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Twelve Kingdoms, episodes 19-22
Spoilers for the first two Twelve Kingdoms novels, possibly the third as well, and for episodes 1-22 of the anime.
Ep. 19
--Gyousou, don't be so snarky to the attendants about looking after Taiki on your hunting trip. Just because you're from Tai is no guarantee that you value Taiki's safety above your own life--remember that dude you beat up the other day? The one that tried to kidnap Taiki? Yeah, him. He was from Tai, too, just like you. And if you're offended on behalf of your honor, you probably ought to steer clear of smearing theirs. In conclusion, bite me.
--As with this bit in the novel, I can't help thinking that maybe Taiki ought to have considered revealing his total lack of kirin superpowers to Risai and Gyousou BEFORE they flew off to the dangerous hunting grounds. They might have been counting 'on em to make sure he didn't die or something. I don't think they were, but still.
--Taiki's attempt to explain to Gyousou the nature of the fear/awe that Gyousou inspires in him almost made me cry. He totally gets that Gyousou is special, that he's larger than life, but little-kid Taiki can't process what he's seeing and translate it into "personality that would be good in a king." It's so painfully clear that Taiki was just too young to make this choice--he's a young, gentle, inexperienced child, a little bit emotionally damaged, and seemingly intimidated by adults. Non-motherly adults, anyway.
And oh man, I just realized that the story of Taiki-on-Mt. Hou is chock full of mother figures (Taiki's mom, his rotten grandmother, Sanshi, all the attendants of Mt. Hou, Lady Risai), with only about three significant male characters--Keiki, who's maybe an older brother/mentor?, the dude from Tai who tries to kidnap him, who is sort of the epitome of unchecked, uncivilized male aggression, everything a little boy might be afraid of, and then Gyousou, who's like an idealized warrior/father. (I do not count this Shinkun fellow, as he was not in the original novel.) Taiki spends most of the book being either mothered or at least being in the care of mother figures, and then he has to pick a king, and go learn to be a man. Or something like that.
--Sea of Shadow is a wonderful picture of how hard this divine ordination thing is on the kings and queens ordained (both Yoko and ex-queen-Kei serve that story, I think); Sea of Wind is a picture of how hard the divine ordination thing is on the kirin, who are supposed to be doing the ordaining.
--Oh damn, Taiki, you are fine. That monster-taming sequence was as epic as I'd hoped.
--"I wish it were a Shiba..." La. I wish it were a corgi.
--"If he only uses his power to protect others, he might not use it to protect himself." Foreshadowing? But yes, Gyousou, he is a splendid kirin.
--What an awesome double-play that was! The show did a solid job of conveying Taiki's belief that he's betraying Tai and the will of the heavens by prostrating himself in front of Gyousou while also delivering the genuine majesty of the moment. And the neat-o transforming-into-kirin-form bit.
--Gyousou swoops Taiki up and hugs him. How fatherly!
Ep. 20
--Aaaaaand yeah, we're starting to see the shirei popping up in Japan--the beckoning white hand (Sanshi, I'm sure), Gouran rubbing his head against an unsensing Taiki/Kaname's foot (so sweet! I adore dogs and like being able to pretend that Gouran is not a toutetsu, which is to say a terrifying black maw with praying mantis pincers). These little shirei spottings are sort of sad and moving. By their very nature, Sanshi and the shirei are utterly devoted to Taiki, they've apparently never abandoned him, but he has no idea that they're there, that they've been with him this whole time. Hanging around, killing off the local student population. Um. Sad and moving and unsettling. I can't help but think that when Taiki Remembers All and realizes what's been going on, he's going to feel like SHIT. He's clearly as aware as everyone else about the way death and destruction are following him, but there's no rational reason for him to believe that he's actually in any way responsible, or that the accidents and death are happening to protect him from minor harm. When he gets back his kirin awareness and memories, he'll know the rational reasons why--and he's going to be really, really unhappy about it.
--Sure, Keiki says he never regretted choosing his queen NOW. Just you wait a few years, Keiki.
