This review is spoiler-free.

It goes without saying that the first season of Ousama Ranking has an extremely captivating style and energetic personality that pulls the viewers right in. In a way, it confidently wears its enthusiasm and uniqueness on its sleeves, which is a genuinely commendable trait. As a result, I and many others were very eager to see what it had in store for us.

However, despite the awesomeness of these fantastic elements, they were unable to save the anime from its biggest and most glaring flaw: the primitive and lacklustre writing that is not only unfocused and all-over-the-place but also has no idea how to push the story forward. In simpler terms, the writing is to blame for how the show turned out, and I will never get over the fact that it made the entire experience so lukewarm, aimless and tasteless.

With that in mind, my expectations for The Treasure Chest of Courage were minimal. In spite of that, I had at least hoped that, unlike its "parent" series, it would try to experiment with the formula and explore fresh, fun ideas. I longed for compelling stories that would utilise the anime's shining personality to its fullest potential while delivering unforgettable moments and imagery. As it turned out, this burning desire to witness creativity was swiftly extinguished since this collage of side stories is harsh, brutal proof that the visual charm and surface-level allure are all the show has to offer.

If we ignore Ouken's somewhat fascinating backstory for a moment, it will become painfully clear how predictable and unimaginative the other tales the show features are; their structure rigidly follows well-established tropes, which, in turn, deprives them of any sort of surprising twists or exciting developments. On account of that, every single thing the series presents to the viewer comes off as wishy-washy and substanceless. There is no flow or synergy between them, as they are randomly pieced together without any consideration for chronological order or coherence. The characters' hardships come and go without real importance or impact, and the problems they face are always quickly overcome and cast aside. Consequently, there is no excitement to be found here, which makes it difficult to sink your teeth into anything the show depicts.

While incorporating noble morals and values into the plot is indeed a neat thing, it is infuriating when the show can only portray plots that lead to everything-is-perfect, happy-go-lucky conclusions without any complexities or nuances that make stories truly effective and efficient. It is through the exploration of "the grey," the tango of light and darkness, respect and depravity, bliss and sorrow, that narratives succeed in being special, memorable and touching. However, The Treasure Chest of Courage remains narrow-minded throughout its run, and it only allows the sunniest, happiest and most one-note problems, questions and solutions to take centre stage. In doing so, the anime denies itself the chance to delve into the more complex and engaging parts of its very interesting, quirky world and characters, and abandons the gravitas it could and, most definitely, should have.

In a way, The Treasure Chest of Courage is an example of how critical taking risks and experimenting with the plot's foundation is in shaping the effectiveness of a story. No matter how stylish, majestic, or beautiful a series may be at first glance, without solid writing, it will inevitably cower beneath its ambitions and fail to impress its audience. Both the first season and this spin-off ultimately fell victim to their inherent flaws, and determined that walking the path of least resistance is enough to win us over. That, obviously, did not happen; they could have been regal but turned out to be peasant-like, which is a truly saddening sight.