Here is my opinion on Kingdom: Legendary War as a whole. As you see in the title, this is a running review~which means that I will continue to add more paragraphs and opinions as the show goes on. *Please don't come for me cause it's really not hate. I love every single one of these groups and the effort they put into these performances.


Sigh. Where do I begin? Mnet making this show in the first place was to pit fans against each other because I know for a fact that fandoms are streaming and mass voting their artist. This means that no matter what performance the other artists' performance will be invalid. Mnet made a teeny bit better by adding the "three-vote" rule; this means that you can only vote three groups--no more, no less--and in no particular ranking. This forces the fans to actually pick two other performances that were actually enjoyable. I expect Stray Kids or Ateez to win because of their significantly larger international fanbase than the rest of the groups.
Edit: I also want to say that this show is very unhealthy for the idols participating. They are pulling all-nighters practicing (which may or may not be forced by the company). The amount of pressure on the idols especially SF9 and The Boyz is really showing. This is why I'm not sure this show should go on anymore.
Edit: Also where is all this money coming from? The amount of backup dancers, costumes, makeup artists, props are enough to cost a fortune per performance.
Let's talk about the performances in general. I feel like all the dance-focused groups (so basically all except BTOB) use wayyyyy too many backup dancers. Like to the point where I am seeing more backup dancers than the actual group.

Now onto the single performance analysis. Reminder that I am NOT a professional, nor do I stan or have stanned any of these groups. However, I did watch Road to Kingdom and vouched heavily for The Boyz, so I may be a bit biased in that area.


{Preparation Round:} Everyone brought out a lot more than they needed to. It was a bit overwhelming. Yes, I rewatched all the performance so it would be fresh and fair. Personal ranking: (1-6) Straykids, The Boyz, IKON, SF9, BTOB, ATEEZ
-ATEEZ- "Wave (Overture)"
Pros: They used the stage and lighting very well. The ship formation at the end was pretty pleasing to watch.
Cons: The arrangement was odd as in the "Hakuta Matata" was wayyy too prominent, and the edm addition after that was a bit too much. The fire at the end didn't have much added value and didn't really match the whole concept; it just felt like they wanted to add a "wow" factor.
-BTOB- "아름답고도 아프구나(Choir Ver.)"
Pros (might be biased since I'm more vocally inclined): Stage outfits were just the perfect amount of "extra" for me; they were refined, simpler than the other groups, and much lighter as well~ which gave it a happier mood; Peniel's outfit just Minhyuk did so well considering he is a rapper
Cons: Not really any but maybe because they didn't dance? I'm not really bothered by it though.
-SF9- "Good Guy (The Gloryl)"
Pros: Good use of the prop at the beginning. Tall men in suits hit different. I want to name specific members but talking about how hot they look just doesn't seem fitting for this.
Cons: The first minute was really good but then the rest just seemed like something you would see on any other music show. Rowoon was out because he was injured.
-Stray Kids- "Miroh"
Pros: Good use of props, stage, and lighting~specifically the green lights at the beginning, the daggers, and the point of the dagger into the red lighting at the end. The tricks and flips they did were really cool. The makeup and outfits were all on pointe. Impact felt.
Cons: At 1:03, the fire was kinda unnecessary. Changbin went to fast with his rap and did not match the backing track, causing it to just be wonky sounding.
-IKON- "Rhythm Ta"
Pros: Probably my top two performances in this episode. Bobby looked really cool. Formation and dance on pointe. Swaggy in general.
Cons: None hehe.
-The Boyz- "The Stealer (Epic Ver)"
Pros (hella biased): 0:53 [timestamp in the video] Camera work and creativity with the hands and puppet-like motion was as expected of The Boyz. Floorwork was absolutely stunning. Classical dancing and the body lines made this performance different from other groups. MY FAVORITE this episode. Outfits were great and the arrangement with the keyboard piano was beautiful.
Cons: None also hehe.

