Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the most criminally underrated manga out there if you were to ask me. It doesnt get near the amount the love and attention it deserves. Quite peculiar since it could easily hold a candle to the likes of One Piece and Berserk even Tower of God if we are talking about webtoons. More or less all which falls in the same category as those mentioned above. It already has over 50 volumes of content and is still going strong. The author stated it might go well above the 100s. Its one of the most complex and detailed manga. I had the pleasure of reading. Also one of a kind and I highly doubt anyone would be able to find something completely similar. Even if someone whereby some miracle. The core themes and the execution would probably not stand a chance against it. The author Yasuhisa Hara handles big topics like war and politics with so much love and care. But it doesnt stop there he knows how to give the readers enough so it doesnt come off as overwhelming. Not to mention thats the bare minimum you can be guaranteed of receiving in Kingdom. Includes spoilers from the first few chapters and subtle ones as possible from deeper parts StoryStarts out relatively simple and straightforward. Set around before the common era BC in the middle of the year 200. Centers around two boys Shin and Hyou and their journey toward becoming the Great Generals for their home state of Qin which also means they want to make sure their name rings in the entirety of China long after their death. That is the highest title anyone apart of warfare can receive and its the greatest honors to a soldier. Only select few have that title and its incredibly difficult to attain it one will not even be able to get it during his lifetime. In the end thats only the end goal of the story one they will solely accomplish ones the smaller not by any means really are fulfilled first. But trust me its not as easy like it sounds they are the foundation and necessity for their life long goal after all. To give everyone a better understanding of Kingdom. It would be wise to go through the core themes first. China is split into seven pieces this period is known as Era of Warring States our location starts from Qin but you will get to experience all the different states and see what makes them different from each other. The reason behind the 500year war and so much else that you can be excited about to encounter and behold. Above all else Kingdom is profoundly focused on the themes Ive mentioned from before. The very first arc is one of the more straightforward and not as complicated unlike all the others the reader will come across during the journey. This one in particular is about overthrowing someone unfit of the throne of the state of Qin. From the underlying issues to all the consequences that follow everything will be provided so no one is reading blindly without a clear understanding of the situation. Moreover its done in such a way that its both tasteful and comfortable to digest. Then whenever the threat is dealt with youll learn that there is someone more significant operating behind the shadows. A political struggle that has been going on for a very long time now. Its merely engaging to watch these twoparty fight it all out with mind games. Trying to outwit one another with some of the most brilliant and believable tactics I have come across. I cant have enough and whoever decides to dive into Kingdom will most likely feel the same. This battle is not something you will witness once during a specific set of chapters. More of something that has weights and value that follows through with you. Until the last segment of the struggle. Of course it additionally happens to have one of the most complex and dense worldbuilding to date I have seen. During the rebellion period when our characters are trying to get into the capital of Qin Kantan youll learn about the world as the journey continues. Of the mountain people who were born outside of the ordinary and wealthy ones. You get to feel their culture and see what kinds of characters they are. Learn part of their history and also what makes them secluded from the one who is living in the exterior part of the state. This is still one of the starting phases so you can expect to see some good and even more remarkable set of worldbuilding and culture segments as you continue with the journey. As previously implied: to gain the ranks of a Great General one has to not only make earthshattering changes that shake the hole China to its core like killing someone else with that title or many enemies as possible. Soldiers also have to rack up precious accomplishment during the war that causes these changes to have a meaningful impact in the first place. When the seven states go to war against each other they will for the most part try to obliterate the different nations and gain full control ultimately. Most of the ones who are successful their inhabitants will suffer dire consequences gruesome torture rape pillaging and slavery and all the nasty in the world people cant even begin to imagine. It does not shy away from gore at all you will see dead bodies blood heads and even limbs flying. The cruelty shows no mercy to children either. Hara does a terrifyingly great job to show you how far messed up the world was during those days. Its not like this is displayed everytime either he knows when its enough. However once he keeps going you will see some genuinely horrifying sight. In which case Kingdom is defintely not for everyone. Its listed as a seinen and it no doubt deserves it I can with certainty assure everyone of that. You mightve noticed war is another core theme that plays a massive role during the Era of Warring States. But if it were mere states going at one other trying to pillage and obliterate each other it would become boring in the long run. This is where strategy comes in which is another vital component not only to warfare itself but to make the clashes a lot more than just brutal bloodshed. A typical objective could be to overtake one of the smaller cities in a state which is