Customer Reviews

Twelve Kingdoms - Chapter 1 - Shoku

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Twelve Kingdoms is a very complex and at the same time very intriguing story about a high school girl, Youko, being transported to another world where she finds mysterious wild beasts, strange customs, and unfriendly people. The places in the alternate world look like ancient China (500-800 B.C.) 12 Kokuki has all the air of a Fushigi Yuugi (FY) but it is darker and more realistic than FY. It is more logical and reasonable than FY. The characters are more matured because they have to face the harsh reality from furious political fights to basic personal survival.

There are many volumes to the Twelve Kingdoms series. The first set of books is called "Tsuki no Kage - Kage no Umi" or "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon." There are 14 animated episodes devoted to this set with episode 14 as a recap. "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon" starts off by introducing us to Youko, the perfectly nice, considerate class prefect of a typical high school in Japan. She has been having nightmares lately. One day, a man called Keiki showed up in her classroom and asked her to be his master. After getting rid of some troubles, Keiki took her to an alternate world and over there Youko had to face a master plan of assassination against her. No one came to her rescue and no one came to give her shelter. No one fell in love with Youko but she became a fugitive herself being hunted by the local authorities and giant wild beasts. Feeling betrayed, Youko became very aggressive, wild, a little bit of cunning, and suspicious of people.

The story starts off with a good pace but slows down toward the middle. It picks up again from episode 8 on. I literally glued myself to the screen from episode 10 on. Scenery is stunningly beautiful and the animation is pristine. The opening scene of the opening overture, the Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia, is breathtaking. The music corresponds with the scenery by the use of Chinese fiddle. The Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia reflects the gallantry, the strength, and the courage of a warrior and the outro theme song, "Getsumei Tuuei" or "The Mystic Moon in the Shadow of the Wind," reveals the lonely heart of a warrior. The end credit song is particularly romantic, displaying the soft side of our hero.

The subsequent sets of the Twelve Kingdoms series are:
Ep. 15 - 21: "Kaze no Banri - Reimei no Sora" or "Breeze of Sea, the Shore of the Mystic Palace"
Ep. 22: The Book
Ep. 23 - 39: "Wind of a Thousand Miles, the Sky of Dawn"
Ep. 40: "Riding along with the Moon"
Ep. 41 - still going : "The Eastern Sea God, the Western Vast Ocean" - the phrase "vast ocean" is associated with sadness and unhappy feelings.

I originally requested Studio Perriot to have Pioneer distribute the American version of the Twelve Kingdoms because Pioneer did such a great job with FY. Well, I just hope that Media Blasters would do a good job with translation and English dubbing with this beautiful anime. For more information about the series, check out 12Kokuki's Japanese official website. It's got pictures, character descriptions, synopsis of each episode, plus all the latest news and products. Unfortunately, the website is in Japanese but at least you can take a look at the pictures. ^_^

The Twelve Kingdoms is a very complex and at the same time very intriguing story about a high school girl, Youko, being transported to another world where she finds mysterious wild beasts, strange customs, and unfriendly people. The places in the alternate world look like ancient China (500-800 B.C.) 12 Kokuki has all the air of a Fushigi Yuugi (FY) but it is darker and more realistic than FY. It is more logical and reasonable than FY. The characters are more matured because they have to face the harsh reality from furious political fights to basic personal survival.

There are many volumes to the Twelve Kingdoms series. The first set of books is called "Tsuki no Kage - Kage no Umi" or "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon." There are 14 animated episodes devoted to this set with episode 14 as a recap. "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon" starts off by introducing us to Youko, the perfectly nice, considerate class prefect of a typical high school in Japan. She has been having nightmares lately. One day, a man called Keiki showed up in her classroom and asked her to be his master. After getting rid of some troubles, Keiki took her to an alternate world and over there Youko had to face a master plan of assassination against her. No one came to her rescue and no one came to give her shelter. No one fell in love with Youko but she became a fugitive herself being hunted by the local authorities and giant wild beasts. Feeling betrayed, Youko became very aggressive, wild, a little bit of cunning, and suspicious of people.

