Kingdom Anime - Tumblr Posts

one glance

I'm only 50 or so chapters into kingdom, yet I can tell I'll really enjoy it because of this one non-verbal interaction

Oh. My. GOSH

Where do I even start. Firstly, we don't really get into Ei Sei's head. He's an incredibly stoic character, the cool calm tempering Shin's fire. He often listens to Shin's rants with annoyance or frustration, and you might think that he doesn't think that highly of Shin at all. But this moment completely overturns that. It demonstrates that when Ei Sei isn't speaking, he's observing and learning. In his silence, there's an internal monologue reflecting on what others say and adapting his worldview accordingly.

Both Shin and Ei Sei depend on each other and acknowledge that fact. Ei Sei glances at Shin after his statement to let Shin know that he understands what he said and respects him for it. Likewise, Shin knows that he has to serve Ei Sei for a while before becoming the greatest general in the heavens. Both of them understand their friendship is also a vehicle to achieving their individual goals and don't resent that fact.