Juuni Kokuki

This series is so good that when it ends at episode 45 you'll find yourself wishing for more, I know most who have seen it feel like this.

It starts off innocently with Yoko being accosted at school by a handsome man with long blonde hair who wants to swear allegiance to her. Before she knows it, monsters?!? are attacking her, she's being defended by Keiki, she won't leave her friends and suddenly Yoko and the 2 friends she won't leave have been sucked into another world. Thus begins our journey into the magical land of the 12 kingdoms.

I admit, after the dramatic beginning, I was ... expecting this to be like the Escaflowne/El-Hazard type of series. That impression was swept away in under 10 minutes. Escaflowne is a good anime, but 12 Kingdoms is a Great anime.

What sets 12 Kingdoms apart is the detailed explanation of the political, social, economic and philosophical aspects of the kingdom. As the episodes progress, you learn how the kingdoms are organized, why they are structured the way they are, and the good and bad things about each type of government. I've never heard it explained better in any other anime.

The story and characters really suck you in. The more they reveal, the more you want to know and you're eagerly looking forward to each episode to see how the character's will react, secretly hoping for some of them to "grow up", others to "snap out of it", and actually even hoping for a few to "just die". At the beginning, I really wanted to slap Yoko a few times while shouting "deal with it". But by the end of the series Yoko has become the heroine that people identify with and they root for her. There are pivotal scenes that make you stand up and cheer in joy.

There aren't any extraneous "filler" secondary characters. While the motivations of some aren't revealed till much later, for the most part you can understand and sympathize with the "good" secondary characters and grow to hate the "bad guys".

The fantasy world created by the writer is capable of much more exploration via this anime. The plot has many other directions it can go in. Even though the series ended at 45 episodes, I know a lot of us 12 Kingdoms fans would be really happy if they made another 45 episodes as there is still a ton of unused potential - including all the other "unexplored" kingdoms, not to mention the rest of the black kirin story.

Watch this great anime but be prepared to feel sad at the end because there isn't any more to watch! The only flaw it has is that it ended too early.

I decided to start watching the anime The Twelve Kingdoms more out of convenience than genuine enthusiasm - the character designs and the general look of the show lulled me into dismissing it as a generic fantasy anime - an uncharming mix of demon-slaying and silliness (like the terminally unwatchable Orphen). But I was proved wrong, as the show quickly enthralled me, with a beginning that may not have promised a sophisticated story, but which was loaded with hooks to capture its audience: immediately interesting characterisation, a sense of urgency and bewildered excitement, and some original fantasy ideas and elements. Firmly hooked, I embarked on ... a story that proved to be rapidly expansive, emotionally gripping, and unrelentingly interesting. Not only was I affected by the gritty profundity of the characters’ plights but I was consistently impressed by the many fascinating details that were woven into the story to bring the fantasy world to life, especially things that the fantasy genre often overlooks.

Much like I found the overlapping worlds of Seirei no Moribito to be an interesting concept, I really enjoyed the way this world of The Twelve Kingdoms was mythically linked to our own - and how the cultural response to the kaikyaku (people from our world who fall into theirs with the passing of a mystical storm) is handled. Although the world has its fantastical oddities and mysteries, the peoples that populate it, their trials and tribulations, their feelings of animosity and companionship, are inescapably human, bringing the creative setting to life with a sense of believability and depth. This is when fantasy is at its best as far as I’m concerned - you can shove as many wizards and dragons into a story as you like and it’ll fall flat without an edge of humanness. For example, I loved the fact that the world had its own language, and that the language barrier between Kaikyaku and the native populace was of great significance, and that the world is filled with as many people eager to take advantage of you as there are apt to be helpful and friendly. The differences in ideologies and cultural outlooks from one kingdom to the next also lend the world a greater sense of realism. All these things combine to create a setting that is alive and vibrant, and easy to become attached to, as one becomes attached to a real city or country with personality.

Unfortunately, the dialogue is often stilted and seemingly unnatural (apparently every character is perfectly able to slip into a casual introspective monologue at the drop of a hat), and at the micro level, there are several small inconsistencies and poorly handled plot points dotted throughout the series which are sometimes distracting. Overall though, the story is woven together with deft hands. The series always has a strong sense of direction and an epic scope, with a story that deals with countless characters across many kingdoms, and yet which never seems bogged down, convoluted or tangential. Many anime series with fantastic plot seem to be unable to write it in a way so that the characters become emotionally involved in a profound way - but The Twelve Kingdoms really stands out from the crowd in this respect. Perhaps this is even more of an achievement given the length of the series - whereas most anime seem drawn out at 26 episodes, this show charges its way veraciously through its plot, with almost no filler to be seen. The only thing I could call filler would be the too frequent use of recapping. Perhaps it’s just because I watched the series in such quick succession, but it really did seem that there was too much time spent showing bits of previous episodes over again. The single biggest gaping flaw in the story is the lack of conclusion in Taiki’s story (leaving me looking to the novels). But for this, the story is wrapped up nicely, even without the originally planned continuation pending further novel releases.

The production on the series is very well done - far from perfect but, given the length of the series and the scale of the story, I think the studio (Studio Pierrot) did a good job at producing it. The character designs are all very well detailed and attractive, and the battle scenes (excluding the bigger army battles, which would be impossible to animate properly on a tv budget) look really good, occasionally exceptional with brutal choreography and fluid animation. As was typical of this vintage, there are numerous shortcuts taken in the animation and many imperfections, but some leeway has to be given unless one wants to declare all tv anime before digicel to be badly done excluding Bebop. The background art fits the bill, with nice and detailed scenery and a sense of exoticness to the landscape. Beyond a satisfactory visual render for the show, there isn’t much more of note to the production elements, other than perhaps some of the music, which is used sparingly but to good effect. The main theme, which plays in the opening is a great little piece, with an inviting sense of heroism and adventure to it. The voice acting shouldn’t be overlooked, with some voices well and truly making their characters; the sympathetic Taiki, the soft-spoken elegance of the Mt Hou sages, the unbashful heroism of Shoryu, and the earnest performance for the lead character, Youko, whose transformation from an insincere and insecure high school girl to a battle-worn Empress is handled with impressive believability.

Enhanced, no doubt, by these performances, the characterisation and character development in The Twelve Kingdoms is another of its triumphs. With one of the most memorable young heroines in anime, Yoko Nakajima, who is simultaneously easy to relate to and awe inspiring, and a large cast of supporting characters, each of whom have a distinct and interesting personality, this series is a joy to watch for those of us who love stories that flesh out their characters. You’ll swing from feeling pride at your favourite characters’ triumphs, to heart-wrench as they endure hardship and persecution, and lots in between. At the end of the series, you’ll be sad to see the curtains close because it will mean saying goodbye to a cast you have become attached to, whether because they are just likable or because you’ve empathised with them and watched them grow emotionally. I know I finished the series just wishing there’d be more so I could see what happens to Taiki, and what kind of rule Youko will uphold as a full-fledged Empress.

In conclusion, the series is good wholesome entertainment, with strengths in the most important fields of storytelling: plot, and character. The production won’t make your eyes widen, but it keeps up with the rest of the series. Every now and then, things feel a bit disjointed or the writing seems a little forced or unnatural, but with 45 episodes there’s plenty of content to redeem its missteps. Some arcs are more consistently gripping than others, but none of them should ever bore, and all of them had me on the edge of my seat at their climax. When I say arcs, there are only 3 major arcs, and each of them overlap, so don’t think it’s “episodic” in any way. I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy or who is just in search of an anime they can really sink their teeth into: a good old fashioned tale which is neither frivolous nor pretentious.

Although it was cut short, this is definitely worth watching.

If you sit through the first couple of episodes you will be surprised. What seems like a typical story at first turns out to be far from typical.

I thought it was going to be another one of those magical girl animes where the main character, in this case Yoko, is an annoying high school girl that can't do anything on her own. Weak and useless, the kind of character you can't stand, at least I couldn't. I was about to stop watching, but . . .

Boy was I glad I didn't. I don't want to give ... away too much, but this series has some of the best character development I've ever seen in anime. Simply put, by the end of the first arc, Yoko was a completely different person.

