Residents of the Far East know about China"s Three Kingdoms mainly from the eponymous novel by Luo Guanzhong. The great novelist was partial – he adored the southern Cossack freedom in the Shu kingdom, regarded their neighbors from the Wu kingdom neutrally, and fiercely hated the northern Wei kingdom. According to his portrayal, Cao Cao – ruler of Wei – appeared before descendants as a cruel autocrat and the embodiment of all vices, roughly like Cardinal Richelieu for people in the West. But facts say otherwise. In times of chaos and disintegration, a young officer managed to bring order to his ancestral lands and gather outstanding people around him. He led the uprising against the tyranny of General Dong Zhuo, who was reveling in the capital as if it were a conquered city, and saved the last prince of the Han dynasty. Cao Cao founded the Wei kingdom, subjugated nomads, secured borders, and prepared the ground for the reunification of China, which his successors carried out. The series portrays the history of the Three Kingdoms through the prism of Cao Cao"s life – an outstanding son of an ancient and brutal age. It is a story without adornments, for without strength, firmness, and cunning any ruler of that era would not have lasted a week. Confucianism teaches that the goal is important – for what does the "noble man" act: for himself or for others, for amusement or fulfilling duty before the eternal Heaven? In this epic saga we will see many familiar heroes in a new light, perhaps closer to historical truth.
Madhouse Studios Japan