The Twelve Kingdoms Thoughts
Apr. 6th, 2011 04:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaEpisodes 1 - 21
- I love the mythology and world of this series. It's interesting and I want to know so much more about it. In fact, beyond that, I would love to watch/read a series with a similar sort of set up: kirin/magical creature working directly for the divine who chooses the new ruler who becomes immortal but is punished with death if they misuse their power. I love how people are born from eggs/seeds from a tree (after their parents place a ribbon with their wish on it) –very neat! I like the half beast people. I love the whole set up with the rulers and kirins and sages and the nyoukai.
- I really ended up liking how this anime handled female characters. It’s not perfect (... so all the sage’s and myokai are female why again? Because women are just naturally nurturing and devoted to caring for others? Um) but there are women everywhere in many positions and roles and it really does feel like women are fifty percent of the population. Well for the most part; it would be nice to get more. Most of the soldiers and background shop keepers/sailors/guards tend to be male and I’d really like to see more female characters in those roles.
But then we get the leader of the village in episode 2 being an old woman and the boss of the Shusei an old woman as well. Youko is attacked by the men in episode 2 but when she draws her sword they fall back shocked and scared and it’s a woman who attacks her (stupid, sure, but also braver than any of the men who were fine attacking a girl when she appears defenseless but not so much when she’s not). There’s Bishin who helps Youko and her daughter. There were all the nameless women, young and old, in Shoryu’s flashbacks that wanted to fight and came back to do so. In part 2 we get General Risai which was great to see. Then of course there are the sages and the kirin and the nyoukai.
- The beginning was a little difficult to get through or more specifically I found it difficult to connect to Youko and so I spent a fair amount of time being exasperated. She was so meek and apologetic and came off so hesitant and timid that I just didn’t really like her. I kept wanting to shake her.
Also as the only person who could speak the language in the twelve kingdoms she really failed as a translator in those first few episodes. Yuka would ask ‘what did he say’ or something else and Youko would either completely ignore her or start crying. I was surprised Yuka never slapped her! However it quickly became obvious that this story was about Youko growing into herself and I found her behaviour a lot easier to take.
- “Me trusting someone and that person betraying me have nothing to do with each other. That’s right I’m all alone. That’s why everything about me will be decided by me. ... I’m going to be nice because I want to! I’m going to believe because I want to believe!” – Youko. This moment in episode 7 was the moment where Youko won me over. I was very ♥ about it. I pretty much love everything about it. I love Youko pointing out that people’s actions are their own. Someone can be cruel but that doesn’t mean you have to be cruel too. You forgiving or ignoring them is about you not them. I loved Youko’s declaration that she is in control of her life and herself. I loved her deciding to be a good person – not because it’s expected, or in order to get people to like her or because it’s easier but because that is the type of person she is.
- “I just did the same thing you did. I did what I wanted to do.” – Youko, after being thanked in episode 8. I really liked this because with her first sentence she was giving him kudos for being himself and strong and then her acknowledging her new view of life – her actions are about her and who she wants to be.
- “No, this is my own selfishness. I just wanted you to trust me but trusting me or not is your own business.” – Rakushun, episode 9. This show is very much about people acting for themselves and people not being beholden to behave a certain way to other people or required to respond a certain way. I like that. Here Rakushun wanted Youko to just trust him but I love him realising/stating that in the end it’s entirely up to her and he shouldn’t be placing his desire for her trust over her own wishes/wants.
- I find it very interesting that Suka has had a fairly large role in the first two stories for the series. She has gotten her own plotline and character growth. Meanwhile Asano – didn’t. In fact he disappears part way through the first story and hasn’t been seen again. I doubt he’s dead but it’s interesting that we haven’t seen anything about him while Suka still gets her own story separate from Youko.
- I did feel for Suka a lot in the beginning. Her desperation to be special, to basically get what Youko got and didn’t want – to be the chosen one in a foreign and magical land, to have people devoted to her and respected, to be the extraordinary one – is something I could really sympathise with. How horrible would it be to get that – the magical world and creatures, the destiny and respect, and then to find out that it’s not actually for you? You’re not the special one. Ouch. But then Suka rather goes off the deep end there for awhile and I lost a lot of that sympathy.
