To start it off, I have no problem saying Kingdom is one of the greatest manga out right now. With all the incredible writing, breath-taking action, and page turning intensity, you'd think this manga would be more popular. But alas with poor anime adaptions and a lack of a proper English release, I guess this series is destined to remain underground, which is unfortunate because that means so many people are missing out on how truly fantastic this series is.
To give a cliffnotes version of what this story is about. We have an orphan boy named Shin who has a dream of becoming the greatest
...
general in China. So he goes through many a battlefield with his ragtag group of friends, raking up achievements and getting closer and closer to his dreams of unifying China and becoming the greatest general ever.
Seems simplistic, right? Something you've seen or read a million times? Well you'd be wrong. While the basic premise might be something you're familiar with, the power of any story is in it's execution and what really makes a series unique is how it develops its characters and themes throughout the course of its narrative which Kingdom does brilliantly. This series is set in the Warring States Period of China with is characters and setting based around real history. And while it's basic story beats follow the actual historical timeline, this series is more of a dramatic retelling than a realistic account, something that actually benefits this story greatly(which I'll explain later). So the story follows Shin and his best friend Sei, the current king, as they attempt to do the unthinkable and finally unite China and end the 500 years of warfare that's plagued its land.
[STORY]
~The Warfare~
Now this story is essentially told through the multiple large scale battles that were key for the state of Qin's unification conquests of China. Somthing which coincides with the dreams of its main cast. This is definitely the selling point of the series as the war battles are some of the most intense and nail biting I've ever seen done in an entertainment medium. Usually when you watch war battles in movies or even other anime, it boils down to essentially each side giving their dramatic speech about glory and honor before they finally charge each other in a mindless blaze of glory as we watch the main characters cut down swathes of enemies in heroic fashion.
While there's nothing wrong with that and can be quite entertaining if done correctly, it never truly sat right with me. It seemed like they were missing a key and important element in warfare that nearly never gets represented in other narratives, which is STRATEGY and TACTICS. While many might bore you in the lead up to the battle with superficial Scrubs type dialogue filled with meaningless "strategic" mumble jumbo that doesn't really mean anything or is even followed up on during the battle itself; Kingdom is the one series that really incorporates strategic and tactical warfare and manages to weave it into its narrative that feels equally fun and engaging in a way that glues you to the page, eagerly exited for what happens next.
The way Kingdom shows warfare in its narrative is very unique and is something that really sets this series apart and makes it special. Each major story arc is based around a large scale campaign which, from beginning to end is a strategic chess match between both opposing generals. A campaign in Kingdom can cover many aspects of warfare from siege battles, guerilla warfare, and just straight up pitch battles where each side faces off against each other on an open plain.
For a series which relies on the success and excitement of each battle, it pulls it off really well. Each campaign arc feels freshly unique, exciting, and tense while developing the characters and theme of the manga throughout. One thing that keeps each battle different and unique is it's emphasis on how much the battle relies on each sides general. In this series a general isn't just some random guy who motivates his troops and gives basic orders. Each general in the series has very unique characteristics and styles of warfare that never feels the same as any other.
Each general approaches a battle differently which is one of the many things that keeps the reader on his toes, never knowing what's gonna happen next. If you read/watched Hunter x Hunter, then you'll absolutely love this aspect of Kingdom. Because just like that series, this mangaka knows how to capture the tactical nuance that involves two extremely intelligent individuals with different approaches to battle trying to figure each other out. While Kingdom doesn't have crazy abilities or interesting super powers, the author does an amazing job at capturing the different approaches each general brings to the battlefield.
If you're still having trouble imagining the sheer amount of epicness that goes on during a Kingdom arc; Imagine the grand scale of One Piece's Marineford arc or a Lord of the Rings Battle sequence, the strategic planning and tactical nuance that goes on in the Hunter x Hunter narrative, and the sheer epicness of the hand to hand combat and warfare carnage of a 300 battle scene.
Yes, that's Kingdom.
~Themes~
Now, what truly sets a series apart from any other is how the series carries out and executes its main themes. It's one thing that Kingdom also excels at. One of the main themes of the series is yes, the generic follow your dreams trope we've seen in many series before it. However like I said before and I'll emphasize now, it's not necessarily the IDEAS that make a story special but the EXECUTION that sets it apart.
