It pains me to admit but some parts of this movie were messy and problematic. There is a lot to enjoy though! I am especially thankful that Fukuyama Masaharu agreed to play Kenshin's master.
It is too sad the female characters weren't given enough to do. Otherwise, it is a great sequel. Where else would you see Kamiki playing Fujiwara's underling? Or action scenes that didn't age a bit?
I really like Chinese court drama (like Nirvana in Fire) and epic fantasy (like The Lord of the Rings) but this movie is neither. It is instead a shounen manga adaptation. So if you sneer at Rurouni Kenshin because it is not an accurate portrayal of samurais' struggles during the Meiji era or think that real ninjas would never wear orange, Kingdom might not be for you. As a shounen adaptation, though, Kingdom is outstanding; it received several nominations at the 43rd Japanese Academy Awards.
This is a shounen live action we all have been waiting since Rurouni Kenshin proved that shounen manga could be successfully adapted.
This is a shounen live action we all have been waiting since Rurouni Kenshin proved that shounen manga could be successfully adapted.