Juuni Kokuki

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.

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.

I honestly found this anime to be a bit overrated. The fact that this anime is typically given a 10 or 9 out of 10 is completely beyond me. I had dropped this anime once in the past, and I was ready to drop it again but the only reason I sat through this anime was because of the outstanding ratings it had gotten and the fact that I was told twice to "hand in there" because it was apparently going to get so good. After 45 episodes I unfortunately came to the conclusion that I would've been just fine dropping it again. The reasons ... why I say this are as follows:

I found the anime over all to be quite mediocre at best. It didn't really leave any kind of impression on me; not like a REAL masterpiece anime typically would. The story was pretty basic/linear. Nothing outstanding about it. It's morals weren't very unique or unexpected. Based on it's ratings and reviews I just expected so much more from this anime, and it's a shame in that this made it hard to enjoy the show.

Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a god-awful bad anime, but it certainly did not live up to it’s over hyped ratings. It had a good moral here and there and I found a majority of the major characters likable. I would give this anime a “Good” rating (7/10). Maybe “Very Good” (8/10), and that might even be pushing it. But 10 out of 10 stars or even 9/10 stars, is absolutely ludicrous. I find it shameful that this anime is placed in the same category as Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, SAO, and Attack on Titan.

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.

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.

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

Review:
Anime: Junni Kouki(12 Kingdoms)
Animation : Studio Pierrot
Impression as per the year it must have been good .8/10
Songs:Nope.I must say no song at all for opening.Although its has 45 episodes ,theres not much focus on giving any song.4/10
Story:Fantasy lore included with a normal political plot of 12 kingdoms.Main character is a lady and strong(Desirable).And no lewdness in the story except for a very few parts.Story is straightforward focused on MC.First impression of the anime is satisfactory with a slow start.Story gets dark at times but the MC saves the day in the end.Plot deviation for a part of anime because I came to know the production ... stopped for a certain time and the light novel still over that part of the story is incomplete .Leaving that ,all together I give thanks the series.So its 8.5/10
BUT I loved the story.Hope to get the light novel some day.

May contain some Spoilers

The Story :

our main character Yoko and her two friends are brought to a fantasy world without their will , where they face many problems . only yoko can understand the language the that world people not her friends , for that reasons are unknown. its seems like another boring fantasy world anime but believe me its anything but boring. the story is very unique on it own way and it keeps you intrigue. the first few are slow paced but bear it till episode 7 or 8 from where story picks up.

Sound and Animation :

the anime is more then 10 years ... old but sound quality is awesome both sub and dub as well. sound were so real i was shocked how they did it. animation is also top notch , there not single shoot out of the place in whole anime . i have to say animation is very good and feels fluid like not rigid anywhere .


Characters :

characters in this anime give real like feel to you , maybe because most of them adults but even those who are not adults act as their age , which is rare in anime. all most characters have significant screen time to show what they capable of. all characters are well handled and very thoughtfully carried out .

Character Development :

this is something necessary if you are trying something serious with your story and this anime does it awesomely . character development seems very real , not a single time it looks forced .

Overall :

this anime is truly a masterpiece which deserves more recognition , this anime is not your typical boring fantasy show . this is something else and you will love it . rating 10/10.

There are 45 episodes encompassing four stories, two useless 1 episode recaps, and two 1 episode "I dunno's". The two longest stories, the interesting first and the third, center on the same character, the last story is the weakest and the terrific second story that was never finished; it just stopped in the middle. There is also a fifth story hinted at but never developed.

I wish that the series went longer but can see why it was canceled given the nature of the weak last story and the unfinished second. I would say the best parts were the opening theme and internal soundtrack (the ... closing theme was kinda Japanese country/western pop) and the bestiary of creatures that live in Juuni Kokuki particularly those that can change from an animal to human form at will. The worst was the second story which was interesting and strong enough to rate a 26 episode series on its on in my opinion.

When this was first recommended to me, I watched a few episodes and stopped. The main character was too wimpy for me, and the whole plot left me confused. So a few months ago, I was looking for a good fantasy anime and came across this once again, and boy am I glad that I did.



The story was rich with details. I enjoy being immersed in a story, and I certainly was sucked in to the deep, complex world of Juuni Kokuki. I don't want to spoil the plot, but I can assure you it is worth a watch.



