If the phrase “never a dull moment” applied to any anime, Kingdom is probably as good a choice as any. And that makes sense – they didn’t call this the “Warring States period” for nothing. Conflict was a way of life, pretty much the only way of life anyone in the warring states knew. A manga/anime is never going to fully explore the dark side of that for two reasons. First, it’s impossible to capture the horrors of war fully in either form. And second, these are entertainment – there’s only so far you can go in trying without losing almost all of your audience.
Kingdom and Hara Yasuhisa do a very good job maintaining a balance generally speaking, though there are certainly times when (like most military epics) it plays unerringly like a sports series. And what’s coming is certainly a very big game. The coalition armies (less Qi) gather to launch an all-out assault on Xi’an, and Qin’s defenders gather to try against all odds to fend them off. There are politics involved on both sides, but by nature more so with the invaders. A continual jockeying for position is apparent even with Li Mu’s assertion that “all armies are equal”. No matter how brilliant he is, he can’t make seasoned generals believe that obvious lie.
Li Mu actually puts Chunshen (Uchida Yuya), prime minister of the (once) great nation of Chu, in charge of “getting the others’ asses in line”, though it’s quite clear who the strategic decisions will be made by. Chu is obviously keen on seeming to be first among equals – it’s they who’ve insisted on the privilege of formally beginning hostilities. The other generals put up with this with mildly-irritated bemusement for now, but one senses that it could become a problem for the coalition down the line (especially if things go badly).
Changping’s 20% stratagem is pretty straightforward. Rather than lose forces trying to slow the invasion in hinterlands, he pulls everything back to the legendary Hangu Pass (as in real-life, the key to the defense of Xi’an) to try and stop the invasion in a head-on battle. This means basically ceding the country to the coalition, leaving citizens on the wrong side of the pass to flee to regional strongholds and hope the invaders don’t stop to rape and pillage, but under the circumstances it was probably his only choice. Things are no bargain for those in the capital either – they know what fate befalls them if Hangu Pass should fall, and as rumors spread like wildfire a general sense of panic takes hold in the castle.
The nature of this battle is pretty straightforward too. Both the attackers and the outnumbered defenders are spread out in a long front, with Hangu at the center. The steep mountains on either side are not impenetrable, though impossible to move a large army through quickly, with Changping’s defense built around funnelling the attackers towards Hangu’s great gate. Xin meets up with his old next gen running mates Meng Tian and Wang Ben and the ritual posturing is just like old times. For young guns like this, war is more than anything an opportunity – there’s no shortage of ambitious young men in the Qin army, and no greater chance to increase one’s stature (or die) than a major battle like this.
The root of this current conflict can be found in Qin’s attack on Shanyang, which occurred back in the middle of the second season. Li Mu has correctly seen the threat implicit in Qin’s capture of that stronghold, which Changping was hoping would not be the case. It was the existential danger Qin posed to the other warring states that prompted Li Mu to move against him, and it was Li Mu’s ability to put his plan into motion without Changping realizing the existential threat to his own country that’s given the coalition the advantageous position it currently holds.
Now, then, there’s nothing for it but to fight. Chu is all hot and bothered to ceremonially kick things off, but Biao takes the wind out of their sails by charging in the middle of the Chu general’s long-winded (and loud) speech. And that means Xin is in the heart of the action, since he’s supporting Biao – and their barely 40,000 strong force takes the battle to their designated opponent, the 120,000 strong Zhao army. It seems hopeless, but hopeless charges are the stuff songs are written about – and you can’t become a shogun if you don’t have a few songs (and manga) written about you…
Kinai
April 20, 2020 at 5:25 pm“First, it’s impossible to capture the horrors of war fully in either form. ”
You just need to wait and see what happens in the Battle of Koku You Hill.
But it is true that they have softened some things that happened, mainly related to Qin king (and China’s first emperor).
Kinai
April 20, 2020 at 6:02 pmBy the way, it seems that the author really wanted to do a manga about Li Mu.
(Spoilers)
Guardian Enzo
April 20, 2020 at 6:07 pmWhy do that to people, seriously?
Kinai
April 20, 2020 at 6:51 pmWhy do what?
Guardian Enzo
April 20, 2020 at 7:03 pmMost Western fans don’t know enough about Chinese history to know what you posted. Let them find out in due course rather than being spoiled.
Kinai
April 21, 2020 at 4:08 pmYou are right. My wrong. Sirry about it. 🙁
Guardian Enzo
April 21, 2020 at 5:09 pmNo biggie!
Red
April 20, 2020 at 6:03 pmI don’t know where you got the ”once great nation” part about the Chu state but it is a far bigger state than you might think.
I’m glad to be surprised about that audacious charge from Biao since it’s been a while and I’ve forgotten some of the details from this arc.
Nadavu
April 21, 2020 at 1:47 am“First, it’s impossible to capture the horrors of war fully in either form. And second, these are entertainment – there’s only so far you can go in trying without losing almost all of your audience.”
I think that, in recent memory, Dororo went the furthest in portraying the horrors of war, especially in what was (I think) an anime original, the critically acclaimed (in this site, at least) episode 3.
Also, I tried googling pics of the Hangu Pass and it isn’t very impressive. Must have been a lot taller back in the day…
Guardian Enzo
April 21, 2020 at 9:11 amDororo certainly went pretty far in not pulling punches. I don’t know if that did much for it commercially but it was probably going to flop anyway.
Bearing in mind it was built over 2000 years ago I think it’s still pretty impressive – as wide as 30m in spots. The height (3m) was pretty embellished for the manga, no doubt.
Kinai
April 21, 2020 at 4:12 pmWhat about The Saga of Tanya the evil?
It has interesting glances to war horrors in a generally softer anime. And, of course, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood has a few good ones too.
10
April 21, 2020 at 9:57 amHearing Kanki again made me finally connect the dots: he and Shiraishi from Golden Kamuy share a voice actor. They couldn’t be more different characters… every time he talks, I have like a headache.
One thing that worries me about this season is how far it will go. The Coalition arc in the manga is freaking huge by the series standards; I’m afraid some things will be left out later on. On the other hand, they are literally adapting the manga scene by scene, so who knows.
Guardian Enzo
April 21, 2020 at 10:03 amThey didn’t cut anything out in the first two seasons, did they? As far as I can tell the approach seems to be very faithful.
10
April 21, 2020 at 12:24 pmI don’t remember much, to be honest, but I think they didn’t, and if they did was a few panels. As far as I’m concerned all the major events were there.
Eugene
April 21, 2020 at 6:42 pmThey cut out a short arc where Qiang Lei is sent by Lu Buwei to assassinate Zheng in season 1. It actually leads directly to the first appearance of Lu and his pillars.
Season 2 was adapted relatively faithfully.
Kinai
April 24, 2020 at 8:58 pmBy the way. Shogun!? Really? In a history based in ancient China? 😛
Guardian Enzo
April 24, 2020 at 9:01 pmWell, it’s in the dialogue track! I think we can basically define it as “great general” for purposes of the story.