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timepiececlockThe Twelve Kingdoms
Episode 3:
-Well, BrownHairedGirl obviously has no moral center, or at least one that's severely lower and to the side than most other people's, and a great deal smaller too. Also, I think she's a little off her rocker-- she's not responding to this situation in a healthy or clear-minded way at all, though I'm sure she imagines she is.
-Red's tendency to cry at everything could be annoying, I suppose, so I don't fault BrownHairedGirl for being frustrated with her. But then I hardly blame Red for crying given the current situation and her previous safe lifestyle, where she was not possessed by a demon, or stranded in a foreign world, or constantly being attacked. But dude-- she would be *so* easy to take advantage of, she's so eager for someone to tell her it'll all be okay.
-TokyoBoy has, so far, proven pretty much useless except for spouting exposition. He doesn't have ambition and he doesn't have a magic sword and super-speaking powers. Still, I have a lot more hope for him than for BrownHairedGirl. He did survive long enough to find his friends and he seems to be holding his calm pretty well.
-King'sBlondeAssistant seems pretty awesome. I don't know what her deal is yet, but she's got this sadness to her that's alluring. She seems a lot like Unicorn!Keiki, only more human and less detached.
-What's the deal with all these new words? I CAN'T KEEP THEM STRAIGHT! There should be a glossary or something at the end of the episodes.
-An "inn"? I bet it's a whorehouse. But I'm just suspicious like that.
-Creepy green-lit laughing demon magic guy at the end? OKAY I'M GONNA LOVE THIS SHOW. I shall call thee Puck, and you shall be mine, and you shall be my Puck.
Episode 4:
-Hey, Puck reminds me an awful lot of Kimblee from FMA. ::checks AnimeNewsNetwork:: Okay, so that theory didn't pan out... but I bet I know his voice from somewhere... if I just knew the damn character's name...
-"She's going to sell you to a brothel." HA I KNEW IT! HA!
-Split up? No! Don't be stupid, don't be stupid! ---Stupid high school kids.
-Ahh, so TokyoBoy is good for something. Escape vehicle.
-"So it was around World War II?"
"Is that what they're calling it?"
"Yeah."
"Japan lost, didn't they?"
"Yeah, TOTALLY!"...and then he's all awkward for being so excited about losing. ::snert:: Probably a history geek. I like history geeks.
According to anime news network, the guy who voiced Kimblee in the FMA original Japanese also did:
Yaegashi in Blue Seed
Amiboshi and Suboshi in Fushigi Yuugi
Hojo in Inuyasha
Hakim in Victorian Romance Emma!!!
Chris in Earth Girl Arjuna
... and Ikuya Asano in Twelve Kingdoms.
So he *is* in Twelve Kingdoms, but he's TokyoBoy, not Puck.
What have we learned from this?
RASHAKA SUCKS AT GUESSING VOICES.
Episode 5
-I don't know what's so great about TokyoBoy that makes Yoko want him so much. Maybe just because he's the only boy she knows and he's just another "safe" decision for her to like? Yuka seems to like the attention, but is willing to throw him away at the drop of a hat.
-Yuka is a fool, that's getting pretty clear. She's insightful enough to know danger when she sees it, but she's so convinced this is a story, not a real and dangerous place, that she's probably convinced she's invincible as the main character.
- I like that Yoko is rapidly getting a backbone. It appears the longer she is separated from traditional male/female role models and the farther away she is from safety, the more she's dropping the "mask". I think the mask was real and sincere, for sure, but ultimately she's capable of a lot more, and it just took the right circumstances for her to draw those qualities out. Since her only male companion has demonstrated no leadership qualities whatsoever and because her other female companion is slightly insane, and because she's got the means (demon fighitng spirit, magic sword), she's finally started to make actual decisions for herself.
Though I do wonder if she might swing too far into the other direction, under the influence of Puck and her new abilities.
- Hm. Yuka's gone off the deep end. And so has Asano, in a manner of speaking. ;P
- I'm glad Keiki's not dead. But still, enchanted=bad!
Episode 7
- No! Don't---ARGH! Don't leave him! This is the measure of your quality! Who cares if he reports you? You fought your way out once and you can do it again! You're failing the test you stupid bitch!
...but then again, given your history in this world, it's not like I don't know where you're coming from.
- Yes, yes, fight back!
