Kingdom 2nd Season Episode 39 Discussion

gintoke-sama said:
is there a new season after this one ?

cause if not i will read the manga soon
and if it will be . i will read it after the next season

Ckan said:

So that's it then. Time to pray for that 3rd season guys. Daily sacrifices are essential, but i'll let you off with a weekly human offering.

AlexTheRiot said:

I almost shed a nostalgia tear when Feixin was recollecting on the ones they lost, since they mentioned Wei Ping's brother.

Ckan said:

Supposedly it's gotten quite popular, so we have a decent chance.

Ckan said:
I feel that turning the continuation of last ep into a flashback takes away the tension though.

babymilo91 said:
So Zheng is gonna be a father. Congrats to him.

Azekura said:
To be honest, I didn't even see Li Mu being a powerful warrior coming. The moment he unsheathed his sword, I had a feeling he wasn't just a strategist. The way he used Pang Nuan and had that woman as his guard, thought he was only a strategist and not a warrior. I also had the idea that Li Mu was a relaxed person (since he never acted super-manly like the other generals), but in this episode, we were introduced to his immense aura. While it didn't affect Xin, Li Mu came out as a really scary and powerful schemer, instead of just a schemer.

Kurogashi said:
and that's a wrap huh
9/10

i really hope xin grows up faster. why is he still in comparison so much shorter than the 'adults' lol
and didnt know zheng was doing the nasty with that girl.. so much for just talking lol.

Kurogashi said:

and didnt know zheng was doing the nasty with that girl.. so much for just talking

fullmetalbender said:
Actually, I found I prefer it that way, because they probably didn't want that confrontation to be the focus of the ending. I think this episode did a good job of levelling out the tension, celebration, and most important, anticipation for all that is to come. The flashback also gave the 'Young Three' to come together once last time this season to foreshadow (in want of a better word) their significant roles in Qin's future - together and apart. I really liked how it parallels the last scene in season 1, and also makes a contrast and comparison between these two scenes by revoking the same promise, this time including Tian and Ben to Xin and Zheng's ultimate dream.

fullmetalbender said:
I, on the other hand, was not surprised by this, but it certainly shows how Li Mu's character is anything but bland, as we learn more and more about him with every meeting. My favourite part of that scene was realising, along with Li Mu, that Xin was actually testing his own theory about Li Mu, not just going headfirst into a fight! This shows that he really is developing in all aspects of a good general, not just in the strength and unity aspect.

fullmetalbender said:
And so, I think the end note can be pretty well summarised by Li Mu's appraisal of Xin: "So you're growing as well, are you?" Because it applies to every character and every development we've seen so far in this brilliant show that continues to build its momentum.

fullmetalbender said:
I think I might die if they don't make a season 3. In any case, Kingdom might be 1 of the only 2 anime ever that's compelling me to read the manga....soooon.

Ckan said:
It's definitely worth a read eventually (whether it be after the (DEFINITELY HAPPENING) 3rd season or the next) as there are plenty of differences, extras, and nuances that didn't make it into the anime.

fullmetalbender said:
And I'd really like to take your "DEFINITELY HAPPENING" to heart for the yet-elusive s3. I feel like we can make it happen simply by sheer force of will!

Ckan said:
When a great blaze is started, none can defy it!

fullmetalbender said:

Indeed!
And I had so much fun on this particular discussion forum, I'll miss that too.

fullmetalbender said:

Indeed!
And I had so much fun on this particular discussion forum, I'll miss that too.

Kurogashi said:
and that's a wrap huh
9/10

i really hope xin grows up faster. why is he still in comparison so much shorter than the 'adults' lol
and didnt know zheng was doing the nasty with that girl.. so much for just talking lol.

Azekura said:
I'm also getting a huge urge to read the manga now. At least get to the part where Season 3 finished, but I know I'll feel like reading more...
Though if I read the manga, I'm scared that the anime won't have the same impact anymore.

Azekura said:

I sorta knew Zheng was doing "nasty things" to Xiang. It only made sense, since she's part of the harem. I know Kings back an the ancient times had as many children as they can with numerous concubines, just in case if a child dies, they still have another to be a heir. But I'm wondering, Xiang is only part of the harem and just a maid, so how does Zheng pick the Empress? Does she have to be of noble birth too? Because even though Xiang is having Zheng's baby, her social class is low.

antonnn said:
7/10, not as good as the first season. They dragged out the war too long, and the good parts were especially dragged out too and they lost their impact, before that they were doing a pretty good job. Despite having better quality animation this season, I just can't rate it as high as season 1 overall.

