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.
Getting into the the actual episodes, lets start with 19. While I was skeptical of this arc at the start I have come to really enjoy it, and this episode is the perfect example of why. Twelve Kingdoms did a great job of tying Taiki’s issues of self confidence and accepting his role as a Kirin to both the episode specific Toutetsu plot and the overarching King plot. On the Toutetsu, it was just cool. A big monster that Taiki tames, able to finally stand his ground not for himself but others. Really embodying the self-sacrificing and kind nature that we have been told all Kirin have, like we saw in Kourin. It was a set piece scene in an arc I wasn’t expecting to have any at all, and it fit well. That it managed to work back into Gyousou and the Ruler story only made it better.
Speaking of Gyousou, Twelve Kingdoms did a good here, double fake out and all. Implying previously that he was the chosen Ruler, only to then cast doubt on that via Taiki’s reactions, etc. Tying Taiki’s growing confidence to his final decision to make Gyousou King, leaving whether this is legitimate or a personal decision from Taiki in doubt. We will about the consequences of this when we get to episode 20, but as far as their relationship goes I thought it was done well. In particular the fireside scene where Taiki describes Gyousou as a terrifying, but awe-inspiring fire was fantastic. It built up how Gyousou is very upfront and honest with his questions, and he appreciates that in turn. It’s like… It’s almost like a step-father and his adopted son or something. It was very different to any Kirin/Ruler relationship we had seen yet.
Speaking of episode 20, Twelve Kingdoms did a decent job here to, though not as well as 19. Taiki’s freaking out over his decision was nice, and it was a question I myself had as well. What happens if a Kirin chooses the wrong Ruler? Can they at all? Do they get punished? I really wanted Twelve Kingdoms to explore this a bit, so I was a little disappointed when it changed course. Yes, it was further affirmation for Taiki as a character. This idea that he didn’t fully accept he was a Kirin, learning to be confident in his decisions, etc, that was nice. I’m just not totally on board with the “You physically cannot choose wrong, even if you choose poorly”. At that point, why even have the Kirin if the Heavens will choose regardless? It seems very limiting, even if it does fit the world.
Meanwhile I found the scene between the 2 Kings and 3 Kirin… odd? Once again, I don’t mind the end result, but the process of getting there was weird. Having Keiki just walk off without a word, then return and try to force him into doing something he literally cannot do. Enki and Keiki both chastise Shoryu for taking it to far, so I suppose the blame is on him more than anything. And it was further affirmation of Taiki and his role as a Kirin. I am just left wondering if the scene itself couldn’t have been presented better. It’s niggling at the back of my mind, “That was a weird scene in an otherwise good episode”. Still, at the end of the day its a small gripe in a list of positives.
Lastly in this episode, I want to talk about the art teacher and the ending. Across the two episodes, this was easily the worst part of this week’s trio. If we discount the recap at least. The issue is: Why even include this, if this is the last of Taiki’s arc we are going to see? I have been told the novels continue it, and that we don’t see its conclusion in the anime, etc. Most likely they planned to do more, to finish everything, and just got canceled for some reason. But while that is a shame, Twelve Kingdoms leaves so many things unanswered here. How did he get back to Hourai? What happened to Gyousou? How did Enki not find him, if he lives in the same town that Nakajima and Sugimoto were from?! Its just another causality of the production lifecycle I suppose.
Finally, we come to episode 21, which we aren’t even really going to cover. This was a recap episode, plain and simple, and it actually bothers me that it’s here. I understand that we ended an arc, a “book”, a volume, whatever you want to call it. But it was 6 episodes, do we really need this? Nothing has changed for Nakajima, and we just watched the arc it mostly recaps. We get an interesting info dump on some of the irrelevant side rulers I suppose, and apparently the Kou King died off screen, which was unexpected. I figured we would get one last hurrah with him, but whatever. It makes me wonder what the production was like back when Twelve Kingdoms was airing to warrant these sort of recaps is all. Your audience wasn’t/isn’t stupid Twelve Kingdoms! We remember things, I promise!
That said, all in all, when all is said and done, how were these 3 episodes? Ignoring the recap, I enjoyed them. At the start of this arc I thought it a silly diversion, why cut away from Nakajima? But Taiki’s character growth and how it was tied into the Rulership plotline worked really well, and we learned a fair bit about Kirin and how Keiki was prior to meeting Nakajima. I can only assume that the parts of the novel that we won’t see adapted tie this back into Nakajima’s story incredibly, because I can see all the parallels even with what little we have. Still, for all that it worked out in the end, I am excited to get back to Nakajima’s story. She is the meat of Twelve Kingdoms, while Taiki the palette cleanser. And I don’t know about you, but I am ready to eat.
Why the food metaphors? Am I hungry right now? What the hell…