still undeniably a socalled stepping stone for the more magnificent achievement. It could be to turn the town into a stronghold and make preparations for the next strike chipping tiny pieces at a time until eventually the whole state falls into an enemy or the allies hands. Hara does an outright outstanding and impressive job at tastefully explaining his ideas and messages so you dont get too big of a spoon of information forced at you at once. We even had one arc about establishing a state and while its some of the smaller ones. It packed lots of exciting information about the process the issues that some could across and much more I wouldnt be able to state unless I want to dip deeper into spoiler territory. Nevertheless you can rest assured knowing the authors does an impeccable job in execution his writing and art style more on that soon. There is one arc in particular I consider one of my most favorite of all time. Its just about a hundred chapters long but is one of the most thoughtprovoking and downright excellent story arcs I had the pleasure of reading and many fellow readers I feel would agree with that statement. Just like the latter there is still a bunch of impressive arc waiting to be discovered. ArtKingdom undoubtedly already starts out with a unique and welldetailed style from the getgo. Of course it does continuously get better as we move forward. All the emotions in the art style are depicted with utmost accuracy and heart. In the future the details get even more robust. Some of my favorite panels are without a doubt from Kingdom. To the background and characters design everything is thorough and it stands out. The depiction of horror in the characters face when death closes in or excitement all of which are executed flawlessly. CharactersUp to now it should be abundantly clear that Kingdom excels in pretty much all the categories one way or the other. Of course characters are no exception to that. You will come across all kinds of odd with weird personalities or structures. Someone you might loathe with all your heart and want nothing but their suffering or worse death. With that in mind you can also expect their counterparts. Though just like One Piece and Tower of God expect the focus to shift from the main characters to other individuals. Its a recurring thing but let me tell you to know that every aspect of them gets thoroughly fleshed out and developed of course all this applies to the main cast too. Easy to go from not thinking much about a character to completely loving them in the next moment or even hating. Hara he handles it with the utmost care and takes the pacing full into account before he takes the plunge. He uses flashbacks in a very sophisticated and professional manner. The backstory can easily be a chapter to several long or even be split across but you will without fail start to care for the characters in the short time you knew them I know this from firsthand experience all too well. Kingdom is undeniably a war manga but you can expect to see some subtle romance here and there as well. I never felt like we didnt get enough because somehow Hara always manages to satisfy me at least without fail once it shifts the focus over to that. The NegativeJust like all media and literature even Kingdom has its fair to share of weak spots or rather I could see some consider it that way. I dont have much problem with them. One good example to start with is chapter amount which I can see being a problem for some. Though every one of them is undoubtedly important and needed if you were to ask me. Not long ago I went through the entirety of it till the latest chapter again. During my time of the reread I never once taught any part was a chore to read or dull. My goal was not to read it from the start but some of the arcs I wanted to reexperience instead. Nevertheless when I finished the first chapter I was already wellenough invested in keeping going from there until I ultimately caught up. In other words once you keep going it would be a miracle if you stopped at some point. Of course it depends if you have the time necessary to take on such a massive beast. Well I am all crazy about Kingdom so much in fact I caught in less than a week and I dont regret it one bit if I didnt make that clear enough. With the amount of chapter you have to go through I can see pacing is yet another issue that would make the newcomer slightly annoyed if anything. Just like others longrunning reading in the binge will offer the most entertainment for many. Not to say you cant read it weekly but the pacing is slow. Except every chapter will without fail gives new content to process and provide a chance to center your strategy around. And the last obstacle would have to be the dialogue which can get heavy at times. In Kingdom almost every panel will have some information that can be important down the road. It can contain everything from the foes or allies strategy plan for the war to some history lesson. All in all I wouldnt quite consider any of the above as something negative but rather something necessary instead. In any case If any of those points irks you in any way then Kingdom is unfortunately just not for you and thats a tremendous loss unquestionably. ConclusionIn the end to fully understand all of my enthusiasm for Kingdom you have to start from chapter one and go from there. Since there is only so much I can do with words and its better to experience it yourself. I barely tipped the iceberg during this review and only tried to give the readers a taste of what they can expect. Hopefully I was able to pique curiosity a great many newcomers into this intricate and massively dense universe. Also from what I can tell the majority of people that dont like Kingdom are those that have yet to experience it for themselves. Dont let the amount of the chapter scare you take a dip in and you might find yourself another piece of art rivaling all the manga mentioned earlier maybe even surpass them. Wont know for sure until you give it a try and you might love it for all you know.
85 /100
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