| That's right. So go see it or you'll keep failing~ ^^ -- I noticed Juuni Kokuki only has 295 users on MAL after joining the JK club. It's not even on the top 30 (Blasphemy!). Can't believe it's being so overlooked. So, since the MAL recommendations feature is still not implemented I figured I should rec. this. One of the best if not the best shows in 2003. Superb storyline, superb characters and character development, great animation too. Other known resources won't let me lie: http://anidb.info/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=26 http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=840 http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,880,rmksij,12_kokuki.html And I know there's a lot of people here that wont let me lie too ^^. I know many people get thrown off by the first couple of episodes and drop it (I also put it on hold after the first 2). But the fact is the show improves exponentially after the first episodes. So yeah, Watch This! -- (Side note: KAA is probably the best group to have released this) |
KayrhandrosMay 28, 2007 6:25 AM
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| tbh i was very let down after all the recommendations, it really wasn't all that good in my opinion. It was nice and all but something was missing |
| Yes, watch Juuni Kokki or you all phail! If you don't like it, you still phail! Ahaha! But yeah, it's an fantasy anime that actually develops its world with religon, history, politics and even biology. It's just amazing. I mean I can't think of any other fantasy world that does this (every other fantasy world is rather superficial, we only know what happens that is related to the main character). It has awesome character development too. Don't worry if you hate the female lead at first. Trust me, you won't later. By the way, the RPG equivalent of Juuni Kokki is Suikoden (a RPG franchise that has a detailed and rich history, politics and the like. If you're a RPG gamer, drop your damn FF and Kingdom Hearts and play this or you phail). And join the Juuni Kokki club once you watch this and fall in love with its greatness! Want another convincing factor to watch this anime? I thought a lot of anime in 2006 sucked (the first half of the year anime). I was getting tired of anime and I couldn't find any good old ones to watch. I thought I was about to lose all hope and just give up watching anime. But no! Juuni Kokki had saved me. I watched it, loved it and it gave me renewed hope. Oh and Aokaado phails. It might be good to watch Juuni Kokki without extremely high expectations. Then you won't feel so disappointed. I just watched it out of nowhere (one recommendations by a friend, didn't realise how popular it was for it's awesome development of the world). I think it's a given that high expectations ruins your viewing experience. |
| /me seconds Crystal's post. Crystal said: And I totally agree. It's never good to watch things with really high expectations, since normally you get disapointed. One of the things that makes 12 Kingdoms great is the fact that everyone thinks it's gonna fail hard after that beginning... and in the end it does the exact oposite.It might be good to watch Juuni Kokki without extremely high expectations. Then you won't feel so disappointed. I just watched it out of nowhere (one recommendations by a friend, didn't realise how popular it was for it's awesome development of the world). I think it's a given that high expectations ruins your viewing experience. In my case I watched it with very low expectations (thanks to a friend that only watched the first 3...). And my expectations even dropped more after watching those irst 3... and now looking back... I can safelly say it's one of the best shows out there. |
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| Luis, you win for making this thread XD <3 And yup, I agree with what's been said. Although we're telling you it's going to be awesome, the first few episodes will really make you think "these people might not be right in the head if they say this is one of the best shows of all time"... :D I watched it with somewhat high expectations, and I thought it didn't fail them at all. In fact, the show surpassed them with all the brilliant stuff that happened. Some scenes made me want to squeal because the buildup is just that awesome XD If you like it, join the JK club, yo! *pimps* |
| Juuni Kokki is absolutely great... well... up to episode 39. The drama CD was pretty good too. I love the ED as well. The best thing about this series is Yoko's development. Truly amazing. |
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| im downloading it, watch the first so far |
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| Like Aokaado said, it was nice and all, but I didnt think it was that great when i watched it years ago. Then again, I was a Narutard back then. Maybe it was too deep for me. But since you guys are so adament about it, I may take another stab at it. |
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| I didn't like it either when I first watched it. I gave up after being wholly disappointed by the first episode. Luckily for me though, I let myself be convinced to give it another shot. If you give it a little time, you'll find that the series is tremendously awesome. |