Juuni Kokki has such an amazing story, once you really get into it, it's very hard to stop watching. Often times a character will be in the middle of explaining something and they have all your attention ... and then the episode just ends and it really forces you to continue because it's so intriguing. There's so much to learn about the world of The Twelve Kingdoms~ the people in it and how they live. The story itself could be very moving at times. You really feel for the characters, after all that they go through. I can't really go as in depth as some of the other reviews, so you may want to look elsewhere for more info

Each episode seems to end at such a weird place, it forces you to jump right to the next episode. The way they decided to do this, it would seem unnatural. You normally wouldn't end an episode while in the middle of explaining something. However, in The Twelve Kingdoms, this very unique idea actually works in favor of the anime.

I feel that it deserves a five star rating, despite the fact that it was left unfinished. We still get to see the resolution of the main character's storyline, although it would have been nice if they took it further.

In the end, Juuni Kokki has already taken its place as one of the best animes I've seen.

Yoko Nakajima is a timid, proper high school student with a lot of expectations on her plate. In her home life, her parents are strict, with nothing but the highest standards for her. Her school life is even worse, as she’s the class president, with teachers breathing down her neck and an entire class room looking up to her with equal parts pride and scrutiny. One day, a tall, mysterious stranger appears right in the middle of class, and kneels before her, proclaiming her to be his queen! Before she can explain this to her bewildered homeroom, a demon attacks, and ... chases the two of them to the school roof, where Yoko... Along with two of her supposed friends... are ripped from the world they know, and transported to a parallel world known as The Twelve Kingdoms!

Now, with a darker complexion and an altered face,Yoko is alone in a dangerous and unfamiliar world. Will she ever be able to find her friends, return home, or even figure out what in the world happened to her?

I haven’t really talked about Studio Pierrot before, at least not by name, but I’ve seen enough of their work to know that they have an abysmal track record when it comes to animation. They did Saiyuki, a show whose animation quality I blasted over a year ago, and if that’s not enough to deter you, they’re the company who produced Naruto. Yes, The Twelve Kingdoms comes from the same stock as the ugly, ugly ninja show where people jumping from tree to tree look like cardboard cut-outs on popsicle sticks. They’ve proven with Yuyu Hakusho that they DO know how to manage a low budget, and in 2014, they’ve proven with Tokyo Ghoul that they can, in fact, look amazing.

Well, Twelve Kingdoms is no Tokyo Ghoul, but Thank God, it’s no Naruto, either. The animation is definitely cheap, and there are some moments where the character artwork is so clumsy it will make you cringe, but for the most part, it looks passable. Passable, of course, does not mean good... Movements are stiff and seldom look natural, key frames are constant, characters frequently appear off model, and a lot of action scenes are dominated by speed lines. It’s a series from the early 2000s, but it looks like it’s from the mid nineties, is what I’m trying to say. It’s not all bad, though... There are several combat scenes that are solidly animated, but they’re the exception that proves the rule. Thoughtful angles and exquisite lighting are used to beautiful effect, however, and unlike several other shows I’ve seen, this never feels like the obvious compensation that it is. Great care was clearly taken with every shot, taking what could have been a jarring visual experience and making it a lot easier to swallow.

An equal amount of care was clearly taken with the dub, which is a surprise, since it was done by the infamous Media Blasters. Even their good dubs are tolerable at best, with some notable examples being Berserk and Squidgirl, so it may not be entirely a stretch to say that the dub for The Twelve Kingdoms could be their masterpiece. Taking liberally from the Pioneer stable of actors, they went with a grounded, natural sound, without a single ridiculous or exaggerated performance in sight.

Our main character is played by Dorothy Elias-Fahn, a prolific character voice actor who’s probably most well known for her performance of Meryl Strife from Trigun. Yoko is by far the most important role she’s ever had in any single project, and with that, it’s also likely the most screen time her voice has ever had. They couldn’t have cast her better, as Fahn carries every single stage of Yoko’s development with depth and sincerity, from a whimpering pushover all the way to the strong warrior she eventually becomes.

While the rest of the cast doesn’t perform quite as amazingly as Fahn, they’re still pretty much all outstanding. Much like His and Her Circumstances, Twelve Kingdoms’s dub is a veritable who’s who of classic actors, with some very well known names from Wendee Lee to Michael McConnohie popping up not only in named roles, but frequently in the background, as well. Karen Strassmen, Kate Higgins and Mela Lee play at their very best in complex supporting roles throughout the majority of the story, and their respective dynamics with Fahn are portrayed remarkably.

Now, the premise of this show isn’t exactly unique. High school girl gets magically transported to another world(resembling feudal Japan, of course) by a mysterious handsome stranger... Honestly, even I hesitated when I read it, and while the tone of the first few episodes had me hooked, I was still worried that all the familiar details would eventually lead down a path to the same old tropes that similar shows like Inuyasha, Fushigi Yugi, and Escaflowne have already trodden. But Twelve Kingdoms distinguishes itself from these titles by how stone cold serious it takes it’s content, wasting absolutely zero time trying to entice the viewer through any other means. There’s no romance or bishounen to attract female viewers, and there’s no robots or nudity to attract male viewers. There’s basically no fanservice whatsoever, except possibly for the furry extremists out there, and even then, I don’t think that was intentional. No, this series places all of it’s bets on it’s own story, a bold move that it’s more than capable of backing up.

The story, for the most part, follows Yoko as she adjusts to this new world as well as to her destiny within it. This makes room not only for some smoothly executed world-building, which i’ll get to later, but for some truly inspired character development for not only Yoko, but for three other prominent supporting characters, all of whom have their own lessons to learn and flaws to face. All four of them start out as pathetic, arrogant, self-pitying little shells, only to be gradually molded by the hells they go through, both internal and external, into much more competent and likable people. They get worse before they get better, because that’s life, but as they travel, they gain perspective by interacting with those far less fortunate than themselves... one of whom is Rakushun, the most loveable anthropomorphic rodent since Mickey Mouse.

And yet, unlike most action shows where a character faces their flaw and immediately overcomes it, the flaws our heroines face never really go away... They can never be truly conquered, only admitted and dealt with, especially in the case of Yoko herself. No matter how far you think she’s grown, an old demon is never far away, just waiting for her to waver so he can rear his ugly head once more.

And when I say these characters go through hell, I mean it. This show can get really dark when it wants to... Scratch that, this show can get freaking bleak, often with little to no hope in sight. It explores topics like famine, tyranny, corruption and Draconian law, peppered with the occasional slaughter of men, women and children alike. The only pulled punch in sight is the fact that you don’t actually see the executions on screen. You don’t need to see them, after all... With the right tone, a field of gravestones or the look of despair amongst an exhausted population can carry more weight than a million bloody dismemberings, and Twelve Kingdoms understands this perfectly well, as the effects of tyrannical leadership on an unfortunate community are thoroughly portrayed, in both figurative and very literal ways.

In short, The Twelve Kingdoms has the makings of an epic, with everything you’d look for within one... The themes of leadership, responsibility, and perserverence are played masterfully, and the heavily spiritual world steeped in Chinese mythology always has new details to offer both the characters as well as the viewer. World-building is at it’s best when it’s being explained to the viewer and a character at the same time, and in this case, every new detail... From the King’s connection to the very land he rules all the way down to the way babies are born... is given to us at the exact time it needs to, with consistent relevance to the plot, and with clues to the bigger reveals being offered every so often in the seemingly innocuous dialogue between the world’s residents.

However, that’s not to say the story is without it’s flaws... It’s adapted from an old novel series, and in addition to the novels containing the main story, they also decided to adapt two of the side stories... Neither of which cast our heroine as anything other than the listener. These little detours are nicely told, very enjoyable stories in their own rights, and I’m sure they would have made a couple of decent OVAs... But no, they’re right there in the story, and while they’re really fine on their own, they offer nothing to justify the damage they do to the pacing of the series. They don’t reveal any important plot-related information that couldn’t have been delivered otherwise, and they could have easily just been left out without hurting the series at all, especially when you consider the fact that only one of the characters within them ever shows up again.

And since I brought them up, I also have to bring up the way the series ends. I won’t reveal any important details, such as whether the ending is a happy or tragic one, but what I will tell you is that out of this 45 episode anime, episodes 39 and 40 bring the series to the most satisfying conclusion you could hope for. So, with five episodes left, I was kind of hoping they’d tie up some old loose ends, show how the conclusion effected various characters, and maybe bring the story itself to a nice, tight close. Nope! Episodes 41-44 contain the second detour story, and while it’s a perfectly fine story in it’s own right, but it was glaringly out of place. And the final episode? I kid you not... The final episode, 45, is a recap of what happened in episode 41-44. Yes, an episode-long recap of the previous four episodes.