The story starts off with a good pace but slows down toward the middle. It picks up again from episode 8 on. I literally glued myself to the screen from episode 10 on. Scenery is stunningly beautiful and the animation is pristine. The opening scene of the opening overture, the Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia, is breathtaking. The music corresponds with the scenery by the use of Chinese fiddle. The Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia reflects the gallantry, the strength, and the courage of a warrior and the outro theme song, "Getsumei Tuuei" or "The Mystic Moon in the Shadow of the Wind," reveals the lonely heart of a warrior. The end credit song is particularly romantic, displaying the soft side of our hero.

The subsequent sets of the Twelve Kingdoms series are:
Ep. 15 - 21: "Kaze no Banri - Reimei no Sora" or "Breeze of Sea, the Coast of the Mystic Palace"
Ep. 22: The Book
Ep. 23 - 39: "Wind of a Thousand Miles, the Sky of Dawn"
Ep. 40: "Riding along with the Moon"
Ep. 41 - still going : "The Eastern Sea God, the Western Vast Ocean" - the phrase "vast ocean" is associated with sadness and unhappy feelings.

I originally requested Studio Perriot to have Pioneer distribute the American version of the Twelve Kingdoms because Pioneer did such a great job with FY. Well, I just hope that Media Blasters would do a good job with translation and English dubbing with this beautiful anime. For more information about the series, check out 12Kokuki's Japanese official website. It's got pictures, character descriptions, synopsis of each episode, plus all the latest news and products. Unfortunately, the website is in Japanese but at least you can take a look at the pictures. ^_^

At first, the set-up for Twelve Kingdoms is very similar to Fushigi Yuugi: A rather annoying whiny schoolgirl and her friend get sucked into another world similar to ancient China, can't get back home, get separated and have a feud and have lots of adventures. But fortunately for us, the resemblance ends there.

While Fushigi Yuugi's charm is fueled by the characters' relationships, the Twelve Kingdoms is far more layered and focuses more on individual character development. The main character Youko Nakajima develops from a very insecure and self concious high school girl to an introspective and self-aware young monarch of the Kingdom of Kei.

I admit that Youko's initial whiny and weepy personality was very annoying to watch. And there is some violence and depictions of cruelty, so this series is not meant for the younger "Pokemon" audience.

But the payoff for watching this beautifully drawn and splendidly imagined series is enormous. Twelve Kingdoms is a complex, deeply layered fantasy world whose scope rivals that of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. The soundtrack is beautiful and the introductory music is unforgetable. The best thing about this anime are the life lessons it teaches. The characters learn that despite terrible adversity, one should never give up!

Twelve Kingdoms is definitely my all time favorite anime! So to all anime fans out there, I'll use a line often used at the end of the episodes, "You won't want to miss it!"

The Twelve Kingdoms is a very complex and at the same time very intriguing story about a high school girl, Yoko Nakajima, on her way to discover her destiny as the Empress of Kei. She is initially transported to a strange land where she finds mysterious wild beasts, strange customs, and unfriendly people. The appearance of the countries in this world looks a lot like ancient China (500-800 B.C.) 12 Kokuki has all the air of a Fushigi Yuugi (FY) but it is darker and more realistic than FY. It is more logical and reasonable than FY. The characters are more matured because they have to face the harsh reality from basic personal survival to furious political fights.

There are many volumes to the Twelve Kingdoms series. The first set of books is called "Tsuki no Kage - Kage no Umi" or "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon." There are 14 animated episodes devoted to this set with episode 14 as a recap. "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon" starts off by introducing us to Yoko, the perfectly nice, considerate class prefect (president) of a typical high school in Japan. She has been having nightmares lately. One day, a man called Keiki showed up in her classroom and asked her to be his master. After getting rid of some troubles, Keiki took her to an alternate world and over there Yoko faced a series of attacks against her. No one came to her rescue and no one came to give her shelter. No one fell in love with Yoko but she became a fugitive herself being hunted by the local authorities and giant wild beasts. Feeling betrayed, Yoko became very aggressive, wild, a little bit of cunning, and suspicious of people.

