Kingdom (Zoku-hen)

Kingdom (Zoku-hen) serves as the second season of the anime adaptation of Yasuhisa Hara’s sprawling historical manga. Produced by Studio Pierrot and released in 2013, this installment picks up the narrative threads of the Warring States period in China, focusing on the ambitious young King Ei Sei and his commander Xin as they navigate complex political landscapes and battlefield strategies. The production aimed to build upon the momentum of the first season by delving deeper into the internal power struggles within the Qin state, adapting the manga's intense arcs with a blend of traditional animation and early 3D computer graphics for the massive armies.

The creative direction for this season maintained the series' established aesthetic, characterized by a stark, dramatic visual style intended to evoke the weight of ancient warfare. While the series garnered a dedicated following for its faithful portrayal of Hara's epic storytelling and character development, the animation quality remained a point of debate among viewers and critics. Despite varying reception regarding the studio’s technical execution during complex battle sequences, the series successfully cemented its place as a significant entry in the genre of historical seinen adaptations.