Kingdom: Legendary War - Episode 1Ranking and Review

Well, there was a whole lot of drama before that first episode.

So Yunho will only be an MC for the first few episodes, Hyunjin will leave after episode one. Whether deserved or not, it does seem the Kingdom curse is true.

So basically, the show plays out like an HGTV show, over-dramatic, almost certainly staged, 'reality television. I got bored soon, and started just browsing through the whole episode.

So TVXQ explains the competition, a 100-second performance of a song of the group, technically their big chart-topping hit. But the song choices were.. occasionally off. I mean, I know Love Scenario is hard to perform, but I guess it is your first hit or something like that.

Also, so glad that the eliminations are gone!

Now, let me rank the performances based on my opinion!

6. SF9 - Good Guy

Down a member, this performance (Poor Rowoon), this was honestly a mess of a performance. It switched between an edgy trap segment and a club beat without really aiming. Plus, the edgy opening confused me a lot and the guys certainly deserved a better showcase of their talent (A Summer Breeze performance)? The performance was nice, but certainly, there have been better ones, some by even SF9. At least the ending showed some potential.

5. iKON - Rhythm Ta

When I realized that iKON would perform Rhythm Ta, I was worried for them. The song hinged a lot on B.I, who was unfairly kicked out of the group. Over here, the trap elements work, and Bobby's charisma was a saving grace. The hip-hop energy was great, though a stronger performance would boost this stage much higher.

4. ATEEZ - Wave

My most anticipated performance, simply due to ATEEZ's epic MAMA stage, I loved it initially, then, not so much. It is the start of the not-bad stuff here. I like the edgy remix of Wave, it works surprisingly well, though I feel maybe having someone re-write part of the lyrics could help, or at least get rid of the 'Hakuna Matata'. Hongjoong's intro I mean, really. Enjoyed the pirate theme though. Maybe next time give Jongho a bit more room in the remix to belt.

3. The Boyz - The Stealer

Of all the songs performed's original form, The Stealer is one of the weakest, with a chorus destroying the momentum. Still, The Boyz can pull off any performance. Plus, the remix here is simply A+, love the orchestral trap, and that piano, wow. It had its weak moments though, which held it back from an easy number 1, the second half of this performance is basically heavenly.

2. Stray Kids - Miroh

Almost certainly the song that will top this round, Miroh is the best of these songs in its original version. Stray Kids provided an excellent performance, the storytelling in the choreography is excellent. My favorite moment here, and in the whole show so far is when Changbin races with his own backing track, epic, epic stuff. There are some worries though, as I felt that Hyunjin played a large role, and thus his absence will hit hard sooner or later. Also, it seems some of the members were just tired and needed some rest. Plus, sometimes there was no singing and only the backing track.

1. BTOB - Beautiful Pain

BTOB are the senior artists here really, and they know what they are good at. Despite only performing as BTOB 4U, their vocals are still peak-level stuff. Compared to the newer groups trying to succeed of their dance, these guys let their experienced vocals and performance stand out. I find the remix slightly weaker than the original song (as with all the remixes), but it is good enough to cross the line.

Final Thoughts

Shocked that SF9 did not get last place on the global vote, and I kind of agreed with the member who said he expected them to come last. The rest was quite expected, and Stray Kids will top, I am pretty sure. 

All the performances were pretty weak, unlike in Road to Kingdom. But RtK really took off for me in the second episode, so I guess we wait and see.

Image Source: The Bias List