The story starts off with a good pace but slows down toward the middle and picks up again from episode 8 on. I literally glued myself to the screen from episode 10 on. Scenery is stunningly beautiful and the animation is pristine. The opening scene of the opening overture, the Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia, is breathtaking. The music corresponds with the scenery by the use of Chinese fiddle. The Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia reflects the gallantry, the strength, and the courage of a warrior and the outro theme song, "Getsumei Tuuei" or "the Mystic Moon in the Shadow of the Wind," reveals the lonely heart as well as the passion of the protagonist. The end credit song is particularly romantic, displaying the soft side of our heroine.

The subsequent sets of the Twelve Kingdoms series are:
Ep. 15 - 21: "Kaze no Banri - Reimei no Sora" or "Breeze of Sea, the Shore of the Mystic Palace"
Ep. 22: "The Book"
Ep. 23 - 39: "Wind of a Thousand Miles, the Sky of Dawn"
Ep. 40 : "Riding along with the Moon"
Ep. 41 - still going: "Sea God of the East, Vast Ocean of the West" - the phrase "vast ocean" in its original language is generally used as a metaphor for sadness and unhappy feelings.

I originally requested Studio Perriot to have Pioneer distribute the American version of the Twelve Kingdoms because Pioneer did such a great job with FY. Well, I just hope that Media Blasters would do a good job with translation and English dubbing with this beautiful anime. For more information about the series, check out 12Kokuki's Japanese official website. It's got pictures, character descriptions, synopsis of each episode, plus all the latest news and products. Unfortunately, the website is in Japanese but at least you can take a look at the pictures. ^_^

This series is an incredible adaptation of the wonderful fantasy novels by Fuyumi Ono. The 12 Kingdoms themselves are a kaleidoscopic tapesty so varied, complex and colorful that they entrance with both their real and fantastic elements. The politics are real and harsh, the customs are strange and intriguing, the culture is rich, and the natural/unnatural life is both terrible and wonderful. The growth in all of the characters is so beautifully carried out, with rarely a truly one dimensional character in evidence, that you feel you really come to know them as people -- and people who are capable of winning at least your understanding if only some are capable of inspiring your admiration. The story takes time to unfold but is truly worth the wait, being a web of personal interaction, politics and history. The animation is more realistic in style than that of many an anime and is wonderfully rendered. The music is beautiful and matches the art. All in all, a highly recommended series -- though not something to watch when looking for a lighthearted view. Now if only a publisher would pick up the novels and let us read all the things the animators probably were unable to fit within their time limitations!

First of all, to start this off, I would have to disagree with the reviewer who wrote that there would be no characters in disk 1 to like to begin with. For me, it's not the matter of liking a character, so much as it is being able to relate to one. It's so much more meaningful that way. Nakajima Yoko is in the beginning selfish and despicable, yet despite that she's put in the role of heroine for a specific purpose. Juuni Kokki is one of my favorite anime because it has realistic characters, rather than your average damsel in distress or invincible superman. they face dilemmas that are far-fetched but nonetheless manages to grab your attention or belief that it is also realistic. acting on the voice actors parts are done EXCELLENTLY. well, the japanese audio, that is. i haven't heard the english one, and i don't think i'll ever want to, having had my taste of english dubs already.

Now onto my actual rating of the first DVD:

a bit lacking on the extras department, but what english version of any anime isn't, right? now now, i won't be too greedy. visual quality is excellent, as everything else is all-around nice. i won't comment on the subtitles, since i personally think the fansubbed vers. i downloaded and watched was better in terms of translation. i wish that this first volume did come out with a box for the whole series though, like the other anime generally tend to. or i would have to hope for a boxset, because i am a crazed collector of those things. comparing this to escaflowne is not a far-fetched comparison--they're both leaning towards the side of a female heroine, who eventually learn this and learn that, get transported to different worlds, the etc. bishounen. and juuni kokki plus side, beautiful music and beautiful art. lot of drama, political conflict. only difference between juuni kokki and escaflowne is that hitomi, the main character of esca, tends to save the day with her abilities and whatnot. yoko doesn't. she gets pulled along in other people's plots, and she actually suffers to get what she ends up getting. so in fact, if i had to make a personal comparison..

juuni kokki, or twelve kingdoms, is equivalent to a japanese lord of the rings in animated form.

just check it out. i can talk all day about this. you probably don't have all day to decide what you want to buy. your choice.

