Customer Reviews

Twelve Kingdoms - Chapter 4 - Reunion

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

 

 

The Twelve Kingdoms is a long running anime series (currently 39 episodes) that in turn is based on a series of fantasy novels by Fuyumi Ono. The story takes place on a mythical China separated from Japan by sea, storm, and magic. It is the tale of a young woman, Youko, who is deposited in the Twelve Kingdoms by a storm to become the Queen of Kei.

At this point in the story, Youko has come to the sacred precincts of Mt. Hou to be officially enthroned. While she prepares she is introduced to the story of the missing Kirin of Tai, called Taiki. Now it is the duty of a Kirin to name and assist the ruler of its kingdom, so Taiki's absence is a very serious matter.

The story shifts completely to Taiki's story. While he was born (as all Kirin are) in the Twelve Kingdoms a freak storm blew him to Japan where he was raised for ten years as a human. Finally returned to Mt. Hou, Taiki has no concept of his heritage. While he is the rarest of Kirin, a dark haired Kokki, he has never had the benefit of childhood as the unicorn-like form which is the true Kirin. As a result he cannot perform the transformations and actions that are natural to a Kirin.

It is difficult not to empathize with Taiki. He is a pleasant and thoughtful boy who has to deal with expectations and responsibilities that would be daunting for an adult, let alone a young stranger in a strange land. But Taiki never gives up. He experiences all the fears and self-doubts that any one of us confront in life. But with the help of his friends manages to face each problem.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, my appreciation for this tale has grown considerably once Youko was able to grow beyond her initial whininess. Taiki is a completely different central character, one with whom there is an instant bond of sympathy regardless of his youthfulness. Because the story is based on a series of novels it brings with it the rich complexity of a fully drawn world, which seems to unfold without end.

This is an excellent anime series for most ages. There is some very slight nudity, mostly of the magical creatures in the story, and only a modicum of violence. In fact, there is very little focus on sexuality, because the people of the Twelve Kingdoms are born as the fruit of a tree. It isn't a coming of age story but a coming of responsibility story, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Sea of the Wind, The Shore of the Maze is the second arc in the Twelve Kingdoms Series. Volume 4 deviates from the tale of Queen Kei and tells the story of Taiki, the Kirin of Tai. In this volume you learn about the Taiki's childhood and also more about the world of the Twelve Kingdoms. One of the things I liked about this volume was that it showed another side of the Twelve Kingdoms world, and its that kind of storytelling that makes the series good. The only thing that bothered me about this volume was that the characters have a habit of overexplaining things, but overall its still enjoyable and worthy of adding to your collection.

This, the 4th disc of the Twelve Kingdom saga anime, gives faithful viewers a new story that only they can understand, since they've learned how the world of the Twelve Kingdoms work.

The story's fascinating, but the way it's executed is slightly flawed, I think. Characters tend to explain things as if the audience is composed of children, which feels awkward considering its suggested 13-and-up rating. Some of the acting also leaves something to be desired. For that, I'll have to take off a star. I guess it can't be helped sue to the nature of the story.

I feel compelled to write though because I do like it. Alongside all the melodrama and action, the show reveals a cute side as if it's from the House of Mouse or something along those lines. The animation is only minimal, but the art direction is very good; many scenes are wonderful to look at. The music, especially the folksy Japanese-like numbers, is beautiful and exotic.

If only the acting weren't so stiff and occasionally cheesy, I'd give this DVD a full thumbs up--but then again, that's usually the nature of anime, isn't it?

Although the series is quite good, this fourth disc jumps around a little in the timeline of events. It made sense after seeing it all the way through. And it does settle back into a coherent timeline by the last episode on the disc. All in all, great fun.

just like everyone else, i was looking forward to seeing how "queen kei" would run her new country in this new arc.. but that isnt the case here. the whole dvd is based on taiki, a kirin. which isnt a bad thing.. but kinda frusterates you a bit knowing that the real story is being put on hold. i assume the next dvd, which concludes this book, will also be on this same "past memory" story. what ever happened to asano?

The latest installment of arguably the greatest fantasy anime of all time - and I'm not being even slightly hyperbolic with my effusive praise for this series.

NOTE: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU WATCH TWELVE KINGDOMS IN ITS ORIGINAL JAPANESE LANGUAGE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES, an option that's available on all of the DVDs. The Japanese voice actors are eminently superior to their English-speaking counterparts; in fact, I can't even stomach the English-language version of Twelve Kingdoms. Stick with the original Japanese voice actors for a full appreciation of this surpassing anime.

Enjoy!

Well, everything seems to have worked out for Youko. Well, except for the fact that her friend Asano is still missing. She doesn't seem too concerned about that. Sujimoto has been returned to Japan, and people mumble behind her back that she had been "sprited away". There's a guy at her school that also went through a mysterious disapperance who is rumored to curse those that pick on him. As Sujimoto tries to learn more about this strange boy, Yukimoto hears the other side of the story as she is preparing for her coronation. Through flashback, the tale of Taiki is told, a Kirin who was transported by a Shoku to Japan and raised as a human for 10 years. Taiki is brought to the Mt. Hou but is unable to choose a ruler, or is it that he doesn't WANT to pick one, seeing as how beautiful girls wait on his every beck and call.

This series has taken an ominous detour with Volume 4 because Youka hardly has any screen time in these four episodes. The story of Taiki has taken center stage and I'm sorry, but he's just this little whiny kid. What happened to all the deep themes and character development of the first 3 dvds? So basically all we're left with here is some kid crying about how he can't turn into a unicorn and doubt about his worthiness to choose a king. If the next volume doesn't get any better than this I don't think I'll be finishing the series.

There is a short interview with the director of the show on this dvd.