(L) Kingdom (キングダム) (All sesaons)

[Kitsu Breaker]

Still, no subs. I worry this becom and unsubble serie

[Goty]

Subs are out now.

[Guardian Enzo]

Ugh, dat CGI...

It's a shame the CGI is so poorly integrated, used in intimate scenes where it's not well suited, and as ChibiGoku points out, there's a lot of jarring changes from CGI to drawn animation mid-scene. Because apart from that, this is really good. Really Pierrot, what are you thinking?

Spoiler for Premiere:

You don't see too many historical epics in anime anymore, and this seems like a good one. Three cours to tell its tale, and HnG's director to make it happen. The story is involving and the characters compelling, and I was totally swept up in Shin and Hyou's relationship. Plus, it's obviously a story not afraid to go to very dark places.

My guess as to the plot is that the boy in the shack is the King (duh) and that the Minister in the carriage spotted Hyou's resemblance, and brought him to the palace to serve as a sacrificial lamb, because he knew things were about to get ugly. Shin's revenge is going to be a satisfyingly ugly sight to see, I suspect.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Goty

Subs are out now.

Yup, currently downloading. . . . .

Wow, during the first 10 minutes I thought it was like RTW game.... I was shock by the design... 3D? Is that the right term? Hard to criticize at such an early pace... I think I'll still wait for the next "real" battle to begin.

[Goty]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Because apart from that, this is really good. Really Pierrot, what are you thinking?

Yeah, i had such high hopes for this adaptation, but now i'm afraid the animation might put people off, like the new Berserk movies. It's hard to understand the studios' current fascination with bad cg that will look terribly dated in a couple years...if it's not dated already.

[TJR]

NHK show. Budget-wise, we can't expect anything, unless a studio is willing to bite to bullet and invest heavily in the production.

[Guardian Enzo]

The problem with really bad animation is that it stops people from ever getting to the story to find out if it's any good. In the reverse case, great animation will hook people in and get them to stay with a bad story, hoping it will get better (see "Crown, Guilty").

I'm someone who normally cares more about plot and character than anything else - and even I almost bailed on this because of the CG. All I can do is say, if you stick with this and just focus on the writing, Kingdom is very good. It's a historical epic of the kind anime used to specialize in, it's tightly written and the direction is excellent (this guy did HnG - he understands pacing). But I understand that the animation is so bad most people will never be around to find that out.

[Kaoru Chujo]

This show is everything I hoped it would be. I thought the first long episode was excellent. It really told the story, and the characters jumped out at me. Although of course it was the historical setting that really nailed it for me. I loved the attempt to image the Qin capital, although I'm not sure the palace and town were historically accurately drawn.

I understand people's criticism of the animation. Some moments did make it a bit difficult. But in general, I actually thought this was excellent animation. Excellent for its inventiveness and power. They always seemed to be showing us something a bit different. It is reasonable to see that variety as ill-assorted, but I saw it as creative. The staff appears to be largely Japanese, with a bit of Korean work. But the design still gave me a Chinese feeling, which is good.

I'm not usually one for fighting or for gar. Neither does much for me, usually. But the fights between the boys were wonderful, and the strength and determination impressive. As were the manly tears.

Of course, the basic story does have some unlikely aspects. As if a slave's opinion would be asked when someone has just bought him. Or as if a royal minister would travel around the countryside without an armed escort, especially in dangerous times.

The manga started in Weekly Young Jump in 2006, and volume 25 came out in February. The First Emperor, which is who the look-alike will become, I expect, is a really fascinating figure. He ended up bringing together all of China and creating the Imperial China that lasted over two thousand years. He did it with fire and sword and standardization of weights and measures. It's as if Napoleon had succeeded and made Europe one nation.

[Guardian Enzo]

Welcome to what I suspect will be a two-member club, Kaoru.

[HosannaExcelsis]

In a case like this, where the show is just so ugly, I don't see any reason to watch it, no matter how good the story is. Might as well just read the manga instead.

[Mura]

I couldn't stand the CG as most people have repeatedly said(its like beating a dead horse now), though the story is quite interesting. I think I'm going to stick through this to see how it goes. I knew Fukuyama Jun couldn't die that easily.

[Grifis]

They cliffhung me. They cliffhung me. T'is true the art is kind of strange and the CG is bad but the story kept me interested until the end. I like it.

[ars89]

So Hyou looked like the king and was used as a sacrifice? Story is good, but don't know if i'll last with that cg.

[Kitsu Breaker]

I hate ask this question but...

Spoiler for question:

Fansub name, please

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Welcome to what I suspect will be a two-member club, Kaoru.

Lol. So it appears. To be honest, I find the distaste for the animation totally excessive. Sure, the animation is different, but is it bad? I don't think so. It is not simple and all one style. It uses various styles and techniques and mixes them together. Each style seemed to me suited to its scene. I thought that overall the look was very artistic -- a lot more artistic than many shows that just do the normal, expected thing.

The only thing that really weirded me out was the excessively smooth-faced man comforting Shin in the market. But that would hardly stop me watching a good story that, to me, has effective animation.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Lol. So it appears. To be honest, I find the distaste for the animation totally excessive. Sure, the animation is different, but is it bad? I don't think so. It is not simple and all one style. It uses various styles and techniques and mixes them together. Each style seemed to me suited to its scene. I thought that overall the look was very artistic -- a lot more artistic than many shows that just do the normal, expected thing.

Agree... though the animation of choice was the problem, it seemed the plot and the battle scenes are covering it well. I forgot the animation once the army clashes with each other... its like an epic series definitely breath taking!!!

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Lol. So it appears. To be honest, I find the distaste for the animation totally excessive. Sure, the animation is different, but is it bad? I don't think so. It is not simple and all one style. It uses various styles and techniques and mixes them together. Each style seemed to me suited to its scene. I thought that overall the look was very artistic -- a lot more artistic than many shows that just do the normal, expected thing.

The only thing that really weirded me out was the excessively smooth-faced man comforting Shin in the market. But that would hardly stop me watching a good story that, to me, has effective animation.

I must say, as a big fan of the writing and direction, I did find the animation bad - in the intimate scenes, anyway. The CGI in the swordplay and battle sequences was fine, and the backgrounds were rather grand I thought. But the CG in the conversational moments was noticeably jerky, and it was made worse by the seemingly random switching back and forth between CG and drawn animation.

None of that will stop me from watching it, of course. Story and character-wise, excellent.

[thundrakkon]

This show has a lot of promise. I'll eventually get used to the CGI, but hopefully, it will be minimalized in the future.

I'm not exactly sure how historically correct this show will be, so I should just enjoy it for what it is.

[fertygo]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Lol. So it appears. To be honest, I find the distaste for the animation totally excessive. Sure, the animation is different, but is it bad? I don't think so. It is not simple and all one style. It uses various styles and techniques and mixes them together. Each style seemed to me suited to its scene. I thought that overall the look was very artistic -- a lot more artistic than many shows that just do the normal, expected thing.

Budget-reducing measure is artistic now?
Its may looks good for some people, but that isn't artistic... they just saving money/not have resource with using CG.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by fertygo

Budget-reducing measure is artistic now?...

Yes, definitely. It always has been. That's a big part of what makes Shinbou great, for example. He accepts budget limitations and applies his art to make something exceptional within them. I agree that they are taking this approach to save money, and also that there are some problems, but for me it's visually quite effective, so far.