Yeesh, Taiki confesses all that, and you just walk away without a word? Cold, Keiki! Although I know why he did-- he could think of literally nothing he could say to Taiki that would clarify Taiki's misconceptions, so he didn't even try, just took straight off to talk to Enki and En. But you'd think he could pat 'im on the head or something. They're so cute together.
--Thank you, Enki. I totally understand the need for the scenario, mildly traumatizing and physically very unpleasant as it is, but watching En shove Taiki around like that is distressing! He's still a wee little kid.
Then Keiki starts fussing over Taiki as well. Awww, kirin family dynamics. I suppose it's to be expected, kirin being what they are--they might sometimes be reserved and uber-dignified, like ex-Kourin, and Keiki, but they're quite gentle and thoughtful, too.
--En, apparently still smarting from having been knocked on his ass by his own kirin, sarcastically says, "Isn't it beautiful how they care for their own?" Yes, En, it is. Shut up.
--Enki and Keiki yelling together at En for going overboard in terrorizing Taiki is like the funniest thing ever. And then En sulks. Which is also funny.
--Later the kirin all sit around and bitch about their kings. Awesome. Keiki says that he simultaneously knew wassnerame was the one, and also that she'd be a terrible queen, but apaprently they don't get to pick these things. (I am unclear on why Heaven made Keiki pick her then. If she was doomed to fail, why'd they go with her?) Enki just wanted to leave proto-En in Japan, and not bring him back, because he thought kings were destructive by nature. And Taiki just thought Gyousou was scary. Hee!
--Randomly, I can't wait for Yoko and Taiki to meet. I can't help but feel they'd get along.
--Keiki tells Taiki that what he felt wasn't fear, but awe. Which sort of proves my point: Taiki was just too young and emotionally unsophisticated to be able to process that overwhelming awe as anything but fear. This is why we don't normally let children make decisions like this, you know--pretty much by definition, they lack adult judgement.
But, um, what? Doom? In telling Yoko about this story of Taiki, Keiki alludes to DOOM. Apparently Keiki fucked up yet again in something he told Taiki? That's what, three times? When he failed to properly convey to Taiki the nature that the revelation would take, and when he went home to be nice to Yo-ou and she fell in love with him and starting having the women of the palace systematically killed. You suck, Keiki.
--Words fail to convey how AWESOME I find Yoko has she struts around in her robes reciting the Tenchoku, and then points out that it's all common sense, anyway.
Riding on a giant flying turtle! Nice! Yoko knows how to go in style.
--Cut to Japan, where Taiki is attending the funeral of the art teacher who told him to pull his head out of the clouds and paint landscapes and other nice domestic things instead of all that weird fantasy crap, and that he'd be watching Taiki/Kaname clooooosely. And clamped his hands on Taiki's head, which is probably what got him killed by shirei. Eeee! That's kind of creepy. The shirei seem to be racking up quite the body count of innocent bystanders. They apparently have a fatal one-size-fits-all solution for people who attack Taiki, or are mean to him, or touch him, or appear to pose even any kind of subtler danger to him.
--Taiki's mom rejects him now. Harsh! He needs to go back to Mt. Hou, where he has a million mother-figures who totally don't mind that dangerous spirit animals follow him around and maim people who cough in his direction.
Taiki is indeed deeply angsty about not being able to remember that imaginary world where he was very, very happy. I kinda figured he must be, but when Taiki's in Japan, he's not the most talkative person in the world, so one must try to judge his mood based on the precise degree of solemnity that he exhibits at any given point.
Ep. 21
Another recap. Bah. New info in Enki's brief overview on the various kirin and kings of the twelve kingdoms, though.
--I'm really touched by Enki's fervent desire to find Taiki, and his absolute confidence that if he looks long enough, he'll find him.
--One major downside to older Taiki: he is no longer voiced by Rie Kugimiya, and thus is less adorable. Oh well.
