The plot
This is an anime adapted from a series of Japanese novels written by Fuyumi Ono.
Our protagonist, Youko Nakajima is a timid goody two-shoes who has spent all her life being the 'good girl'. Class president, honours student, filial daughter- you name it she does it. It's instantly apparent that she's a pushover and seriously lacking in confidence. However there is something of a mystery to her. She has striking red hair (unusual for Japanese ethnic origin) and she has the same recurring dream that has an other worldly quality to it.
 |
| Youko Nakajima Pic source: http://myanimelist.net/character/1542/Nakajima_Youko |
One day as Youko sits in class, out of the blue an ethereal looking gentleman appears, promising to serve her and take her back to her Kingdom. He's a supernatural creature known as a Kirin and goes by the name Keiki. His arrival precedes a series of events that lead to Youko (and incidentally two of her class mates) being catapulted to the Twelve Kingdoms a land full of mythical creatures, ancient traditions, imperial politics and a rich history. Youko learns that she is the empress of one of the Kingdoms and we watch as she is faced with trials and tribulations that the ancient Kingdom throws at her, transforming the timid school girl into a powerful and wise empress. Along the way numerous interesting characters are introduced, including the fascinating King of En: Shoryu and his Kirin Enki and we learn of their stories too. We also see that with change in their social statuses and acquisition of power, the friendship of the three Japanese school mates is really tested.
 |
| Youko, Shoryu and Enki Pic source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-twelve-kingdoms/images/17320165/title/juuni-kokki-photo |
This is probably one of the best anime's I've ever watched. I'm a great fan of the fantasy/mythology genres and this totally hit the spot! The ancient Kingdom with qualities/elements of ancient Chinese/Japanese history and imperial politics is absolutely fascinating. I love the fantasy mixed in with the ancient oriental mythology. The story and sub-stories are amazing! They have so much depth and emotion and explore politics, philosophy, war, poverty, knowledge, love (not really romance) and friendship. The animation is superb. So elegant and beautiful, at times having a painting-like quality. The colours are great and I generally love the style that the characters are drawn in. I also found myself sometimes staring at the background or particular scenes just because of the level of detail. This isn't your typical popular anime with the fan service and humour. This is a serious piece of art which feels more like a prolonged fantasy film.
My favourite aspect has got to be the soundtrack. What beauty! The word 'epic' comes to mind whenever I listen to it. It evokes such great emotions and energy. I honestly feel as if I am in another world, in a different time. I have fallen in love with the 'Erhu' as a result and it's my favourite oriental instrument.
The flute in this piece! Oh my...
With total of 45 episodes, it is a long, beautiful and meaningful journey. However, the one negative aspect of this anime is that it ends abruptly with some stories being left unfinished. It broke my heart to realise this... Also at times some characters are not explored in as much detail as I would have liked.
Not one to watch if your looking for something quick that doesn't require too much thought and also just a warning the theme of love is explored but not really in detail and most definitely not the focus.
It's been over a year since I watched it and I think it's about time I revisited it!
It's been over a year since I watched it and I think it's about time I revisited it!
