The Twelve Kingdoms

The Twelve Kingdoms (Japanese: 十二国記, Hepburn: Jūni Kokuki, also known as "Record of 12 Countries") is a Japanese series of fantasy novels written by Fuyumi Ono and illustrated by Akihiro Yamada. The first entry in the series called The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow was published by Kodansha in Japan in 1992; the last Kodansha volume was released in 2001. In 2012 the series was resumed under the Shinchō Bunko line from Shinchosha. Shinchosha has also begun reprinting the older volumes with new cover and interior art from Akihiro Yamada. The first new publication of the series in six years was released in 2019.

The novels were licensed in the United States by Tokyopop and the first four volumes were released between March 2007 and November 2010 as part of their Pop Fiction line. Subsequently, the English license reverted to Kodansha. The entire anime series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States by Media Blasters, which are now out of print. The license was transferred to Discotek Media, who released the complete series on Blu-ray in 2019.

Overview
"The Twelve Kingdoms" is a series of fantasy novels set in a Chinese-style alternate world where immortals and demons exist. There are twelve countries in this different world, and each country is a monarchy. Kirin receives the will of heaven and chooses a king, and the king becomes an immortal being and governs according to the rules set by heaven. This kind of setting is based on the ancient Chinese ideology that predicted the political society by prophecy, and the existence of non-human beings is referred to " The Sutra of Mountains and Seas". The earth and the world of twelve countries are next to each other, and if earthlings are swept away to the world of twelve countries by natural disasters (eclipses), they are supposed to be born in the world of twelve countries. Humans are sometimes swept away and born on earth (fetal fruit). The series portrays the fetuses born in places that shouldn't be, seafarers who are torn away from their homelands, and the adventures and hardships of people from twelve countries, but not all of the twelve countries are the stage. It is a solid story depicting people from diverse backgrounds, such as a king who does politics, a government official with ideals and ambitions, and ordinary people, who struggle to live under a harsh fate. The editor in charge of Shinchosha said, "I think that what runs through the whole story is how to confront the difficulty of living."

His first novel, Masho no Ko (1991), was a horror novel set in contemporary Japan. When Ono wrote "Magical Child" at Shinchosha, he had constructed a world of twelve countries as a hypothetical background world, and he had also created maps, chronological tables, charts, etc. When he was offered to write a fantasy by a Kodansha editor, he mentioned this and was encouraged to write, resulting in the well-received The Twelve Kingdoms. Starting with her first series, Tsuki no Kagekage no Umi (Tsuki no Kagekage no Umi) (1992), it was released as a fantasy on Kodansha X Bunko White Heart, a girl's novel label. The cover and illustrations are by Akihiro Yamada, and the existence of people and non-humans are drawn beautifully and powerfully. Ono was not originally a fan of fantasy, but after he was ordered to write a fantasy work, he read CS Lewi's The Chronicles of Narnia and Roger Zelazny's The Nine Princes of Amber, forming his own ideal form of fantasy. Ono says she thinks stories like Twelve Kingdoms are more like myths and historical picture scrolls than fantasy This series is unusual as a shoujo novel, and it seems that there is a way of receiving it that is similar to Chinese historical novels, such as thinking about ideal politics. Nonetheless, since aggression is not permitted between the twelve nations according to the providence determined by the heavens (if this is broken, the king will die), diplomacy other than commercial aspects is not necessary, and it is far from real politics.

Originally, Ono wrote shoujo novels on a shoujo novel label called Kodansha X Bunko Teen's Heart, and sometimes confided his troubles in fan letters to  girls who read them. Ono says that these readers are the archetypes of Yoko, if anything, and that "Tsuki no Kage no Umi" is a substitute for replying to readers. "Tsuki no Kage Kage no Umi" was once abandoned because it was too heavy for girls, and it was published after many twists and turns In this story, a girl who was forced into another world finds her place at the end of an adventure filled with hardships. It was well-received by readers, despite some publishers' concerns that it was too heavy and too difficult. Due to its popularity, the number of works set in the same world increased, and a detailed view of the world was gradually revealed, resulting in a series. The main characters are different in each story. Yoko was a high school girl in Japan, but she was brought back to the world of twelve countries and became the king of Keikoku. Taiki (Kari), Shoryu who was the heir to a samurai family in the Sengoku period but became the king of the wild goose, and Enki (Rokuta) who was the child of a poor man in the Muromachi period and was the Kirin of Enkoku. The story revolves around the characters. The publication of the series is not in chronological order, but like "The Chronicles of Narnia", the story progresses in various places while the times go back and forth. With an interesting story and charming characters, the series has expanded its fan base to include people who don't usually read teenage works. . In 1996, the critic Jiro Kitakami praised "Tsuban no Tsubasa" in the book review section of a weekly magazine, and in 2000, thecritic Ai Ishido introduced it in the magazine "Gensou Bungaku".

