Mar 31, 2024
Probably the best long running series that nobody watches.
The 5th season of Kingdom is the shortest yet, but focuses on one of the most brutal arcs in the manga. This season draws an interesting parallel between our MC Shin and Kanki, arguably the most polarizing character in the series. The similarities in their backgrounds, as well as their vastly differing views on war and what is acceptable on the battlefield, paint an interesting moral dilemma, leading to conflict between the two. This builds over the entirety of the season, eventually boiling over and leading to a lot of growth and maturing for our
...
boy Shin.
Kingdom is filled with amazing action and intense strategic battles, leading up to some incredible emotional climaxes, but I feel like what sets this series apart is the moments it zeroes in on the moral and political issues that all this warfare raises, and the lack of a clear cut “right” answer. Warfare is an ugly, messy affair and there is no way around this. There is no one who is entirely good or evil; there is no such thing as absolute “right and wrong” in the world. While these aren’t new or marvel ideas on their own, this series, and more specifically this latest season, display and reinforce these ideas masterfully. This season delivers on its main strengths, showing that the team at Pierrot truly understand the material they’re adapting.
Kingdom has always been a bit of a hard sell for new fans, since the first season (and first half of the second season) is filled with very outdated-looking CGI, which is an instant turn off for most newer anime fans. The animation greatly improves from season 3 onward, but the hard part for new viewers is making it to that point. The manga is incredible in its own right, but being nearly 800 chapters currently, it’s long enough to scare away a lot of people who are unsure whether they want to invest that much time (which is understandable). I will say though, that if you can brave the first season and/or take the plunge and read the manga, you will be rewarded with one of the greatest stories ever told in the medium.
Note: Since this is one of my favorite series of all time, my score of the 5th season is obviously bias, but even objectively this season is easily an 8.5-9/10. I can’t recommend Kingdom enough. Please watch/read it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