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| Well when you first see it. You see the map and you are absolutely positive it's geographically impossible. You immediately get the idea that this is going to be a weird anime from the start. The dreams the taunts of the monkey guy and the dark mood that it begins with throws you off. HOWEVER! It also has you guessing what? Who? Where? When? How? and then you also transform like Youko. I think once you meet Rakushun the anime gets better! I MEAN COME ON! A TALKING MOUSE!!! ZOMG AWESOME! =D ( when i first saw him with that leaf i thought Kappa O_O; ) I really like how after each season there's a recap episode that sums up the entire season, retells all about the world, the terminology, etc and leads into the next arc somehow O_O. I showed the first 2 episodes to my roomate and she took a couple of days to digest it and then she asked me "hey can we watch Juuni Kokuki?" then i was like ok! And then i got into it more the second time around O_O. I think you have to watch it more than once to grasp the awesome that it is. It's cause there's SO MUCH to take in. O_O I was a bit dissapointed with the last season aired because it didn't seem as exciting or helpful to the story as season 1 and 3 were ^^; Season 2 is about Taiki and it exposes the law of the world and how it is governed as well as what exactly the Kirin are and you see just a bit about Keiki's personality. @___@ But then again I really enjoy Shoryuu and Enki so... that was what kept me watching till the end xD;; tho i fell asleep during episode 42 xD; |
hisuikireiMay 28, 2007 4:46 PM
| I really enjoyed this anime. It's a got a nice fantasy world and great story about power and corruption (for the main arc at least) IMO. I definitely think it's worth taking a look at. Of course not everyone's going to like it because we're all different. I'd be shocked if everyone loved this anime an never had problems with it whatsoever. That being said if your into fantasy then be sure to take a look at this anime. |
| I guess I will give it a shot. School ends tomorrow and I need some anime to keep me busy. Already have a few other animes ready to watch as well, so I won't be left with nothing to do for a while XD |
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| When I was at a second-hand DVD store I saw someone sell a complete collection of this anime, and I would have bought it if I have money at the time. =P Anyways, I will definitely add this anime to my "to-watch list" and I'll see if it is that great. |
| I watched episode one last night, would have watched more but the download was not finished. The download finished earlier today, and since then I have been watching it almost non-stop. So far I am on episode ten... typing this while the OP is playing. This is a very good show, can't stop watching. |
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Zel said: YES!!! *throws invite to the club =D*I watched episode one last night, would have watched more but the download was not finished. The download finished earlier today, and since then I have been watching it almost non-stop. So far I am on episode ten... typing this while the OP is playing. This is a very good show, can't stop watching. In episode 15 or so there's this HILARIOUS series of phrases. it make me giggle XD but you'll see xD~ |
Zel said: Glad you're enjoying it. There's still a lot of awesome stuff to come.. specially in the second "Youko arc": A Thousand Miles of Wind, The Sky of DawnI watched episode one last night, would have watched more but the download was not finished. The download finished earlier today, and since then I have been watching it almost non-stop. So far I am on episode ten... typing this while the OP is playing. This is a very good show, can't stop watching. hf~ |
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Koreth said: I didn't read too many of the replies to this, but I'd like to tell you why I wouldn't run around recommending this series to everyone, even though I liked it. First, as I recall, the two main female protagonists were cookie cutter clones. They were both idiotic and pointless. They were stupid. Second, the ending trailed off into oblivion. I know I've heard that they were going to start another story arc or whatever, then just quit... but seriously. That's annoying. If you recommend this series, you have to warn people to stop watching like 4 episodes short of the end. I think those two reasons are good enough to not put this series in the top 30, although it is still quite good. The series is unfinished. I forget the entire story, either they were waiting for the next book to come out/ ran out of funding, or a mix of the two. It however was cut short (obviously). Sadly there are no plans to ever finish it. Youko is somewhat cookie cutter, though that is partially what the transition from the book did. I found that she had a bit more dynamic in the book (at least what I've read) than in the series. The other girll wasn't even a main character in the first book. I found it kinda odd that they changed the story, but I guess they did it to move the plot along. Minus a couple aspects, I found the book (again what I have read) to actually be better in characters, in terms of revealing things etc. |
| #dontcare |