I’ve heard rumors that this series was intended to continue past episode 45, which would make sense since the novels are still being released to this day, but even if that was the case, you don’t spend an entire episode recapping a story arc right after finishing it. With a show like this one, the viewers are not that stupid, and the material is not that forgettable, making this a very tacky move, especially for an ending. It’s an unfortunate blemish on what could have otherwise been a near-masterpiece.

The Twelve Kingdoms is available in the United States from Media Blasters. You can find it on both Blu-ray and DVD, pretty much exclusively online and in used FYE racks, with the latter being far more affordable than the former. The first four novels are also available in English from Tokyo Pop, and if you go on ebay, you can find a handful of beautiful artbooks and fan-made doujinshi at varying prices. There are also some Playstation games, but to my utter disappointment, they’re not available stateside.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really been a fan of feudal-type shows. Much like the insanely popular Giant Robot fare, it’s a genre that often leaves me bored with my eyes glazed over. Twelve Kingdoms is held in high regard... At least among those people privileged enough to have heard of it... As a pinnacle of the ‘modern girl spirited away to Feudal Times’ genre. And it’s not hard to see why. While I may have let my attention shift away from the screen a few times during the detour story arcs, the truth is that I never felt bored during this series. The characters are deep and relatable, the conflicts between them are genuinely exciting, and the mythical world it all takes place in is constantly offering one wonder after another. The animation is noticeably cheap, but it’s rarely ever bad in it’s management and execution... Unlike the episodic structure of the series, which wasn’t thought out or handled nearly as well as it deserved. The extra stories may have worked in the novels, but in televised format, they leave a lot to be desired. It’s not a perfect show, but the good far outweighs the bad. I give The Twelve Kingdoms an 8/10.

Story:
The first time I read the plot synopsis it seemed pretty underwhelming but once I gave it a try I was surprised how amazing the story was, the world of the Twelve Kingdoms was just so interesting and detailed that you can’t help yourself and just be engrossed with it. One small thing I liked how people didn’t speak the same language in the other world as the main characters seeing as most shows don’t care about such small details and even integrating it to the main story, I liked the fact that they put some thought into stuff like that.

The story had immense potential ... to be something quite epic but the anime was cut-short (which I’m still quite upset about to this day), and therefore it's hard for me to give the story a perfect score since the story does not have some sort of conclusion.

Animation:
I wouldn’t say the animation was terrible but it didn’t really think it was amazing; everything just looked “ok”. At first I thought the anime was quite old because of the animation but I was quite surprised that it was made in the 2000’s. Seeing as the studios involved with the production are pretty big companies, I would have expected something better. One thing I didn't get was how Youka supposedly looked so different that she couldn't be recognized by her old friend when clearly she looked the same, I literally went back through the first few episodes and compared her appearance yet there wasn't any difference.

Sound:
It had a brilliant OP and while the rest of the OST suits the whole ancient China-like setting that the series has, they're not really worth writing about.

Character:
Probably the best aspect of the series Twelve Kingdoms has great character development and interaction. Youko is such a great lead character; she’s one of the few female lead characters that don’t need to be a “badass” to look strong. While at first Youko’s attitude was quite annoying seeing as she was a push-over and she was always obsessed with how people view her, as the series progresses she becomes more mature and becomes a much better character.

The two other supporting characters, Shoukei and Suzo while added later in the series, you can’t help but be interesting in the development of their individual struggles.

Final Thoughts:
I pretty much couldn’t stop watching episode after episode; in fact I haven’t enjoyed a story as much as The Twelve Kingdoms’ story which is why it’s even more irritating that the production was cut short.

I would have also wished for more action scenes since war has somewhat of an importance to the plot while it’s not such a big deal since the story itself is quite great; it would have made it more interesting.

Overall, I think it’s well worth the watch especially if you’re a fan of the fantasy genre, despite its inconclusiveness.

SADLY UNDERRATED
One of the finest anime's I've ever seen. DON'T BE FOOLED by the apparently average/low quality animations and art. In time you'll realize that what draws you to this anime is not that, but rather the story that it tells, like every other anime should be!

The story has an UNPREDICTABLE AND AMAZING DEVELOPMENT. There's no guessing what'll happen next, and it always surprises you leaving you yearning for more.

The characters are amazing. The main character alone develops in ways I've never seen a single character in anime do before. Starting off as a shy character, it develops in ways that, at times makes ... you sad, other times makes you happy, other times makes you proud. Very good. The rest of the characters too develop their personalities with time and there's nothing better than that. A DYNAMIC CHARACTER SET.

The only downside is that the end is awfully inconclusive, wich leaves you with many gaps open, and an insane yearning for more. But it's very much worth the suffering of not knowing those side stories and details.

This is enjoyment guaranteed, wether you like shounen or shoujo stuff, romance, comedy or even action. You will be satisfied and still want more!

Teenagers being send to a fantastical, foreign world is a concept that has been vastly explored in both the manga and anime, often playing out in a very similar manner in which protagonists dominate the scene through sheer overpowering of the characters themselves. In numerous cases this results in a boring and typical narrative, which isn't bad on its own. Although Juuni Kokuki, or its english title "The Twelve Kingdoms", is not innovative setting-wise, it has in fact more to offer in terms of characterization as well as story, which are enriched with the lore and the presented world. However, there are some issues with ... the anime, being the somewhat undesirable transitions from one story to another, alongside some exaggerated facets of the cast its main issues.

~Story~

The story of Juuni Kokuki revolves mainly around the highschool student Nakajima Youko who is dragged to an unknown world with demon-like creatures, which appeared immediately after a man by the name of Keiki who swore an allegiance to her. Swung in the fantastical world separated from her friends who came alongside with her, they struggle to survive this new environment which viewers may associate to a medieval China - divided in twelve kingdoms, each with their own ruler. The struggle for survival comes along with its share of combat, which may not be very spectacular, yet satisfying as battles are won through people working together, rather than needless overpowering of protagonists.

The anime handles the despair and utter loss of direction well when situated in an adverse environment; the unknown language, the customs as well as mindsets between medieval and modern society are contrasted in a satisfying manner. What is remarkable is the fact that although it is mainly focused upon the main protagonist, it also fixates on some of the different kingdoms, each with their own story and the rise of either queens or kings. It is such that these feel like an entity, a different world on its own; this is because of the system on how rulers are chosen, which are appointed by beings called "kirin". People are naturally individuals, so defection of their initial standings may happen, which either causes kingdoms to fall in disarray, or be peaceful.

There is a problem when it comes to the narrative of the anime; the different substories surrounding the different kingdoms are rather hastily introduced, seemingly jumping directly in it after an initial conflict was solved, without any fore shadowing whatsoever; this may create a sense of confusion and incoherency in the story. In fact, it could be considered that this series are different stories latched together. Besides, not all the different kingdoms were presented, which the anime hinted on to be of importance - which was nevertheless a minor gripe. On another note, although these may seem unrelated to the main storyline at first glance, later it becomes clear as to what its main purpose was, besides of showcasing how this particular world works.

~Characters~

The setting itself is interesting, yet Juuni Kokuki is more character driven - this is very apparent when considering the main protagonist huge development and some of its supporting cast as well, each with a journey and story for its own. Nakajima Youko starts off as a person who tries to be accepted by everyone, and with that comes implications: the loss of identity on its own, a "weak" individual. Her being thrown in the new world with sudden responsibilities she can't cope with, only made these accentuate even more. It is fascinating seeing her develop throughout the series, realizing things about herself she never even thought of before. Now it must be said that it could get annoying at times, especially the beginning where she was constantly whining.

The other characters of importance are her close friends who came with her: although at first glance normal, they both are eccentric in some way: one who strongly desires to leave her own world, rather a strong feeling of escapism, while the other has a strong desire to return. Both feel out of place, which leads them in turn to showcase madness and hostility; the problem is that it is often quite exaggerated and nonsensical, to the point of feeling unreal and forced. Sometimes the abrupt changes in behaviour was rather immersive breaking as well, although this could be debated.