{Round 1: TO THE WORLD} Personal ranking: (1-6) The Boyz, BTOB, IKON, ATEEZ, Straykids, SF9
-The Boyz- "No Air (A Song of Ice and Fire)"
Pros (yes, hella biased yet again): I can't express how much I love the imagery that they put in their performances. Their ideas are crazy!!! The whole POV thing was just genius! If I list everything I liked about their performance, it would probably take me an hour to type out, so I'll just leave it at that.
Cons: None babieeee
Other: The behind-the-scenes really struck clear to me how much effort they put into this. The fact that Sunwoo is there facing his fears just made me wanna stan them more.
-IKON- "Love Scenario + Killing Me Mashup (사랑을 했다+죽겠다 Kingdom Ver)"
Pros: There's a reason why 'Love Scenario' was that popular. Also the dance in the chorus with them groovin was probably my favorite choreo yet on this show. The sudden change between light and dark was apparent. They used two of my five favorite Ikon songs so that's a plus. The dance break with Bobby center was effective.
Cons: Camerawork was a bit questionable but it's not their fault. Fire at the end made nice lighting but it had no addition to concept.
-BTOB- "그리워하다 (Theatre Ver)"
Pros (biased because I like softer and more vocal groups): Beautiful. The song was so melodious and just easy on the ears. The concept was mesmerizing. When Peniel rapped with the white boards and dancers behind him-- that was quite creative. And the whole entire setup for the sword-chasing scene was shocking. When Minhyuk starting doing his thing, I was just pleasantly surprised and content because the teeny bit of dancing they were missing in the preparation round was there. Not to mention Changsub and Eunkwangs vocals. Contrary to what I said in the very beginning, I feel like the backup dancers in this case were an additive especially in imagery instead of blocking and stealing attention away from the main characters aka BTOB.
Cons: A bit of awkward dancing (not the Minhyuk part though) but the vocal makes up for it.
-Stray Kids- "God's Menu Mashup (自神: 스스로 '자', 귀신 '신')"
Pros: Amazing dance and stage presence as always. Dark makeup with light outfits were definitely a look. Rapping for Changbin was a lot more solid this time.
Cons: Too many backup dancers that were taking away from the group. Too many props and set that weren't actually incorporated into the performance except for being there to set the mood. (I have an opinion between the Boyz and Stray Kids but I'm lowkey scared of getting attacked so I won't share that here. Edit 2 episodes later: Okay I'll just share it.) I feel like the "puppet show" prop was a bit unnecessary, and it really reminded me of the "painting scene" in Road to Kingdom's The Boyz' Reveal. Here's the biggest one of all~ I feel like 'God's Menu' was a wrong song choice because I really liked the original and the new arrangment just wasn't it for me. Honestly, if they did something related to cooking and have trumpets just like they did in the MV, I would've been a lot more impressed.
Other: Props to Bang Chan for the arrangement. This man works wayyy to hard for his own good. I'm not sure if this is good or bad but the collaboration between the staff and Stray Kids themselves?
-ATEEZ- "Symphony No.9 'From The Wonderland'"
Pros: Glad they stuck with the pirate theme because I think it worked out for the better this time. They were definitely not lip syncing because of Hong Joong's adlib. Jongho's high note was highly impressive and probably the main point of the whole performance. Dancing as expected of Ateez. Very nice outfits and great use of props. The "bone-breaking" dancers and the glowing outfits they were wearing were very cool; I felt like it was an additive to the overall performance. The ship set was just a bit extra but not bad.
Cons: Too many backup dancers once again; I feel like the impact would have been the same without that many dancers. Too many props yet again especially with the things on the ship aka the boxes and whatnot. I didn't really get the purpose of the guns and the sea monster but oh well.
Others: I just love when the idols actually participate in the making of the music so of course I have to mention Hong Joong and the production.
-SF9- "Jealous(질렀어)"
Pros: Chani's part with the girl was sexy. I know this sounds really unprofessional, but I had to say that flat-out. Of course they were too hot to handle. The ending was so aesthetically enthralling.
Cons: Too many dancers. I also feel like they couldn't handle some of the tricks and acro things; instead of fitting in with what the other groups are doing, they should just do their own things with the sexy concept. I also didn't really get the whole storyline and concept behind their performance at all.