Koreth said: Sorry but I'm gonna have to disagree with that... 'coz there was nothing stupid about the main character, and I presume you're refering to Yuka and the second one (I don't see her as a main but as a secondary character). They apear ealistic. Youko's inicial character is very common nowadays. I've seen a lot of people like her... trying to fit in, going along with society so they are not rejected. Yes, it's not appealing for main character but that made the character development (wich is in my view the strongest point of Juuni Kokuki.) I didn't like at first and much less Yuka. Yet the way they both changed enourmously during the series made me love them in the end. Both made 180º turn, and evolved realisticly and due to the events in the storiesFirst, as I recall, the two main female protagonists were cookie cutter clones. They were both idiotic and pointless. They were stupid. There is absolutely nothing idiotic and pointless and stupid about them... actually I don't recall any character in juuni kokuki's world that fits those adjectives. Koreth said: Yeah I reckon the story was open ended. I didn't like that.. I doubt anyone liked that.. because we all wanted to see more of it, since all those 4 story arcs were excelent. Perhaps the less great being the Taiki's story, solely due to the cliff hanger in the end. I don't know what they did it.. my guess it's that the novels hadn't advanced that much in the past..Second, the ending trailed off into oblivion. I know I've heard that they were going to start another story arc or whatever, then just quit... but seriously. That's annoying. If you recommend this series, you have to warn people to stop watching like 4 episodes short of the end. Even missing the closed ending, Juuni Kokuki is a masterpiece. And I know there's a lot of people that think the same way.. superb character development, superb plots, great animation.. why should I not recommend this to everyone? Those are not valid reasons to me. As for ratings: ranked #26 on ANN, ranked in the top 10 in Anidb before they removed the "top 10" feature and ranked #12 in AnimeNfo... Yeah it deserves to be in the top 30 here too. And the only reason why it is not there it's because so little people have watched it IMO. That said, I second my first post. Watch this and I'm sure you will not regret it. Possibly, you may have a bittersweet feeling in the end, but it was all worth it. |
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| Ahem Kay >.> |
| I'm going to throw in my two cents and say Youko most definitely is NOT a cookie cutter main character. Her character development is some of the deepest I've seen in an anime. I know she's weak, whiny, and unlikable at the beginning of the series but she's also very realistic. In fact, same goes for a lot of the main characters in this series. They're very unlikable people but that's also what makes them feel real. This series has some of the most realistic and believable characters in an anime. |
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| I totally agree. Youko is great, but at the begining... I was like 'ah, cmon, someone kill this whiny little b@', but after the 3rd episode or so, she started to improve. The whiny little b@ started to improve step by step and in some time she became an excellent character. And yep, Twelve Kingdoms is an awesome show, it's so damn too bad that they stopped production at 45 instead of the originally planned 68 episodes. I would give one of my arm for the last 23 (hook) ?(^_^)> |
d388Nov 10, 2007 4:22 PM
| Hm, this is a rather old post that has been bumped. I'll give the show a try-at some point.. *adds to plan to watch list* ^_^ |
selective_yellow said: do it, i watched 12 eps yesterday and i'm loving it~Hm, this is a rather old post that has been bumped. I'll give the show a try-at some point.. *adds to plan to watch list* ^_^ |
| This is definitely a favorite anime of mine. For me, first, I loved the score. I thought it was some of the most beautiful and haunting classical/traditional music I've heard - ever. I still frequently listen to various mixes of the soundtracks. The story arcs about Youko are my favorite, though Shoukei and Shoryu are favorite characters as well. I agree with many who have posted on this thread that Youko's personal journey of self-discovery is one of the most compelling I've ever seen animated or otherwise. So if you find her annoying at the beginning, well, that's the whole point. Stick with it. It does wrap up abruptly, but even the last arc is good ( does a good job showcasing Shoryu's shrewdness as a ruler) and shows she still has a lot to learn; like understanding how she should rule and make decisions in accordance with "heaven's will," a notion very foreign to her and very different from how she interpreted right and wrong growing up in Japan. All in all, great storytelling. |
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| Don't watch then dubbed version. It sucks extremely bad to the max. My ears where twitching with pain. |
^)^ DeathfireD ^)^ Anime Alliance P2P Network *OPEN FOR NEW MEMBERS* |
| OK, I know I've "only" seen 20 episodes of this show, and I really don't like when people say that everyone "fails" just because they haven't seen something :P, but COME ON. Why is this still not in the Top 30?? Dammit, Kayr, you need to be less forceful in your recommendations....you're probably scaring everyone off (you too, Crystal) :P :P Oh, and I didn't really read this thread until AFTER I'd started watching the series, so I didn't know about the supposed "lack of closure". But you know what? At this point, I DON'T CARE. This has got to be one of the most in-depth and complex, yet easily accessible and enjoyable shows I've ever seen. *BUMP* :D |
 You've come a long way, baby. |
| Lol.. the fail part is just to draw attention. You don't have to take it by the letter. :P But it's indeed a pity not that many people have watched this. And it's pretty unbelievable that this show is not top 30 (and it is so in most of the other well known anime ressources.), while some of the ones that are in the top 30 shouldn't even be there... Anyway, If you're enjoying the show this much now Sakura, wait until you get to the third arc, where Youko is again the main protagonist. The amount of character development and the way the plot progresses is just outstanding. |
