Tentei split the world into 12 countries. To each country he gave an emperor, whom should have eternal life so long as he did not abuse the people, raise taxes, or make war on other countries. So that the people would know their emperor a benevolent beast called a Kirin, part unicorn and part deer, would be given to each country. They alone would demonstrate Tentei’s will and choose the emperor for each nation, and if their emperor was weak or cruel then they would suffer a wasting disease and eventually die. The emperor would then die within a year and a new Kirin would be born.

12 Countries, also known as 12 Kokuki and Juuni Kokki, begins in modern day Japan, following a meek girl named Yoko. She wants only to be praised, and will not risk doing anything that might people think less of her. She is only stubborn about one thing, her long, naturally red hair which she refuses to cut or dye. At school she has two friends, an unpopular girl named Yuka who dislikes her because Yoko who won’t talk to her when other people are around them, and a boy named Asano who Yoko has a crush on. Then Yoko’s life is changed as a strange, pale man enters their classroom, bows before Yoko, and pledges his life to hers. Confused, Yoko tries to flee, but soon a monsterous bird arrives and begins slaughtering her classmates. She and the man, Keiki, then flee to the roof top, where Asano and Yuka had been skipping class.

Keiki gives Yoko a sword, but she tosses it away, afraid of using it. Yuka boldly declares that she’ll use the sword but is rebuffed by Keiki, who says that Yoko is the only one who can use it. As Yoko is paralyzed by fear, Keiki begins to summon huge beasts to fight the bird, much to Yoko’s dismay and Yuka’s delight. The retreat to a safer place, and after the bird is taken care of, Keiki informs Yoko that she must go with him to another world. She refuses to leave without her friends, and so Yoko, Yuka, and Asano get swept into the world of the 12 Countries. Almost immediately after arriving, Keiki is separated from the group, leaving the trio to find their own way around and leaving Yoko to discover her role in this strange world.

12 Countries is an epic tale, based on a series of novels by Fuyumi Ono, and with a projected length of 68 episodes, the anime series intends to flesh out most of this fantastic world. The story does not always follow the original trio of characters, and will often follow another character for a couple of episodes to flesh out details of the world or the history behind an important character. Politics and religion are inseparably bound together in the 12 Countries and the series does an excellent job of explaining the increasing complexities of the world at a pace that is both easy to grasp and never boring. The characters as well grow at a realistic base, with some events spurring major growth and despair causing lapses into old bad habits. The characters feel like real people, and their joy and sorrow are very touching.

This series is visually stunning. The character design is bright and complex, and the traditional big eyes and chibi goofiness of many anime series. The world itself is realized well, with the backgrounds being bright and distinct and the architecture being consistent throughout the series. Later episodes lack the OAV-like quality of animation, but the series never gets choppy or resorts to using stock footage. The sound quality is also extremely good, and the music picked for the series is excellent. Using a mixture of classical Japanese and Korean music styles as its base, the music always sounds delightfully exotic without being too alien. Battle sequences have a more techno throb with some bass added to the music, while flying sequences are often accompanied with an airy tune that takes your breath away. The opening and ending themes both really prepare you to enter this other world realized so perfectly by the series.



While one might be tempted to draw comparisons to Fushigi Yuugi and Escaflowne, 12 Countries is darker fare than the usual “girl whisked away to a fairytale world”. Its ever more complex world, incredible characters, and political depth make this a great series for fans of epic fantasy novels - Angie 'Foodbunny' Dietrich .