As of September 2021, the cumulative circulation of the series has exceeded 12.8 million  . In 2002, it was made into a TV animation on NHK.

After July 2001, a new series has not been announced for a long time, but with " yom yom vol.6" (released February 27, 2008), the first new short story in about 6 and a half years, the Twelve Kingdoms series. The extra edition "Hisho no Tori" was published, and in the same magazine vol.12 (released on September 27, 2009), the short story "Rakusho no Goku" set in Yanagiguni was published.

Publisher/Label
Originally published by Kodansha X Bunko White Heart, the readership expanded to adults, and from 2000 it was published by Kodansha Bunko for the general public without illustrations. There had never been an example of a girl's novel being accepted into the general library, and the series was a very special work in the world of girls' novels.

The editor in charge of Kodansha, which triggered the birth of the series, changed jobs to Shinchosha and was assigned to the Bunko editorial department, and remained in charge of the author. The full version will be published from Shincho Bunko  . From July of the same year, a new edition of the already published, a collection of short stories including new works, and a new full-length novel were published one after another. "Demon Child", which had been a separate work until now, has been integrated into the series as Episode-0. The cover and illustrations of the complete version are the same as the White Heart version, Akihiro Yamada. For details, see #Composition of the entire series.

Recent writing status

 * August 2012 - In an interview with the author, he said, "There is one more main story, and I would like to write a side story after that if there is hope.
 * December 2014 - The manuscript of the new "The Twelve Kingdoms" exceeds 1000 sheets, and writing is still continuing.
 * December 2016 - The new work of "The Twelve Kingdoms" was planned to be a large feature, and was aimed to be published in 2016, but the author's poor health has continued and the completion has been  .
 * December 12, 2018 - It was announced that the first draft of the new "The Twelve Kingdoms" was delivered to Shinchosha.
 * December 12, 2018 - It is announced all the 4 new volumes of "The Twelve Kingdoms" will be published in October and November.
 * August 1, 2019 - The title of the new work "Shirogane no Oka Kuro no Tsuki" will be announced.
 * October 10, 2019 - Following the publication of all 4 volumes of "Shirogane no Kake Gen no Tsuki" for 2 months in a row, it was announced that the "original short story" will be published in 2020.

Series name
This series is now officially called "Twelve Kingdoms" and is clearly stated on the front cover. However, in the beginning, it was not written like this and there was no official name. The series name 'Twelve Kingdoms' was given after the September 1994 publication of 'Kaze no Banri Dawn Sky (Part 2)'. In the June 1994 author's postscript to "Eastern Sea God, West Cang Sea", there is no series name, but readers generally call it 'Twelve Kingdoms', and he himself calls it that because it is easy to call it. . According to an interview with the author of the July 2003 issue of "Da Vinci", the series name was given at the request of the editorial department.

Synopsis
Yoko Nakajima, an unhappy high school student, is one day suddenly faced with a strange man who swears allegiance to her. After a battle with demon-like beasts, he then takes her to another world along with two of her classmates. There, her appearance has changed and she can understand the language even though her classmates cannot. But their status as "Kaikyaku" (people who come from Earth) makes them hunted fugitives, so they wander the land of the 12 countries, simply trying to survive and to figure out the reason why they were brought to this world.

