Tag: Throwback Thursday

Whoooo 30 episodes of Twelve Kingdoms! I have to say, when I first started this series I was expecting it to be a bit of a slog. 45 episodes is a respectable length after all. However to my pleasant surprise, it’s been a pretty engaging time. This week is no different there, as we Suzu and Shoukei continue their travels and Nakajima unravels a conspiracy in her kingdom. So without further ado, lets dive in!

Starting off, so much shit happened this week, it’s insane. I am continually impressed with just how much content, how much progression, Twelve Kingdoms manages to fit into its episodes. I finished 29 and was surprised to learn there was still another to go, it covered so much ground. So because of that, lets start with the easy to follow tale of Suzu, Asano and the young Seishuu. I wasn’t expecting a third member to get added to this trip, but by the end of his stay he had added a lot. Suddenly what was one person’s journey of self-discovery became some kind of parable. The three reminding me of the three monkeys with one deaf, one blind and one mute. Suzu refuses to hear any criticism, Asano is unable to speak the language and Seishuu is legitimately blind. It’s small, but made me really happy to notice.

Continue reading “Twelve Kingdoms – 28/29/30 – Throwback Thursday” →

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and welcome to another post about Twelve Kingdoms! I know it’s a bit late-ish, but blame the holiday. This was a pretty eventful week for all 3 of our leads, so lets just jump right into it.

Starting off, I think I figured out the point of these three stories. The thread that connects them all, beyond simply being girls or their positions in society. Simply put, it’s understanding life in this world. Understanding what it is like to live in the kingdoms. None of them have every actually lived a day in these peoples shoes. Shoukei lived in a palace, and while Suzu worked she did so in equivalent luxury, immortal and free from the worlds woes. Meanwhile Nakajima was in constant conflict before being thrust into the highest rung of society. Each of these girls brings a unique perspective to this question, each with their own histories and motivations. It’s an unexpected, but welcome shift in the series and I can’t wait to see what Twelve Kingdoms does with it. Now, how about we talk specifics after the break?

Continue reading “Twelve Kingdoms – 25/26/27 – Throwback Thursday” →

Welcome back to my Twelve Kingdoms watch! This is an important week, as we finally return to Nakajima’s queenly story. This week see’s political intrigue, budding rebellion and… two new side stories? It’s a lot to talk about so lets dive right in!

Starting off, the side stories. I’m not yet sure how I feel about what Twelve Kingdoms is doing. Not in a negative way, of course. This isn’t the first time Twelve Kingdoms has gone off on a weird storytelling tangent. Our entire last arc was basically a self-contained history for a character that we probably won’t see again in the anime. No, I am sure Twelve Kingdoms will manage to balance these three stories well between each other. It’s more that I don’t yet understand what connects these stories, these three characters. 2 of them, Nakajima and Suzu, are Kaikyaku, that one makes sense. Meanwhile Suzu and Shoukei are both effectively peasants, or have inverted each others roles, etc. Similar also holds true for Shoukei and Nakajima, queen and fallen princess after all. But so far, these connections seem very nebulous. Only option is to wait and see, I suppose.

Continue reading “Twelve Kingdoms – 22/23/24 – Throwback Thursday” →

This is an important week for Twelve Kingdoms. It marks the completion of an arc and the (almost) halfway point of this watch. We have lies, deceit and murderous beasts, oh my! All that and more in this weeks three episodes. So without further ado, lets dive in.

Starting off, it’s always a bit dry, but lets talk production. Twelve Kingdoms is not a series known for its stellar animation. In fact, there are some episodes where it barely has any at all. However with the general quality of Twelve Kingdom’s direction, that just makes the big moments standout even more. The entire sequence with the Toutetsu inside the cave during episode 19 was simply great. Between that and the actual narrative of the episode, it felt like the whole thing went by in a flash. Similarly, Taiki’s transformation into a Kirin and his subsequent run in the night also looked great. Something about Twelve Kingdom’s art direction, whether it be the color palette or something else, really sells the otherworldly beauty of these creatures. I just wish these sorts of scenes weren’t so few and far between.

Continue reading “Twelve Kingdoms – 19/20/21 – Throwback Thursday” →

Welcome all to the halfway point of the next our of Twelve Kingdoms! This week sees the continuation of Taiki’s story along with both some interesting and not so interesting political plots. Without further ado, lets dive in!

Starting off, I want to talk a bit about my feelings on this arc as a whole. Because so far, it feels like a side story. Having it be told to us/Nakajima through another character, when it has all already happened, makes it feel very disconnected from current events. It makes you wonder: How is this relevant to Nakajima? How will this effect the current Kei storyline? It’s entirely possible that by the end it weaves back in masterfully, and I have not yet passed judgement one way or another. But a comment from last week by user PhilippeO doesn’t give me much hope for that. It sounds more like his arc never truly gets completed, which only goes further to making it feel like this isn’t particularly relevant. For now we will have to wait and see. I can only hope Twelve Kingdoms proves me wrong.

Continue reading “Twelve Kingdoms – 16/17/18 – Throwback Thursday” →