Search - Twelve Kingdoms - Chapter 1 - Shoku on DVD

12 Kokuki -- An Impressive Epic Story

cleung12 | Cypress, CA USA | 08/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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. ^_^"

Amazing Epic Fantasy Series!! A Definite Classic!

C. Bender | Seattle, WA USA | 10/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"
"

A long-awaited pleasure!

Shymsal | Allentown, Pennsylvania United States | 08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"