Summary
“Kingdom” is a popular historical military action manga that has sold over 100 million copies worldwide but is not available in the United States and Canada. The manga’s absence in North America has left fans feeling left out, forcing them to learn Japanese, French, or Spanish to read it legally. The anime adaptation of “Kingdom” has faced scrutiny in its earlier seasons and, despite pacing issues, has improved significantly since season 3.
Popular seinen manga have a way of attracting massive fan bases when their concepts and characters resonate with readers, with Yasuhisa Hara Kingdom is an easy sell for most people. For history buffs, the series is set in the Warring States period of ancient China, and follows a young man named Xin (Shin in the Japanese and anime versions) as he meets Ying Zheng, the “first king of China” who founded the Qin Dynasty. It’s a historical military action manga with battles both large and small, distinctive character designs, and over 800 chapters of great storytelling. However, Kingdom is not available in the US or Canada.
While this is not an issue for international readers, including the French and Spanish markets, Kingdom readers in English certainly feel left out.and despite selling 100 million copies, the manga has yet to be licensed in English-speaking countries. I was overwhelmed by this realization, especially as I began to explore more mature series as I returned to Berserk and other iconic hits like Blame! and Vinland Saga.
Custom image by JR Waugh
The answer may not be clear as to why Kingdom is not available in the US or Canada, But that shouldn't stop people from experimenting with its adaptability.
Kingdom has sold 100 million copies but is not available in North America.
Historical Manga fans around the world deserve to see this series
This is a familiar song on r/kingdom, and for good reason: Kingdom is great, and despite selling 100 million copies and being extremely popular in Japan, it's not licensed here. A big part of the problem here may be that the series, which currently has seventy-one volumes, would need a decent sales stream and a streamlined release schedule for readers to buy it. But while we, North American readers, have to know Japanese, French, or Spanish to read a copy, Other fans around the world are happily making us jealous with copies in their native languages.
It's worrying to see the physical version available to audiences outside of Japan, but not here.. While I live in a fairly saturated manga market, Kingdom is a series that I often find myself advocating for. This includes discussing how it subverts the current perceptions of the Big Three in manga, and why I sadly have to leave it out of discussions of the best manga you can read right now, because you can't do that unless you set sail. But English readers have tried to avoid this, trying to get copies of Kingdom from unreliable sources.
Kingdom and other Manga are often pirated online.
Always double check the publishers listed by the seller
Many manga suffer from this problem, especially Kingdom due to its lack of availability in the United States. Pirates are not necessarily trying to be harmful agents in the market, But buying from them means not supporting the creator or publisherSo they’re definitely not useful. A good example of this is with eBay sellers who will package Kingdom boxes under labels like WOS Limited Manga BM, even listing a disclaimer that reads, “This book is not suitable for collectors because it is not by Shueisha.”
It's an open secret among manga readers that people will eventually find what they want to read, one way or another.
I've always been wary of this, not necessarily because it's piracy, but because I like having official, collectible copies of the series I enjoy reading. It's an open secret among manga readers that people will eventually seek out what they want to read, one way or another. However, it's also pretty understandable that if you want to support a series, you'll often reward them with your support by reading the manga. or watch anime. Luckily, Kingdom has a solution for English-speaking viewers to this problem.
Anime Kingdom is uneven but worth watching
An increasingly attractive gateway to Manga Hit
Kingdom may have been published as a manga since 2006, but as of 2012 it also had an anime, and while it was an uneven experience, it got much better from season 3 onwards. A big factor contributing to the inconsistent quality was the CGI used in the production of seasons 1-2, which was often criticized by viewers for not being on the same level as later shows like Girls Band Cry, Trigun Stampede, or Knights of Sidonia. When a more traditional style was implemented from season 3 onwards, the Kingdom anime was even praised as a must-watch.
The initially lukewarm reception to the first two seasons probably didn't help Kingdom's appeal as a manga series in North America.
This initially lukewarm reception to the first two seasons probably didn't help Kingdom's appeal as a manga in North America. However, the anime project has since been redeemed and found its footing, to its credit. The same can't be said of the 2016 Berserk anime, which featured animation that resembled puppets banging sticks together. Still, Berserk was an international phenomenon before and after the anime aired its two seasons. However, Kingdom's anime pacing still isn't the best way to experience the story.Similar to 2016's Berserk, each season can span nearly 100 chapters of story.
Kingdom has enough fans who want to buy the special edition
A few Deluxe editions can go a long way
While Kingdom has yet to be acquired by a North American publisher for distribution, The smart move, like other seinen manga, is to distribute it in large batches through deluxe editions. This is a common trend among popular seinen works like Berserk, which has reached the #1 and #10 spots on Dark Horse Comics' bestseller list thanks to its Deluxe Edition #1 and #2 volumes. Dark Horse also has a fantastic Trigun and Trigun Maximum series coming out, as does Kodansha with Vinland Saga and VIZ Media with Vagabond: Definitive Edition.
Many other popular manga and anime series, including Blade of the Immortal, Hellsing, Battle Angel Alita, and more, have gorgeous deluxe editions, so it's worth checking out to find your favorite.
Kingdom already has a large number of volumes available, but selling a deluxe edition of three volumes each seems to be a winning strategy lately. Plus, as a Berserk deluxe reader, the feeling of opening the latest volume to experience that new book smell is indescribable, so Kingdom deserves the same treatment. What's especially surprising about this, however, is that with Shueisha as its home, it's surprising that Kingdom hasn't been localized by someone like VIZ Media or any of their imprints.
Kingdom Magazine has published many great hits.
But the longest-running hit has yet to hit North American shelves.
Kingdom is serialized in Shueisha's seinen magazine Weekly Young Jump, alongside contemporary hits like Oshi no Ko, Boy's Abyss, upstarts like Dogsred, and similar masterpieces like Real by Vagabond author Takehiko Inoue.Despite selling more copies than all the other series combinedThe localization issue remains for Kingdom. It's a shame, because there are only a few rare cases where a manga can be eight hundred chapters long or more and still be widely loved without being called One Piece.
Part of me wants to settle down and collect the foreign versions anyway; after all, the bulk of my education was in French Immersion, but many other readers don't have that luxury. Kingdom is a global hit by any reasonable standards, but it's still a long way from global distribution. While the first seasons of the anime make for a pretty rough first impression, they're currently one of the only official ways for fans to enjoy it. KingdomAnd despite selling 100 million copies and counting, it's a shame we couldn't contribute more to that number.
Source: Dark Horse Comics