Anime: Juuni Kokuki

Terrible. :brickwall: Just terrible. :brickwall:
I write this review in the hopes that I can save someone the trouble of watching this. Many people, like me, may be drawn to it because it has a high rating and good reviews. Some, also like me, may be drawn to it by the multiple and bafflingly stupid comparisons to berserk as a dark fantasy. I hope to save you folks the time.

Let's get the good points out of the way so I can rant without inhibition. Average animation, good music, two interesting plot reveals. That's it. On to the rest.

The terrible things...

A majority of these 45 episodes are spent listening to characters whining about their own personalities and "learning" obvious lessons over and over again. For example, the main character spends probably twenty episodes admitting to herself that she is a pushover. Then, suddenly, she's not. Great. The rest of the episodes are almost entirely random background information about the fantasy world that has no effect on the story told in the anime.

Around 6 full episodes are spent telling the story of a child that we know left the fantasy world in some mysterious way. But, guess what? It just drops off. It never finishes this story. 6 full episodes of wasted time. I was disappointed when I realized it wasn't going to come back in the last few episodes, but I was just glad to get it over with honestly.

Half the characters are inexplicable assholes with no human qualities or redeeming traits. For example, one provincial lord commits thousands of murders, steals from the citizens, and just generally does lots of horrible shit. His reasoning? Just to see what would happen. What happens when he (finally) gets caught? Nothing, he sits there smiling like nothing has changed.

I was reading another review on here that claimed "Youko stands out as one of the most interesting and captivating heroines ever." I don't mean to be so direct, but I absolutely cannot disagree more. She starts out as a one-sided pushover and cry-baby. For about 20 episodes, she is annoying and childish, crying often. Then, she very suddenly decides that she should not be a pushover anymore. So then she's suddenly a hardass making apparently great and bold decisions and understanding everything happening in her kingdom. Other reviews are hailing this as character development. This IS NOT character development. This is a sudden transformation from one extreme to the other, and was in no way entertaining, logical, or human-like. I don't know if it was this bad in the novels (probably not), but the heroine here is bland and annoying at best.

Get ready to memorize an excessively large amount of fabricated vocabulary if you want to follow what people are talking about. However, it's really not worth memorizing as the vast majority of the dialogue is random background information that has practically no bearing on the story.

The animation is average as all hell. The action scenes, as very few and far between as they are, are plain and boring. The fights are often not even shown. They will just show the characters standing, play some sound effect, do a close up of a sword, and then zoom out to dead monsters. The fights they do show are slow and plain.

I just cannot stress enough how far off my experience was from the high ratings and glowing recommendations on this site. I watch a lot of anime, and I enjoy practically every genre. But I have never actively resented an anime so much as this. I've watched some anime that I've gotten zero enjoyment from, but this is the only in my memory that caused me agitation. Please, please... do not choose to watch this unless you have watched every anime on this website rated over a 6.0

If this were compressed into 12 episodes and all the useless background information left out, it might be worth a 6.5 rating. But these 45 episodes were a massive strain on my normally excessive patience.

Avoid this. Please, for my sake.

Anime: The Twelve Kingdoms
No. of Episodes: 45
Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Action, Drama

[This review was previously posted on myanimelist.net]

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.

Review
Twelve Kingdoms is one of those artistic shows that delivers far more than good characters and story. It delivers an entire setting.

The setting, the world itself, is Twelve Kingdoms' greatest asset and its main protagonist. The anime is very different from most things seen elsewhere, portraying a decentralized plot, many different points of view, and a slow but steady pace that builds the setting and fills it with everything that is required. One recent piece of entertainment that is very similar in its narrative and conception is the Song of Ice and Fire books (the Game of Thrones), with its huge cast and complexity. Twelve Kingdoms is far more simplified, with narrower kingdoms, cities and characters, but that would be expected considering the length of the show and the fact that it is an anime and not the book in which it is based.

