Kingdom

First 14 episodes = 4/10 14–20 = 5/10 20+ = 6/10 Average=5/10 In episodes 20–38, a few episodes deserved 7-8 scores, noticeably the penultimate episode. _ Comments on plot and characters plot=5Comments for episodes 1-20: The plot is garbage. It just relies on cheap cliff hangers and plot twist to keep the audience watching every single episode. The characters are bad. They are superficial, so little is known about them which obscures any possible affections for them. Their dialogue is also atrocious. The protagonist is illogically over-powered, and he incessantly spews cringe-evoking dialogue. The humour is forced and inserted wherever possible. The execution is subpar. It is difficult to take this show seriously when its logic is absurd. The characters have logic defying strength and super jump. The problem is the show offers no explanation for the unnatural strength of the characters, so it cannot be accepted as anything but a flaw. The only exceptions are the clans that call upon God’s strength because there was at least a modicum of explanation. A myriad of plot conveniences run rampant, especially in battle spoiling the mood. Also, the protagonist Xin receives special treatment because he’s the main character as opposed to any logical consequence of the plot. A few plot holes are apparent: Xin buying armour and never using it in combat; the absurd battles throughout the anime—a tiny group against thousands; the part where Wei, Ping elected to be a decoy by leaving a blood trail, yet he was able to escape. That must mean they never followed him or caught up which is near impossible; there are also those preposterous premonitions that frequently occur. There were no redeeming factors until episode 20. Episodes 20+ Pass that, it’s actually enjoyable. Wang, Qi and his army became likeable despite previously being loathsome. Xin is still annoying. The only other likeable characters were the brothers that helped Xin out. Some of the negatives mentioned above are experienced to a much less degree or are unrealized. The major flaws are still present, so this arc receives a 6. It should be emphasised that armour cannot be easily penetrated with generic swords. A specialised weapon or sword suited to combating each specific armour is needed. _ Character=4 Most characters were ridiculous and/or unlikeable. These ratings are based on the character design and how well they were used. Zheng=bad Piao=fine Xin=bad Lei=average Diao=bad Bi=average Wei, Ping=good Wei, Dao=good Wang, Qi=fine Pang=bad (Too little is known about him, and he defied his own logic when he didn’t beat Wang with his own strength. Also, how the army found him to begin with is rather dubitable.) _ Art=9 The animation style (3D and high detail) complemented the war and action theme of the anime. The 3D aspect evoked a vibrant experience. However, seldom are the wounds shown upon contact of the blade. This detracts from the show’s realism. _ Sound=9 Most of the sounds were appropriate, and the sound tracks were superb. However, one absolutely detestable thing was that song or tune that played every time Lei danced. It was abject cringe. _ Enjoyment =5 Overall=5

Have you ever wandered why Dynasty Warriors was not an anime? Well, Kingdom is pretty damn similar. Kingdom is an anime that amazingly and almost perfectly portrays strategic war in medieval China. Story: 10/10. At first, I was a bit sceptical about the idea of an anime based on medieval Chinese war. I thought that there would be a lack of a protagonist, that the whole anime would revolve solely around the strategy involved in medieval warfare. However, I was amazed with the layout and structure of the story, and how it caught my interest from the first episode. Kingdom's protagonist, Xin, is a young, but vastlystrong boy, whose goal is to become 'the greatest general under the heavens'. The anime brilliantly shows his progression as he participates in battles to obtain achievements, and seeing him edge closer to his goal makes the anime that much more enjoyable. It may seem strange that an anime based on war in medieval China would revolve around a boy, when one man may seem so insignificant to whole wars, but Xin upholds his protagonist aspect as he makes large differences everywhere he goes. Art: 8/10. The three dimensional art of Kingdom may put some off, however, it enhances the sense of Chinese war. Seemingly unique, this art style looks very similar to some Japanese style games, such as Rogue Galaxy. I was a bit sceptical of it at first, but as I breezed through the anime I grew to like it, as without the strange style, it would seem more like a Japanese war, which clearly is not Kingdom's intended style. Sound: 10/10. The soundtrack of Kingdom is simply amazing, and it is always timed right where it needs to be. Uplifting music when a general is shouting a morale lifting speech, intense and fast soundtrack when a battle is commencing, it all holds the anime together and makes it all the more enjoyable. The voice actors starred in Kingdom are also spectacular. Morita displayed outstanding voice acting in this anime. After hearing him voice Ichigo's calm, soothing tone for so many episodes of Bleach, I could hardly believe it was him voicing angry little Xin in Kingdom. But not just the protagonist has incredible voice acting, every single character does, including the minor foot soldiers that only speak one sentence. Character: 10/10. Each character is developed incredibly. Xin, being angry and blunt. Piao, being intelligent and modest. Zheng, being high, mighty and fair. All of these aspects are conjured brilliantly by each character's reaction to different happenings. Each general has his own strengths and weaknesses, and no two of them are the same, or even remotely similar. Some may ignore strategy and go full on attack, while others may spend nights dreaming up new tactical defences to best their opponents. While some characters may seem a little useless (yes, that's right, I'm looking at you, Ten), they too of course have their strengths. Some surprising aspects may emerge from some characters occasionally, which of course is necessary for every anime, and each character has a personality that is finely clipped and demonstrated perfectly. Enjoyment: 10/10. I wasn't sure I could enjoy an anime based on medieval Chinese war. The most I've looked into this topic is playing Dynasty Warriors 4 on my PS2 for a few hundred hours. However, the strategies displayed in Kingdom are carefully demonstrated to the audience in a way so that anyone can understand, and be a part of. Having a protagonist like Xin in an anime like this gives the watcher another reason to cheer at their laptop like an idiot, and a few other ridiculously overpowered characters bring tears of joy to the audience's eye. Overall: 10/10. Through an overwhelmingly well displayed storyline, art that strongly creates an atmosphere of medieval China, soundtracks that bring shudders to your spine and incredible enjoyment, Kingdom has earned itself a place in my top 10 anime. If you don't like the concept of the anime - Chinese warfare, strategic battles, etc - then there is still a high chance of you loving Kingdom.

