Kingdom isn’t exactly a hidden gem but it deserves to be as popular as Naruto or any other high profile shounen series, even if its officially a seinen series.
Kingdom is a retelling of the Warring States period that lead to the formation of China. It has all the good trappings of a battle shounen but in a historical setting with interesting heroes and villains. Oh! And, it’s a bit more violent, and by “bit” I mean a lot of dismembering. LOTS! This is a war manga that doesn’t shy away from war. It’s not overly gratuitous but, again, dismembering.
Political intrigue is a big part of why I love Kingdom. It starts with two war orphaned boys wanting to become generals getting swept up in the monarchy power struggle. And just when you think everything in the first arc wrapped up in a nice bow, nope. Just because our good guys win doesn’t mean its smooth sailing from here on out. In fact, it’s just beginning. Li Xin (Shin) has to somehow survive long enough to become a great general. Not exactly something a peasant can normally achieve. And Ying Zheng (Sei) must somehow gather enough political power to keep his enemies in check or at least not get killed. It’s an uphill battle for both boys from the start and hasn’t let up since.
The cast slowly grows with more companions on Sei and Shin’s side as well as more and more enemies really to crush our protagonists both on or off the battlefield. Speaking of battlefield, another thing I love about Kingdom is the need to have strong allies and teamwork to move forward. Sure, we have our all-stars like in any series but wars are won by groups and even a powerful warrior or politician can’t do it all alone.
It’s funny too. Kingdom knows when to be serious and when to be funny, an important trait in a story about war.
Hmm… What don’t I like? Well…I admit it did take me several chapters before I was officially on board. I thought this was going to be another by-the-books fight series. So glad I stuck with it. Also, some characters are introduced only as fodder to show how bad ass another character is. Other than those minor points, I got nothing.
Kingdom isn’t the greatest manga in the world but it’s a solid series with a lot of heart and soul. You will care about these characters and what happens to them, both the good and bad. Connection! That’s what Kingdom is all about, a direct connection to characters you want to succeed. Sit back, relax, read and enjoy. Highly recommended!
Side note: The anime, at least the first season, is watered down and I didn’t like the CG animation. I heard it gets better but I dropped it.
Mammoth Base Opera Castle 