Setting
The Twelve Kingdoms tells several stories from the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, located on a group of several islands in another dimension accessible from our world through portals created from naturally-occurring magic (though the other way around is normally impossible). The portals occur in the ocean waters of Japan and China, and every so often will end up dragging someone from our world from those waters to the kingdoms' islands, and/or on rare occasion, pulling an unborn child from the kingdoms into our world, causing them to be born there. On the islands, magic works and societies similar to those of classical Japan and China exist. While the inhabitants of the kingdoms are aware of the existence of our world as the lands of Hourai (Japan) and Kunlun (China), the reverse is not true for any inhabitants of our world. The inhabitants of the kingdoms speak a different language than the languages of our world, both of which can be learned by either side. Only by through extraordinary circumstances can the two worlds affect each other to a respective certain extent.

In this world, there are a total of thirteen lands. At the center of the world lies the Koukai (the Yellow Sea) and Five Mountains where the Gods communicate their will to the Twelve Kingdoms of the world. Each of the Twelve Kingdoms possess their own ruler and its own Kirin, a divine creature which embodies the will of heaven and is entrusted to choose a kingdom's ruler by Tentei: Emperor of Heaven, and serve as the ruler's aide. The ruler will have immortal life as long as they keep the kingdom healthy and their heads are not severed from their body. If the ruler's Kirin dies or is killed, the ruler will die within a year.

The Koukai, known as the Yellow Sea, is surrounded by four inland seas: the Black Sea in the north, the Blue Sea to the east, the Red Sea in the south, and the White Sea to the west. Eight of the Twelve Kingdoms (Kei, En, Ryu, Kyou, Han, Sai, Sou, and Kou) border at least one of these four seas, extending from the center like the petals of a flower. The remaining four kingdoms (Tai, Hou, Ren, and Shun) are not part of the central mainland and are isolated by the Kyokai (虚海) (Void Sea) which surrounds the lands of the Twelve Kingdoms.

Character
Youko Nakajima (中嶋 陽子, Nakajima Yōko) is a sixteen-year-old honors student in Japan who lives an ordinary life. Her primary worries are her naturally red hair (it was speculated by some students and a teacher that Youko might've dyed her hair red) and an inexplicable recurring dream that haunts her. When a man named Keiki suddenly appears at her school, he bows at her feet, swearing loyalty to her and offering protection. The school is attacked by a giant bird and she reluctantly accepts his oath. He gives her a sword and transports her across the Void Sea to the Twelve Kingdoms, where she ends up in the Kingdom of Kou.

Youko is initially confused by the changes that have been brought onto her including a complete change in her appearance that she cannot see herself and being stranded in an unknown land with no means of returning home. These changes cause her to cry constantly, lapse into a state of helplessness, and complain about interfering in other beings' lives no matter what the situation. As she searches for Keiki, she finds herself constantly battling against Youma and being betrayed by civilians of Kou many times. While Youko becomes wary of trusting others, she eventually comes to befriend and trust a hanjyu named Rakushun. They escape to the Kingdom of En where Youko learns that she is the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Kei. Although she is initially reluctant, Youko accepts the position through her growth in the story. In a later story arc as the newly appointed queen, Youko learns of several problems in her kingdom including a revolt in the Province of Wa. Subsequently, she is pulled into the search for Taiki when the Tai general Risai beseeches Youko's help in finding him.

As the ruler of Kei, she is given the regnal name of Sekishi (赤子, Red Child), because of her bright red hair and because her councillors initially view her as a child. Despite being a weak character to begin with, appearing very withdrawn and not wanting to do anything that would bring attention to herself, Youko grows in strength and maturity, becomes empathetic towards the people around her, thinking articulately about her actions (especially as queen) and continues to do so until the end of the series.

A beautiful girl with bright red hair, brown skin and blue eyes. She has a quiet and servile personality in Horai, and because she lived by looking at other people's complexions, she could not speak to her overbearing and misogynistic father. I couldn't even go to the school recommended by my homeroom teacher at that time. Her grades were reasonably good, but she was ignorant of politics.

Kirin
A kirin (麒麟) is noble and holy creature that is bound to and chooses the ruler of each kingdom according to the will of Tentei, the Emperor of Heaven.