Twelve Kingdoms is not about saving the world, defeating the villain, gathering heroes, or anything like that. It's a group of stories that define a setting, boasting different points of views and with different events happening and overlaping with one another. It starts with the tale of Youko, a young high schooler dragged into this mystical world by a strange man named Keiki. But that's only the start of a big presentation.

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1. Slow World-Building
   Those expecting an epic adventure or some villaneous plot to conquer the land will be disappointed, but the depth presented by Twelve Kingdoms is far bigger than that. Its introduction may make viewers think the show is something like Escaflowne and will tell a story about the modern girl thrown into the medieval fantasy setting, but that's not what happens. That's only one story about one of the Twelve Kingdoms. As the show goes on you'll see different point of views describing different kingdoms and different events, slowly constructing a very powerful setting and presented with narrative that creates superb subplots as a whole. Those who play table-top RPGs will be pleased by how things are shown and developed, while those who do not will also be enthralled by the good pace the anime takes after the first episodes.
   
   Many heroes
   As I've mentioned, the main protagonist of the series is not a person or monster, but the scenario itself. The narrative takes place from the point of view of different characters and details the events and twists as they progress and grow. Character development in overall is extremely satisfying, giving good amounts of spotlight for interaction and leaving enough openings to make you wonder what is happening to character's and lands that aren't even shown in any episode. The background characters are as important as the "protagonists" and everyone's depth and personalities is well defined and used, full of tragedy, sadness, and hope. Twelve Kingdoms has a very solid and strong direction in this department, making good use of a more mature way of developing things instead of the traditional teenage-oriented path of giving more powers, flashy dialogues, trash-talk, etc.
   
   A sharp presentation
   Twelve Kingdoms is supported by a fitting and well made art and a good enough animation. When facing shows of 2002 or so, Twelve Kingdoms is a bit above the average. Animation is not that necessary as the shows takes more time telling stories then showing off with huge fights or wars, but the overall experience is greatly aided by the classical art style, good and expressive character designs, and the provided animation.
   
   Fitting sound direction
   Twelve Kingdoms brings a very different soundtrack that may keep anime purists at bay for a while. It's classical and never flashy, all musics are epic-styled oriental themes and done in a very fitting way for the show. The opening is nothing flashy, it shows only mural drawings and has a music that is all about epicness and old-school feeling. Voice-acting is mature and good enough, and the background music is used in a excellent away as well. I can't say the music is superb because it haven't lasted much in my mind, but it's never an issue and it does a good job to create the necessary atmosphere.
   
   Surprise!
   It's only a shame that, as with many animes, the show doesn't really end. It stops suddenly and leaves you without any kind of conclusion and without a view of every kingdom that existis in the world. Perhaps another 50 episodes would give all the required stories and bring some kind of conclusion, but sadly that may never happen.
   
   It is something different
   Twelve Kingdoms is almost unique in the anime world. There's some vague similarities with Escaflowne and the more recent Beast Player Erin, but the chinese-based scenario, the importance of the kingdoms, the good scope and the different kind of narrative makes it an outstanding show by its own. The pace is slow at first but becomes more consistent after a few episodes and puts its addicting value to higher standards. Fillers are non-existent as well, even though some episodes tell stories that do not overlap with others and may seem like some kind of a distraction for those who don't get that the setting is what matters for the show, not the characters. In overall Twelve Kingdoms is one of those shows that differs in many aspects from your common anime and because of that it has a higher rejection from the more typical audience of the show.
   
   Well, you gotta understand one thing
   If you understand that the show is not about to tell you a single huge plot, Twelve Kingdoms is definitely a wonder. Those who expect a bigger plot to take place may find the show slightly boring overall. The slow pace at the start and the big focus on Youko is perhaps a mistake by the direction, making many think the show will be about her, and because of that the overall fun may be compromised when many other parallel stories start to kick in and Youko slowly leaves the spotlight. The fact that the show never brings the conclusion of any of its stories and stops suddenly at its end is also a negative factor in the overall fun, making you disappointed after the series finishes.
   