Concerning the supporting cast, it is composed of humans, the Kirin, demon-like creatures and "shapeshifting" creatures. While most are simple and at times clichéd, especially in case of some of the villains, these fulfill their purpose, in addition to providing some insight into the fantastic world. Some characters are presented to convey their difficulties, such as a dethroned princess, or an insecure Kirin. It must be mentioned that the story leaves some plot threads unsolved regarding some of the characters, which was a bit disappointing, as the anime treated these for a handful of episodes, yet ultimately didn't use it, thus feeling goalless.

~Animation and sound~

The animation of the anime was overall well executed, although as a whole it was nothing outstanding, especially when considering some of the combat scenes presented. Character designs are a bit lackluster in some cases, sharing same facial designs - this comes together with some inconsistencies in the anime as well. However, the backgrounds were detailed and nice to look at, showcasing the world.

The soundtrack used was very befitting of the atmosphere the anime was trying to portray with the use of for example guitars, drums, violins or flutes. It is overall not that outstanding at a personal level, yet there were some tracks such as "Fuushun" that were pleasing to lsiten to. As for the voice actors, these performed their roles well, conveying the different personalities and emotions of the cast in a satisfying manner.

~Enjoyment~

Juuni Kokuki was overall an enjoyable anime which had an interesting setting, as well as some very well-developed characters, in addition to its supporting cast. There were some issues as the characters behaviour felt rather exaggerated in some cases, which in turn broke a bit with the immersion. The story was interesting, yet felt in the long incomplete as well as a bit ill-paced; regardless, I can't deny I was very eager to see what would happen next despite of these gripes. The Twelve Kingdoms is recommended to anyone who enjoys character driven stories, or just the historical fantasy genre itself.

Thank you for reading.

The Twelve Kingdoms is a series of light novels by Fuyumi Ono (Ghost Hunt, Shiki). It began publishing in 1992 with the final volume releasing in 2001, totalling to 11 volumes. Later in 2002, it received an anime adaptation that spanned 45 episodes.

The anime begins with a timid high school girl named Yoko Nakajima who along with her friends is dragged into an alternate world that is poles apart from the one she is familiar with. Although the idea of a naïve, clueless protagonist being transported into another world is nothing innovative and rather typical, The Twelve Kingdoms takes this very idea and turns ... it into a captivating story that quickly drew me in. Slightly reminiscent of prehistoric China, the world of the Twelve Kingdoms is a fascinating one. Here monarchy prevails; each kingdom being under the rule of an emperor who is chosen through the ‘will of the Heavens’ that is regarded as the ultimate authority and the ultimate cause of the very existence of the world. Despite the fantasy setting, the facts that punishment is inevitable for the wrong doer and that we reap what we sow are, needless to say, prevalent in both the worlds. Similar to our world, the society is riddled with politics, discrimination, the thirst for power and subsequent corruption. The universe of the Twelve Kingdoms is intricately detailed that is both intriguing and convincing.

Though Yoko’s struggle to survive in the uncanny world she has been dragged into is central to the series, she is not always under the spotlight. Several other characters also have their own stories to tell, a few of whom are more memorable and relatable than the protagonist. There are four arcs in total of which the first arc basically sets the stage. My personal favourite is the second one, the Black Kirin arc which is unrelated to the actual story. Unfortunately, this arc suffers a loose end which is never tied up and this is one downside to the anime. The third arc introduces a few other characters and is centred on three females, Suzu, Shoukei and Yoko herself. The fourth arc is again hugely unrelated and although its story by no means is bad, it was sort of disappointing for me. Why? Because, considering that it’s the final arc, I was expecting the anime to be wrapped up in a decent manner but the ending, I felt, is rather abrupt and that immediately calls for a second season for the rest of the novels to be adapted. However, it appears that a sequel any time soon is highly unlikely.

The anime is sometimes criticised for its tendency to be slow paced at many parts. As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and seldom felt bored. One thing is initially daunting though and that’s the bunch of assorted terms thrown right off the bat that you require to have at your fingertips or you’re most likely to feel lost through the narrations and conversations between the characters. However, the terms shouldn’t be a problem after a couple of episodes.

One of the assets of the series is the characterisation. Each individual has an appealing personality and something to offer, no matter how trivial their role is in the story. They’re easily relatable, and you can’t help but sympathise with them as they go through their difficult times and feel contented when they make out of their tribulations. You can actually learn a thing or two from them. Rakushun, Taiki, Shoryu, Rokuta and Shoukei are my favourites among the supporting characters. On the other hand, Asano and Yuka failed to leave any deep impression on me. They could have been used in a better way to stimulate Yoko’s story in my opinion. Speaking of the protagonist Yoko, her character has been well handled for the most part except certain instances where I couldn’t help but be put off. For one it is a bit unnatural to see a crybaby turning into an outright bold young lady at the drop of a hat, as is the case with Yoko. Secondly, her constant whining about how ‘incompetent’ she is is downright annoying though that’s pretty much justified on a second thought. Apart from that, her inner conflicts and the lessons she draws from her experiences through the course of the series are delivered in the most conceivable manner.

With regards to the visuals, ‘old school’ is probably what describes The Twelve Kingdoms the best. Character designs are pretty good as well though the characters’ faces seem a bit off at some scenes. Speaking of the OST, the anime has some of the best background soundtracks I have heard in a while and aptly fit the situations in which they are played. The opening theme is an instrumental music that starts off slow and captures the audience with its transition into an epic, battle-like piece halfway.

To wrap up the review, it seems that The Twelve Kingdoms is a somewhat underrated show. If you’re looking for a decent fantasy anime with a historical feel and political intrigue, I see no reason why this show shouldn’t be given a try. It has its flaws but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying what it has to offer.

Ambitious and epic, this is one anime that doesn't shy away from grandeur. Set in a richly designed land that resembles ancient China (but with significant differences), it brings together elements of fantasy and politics on a mind blowing scale. I hear that this kind of settings is quite an over used one, but it's the first of this kind that I've come across. And even if the premises is over used, an anime of such caliber as "12 Kingdoms" is surely one of the standard bearers of the genre.

First of all, let me just say that the design of the world that the story ... take place in is simply amazing. The society, the emperors and their kirin etc give birth to many imaginative concepts. Not all of it is good though, for example I'm not too keen on the emperor selection process. I thought the whole point of letting the gods do the choosing is so that the emperor would be suitable... so why are some of them so screwed up? Oh well, if things didn't go so wrong, it wouldn't make much of a story, right?

The "12 Kingdoms" series has a structure comprising four clearly defined story arcs, each with their own title. The first one sets the scene but didn't really get me excited all that much. Maybe it was because being thrown straight into this world with so many exotic concepts is a little overwhelming, and I found it a bit too much to absorb all at once.

The second arc is entertaining and open to further development, but alas, "12 Kingdoms" finished prematurely, so they never got around to revisiting the second arc and resolving it. However, despite the improvements upon the first arc it was still lacking that certain spark that would really engage my attention. It didn't help that at the time, I was experiencing a waning interest in anime, with matters not being helped by watching that cack known as Nadesico that, despite only 26 episodes long, felt like a marathon of boredom. Because of this, something really special was needed to revitalise my motivation in watching anime...

...And that special something came in the form of the third story arc. My GOD what a magnificent piece of work it is. The third arc climbs heights unscaled by the others. It skillfully, almost flawlessly weaves together several strands of storyline into one big, complex, emotional rollercoaster ride full of excitement, political intrigue and profound character development.

The last arc is short and sweet, but rather complicated. I'm not sure I fully comprehend all that happened in there.

Even though the story is fantastic and full of twists, it is still eclipsed by the characters. They are memorable, colourful, and are extremely well developed. Unlike a lot of anime that may contain a couple of outstanding characters, there are a lot in this one. Featuring a cast of delusional, kind hearted, self centered, spoilt characters to name a few, the range of personalities is immense. And what's more, they are VERY dynamic - a few of the personalities i mentioned actually belong to the same people as they evolve throughout the series. I'm also impressed to see a kind of parallel character development taking place where several of them begun in similar situations, but dealt with their predicaments in very different ways. And what's more, perhaps what I like most about is that I see the characters, through the influence of the other characters that touched upon their lives, gradually change from ones that I loathe to ones that I really like and can sympathise with. It really is remarkable and something that I rarely experience in anime. Because it's easy to care about the characters - even the side characters - it's so easy to get emotionally involved while watching this. When misfortune befalls on someone, it can really tear at the heart strings.