Though Youko wanted to, she never ... gave up, and that is to be admired for a girl in her situation. She went from a quiet girl lacking confidence to someone worthy of respect, making for some very satisfying character development.

But she wasn't the only character. One thing I really liked about the whole series was the diverse cast. Two who I particularly liked were Keiki and Rakushun. It was nice to have two kind, intelligent males who weren't only there to be love interests. The only character I simply couldn't like was Yuka. She seemed to be heartless to a fault, which is concerning, since it seemed that she wasn't meant to be seen as a villain.



Though I didn't like it at first, the art grew on me in the end. It wasn't unpleasant on the eyes, and even if one didn't like it, they could tolerate it for the sake of enjoying the story.



In the end, was it the best show I've ever watched? No, but i still very much enjoyed it, and highly recommend it to someone willing to watch it to the end.

First of all, Twelve Kingdoms is an extremely interesting show, so regardless of how positive or negative I am in this review, I do believe you should watch it for what genuinely phenomenal aspects it does have. That being said, the show has a lot of problems that keep the whole package from being outstanding.

Story: 8
The story of Twelve Kingdoms is either extremely simple or extremely complex, depending on where you draw the line between lore/worldbuilding and story. At it's heart, it's an isekai anime about a teenage girl destined to be a queen in another world, and her personal journey to accept herself as ... worthy to take on the role. The plot is divided into four story arcs, the two longest focusing on the protagonist Youko, and the two shorter vignettes focusing on characters that I'm assuming take on roles of greater importance later in the novels, through the frame of Youko listening to stories about them. The first arc and last arcs were just alright, but the second and third arcs were unquestionably incredible in their presentation, and the third arc in particular, in which Youko joins a rebellion in her own kingdom to root out corruption, is fantastically written and conceptualized. The main problems I had with the story of Twelve Kingdoms largely came down to the fact that there was not enough of it, making some setups feel pointless.

Art: 4
This show has a pretty big disparity between the parts that look the best and the parts that look the worst. The backgrounds can be downright stunning at times, but the character art and animation is lackluster throughout most of the show, with some of the characters being hard to look at. The show definitely feels like a product of it's time.

Sound: 7
The opening theme and much of the soundtrack of the show is simple, yet extremely beautiful to listen to. The sound design and effects are pretty mediocre, but not too bad to take notice of. I found that the voice acting was pretty average as well for most of the cast.

Character: 7
Most of the characters in Twelve Kingdoms are extremely flawed in either reasonable or entirely laughable ways. It gets to the point where I question if the author wrote each book with quota for cheesy character motivations. The main character, as well as about half of the supporting cast, are flawed in intimate, human ways that make you sympathize for their struggles and accept their decisions, good or bad, because you can reconcile their actions with the face they put forward. The other half of the characters are wacky caricatures. Out of the three characters from Japan that get isekai-ed to the Twelve Kingdoms, one is the main character, one believes that she is actually the main character and that she was supposed to be chosen as queen instead because she reads too many fantasy novels, and the last believes that he exists inside a video game and slowly coaxes himself into viewing murder as morally acceptable because everyone else is an NPC. Those are just a couple of examples, but the point has been made. The characters are a definite mixed bag.

Enjoyment: 8
If you are anything like me, a large part of your enjoyment of this show will come down to how much you appreciate the setting and how the world has been constructed. The novel concepts present, such as the Mandate of Heaven physically manifesting itself as the law of the world, or the lack of religion due to divine certainty, or the fact that government officials become immortal, or the brave storytelling choices such as forbidding warfare between kingdoms, will determine how fast you are willing to click the next episode button. Personally, I found the ideas presented in the world of Twelve Kingdoms enlightening and enough to carry me through the show even when the plot and characters faltered, But I can very easily see how someone would be put off by the very same things that drew me to the show. I would almost recommend this show more to fans of literary fantasy than anime fans. Although anime tropes are certainly present, I think the story presents itself in a way more palatable to fans of authors like Sanderson or Tolkien, though I don't think Twelve Kingdoms is nearly as innovative or conceptually strong as either of those authors.

Overall: 7

This may well be a bit of a biased review since this is the first anime I have ever watched and it may well remain one of my favorites even after I stop re-watching it. I'm sure any of you even moderately familiar with the sci-fi scene has heard about the infamous downfall of Firefly, a really great T.V series that got cut down in it's prime. Twelve Kingdoms unfortunately suffered the same fate which is why I gave the story a lower score than I would. The story telling itself is brilliant but it just ends up making you shake your fist at the ... creator for letting it die before it could fully express itself.