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Comments
Twelve Kingdoms' only true issue is the fact that it's incomplete. Besides that the show is almost perfect for anyone not expecting big-eyed lolis, bizarre super-powers, school life, and many other common elements of japanese shows. The beautiful chinese-based setting is something you don't see everyday, especially with the serious treatment it receives in the show. There may be youkai-based settings everywhere, some medieval china shows, etc, but none of them brings the style of Twelve Kingdoms.

Making this review today I can tell how the narrative is similar to the Game of Thrones and the following books. Even the slow start, the bigger focus on Youko as the books focus on Eddark Stark, but that changes drastically as the show progresses, and so on. Of course Twelve Kingdoms is less detailed and not nearly as dark, but it's a good narrative comparison for those who've read the book or watched the HBO series.

I personally put Twelve Kingdoms very high in my rankings, and mainly because I know only a few eastern works that focus on a good setting instead of flashy characters. If you're into medieval setting and a more serious tone, you'll probably find what you're seeking in this show.

Revered as one the best fantasy/adventure anime of all times, The Twelve Kingdoms is indeed one heck of a show that was eventually cut short. Maybe for the best.

The production values are very good. Not only the setting is very original in the way it is presented and its inner mechanics are one of a kind, but also the amount of attention and detail given in portraying all these, is close to amazing. The soundtrack and the voice acting are also very well done, fitting the dramatic and serious tone of the show. But that is not what you really want to read about so let’s move to the juicier parts now.

Despite having a savage setting where hundreds of people constantly die from disasters or massacres, it is in fact NOT an action anime. Which is weird, since it’s hard to imagine adventure and feudal times without some good old martial arts action. Yet this anime lacks that sort of things completely, which is why many will probably find it to be dull. Me included; I am an action fan. It has lots of violent and macabre things going on in it but refuses to show them on screen; probably because they never intended it to be a show people watch for the action. The result is some very interesting concepts that lead to really disappointing climaxes. For example, you are promosed an epic battle that builds up for ten episodes, and then as soon as said showdown begins, we get a time skip to when the battle is over. And no, they never show it in a flashback. OH COME ON; I WAITED TEN EPISODES FOR THIS! I’m warning you; if you expect to see crazy gore stuff like in Berserk or Claymore, you will hate this show with passion.

Of course it is natural to expect all that since the first episode is meant to deceive you into thinking it will be some Inuyasha or Bleach type of show. Monsters attack a typical high school, full of typical teenagers, and some super soldier arrives to save the chosen one from the massacre, and takes her and her friends to a magical world filled with mythical beasts and feudal civilizations. Oh boy, here come the magical girl transformations and the power ups… And they never came. It’s almost entirely focused on world building and character immersion / development, of the most elaborate kind you can hope to encounter in anime.

The world is extremely different to our own, with creatures (people included) being born from trees, thus they don’t have problems such as land transfer to descendants. Notions such as parenthood and marriage are translated to co-existence and a reason to feel happy. At the same time there is very little actual happiness going on here, since in this world the weather is affected by the actions of its rulers. If the king is being unfair and disrespectful, storms and droughts plague his domain. And trust me when I tell you most rulers are pricks who abuse their authority and bring upon them the wrath of the heavens. One would think it is easy for a king to realize he is doing things wrong by simply observing the weather but NOPE they are pricks who can’t see past their noses.

So, what about the main characters? What are they doing to change all that? Well… not much really. I mean, they try to change some things but down to it they are passive observers to the most part. We explore the world through their eyes and since they are always normal weak people who know nothing about the place they are thrown at, there is very little they can do besides listening to those around them explaining how everything works. And by explaining I mean LOTS OF TALKING! Half the series is essentially infodumping and the other half is the characters walking from point A to point B for MORE TALKING. If you are not fans of that sort of thing, well, again more disappointment.