::body shimmers into sword sheath::
-WHOA WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE? Is that HER sword sheath? Puck is her sword sheath?! Did she leave it behind fighting youma in the carriage ride after they first all met up again as prisoners... whoa that's weird. So her sword and sheath have a personality. One that warps you if you're not careful. ...that's much cooler than a Tetsutsaiga.
Okay, so the sword can show her visions of her family that are neutral as well as malicious. I'm guessing... the sword was acting as a manifestation of her subconscious, earlier. The fears and mistrust were coming from her. Maybe she had to go through this to become the sword's true weilder? Or maybe there's more to it even still. It seems odd that Keiki, her loyal knight figure, would give her a weapon so potentially destructive to her psyche... but they were separated before he would have had a chance to give her such a warning.
I hope she finds the rat character again, and that he's not angry with her. She could use as many allies as she can get. Now I have this desire to go back and rewatch the first episode, find out more of Keiki's original speech to her now that I'm getting a SLIGHTLY better understanding of their government and world. Though I'm still really confused.
rewatching bits of episode 1:
Okay, so Keiki and King'sBlondeAssistant are both the same: both unicorns (Kirin) whose presence indicates the gods' approval of a person's right to the throne.
Episode 8:
-Blond magic dude whom I love works for the king of En, then? And he obviously was the one there when they were all pulled into this world, watching from the street. Is he their version of the Kirin / unicorn knights? If so, he's looking a lot younger than the other two.
I'm curious about where this might go in terms of shipping. There could be something with the future king, but... my instincts tell me that Yoko's going to fall in love with RatBoy (wish I could remember how to spell his name, RatBoy sounds so mean...). We know the half/humans, half/beasts can take a human form... and he's been very careful not to show her his human form. He claimed the clothes are uncomfortable, which may be true, and he's hinted that he wants to remain in beast form as a political statement saying that he shouldn't have to conform if he doesn't want to, which is almost certainly true, but... I think he wants Yoko to like and trust him and know him as a beast first. And then maybe one day if he gets up the courage, he can approach her in human form.
That's my prediction. But I really have no idea, so who knows!
About this show as a whole...
::ENTHUSIASTIC clapping and laughter of fannish delight!::
This show is satisfying all my fantasy/magical/swordfighting/throne-stealing/horseback-riding/adventuring tickle spots. It's dramatic enough to be compelling without making me sob like a baby like FMA. It's... a very fun (and pretty!) distraction. I can tell this was based off a fantasy novel series-- the whole thing feels like all the fantasy novels I used to read in middle school and high school. There's some inevitable comparisons with Fushigi Yuugi (a.k.a. the Neverending Story of anime), which the same studio produced, but this is a fantasy adventure without the slapstick and the random SD/chibi humor. It's very straightforward drama. Also, the animation quality has improved in the years since FY was made so although FY was pretty, this looks *REALLY* pretty. I don't think it'd be fair to compare 12K to FY much anyway, as both anime shows were adopted straight from original sources (book and manga, respectively).
It's kind of nice to be watching an interesting, well-made anime with strong characters and an interesting plotline that DOESN'T fuck with my head. I mean, I'm all down with the brain-melting stuff, but sometimes a girl just wants to have fun. 12K is gonna be good for that, methinks. Save the brain-melting for Paranoia Agent on the weekends.
And let me add, about 12K: OMGWTFUNICORN?!?!
Episode 10:
Ratboy is pretty cute as a human! (though his hair is a bit dorky, but dorky in an acceptable even cute and forgivable way) And I knew he'd be all shy about showing her his humanness! And Yoko is all "I didn't know you were a man!" Hah. Nice blush. Now she's going to be looking at him as a guy, not just a talking animal. Hee.
-I want steps that do that.
Episode 11:
Let me just say that I have loved Enki since the first episode when we didn't know who he was, and I have loved him through subsequent random mysterious scenes, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE him even more now that we have this fabulous backstory to him and the King En. Whom I also like, and not just because he's a hottie.
I am all kinds of squee over this line:
"You will carry the hope of the people, and I will carry the weight of the kingdom."
They definitely must carry a lot of weight. Besides being trusted first lieutenant to the ruler, their fate and health is tied to the ruler as well, including his mental health. Tough break.
I'm so definitely a Yoko/Ratboy shipper. I should probably learn how to spell his name...