The sound is about as fine as you can get for an anime and I actually quite liked the soundtrack, very little to complain about here.

The artwork is your typical anime stuff, nothing overly impressive and neither is the animation, in fact it seems to do that typical thing that the low budget animes do when trying to do huge scenes where they've blatantly copy and pasted their artwork in order to make the battles or they just had stills of the huge battles with sound effects instead of actual animation. This can be quite easily overlooked though because when you get closeup they do a perfectly decent job of the animations and art and you can tell what's going on clearly. With the kind of animation and art quality you end up looking at it does make you wonder if at times they had to cut corners where they could in order to meet the deadlines for the series.

I really liked the characters in this one and in a lot of animes. Even the main character just happily shows off their personality and acts genuinely human instead of the creators hiding it away so they can drag on the anime longer. Overall again, I really have very little complaints the personalities are all unique and varied and even the characters that get killed off have plenty of story behind them.

The story itself is a crazy mix of politics, war, backroom deals and outright human emotion which is EXACTLY what an anime of this nature should be about. One of the main interesting things about the story is the way that even though it is explaining what's happening between the characters. You are not only given a interesting story to follow but there is also that feeling that there is much more going on beyond just the characters being introduced to you. This I feel is the best thing about Twelve Kingdoms and also the best thing I find in all stories of this nature and it is what makes great storytelling.

At first I had never really thought much of anime but was recommended this by a friend. Since then I have basically mined out any decent to awesome anime I could find as it is only in the anime industry have I found such a variety of entertainment. Do not be turned off by the abrupt ending, even though the series was canceled this is well worth a watch just because of the sheer depth in the story.

The Twelve Kingdoms, an anime that has been cancelled before it could find conclusion, an anime with generic fantasy world premise and mediocre and plain art. But with all these flaws is it worth spending time to watch? Is it any good? The answer depends on you, continue reading to find out.

Animation- 4/10
Its plain and simple nothing to it. If you hated it from the start you are gonna hate it till the end. Characters are plain and simple but are sharp and full of details they seem to fit well with the blurry backgrounds as they stand out. They even managed to fit CGI ... here and there and despite it being an anime from 2002 the don't look that bad.
Keeping it short: the anime and artstyle are the weakest part of this show.

Sound- 5/10
Voice actors did a really nice job and the characters fit with their voices and seem alive portraying their emotions and character thru their voices very well. From what I felt not a single character has a voice or line that did not fit with them. The music is nothing special, after 45 episodes I couldn't point out anything amazing that stood out. The music is there when it should and it fits well but at the same time its nothing to gasp at. It does not help that the only opening is just a plain instrumental with nothing to it.

Characters - 6/10
There is an multitude of characters but honestly I couldn't relate to them 90% of the time. The main character is goody two shoes class rep but at first all she can do is cry and whine(for like 7 eps) later on she changes and grows to be a better person but still, its kinda hard to relate. Even side characters are kinda hollow without clear goals and dreams, they have their well defined personalities and all but its kinda hard to relate when character is good by definition. Don't get me wrong they are not by any means bad and all, but plain just plain.

Story - 8/10
The best part of this show is by all means: the story. It starts out really cliché by our MC being spirited away to another world by some guy with silver hair that calls her queen. Believe me its starts silly and its hard to watch for first 10 first episodes, the show throws at you multitude of foreign words like taiho, or kouki and for a long time leaves them flying over your head not providing their meanings, for western viewer its annoying. But after some time the story grows on you and it gets good, really good. The story branches at some point and starts to reveal itself from perspective of different characters, and more importantly it leads to satisfying conclusion. The few things that I didn't like are many recaps that might have been in place when watching this on weekly basis but when watching this in a span of a few weeks, are annoying. The last thing that needed to be pointed out its that the anime is not finished, so don't expect to be fully satisfied the story is not concluded by any means an the viewer is left wanting answers and conclusion to many left out questions and story bits.

