Delving into the World of “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”
What’s the “Kingdom” Series All About?
“Kingdom” stands out as a premier Netflix exclusive series and, perhaps more importantly, as one of the few contemporary zombie shows that still manages to surprise its audience. It masterfully blends the realities of Korean history (specifically, the ancient Joseon kingdom) with the horror of a mysterious virus outbreak that reanimates the dead. However, the core of the plot revolves not around the heroes’ fight against zombies, but rather a palace intrigue aimed at transferring power into “the right” hands. This divides the characters into two camps: one seeking to deceitfully install the Queen Consort as monarch, and the other striving to expose the traitors. Honestly, trying to grasp the other intricacies of this story can be incredibly challenging. Characters from various social classes and positions flit across the screen, engaging in political games where alliances shift, and individuals decide where their loyalties lie. In short, keeping up with the parade of plot twists requires spending more than half the series glued to Wikipedia.
Jeon Ji-hyun as Ashin in a scene from “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”
Therefore, the best way to watch “Kingdom” is to simply enjoy it without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. It’s easy to lose the thread when bloodthirsty zombies are constantly appearing on screen; at that point, you certainly don’t want to be pondering the nuances of local geopolitics. With its seriousness, which clashes oddly with the bloody horror scenes, “Kingdom” resembles a Korean b-movie for export, a dusty VHS gem accidentally discovered in an abandoned video rental store. There’s even a clunky English dub with poor lip-syncing – those who want to experience the series as authentically as possible should avoid watching it in the original language.
Should You Watch “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” as a Standalone?
A Prequel Story
Absolutely. “Ashin of the North” is not only a spin-off (a separate film about a specific character in the universe) but also an origin story, detailing the character’s development. It’s only loosely connected to the events of the first two seasons of “Kingdom,” so there’s no need to worry if you haven’t seen any episodes of the series before. There will be some local political references, of course, but the ever-present Wikipedia can help you with those. The action takes place long before the main storyline, so you’re unlikely to be overwhelmed by palace political intrigues.
Kim Shi-ah as young Ashin in a scene from “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”
Understanding the Plot
However, you’ll still need to put in some effort to understand the plot. Ashin is a girl from the Jurchen tribe, living on the border of Joseon. They have long sided with the Koreans and support all their political initiatives, but they have never received rights from the state. Due to the mysterious deaths of other Jurchens, internecine warfare breaks out between different villages, and one of its victims is the heroine’s father. Forced to spend her entire childhood among the Joseon people, she prepares a bloody plan for revenge, unaware that the circumstances of her father’s murder are far more complex.
Who is Ashin?
Jeon Ji-hyun as Ashin in “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”
Ashin is the main villain of the third season of “Kingdom.” This is what sets the spin-off apart from other non-essential offshoots of Netflix projects: instead of revealing the life story of one of the many protagonists, the creators decide to tell the story of the antagonist. This trend has, of course, already been set by pop culture (“Cruella,” “Joker”), but “Ashin of the North” is also, in many ways, an archetypal film about female revenge. Yes, it strictly follows the canon, but it’s no less effective for it. Revealing the villain’s plan is not something we want to do (it’s one of the most shocking moments in the film), but we can assure you that even apart from the main storyline, the girl’s crazy ideas sound terrifying. In general, “Ashin of the North” attempts to tell the story of this journey from a cheerful child to a mad avenger.
What Else Can You Expect Besides Zombies and Vibrant Costumes?
Unlike the series, “Ashin of the North” is primarily a revenge thriller, not a political zombie drama. Viewers craving hordes of the undead will be disappointed – they only appear in the spin-off at the very end. However, fans of Zack Snyder and those who tuned into “Kingdom” for the bloody action scenes are in for a surprise in the form of a zombie tiger. For most of the runtime, however, a picturesque (it’s one of the most beautiful Netflix films of 2021) and dark story unfolds about a stolen childhood and the search for her father’s killers.
Endless training sessions, during which Ashin hones her killer skills, tense stalking of victims, and, as a result, a bloody vendetta. The grown-up girl deals with not just one or two villains, but almost an entire city. She is helped in this, however, by merciless zombies – at that point, the spin-off finally turns into a crazy b-movie in the spirit of “I Spit on Your Grave.” Any genre fan who misses this will be passing by one of the most old-school streaming releases of the year. Especially if the viewer hasn’t had the chance to get acquainted with “Kingdom,” and “Ashin of the North” has caught their attention, they will have another outstanding series on their list to watch at their leisure.