Now we finally come to some negative points, and there isn't really all that many. Animation was great most of the time, but sometimes goes a bit weird. The initial character designs seem a bit dodgy. The drawing of the faces are occasionally inconsistent, and the movements of characters are almost comical at times. Overall, the animation is one of the weakest parts of the "12 Kingdoms", and it is by no means bad - that gives you some idea of just how impressive this series is. The characters, though nothing short of amazing, are not quite perfect either. For example, I found it hard to believe a spoilt princess who played in the palace without a care in the world is able to perceive the underhand politics that goes on in the place. Also, the recap episodes were annoyingly frequent and sometimes seem misplaced. Even so, there are good points about the recaps as well - they are usually very cleverly done, and are utilised VERY well to move the story along just a bit further and are also used as an opportunity to explain things more clearly. So they are by no means just recycled material, making them a lot more tolerable to watch. In fact, other than the frequency and timing issues, they are probably as good as recaps can get.

The above mentioned points are all minor complaints, the one real point that serious dents the credentials of "12 Kingdoms" is the ending. It's a shame, simply a crying shame, that it was left unfinished. Though the last featured arc itself is finished, the series feels far from complete as a whole. The slightly tedious 15 episode set up to the whole saga probably would have seemed more worth it had this followed through with the full 75 episodes that it was intended for. This is probably the only obstacle preventing "12 Kingdoms" from being a masterpiece.

Juuni Kokuki is one of the most unique anime I’ve seen, and that is saying a lot for an avid anime fan who has seen many different shows over the years. This show introduces many impressive concepts, and the character development is some of the best I have seen in anime.

The characters in Juuni Kokuki can appear irrational and unpredictable at times, and simple and predictable at others. However, despite this apparent contradiction, you will find yourself loving the show and the way that everything ends up. I only wish that there were more episodes.

Isekai is a fun genre with a lot of potential. But ... instead of making the same old types of isekai over and over again, I’d love to see some newer isekai take Juuni Kokuki as an example and follow its lead. Juuni Kokuki had its own unique style and vision, and it didn’t feel the need to follow what was popular at the time. I think many new isekai could learn a lot from Juuni Kokuki and benefit from it.

12 Kingdoms is an antidote for the current wave of generic and uninspired isekai anime. The kind of series that shows that the narrative potential of this genre greatly exceeds what we're getting from anime with paragraph-long light novel titles about an "S-Rank cheat skill" or whatever.

It's not a perfect series of course, there are some fairly significant issues with pace, and an unfortunate early cancellation that leaves several storylines unresolved. However, if you can power through some of those difficulties, you'll find a richly rewarding story; a unique and fully-realized low-magic fantasy world to explore; and deep, satisfying character arcs. The series also looks ... fantastic. Not so much in the animation (which is just fine), but in the art direction, the usage of colors, and the background illustrations.

You'll also want to be aware that this series is a talker, not a fighter. It isn't as though action is non-existent, and the stakes are such that characters often have their lives on the line even when they aren't holding swords, but this is a series where much of the content revolves around politicians having conversations in rooms, not big bloody battles. If you're familiar with the live-action series Game of Thrones, think seasons 1 and 2, where politics was king and battles often took place off-screen, as opposed to big-budget action spectacle it became later on. If you're expecting epic fantasy battles or an ass-kicking heroine defeating her enemies in single combat, you're going to leave disappointed. But the story is far richer for its focus on building out its world and showing that many of the problems they're facing can't be solved by marching an army somewhere.

As mentioned earlier, the way the series is paced is really the largest concern here. It's divided up into a series of discrete arcs of varying lengths, and the change from one arc to the next can be drastic. Often, it will follow completely different characters at a different point in time than the preceding arc, which can make the story feel a bit disjointed. The most problematic part is the second arc, which is dropped in at the peak of the first arc (which tells the story of Youko becoming the Queen of Kei) and switches to a multi-episode flashback for a character named Taiki that lives in a completely different country, killing the narrative momentum that had been established to that point. While Taiki's story isn't bad and does help spell out the unique system this world has for selecting rulers (an extremely literalized version of the Mandate of Heaven, which I recommend at least skimming a wikipedia article about before viewing), it feels like a distraction from what had been established as the primary characters and storylines to that point. Worse, due to the cancellation, Taiki's storyline is never completed and doesn't end up impacting other storylines, so it feels even more irrelevant.

That frustration is one of the few things you can fairly knock this series for though. While I initially hated some of the POV characters (especially Shoukei, who is absolutely detestable when first introduced), that is by design, and their evolution as characters is rewarding to watch even when you initially hate them and don't care if they redeem themselves or not. Characters are not static, and seeing how their behaviors evolve over time in response to their growth is one of the best parts of the series. It's a beautifully written series all around that treats both its characters and its world with maximal respect.

One final thing to make note of is the cancellation. Reportedly, this was due to a combination of factors. One was that the main character of the anime is Youko, but the novel series does not have a "main character" and Youko is simply one among many, and thus her story concludes before the overarching story of the novels does. The belief is that once Youko's content from the novels was fully adapted, the TV broadcaster NHK felt that switching to a new "main character" would be unpopular and lead to falling ratings. Additionally, the character designer reportedly fell seriously ill during production, which probably made this an easier decision to make. Whatever the case may be, the cancellation resulted in 23 previously planned episodes being scrapped, roughly 1/3 of the planned run of the series, so you can likely guess how that affected the conclusions of some of the many storylines that 12 Kingdoms was juggling when it went off the air. An unfortunate but hardly uncommon occurrence in anime, but we will always be left wondering what could have been if the series had run to completion.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully express how unique and inspiring this anime is.
12 Kingdoms starts out in a very cliche way. School girl ends up in another dimension, special powers, nothing I haven't seen before. What truly make this anime stand out is how much the characters grow and develop. All the characters you meet in the first episode completely transform into someone else by the time the anime is over. Some change for the better, some for worse. This makes the show very relateable. It's really all about growing up. Facing overwhelming obstacles in your life and dealing ... with them. At the same time you're introduced to very imaginative creatures and interest characters and culture. They managed to build a world that feels like it lives on whether you are watching it or not. That makes it Epic. Do yourself a favor and watch 12 Kingdoms. Give it at least 5 episodes if you're not into it by then, it's not for you. But hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones and you will be moved and inspired by this amazing story like I was.

#1 fav anime

(Twelve Kingdoms as a story is best consumed by reading the first novel (found freely in English on Eugene Woodbury's blog) instead of watching the first arc of the anime and then watching the third arc of the anime. I will be talking about this story, not the pure anime story.)

To explain why this series is a masterpiece would take a 20 page paper as well as the right viewer. For most people, this series falls between a 6 and an 8. For those asking the right questions and willing to do intense personal reflection, it's life changing. That's because if you look at it ... as a plain isekai story, you're not going to be very impressed. But rest assured, it has things to say. It just doesn't look deep because it doesn't have confusing symbolism, flashy directing, or allusions to dense philosophical texts. And it doesn't need to have those things, as it has a quiet, humble confidence in its message. It illustrates its points with real life examples whose simplicity should not be conflated with a lack of profundity. Rather, the ability to use of real life examples to illustrate points belies the truthfulness of the points themselves. The author, Fuyumi Ono, has observed directly from life to produce truths as pure as nature itself.

As someone whose family faced severe hardship and depression in China during the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath, I can say that Fuyumi Ono's description of human cruelty, ignorance, and selfishness is spot on, mirroring the people and situations my family encountered outside and inside of itself. Conversely, her moral backbone in these situations is nuanced, firm, and luminous. As someone who's also been in Youko's position, I can also attest that her portrayal of the wisdom and journey of self improvement is authentic. It came as no surprise to me when I later read an interview where Ono stated that she had gone through similar problems and overcome them. So at the very least, Twelve Kingdoms is extremely authentic.