Ep. 22
Finally, story I don't know at all! And it starts off with Rakushun! Hooray! He's going to school! And getting shit from the teacher for being a hanjyuu. Doh. Not everything in En is wine and roses after all.
He's clumsy in human form and with human clothes, can't ride a horse, and can't shoot an arrow. But we learn that's he's really, really smart and kicked ass on the examinations and is the best writer in the whole school. Awww, he's a geek. (A geek who's close personal friends with the QUEEN OF KEI.)
Rakushun is so cute in this episode that he might just edge out baby Taiki in the adorability contest. It's gonna be close.
--The friendship bird returns, whee! We find out that Yoko has thirty-two buildings to sleep in. HEAVEN gave them to her. She can't give them back, or use them as hospitals, or refugee shelters or anything, because HEAVEN says that they're just for her to sleep in. Bwah.
--Freakin' Asano. I'd forgotten about him. Now I am reminded that he exists, and reminded that I am annoyed that he exists.
--Yoko is apparently having kind of a rough time settling in--she's not used to monarchy, or to the kind of presence and attitude necessary in a monarch, and when she slips up and forgets the detail of someone's name or positions, her courtiers make fun of her. Awww. Thank god Yoko thought as long and hard as she did before she decided to become queen--if she'd walked into it with less than total certainty, or without having thought it through, or having been toughened into the person she is now, they'd eat her alive. (I have a sudden wave of sympathy for Yo-Ou. I doubt the court made it any easier for her, after all, and she wasn't strong, like Yoko. It must have sucked.)
But wow, Yoko has a great attitude. She knows she's got trouble with her court, but she's determined to weather it out, and stretch her limits. And she admires Rakushun for his composure! Awww! So do I, Yoko. And I admire your composure, too.
--Rakushun's composure is totally shattered by Enki, floating upside-down outside his window. Enki is a little bit of a smartass. And I think he secretly ships Rakushun/Yoko.
--HOLY SHIT SHE IS NAMING THE ERA OF HER RULE AFTER RAKUSHUN. Well, partly naming it after him. That's soromantic cool. Their loveissotrue friendship is the best thing since sliced cheese.
Ep. 19
--Gyousou, don't be so snarky to the attendants about looking after Taiki on your hunting trip. Just because you're from Tai is no guarantee that you value Taiki's safety above your own life--remember that dude you beat up the other day? The one that tried to kidnap Taiki? Yeah, him. He was from Tai, too, just like you. And if you're offended on behalf of your honor, you probably ought to steer clear of smearing theirs. In conclusion, bite me.
--As with this bit in the novel, I can't help thinking that maybe Taiki ought to have considered revealing his total lack of kirin superpowers to Risai and Gyousou BEFORE they flew off to the dangerous hunting grounds. They might have been counting 'on em to make sure he didn't die or something. I don't think they were, but still.
--Taiki's attempt to explain to Gyousou the nature of the fear/awe that Gyousou inspires in him almost made me cry. He totally gets that Gyousou is special, that he's larger than life, but little-kid Taiki can't process what he's seeing and translate it into "personality that would be good in a king." It's so painfully clear that Taiki was just too young to make this choice--he's a young, gentle, inexperienced child, a little bit emotionally damaged, and seemingly intimidated by adults. Non-motherly adults, anyway.
And oh man, I just realized that the story of Taiki-on-Mt. Hou is chock full of mother figures (Taiki's mom, his rotten grandmother, Sanshi, all the attendants of Mt. Hou, Lady Risai), with only about three significant male characters--Keiki, who's maybe an older brother/mentor?, the dude from Tai who tries to kidnap him, who is sort of the epitome of unchecked, uncivilized male aggression, everything a little boy might be afraid of, and then Gyousou, who's like an idealized warrior/father. (I do not count this Shinkun fellow, as he was not in the original novel.) Taiki spends most of the book being either mothered or at least being in the care of mother figures, and then he has to pick a king, and go learn to be a man. Or something like that.