- Goson being allowed to leave with no punishment, let alone his life, left me dumbfounded. I mean seriously what the fuck? He tried to steal Taiki, and hurt him in the process, and he’s let off with a strongly worded ‘go away’? And then he actually manages to return to try again, if with a different method, are you kidding me? Are there no guards in this place? And then he still isn’t punished in any obvious way! In fact he ends up being conscripted into working for Gyousou. It’s rather aggravating.
Then there is the fact that in episode 19 Taiki was allowed to go off with just Gyousou and Risai to hunt a sugu - which is basically a dangerous wild creature. The fact that Taiki was lost for ten years should be enough to make everyone overprotective in itself but added to the attempted kidnapping (twice!) makes the fact that he was allowed to go off with them completely inexplicable. Yeah, Ri was rude but she didn’t stop them or demand a number of guards. Actually why didn’t any of the sage’s go with them?
Then when they’re attacked by the Toutetsu, Sanshi’s actions made me scratch my head a bit. More than anyone she should be ridiculously overprotective of him and yet when he runs past her she doesn’t just appear in front of him like she could have and then after he orders her to ‘take care of’ Risai she doesn’t just dump her outside the cave and immediately return to Taiki’s side. Even if she couldn’t do anything I don’t understand why she wouldn’t stay by his side anyway?
- I find myself curious about romantic matters. Keiki’s previous empress fell in love with him, though I’d really classify it more as obsession and delusion at least towards the end there, but do rulers and the kirin ever become a couple in a romantic way? They are bound together for their entire lives, tighter than any other bond they’ll share, and I can definitely see it happening. I don’t actually see it between any of the rulers/kirin we’ve seen in the first two stories – En’s pair, no; Tai’s new pair definitely not; and with Youko and Keiko not really actually.
What about relationships between various rulers? I’m a little intrigued in the idea of Youko and Shoryu. It would be difficult as rulers of separate kingdoms but would there be something specifically against it I wonder. I also like Youka/Gyousou.
- I love the mythology and world of this series. It's interesting and I want to know so much more about it. In fact, beyond that, I would love to watch/read a series with a similar sort of set up: kirin/magical creature working directly for the divine who chooses the new ruler who becomes immortal but is punished with death if they misuse their power. I love how people are born from eggs/seeds from a tree (after their parents place a ribbon with their wish on it) –very neat! I like the half beast people. I love the whole set up with the rulers and kirins and sages and the nyoukai.
- I really ended up liking how this anime handled female characters. It’s not perfect (... so all the sage’s and myokai are female why again? Because women are just naturally nurturing and devoted to caring for others? Um) but there are women everywhere in many positions and roles and it really does feel like women are fifty percent of the population. Well for the most part; it would be nice to get more. Most of the soldiers and background shop keepers/sailors/guards tend to be male and I’d really like to see more female characters in those roles.
But then we get the leader of the village in episode 2 being an old woman and the boss of the Shusei an old woman as well. Youko is attacked by the men in episode 2 but when she draws her sword they fall back shocked and scared and it’s a woman who attacks her (stupid, sure, but also braver than any of the men who were fine attacking a girl when she appears defenseless but not so much when she’s not). There’s Bishin who helps Youko and her daughter. There were all the nameless women, young and old, in Shoryu’s flashbacks that wanted to fight and came back to do so. In part 2 we get General Risai which was great to see. Then of course there are the sages and the kirin and the nyoukai.
- The beginning was a little difficult to get through or more specifically I found it difficult to connect to Youko and so I spent a fair amount of time being exasperated. She was so meek and apologetic and came off so hesitant and timid that I just didn’t really like her. I kept wanting to shake her.
Also as the only person who could speak the language in the twelve kingdoms she really failed as a translator in those first few episodes. Yuka would ask ‘what did he say’ or something else and Youko would either completely ignore her or start crying. I was surprised Yuka never slapped her! However it quickly became obvious that this story was about Youko growing into herself and I found her behaviour a lot easier to take.