Kingdom Season 1 is a big disappointment. The show is a historical epic about wars and heroes, but it does not dig into the setting deeply. It is closer to an action adventure show about a kid fighting strong opponents, but follows a simplistic, obnoxious protagonist that barely develops. On top of these, the poor production quality hampers the excitement and the storytelling. I had a somewhat high expectations for Kingdom: - I had heard the manga described as one of the great historical epics, mentioned in the same breath as Vinland Saga. I had not read either, but I was absolutely blown away by Season 1of Vinland Saga. - I was very interested in its setting, the warring states period of ancient China, since I enjoyed reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". - Kingdom Season 4 was airing at the time and holding one of the highest MAL user ratings of that season. I appreciated how Kingdom S1 takes great care in depicting warfare. I enjoyed the build-up to a battle, when generals discuss strategy and foot soldiers prepare themselves. Once the battle starts, the show frequently explains strategies and the thinking behind them. On the ground, characters are constantly figuring out how to carry out orders without dying, and the emotions go through highs and lows along with the flow of battle. However, the show is severely lacking on the visuals side to really deliver the full impact of the battles, and it hurts especially in 2022. While the use of CGI allows sweeping camera shots and huge melees, the extremely stiff and simplistic animation fails to make them convincing or exciting. One-on-one fights are not much better; the characters simply swing their weapons at each other really hard. It does not help that the environment design and background art often looked completely flat and uninspired. Some of the hand-drawn animation does look more pleasing and expressive, and I wish the show had more of it. Also, the character designs manage to be a lot of fun. The characters have simple, distinct personalities with a variety of backgrounds and motivations, and their looks clearly communicate them and make the cast memorable. This brings us to the biggest problem I have with the show... The main character, Xin, is very annoying and uninteresting. He is a country kid, the simple-minded and brash type, always excited to battle, with boundless ambition and confidence, and most importantly, LOUD. He has no other memorable personality traits or quirks to him, and he is given little motivation beyond "I'm gonna be the very best". He does not develop much through the season, because he is very rarely seriously challenged in his beliefs or suffers failure. On the battlefield, he displays superhuman strength and agility from the very beginning, which is never really explained. He is consistently rewarded for these personality traits and his martial prowess. This style of writing, combined with stiff CGI models, makes it hard to understand or sympathize with Xin. Kingdom S1 spends an overwhelming majority of its time with Xin, so the other characters are not given much time to shine. Zheng is introduced as "the other half" of the story (as seen in the poster), and he offers a very different type of story and point-of-view from Xin's. However, his story almost completely takes a back seat to Xin's later in the season. We do spend a lot of time with one particular side character, exploring his personality, motivations, and battles. He becomes a stand-out in the show for me, and even has some impact on Xin as a character, but he comes late in the season. The show misses out on exploring other storylines by focusing so heavily on Xin. With a large cast entangled in power struggles and wars, the show could have explored palace intrigue, statecraft, diplomacy and espionage, and even everyday lives of the commoners and the nobles, etc. While the show touches upon some of these briefly, it does not follow up on them; for example, a powerful figure is introduced as the de facto ruler of the country and a dangerous rival, only to disappear from the story shortly afterwards. The later seasons supposedly expand on what has been set up, but I am struggling to have faith in the series. Despite my many complaints and general dissatisfaction, I have sat through all 38 episodes of the season. A part of me just wanted to be able to say I finished it (and leave a review), but another part of me wanted to see it improve and realize its potential. The show does steadily get more interesting as the season progresses, but the earlier parts are much too clunky, and the later improvements are not significant enough. Kingdom has announced a Season 5 at the time of writing, so I may come to enjoy Kingdom more in subsequent seasons. However, after these disappointing 38 episodes, I will not be bringing myself to watch Season 2, at least for a long while.

The Art and Animation in this Anime can make anybody think twice about watching it, i even dropped it half way through the first episode. But when you actually sit down and just watch the Anime it's a whole new level. The MC, Story and Character development is Amazing, they way it builds up, the fighting, Character Relations you can't get enough of it. It makes up for the terrible Animation and makes you just want to watch more. The MC overall is someone most people want in a Protagonist. Strong & Ruthless, He doesn't care about his own well being and relies on brute strength butcan also be quite cunning. The story revolves around a lot of Strategy type war over Land across China, I'm really looking forward to see what direction the creator takes this Anime, The upcoming battles & Struggles is full of Hype and Anticipation. Overall worth while watch 8.8/10