Hello scroblers and manga readers! It's me, @saydie, with another review. This time it's for the Kingdom manga, which is a fictional adaptation of the Chinese Warring States Period, where the king of Qin succeeded in unifying China. It also has an Anime adaptation that currently has 6 seasons and a total of 154 episodes, and even a live-action movie, but I decided to do the manga review instead because the bad animation of the first season might throw off any potential interest from people, and by reviewing the manga gives me more freedom than reviewing the anime per season.
Some spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk.
The story starts with the war orphans Shin and Hyou, who promised to one day become "Great Generals under the Heavens" to rise from their status as slaves, and for that, both have been tirelessly training with wooden swords every day. But one day, Hyou was taken to the palace for unknown reasons, leaving Shin alone as a household servant in their hometown. Months later, Hyou returned to the village on the verge of death, and before his death, he told Shin to go to Kokuhi village, where he met a strange village lookout named Ka Ryo Ten and a boy that is identical to his friend, who turned out to be Ei Sei, the current king of Qin, and that Hyou died because he acted as a body double for the king in a power struggle for the throne. Though angry at first at Ei Sei for causing Hyou's death, Shin decided to aid King Ei Sei to reclaim the throne.
When it comes to the story, my initial thought was that since this is a manga based on the Chinese Warring States period, the focus would revolve solely on strategy and warfare. But to my surprise, there were a lot of characters that were properly fleshed out within the manga, and this includes both the protagonist and antagonist. The story also avoids the common "good vs. evil dynamic by giving the characters deep backstories and valid motivations for their actions, which gives more weight to the narrative of the story. For Shin and the other protagonist, what they were doing and all the bloodshed was a necessity in order to achieve his dream and unify China, but for the generals and states they were waging war, they were an enemy that they should fight in order to protect their nation, their people, and their family.
As for the warfare aspects of the manga, it was not as flashy as what you can see in sci-fi manga, but it was brutal, and it does a good job of showing the importance not just of the general's actions on the battlefield, such as the Battle of Bayou, where Ou Ki, the last of the Six Great Generals of Qin, falls into battle after a carefully laid-out trap by the Zhao general Ri Boku. It also marks a significant turning point for Shin and sets the ultimate benchmark for what it means to be a Great General under the heavens, while being entrusted with Ou Ki's glaive before dying.
The battle does not stay on the battlefield because, even in the palace, you can see constant scheming between authorities of different factions, just like during the official crowning of Ei Sei as the king of Qin, where he had an ideological clash with Ryo Fui, one of the major antagonists in the manga, over what is needed to build a peaceful kingdom. Ryo Fui argues that human nature is driven by profit and greed, and that an economy-based world prevents the senseless mass slaughter of endless warfare. Ei Sei argues that a true kingdom must be founded on the inner light and unity of its people. Ei Sei wins the argument, and Ryo Fui is stripped of his position to be exiled to the city of Kanan, where he took his life. But it was only a body double, and the real one was able to escape to live a simple life as a merchant while watching to see if Ei Sei could achieve the unification of China.
With the strategy aspects in the manga, I think it was well explained that even someone like me, who doesn't know much about chinese warfare, can understand it. The manga deeply explores elements that could affect warfare, like utilizing different battlefield terrains, the importance of logistics in providing supplies, and how losing a leader can impact the morale of the soldiers.
Moving to the characters, I think that all the important characters were written pretty well, starting with Shin, who at the start of the manga was only 14 years old. At first, he was but a loud child who aspired to be a great general, but through continuous battles, he becomes more mature, and as he made accomplishments one after another, he rises from a simple servant to become one of Qin's generals. He was not the brightest when it came to strategy, but he honed his instinct to the utmost to be able to see the flow of the battlefield with only his guts. Ei Sei, on the other hand, grows from an emotionally closed-off prince into an inspiring, visionary king dedicated to uniting China to end centuries of endless warfare. During the Battle of Sai, he even led as a commander and turned the townfolk of Sai into a fierce militia against Ri Boku.
Even characters like Ryo Fui and Ri Boku are really beloved despite them being major antagonists in the manga because they possess compelling philosophies, high competence, and deep humanity that contrast with simple villainy.
We can also look at characters like Ou Ki and Duke Hyou dies later in the manga, but because of their charisma and character, readers still remember them well.
As for the manga art style, the early chapters of Kingdom look rough and unpolished in certain parts but become more polished over the years. The manga uses a very recognizable ink-hatching technique that gives muscles, heavy armor, and character faces a rugged, high-contrast look. What amazes me is that the manga can keep this quality of art and also does not sacrifice the writing when the manga has a weekly release.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this manga with its well-displayed storyline and well-developed characters. For that, I will give it a score of 100/100. So if you like manga about strategy and warfare, I highly recommend reading Kingdom, but I think even if you are not a fan of this type of manga, you will still like it once you read a few of its chapters.
That was it for this post. Thank you, and see you at the next one.
Rating: 100/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/manga.