Now let me dial it back for a moment. I don't want to hype it up too much and ruin your enjoyment of the show. Forget what I just said. Twelve Kingdoms is not life-changing, it's not amazing, and it's not a masterpiece. I like it simply because it has well illustrated messages that helped me better understand myself and how I can deal with my own problems. These aren't dense philosophical messages about the direction of humanity as a whole. It's the type of common sense advice your dad would give you- simple but effective (although I would argue this common sense isn't so common). These messages might be helpful for you.

Even so, it's really easy to gloss over the aesops of the show because they seem so obvious to anyone but the characters. But would you believe me if I told you that the depression that Neon Genesis Evangelion, a show heralded for its psychological depth, couldn't get over is dispelled in Twelve Kingdoms? Do you know the saying, still waters run deep? Fuyumi Ono could've said the same things as NGE, but those so-called revelations about the human condition were obvious to her already and she felt no need to shout it out. Instead, she simply gives us the solution to the problem, and she does it with quiet, composed confidence.

Still, if you don't ask the right questions, you won't know what to do with the answers, which will lead you to gloss over the answers that Ono provides. Not only that, you must also have attempted to answer these questions yourself through personal reflection. Only then can you understand the nuance of the arguments 12K is presenting.

Where does my self worth lie? How do I get over feelings of worthlessness?
I'm such a bad person, I've done bad things, and no one likes me, why do I deserve to live?
What is my purpose?
Does my self worth come from what others think of me?
Does my self worth come from comparisons with others?
How do I get over my fears of betrayal and inevitable pain to connect with others? How do I deal with betrayal?
How do I deal with loneliness?
The world so harsh and unfair, how can I stop running away from it?
What do I do when the world forces me to do something I don't want to do? What's wrong with running away from responsibility if it brings me such great pain?
What's wrong with self pity?
What's wrong with dreaming?
How can I forgive myself?
How should I lead my life and what type of person do I want to be?
How do I deal with not liking the person that I am and how can I overcome my weaknesses?
How do I deal with all this suffering? How can I be happy?

Twelve Kingdoms addresses these questions, but once again, whether or not it works for you depends on your understanding of the nuance of its answers. To give you an example of the rare wisdom found in 12K:

SPOILERS
When Youko is hesitant to become queen, Rakushun tells her that if she had to choose between following her heart and doing what was needed to be done, then she should choose what needed to be done. Most advice of this nature tells you to follow your heart. However, 12K realizes that for many people following your heart means falling into your own weaknesses and being unwilling to do something outside of our comfort zones. Furthermore, Youko objects that she's too flawed of a person and too unqualified to be queen. Common advice would be, no you're not! You CAN do this and you're a great person! Rakushun says, if you're not ready right now, then go ahead and take on the responsibility, because doing so will morph you into a better person. Once again, 12K's encouragement is gentle but yet it doesn't pander to the viewer. It doesn't sugarcoat it, because you're right, you are a flawed person who did bad things in the past. And that's OKAY! You can improve if and only if you put in the work! Shinji, take notes.
ENDSPOILERS

Now let's say you're just looking for an adventure story about a girl spirited away into another world where she fights monsters and becomes a queen and you don't care about all this stuff. In this respect, 12K is pleasantly entertaining but flawed. Its biggest problem is how it adapted the first book. In the anime, Youko arrives in the new world with two classmates and like one reviewer said, is so spineless she makes Shinji look like John Mclane (you know, from Die Hard? Ok, how about makes Shinji look like Guts?). In the book, Youko stops crying early on as she realizes crying does nothing and has to go through a harrowing two months on the brink of starving to death while being hunted by monsters every night. This difference is crucial, not the least because it makes Youko more likable, but because it is the very nature of her physical journey that allows her to walk her own path of self discovery. With two other classmates there, it significantly changes her hero's journey, to the detriment of her mental progress. She still develops in the same way in both cases, but the journey leading up to the development is what provides the nuance to the answers Youko gets.

The third arc, however, is actually an improvement on the books and nearly salvages the first arc by using one of its characters to illustrate a great insight. So I highly recommend you read the first book (it's a light novel, so it's pretty fast, not to mention a great work of literature, period) and then watch the rest of the anime.

I know I'm only supposed to review the anime, but I see no reason to prevent yourself from consuming a vastly superior story for such a technicality, and the story at its best is too good not to review over the pure anime version.

One concern might be that the characters act irrationally and stubbornly. Yeah, I thought so at first too, then I realized I'm just as irrational and stubborn when it comes to falling into my own weaknesses over and over again, and I'm sure I'm not alone. You have to try to place yourself in the shoes of the characters by reflecting on ways in which you reacted to situations in the same way as they did. Another fair point of criticism is that some of the character actions may seem capricious and some of the character development might seem artificial. For example, there's a scene where a character develops because she gets into a contest with someone else about who's had it worse in life. The other main heroine develops because she meets someone and talks to them. At the same time, this is how people develop in real life. It's not like a lot of self development anime where a girl shows up on your doorstep and changes your life (cough cough Welcome to the NHK). These people go out, see the world, and talk to people as they reflect on their experiences. This is what people talk about when they say, go out, travel the world, and it'll broaden your horizons. You reach out to people from different backgrounds and share your experiences; you're never going to get better by sitting on your ass dreaming about the perfect waifu. In order to get better, you need to learn more about the world around you so you can swim in its waters rather than just stay afloat.

This works in Twelve Kingdoms because despite it being a fantasy world, its world is actually quite real. Yeah, there are monsters and a whole lore, but none of that takes away from the fact that the world feels like ancient China. Peasants must survive by working the land and the government has to maintain peace and order. If there's a famine, you're screwed. If there's a flood, you're screwed. If the government becomes corrupt and falls apart, you're doubly screwed. None of the fantasy elements obstruct the harsh realities of life. As queen, Youko doesn't lead her armies to fight hordes of monsters threatening all of humanity--- she's concerned with government corruption and taxes.

By the way, it should be noted that the heroines in 12K arguably have had a harsher time than Shinji and yet they all dealt with their struggles better. I'm not a big fan of downer themes and shows that try to teach you something by showing you how bad something is. We get it, the world is harsh. Now show me the beauty that arises from that harsh world.

And rise Youko did. Youko Nakajima is one of the most powerful characters I've ever seen in a story (the most powerful in anime alone) and what's more, she closely reflects the most powerful person I know in real life. She's powerful because she had the strength to say yes when the world said no. In the face of great cruelty, pain, suffering, and evil, she chose to do good things, not for the sake of being righteous, but because they needed to be done. She develops great empathy for her citizens not because she's just a good person, but because she has gone through their pain and walked in their shoes. You'd think she was just another isekai schoolgirl protagonist, but since the 12K is so real, her situation closely mirrors the hell that real people (that I personally know) have gone through and crawled out of.

It's not even just NGE, either. Twelve Kingdoms explores topics, themes, and questions that many other series took their entire duration to raise, but in much greater depth, in large part because it's drawn from life whereas most other works are just playing with abstract ideas and storytelling tropes. Its narrative is simple at the surface but its simplicity only indicates its elegance in being able to pack so much depth using so little. I explored the story through the lens of personal growth and morality. It can be explored through the lens of feminism, governance, fate, oppression, and discrimination. Its discussion of fate is far better than that of Madoka Magica and its discussion of being a ruler is far better than that of Fate/Zero. Once again, it's very quiet about it, unlike the latter two which flaunt their shock factor to make a pretentious point.

This is what happens when you write a story so true to life; life is naturally packed with a mixture of many different threads coming together. And just like life, every time I come back to Twelve Kingdoms I find new nuggets of wisdom buried beneath is multitude of layers.

Music: The soundtrack is amazing, especially at channeling traditional Chinese tones. I love the slow version of the ending, Getsummei Fuuei. Other notable pieces are Junni Genmukyoku (acoustic version), Junni Genei, Yasougetsuda, Ruika, and even the little song that Shoukei sings, Shihouka. This is the spirit of inner peace and harmony with the world right here.

I said I would try not to overhype the series, but I ended up doing it anyway. What can I say, I can't conceal my love for it. Look, the truth is this series is not for everyone and most of you reading won't really get much from it even if I explained every single detail. However, you might if the questions I've listed here are ones that you've tortured yourself over. You can't just watch a show and it instantly solves all your problems. There are no free lunches in life. You have to do most of the work yourself, and sometimes you get a little push, which is what 12K does.

