REVIEW: ‘The Kingdoms of Ruin’ Episode 8 — “Coronation”

The opening of The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 8, “Coronation,” is weird. While the last episode gave us some Mad Max vibes, and all the episodes before that looked to highlight the high fantasy of the series, this episode opens with a modern city, an idol performance, and it’s so different from everything else we’ve seen that I had to question if I had pressed play on the right series. That said, the diversity of the environment in The Kingdoms of Ruin continues to pay off as we see more wastelands and the capital city of the Redia Empire at the same time.

Last episode, The Kingdoms Ruin showed Adonis and Doroka running from the Empire’s military and finding refuge in the wastelands. For the first time in the series, kindness is shown, and a crack in Adonis’s rage forms as he leaves Doroka, imploring her not to become him. In The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 8, Adonis continues to expand beyond his one-note emotional range. His straight-man demeanor is played against Doroka, who uses her magic in moments of physical comedy.

At the same time, the way they play off each other seems to grow beyond a gimmick as the episode closes on an old couple in a cell. They are stuck and broken but together despite their fates. Doroka’s reaction and Adonis’s are stark in contrast but when Adonis explains his choice to leave them behind bars, the audience catches another glimpse of empathy, dimly shining in his rage. Taking a sharp turn away from the action, the series refocuses on the characters and dives deeper into them. That said it doesn’t negate the larger mysteries and connections being made, particularly where Doroka and Dorothea are concerned.

That said, The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 8 isn’t just about the wastelands or even Adonis. Its title, “Coronation,” reveals more about Dorothea and her power. Having killed Emporer Goethe with her love spell, the same that Doroka used against soldiers on the Moon, she is now ascending to the imperial throne. Only this queen is also an idol. I mean, what better way to spread her love spell than by performing and being captured on cell phones, television screens, and in a skyscraper-sized hologram over a city?

Using her love spell, Dorothea consolidates her power, and it takes place in a fantastically animated sequence. In her love spell, you see the violence the empire commits sliced in with her dance moves and heart eyes. She infects those who watch, and the series doesn’t allow the viewer to forget the evil she is building with the empire, a culling of witches based on her own selfish grasp for power.

The parallel between the two pink-haired anime girls is purposeful and reinforced by their power and their looks. Knowing that witches are born from a tree and can be reborn with magic, the question about who Dorothea is comes into focus as Doroka’s bleeding heart softens Adonis.

As a whole, there is quite a bit happening in The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 8 from a world-building perspective, but in doing so, the narrative mostly takes a backseat. That said, Adonis’ softening is what I’ve been waiting for, and as he and Doroka grow closer, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

The Kingdoms of Ruin Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.