With the main character, Kingdom sets up an underdog story about a poor orphan servant named Shin who has big dreams and is willing to put everything on the line for it. Every underdog story needs two main things to truly work; One - you need to feel like they're an underdog and Two - their eventual triumph needs to be worked for and feel believable. These are two aspects that Kingdom definitely hits out of the park.
Shin aims to be a general and not just any general, the greatest general ever. Throughout the series we see many highly intelligent and amazing generals that make Shin look like a grain of sand in the ocean, however throughout each of his campaigns he continually proves to the characters and the reader alike why his dream is not just a dream and something that he is going to make work in a way that is realistic but also manages to surprise and amaze us every time.
However, in that journey of chasing his dreams, manifests another major theme in the manga; what it means to be a general, a man who leads armies, who strikes fear into his enemies but also inspires his allies. Like I mentioned before, each general is different and approaches warfare from their own unique way but one thing that all generals share in common is how important they are on the battlefield and to the soldiers they are in charge of. It takes a lot to get to the point of general, like managing to survive through harsh battlefields, developing trust and comraderie with your men, and shouldering the burden of all those who were lost during your path to glory.
Shin learns all of these lessons through each of his campaigns, strengthing his character as he loses comrades on the way and strives to protect the comrades he still has. Each arc not only adds to the character development but also strengthens the themes of the narrative and makes Shin's dream of becoming general all the more impactful and important to the reader.
The last major theme, shows itself in Shin's best friend and sort of co-main character Sei. He is the current king of Qin(the nation that Shin and co represent) and dreams to end the 500 years of warfare that have plagued China's lands through military conquest. What makes this themes execution amazing is that while at first we are met with the good merits of the dream, ending warfare and bringing peace to the land.
However as you go further in the series the dream gets challenged by the author and the characters alike as they question what that dream truly entails. We soon realize that Sei's dream isn't as virtuous as you may initially think. It involves destroying every other state through a few short years of horrendous warfare in sacrifice for a hopeful centuries of no war in the future. Sei is met with opposition to this idea by kings and officials of other nations whose lives and countries are at stack because of this idea and even members of Qin's court who are horrified by all the death and violence that are going to come when this vision becomes enforced.
This brings nuance and depth to something that very well could've been a black and white, shonen styled dream. It's things like this that make Kingdom the mature and dynamic series that it is.
~World Building~
Another aspect of storytelling that Kingdom nails out of the park is how it crafts it's worlds and how it represents the political and military situations between each state in China. As stated before, the strength of the generals in this series are extremely important to not only the battles but how they represent the military might of their state. It allows you to really understand the strengths of the different states that are vying for supremacy in China.
Just like how One Piece sets up important characters and power groups that represent the different power structures that help hype up future engagements, Kingdom does this as well. It establishes the important and powerful generals and states early on so that when we get to those engagements there's already a level of hype and attachment involved, creating that excitement that Kingdom consistently generates.
[CHARACTERS]
~Main Cast~
With its great level of depth in its warfare and thematic storytelling it also has some pretty damn cool characters. At first glance it's main character Shin may seem like a standard shounen protagonist type with the whole dumbass with big dreams and a heart of gold troupe that we've seen so many times, however, the harsh choices he's forced to make mature realities he faces in this Seinen manga, allows him to be so much more than that. This series has heroic and exciting war battles but it never shies away from the true reality and darkness of warfare. With the nature of this series it really forces a level of maturity and intrigue that you don't really see in the main characters of many shonen series. Many times Shin is forced to develop and mature as he loses comrades, narrowly escapes death, or faces the harsh reality of the murder and rape that follows citizens of conquered cities. He comes a long way from his childish self and it's a journey that's really worth seeing.
I just realized that this review has gone on for way too long, so I'm just gonna wrap it up by saying that the main supporting cast is also fantastic with a lot of depth that complements Shin well. They get enough attention to get you to care but not enough to take away from the story and the generals of the series are some of the most exciting and unique character types that really keep this manga exciting and worth watching.
This is easily my favorite manga and I recommend anyone to give it a chance. Easily the most underrated manga out right now.
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Jun 13, 2017
To start it off, I have no problem saying Kingdom is one of the greatest manga out right now. With all the incredible writing, breath-taking action, and page turning intensity, you'd think this manga would be more popular. But alas with poor anime adaptions and a lack of a proper English release, I guess this series is destined to remain underground, which is unfortunate because that means so many people are missing out on how truly fantastic this series is.
To give a cliffnotes version of what this story is about. We have an orphan boy named Shin who has a dream of becoming the greatest ... |