Episode 3:
-Well, BrownHairedGirl obviously has no moral center, or at least one that's severely lower and to the side than most other people's, and a great deal smaller too. Also, I think she's a little off her rocker-- she's not responding to this situation in a healthy or clear-minded way at all, though I'm sure she imagines she is.
-Red's tendency to cry at everything could be annoying, I suppose, so I don't fault BrownHairedGirl for being frustrated with her. But then I hardly blame Red for crying given the current situation and her previous safe lifestyle, where she was not possessed by a demon, or stranded in a foreign world, or constantly being attacked. But dude-- she would be *so* easy to take advantage of, she's so eager for someone to tell her it'll all be okay.
-TokyoBoy has, so far, proven pretty much useless except for spouting exposition. He doesn't have ambition and he doesn't have a magic sword and super-speaking powers. Still, I have a lot more hope for him than for BrownHairedGirl. He did survive long enough to find his friends and he seems to be holding his calm pretty well.
-King'sBlondeAssistant seems pretty awesome. I don't know what her deal is yet, but she's got this sadness to her that's alluring. She seems a lot like Unicorn!Keiki, only more human and less detached.
-What's the deal with all these new words? I CAN'T KEEP THEM STRAIGHT! There should be a glossary or something at the end of the episodes.
-An "inn"? I bet it's a whorehouse. But I'm just suspicious like that.
-Creepy green-lit laughing demon magic guy at the end? OKAY I'M GONNA LOVE THIS SHOW. I shall call thee Puck, and you shall be mine, and you shall be my Puck.
Episode 4:
-Hey, Puck reminds me an awful lot of Kimblee from FMA. ::checks AnimeNewsNetwork:: Okay, so that theory didn't pan out... but I bet I know his voice from somewhere... if I just knew the damn character's name...
-"She's going to sell you to a brothel." HA I KNEW IT! HA!
-Split up? No! Don't be stupid, don't be stupid! ---Stupid high school kids.
-Ahh, so TokyoBoy is good for something. Escape vehicle.
-"So it was around World War II?"
"Is that what they're calling it?"
"Yeah."
"Japan lost, didn't they?"
"Yeah, TOTALLY!"...and then he's all awkward for being so excited about losing. ::snert:: Probably a history geek. I like history geeks.
According to anime news network, the guy who voiced Kimblee in the FMA original Japanese also did:
Yaegashi in Blue Seed
Amiboshi and Suboshi in Fushigi Yuugi
Hojo in Inuyasha
Hakim in Victorian Romance Emma!!!
Chris in Earth Girl Arjuna
... and Ikuya Asano in Twelve Kingdoms.
So he *is* in Twelve Kingdoms, but he's TokyoBoy, not Puck.
What have we learned from this?
RASHAKA SUCKS AT GUESSING VOICES.
Episode 5
-I don't know what's so great about TokyoBoy that makes Yoko want him so much. Maybe just because he's the only boy she knows and he's just another "safe" decision for her to like? Yuka seems to like the attention, but is willing to throw him away at the drop of a hat.
-Yuka is a fool, that's getting pretty clear. She's insightful enough to know danger when she sees it, but she's so convinced this is a story, not a real and dangerous place, that she's probably convinced she's invincible as the main character.
- I like that Yoko is rapidly getting a backbone. It appears the longer she is separated from traditional male/female role models and the farther away she is from safety, the more she's dropping the "mask". I think the mask was real and sincere, for sure, but ultimately she's capable of a lot more, and it just took the right circumstances for her to draw those qualities out. Since her only male companion has demonstrated no leadership qualities whatsoever and because her other female companion is slightly insane, and because she's got the means (demon fighitng spirit, magic sword), she's finally started to make actual decisions for herself.
Though I do wonder if she might swing too far into the other direction, under the influence of Puck and her new abilities.
- Hm. Yuka's gone off the deep end. And so has Asano, in a manner of speaking. ;P
- I'm glad Keiki's not dead. But still, enchanted=bad!
Episode 7
- No! Don't---ARGH! Don't leave him! This is the measure of your quality! Who cares if he reports you? You fought your way out once and you can do it again! You're failing the test you stupid bitch!
...but then again, given your history in this world, it's not like I don't know where you're coming from.
- Yes, yes, fight back!
