Rating: 
Summary: finally got my hands on this dvd
Review: after the first dvd i was so thrilled for the second one. and this dvd does not disappoint. nakajima gets some direction and re-learns to trust others (and, really, who could blame her for not trusting after sugimoto?) as she starts her journey.you find out much about nakajima (though not really unexpected given the title of the dvd) and more about the new world she lives in. and, once again, i found myself anxious and excited when the last episode was over. i can't wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Epic Series
Review: Before you read this review, I'd like you to know that I have seen the ENTIRE series of Twelve Kingdoms. I am reviewing this anime as a whole. Twelve Kingdoms is an epic anime that revolves around a girl Youko who was transported to another world along with her 2 friends. Youko is told by a white blond who tells her that she is born to be a king who is to rebuild her country and save the people from poverty. The world of Twelve Kingdoms is designed this way--Every Kingdom has a king who is immortal as long as he is fair and good to his people and country. The king is chosen by a magical beast, the beast thus will obey every order of the king and assist him to glory. However, if the king has turned corrupted, the magical beast will fall ill and eventually die as the king will die not long after. ok..no more spoiling. Anyway. If anybody tells you this is like Fushigi Yugi, don't fall for it, because Twelve Kingdoms is completely different from FY for it does not have a romance, or even a romance hint at all. Its plot is very loosely constructed. Half of the story is consisted of past memory, on top of which, the character are poorly designed and not very well developed. Its incomplete ending leaves me in confusion, many questions unmasked. For ex. some interesting characters actually appears in the middle of the story, without any explanation, the anime just cease to talk about what happen to them. In addition to that, there is no theme song, just a piece of dull music with retarded, let me repeat, retarded pictures. The ending is also very unrealistic in terms of emotions, the main character Youko decides to stay in the kingdom for the people and her country and thus abandoning all her friends and family in the other world. It could be that I am a emotional person, I feel like her decision is beyond imagination, also, throughout the story, Youko never even mentions her family after maybe the 12th episodes. Again, if you are a Shoujo fan, like me, this anime is definitely not for you. If you are a EVA fan, this anime will seem cheap for you because its organization and plot is no comparison to EVA.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Epic Series
Review: Before you read this review, I'd like you to know that I have seen the ENTIRE series of Twelve Kingdoms. I am reviewing this anime as a whole. Twelve Kingdoms is an epic anime that revolves around a girl Youko who was transported to another world along with her 2 friends. Youko is told by a white blond who tells her that she is born to be a king who is to rebuild her country and save the people from poverty. The world of Twelve Kingdoms is designed this way--Every Kingdom has a king who is immortal as long as he is fair and good to his people and country. The king is chosen by a magical beast, the beast thus will obey every order of the king and assist him to glory. However, if the king has turned corrupted, the magical beast will fall ill and eventually die as the king will die not long after. ok..no more spoiling. Anyway. If anybody tells you this is like Fushigi Yugi, don't fall for it, because Twelve Kingdoms is completely different from FY for it does not have a romance, or even a romance hint at all. Its plot is very loosely constructed. Half of the story is consisted of past memory, on top of which, the character are poorly designed and not very well developed. Its incomplete ending leaves me in confusion, many questions unmasked. For ex. some interesting characters actually appears in the middle of the story, without any explanation, the anime just cease to talk about what happen to them. In addition to that, there is no theme song, just a piece of dull music with retarded, let me repeat, retarded pictures. The ending is also very unrealistic in terms of emotions, the main character Youko decides to stay in the kingdom for the people and her country and thus abandoning all her friends and family in the other world. It could be that I am a emotional person, I feel like her decision is beyond imagination, also, throughout the story, Youko never even mentions her family after maybe the 12th episodes. Again, if you are a Shoujo fan, like me, this anime is definitely not for you. If you are a EVA fan, this anime will seem cheap for you because its organization and plot is no comparison to EVA.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic adventure continues...
Review: I have not seen Twelve Kingdoms Vol. 2 yet but I have seen the first volume and would like to suggest to all those fantasy, anime, romance, drama people out there to check this series out! I was amazed with the wonderful images, their resolution and how the animation was done more to real human features than the common characteristic of BIG eyes and small mouths. The storyline seems well in depth and there are so many questions at the end of the first volume that I am hoping to discover in the second volume. The jap. actor who voiced Hotohori in Fushigi Yuugi is back as the white haired guy who protects the main girl and drags her to the "other" world (Sorry I haven't watched the first volume in awhile and so names of characters are a bit fuzzy hehe.) Check this out, now!