As creatures of benevolence, a kirin serves as a monarch's advisor until the monarch's death and will bow only before its ruler. No matter if the kirin objects they cannot go against their master's orders, even if that means killing someone. Should a monarch lose the way and begin to govern in a way that violates the mandates presented to them upon ascending their throne, their kirin will be struck with an illness known as shitsudou. The disease is often fatal and the death of the kirin will result in the death of their monarch soon afterward; however, should a monarch manage to return to the way or renounce their throne and die, a kirin can recover from shitsudou to search for a new ruler.

When a kirin finds its monarch, they give an oath: "I swear never to desert my post before your throne." As being a Queen & King of a Kingdom, Youko learned how to hold a sword for her survival in the new world. Through the series Youko able to defend herself using swordsmanship.

View of the world

 * Detail is "Twelve Countries" See

A world where immortal immortals exist and demons run rampant. There are twelve countries, and the political organization is similar to ancient Chinese ceremonies. However, instead of a hereditary system, it is ruled by a king chosen by the divine beast Kirin according to the divine will, and the Kirin assists the king. Kirin are merciful, hate the impurity of blood and death, and get sick from the impurity. It is said that people who have the qualities of a king are chosen, but the degree of prosperity of the country varies depending on each king. The king seals the feudal lords and conducts politics. The king and some high-ranking officials are given immortality as god immortals (can be killed with special weapons), and the king reigns until his death. A king's reign may last for a few years or for hundreds of years.

In politics, there are absolute rules that are said to have been set by the heavens, and if the king breaks them and makes a mistake in the path, the giraffe will get sick, and if it is not corrected, the giraffe will die. When the giraffe that made a king die, so does the king. Alternatively, before the Kirin dies, the king can make a wish to heaven and give up (choose death). They may also be defeated in rebellion. When the king dies, the Kirin chooses a new king. When a Kirin dies, a Kirin fruit grows on the mountain in the center of the world, and a new Kirin is born to choose a king. A king is always a person of the country. While the king is on the throne, demon activity is suppressed and the climate stabilizes, but without the king, the country is in chaos. Such a rule system is said to have been established by the Emperor, but no one has ever met the Emperor).

Since creatures are born from a special tree, women do not give birth, which is different from the real view of men and women and gender. Lust and sex itself exist in this world as well. Children cannot be conceived unless they are of the same country, and raising children is considered an act of showing virtue to heaven. Since children are not born from their parents, they do not look alike. There are people called half-beasts who are half-humans and half-beasts, and they are discriminated against in some countries. People who have been exiled from a different world (the real world) are called kaikaku/mountain kyaku, and they are also discriminated against depending on the country. Because it is a different world, many unique and original words are used.

There is an island in the center of the world, and this island is not included in the Twelve Kingdoms. The mountain in the center of the island is the realm of the goddess Saiobo, and there is a tree that grows kirin. Surrounding this mountain is a barren land called the Yellow Sea. Separating the island from the sea, there is a petal-shaped circular continent with eight countries. The borders are determined by heaven. Furthermore, this continent is surrounded by a sea called the Utsukai, and there are four island nations on all four sides. The real world is said to be at the end of the virtual sea, in the shadow of the world, and is connected by a phenomenon called "eclipse".

Shincho paperback version

 * Fuyumi Ono "Demon Child" Shinchosha 
 * released on September 9, 1991 - ISBN 4-10-124021-3
 * Fuyumi Ono "Twelve Kingdoms" Shinchosha , 15 volumes already published (as of November 9, 2019)
 * "Demon Child" July 7, 2012 - ISBN 978-4-10-124051-0
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow (Top)" Released July 1, 2012 - ISBN 78-4-10-124052-7
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow (Bottom)" Released July 1, 2012 - ISBN 978-4-10-124053-4
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth" released on October 1, 2012 - ISBN 978-4-10-124054-1
 * "Sea God of the East, Vast Sea of the West" Released January 1, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-10-124055-8
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn (Top)" Released on April 4, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-10-124056-5
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn (Bottom)" Released on April 4, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-10-124057-2
 * "Pioneo Bird" Released July 7, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-10-124058-9
 * "Tonami no Tsubasa" released on October 10, 2013 - ISBN 978-4-10-124059-6
 * "Huaxu no Yume" Released on January 1, 2014 - ISBN 978-4-10-124060-2
 * "Twilight Bank: Dawn Heaven" Released on April 1, 2014 - ISBN 978-4-10-124061-9
 * "Shirogane Ruins: Xuan no Tsuki (Volume 1) '' released on October 12, 2019 - ISBN 978-4-10-124062-6
 * "Shirogane Ruins: Gen no Tsuki (Volume 2) '' released on October 12, 2019 - ISBN 978-4-10-124063-3
 * "Shirogane Ruins: Xuan no Tsuki (Volume 3) '' released on November 9, 2019 - ISBN 978-4-10-124064-0
 * "Shirogane Ruins: Gen no Tsuki (Volume 4) '' released on November 9, 2019 - ISBN 978-4-10-124065-7

