A Manga Series
The kingdom of the Gods is written by Youn In-Wan and is a part of a Japanese supernatural manga series. The book was written from an idea derived by Kim Eun-Hee with Illustrations from Yang Kyung-Il. The English version of the book was released on May 19, 2020, by Viz Media.
It is a story about a young Yi Moon who is relentlessly pursued by political assassins. Netflix original zombie series, Kingdom is a South Korean political thriller that was a big success. The impressive storytelling and zombie-fighting action were thrilling to watch and this Netflix series is actually an adaptation of the Graphic novel, The Kingdom of the Gods, which is now available in English.
Review
The Kingdom of the Gods is a comic story that inspired the Netflix original Zombie series, Kingdom. This story of the Zombie series Kingdom, years of war, horror, and famine and have plunged Joseon into chaos. The young Prince Yi Moon lost all of his bodyguards in an assassination attempt and is now left with no choice but to ask mountain bandit Jae-ha for help. The unlikely pair race to find safety in a world that is a burning hell and realize that humans are not the only threat that they must fear.
Prelude
The Kingdom of the Gods is split into two stories with a bonus story, a secluded island becomes a private battlefield as the notorious Japanese criminal Juu and the infamous Korean felon, Han face, come face to face not knowing that they are not the only ones on the island. Prince Imun patiently awaits the arrival of the unlikely pair young Prince Yi Moon who is assumably dead, and mountain bandit Jae-ha for help.
He has asked the mountain bandit Jae-ha for help and offered a reward on his arrival. In the Kingdom of the Gods, the unlikely pair face many battles on the island that is a burning hell of a world gone mad, but will they reach their destination alive?
Plot Review
The Kingdom of the Gods begins with characters Jae-ha and young prince Yi-Moon who complains that his feet hurt and he can’t continue walking but Jae-ha is hearing none of it. The two get into an argument and during their splatter of words to each other Yi Moon reminds him that he is the crowned prince. This doesn’t sit well with Jae-ha and he blurts back that the crown prince is no more as he died a month before. Jae-ha is irritated by him and tells him to find his way to Jiyulheon on his own as he has had enough. Jae-ha attempts to leave and leave him there all by himself.
Yi Moon thinks about how he was told to go to the Jiyulheon kingdom and recalls how he had met Jae-ha. To stop Jae-ha from leaving him stranded, he reminds him of the payment that he promised him on their arrival at Jiyulheon kingdom and that he is considering increasing it. Upon hearing that he rethinks his decision to leave Yi Moon stranded and decides to carry him through.
They eventually reach the village of Saam-Ri which is closed on all sides by mount Keum-Ryeong. The village has faced seven years of endless horror, drought, war, and famine and have plunged into disarray with no choice but to turn to other means to survive. Jae-ha explains the horror that the villagers had to face in the unrest. In the village, he leaves Yi Moon and follows the trail of the strong stench of blood, and finds a house where he discovers several corpses.
The Village of a World Gone Mad in War and Famine
In The Kingdom of the Gods story, Yi Moon meets a young girl named Suni who entices him with the promise of food and water at her house. Yi Moon follows her to the house where he meets her father. They give him meat stew to eat and when he looks at it he notices that it has human parts in it. He immediately throws it down.
Just in time, Jae-ha returns from the house of corpses, and Yi-Moon relays the story of what just happened, accusing the father and daughter of being murderers. The young girl warns them that the thing they must fear appears after the sun goes down, but Jae-ha and Yi Moon continue their journey. Meanwhile, Suni and her father find themselves in trouble as a few warriors hold her hostage in her house.
A Burning Hell
In the story, it becomes horrifyingly clear that trouble follows them as the shadow warriors are on their trail. Unfortunately, they are not fast enough and the warriors catch up. The warriors explain that they are after the prince and that they have killed Suni and her father. This is when Jae-ha realizes that Yi Moon is really the prince and fights off the warriors. Suni had warned them of the horror that awaits after sunset, and sure as hell, it’s the time that corpses begin to move.
Jae-ha tells Yi Moon to go on without him as he will continue to fight the shadow warriors. While Yi Moon is on his own he runs into the Shadow Warriors who try an assassination attempt. Suni appears from behind the bushes and bites one of the warriors who is surprised to see her alive and that behind her there are others running towards them. This is Yi Moons chance to escape from the Shadow Warriors so he bolts with Suni on his tale, but before she can reach him he is mysteriously pulled out of sight.
Jae- ha ends up with multiple injuries as he tries to fight off the warriors. He has lost a lot of blood and everything around him even the wind smells of blood. The strong stench of blood is mixed with distant sounds of screams. Before they can reach him, a woman helps him to escape and find Yi-Moon. She explains to him that the thing they must fear is the living dead who come to life at night and eat human corpses. Jae-ha falls asleep with exhaustion and dreams of his days on the battlefield as the notorious General and of how the Royal Highness had abandoned them on the battlefield.
The story continues when the next morning Jae-ha questions Yi Moon. He asks him why did he come back for him, and Yi Moon explains that a king never abandons one of his own and that Jae-ha is amongst them.
Overview and Conclusion
An epidemic of the living dead is sweeping through the country making this zombie apocalypse mayhem an enjoyable thriller. This book is an action-packed novel with an adventurous story of bodyguards to an assassination with thrilling bloody sword fights. As the unlikely pair race to find safety in The Kingdom of the Gods, it becomes horrifyingly clear that humans who have face years of war are now in a world gone mad.
Kyung-Il Yang has provided magnificent artwork for this book. His illustrations are detailed and gritty fulfilling the graphic novel’s fast-pace and dark tone.