Enjoyment - 7/10
Overall with its mediocre art and plain music but exceptional story and well defined characters its good show. The first 10 or so episodes were not that enjoyable but finally when the story and characters grow on you will like it. The anime is kinda long with its 45 episodes but if you are not repelled by its slow start and mediocre artstyle you should give it a go. On contrary if you are repelled by the artstyle, premise and whatnot don't make yourself watch this there are many shows that are shorter and better than this and don't require you sitting for 7+ eps enduring annoying MC and foreign words being thrown over your head leaving you asking what is going on.

Overall- 6/10

With good story and characters but with lackluster artstyle and music, is a good show if you watched a lot of anime and you are looking for something good to watch that might have flown under your radar this is it, but if you are new to anime, don't bother, don't waste your time for 45 episodes of this mess go watch shorter and better shows that don't require you to remember all those foreign description and fantasy world lore to understand.

I was initially hesitant to press on with Twelve Kingdoms because the series seemingly threw you into its world without offering much explanation and Yoko not exactly being the best anime heroine to connect with in the earlier episodes because of being too trustful of others, being quite whiny over her predicament and too willing to please others at expense of her own needs and well being. Fortunately, Yoko learns quick that the personality that she starts off with won't get her what she wants considering the world of Twelve Kingdoms, or at least the country she occupies, doesn't take too kindly to those from ... her world and are out to kill her and two classmates forced along on the trip from a mysterious man named Keiki and several mythical beasts.

Twelve Kingdoms takes its time in exploring its vast world as we get introduced to the many kingdoms and characters that make it up. Characterization is a strong element in this series as the two major arcs of it are focused on Yoko's developments as she comes to terms with her true identity and how it connects to the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, as well as dealing with political corruption as she comes to understand more about how the various governments within this world function. Other prominent characters in Twelve Kingdoms get their focus as they come from various backgrounds and we get to learn of their upbringings, as well as some of them playing a significant influence on driving Yoko's character developments throughout the series.

The show's world building is also effective in conveying the type of society there is within Twelve Kingdoms. The world of the series appears to adopt a mix of Japanese mythology and feudal era society/ politics considering the presence of supernatural creatures and demons, the strong belief in the divine and differences in status between classes and those of different origins. This leads to some interesting exploration of societal issues and themes with the system in which the world of Twelve Kingdoms selects its ruler, rulers concerned over whether they have made their country prosperous and peaceful compared to others and how influential political figures let the power and authority they have get to their heads driving them to either insanity or corruption to satisfy their personal desires.

In terms of presentation, Twelve Kingdoms is solid in its quality with vivid color and a good amount of detail put into its settings and character designs. The scenery in the series is diverse featuring areas such as the city landscapes of modern Tokyo, commoner towns, the exquisite palaces of country rulers and mountains. Character designs are drawn realistically as well. The show's music mostly consists of traditional Japanese instruments which while fitting well with the show's setting, there wasn't really anything memorable with it that stuck out for me.

If there is a major issue I have with Twelve Kingdoms, it would have to be the two plot arcs that come along after each of the two arcs with Yoko concludes. While they do help expand on elements to the world of the series, they don't really introduce anything new that the series already brought to my attention and it abruptly messes with the focus of the series as new viewers, counting myself, would be under the impression that this series was Yoko's story instead of having several self-contained arcs. One of those arcs even winds up lacking a proper ending as we never get to know what became of the central character of the story, Taiki. The series also gets in the annoying habit of running recap episodes at the end of each arc which I found to be a complete waste of episode space in this series.

While not as perfect as I've heard enough online reviews praise it as, Twelve Kingdoms still made for an engaging fantasy-adventure series focused on the exploits of Yoko as she comes to terms with her origins and eventually tends to responsibilities to deal with political corruption in the kingdom of Kei.

It's the story of ... well I watched only three episodes and it's a big mess, I don't even know what it was about.

- Art is from the 80s and uneven.

- Story, if we can call that a story, is very badly conducted. Another thing where you have to dive deep into your reflexion to try to find a meaning to what you are watching, and everyone will find what they want.

- Heroin is detestable, she only screams and cry. The little bourgeoise that always had someone to take decisions for her, god she throws the sword she was given to defend herself in first ... episode...
"No I won't kill the ugly monster who wants to kill me, I'm not this kind of person... But can you risk you life to protect me ?... I don't want be kidnapped in another world, but if you bring these two people that has nothing to do with my problem than I'm ok."

2nd episode is worse, 3rd even more.