In addition, if you've already watched the series and you want a deeper explanation for why I think this series is a masterpiece, check out my second blog post- Question and Answer, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Twelve Kingdoms Part 1. There will be a part 2 soon.

I started to watch this anime with the anticipation that it would be a series I would enjoy. At the 'end' I am left with mixed feelings.

To a certain point I was right, this was an anime I would enjoy.

I watched the first arc, Sea of Shadow Arc, with great enjoyment.
I did not expect such complexity, but found this fact to be true for the arc, in regards to it's plot and characters. As a viewer, the theme of an ordinary character finding themselves to serve higher purposes or be to special, is not uncommon- Juuni Kokuki does a splendid job in bringing it's own ... uniqueness to the theme. So much so, I did not feel it bored me in the least. The portrayal of men and woman are different than most anime I have seen and that is an aspect I enjoyed. I also loved the characters that the series introduced to me.

In the second arc, Sea of Wind Arc.
I was again enjoying the direction of the story, even though the focus and direction of the anime shifted, it did not deter me in the least. I felt that at the end of this arc that I was left hanging, that in essence the ending was far too open-ended. The inconclusive ending of this arc effected my progress into the third arc, as it chilled my interest in the series- an unresolved ending isn't something I enjoy.

I watched a couple episodes into the third Arc, then I began skipping through the episodes. It began to become slow for me as a viewer. It is hard to pin-point what was my tipping point; maybe I was uninterested because I still wanted the ending to the second arc.

Regardless, I hoped that the third would pick up and skipped through a couple more episodes- if it was just a small spell of slowness, I would have continued watching, but there seemed to be no evidence that it would re-gain the life it once had.

I stopped watching and I feel very disappointed.

If I had one major criticism of this anime, it is the way that the story is split up, how often the focus changes, and the unresolved/open ended conclusion of the second arc.

So I rate on the first two arcs, as I have only watched them in full.

This is my first review btw!

This anime... Where to begin even.

So the first episode, I wished for the main character to die. She was so fucking whiny and like OH NO, I CAN'T DO THAT, EVEN IF I DIE WHEN I DON'T DO IT, I STILL CAN'T DO THAT.
I was going to give up on this anime, but I read in reviews that she was going to get better, so I trusted them and continued watching. And as the anime goes on, it gets better.

I am so amazed someone could think of something this wonderful, to be honest. Everything gets explained to you.
I guess the ... only downside is, that sometimes, the story was a bit hard to follow, since I am forgetful, and forget a few terms. Like when they were talking about Koukai, I was like... Koukai? What is a Koukai? Riboku? What is a Riboku again... Stuff like that ya know. They explain a lot, but it is still hard to follow sometimes, especially when you are sleepy.

The more you watch, the better it gets, and I was so sad when it was over. I am hoping for a reboot of this anime, so they will continue the story of Taiki (The kirin (unicorn) of the kingdom of Tai). You will understand why, when you watch the anime.

Oh yeah, about the art. At first, I thought it was ugly as fuck. But well, what did I expect, I was still a little kid when this anime aired, but, I think the art is pretty good for the time the anime came from. It might be that I just got used to it, but I thought overall, the characters looked pretty good. Especially Youko looked well, when...
Well, just watch it already!

The anime ends a bit abruptly, like it doesn't end in the middle of an arc, but there are many kingdoms, and stories left unexplored.

If my review doesn't convince you, then check out the other reviews.

I am telling you this now, Juuni Kokuki is a gem of an anime, it has been a while since I have actually enjoyed a serious anime like this one.

The Twelve Kingdoms is something that always resonated with me. This is a fantasy series that towers above all others with a feeling of power and majesty. Despite all the obstacles of converting this large epic novel into an anime series though less perfect, but it still remains a leader of its kind regardless.

The Twelve Kingdoms is not a regular anime but an intriguing world full of layers lore. Not only does it plunge viewers into the complexity of Twelve Kingdoms, but it also grants us a glimpse at the fates of mystical creatures and immortality bargains between beloved entities. The narrative is elegant and ... it seems to be very intimate for the spectator with its vibrant mosaic of elements.

The Twelve Kingdoms tells its story through two distinct methods: active following and passive narration. The main part of the story is devoted to Youko’s journey, from childhood to being a queen who rules her country and that brings out great changes in her character. The last third delves into various stories, further enhancing the world beyond that of Youko. The series is introduced on various nations, extending its epic scale without burdening the viewers.

However, The Twelve Kingdoms has one flaw: it is incomplete. Major arcs are still properly concluded and the open endedness is as it is due to the author wanting to stop writing rather than a fault of the anime adaptation.

Even though there are signs of aging visible in the animation, it’s still visually convincing. By and large, the character and creature design is very detailed as to make up for its faults. The soundtrack based on Chinese aesthetics is perfect for the series. The sound acting is excellent; consequently, you will enjoy the audio experience.

The first transformation is in Youko, the main character She goes through an incredible change from indecision to courage and wisdom. The supporting cast is almost as good, forming symbiotic relationships that lead to a mature and believable world.

The Twelve Kingdoms is definitely in the upper echelon of anime series. The only downside is the incompleteness of it, but this is something not to be missed. I strongly advise watching The Twelve Kingdoms.

It is time i write a review for this i guess. But first, let me give some clues about who i am. I believe it will be usefull for people reading this, to appraise the context behind this review and have a better idea as to whether they are bound to see this anime the same way as i or not. First of all, i started watching animes as a child in the late 80's and 90's. I grew up with things like 'Dragon Ball Z' or 'Captain Tsubasa'. But it is only at age 25 that i really started watching animes on my ... own. To sum things up: i am not 15 years old anymore, i am originally a fan of cinema, and i tend to have a very critical and analytical way to watch animes. What matters most to me is world building, characters, character growth and identity.

To the meat of it. I discovered this anime while browsing MAL for something to watch in the early 2010's. I discovered a few jewels doing just that: 'Juuni Kokuki' or 'Haibane Renmei' amongst others. 'Juuni Kokuki' has been number 1 on all my tops ever since, and will probably never lose this spot. Amongst the reasons i can see for that, i believe some are objective reasons, and others are more a matter of taste and of what i expect of an anime. Important note: i actually love the books better. The books are more violent, grimmy and desperate and help the reader better understand how Youko will titillate insanity at some point. The anime is more a free adaptation. If you liked the anime, go read the books. Even though the story is the same, it is not the same.

Let's start with the seemingly objective reasons. First, the worldbuilding. Whoever read 'The Lord of the Rings' know how Tolkienn mixed common references with European or Celtic (i guess) mythology and a pinch of personal creativity. 'The Lord of the Rings' is a series of books that are part of a much larger project. It draws inspiration from tales well-know amongst British, depicts environements that mix Scotland-like panorama with out of place mythologic elements. As such, while treading through a random, almost well-know forest, you could stumble upon trolls. In my opinion, the fact he used such common references to introduce his creation helped the reader identify a lot with the setting, and in turn, this developed a certain feeling of intimacy with the story and characters, and immersion as these well-know references would suddenly be the stage for otherworldy situations. Magic exists but is mostly unseen and legendary. Tolkienn never planned to stuff flashy crap in your face. What we are talking about here has just nothing to do with any kind of shounen or light novel adaptation. You won't find any sore excuses for cringe inducing clichés here.

The thing is, Fuyumi Ono used the same kind of strategy to build 'Juuni Kokuki' as Tolkienn did for "the Lord of the Rings'. Her base reference is more China than the UK, and if magic does exists, it is more tied to divine or immortal beings. As such, she managed the imbue her story with the same kind of feel Tolkienn created. It is realistic, believable, relatable and subtle. Much the same way as Tolkienn with Frodo, she used Youko's travels to present more and more of this world: the 'almost the same as at home', the '...but there is no doubt that this is not China', as well as the 'what the fuck is even this??'. One other great thing with using an 'almost like in China' context, is that she does not need to go through very lenghty descriptions because she can ground most of her work upon common knowledge (in Japan at least). She created her own mythology and mixed it with chinese-like middle ages to create a disturbing feel that is both otherworldy and familiar. This tension actually feeds nostalgia of Japan a lot for Youko and ends up being a strong thread of the narrative in the first arc, where it becomes so easy to relate with her growing instable psychology.

