Džúni kokuki

False Queen – 40% – Right from the flight from the hostile high school to the promising world of kings, monsters, and other dangers, I was pleasantly excited, but then the mood gradually decreased with each episode. The central trio is incredibly annoying and only the sidekicks Keiki and especially Rakushun drive the plot forward. In addition, the nonsensically dense dose of history and the interweaving of individual kingdoms unbearably slows down the plot, which only moves forward thanks to subplots like the cunning spirit of the sword. I welcome the changes at the very end with open arms because it has not been like this so far. Black Kirin – 90% – This feels like it's from a different series. The new characters are pleasantly mysterious, the simplified plot keeps the attention throughout the series, and the episode in the cave is clearly the best of the entire anime. Few dramas can dream of such a tense atmosphere, let alone a fantasy story that improvises slightly in terms of plot. That's why the small number of episodes and especially the fact that The Twelve Kingdoms never went this way again really hurts. Youko, Suzu and Shoukei – 40% – The story that surprised me the most. Who would have guessed that the creators would venture into places as mysterious as in Taiki's adventure. Such a person would be deeply disappointed. The storyline grandiosely called Skies of Dawn offers intertwined destinies of three indecisive, uninteresting, and unfortunately, extremely unappealing girls in the case of Suzu and Shoukei. The intrigues are sleep-inducing, the dialogue almost insults the viewer's intelligence, and if the more reliable heroes hadn't occasionally shown up the embarrassment would have been a done deal very quickly. Nevertheless, the third chapter of these chronicles turned out to be pure boredom, and it took incredible effort to ultimately decipher it. Another Me – 50% – The narrators and main protagonists this time around are considerably nicer and more remarkable, but the problem lies in the reveal itself. It is nothing more than an echo of a several centuries-old rebellion. And that is damn little for the final batch of episodes, not to mention that using pure filler for the last episode is a downright dirty trick. The histories of the twelve kingdoms have thus received a lower rating from me. The Black Kirin chapter will remain in memory as a commendably written one, but the fact that it did not get a continuation or a definitive conclusion underscores the disjointedness of the series as a whole. (19/02/2014)

Really wonderfully polished personalities here attacking me from all sides, and the story of Yoko a.k.a. the queen is thrilling and annoying from beginning to end – in a good way :-) What I also liked – surprised me – is the dying; just about anyone could really die here, a child, an old man, a friend of the ruler, women... a bit of a "massacre" at times... What really saddens me is the fact that the story of Taiki and his master wasn't finished, I still don't know what happened to them and what will happen to them in the future. Maybe it's resolved in the book and there's no room left in the anime... I was often annoyed that I didn't know who they were talking about, everyone had three hundred and fifty names and I was glad I remembered at least that one considering there were three hundred and fifty-one characters ;-)) At different times I was bored, cheering, holding my breath, longing for the end. Somehow it didn't leave a strong impression on me, and I kind of don't care that it ended (I'm rather glad I finally finished watching it), so I can't give it a higher rating; of course, it's a better 3 stars XoD For all the tributaries in one river that feeds and kills all 12. I'd just rather read it. And one more mini note at the end: absolutely the most boring opening sequence I've ever seen or heard... (16/05/2009)