Available on ADN, Kingdom is a captivating series set in medieval China. This epic tale, which looks towards Game of Thrones, is to discover absolutely!
Kingdom takes place in ancient China. The plot follows young Shin on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a Great General. In this ancestral China, Shin is originally from the State of Qin, which has been plagued by many upheavals, both inside and outside the kingdom.
Indeed, the story takes place during the Warring States period, when China was divided between seven kingdoms: Qin, Zhao, Han, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi. Through Shin’s story, we also follow that of Ei Sei, the man who would later be known as Qin Shi Huang, the unifier of China.
A HOMERIC EPIC
Now that the 3 seasons of this fabulous anime are available on ADN, it’s high time to dive into the adventure!
If the animation of the first season can be disconcerting, it is absolutely necessary to ignore this somewhat disappointing aspect to be captivated by this epic story. The series compensates for this graphic flaw with a captivating and very well written narrative, focusing more on military strategies than epic battles.
In addition, we do not see every day a Japanese anime whose action takes place in the heart of ancient China.
In addition, from season 2, a very clear improvement in the graphics restores all its letters of nobility to an odyssey of remarkable magnitude. Kingdom is from the manga written and drawn by Yasuhisa Haraa real phenomenon in the Land of the Rising Sun since its publication in 2006.
QUALITY THAT RISES CRESCENDO
Season 1, which dates from 2011, was directed by Jun Kamiya (Blue Seed, Hikaru No Go) within the Pierrot studio (Bleach, naruto). Akira Iwanaga (Bleach) took over the torch in 2013 for season 2 before giving way to Kenichi Imaizumi (reborn) in 2020 for the 3rd season.
For the latter, the studio Signpost, a subsidiary of Pierrot, took over the reins, bringing real added value to the anime, catching up with the failing animation of previous seasons. With season 3, the studio covered the Coalition arc, considered the best part of the manga.
Extremely awaited by fans, this arc is the apotheosis of everything that makes the salt of the series, between political intrigues and epic battles. In addition to the fine team of experienced directors, the anime was able to count on the participation of Hisashi Abe, character designer experienced in Psycho-Pass Sinners of the System and Berserk 2016.
A GAME OF THRONES IN CHINA?
Addictive and hard-hitting, Kingdom recalls in certain aspects the raw violence of Ken the survivor and Game Of Thrones, as well as the political conspiracies of the latter. Between the purely politico-tactical stories and the sometimes frenetic action, the anime will delight souls eager for grandiloquence and thrills.
It is a real war epic worthy of the stories of George RR Martin or vikings. Kingdom author Yasuhisa Hara has revealed that Game of Thrones was a major influence for him.
He confided in this subject around a round table organized in Japan with the showrunners of the cult series, David Benioff and DB Weiss. This meeting took place for the cinema release of the live adaptation of Kingdom.
All 4 seasons of Kingdom are available on DNA.
OUR PODCAST ANIMEHAMEHA, DEDICATED TO JAPANESE ANIMATION