{Round 2: REBORN} This round overall was much better and much more enjoyable than the other rounds. Personal ranking: (1-6) BTOB, The Boyz, Stray Kids, SF9, ATEEZ, IKON
-The Boyz- "오솔레미오 (The Red Wedding)/O Solo Mio"
Pros: Excellent concept and stage yet again. They used latin-inspired dance, which is a very difficult concept to pull off. The song arrangement was amazing! The Boyz never ceases to amaze me with their ideas. Although I've listened to "O Solo Mio" before, this version made me appreciate so much more. The dance was really in sync, as with most of their other performances. Although they made a mistake (refer to cons), they handled it very professionally onstage; I didn't even notice what was wrong until it was mentioned afterwards. Lastly, the Boyz looks so good in red.
Cons: Unfortunately, they failed to light up the fire scepter. Although I didn't notice, something felt off to me at that moment in the performance. The lights turned off so I couldn't see the members' faces; if the fire was lit, it would have been a stunning twirling scepter to complete the performance. The member that was supposed to light it up (I'm getting into the Boyz, so I can't really say the member's name at the moment) mentioned it after the performance, and I remembered that he cried and said that he wanted to die. If anyone is reading this review, please send love and support to the Boyz as soon as possible. +IMPORTANT+ This is the point where I stopped watching and had to think about the values of this show; I would honestly be happy if they canceled because I can tell how stressed and pressured these idols are. +IMPORTANT+ I also saw Younghoon fall in the first chorus, but he recovered quickly and continued with confidence.
-IKON- "Inception"
Pros: IKON was enjoying themselves on the stage as always, especially Bobby. The chorus change and dance break was really good. Although there were a lot of backup dancers, I feel as though they did not take attention away from IKON themselves.
Cons: The performance was the least memorable of all. The concept they were trying to convey wasn't that clear, as in if you didn't watch the show--you wouldn't get the whole "dream" concept. The moving props did not add much value to the performance. The watch at the beginning strangely resembles the Boyz' Danger performance in Road to Kingdom.
-BTOB- "Back Door"
Pros: Yeah~~ Minhyuk was hot. Vocals, especially the high note duet with Eunkwang and Changsub, was the best of the season so far. I love how they didn't use much of the chorus and focused more on the pre-chorus because it highlights their vocals more. The 'audience' was well used especially since it reminisces the live audience that most of these groups are missing now in this pandemic. The concept was also easily understandable with the whole 'backstage into concert' vibe; they really made it seem like a concert when Peniel sprayed water at the camera with his bottle and when Minhyuk ripped his shirt off.
Cons: Not much except that part at 1:20 really resembled the part in The Boyz' Intro Performance in Kingdom with "The Stealer."
-Stray Kids- "기도 (I'll Be Your Man)"
Pros: Han's singing was immaculate; by the way, he's my bias and his role isn't even singing *insert screaming emoji*. Han's timing when he kneels and the light turns blue was perfect. Changbin's guttural tone when rapping was crunchily satisfying. I love that I could tell that the vocals were live as I am a very vocally-inclined fan; you can probably tell from the way I reviewed all BTOB's performances. Felix's lines, especially the whisper at the end, were ear-tickling. Seungmin and Han's duet at the end will be the death of me; their harmony was just pristine. Changbin's rap and Chan's falsetto during and immediately following were also really noticeable and complemented the duo well. Good amount of props and backup dancers; a great improvement from last time considering that neither the props nor the dancers took away much attention from them this time.
Cons: Seungmin and Lee Know's vocals were good but not enough to reach Han's level in this performance. The dance break was a teeny bit messy. Chan had too few lines. Sorry in advance but I heard IN's voice crack at the end but I get it...it happens. Finally, the concept was hard to understand; even after watching the show, I still don't get it.
-ATEEZ- "리듬 타 (The Awakening of Summer)/Rhythm Ta"
Pros: The arrangement with the chorus dance break was really good, and the choreography was very enjoyable. The use of the car, mask, and rope was pretty creative. The singer at 1:22 (presumably San if I recognize correctly) did a really pretty falsetto. Yunho right after, at 1:25, had a line that fit him really well. These two parts were my favorite parts in the verse,
Cons: I didn't watch "Money Heist" so I didn't connect with the concept. <- disclaimer in case the props were related to that. I didn't quite like the guns at the beginning. The use of backup dancers, especially at the end took away attention from ATEEZ. The hourglass at the end was also not introduced at the beginning, so I was quite confused as to why they used that prop. The blimp was kinda useless, and they could have done as well without it. I also feel like they put Jongho's high note just for a wow factor, but I didn't quite get the "wow." The verses and choruses have no variation; you can hear this as Jongho has this "oh~oh~oh" part every pre-chorus. They also used a song that was used previously.
-SF9- "The Stealer (The Scene)"
Pros: As the other groups said, I definitely felt their effort and passion to win this time. The fight scenes were very interesting and felt more realistic than the other fight scenes in this season. Taeyang was really hot. Hwiyoung rocked his small part. The dance break was really mesmerizing, and they all looked really invigorating. Jaeyoon's (yet again not familiar with names) fight scene was really entertaining and had impact. The last chorus was my favorite part; they really used their fit and long frames to embody the choreography and give it the strike of sexiness it needed. They really did put their own flavor into this song. Edit: This performance grew on me.
Cons: I could tell they were lip-syncing or at least had a loud backtrack; there is nothing wrong with it as long as the performance dance-wise was really good, but I'm just more vocally inclined. At the beginning, I didn't really understand the duo fighting concept but after watching it a few more times, I was able to understand. The chess prop at the beginning was a bit confusing. More strength could have gone into the glass shattering by Rowoon. They used guns too often, having it in their hands throughout the dance break as well. Having the guns in your hand for too long will cause the effect to be downplayed because they are supposed to have a 'bang' or peak sound when they point the gun at something or someone, but that does not happen. Chani's part at 2:07 was a bit too soft considering he was armed. For Zuho's part, I feel like they should have thought that the editors were going to blur the knife out because it may trigger some people; that part lost its impact. That part also ONCE AGAIN really resembles the POV hands in the Boyz's "No Air" performance. Right after, when Chani's gunman gets shot, they should have made it more clear that Inseong (yet again not familiar with names) was going to kill the gunman and not Chani by perhaps placing Inseong with his gun behind the gunman's head. He should have also dropped the gun after he made the shot instead of carrying through his high note because it was just awkward. Hwiyoung needs lots more screentime and lines; he's my bias by the way. The fire was a bit excessive. The crown should have also been introduced earlier because it was disconnected from the storyline. It also ONCE AGAIN resembles the Boyz's "Danger" and "Reveal" concepts in Road to Kingdom. They also used a song that was used previously, although they did put their own twist to it.


~#~ Please check the comments as this review will not let me exceed a certain word count~ I will add my opinion on more performances as they come out. ~#~