Title: Kingdom キングダム
Author: Hara Yasuhisa
Genre: Action, Historical
Status: On-going
As of 10/20/2017
Manga: Chapter 535
Anime:
Season 1 (Beginning – Battle of Bayou)
Season 2 (Banquet – Signs of Storm)
Summary:
During the Warring States period in China, Shin and Hyou are two brother-like youngsters who dream of becoming Great Generals, despite their low status as orphaned slaves. One day, they encounter a man of nobility, who gives Hyou an opportunity to undertake an important duty within the state of Qin’s royal palace. Parting ways, Shin and Hyou promise each other to one day become the greatest generals in the world. However, after a fierce coup d’état occurs in the palace, Shin meets with a dying Hyou, whose last words spur him into action and lead him to encounter the young and soon-to-be king of Qin, Ei Sei.
Although initially on bad terms, Shin and Sei become comrades and start on a path filled with trials and bloodshed. Sei’s objective is to bring all the warring states under Qin, and Shin seeks to climb to the very top of the army ranks. Against a backdrop of constant tactical battle between states and great political unrest, both outside and within the palace, the two endeavor towards their monumental ambitions that will change history forever.
Rating: 9.8/10
Recommendation: Pretend the anime does not exist and we will have no problems.
The art gets better – you wouldn’t even think that this series comes out weekly on Young Jump. Hara-sensei’s attention to detail is impeccable. You will see a massive art boost when you reach the 150’s… and it only keeps getting better from there.
Comments:
If you haven’t read Kingdom, you are not living. A great retelling of the Chinese warring states era. If you’ve read Sun Tzu’s Art of War, you will also appreciate this manga. You get to see Shin rise to the ranks and how he sees war depending on where he is at the point of his career, starting from foot soldier.
In case you didn’t know, the characters and main events in this manga are based on ancient Chinese history as written on the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian). Hara-sensei did tweak some details a bit like converting some characters like Yotanwa and Kyou Kai into females, originally males in real life(highlight to see spoiler). He also presented Ei Sei as a very virtuous and likeable King and character. Ei Sei is the Japanese name for Zheng, which is the given name of Shih Huang Ti. In real life, Zheng was a tyrant. These character design changes are something I like though.
All in all, it’s a great visual novel. I love it so much because it is able to give life to the countless of readings that I have gone through from high school to college. It never loses hype, and it’s all thanks to Hara-sensei’s scriptwriting. The character development and character moments are also noteworthy. The awesome art is just icing on the cake.
Favorite Character/s:
Kyou Kai
Mou Ten
Shin
Ei Sei
Shou Hei Kun
Riboku
Tou
Kanki
Duke Hyou
Ouki
Roxmanga 