Kodansha X paperback version

 * Fuyumi Ono (Author) / Akihiro Yamada (Illustration) "Twelve Kingdoms" Kodansha , 11 volumes
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow (Top)" Released on June 11, 1992 - ISBN 4-06-255071-7
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow (Bottom)" Released July 9, 1992 - ISBN 4-06-255072-5
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth (Top)" Released on March 11, 1993 - ISBN 4-06-255114-4
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth (Bottom)" Released on April 12, 1993 - ISBN 4-06-255120-9
 * "Sea God of the East, Vast Sea of the West" Released on May 26, 1994 - ISBN 4-06-255168-3
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn (Top)" Released on July 18, 1994 - ISBN 4-06-255175-6
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn (Bottom)" Released on August 29, 1994 - ISBN 4-06-255178-0
 * "Tonami no Tsubasa" Released on February 2, 1996 - ISBN 4-06-255229-9
 * "Twilight Bank Dawn Heaven (Top)" Released on May 15, 2001 - ISBN 4-06-255546-8
 * "Twilight Bank Dawn Heaven (Lower)" Released on May 15, 2001 - ISBN 4-06-255550-6
 * "Huaxu no Yume" Released on September 5, 2001 - ISBN 4-06-255573-5

Kodansha paperback version

 * Fuyumi Ono "Twelve Kingdoms" Kodansha 〈Kodansha Bunko〉, all 9 volumes
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow (Top)" Released January 14, 2000 - ISBN 4-06-264773-7
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow (Bottom)" Released January 14, 2000 - ISBN 4-06-264774-5
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth" Released on April 14, 2000 - ISBN 4-06-264833-4
 * "Sea God of the East, Vast Sea of the West" Released on July 14, 2000 - ISBN 4-06-264834-2
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn (Top)" Released on October 12, 2000 - ISBN 4-06-264998-5
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn (Bottom)" Released on October 12, 2000 - ISBN 4-06-264999-3
 * "Tonami no Tsubasa" released January 17, 2001 - ISBN 4-06-273052-9
 * "Twilight Bank: Dawn Heaven" Released on April 13, 2001 - ISBN 4-06-273130-4
 * "Huaxu no Yume" Released on July 13, 2001 - ISBN 4-06-273204-1

Foreign language translation

 * English translation: Tokyopop
 * On May 11, 2006, U.S. publisher Tokyopop said in an interview with comic book news website Newsarama that it would be publishing the novels under its "Pop Fiction" imprint. The first book was released in March 2007. The first four books have been released.
 * The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of ​​Shadow 2007 - ISBN 978-1-59816-946-1
 * The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of ​​Wind 2008 - ISBN 978-1-59816-947-8
 * The Twelve Kingdoms: The Vast Spread of the Seas 2009 - ISBN 978-1-59816-948-5
 * The Twelve Kingdoms: Skies of Dawn 2010 - ISBN 978-1-59816-949-2
 * There are also Taiwanese and Korean versions.

