He was born deprived of strength, deaf, and unable to speak, but he has a dream to become the “Rank 1”. That is the description of the character “Bojji” from the anime series “The Ranking of Kings”.
“The Ranking of Kings” anime itself tells the adventures of a deaf and mute prince named Bojji who dreams of becoming the 1st rank, with his best friend “Kage”, as his name in Japanese means shadow, they go on adventures, practicing together to make Bojji rank 1.
Born with such conditions, Bojji grew up as a strong and great person. He grew up with pressure from almost everyone in his kingdom, his stepmother often compared him to his brother who had advantages over him, and he has to put up with citizens of the kingdom that often laughed at him. Assuming that he could not hear, many people freely laughed at him, even though he listened to everything they had to say and wept silently.
Apart from suffering from a disability, he also lacked strength, being unable to even lift a sword. All he could rely on was his extraordinary agility and dodging ability. Of course, that alone is not enough to make him rank 1.
What is experienced by Bojji’s character seems to show that someone with their shortcomings often receives inappropriate treatment from other people, even from their own family. Being considered trivial and incompetent certainly makes someone want to give up. However, that is not the case with Bojji.
In any condition, Bojji tries to keep smiling and caring for others. He always tries everything he can to achieve his dreams. After meeting Kage, he begins to discover someone he can call a friend.
Together with Kage, he begins his adventure to become stronger. Despite being rejected by his stepmother, who forbade him to go on an adventure because she was worried about his safety, he still insisted on going on an adventure to achieve his dream.
Like Bojji, not all our decisions and choices will receive support from those around us. More often than not, we receive ridicule instead of support and encouragement. Especially with conditions that have deficiencies, the abilities of a person will be covered by those shortcomings. However, with self-confidence and strong determination, a person can overcome their shortcomings and have the strength to improve. In addition, support from friends or someone who is close and understand us will be a useful support system. Bojji has Kage who always helps, encourages, and protects him. As someone who understands Bojji’s strengths and weaknesses, Kage always supports him and gives Bojji the impetus to move forward. Bojji himself was never hostile to his shortcomings, he always thought positively and did everything he could.
Bojji is indeed a fictional character, but what Bojji experiences is relevant for most people in the real world. Bojji’s weaknesses can be a reflection for us. Have we done what we can? Do things with all our might and with all our heart? Make peace with our shortcomings and make it our strength? Everyone has weaknesses and strengths, a beautiful balance that God must have planned for our lives. For that, live with all your heart, love yourself, and accept what we have right now.
Author: Vincensius Radhitya
Editor: Baby Lois Augustine Nabasa, Fransiskus Nino Boby Laksono (QC)
Illustrator: Ajeng Suci Hati