The Twelve Kingdoms: Difference between revisions

{{quote| ''"I swear never to desert my post before your throne, I swear never to disobey your orders."''}}

''Record of the'''The Twelve Kingdoms''''' (十二国記, ''JuuniJūni KokkiKokuki'', also known as "Record of 12 Countries" or "Jūni Kokki") is a 2002 [[anime]] series based on an ongoing light novel series, set in a massive other world with a detailed and enthralling plot. The series begins following Youko Nakajima, an [[Ordinary High School Student|ordinary]] [[Class Representative]] who is dragged into this world kicking and screaming by a [[Bishonen|golden-haired man]] who swears loyalty to her. After being given a Hinman (a creature that possesses her and gives her amazing combat skills) and a magic sword, she is left alone in this world to fend for herself. Fighting her way past hordes of youma -- powerfulyouma—powerful monsters who seem to be following her -- andher—and a corrupted king who wants her dead before she can fulfill her destiny, Youko discovers why she was brought to this world and comes to accept her responsibilities.

The story is broken into [[Story Arc|Story Arcs]]s, based on novels and short stories by Fuyumi Ono. The first thirteen episodes deal with Youko's arrival in the kingdoms, with episode 11 featuring Enki's backstory from another novel. Episode 14 is largely recap, arguably useful in this case. Episodes 15-20 are a compression of 1.5 other novels -- Taikinovels—Taiki's coming to the kingdoms, and a mangled version of ''Demon Child'', Taiki as an amnesiac in Japan. Then comes a short story episode and sixteen episodes for the second Youko novel, followed by another short story episode. Four more episodes squeeze in the rest of the En novel followed by yet another recap -- ofrecap—of those four episodes. The anime has frozen there, though there's one more Youko & Taiki-centric novel and a Kyou novel.

Not to be confused with [[The Tenth Kingdom]]. And not [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms|The Three Kingdoms]] eitheror (maybe)its forgotten sequel Sixteen Kingdoms. And definitely not [[The Kingdom]]. And naturally not the [[Seven Kingdoms]].

Has a [[The Twelve Kingdoms (Anime)/Characters|character page]], please put related tropes there.

* [[Adaptation -Induced Plothole]]: Why on earth would Youko leave Yuka (who doesn't speak the local language) completely alone on arriving in En?

* [[Alien Sky]]: In the Twelve Kingdoms, the sea is in the sky. Quoth Enki, "well, where else would rain come from?" Which might be a sensible conclusion given the setting, but Enki is from Earth and visits it casually, even in modern times. Maybe he didn't pick up on science along with the blue jeans and democracy, or else was yanking her chain.

* [[America Saves the Day]]: [[Inverted Trope|Inverted]] America actually causes problems for characters in this series. One old man found himself in Kuo just a few weeks short of the US [[America Wins the War|ending the war against Japan]] by [[Nuclear Option|nuking]] his hometown. Upon hearing this news, he loses it and sells out the heroes to the local authorities.

* [[Ancient Tradition]]

* [[Anyone Can Die]]

* [[Audible Sharpness]]

* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]: ''Kirin'' are creatures of mercy and are all, without exception, beautiful. With ordinary humans, on the other hand, all bets are off.

* [[Because Destiny Says So]]: The ruler of each kingdom is chosen by the ''kirin'', who receives a revelation from the Heavens regarding who to choose.

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: Nearly every character gets to have a crack at this trope after their [[Character Development]], most notably Youko, Taiki ({{spoiler|when protecting Gyousou from Gouran, and then taking said youma as his servant}}), Suzu, and Shoukei.

* [[Call a Rabbit Aa Smeerp]]

* [[Diagonal Cut]]

* [[Human Outside, Alien Inside]]: The natives are apparently indistinguishable from Earth humans, but instead of reproducing "normally" they are born out of large fruit that grow on special trees. They can have sex, but it looks like it's for fun and not for reproduction.

* [[Immortal Immaturity]]: Most sen-nin - that is, people who are on the Register of the Immortals - tend act the age they look like. Very obvious in the case of Shoukei, who is 46 years old, but acts like a spoiled preteen [[Character Development|at first.]] Both she and Suzu (who is over 100) talk about meeting Youko, a girl of "their age". All have the apparent physical age of about 16.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Nearly all names in the series have some meaning. ''Kirin'' that are especially beloved by their ruler are often given a special name.

* [[Off Withwith His Head]]: The only way to kill a ''sennin''. Brutally ([[Gory Discretion Shot|but off-screen, mostly]]) proved by {{spoiler|Gekkei}}, when he kills {{spoiler|both of Shoukei's parents as punishment for their cruel reign, and then beheads their ''kirin'' Hourin for choosing them in the first place.}}

** {{spoiler|Beheading Hourin may have also been a [[Mercy Kill]], though, considering how very badly the poor ''kirin'' girl was stricken with ''shitsudou''. She also [[Face Death Withwith Dignity|seems to be almost happy to die]].}}

* [[PietaPietà Plagiarism]]: Youko is seen cradling {{spoiler|Rangyaku}}'s lifeless body in her arms.

* [[Pose of Supplication]]: ''Kirin'' are only able to bow to their rulers. Their physical inability to bow to anyone else was a plot point in Taiki's first arc, where he was extremely insecure and constantly worried about either bowing in front of the wrong person or not being able to bow in front of someone who deserved it.

* [[Psycho Sidekick]]: ''Kirin'' are creatures that abhor violence, and become physically ill when exposed to blood or bad karma. Their ''shirei'', or demon servants, are a lot less pacifist, and protect their masters from those who would do them harm.

* [[Recap Episode]]: Every arc, though it is at least usually accompanied by a framing story.

* [[Single -Stroke Battle]]

* [[Sitting Onon the Roof]]: Youko and Keiki meet when they're in Youko's classroom, but then they have to go to the roof when they're under attack. Yuka and her boyfriend Asano ''were'' on the rooftop already, [[Trapped in Another World|and then...]]

* [[Sketchy Successor]]: Defied as the next king is not necessarilly the son/daughter of the previous king, but rather has to be chosen by the Kirin each time the previous one dies, as the fact that they are given nigh-immortality when they become kings/queens means that the king will live forever as long as they don't screw things up, so usually they don't have to worry about who'll be the successor for a few centuries. However this part isn't always true. Youko's predecessor only ruled for about six years, in comparison En-Ou has ruled for more than 500 years.

** There seem to be different levels of microbes, as well -- Suzuwell—Suzu, a kaikyaku, cannot speak the language until she's taken in by one of the sen-nin. As a low level immortal, can only understand the gist of what animals say, but she can understand the mumbling of a child with brain damage, which regular mortals cannot do.

* [[What Happened to Thethe Mouse?]]: The plot involving Taiki and Gyousou's disappearance from Tai was never explained or resolved in the anime. Granted, it also still hasn't been resolved in the novels, but {{spoiler|Youko at least arranged an international search squad and brought the amnesiac Taiki back from Japan. That book, in turn, ended with a massive cliffhanger that still hasn't been resolved.}}

** It's not actually difficult to travel between the worlds, {{spoiler|at least for Kirin, as a character explicitly offers to send her home at one point}}. However, in practice this is impossible because as {{spoiler|Enki}} explains, {{spoiler|crossing between the worlds creates storms called Shoku, the strength of which are directly relative to the innate power of what is being carried over. So when a baby or debris drifts between worlds, it's probably hardly noticeable, but when someone as powerful as a King crosses the borders, it causes cataclysmic storms all along the coast they left from/arrived at, in both worlds.}}

[[Category:TheLiterature Twelveof Kingdomsthe 1990s]]