--Sea of Shadow is a wonderful picture of how hard this divine ordination thing is on the kings and queens ordained (both Yoko and ex-queen-Kei serve that story, I think); Sea of Wind is a picture of how hard the divine ordination thing is on the kirin, who are supposed to be doing the ordaining.
--Oh damn, Taiki, you are fine. That monster-taming sequence was as epic as I'd hoped.
--"I wish it were a Shiba..." La. I wish it were a corgi.
--"If he only uses his power to protect others, he might not use it to protect himself." Foreshadowing? But yes, Gyousou, he is a splendid kirin.
--What an awesome double-play that was! The show did a solid job of conveying Taiki's belief that he's betraying Tai and the will of the heavens by prostrating himself in front of Gyousou while also delivering the genuine majesty of the moment. And the neat-o transforming-into-kirin-form bit.
--Gyousou swoops Taiki up and hugs him. How fatherly!
Ep. 20
--Aaaaaand yeah, we're starting to see the shirei popping up in Japan--the beckoning white hand (Sanshi, I'm sure), Gouran rubbing his head against an unsensing Taiki/Kaname's foot (so sweet! I adore dogs and like being able to pretend that Gouran is not a toutetsu, which is to say a terrifying black maw with praying mantis pincers). These little shirei spottings are sort of sad and moving. By their very nature, Sanshi and the shirei are utterly devoted to Taiki, they've apparently never abandoned him, but he has no idea that they're there, that they've been with him this whole time. Hanging around, killing off the local student population. Um. Sad and moving and unsettling. I can't help but think that when Taiki Remembers All and realizes what's been going on, he's going to feel like SHIT. He's clearly as aware as everyone else about the way death and destruction are following him, but there's no rational reason for him to believe that he's actually in any way responsible, or that the accidents and death are happening to protect him from minor harm. When he gets back his kirin awareness and memories, he'll know the rational reasons why--and he's going to be really, really unhappy about it.
--Sure, Keiki says he never regretted choosing his queen NOW. Just you wait a few years, Keiki.
Yeesh, Taiki confesses all that, and you just walk away without a word? Cold, Keiki! Although I know why he did-- he could think of literally nothing he could say to Taiki that would clarify Taiki's misconceptions, so he didn't even try, just took straight off to talk to Enki and En. But you'd think he could pat 'im on the head or something. They're so cute together.
--Thank you, Enki. I totally understand the need for the scenario, mildly traumatizing and physically very unpleasant as it is, but watching En shove Taiki around like that is distressing! He's still a wee little kid.
Then Keiki starts fussing over Taiki as well. Awww, kirin family dynamics. I suppose it's to be expected, kirin being what they are--they might sometimes be reserved and uber-dignified, like ex-Kourin, and Keiki, but they're quite gentle and thoughtful, too.
--En, apparently still smarting from having been knocked on his ass by his own kirin, sarcastically says, "Isn't it beautiful how they care for their own?" Yes, En, it is. Shut up.
--Enki and Keiki yelling together at En for going overboard in terrorizing Taiki is like the funniest thing ever. And then En sulks. Which is also funny.
--Later the kirin all sit around and bitch about their kings. Awesome. Keiki says that he simultaneously knew wassnerame was the one, and also that she'd be a terrible queen, but apaprently they don't get to pick these things. (I am unclear on why Heaven made Keiki pick her then. If she was doomed to fail, why'd they go with her?) Enki just wanted to leave proto-En in Japan, and not bring him back, because he thought kings were destructive by nature. And Taiki just thought Gyousou was scary. Hee!
--Randomly, I can't wait for Yoko and Taiki to meet. I can't help but feel they'd get along.
--Keiki tells Taiki that what he felt wasn't fear, but awe. Which sort of proves my point: Taiki was just too young and emotionally unsophisticated to be able to process that overwhelming awe as anything but fear. This is why we don't normally let children make decisions like this, you know--pretty much by definition, they lack adult judgement.