This brings us to the second aspect: Youko's character. In the anime's first episode, she is depicted as the extreme stereotype of the spineless japanese. Ono purposefully made her this way, and to us westerners, she is even more extreme since we will tend to think Japanese are already extreme in their own right. So if Youko is extreme even amongst japanese... suffice to say that while watching, i considered dropping the anime pretty fast because it looked to me that Youko was the worst possible MC. But as i said, this is purposefully done. It is explained why Youko showcases no personality and always tries to please everyone, while never stating her thoughts, feelings or anything. She only says and does things she believes others expect of her, and dedicated her life to ingratiating herself towards everyone. As a result, all her relationships are fake and shallow, even with her own family. This aspect is fundamental in Japanese society. Not communicating upfront and not showcasing much of oneself publicly is tied to an everyday reality and Ono merely brought the concept to an extreme. Youko's biggest phobia is failing to make people like her. The books depict her in a somewhat more subtle way. It is shown that she does, in fact, have a strong personality and a temper, but that she keeps every nasty thought to herself in order 'not to give people reasons to doubt her personality'. Her red/auburn hairs are, by the way, a pretty interesting element in the beginning that speaks a lot about Youko's character, since her hair color (not black, as every japanese should have them) makes her teachers doubt her morality, but she doesn't really go out of her way to die them in black. While she does not openly dare refuse to die them (she hasn't the courage, as stated all the time in the books), it is shown how she is constantly annoyed by this crap through her inner thoughts. This aspect depicts well the tension there is between her outward, utterly fake attitude and her inner personality. Ono makes Youko evolve, but she is consistent with her character, which is a sign of great writing capabilities to me. As a side note, there was, actually, a scandal in Japan, a few years ago, where a school forced a student to die her hair black because they weren't naturally black... So, even though Ono uses some extremes, everything is grounded in reality in her work. So, back to Youko... basically, to sum things up, she starts out as a bitch.

And she will suffer a lot because of it. 'Juuni Kokuki' showcases what is, in my opinion, the very best way to present a developing character: a character that seems at best average and doesn't seem to have anything special at first, but which ends up thrown in a turmoil of special circumstances that will feed its growth and unearth what makes the character so special. And god, does Youko grows... It is shown in the anime and the books how her evolution first and foremost is tied to her ever-evolving mental state. The evolution of this mental state feels organic and natural to me, and completely makes sense. Ono uses common references that the readers can easily relate with to manage her goal, as i stated above, and the fact that this world, so alike China at first sight, is really so different at the same time is a constant torture for Youko. She will go through many different stages, she will display many previously hidden (or only not displayed publicly) aspects of herself, and at long last manage to understand who she is, and maybe who she wants to be. In short, Youko's character developement is the best i ever saw in anime or books. She outclasses even other characters i loved in other animes like Ange in 'Cross Ange'.

I could go on like that, but i adressed worldbuilding and character developement and this is enough for me. These aspects maks 'Juuni Kokuki' my all time favorite. I could talk about the music, which is amongst the very best i ever heard (the OP particularly). I can talk about the art and animation which are pretty good and pertain to a time when Japan wasn't in dire straits yet for a lack of animators. Although the style is old school, obviously. I could talk about the rest of the cast, too. Many characters being equally obnoxious at first. By the way, Sugimoto never follows Youko in the books and Asano does not exist. As i said, even though the story is more or less the same, it is not the same. I loved the anime, but i feel that the books are even better. Ono is originally a horror author, so she does not hesitate to depict violence, grim and fitlh as it should be done. If you like the anime, try out the books. If you want to know where to find them in english, feel free to MP me.

Story: 10
Ono doesn't feel the need to reinvent the wheel. The story is about the characters and even though the core plot won't be a revolution, the way the story itself is a lot about the wordbuilding and the characters make for a first rate experience.

Art: 7
Art is not the reason why you should watch that. Still, the animation is ok, and the studio took good care to draw the backgrounds and costumes in a way befitting the setting.

Sound: 10
VA is ok, even though at the time, the trend about VA was different. Youko's seiyu worked hard to change her voice along the series. In Youko's voice timber and tone you can feel her evolution. the ED is great, the OST is great, the OP is legendary to me.

Characters: 10
Some may think there is an abusive number of unsufferable bitches in the main cast. This may be true. Except the 3 bitches share a destiny. They quit being unsufferable pretty fast, and it is hard not to get attached to them. Character growth and development is top-rate. Youko is still my number 1. 10 because i fail to see any other anime that did better in this regard.

Enjoyment: 10
Once i started to read the books, i found out i couldn't rewatch the anime anymore. But anime and books are etched in my soul by now. It is only something like 45 episodes, but they all lasted much longer than that for me.

Overall: 10
Perfection does not exists. And even if it existed it would probably be boring. So, this is merely as good as it could get to me.

First this is going to be a short review.

Story wise, its a typical person from modern day japan is whisked off into another world setting. However it soon becomes unique. Mainly due to the characters and how they develop. in a sense after watching so many anime with the same setting I found how the characters developed in this story to be quite frustrating. But in reality I realised that the way the characters react and develop was actually quite normal and in a sense really realistic.

The way the story flows is everything is a mystery and things are slowly revealed to you as ... the main character travels, Such as what they world is like, its uniqueness and the people who live there, how things are different.

Art is older than todays works, so its not any of that moe cutesy stuff (Not saying there aren't some cute characters just none of the stuff you see in todays more popular art style. Which in a sense was refreshing.

The music was great, there was no Singing opening, instead it was a strong instrumental heavily influenced by chinese orchestra like music. The ending opening sounded so familar but I have no idea why, maybe another anime had similar ending music.

The characters are the highlight of the story. the Main develops in an interesting way, so does her two friends, but more importantly is the story's of the characters within in the world.

I enjoyed it alot. though there were some arcs I was no particularly fond of. and some episodes which were basically recaps felt like a waste.

In effect it is great, but short. There were some good action scenes aswell.

Youko in Twelve Kingdoms is one of the best-made and best-developed characters I've ever seen. It starts off as something akin to a coming-of-age type of story, but Youko's development doesn't just stop when she starts being honest with herself. She goes from having one problem to another, and struggles through it as best she can. Then she goes to making mistakes and tries to fix them. It's just a very human story of struggle, and at the very end of her story, you feel inspired and think "wow, what a woman/leader".

Youko isn't the only reason I loved Twelve Kingdoms, just ... the biggest one. The stories and the world are wonderful also. The political aspects of the story are really interesting to watch - each kingdom's ruler (or previous ruler) makes different high-level decisions and you get to see how it impacts all levels of their kingdom. You get to see all sorts of different rulers - ones who are proud, ones that try their best to serve the people, rulers that have good intentions but become twisted, rulers that act as the "rudder" for their kingdom, and others. Another major plus of the storyline is that there's no significant romance in it. I like a good romance, but it's silly to inject romance into every kind of story out there. Along the same lines, it's nice to see anime that isn't injected with ecchi. This story stands on it's own two feet, and doesn't try to cover it's faults with those things. Similarly, I felt that it wasn't as predictable with the storyline as most stories (anime or otherwise). It's nice to watch something that feels fresh instead of feeling that you're watching the same mini-stories as dozens of other series.

The side characters, the voice acting, and the music were all also very good.

There are some faults in the series, but the story was so good it deserves a 10 despite any issues. Firstly, I didn't care much for the animation; it's the same style as Escaflowne, where a face has the skin color and the shadow color but no in-between. I didn't notice it much after the first few episodes though cause I was so engrossed with the story. The overall story is in four segments - Youko, then Taiki, then Youko again, then a small one on Shoryu. The Taiki storyline was never concluded or anything. Beyond that, there could've easily been another 45 good episodes about Youko and the events surrounding her. I guess that's my only major gripe - that I wanted more.

Well this Anime is great in every area it tackles, The Story is wonderful eventhough it is unfinished and Fuyumi Ono (the writer) postponed the writing of the continuation until further notice but the good news is that she revealed that she is planning to continue the story in the future (don't expect it to watch the continuation before many years have passed "if produced"). The art is fascinating the anime includes 3d scenes, wonderful colors, spectacular Music (WoW Actually), the character development is well thought of (Sometime may reflect situations you have faced during your life). Enjoyment, well don't ask, it is a 45 ... episodes series that you will rally through during a couple of days.

Note: Complicated philosophical,Political and social story that contains a lot of terminologies and lots of character names