This anime is absolutely amazing.

There are just so many things to talk about. First is the beautiful animation. Although the character designs are nothing I haven't seen elsewhere, they are beautifully rendered. Every character's facial expression is so strong, and close-ups show incredible amounts of detail. People in this anime are ugly, beautiful and everywhere in between; each of them have distinct faces. All the movements are incredibly graceful and the fight scenes are some of the most gorgeously animated since Escaflowne or Princess Mononoke. The music brings us perfectly into the scene; the visuals complement the content.

And what content. This series will have you obsorbed from the moment you begin. Each character is portrayed realistically; Youko, although she is the "good girl," is slowly realizing that her darker side is inexorably attached to her. Yuka has a pathetic realism--caught up in the word of fantasy, she wants nothing more than to be the hero of the story Youko seems to figure so prominently in. This desire drives her mad, making her personality increasingly hostile and delusional. Asano, the pragmatic of the group, seems like a nice guy. But soon even his "loyal sidekick" nature begins to show it's weaknesses.

The plot complements the series perfectly. We are only given a taste of the plot in this volume, but it manages to keep it intriguing, without pulling Lain or Evangelion-like tactics where the viewer wants to learn more simply because they are so confused. Things aren't confusing, but they are mysterious. And with a 68 episode series, there is plenty of time to develop each plot point.

Some people will compare the premise of this series to Fushigi Yuugi; I can concede the similarities. The vulnerable heroine, the antagonistic friend, the mysterious Chinese empire. But this series leaves Fushigi Yuugi in the dust. There are no Mary-Sue like heroines, whose greatest "fault" is their innocence and kindness. There are definitely not legions of androgynous males chasing Youko. And unlike the sometimes cheesy, unrealistic tone of Fushigi Yuugi, every moment in this series hits you hard and makes you think "I would do that in Youko's shoes."

The Twelve Kingdoms is a very complex and at the same time very intriguing story about a high school girl, Yoko Nakajima, on her way to discover her destiny as the Empress of Kei. She Is initially transported to a strange land where she finds mysterious wild beasts, strange customs, and unfriendly people. The appearance of the countries in this world looks a lot like ancient China (500-800 B.C.) 12 Kokuki has all the air of a Fushigi Yuugi (FY) but it is darker and more realistic than FY. It is more logical and reasonable than FY. The characters are more matured because they have to face the harsh reality from basic personal survival to furious political fights.

There are many volumes to the Twelve Kingdoms series. The first set of books is called "Tsuki no Kage - Kage no Umi" or "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon." There are 14 animated episodes devoted to this set with episode 14 as a recap. "Sea of Shadow, Shadow of the Moon" starts off by introducing us to Yoko, the perfectly nice, considerate class prefect (president) of a typical high school in Japan. She has been having nightmares lately. One day, a man called Keiki showed up in her classroom and asked her to be his master. After getting rid of some troubles, Keiki took her to an alternate world and over there Yoko faced a series of attacks against her. No one came to her rescue and no one came to give her shelter. No one fell in love with Yoko but she became a fugitive herself being hunted by the local authorities and giant wild beasts. Feeling betrayed, Yoko became very aggressive, wild, a little bit of cunning, and suspicious of people.

