… that might be your average granny’s motto, but it’s actually true with this anime. “Kingdom”’s first impression was not impressive, wedged something between your average shounen anime and rather sub-par. I know quite a number of people who dropped this for that very reason after just a handful of episodes.

There’s always the gems however that only get polished while they’re running. I’ve got the tendency to see things through and look whether they’re getting better; and I’m glad for it, because “Kingdom” is one such gem--looking quite ordinary at first, but that’s at first.

Alright; let me get the technical aspects out of the way, because those really don’t make the best of first impressions. The animation during the approximate first third of this anime looks quite cheap, switching between drawing and digital, and the latter looks like straight out of an online game with no budget--characters move marionette-like, and don’t even get me started on the battle animation. They gradually get around to fixing it, but for a while, the entire thing really looks better in manga form… if you can get your hands on the manga, that is.

The action is fast-paced, perhaps a little formulaic, but entertaining enough once the animation turns better. The art style looks faithful to that of the manga, and the music where I could hear it fits the scenes very well and contributes to more emotional moments (there’s not a bunch of those--whoever is looking for romance won’t find it here--but the drama and characters make for a couple of more-or-less touching scenes).

I can’t ignore how bad the animation was in the beginning, but neither can I ignore that it’s gotten better, so… I guess half the score’s appropriate. It’s hard to tell for the entire anime, though.

The animation aspect out of the way, though, the story does shine. It may have its typical shounen elements (e.g. the loudmouthed hero with the almost inaccessible dream), but it’s not all formulaic. Based on Chinese history, being for the most part a mishmash of fact and fiction, “Kingdom” manages to retain historical events as well as making them quite easy to get into, action-filled, and interesting. Which may not be too hard for this particular part of history, but which still isn’t easy--I know historical anime that definitely require that you didn’t sleep through history classes.

On the surface, “Kingdom”’s plot may seem a little shallow. We’ve got enough loudmouthed kid heroes rising to power out there in the anime world; and knowing the way the typical shounen anime plays out, there aren’t too many surprises in here at first. However, by throwing in political intrigue--something quite you don’t encounter that often in shounen anime--along with a whole lot of historical battles and a good amount of fictional characters etc., it gets quite entertaining. There’s still deeper anime out there, as well as those with more twists, but the plot is consistent, it sticks to history without getting sidetracked to open plot holes or the like, and it’s quite creative for all that.

It only helps that the pacing’s well done. It may not be perfect; though the start is quick, there’s moments throughout the introduction where the pacing hiccups, but it always gets back on track, and eventually remains nice and steady. Good to follow, but fast enough to not lose anyone along the way… anyone who wasn’t scared off by a typical beginning and sub-par animation, that is. ^^"

Where the story truly begins to shine though isn’t the plot itself--that one’s short of it--but the characters. Even those seem a bit typical at first--I did mention that loudmouthed hero, didn’t I?--but that changes quite a bit, and it changes soon. Throughout the anime, character development is plentiful and steady; and where I must say I couldn’t completely relate to the main character, he’s easy to sympathise with, and his development turns out to be quite compelling.

It also helps that the side characters as well are solidly characterised, and their development is just as well-done. Most of them are quite intriguing and look comparably realistic for the time. Character dynamics get across well; and some people’s background is at least touched upon, which is also a plus.

The dialogue may be a bit typical in the beginning, but that soon changes as well, and it turns out to be quite realistic for a shounen anime. Action scenes aren’t bugged down with dialogue (or the other way around); strategies are conveyed well, being both understandable and imaginable. Also, the dialogue script has the characterisation down pat, and where the beginning may be rather typical, the script turns out to flow quite well and not be too predictable later.

Where I could hear the sound (stupid loudspeakers! >.>), I haven’t found any obvious faults in the voice-acting.

Overall, I must say that I quite enjoyed this anime. That might just be me (history otaku AND plot otaku--wasn’t it kind of obvious?), and even I found a few hanging points inbetween; but in the end, it’s pretty entertaining. Not perfect, but good. Action-packed, with quite a bit more political/strategical points than the usual shounen series, with quite realistic and compelling characters, dynamics, and development, and with eventually pleasant pacing. Where it didn’t start off all that promising, it definitely got better in the long run. I can understand why people would be scared off by a typical beginning and bad animation, but if you’re interested, I can say that IMHO it definitely pays sticking through.

Thanks for the read. :) (show less)