- “Me trusting someone and that person betraying me have nothing to do with each other. That’s right I’m all alone. That’s why everything about me will be decided by me. ... I’m going to be nice because I want to! I’m going to believe because I want to believe!” – Youko. This moment in episode 7 was the moment where Youko won me over. I was very ♥ about it. I pretty much love everything about it. I love Youko pointing out that people’s actions are their own. Someone can be cruel but that doesn’t mean you have to be cruel too. You forgiving or ignoring them is about you not them. I loved Youko’s declaration that she is in control of her life and herself. I loved her deciding to be a good person – not because it’s expected, or in order to get people to like her or because it’s easier but because that is the type of person she is.
- “I just did the same thing you did. I did what I wanted to do.” – Youko, after being thanked in episode 8. I really liked this because with her first sentence she was giving him kudos for being himself and strong and then her acknowledging her new view of life – her actions are about her and who she wants to be.
- “No, this is my own selfishness. I just wanted you to trust me but trusting me or not is your own business.” – Rakushun, episode 9. This show is very much about people acting for themselves and people not being beholden to behave a certain way to other people or required to respond a certain way. I like that. Here Rakushun wanted Youko to just trust him but I love him realising/stating that in the end it’s entirely up to her and he shouldn’t be placing his desire for her trust over her own wishes/wants.
- I find it very interesting that Suka has had a fairly large role in the first two stories for the series. She has gotten her own plotline and character growth. Meanwhile Asano – didn’t. In fact he disappears part way through the first story and hasn’t been seen again. I doubt he’s dead but it’s interesting that we haven’t seen anything about him while Suka still gets her own story separate from Youko.
- I did feel for Suka a lot in the beginning. Her desperation to be special, to basically get what Youko got and didn’t want – to be the chosen one in a foreign and magical land, to have people devoted to her and respected, to be the extraordinary one – is something I could really sympathise with. How horrible would it be to get that – the magical world and creatures, the destiny and respect, and then to find out that it’s not actually for you? You’re not the special one. Ouch. But then Suka rather goes off the deep end there for awhile and I lost a lot of that sympathy.
- Goson being allowed to leave with no punishment, let alone his life, left me dumbfounded. I mean seriously what the fuck? He tried to steal Taiki, and hurt him in the process, and he’s let off with a strongly worded ‘go away’? And then he actually manages to return to try again, if with a different method, are you kidding me? Are there no guards in this place? And then he still isn’t punished in any obvious way! In fact he ends up being conscripted into working for Gyousou. It’s rather aggravating.
Then there is the fact that in episode 19 Taiki was allowed to go off with just Gyousou and Risai to hunt a sugu - which is basically a dangerous wild creature. The fact that Taiki was lost for ten years should be enough to make everyone overprotective in itself but added to the attempted kidnapping (twice!) makes the fact that he was allowed to go off with them completely inexplicable. Yeah, Ri was rude but she didn’t stop them or demand a number of guards. Actually why didn’t any of the sage’s go with them?
Then when they’re attacked by the Toutetsu, Sanshi’s actions made me scratch my head a bit. More than anyone she should be ridiculously overprotective of him and yet when he runs past her she doesn’t just appear in front of him like she could have and then after he orders her to ‘take care of’ Risai she doesn’t just dump her outside the cave and immediately return to Taiki’s side. Even if she couldn’t do anything I don’t understand why she wouldn’t stay by his side anyway?
- I find myself curious about romantic matters. Keiki’s previous empress fell in love with him, though I’d really classify it more as obsession and delusion at least towards the end there, but do rulers and the kirin ever become a couple in a romantic way? They are bound together for their entire lives, tighter than any other bond they’ll share, and I can definitely see it happening. I don’t actually see it between any of the rulers/kirin we’ve seen in the first two stories – En’s pair, no; Tai’s new pair definitely not; and with Youko and Keiko not really actually.
What about relationships between various rulers? I’m a little intrigued in the idea of Youko and Shoryu. It would be difficult as rulers of separate kingdoms but would there be something specifically against it I wonder. I also like Youka/Gyousou.