::body shimmers into sword sheath::
-WHOA WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE? Is that HER sword sheath? Puck is her sword sheath?! Did she leave it behind fighting youma in the carriage ride after they first all met up again as prisoners... whoa that's weird. So her sword and sheath have a personality. One that warps you if you're not careful. ...that's much cooler than a Tetsutsaiga.
Okay, so the sword can show her visions of her family that are neutral as well as malicious. I'm guessing... the sword was acting as a manifestation of her subconscious, earlier. The fears and mistrust were coming from her. Maybe she had to go through this to become the sword's true weilder? Or maybe there's more to it even still. It seems odd that Keiki, her loyal knight figure, would give her a weapon so potentially destructive to her psyche... but they were separated before he would have had a chance to give her such a warning.
I hope she finds the rat character again, and that he's not angry with her. She could use as many allies as she can get. Now I have this desire to go back and rewatch the first episode, find out more of Keiki's original speech to her now that I'm getting a SLIGHTLY better understanding of their government and world. Though I'm still really confused.
rewatching bits of episode 1:
Okay, so Keiki and King'sBlondeAssistant are both the same: both unicorns (Kirin) whose presence indicates the gods' approval of a person's right to the throne.
Episode 8:
-Blond magic dude whom I love works for the king of En, then? And he obviously was the one there when they were all pulled into this world, watching from the street. Is he their version of the Kirin / unicorn knights? If so, he's looking a lot younger than the other two.
I'm curious about where this might go in terms of shipping. There could be something with the future king, but... my instincts tell me that Yoko's going to fall in love with RatBoy (wish I could remember how to spell his name, RatBoy sounds so mean...). We know the half/humans, half/beasts can take a human form... and he's been very careful not to show her his human form. He claimed the clothes are uncomfortable, which may be true, and he's hinted that he wants to remain in beast form as a political statement saying that he shouldn't have to conform if he doesn't want to, which is almost certainly true, but... I think he wants Yoko to like and trust him and know him as a beast first. And then maybe one day if he gets up the courage, he can approach her in human form.
That's my prediction. But I really have no idea, so who knows!
About this show as a whole...
::ENTHUSIASTIC clapping and laughter of fannish delight!::
This show is satisfying all my fantasy/magical/swordfighting/throne-stealing/horseback-riding/adventuring tickle spots. It's dramatic enough to be compelling without making me sob like a baby like FMA. It's... a very fun (and pretty!) distraction. I can tell this was based off a fantasy novel series-- the whole thing feels like all the fantasy novels I used to read in middle school and high school. There's some inevitable comparisons with Fushigi Yuugi (a.k.a. the Neverending Story of anime), which the same studio produced, but this is a fantasy adventure without the slapstick and the random SD/chibi humor. It's very straightforward drama. Also, the animation quality has improved in the years since FY was made so although FY was pretty, this looks *REALLY* pretty. I don't think it'd be fair to compare 12K to FY much anyway, as both anime shows were adopted straight from original sources (book and manga, respectively).
It's kind of nice to be watching an interesting, well-made anime with strong characters and an interesting plotline that DOESN'T fuck with my head. I mean, I'm all down with the brain-melting stuff, but sometimes a girl just wants to have fun. 12K is gonna be good for that, methinks. Save the brain-melting for Paranoia Agent on the weekends.
And let me add, about 12K: OMGWTFUNICORN?!?!
Episode 10:
Ratboy is pretty cute as a human! (though his hair is a bit dorky, but dorky in an acceptable even cute and forgivable way) And I knew he'd be all shy about showing her his humanness! And Yoko is all "I didn't know you were a man!" Hah. Nice blush. Now she's going to be looking at him as a guy, not just a talking animal. Hee.
-I want steps that do that.
Episode 11:
Let me just say that I have loved Enki since the first episode when we didn't know who he was, and I have loved him through subsequent random mysterious scenes, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE him even more now that we have this fabulous backstory to him and the King En. Whom I also like, and not just because he's a hottie.
I am all kinds of squee over this line:
"You will carry the hope of the people, and I will carry the weight of the kingdom."
They definitely must carry a lot of weight. Besides being trusted first lieutenant to the ruler, their fate and health is tied to the ruler as well, including his mental health. Tough break.
I'm so definitely a Yoko/Ratboy shipper. I should probably learn how to spell his name...