An excellent anime. I thought it started out slow in the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck through it. This is my number 2 anime of all time so far (Cowboy Bebop being number one). The story is amazing, the characters are excellent and well developed. If only they would make more!

I finally find a fantasy anime with genuine depth and complexity in 12 Kingdoms. I just wish they had finished it...

STORY

I'll give this anime major points for consistency. 12 Kingdoms establishes its tone and story world rules and sticks to them. The 12 Kingdoms are heavily influenced by classical Chinese philosophy (particularly the Mandate of Heaven, which governs the entire political system) and stays with these influences even when it means making good guy characters act in ways that don't fit with more modern worldviews- everyone doesn't simply act like 21st century people in medieval costumes. The anime is also consistent in its willingness to ... deconstruct 'Transported To Another World' fantasy tropes: what do you think would really happen to somebody who suddenly and unwillingly found themselves in a different place where you can't speak the language and the laws and customs are totally alien to you? It probably wouldn't go well, and characters from our world who wind up in the 12 Kingdoms generally have a rough time of it.

There is a truly staggering amount of worldbuilding in 12 Kingdoms- almost too much. You need to pay attention to the huge glossary of terminology covering everything from religion to politics to geography and it can be a bit of a challenge to keep your head above water. Because of the numerous ongoing plot lines there is usually a recap every 10 or so episodes just to help you keep track. Unfortunately, this anime is an incomplete adaptation of a longer series of novels meaning some major story threads are left hanging- mostly in the second of the four major arcs, which ends with a massive cliffhanger (skip episodes 14-21 if you don't want to deal with this arc). Arcs 1 & 3 tie together to make one long super-arc that wraps up neatly, while Arc 4 is a short stand alone story. I wish we could have seen this story through to the end.

ART & SOUND

Production values are pretty decent for an anime that's over a decade old. There are a few moments of obvious CGI and flying creatures never look terribly convincing but the animation is OK overall. The backgrounds and character designs have considerable detail, going the extra mile to sell the East Asian fantasy feel of the story. Dub vs Sub is a toss-up, I watch the first arc in Dub and the rest in Sub and I'd have to call it a tie. The music is very good, using lots of classical orchestras and Chinese folk music to set the tone. The OP is particularly strong with a very cinematic feel, like it's trying to get you ready for The Lord of the Rings rather than an episode of anime.

CHARACTERS

I hope you have a good memory, because this cast is MASSIVE and it's common for characters to be referred to by multiple names and titles. Character development is strong, with the cast having a wide range of personalities and character arcs. As mentioned earlier, this show isn't afraid to have it its cast 'stick to their guns' when it comes to their traditional Chinese philosophies and at times it seems like watching a historical drama that simply happened to be animated. You may not agree with even obviously heroic characters all the time, but over time you'll at least come to understand them.

OVERALL

With a complete adaptation, this show could have gone down in anime legend. As it is, for all its strengths it suffers from the all too common fate of only receiving a partial adaptation. I swear, an anime fan needs to have a masochistic streak to put up with some aspects of this medium.

This was such a pleasant surprise of an anime honestly; While the story can meander at times, along with having somewhat dated art, the characterization and world-building more than make up for it.

[Story - 7]

It sounds pretty generic - girl gets whisked away to an alternate fantasy world, complete with roaming demons, a beat-down feudal society, and magical guardians. While it does take a while to break out of the mold, it is worth the wait when that finally happens; This setting is merely just a backdrop for a web of politics, not-so-subtle commentary on xenophobia, and introspective characterization.

The world-building is exquisite in ... its detail: when the episodes don't meander around, the details come at you sharply focused and relevant to the current story. They actually /serve/ to enhance the story's emotional impact; the various conditions of Kei as our protagonist, Youko, rises up to the throne (big shock!) is actually quite compelling due to how they reflect Youko's current mental/emotional state. There are other examples, but this one was the most poignant to me.

While the themes may seem 'political' at first, they also hold a lot of personal feeling: i.e. extensively covering the feeling of 'belonging' in societies, the choice to isolate or not, and many other topics that can resonate deeply with a lot of demographics. I don't think Pierrot was quite going for this, but to me it felt really accomplished.

The pacing and ordering of stories, however, is what drags this down from a '9' to a '7'. It definitely takes its time with uping the stakes, which results in the investment of the viewer dropping drastically. Some of the episodes are actually /recaps/ or just 'interludes'......I watched them anyway, and you aren't really missing much save for incremental character development. The ordering is also rather annoying; After Youko's first arc, it switches to a random Magical Guardian, then another Youko arc, and it ends with an arc about another king. See what I mean by 'annoying'?