The story starts off with a good pace but slows down toward the middle and picks up again from episode 8 on. I literally glued myself to the screen from episode 10 on. Scenery is stunningly beautiful and the animation is pristine. The opening scene of the opening overture, the Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia, is breathtaking. The music corresponds with the scenery by the use of Chinese fiddle. The Twelve Kingdoms Fantasia reflects the gallantry, the strength, and the courage of a warrior and the outro theme song, "Getsumei Tuuei" or "the Mystic Moon in the Shadow of the Wind," reveals the lonely heart as well as the passion of the protagonist. The end credit song is particularly romantic, displaying the soft side of our heroine.

The subsequent sets of the Twelve Kingdoms series are:
Ep. 15 - 21: "Kaze no Banri - Reimei no Sora" or "Breeze of Sea, the Shore of the Mystic Palace"
Ep. 22: "The Book"
Ep. 23 - 39: "Wind of a Thousand Miles, the Sky of Dawn"
Ep. 40 : "Riding along with the Moon"
Ep. 41 - still going: "Sea God of the East, Vast Ocean of the West" - the phrase "vast ocean" in its original language is generally used as a metaphor for sadness and unhappy feelings.

I originally requested Studio Perriot to have Pioneer distribute the American version of the Twelve Kingdoms because Pioneer did such a great job with FY. Well, I just hope that Media Blasters would do a good job with translation and English dubbing with this beautiful anime. For more information about the series, check out 12Kokuki's Japanese official website. It's got pictures, character descriptions, synopsis of each episode, plus all the latest news and products. Unfortunately, the website is in Japanese but at least you can take a look at the pictures. ^_^

If you're familiar at all with Japanese anime or manga you'll find that the story of a young boy or girl being thrown into another dimension and spending the whole series figuring out why they're there is nothing new. But like any good myth, the story is familiar but its the METHOD and SKILL of the storytelling that distracts from the cliches. Twelve Kingdoms is done on a more epic and yet more personal scale than most anime of this type, with the exception of Escaflowne.

High school class president Youko Nakajima is a good girl and liked by everybody and the hardest thing she has to face is her parents telling her to dye her flaming red hair. That is until a mysteriously clad young man named Keiki shows up at her school telling her she has to leave with him because it's the only way he will be able to protect her from her enemies. He doesn't mean a class bully, he means a giant roc-like bird whose attack on Youko endangers the lives of her classmates. He gives her a sword only she can wield to fight against the awesome forces arrayed against her, for reasons she has no clue about. Keiki takes Youko and two of her classmates to another world, a world of magic and 12 kingdoms and spirits that take the shape of animals and humans. Along with Youko is Sugimoto, the class loner who Youko pities, and whose delusional visions and readings of Japanese legends makes the new world her dream come true. And then there's Asano, who both Youko and Sugimoto like. In the land of the Twelve Kingdoms, anyone who comes from our world is hunted down and killed because their appearances coincide with disastrous events.

This first volume started off a little confusing but once you get into the groove, it gets better. There are lots of deep issues here, including the loss of innocence, the desire to belong versus your individuality, and the gaining of spiritual strength. The animation was great and some of the best quality I have seen. The story is epic. I did get sick of Youko at times. She seems to be maturing but she spends a lot of time here crying and having hissy-fits. She's getting stronger though. Seek this out.

You're reading this review, and you're thinking: "Is this going to be worth it?"

The sort answer is: "Yes, especially if you like medieval fantasy"

The long answer is, well, read on...

I own disks 1 through 4. Of all the disks, #1 is the hardest to sit through. This is because you are going to have a hard time finding anyone to like in the first disk. Stick With It: you'll find plenty to like in the rest of the series. There is character development. The plots are interesting. The artwork is great. A good value for the money.

The only downside to the disks is the vocabulary: not only are there a plethora of magical creatures (that have their own names), but a whole vocabulary about how those magical creatures relate to the "human" occupants of the lands of the Twelve Kingdoms. (You'll have to watch the episodes to figure out why I put the word 'human' in quotes...)

If this kind of detail drives you nuts, then this might not be your cup of tea. For my own part, I figure I'll put that part of my brain on "cruise control" and wait until the language lesson seeps in.

I plan to get the rest of the disks in the series, in case you were wondering.