This brings us to another feature of the show; its crippled snail pacing. Things move reaaaaaally slowly, so the viewer will have the time to get attached with whatever is going on, as well as understanding how the world works. And in case he doesn’t feel like doing that and craves for some action WELL, MORE DISAPPOINTMENT!

Now there are lots of shows which don’t have much of a plot and instead focus on the characters. Most school comedies are like that; you are watching them because the characters are funny. Once again, this doesn’t work very well with this show, since most of whatever the main characters are doing is asking question and crying for feeling helpless. It is true that their drama is presented nicely and that they get more development and backdrop than a dozen school comedies combined but that still doesn’t make them very charismatic. They are way too passive and plain to the point the mystical complexity of the setting completely overshadows them. You end up remembering the world they are standing on, instead of what they are supposed to do in order to escape the dramatic situations they are in. Yes, they get catharsis in the end, and we get to know a lot about them. But do we really care if whatever happens around them is a thousand times more interesting? I don’t think so.

So yeah, you are supposed to be absorbed by the moody atmosphere to the point you won’t realize you watched dozens of episodes where people are just crying and asking how everything works. And is not hard to adore the mystical setting for its unique structure. But if for whatever reason you realize there is very little going on and that you don’t really care about the main characters… the spell won’t work. The whole thing plays out like a tourist guide to a D&D world, rather than a D&D campaign full of, you know, corny stuff like battles, wizards, and monsters, and looting, and buying cooler equipment and leveling up. This is what I wanted it to be and I was very disappointed for not being that. But hey, what I want and what the author intended are two different things.

What is a downright problem with the show is how it was left incomplete. Despite being named “The Twelve Kingdoms” we only see what happens in half of them. There is always of course the continuation in the novels it is based upon, but even that from what I read is still nothing but short stories (much shorter than the first three arcs) around minor events happening in other kingdoms. The author fleshed out most of the setting in the first three of his arcs to the point there was nothing left but minor details for the rest. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize each arc is basically variations of the same idea (always about some successor to a throne, losing or gaining immortality, or going to find a successor to win or lose immortality). So yeah, the setting is cool but doesn’t allow much room for continuity. Heck, even the shape of the kingdoms is symmetrical and wars are out of the question, thus you are given the impression each place is just a variation of the rest, isolated, and bound by destiny to never change size or way of life. Because CHANGE IS EVIL!

Bottom line, The Twelve Kingdoms DON’T HAVE A GOOD STORY! They have a good setting. And even if you count the personal drama of the protagonists as story, it is still terribly slow, has numerous summaries in case you didn’t get it the first time, and stops midway, with all the rest of the unadapted arcs being just rehashes that hardly have the punch of the first arc. … And no epic battles to make up for it. Where are my D20s?

I do recommend it for being one of a kind anime, and a good example of how an author can properly describe a world and the mentality of its denizens to the audience. It is a very memorable show, even if it doesn’t have much replay value (at least not one that doesn’t involve constantly skipping most of the explanations). I can’t say it is a very enjoyable show; just like with the case of Shisekai Yori you will be interested in the technicals of the setting far more than with the way it all plays out.

And now for some excused scorings.

*Juuni Kokuki* is a fantasy anime distinguished by a great story and unforgettable characters. It's based on a series of novels that apparently aren't available outside of Japan. 45 episodes long, it's a collection of stories that share most of the main characters and the setting; unfortunately, it was cut because of budget problems and it's absolutely evident that at least 4-5 stories, maybe more, are missing. However those that have been animated are complete and very well done.

