The Twelve Kingdoms (aka Juuni Kokki)

Studio Pierrot

In The Twelve Kingdoms or Juuni Kokki as it is also known, our heroine Yoko Nakajima, Nakajima Youko, is a good girl, her teachers like her and although she is not popular, she is not disliked either.

While at school, a tall white-haired man named Keiki appears, pledging his allegiance forever and demands she accepts him as her servant. Because she is polite, she meekly agrees. Suddenly, a bird demon descends upon the school, she flees to the roof where Keiki hands her a sword. Before she realises it, the demon is dead and she and two of her classmates are entering a portal into the world of The Twelve Kingdoms.

At first Youko spends the first few episodes crying and feeling sorry for herself, but she soon starts out on a hero’s journey. As for her schoolmates, they each get their part to play in the tale, Yuka, a fantasy fan that believes she is destined for greatness, and Asano, who loses his mind to the madness of being whisked away to a world he cannot accept.

The world of Juuni Kokki is amazingly detailed, well-established, with a rich sense of history. A place where magic exists, but to the people who live there, it’s simply the way the world works. The creatures remind one of Chinese/Japanese myths, such as the unicorns which act like immortal guides, moral compasses for the rulers of the land.

The anime takes the viewer on an expedition that explores Youko's journey - from her longing to be back in Japan;, her powerlessness and denial; her transformation; and eventually the will to bring peace in a broken kingdom. Her adventures forges her into something more noble that she used to be, and she also shapes the world around her slowly into a better place.

The animation is well crafted and detailed, the soundtrack is quite enjoyable, and the voice acting in Japanese is better than in English so you may want to watch this with subtitles. Juuni Kokki will keep you watching, trying to see if our heroine stays in the world forever or chooses to go back to her past life.

Also watch: If you liked this series, also look at these great anime: Fushigi Yugi, Magic Knights Rayearth, Yu Yu Hakusho, The Vision of Escaflowne and Spirited Away.

About our contributor: Allen Simpson is a blogger and a published poet who has a deep passion for anime. He is also co-owner of AnimeFanatika, a reliable source of information on Anime providing fans with the latest news, reviews and goings on in the industry. Visit their Facebook page and become a Fanatik today. Sugoi!