Kingdom(2019) was a successful film based on Hara Yasuhisa’s manga series that began publication in 2006. The manga series was also adapted into a popular TV series. Its sequel, Kingdom 2, was also a box-office hit in Japan. Kingdom tells the story of Eisei, who later becomes Qin Shi Huang, and Shin, who dreams of being a great general, working together to put down an uprising; Kingdom 2 shows Shin, who has joined the Qin army, fighting against a large army of Wei. While Shin (Yamazaki Kento) and Eisei (Yoshizawa Ryo) had equal screen time in the first film, the sequel focuses on Shin’s story and the spectacle of a war movie. Eisei, who dreams of unifying the country to put a stop to an endless war, and Shin, a slave boy who dreams of becoming a great general. This is a coming-of-age drama about two boys and their dreams. (NAM Dong-chul)