Ckan said:

I believe (and this is extremely unreliable bare-bones knowledge) that historically, the 'Empress' is actually an 'Empress Consort'; that is to say, that she isn't 'married' to the Emperor and given direct power and lineage in the way that 'Queens of Kings' do.
The Empress Consort would be the primary spouse and the mother of the future Emperor, so it'd probably be a free decision based on political/relational circumstances.
Just for a continuation of the knowledge dump fun, I believe that 'Consorts' or 'Imperial Madams' would be the next level of favoured/influential harem girls, and the rest being 'concubines'.

Azekura said:
Anyway, now I'm thinking that Xiang has a chance of becoming an Empress Dowager. Since she holds Zheng's baby, and just like the current Empress Dowager, she isn't of noble birth (If I recall correctly, Zheng's mother was a dancer, right? It's been awhile)

Azekura said:
Xiang has a pretty good chance of becoming the next Dowager, and increase Zheng's power by giving him the support of the Harem. Now we just need to know the full requirements of becoming a new Empress Dowager and replacing the old one.

Azekura said:
It was nice to see our posts not get drowned by a million of others.

Ckan said:
Yeah, I tried that. You'll need a huge amount of self-restraint to stop yourself going into the next arc as the mangaka wonderfully ties each to the other: you'll have to shut yourself down long before you reach the S2 anime-ending, as the manga constantly maintains momentum/buildup unlike the anime which purposefully cut-out aspects so as to create this 'clean-cut end'.

Azekura said:
I thought rich and noble families try their best to get the Emperor to marry their daughter, for power ties and whatnot. I can be totally wrong, but I thought that's how it worked. Seeing how Zheng is trying to get as much power as he can, I was expecting him to get a woman from a powerful family to go against Lu Buwei. Even if that is somewhat selfish, it is ancient China. I guess Zheng will at least separate love from politics (at least for now).

Ckan said:
I also need to correct myself: it should be that the Empress is chosen, and her eldest son would normally become heir. I believe I originally wrote it the other way round (the heir makes the Empress).

Ckan said:
It might not be so easy to gain 'control' of the harem. The first issue would be the Dowager Empress. I'm actually uncertain as to whether the Dowager empress holds authority over the harem, or if it's just a manga quirk. I'm unsure, because I'm fairly certain the 'true' head would normally be the current Empress (although I'd think that the Dowager does hold the 'highest' position of respect). Then again, her current 'reign' over the Harem is logical, as Zheng has only recently come of age/the throne.

So, if the Dowager is the head of the Harem, then it could be slow struggle to gain influence amongst the various consorts and their families. There's also to mention that those other concubines could make a play for power themselves (if Zheng spreads his seed like a proper Harem King).

Ckan said:
I was probably unclear in my rant.
The Empress Dowager would be the current Emperor's mother; so long as Zheng is alive, his mother will remain Dowager. Fr now, the highest Xiang could become would be Empress.

Ckan said:

It might not be so easy to gain 'control' of the harem. The first issue would be the Dowager Empress. I'm actually uncertain as to whether the Dowager empress holds authority over the harem, or if it's just a manga quirk. I'm unsure, because I'm fairly certain the 'true' head would normally be the current Empress (although I'd think that the Dowager does hold the 'highest' position of respect). Then again, her current 'reign' over the Harem is logical, as Zheng has only recently come of age/the throne.

Ckan said:

I'm also uncertain as to whether the 'kings' of the Warring States would have the same system as the later Dynastic Emperors, but I think it's likely, as they'd probably take after the Shang and Zhou 'kings'.

Ckan said:

(if Zheng spreads his seed like a proper Harem King).

fullmetalbender said:

As for Zheng securing political power through his own potential consort, I'm sure there's a possibility that will happen if the plot decides to involve more women in the court, which would be very very interesting. Anyway, I guess I'm surprised by Zheng as he is now (soon-to-be a father) because I forgot how intelligent and aware these things he is - I've probably been over-exposed to Xin, who didn't even have the slightest clue about Diao!

Azekura said:
I've noticed now that mostly everyone in the court are men (which makes sense for that time anyway). Though, historically, there were well-known women who sided with Zheng during that age. Supposedly, there were two extremely rich female merchants who Zheng asked for help, and they gave him their support. Not sure if they'll be in it.
Also, one of the notable thing that happens between harem women are how they all fight each other, so their own son might become the next emperor. There could be a chance of some women in the court, but when it comes to political/diplomatic/etc. court positions, it's most likely still going to be all men.

razorwire said:
Watching season 2 sort of reminded me of the 2nd Lord of the Rings movie. Lots of great stuff going on, but you catch glimpses that season 3 would really kick it into high gear.