Rating:
Summary: Best of the fantasy-themed animes
Review: I've seen a good deal of anime (read: way much more than I responsibly should have). It ranges from train-wreck-bad to truly inspiring. This anime falls so close to the latter category that I've already placed it in my top 5 series after seeing only the first 2 DVDs. Very few animes can captivate a viewer to the degree where they don't even stop to look at the time, where they don't really expect the story/episode to stop. Every time I finished an episode, it always surprised me- I was so caught up in the story. The series is based on a number of well-crafted books which create a well thought out Tolkien-esque world. While developing this world, the series also finds time to develop its very interesting cast of characters. The music is also quite fantastic. The animation wins no superlatives, but it accomplishes its task quite well. The fight scenes, especially, are well animated. The one thing I worry about is the incompletion of the series. At 45 episodes, the story of the 12 Kingdoms is incomplete. I have been told that the 45 episodes effectively finishes the story of the main character- so some closure is reached. But 23 more episodes were apparently planned to reach an ultimate fate of the 12 Kingdoms- sadly, these will probably never be made. Still, this series is absolutely fantastic thus far and not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Fantasy Anime
Review: In volume two of the Twelve Kingdoms series, Youko Nakajima joins up with the half-beast Rakushunn. Rakushunn tells Youko of the Kingdom of En, a country to the north where she won't be persecuted. While on their journey Youko will have to get through the minions of the King of Kou and also fight her own inner demons. The character development and plot of the story are very well thought out, and make for a enjoyable viewing experience. If you liked the first volume then you certainly won't be disappointed with this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Fantasy Anime
Review: In volume two of the Twelve Kingdoms series, Youko Nakajima joins up with the half-beast Rakushunn. Rakushunn tells Youko of the Kingdom of En, a country to the north where she won't be persecuted. While on their journey Youko will have to get through the minions of the King of Kou and also fight her own inner demons. The character development and plot of the story are very well thought out, and make for a enjoyable viewing experience. If you liked the first volume then you certainly won't be disappointed with this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Twelve Kingdoms Vol.2
Review: This series just improves with every new episode!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!
Review: To all those who agree with me....I think this anime is very cool. I'm a very emotional person, and I always get wrapped up in the movie. It just happens to be different this time, I fell in love with it! My friend, yes, I bow down and praise her for having the first volume, and I got bored and we watched the first volume and we loved it! We weren't really trying to find anything wrong with it, like some other people. It doesn't matter if it has romance or not, as long as it has hints of mystery, lotsa action, and...well...as long as it's SPIFFEH ok?!? Yeah, the begining has some really corny Bedknobs and Broomsticks thing going but otherwise, the theme song is at the END of the episode. (Sorry if I'm upseting everyone, but this is how I feel.) I love it, and well, everyone has their tastes. Keiki ROCKS!
Rating: 
Summary: Sudden Changes
Review: Youko finally makes a connection in the world of the Twelve Kingdoms when she befriends Rakushun, who is a hanjyuu. Hanjyuu have both a human and animal aspect (Rakushun is a combination squirrel and mouse creature), who are fairly commonplace, although frequently subject to discrimination. Rakushun has a surprisingly positive influence on Youko, who suddenly stops crying all the time and starts to get control of herself. Once Youko has rested, the two set out for the kingdom of En, where Kaikyaku (those blown into this world) and Hanjyuu are treated fairly. Youko's self control becomes increasingly important, for they have to avoid the agents of the King of Kei as well as the attention of Yuka Sugimoto whom the king has convinced to kill Youko. They fall in with a traveling acting troupe. There follow several close calls before the voyagers reach the city of Kou in En. There things come to a boil as Youko meets Shouryuu, the king of En, and comes face to face with the difficult challenges that have been set in front of her by fate. In a complicated, carefully crafted world, the young woman must choose between a great destiny or death. This set of episodes is far better than the chaos of the initial DVD. Youko has begun to develop a recognizable personality instead of simply whimpering all the time. Some of the other characters, in particular Rakushun and Shouryo, also develop in interesting fashion. So while overall production values are still mediocre, the story and acting are beginning to come alive. It appears that the intent of the director is to use the story as a teaching tool, as Youko, and probably Yuka as well, learn some important lessons in human behavior. Every once in a while the message gets a bit heavy handed, but it hasn't interfered with the telling so far, which bodes well for the future of the series. Again, I've experienced some technical difficulties playing this DVD using the DVD players on my Mac. This happens with both players, and I've never experienced it with another DVD, which makes me believe there is some incompatibility at work. I don't know if this will crop up on other players, but you may want to try it out before investing in the whole series,
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