Forum - View topicKino's Journey / The Twelve Kingdoms
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Fui
 Posts: 339 |
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I was browsing through the top 50 list and saw these two animes and was wondering about them, and I'm not really sure what kind of animes they are. Does anyone have any input on them or what they're like? Is Kino's Journey like the Miyazaki films, or is there fighting or romance or anything? I like animes like Samurai X OVA, Love Hina, Evangelion, Azumanga Daioh, Beck, so nearly all "good" anime in any genre. I can see why people like Miyazaki films and all but they're not really my thing...Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away were ok but resembled too much like Disney to me with random magical things happening left and right. Anyway any input would be appreciated because I'm considering buying the box sets for each. Thanks.
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Iemander
 Posts: 443 |
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I don't know anything about Kino's Journey (A hard anime to find), but The Twelve Kingdoms is by all means a definite classic which should not be missed by pretty much anyone.
Twelve Kingdoms takes itself very serious, and is basically about a rising queen in a fantasy (based on chinese mythology no less) kingdom. The stories are basically about turmoil within the kingdom, exploration of the different species and different other Kingdoms (12 in total as the name says), etc. It sounds a little boring as I say it like this, but it's rather hard to explain at the same time. It might as well just be the overall production values, great voice acting and artwork work very well with an interesting storyline and characters. Like many others on this board, I can really recommend 12 kingdoms. |
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Cloe
Moderator
 Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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Kino's Journey is quite unlike anything else I've ever seen. It's an excellent show, but if you're looking for sweeping epic and romance, look elsewhere. It's about a traveller named Kino and her motorbike, Hermes, who simply visit different countries and observe a variety of cultures. I realize that sounds a little cut-and-dry, but it really isn't. Almost every location Kino visits raises philosophical and sometimes moral questions. There is more than one instance in which a particular society possesses a duality that co-exists with both good and bad. The fun of the show comes from scraping away initial impressions of each country Kino visits and uncovering the secrets that lie within. I can't recommend it enough. You should definitely pick up the box set.
Twelve Kingdoms is slightly less to my taste. Admittedly, I haven't watched the entire series from beginning to end, but what I've seen is more of a standard fantasy story. The artwork is beautiful, though, and the story does get addictive. I just prefer Kino more because of the creativity of the storytelling and how different it is from most other anime. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18389 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Kino's Journey is very different from anything Miyazaki has made - or really anything else in anime, for that matter. It's a series about a boyish-looking young woman named Kino who travels around on a talking motorcycle, visiting a different land in each episode. Each land is distinctly odd in its own way: in one land the people have no direct interaction with each other because they've developed telepathic abilities so powerful that the other voices in their heads drive them crazy at close range, in another the country is destroyed by democracy being taken to the ultimate extreme, in the only two-episode arc people must win deadly single-elimination tournaments to become citizens, and so forth. A very interesting series with a lot of subtle but powerful social commentary.
Twelve Kingdoms is a long (45-episode) series which is probably the ultimate example of fantasy world-building. It's equal parts meticulous construction of a fascinating world designed around the Chinese Zodiac and a "coming of age" story for the main character Yohko, who must learn to confront and overcome her weaknesses while struggling to find (and later accept) her ultimately very important place in this world. Great stuff, also one of the prettiest-looking of all anime series. I highly recommend both. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6897 Location: Kazune City |
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Hard to find? ADV just re-released Kino's Journey in Thinpak format a few months ago; it's all over the place. Unfortunately, I haven't seen either show (yet), so this is the only comment I can make. |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Key explained just about everything, but...
Em, no. Not a single bit. ^.^' I'll explain it later today. This is probably the only part of history that I know more than abunai does. :P |
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Iemander
Posts: 443 |
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Weird, the anime stores here in Belgium that I asked barely knew it existed. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18389 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Er, sorry, I'm in the middle of watching Fruits Basket, so maybe I let my mind wander on that. 
It's Chinese mythology and not Zodiac, isn't it? |
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Fui
Posts: 339 |
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Hmmmm I think I'll get them if I can find the thinpaks again. They sound like they're worth seeing.
I also saw the box set for "Angelic Layer." Has anyone seen this one too? The reviews on ANN look somewhat weak, so I'm a little unsure whether it's any good. Could anyone give a quick breakdown of that one if it's any good or what kind of anime it is? It seems like a magical-girl-CLAMP type anime but I could be totally off. Thanks. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
Posts: 6897 Location: Kazune City |
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First off, to Iemander: Sorry for my blind Americentrism; I tend to ASS-ume that people are in the US or some other anime-adundant area if I don't see info for "location" in the profile. On Angelic Layer: Your mileage may vary, depending on how much you like cuteness. Angelic Layer is one of my favorite series, and also a bit of an oddity--many people say it's better than its manga version, and it's also supposedly a CLAMP show aimed at boys. (I can't say anything about the manga, but I have a hard time believing that it's a boys' show.) It's not really "magical girl"; a better comparison might be something like "Pokemon with dolls," or in other terms, "Battle Barbie." Once the main character, Suzuhara Misaki, arrives in Tokyo and learns how to play the game, AL moves into a "fighting tournament" setup. I believe that the reviews said that the Angel battles were uninvolving, but if you set aside their predictability, you have a bunch of well-animated, increasingly elaborate fights, with creative doll costumes and spoiler[arena backgrounds,] starting at episode 13. But despite all the fighting, I really can't believe that it's aimed at boys; imo, the show is really about characters and relationships, mainly the friendships that Misaki makes, and Misaki's estranged mother, from whom she's been separated for years. Some junior-high romance takes place as well, and the real drama that concludes the series is relationship drama, not fighting. So, to avoid writing too much, if you like heartwarming yet sad cuteness with a side order of fighting, Angelic Layer is a good show. Beyond that, it has gorgeous artwork and great voice talent (in both languages) for its many characters. If you're looking for serious, mature, "deep-thinking" anime, then Angelic Layer isn't a good choice.[/spoiler] |
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Villhelmya
 Posts: 66 Location: London, England |
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Kinos journey is the greatest anime ever, i usualy like mecha and violent stuff e.g gundam wing/seed and gantz but kinos journey tops them all. even my freinds liked it at a first watch, one in to romance and the other in to action. its good for everybody and a must watch.
never herd of twelve kingdoms though |
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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Both series are amazing. I believe both are based off of novels which is a big plus in my opinion, but there are a couple other current threads where I've already gone into details. Kino's Journey reminds me of the older Matsumoto series like Ginga Tetsudo 999. It also resembles some of the older Twilight Zone episodes. The stories are morality plays that are a must for anyone who likes fables and myths. Twelve Kingdoms is a collection of complex stories that are inter-related. This is a series worth rewatching (actually both are) since there are little things mentioned in the earlier episodes that are not mentioned again until much later in the series. Both series have a good amount of backstory, and much is left unsaid which might be due to the fact that they are based off of novels. spoiler[Is the character design for Shouryuu in Horai the same? Isn't he a taika like Yoko, so wouldn't he look different when he travels to En? Rokuta also looks very similar (besides the hair) but then again he is a Kirin.]
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Yes. I've finished the first arc of 12K novel and I own vol. 1-8 of Kino (finished till vol. 4 now).
Sorry for the delay. Most monsters were modeled after a famous Chinese mythology / geography book named Shan Hai Jing (山海經, "Record of Mountains and Seas"), the first geographical book in human history. It also contains several important folk tales about ancient Chinese history (think about Old Testament) way before writings was invented; most of them were inherited from words of mouth though, only to be compiled and edited in first century BC. Like most geographic books in the ancient times, it contains many fictional animals and plants. |
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I'll explain it later today.
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