Art book

 * Yamada Akihiro (Author) ""Twelve Kingdoms" Art Book  Eternal Garden" 2014

Anime KC

 * Fuyumi Ono (Original) / Go Momokawa (Composed and Edited) "Twelve Kingdoms Anime KC" Kodansha , 15 volumes
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 1-3" August 8, 2002 - ISBN 4-06-310156-8
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 4-5" September 9, 2002 - ISBN 4-06-310157-6
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 6-7" October 10 2002 - ISBN 4-06-310158-4
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 8-9" November 11, 2002 - ISBN 4-06-310159-2
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 10-11" December 12, 2002 - ISBN 4-06-310160-6
 * "Moon Shadow Sea of ​​Shadows Chapter 12 - Final Chapter" February 2, 2003 - ISBN 4-06-310161-4
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth Chapter 1-2" May 5, 2003 - ISBN 4-06-310162-2
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth Chapter 3-4" June 6, 2003 - ISBN 4-06-310163-0
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth Chapter 5-Final Chapter" July 7, 2003 - ISBN - 4-06-310182-7
 * "Letter / A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn 1-2" November 11, 2003 - ISBN 4-06-310183-5
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn Chapter 3-5" January 1, 2004 - ISBN - 4-06-310184-3
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn Chapter 6-8" March 3, 2004 - ISBN - 4-06-310185-1
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn- 10 Chapters" May 5, 2004 ISBN -4-06-310186-X
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn Chapter 11-13" July 7, 2004 - ISBN - 4-06-310190-8
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn Chapter 14-Final Chapter" October 10, 2004 - ISBN - 4-06-310191-6
 * Kodansha X Bunko (ed.) "Twelve Kingdoms Official Anime Guide" Kodansha ,
 * released on October 13, 2004 - ISBN 4-06-334923-3

Anime scripts

 * Fuyumi Ono (Original) / Noboru Aikawa (Adaptation) ""Twelve Kingdoms" Animation Script Collection" Kodansha , 5 volumes in total
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 1-7" Released on August 2, 2002 - ISBN 4-06-255625-1
 * "Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow Chapter 8-Final Chapter" Released on September 5, 2002 - ISBN 4-06-255629-4
 * "The Sea of Wind, the Shore of Labyrinth / A Message" Released September 9, 2003 - ISBN 4-06-255694-4
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn Chapter 1 - Transfer" Released on December 24, 2003 - ISBN 4-06-255703-7
 * "A Great Distance in the Wind, the Sky at Dawn Chapter 9 - Final Chapter / Norizuki" Released on March 3, 2004 - ISBN 4-06-255717-7

Television Animation

 * See also: List of Twelve Kingdoms episodes

It was broadcast from April 9, 2002 to August 30, 2003 within the satellite animation theater frame of NHK BS2. There are parts that are original to the anime, not just the original.

Initially, it was supposed to be 39 episodes, and in March 2003, the second series (after episode 40) was announced to be broadcast, but it ended with episode 45. According to NHK's official announcement, the reason for this is that it is difficult to draw the characters vividly because the original work is incomplete. In addition, according to the anime script collection written by Noboru Aikawa and later published, the second series was originally "Sea God of the East, Vast Sea of the West'', followed by "Tonami no Tsubasa" and "Twilight Bank Akatsuki no Ten", and the idea was to conclude the anime version of the Twelve Kingdoms by putting some kind of settlement on the unfinished original “Tasogare no Kishi Akatsuki no Ten”. Among the short stories recorded in "Kashu no Yumu", "A Message" and "Jogetsu", followed by "Fuyuei" and "Keizan" could be animated.

Later, it was also broadcast on educational television and satellite high-definition. It is broadcast not only in Japan, but also in South Korea, Taiwan, China, and the United States.

BS2 first broadcast period is as follows. It was rebroadcast from July 23rd to August 27th, 2002, March 18th and 25th, 2003, and from April 5th to June 28th, 2003, it was titled "The World of the Twelve Kingdoms". A special program re-edited as a total of 13 episodes is being broadcast. In addition, the same work was partially broadcast in the 2006 BS summer vacation animation special selection frame. Broadcast on Kids Station from October 6, 2010 (CS, of course, will be the first broadcast on a broadcasting station other than NHK). Also, from August 2, 2012, all 45 episodes have been rebroadcast on NHKBS Premium.