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| Well, I've finally finished it. I say 'finally' because it took me a bit after episode 39 to actually go back to it.....I mean, it felt like it was over, but there were 6 more episodes D: Anyway, I'm sticking with my initial rating of a solid 9/10, almost entirely because of the lack of ending. But seriously, ANYTHING they put after the Thousand Miles of Wind arc would just utterly....fail compared to it. Bottom line: if it would've ended at 39, 10/10. But since it didn't, 9/10. Still deserves to be in Top 30, though :) |
You've come a long way, baby. |
| ^How awesome, I finished rewatching at about the same time you finished, and happened to find this thread when I needed to vent. ^ - ^ Honestly, what series ends with a recap episode?! But okay, onto my vent. After the 4th time around, I've FINALLY come to realize who Kouya turned out to be later on. - _ -. Actually, that's it. ^ - ^;; But I'm so happy I'm able find a place to discuss this brilliant anime. |
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| i hate the ending, i like the final episode but come on, that's the end???? i was left with an unsatisfied feeling..i want more of it..when i first started this anime, i hated the Youko in the first few episodes, she was damn too weak character to begin with, but eventually when she started to change, i felt much better of her, and luv the story development, it's interesting to get to know all the kingdoms.. |
| This was indeed a let down for me. How long will she pull the "I'm pathetic and cannot fight" act? 4th episode and the haze of patheticness still suffocates me. If they're going to deliberately make the main character look like crap to piss me off in order to make me feel better about her later...at least put in some comedy on the side ..or not drag it on for hours >.> Good lord someone plz tell me what episode her sense of self and will starts to improve so I can skip all the patheticness. Maybe I'd appreciate the I'm-helpless act if I could somehow relate to that feeling, but I'm too optimistic :P |
| Great ANIMATION? Juuni Kokuki had one of the worst graphics I've ever seen. Even early 90s series looked better. Don't get me wrong, the animation in the beginning was good - but after around episode thirty something, it was bad to the point of being pathetic. I was disappointed by this series. The story is good, but I'm sure the book must've been a LOT better. Too bad Studio Pierrot was the one adapting it, they are so incredibly awful. I give this series a 7.5 out of 10, but if it were done by a decent studio, it would probably earn a perfect score. The characters had an unnatural and exagerated development, there were way too many recap episodes. On to the good points, the characters themselves were interesting, the soundtrack was fantastic, and the voice acting was nice. Too bad there was ZERO mouth synchronization. Edit: I mean, the character development in itself wasn't bad, it just didn't convince me. Also, if you're a fan of this series, don't yell at me, I'm allowed to have my own opinion. |
LeninhaFeb 28, 2008 4:41 PM
| Bumping this old thread... I was blown away by Twelve Kingdoms, because I had only somewhat heard of it before, and just picked it up from my friend's collection out of boredom. Ahh! It's great for all the reasons people have stated above! |
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| Have anyone watched anime that has better animation than Juuni Kokuki???? |
| So far (ep.7) it's a fantasy version of Gundam (Emo) Seed and is agonizing to watch. Hopefully, it gets better later. |
"There is a road in the hearts of all of us, hidden and seldom traveled, which leads to an unknown, secret place." |
| i still have it on my hard drive but somehow i don't feel like watching it :( |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Heh @ the Suikoden comparison. That supposed to be a good thing? |
alarmedSep 13, 2008 6:01 PM
| It has three Animes that I consider important: X TV, Death Note and JUUNI KOKUKI! I adore the Youko, it is human in its better and its worse! An incredible world, wonderful characters and an involving history! Note 10 for it! |
CelloOct 2, 2008 9:29 PM
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| It was a really good anime..I give it an 8 though. For some reason the 3-4 last episodes were pretty boring..Also the ending didn't make much sense. |
| am at episode 7 or 8 and hey it's really awsome the way it goes it's some interesting mix between an RPG and a better story than lord of the rings Ok am at episode 27 and the storry got really fucked up and started sucking badly. |
JudgeRuthlessOct 31, 2008 12:30 AM
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Voted 6. Can't be arsed to summarise, so see my extensive review (extensive review is extensive, warned readers are warned) for my rationale. |
| Seen it and MY GOD do I want to see more. Gave it a 10 and I dont give out 10's often. Definatly going to look into reading the novels, as I am sure there is a link or two in here somewhere... |
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| I wish they would make another season |
| I have watched it recently, too and it's so awesome good. Nearly a 10. Too bad the novels never finished and even not every novel was made into an anime arc. I wish it would go on. It was such a great story. Really something else from your typical adventure anime. Never thought I would enjoy it so much. |
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| 5 more episodes to go. I'm fighting between the 9 I've given it so far, to a perfect 10. It has been added to my list of favorites. I, too, after the first few episodes wasn't sure what to think. I'm so glad I kept watching. And definitely worth a re-watch in the future. <3 Keiki |
| There is only one word for this series: EPIC |
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