But, um, what? Doom? In telling Yoko about this story of Taiki, Keiki alludes to DOOM. Apparently Keiki fucked up yet again in something he told Taiki? That's what, three times? When he failed to properly convey to Taiki the nature that the revelation would take, and when he went home to be nice to Yo-ou and she fell in love with him and starting having the women of the palace systematically killed. You suck, Keiki.
--Words fail to convey how AWESOME I find Yoko has she struts around in her robes reciting the Tenchoku, and then points out that it's all common sense, anyway.
Riding on a giant flying turtle! Nice! Yoko knows how to go in style.
--Cut to Japan, where Taiki is attending the funeral of the art teacher who told him to pull his head out of the clouds and paint landscapes and other nice domestic things instead of all that weird fantasy crap, and that he'd be watching Taiki/Kaname clooooosely. And clamped his hands on Taiki's head, which is probably what got him killed by shirei. Eeee! That's kind of creepy. The shirei seem to be racking up quite the body count of innocent bystanders. They apparently have a fatal one-size-fits-all solution for people who attack Taiki, or are mean to him, or touch him, or appear to pose even any kind of subtler danger to him.
--Taiki's mom rejects him now. Harsh! He needs to go back to Mt. Hou, where he has a million mother-figures who totally don't mind that dangerous spirit animals follow him around and maim people who cough in his direction.
Taiki is indeed deeply angsty about not being able to remember that imaginary world where he was very, very happy. I kinda figured he must be, but when Taiki's in Japan, he's not the most talkative person in the world, so one must try to judge his mood based on the precise degree of solemnity that he exhibits at any given point.
Ep. 21
Another recap. Bah. New info in Enki's brief overview on the various kirin and kings of the twelve kingdoms, though.
--I'm really touched by Enki's fervent desire to find Taiki, and his absolute confidence that if he looks long enough, he'll find him.
--One major downside to older Taiki: he is no longer voiced by Rie Kugimiya, and thus is less adorable. Oh well.
Ep. 22
Finally, story I don't know at all! And it starts off with Rakushun! Hooray! He's going to school! And getting shit from the teacher for being a hanjyuu. Doh. Not everything in En is wine and roses after all.
He's clumsy in human form and with human clothes, can't ride a horse, and can't shoot an arrow. But we learn that's he's really, really smart and kicked ass on the examinations and is the best writer in the whole school. Awww, he's a geek. (A geek who's close personal friends with the QUEEN OF KEI.)
Rakushun is so cute in this episode that he might just edge out baby Taiki in the adorability contest. It's gonna be close.
--The friendship bird returns, whee! We find out that Yoko has thirty-two buildings to sleep in. HEAVEN gave them to her. She can't give them back, or use them as hospitals, or refugee shelters or anything, because HEAVEN says that they're just for her to sleep in. Bwah.
--Freakin' Asano. I'd forgotten about him. Now I am reminded that he exists, and reminded that I am annoyed that he exists.
--Yoko is apparently having kind of a rough time settling in--she's not used to monarchy, or to the kind of presence and attitude necessary in a monarch, and when she slips up and forgets the detail of someone's name or positions, her courtiers make fun of her. Awww. Thank god Yoko thought as long and hard as she did before she decided to become queen--if she'd walked into it with less than total certainty, or without having thought it through, or having been toughened into the person she is now, they'd eat her alive. (I have a sudden wave of sympathy for Yo-Ou. I doubt the court made it any easier for her, after all, and she wasn't strong, like Yoko. It must have sucked.)
But wow, Yoko has a great attitude. She knows she's got trouble with her court, but she's determined to weather it out, and stretch her limits. And she admires Rakushun for his composure! Awww! So do I, Yoko. And I admire your composure, too.
--Rakushun's composure is totally shattered by Enki, floating upside-down outside his window. Enki is a little bit of a smartass. And I think he secretly ships Rakushun/Yoko.
--HOLY SHIT SHE IS NAMING THE ERA OF HER RULE AFTER RAKUSHUN. Well, partly naming it after him. That's so
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YAY SHOW SUPPORTS MY OTPthese will be fun episodes to watch. *dignified*no subject