Differences from the original

 * The content is basically based on the original, but some plot changes and original settings and characters are also included. The most noticeable changes are that when Yoko is taken away to the world of Twelve Kingdoms, she is not  is three people with a classmate. Sugimoto, who loves fantasy, believes that Twelve Kingdoms is the world he seeks, and becomes hostile to Yoko. In the anime script collection, it is said that "In the beginning of Tsuki no Kage Kage no Umi '', which is the biggest difference in the story between the original and the anime, the original author originally said that the number of people who came across the twelve countries was not one. It is derived from the conception before publishing the novel.”
 * Gold letters are used for the kanji that appear in the work.
 * In response to the fact that the anime script collection includes characters, mission names, race names, etc. that were not set in the original, he said, ``All proper nouns that do not appear in the original are decided by the original author. There is a description that says In addition to this, there is also a description that ``Since ``Twilight Kishi Hikari no Ten '' had not yet been published when the script was written, some of the things that were revealed for the first time were contradictory.
 * The King of the Twelve Kingdoms and the Kirin were introduced in the 21st episode, "Sea of ​​the Wind, Labyrinth Shore," (Those not appearing in the anime appeared in silhouette). The king of Shunkyoku who has not yet appeared in the original work is Shun-oh, and the Kirin is Shun-ki.


 * Staff:
 * Original work - Fuyumi Ono
 * Character draft - Akihiro Yamada
 * Director - Tsuneo Kobayashi
 * Character Design - Hiroto Tanaka, Yuko Kusumoto
 * Concept design  - Yasuhiro Moriki, Atsushi Wakabayashi (episodes 1-18), Haruo Miyagawa (episodes 5-45), Keiko Shimizu (episodes 19, 20, 24 - Episode 45)
 * Art Director - Junichi Higashi
 * Color design - Yuko Sato
 * Cinematographer - Atsuho Matsumoto
 * Editing - Seiji Morita, Yuka Yamagishi, Chieko Takayama, etc.
 * Acoustic Director - Tsutomu Kashiwakura
 * Music - Kunihiko Ryo
 * Animation Production - Pierrot
 * Producer - Suekawa Lab
 * Co-production - NHK Enterprise 21, General Vision
 * Production - NHK


 * Theme song:
 * Opening theme "Junigenmukyoku"
 * Composition / Arrangement - Kunihiko Ryo
 * Ending theme " Tsukumaze Kage"
 * Lyrics -- Keiko Kitagawa / Composition / Arrangement -- Tomohiko Kira / Song -- Mika Arisaka

DVDs

 * Shadow of the Moon Sea of ​​Shadows DVD BOX
 * Moon Shadow Shadow Sea 1 (Episode 1, Episode 2)
 * Moon Shadow Shadow Sea 2 (Episode 3, Episode 4)
 * Moon Shadow Shadow Sea 3 (Episode 5-Episode 7)
 * Moon Shadow Shadow Sea 4 (Episode 8-Episode 10)
 * Moon Shadow Shadow Sea 5 (Episode 11-Episode 13)
 * Shadow of the Moon Sea of ​​Shadow Omnibus "Twelve Kingdoms World Moon Shadow Sea of ​​Shadow"
 * Sea of ​​Wind Labyrinth Shore DVD BOX
 * Sea of ​​Wind Labyrinth Shore 1 (Episode 15-Episode 17)
 * Sea of ​​Wind Labyrinth Shore 2 (Episode 18-Episode 20)
 * East Sea God West Canghai 1 (Episode 40-Episode 42)
 * East Sea God West Canghai 2 (Episode 43-Episode 45)
 * Chapter Change (Episode 14, Episode 21)
 * Sea of ​​Wind Labyrinth Shore Highlights "The World of Twelve Kingdoms Sea of ​​Wind Labyrinth Shore"
 * The Great Wind Dawn Sky DVD BOX
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky 1 (Episode 22-Episode 24)
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky 2 (Episode 25-Episode 27)
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky 3 (Episode 28-Episode 30)
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky 4 (Episode 31-Episode 33)
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky 5 (Episode 34-Episode 36)
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky 6 (Episode 37-Episode 39)
 * The Great Wind Dawn Sky Summary "The World of Twelve Kingdoms The Great Wind Dawn Sky Edition"

Blu-ray
It will be released sequentially from September 26, 2009. As a bonus, a new mini-drama CD is included.


