy of Miranjo. After the traumatic retaliation massacre happened and Bosse stayed with her, he never acclimated her back into human civilization. Never had her go to school. Make friends. So as she grew up, and became a young woman, she became ATTACHED to him. And reverent of him, he was a flawed man, but to her he was her well, everything. Bosse was the only man she knew, and the biggest issue in the story is that this man never told her NO. This powerful giant who cheated his way into his legendary strength, and became a respected king and fighter, could not put his foot down and tell his own child NO. So she grew up believing it would always be the two of them. And as she watched him start a family (at her own behest to help him further his own goals toward power), Miranjo always expected she would be his endgame in the end. And not necessarily romantically, but because she does as the mangaka says "hold her affection for Bosse in the highest regard." Why WOULDN'T he have picked her in the end? She never doubted he would chose another woman over her. And TBH in a way she was right. She killed Boji's mom, and that STILL did not make him leave her or give him the resolve not to stop her from trying to kill his next wife.
Personally, I will always see Bosse as the real, albeit indirect, antagonist in the story for those arcs because he could have stopped any of what Miranjo did at any point. He was ALWAYS aware of what she was doing. Put another way, imagine finding out that the spouse you fell in love with only went for you because he needed a child of his own blood to sacrifice for power. Now imagine finding out he has an adoptive daughter, she's WHO SUGGESTED the whole plan, and killed you because you were in the way of them being together like they used to be. Ok, no imagine you married a spouse who is widowed.... you have a child with him. And you grow to love his first child by his previous marriage. But one day you find out your own husband was in on the plot to posses your son's body, and will not directly interfere with the plot of his adoptive daughter (who he never mentioned by the way) to KILL YOU... so she can have your spouse to herself again. HELLO??? I don't think romantic attraction was THE motivator, cuz after all Miranjo considers what she feels for him above that, but still, her devotion to him and desire to be with him and only him again... how is the manga surprised so many people get (toxic) romantic vibes from that.
Bosse's biggest crime is how spineless he is, and he knows it. Which is why his sons have to take clean up after him. The "adoptive daughter" he never mentioned to either of them. It's not until the end of the story where she understands he never said no to her, moreso because he didn't know how else to make her happy. Can you imagine having an adoptive child and never telling your family about her after you get married? The more I think about it the more sad I get. In some alternate universe Bosse could have decided because he loves the family he made, he wants to do right by them, and tells Miranjo he regrets what he did to his child, but now has a new goal that he still wants her to be a part of that includes Miranjo as his daughter in it.
Now here's where I think even in the manga it you could still interpret her feelings as being in love, and that's because of how her story resolves with Daida's marriage proposal (I assume this is the same outcome in the manga, no?). In his arc, he learns how to be a more compassionate person. And that true strength is the power AND resolve to protect the people you care about. The latter is important, because that's where Bosse failed. He couldn't protect his first wife from Miranjo. And TBH he didn't really protect his second wife from her either. He was a WILLING participant in his body posession of Daida, yeah he disliked it and regretted the outcome, but c'mon now. Miranjo was not holding a gun to his head. He did not have to do all that and fight his knights y'all. But he DID, and that's cuz he could not find the resolve to tell Miranjo NO. I would go as far to say that to me it seemed like he felt like his obligation to her and her happiness is why he couldn't tell her no. He feels like its his responsibility to make her happy, but I think deep down he knew the only way she would actually be happy WITH him. And its the one thing he could never do (cuz he sees her as his ward and child): marry her.
That being said, while I also dislike how Miranjo's story is resolved with Daida's character arc, irritatingly I understand it makes sense. In order to do right by Miranjo, Daida did what his father could not (for moral and ethical reasons) and decided to marry her. It's a bit hard to explain, but it's very fairytale logic if that make sense. He understands that she was his fathers ward, and she had no one without him, so he's thinking of it more in an honorable way rather than romantic. She doesn't want to be alone, and that's what Bosse did when he thought he was making her happy. The more time he spent with her, the more special their relationship felt to her, and the less inclined she was to make any bonds outside of him. That's why it makes sense later how Daida encourages her to EXPAND her social circle. That's something Bosse never did. And it really screwed with her psychologically because she fixated on him. Think of it this way, had Daida not rationalized the correct answer was marrying Miranjo then I think I would be more inclined to say it wasn't that she was in love with Bosse. But because he DID, and it makes sense as a narrative resolution to tying up the lose ends Bosse couldn't and Daida making right where his father failed, that's why I do believe she was in love with him. Had Daida not offered to marry her, and find some other way to appease her and finish what his dad couldn't, I would be more inclined to say its more ambiguous whether Miranjo was in love with Bosse.
Now to be clear, I DO NOT APPROVE OF DAIDA x MIRANJO. Even if you rationalize it like this, it's still fucking weird. She is a woman in her 30s-40s who looks like shes in her late teens to early 20s at most, and she DID groom her adoptive dad's/object of her deep affection's son. Who in an alternate universe where Bosse was not a coward, might have been her little brother. Sure, the grooming was for manipulative body stealing reasons, and not for kiddy diddler reasons, but that doesn't make it any BETTER. Cuz she literally watched him grow up. Had Bosse not been just as spineless in his second marriage, Miranjo would NEVER have come into Daida's life as the mirror he regarded as his closest confidant. Bosse would have come out with it and just TOLD Healing and Daida that the mirror held the soul of his adoptive daughter. I'm pretty sure had she been introduced as a SISTER, Daida would not have thought to resolve the issue via marriage. Cuz she would already have been a apart of the family, yknow. There would have been no need for the marriage. But nope. We get the train wreck of a resolution we got on that front.
In conclusion, Bosse is a coward; good for Healing on moving on to her next man cuz Bosse was a shit husband and father; I love messy AF villainess female characters; Miranjo x Daida resolution makes me feel like the bad taxidermy fox on a chair image,
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
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