Animation
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*Juuni Kokuki*'s animation isn't technically excellent, but it manages to express all the beauty of the fantasy world where most of the story takes places. Even if the few scenes set in the real world feel kind of uninteresting, the powerful beauty of the nature and the architecture -- inspired by ancient China -- of the Twelve Kingdoms is gripping. The vividness of every single setting -- the wilderness, rich cities, a beautiful palace, a town torn apart by war -- make all the colors, all the moods of that medieval world jump right out of the screen. Many static scenes are so beautiful they'll probably leave a mark in the memory of any viewer.

A few 3D scenes have been used, but their quality is quite low and they're usually perceived as ugly. Fortunately, they are simply too rare to have any bearing on the overall animation quality.

Character design is good; an anime with a numerous and very varied cast needs to express the personality of the characters graphically as well as using good dubbers and good dialog. *Juuni Kokuki* succeeds in setting each character apart from the others, even large crowds usually have a lot of variety. The clothing, also inspired by the ancient Chinese culture, is very creative and by varying quite a lot between different countries it makes everything feel just a little more realistic.

Action scenes aren't always at the same level of other anime of the time, but in this particular anime action is hardly the focus. On the other hand, gripping action scenes do exist and they are many, although due to the length of the anime they are far from each other.

Sound
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*Juuni Kokuki*'s OST is simply excellent and very suited to work as a soundtrack; unfortunately, the producers didn't tap all the potential it has: often the switch from a track to another is too evident, some tracks are overused and the variations of the beautiful OP -- which is the theme of the Twelve Kingdoms and perfectly represents them musically -- are almost always used when the viewer is focusing on the dialog rather than while the camera sweeps over the landscape. More carefulness would have been cheap and would have made a big difference.

The sound effects are, at their best, barely adequate. Usually they're very low quality. Certain anachronisms, like associating a "swissshh!" to jumps, aren't acceptable in a 2003 anime.

The dubbers are all very good and convincing; the dubber of one character in particular, Rakushun, wins the prize here.

Story
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From the first story, which leads us from the real world to the Twelve Kingdoms, to the last one *Juuni Kokuki* is always interesting and gripping, with numerous dramatic turns of events that keep the viewer's interest high and great attention to important themes like the value of life, morality and one's right place in the world - the kind of themes one usually doesn't find in fantasy anime.

*Juuni Kokuki*'s story has a lot to offer to both the fans of the fantasy genre and fans of anime, but it's a great choice for occasional viewers as well. It's a high-speed run through a detailed and well fleshed-out parallel world; a consistent part of the Twelve Kingdoms is revealed in all its beauty and even if a big part of it is missing it doesn't really matter; what we have here can only be judged excellent by any reasonable standard.

Characters
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Most of *Juuni Kokuki*'s characters, not just the main ones, reveal a careful and intelligent study of their personality. Like in any other anime, not all of them undergo a significant evolution, but for the first time I can say that most of them do, indeed, evolve in interesting ways. Whoever considers character development important will find *Juuni Kokuki* an excellent anime. The viewer will hardly be able to predict the changes in someone's personality, even what's just behind the corner stays out of sight until the last moment.

in *Juuni Kokuki* we can recognize the kind of character construction typical of good books. Everyone's very much alive and some of them will probably be felt as distant friends by the time the anime ends.

Personal judgement
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*Juuni Kokuki* is certainly one of my favourite anime. The experience has been wonderful.

Overall
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This anime is a must-see. While belonging to a niche genre -- that I don't even like that much, to be honest -- it manages to be fit for any viewer; even if its animation and sound are only slightly above average, all the rest makes it a work of art.

I really enjoyed the anime even if there are episodes that are hard to watch at first.

If there is a lack in this anime it is with the discontinued stories.

For example you get very interested in the story behind Taiki, the lost Saiho of Tai. In the middle of the serie you get the feeling that this all will be told later but I was really disappointed that it stopped without any clear statement about Taiki.

The encounters with Yuka shows that there is more to come. Also that the King of Tai only is missing.

I guess the story around Taiki would fill a full new season of this.

Other than this the anime was excellent. A must for each fan who loves fantasy animes.