[Art - 8]

The art is.....decent for its time, but did not age well ultimately. I ADORE the character design (lots of colours used to reflect their 'internal' natures or futures), and the settings are well-realized for an Alternate Fantasy World. However, the action scenes can be rough on time, and sometimes Pierrot noticeable skimps on background details (i.e. character lip-syncing, costume effects, etc. etc.). I can't be too harsh, I guess, so I'll leave it at an 8.

[Sound - 8]

The soundtrack is absolutely AMAZING. It definitely suits the 'high fantasy' vibe this show has going for it, yet it definitely injects the appropriate Chinese influences. The OP being instrumental works extremely well, as it sets the tone for each episode well; It honestly does remind me of other high fantasy media and their great OST's. The ED changing into an alternate version halfway into the show was also really cool. Overall, amazing job to the people behind the music.

The voice-acting and SFX are solid too. Pretty much what good voice-acting is: lots of distinct voices, enough intonations that you can tell what they mean if body language doesn't cover it, and so on/so forth. A couple of pretty big-name voice actors (Takehito Koyasu, for example) are actually part of the cast, so it's fun to try and see who shares a VA with a popular character.

[Character - 9]

The bread and butter of the show, frankly. I didn't expect this detail of characterization from a shojo author, but I should have known considering her previous work on Shiki. I'm not sure how to start, so this will come out messy but bear with me here.

Youko Nakajima, our protagonist, is admittedly rather whiny at first. She acts like such a crybaby, and many people are annoyed about this. While I love her growth into a powerful young woman who can take charge of her destiny, I'm peeved that so many people don't like this. It's a genuinely real reaction to being displaced into a foreign world when you already don't quite fit in with everyone. If anything, it just makes her arc BETTER.

The cast is rather expansive, considering the fact that it adopts approximately 7 novels worth of material. Other major players include Shouryuu, the bold king of En who holds a lot of internal pain behind a jovial spirit; Keiki, Youko's guardian who helps to guide both her and fellow guardians while also struggling with intense guilt; Suzu, Youko's friend from her high school who believes she is the true queen as a result of an inferiority complex, and so on/so forth. You would be hard-pressed to not find at least ONE character you are deeply invested in.

[Enjoyment/Overall - 8]

This show was a beautiful and rewarding journey. It's not perfect, but it ranks as one of the strongest anime I've watched in a long time. As with most greats, I would recommend this to ANYONE; whether you be a noobie or a veteran, feel free to come and watch this fantasy tale so you can experience some of the most loving characterization and world-building found in a light novel adaptation.

Juuni Kokuki is a great anime adaptation of a long running novel series. That said, the anime takes some liberties here and there with the characters, and it's not hard to see which ones were anime original in hindsight.This is my second time watching this show. The first time, I never read the novels. Now, after having read the novel series and going back to the anime, I can still confidently say that the anime is good.

It's hard to not give the show credit where credit is due: the worldbuilding, characters, and storytelling is phenomenal. It introduces a fantastical world with different concepts. Rulers are ... bounded by heavenly mandate, and as such, the world is quite a ways different from our world today. It's not just some stupid "fantasy with magic" world set in some generic medieval European civilization. There's an actual world that was envisioned, and more than enough time was spent on building and propping up that world. The show also doesn't just throw in random information and calls it a day. It get elaborated on. In Juuni Kokuki, people are born from eggs. Most high fantasy novels just will call it a day with that. In this show, it's shown that the eggs hatch from a tree called Riboku, and that both beast and man respect the tree with respect, never fighting under it. People who want children have to live in the same village and tie a wish on the tree for a child to be born. People even get married to live in the same village, and later divorce in order to live in a better area. The world isn't different for the sake of being different. There's actual meaning that gets elaborated upon. This is something that many fantasy novels fail to do.