 * Tsuki no Kage Kage no Umi Blu-ray BOX
 * Sea of ​​Wind Labyrinth Shore Blu-ray BOX
 * Great Wind Dawn Sky Blu-ray BOX
 * Sea God of the East West Cangkai Blu-ray BOX (It was scheduled to be released on June 23, 2010, but due to production reasons, it was changed to September 23, 2010.)

A low-priced version released on November 26, 2015. Includes all 4 series and 45 episodes. Number of discs: 10, no drama CD.


 * Twelve Kingdoms Blu-ray BOX

CD drama

 * Kodansha X Bunko CD Book "Eastern Sea God West Sea" Kodansha, released on June 12, 1997 , ISBN 4-06-267801-2
 * The attached booklet contains the newly written novel "Drifting".
 * "Demon Child" drama album (June 25, 1997, Mercury Music Entertainment)
 * Twelve Kingdoms Dream Chapter 3 (Victor Entertainment, February 2, 2003)
 * It consists of the opening, ending, "Chapter 1 Hachikirin", "Chapter 2 Sister King", and "Chapter 3 Beast in the Land", and the anime cast will appear.

Music CDs

 * Moonlight Wind ( Mika Arisaka, May 2002, 5, Victor Entertainment)
 * Twelve Genmu Suite (July 2002, 7, Victor Entertainment)
 * Twelve Genmu Emaki (October 2002, 10, Victor Entertainment)
 * Mt. Yomogi Kokyu Memories (June 2003, 6, Victor Entertainment)
 * Yasozuki Shizuku Piano Memories (June 2003, 6, Victor Entertainment)

Video games
Konami has released in Japan two games based on Twelve Kingdoms, both produced by Takashi Shimomichi. They are Juuni Kokuki: Guren no Shirube Koujin no Michi and Juuni Kokuki: Kakukakutaru Oudou Kouryoku no Uka. Both games contain footage from the anime and many stills of the characters are used during conversation and during battle. The games are sprite-based, with small sprites used on-screen and larger, highly animated sprites used during battle.


 * Juuni Kokuki: Guren no Shirube Koujin no Michi was released for PlayStation 2 on August 28, 2003. It follows Yoko's journey to becoming Empress of Kei. While classified as an RPG, it is often described as an adventure game. The game was re-released in Konami's The Best lineup on June 9, 2004. Yoko is capable of summoning Keiki's Shirei into battle as well as having additional party members.
 * Juuni Kokuki: Kakukakutaru Oudou Kouryoku no Uka was released for PlayStation 2 on April 4, 2004 and is a sequel to the first game, continuing with Yoko's problems after she becomes the monarch of Kei. Game data from the first game can be loaded into the second. This

One PC version online game was released. Publisher: Asmik Ace Entertainment.


 * "Twelve Kingdoms Online" (Released on June 24, 2003 Service ended on February 24, 2005)

Theater

 * In 1997 and 2000, the all-female theater company "Gekidan Tinka Bell" performed "Sea God of the East, Vast Sea of the West".
 * On July 14th and 15th, 2009, the theater company Himawari performed a stage performance of "Tsuki no Kage Kage no Umi" in Fukuoka.

Reception
Kunihiko Ryo's instrumental opening theme “Jūni Genmukyoku” has been praised for its "sweeping score" that suits "the high fantasy series very well." The end of the song has also been praised for having an "exciting" sound similar to later "swashbuckling main themes" for the Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2011) film soundtracks and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) video game soundtrack.

External Link

 * Novel
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - (Kodansha BOOK Club)
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - (Shinchosha)
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - "yom-yom" (Shinchosha)
 * Television Animation
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - Pierrot Co., Ltd. Official Website
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - (NHK Anime World)
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - NHK Broadcasting History
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - New DVD BOX & Blu-ray BOX information
 * Website
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - Wikipedia in English
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - Wikipedia in Japanese
 * Ono fuyumi "The Twelve Kingdoms" / Shinchosha Official (@12koku_shincho) Twitter
 * The Twelve Kingdoms - Official Facebook Website

Trivia
'' to be added. ''

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