However, the anime is not just good at worldbuilding. It actually manages to weave in a strong cast of characters as well as have a good story to go along with it. Youko Nakajima is a timid, shy, and a meek person that just goes along the path with least resistance. She studies because she doesn't want to stand out, and wants to be praised. This type of person is then forced to go to a different world and fight for her life. The journey that Youko goes is multi-faceted. She meets many different people, becomes jaded at human nature, yet also finds redemption at the end of her journey. She experiences as much as a turmoil for survival as she does in an internal one to discover herself as a human being. The show does this not through episodic arcs, but a continuous one where it finally culminates to a climax in which she ascends the throne as Queen. There's an explosive beginning, good character development, good story, and pacing is perfect. This show deserves praise. In fact, it does what other shows and books do in less time, yet it doesn't feel rushed, and it feels holistic.

Of course, that brings me to the filler characters. The not-so-good aspects of the show. Sugimoto and Asano are 100% filler. I suppose these characters are there so that the monologue heavy novel could be adapted to anime form easier. Youko's internal monologue and her struggles are affixed to external characters in the form of Sugimoto and Asano so that there's something to watch on screen. And to be fair, both Sugimoto and Asano were actually pretty good to start off. They mesh fairly well in the story and don't stray off of the main motifs and themes of the original novel. However, it's pretty clear that near the end of the first story arc, that Sugimoto becomes a mere plot device to advance the anime original plot, and Sugimoto and Youko's conflict and relationship become trivialized. The anime writers realized that Sugimoto really had to get booted off the first story arc to stay on track, so they just crammed a million fast paced and formulaic plot points to force her to "make up" with Youko and let her basically never influence the story again. Asano wasn't as bad, but he surely was a useless character that wasn't really relevant to the story. You could tell he was filler, as he basically does not accomplish anything. His character development arc is dubious at best, and doesn't really make sense at all. It didn't help that it was rushed through since he was just a foil to Youko's sentiments and feelings, just as Sugimoto was. I think that Sugimoto made the show a lot more PG-13. The show downplayed a lot of the negative happenings in the first arc where Youko gets washed up to shore, and it continues to do so. I think the show would have been more impactful if it had been more negative and depressing as the novel was, but oh well. Have to consider the audience as well.

Other than the first arc where Youko eventually ascends to the throne, the other arc concerning Youko is also amazing. In the first arc, there were maybe one or two good characters besides Youko. Who am I kidding? It was basically Rakushun and that was it. In this second arc with Youko, there are multiple converging storylines concerning different people that really bring the story together. The multiple perspectives is not just a gimmick, but one that fits the story perfectly, and develops all of the characters so well. It's one of the few shows that manages to nail the multiple perspectives, making the individual story arcs interesting, and making the convergence of them explosive and meaningful (I'm looking at you odd taxi).

Of course, the other arcs are good, but this show honestly would be complete with just the ones concerning Youko. I say the same for the novel series as well. While all of these stories concerning other people, like King En, Enki, Taiki, etc are good foundations for creating a lot of worldbuilding and characters, it never really culminates to a story arc that makes sense for all of this worldbuilding and backstories. Most of the novel series does end up being flashbacks and worldbuilding. That's fine, but eventually, the novel should transition into story arcs that are grand in scale, involving all of the characters introduced. That simply never happens. Most arcs are individualized, and only have certain characters involved at a time, never really building off previous story arcs. It's a shame.

Still, the anime is good. Novel too. I'm a bit nitpicky with the lack of solid story arcs that don't involve Youko, but the writing is good still.

Those viewers who love watching anime in relation with politics and without romance then this is it. One thing that I liked about this anime was how the story flows, and the growth of the main character’s attitude from self-centred girl, who protects her own comfort zone, to a strong girl that only think was how to build a kingdom that is befitting to her people. The High School girl named Nakajima Youko was drifted away to the world that is beyond Hourai or Japan through the power of a Kirin called Keiki. She was then chosen by this Kirin in order to rule the ... Kingdom of Kei (one of the 12 kingdoms) who was being controlled by an imposter queen, Jyoei. Youko suffered a lot from understanding the whole situation that was brought in her as a queen of Kei. She did experience all kinds of misery, and even doubted every people that she encountered along her journey. However, through the Help of the King of En, En Taiho, especially Rakushun she did realize so many important thing that she was blind about it all along. If I would rate the story line of this anime, I would say I’ll give it with a 9. The creators of this anime were really something, creating a whole new concept of an alternate world that no one could ever think off (even though I know this is of course an anime, everything is possible…hehe), but the fact of its creation makes me wander and be amazed. To those people who are trying to look for an anime that is beyond other anime’s domain, I recommend this one.