Twelve Kingdoms #4

Twelve Kingdoms Mini-Feature

十二国記 - Juuni Kokuki - Juuni Kokki - 12 Kokuki - The Twelve Countries - Twelve Kingdoms

Atsuyu threatens father Atsuyu threatens his father

Episode Synopses

www.12kingdoms.us Short synopses of eps 1-39
Animetique Long synopses of eps 1-10.
www.tv.com Synopses of eps 1-38

Synopses – Twelve Countries eps #39-45.

Ep #39 (last episode of the "A Thousand Miles of Wind, The Sky of Dawn" arc).
The Royal sky-borne troops approach the battle area. Keiki arrives in his unicorn form and Youko takes to the air on his back. Only a Royal person could do this, so at this point Jinrai realises that Youko is the Queen. She asks him what he thinks he is doing, and when he submits to her authority she orders him to capture Gahou with his troops. She thanks Kantai for his help. He asks that Kouhan be cleared of suspicion.
Asano (the youth who came to the twelve kingdoms at the same time as Youko) is dead. Youko wants to bury him in Kei, thinking he would have preferred this. The two girls (Suzu and Shoukou) discuss their futures with Youko.
Koukan (former lord of Baku province) asks for mercy. Roles of Seikyou and Enho's School of Morality is explained. Rakushun receives a message from Shoukou.
Youko makes her speech to the court, and also announces that she wishes to abolish the custom of having everybody bow and kneel in her presence.

CD Audio Drama 3 ep #39.5

This 17 minute drama fits into the animé story here.
Kantai and Youko discuss Gekkei (the provincial lord now governing the whole of Hou) and the question of Shoukou's legal country of residence. Youko wants Kantai to take a message to Gekkei, but Kantai refuses to go on this diplomatic mission, and having refused a Royal order, has to resign his post. He meets Rakushun (who is in human form) at an inn. The two have never met before. They start by admiring each other's steeds and fall into conversation. Kantai, like Rakushun, is a half-beast. They talk over the issue of Kantai's recent resignation, and Kantai reveals that he was unwilling to remain as General of the Left Division because as a half-beast he suspected the motives for this appointment. After talking to Rakushun he realises that he was wrong.

Episode 40 – Ally of the Moon.

In the kingdom of Hou, Kantai visits the lord of Kei province and interim ruler of the whole Kingdom, Gekkei. Gekkei is reluctant to receive the message because he is unhappy about presenting himself as head of state after having killed the King. Gekkei admired the previous ruler's pure principles even though his campaign of executions was insufferable. Eventually Kantai, who like Youko, sees that Hou needs an effective ruler, talks Gekkei round to the idea of his court being neither a Royal court, nor a false Court, but a “interim Moon court”...
Shoukou meanwhile wants to return to the kingdom of Kyou to make amends for her jewel theft there. The queen of Kyou reacts angrily to the diplomatic feelers and declares that the criminal Shoukou is banished from Kyou, and if she ever visits the country, she will be thrown out. Actually this is not a severe punishment at all, though the guilt -ridden Shoukou does not see it that way.

Episode #41

Youko and Rakushun catch up with Shouryuu, king of En, who is in a provincial town, contemplating an old grave. This scene is a framing device for the several episodes of "Sea God of the East, Azure Sea of the West" that follow. The action took place hundreds of years previously, just 20 years into Shouryuu's reign.
Shouryuu is sweeping the yard at a brothel after spending a night there gambling. His ministers complain forcefully that he is neglecting his duties. Suspicious activity is emanating from Gen province and the ministers suspect that an armed rebellion is being prepared. The province is controlled by Atsuyu, son of the appointed governor who was in office during the reign of the previous disastrous King. Rokuta, the Taiho of En, receives a mysterious visitor, whose name he recollects. This precedes a flashback another 20 years to a time when Rokuta met a nameless boy riding on a big, omnivorous youma. Rokuta named the boy Kouya.
Kouya, now a young man, leads Rokuta to a hill outside the town, where Rokuta's escort is killed by the youma (and eaten), and Rokuta is made helpless by a threat to feed a child to the youma. Rokuta, who emotionally hates blood and killing, is forced to comply, and is kidnapped.
Lady Ribi, a former judicial minister, is appointed as Royal Investigator by Shouryuu, but is captured in Gen province and imprisoned. Rokuta, now imprisoned in the capital of Gen province, is visited by Kouya, who is now working for Atsuyu. They try to persuade Rokuta to their point of view. Decades previously, the previous king broke the embankment of the river that flows through the province, and the area is now subject to seasonal flooding. Atsuyu wants a flood-control embankment built, but under the traditional constitution such works are a Royal prerogative. However Shoryuu has refused to do anything. Rokuta, while describing Shoryuu as an “idiot” refuses to be budged, as he knows that Shoryuu will never agree to surrender any of his royal prerogatives.
In prison, Rokuta meets Lady Ribi. Kouya fits magical cords around both their foreheads, warning them that these are to prevent them escaping (if the Taiho used his kirin powers he could probably fly away), and that if the cords are broken the results will be mutually fatal.

Episode #42

Atsuyu ousted his father, because his father had co-operated with the disastrous previous Emperor. There is an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Rokuta to the Gen province point of view. Shoryuu, meanwhile is being frivolous.
Flashback to Atsuyu rescuing Kouya from the wild.
Flashback to Rokuta's abandonment as a child in medieval rural Japan.
At the royal capital, an insolent request is received from Gen province. It looks like Shoryuu might have the envoy executed, but to the old man's relief Shouryuu sends him back unharmed. Military preparations are made.
In Gen, Ribi cuts the magical string on Rokuta's forehead. This has the effect of releasing Rokuta. As for its effect on Ribi, she does not appear in the animé any more...

Episode #43

(summarised from raw episode)
Flashback to Shouryuu's bloody last stand in Japan decades previously, during which Shouryuu's father dies.
A river embankment is under construction.
Rokuta, who looks sick, staggers through the basements of the palace. A woman has given him clothes and helped him escape. Rokuta makes some unpleasant discoveries in the basement. Meanwhile the woman who helped Rokuta escape is caught by Kouya, and the youma eats her.
Rokuta finds an old man called Genkai imprisoned in the cellars. (I think this is Atsuyu's father).

Episode #44

(summarised from raw episode)
Soldiers. A river scene, with soldiers riding through the shallows.
The basement of the Gen palace – soldiers – Rokuta is found by Shouryuu who, as indicated earlier, has enlisted himself covertly in the short-of-manpower Gen armed forces. Scene in the Royal capital.
Scene with Rokuta and Kouya, and Shouryuu, who identifies himself.
Flashback to Shouryuu's last bloody day in medieval Japan.
Kouya leaves with the Youma.
Soldiers (I think these are Gen provincial soldiers) and labourers fight at the embankment.
Rokuta confronts Atsuyu at a function in the palace.
More soldiers arrive at the embankment and attack the first group.
The old envoy confronts Atsuyu in the Gen palace.
Shouryuu confronts Atsuyu and threatens him at sword-point. Atsuyu submits to Shouryuu's authority, but as soon as Shouryuu turns his back, grabs the sword and and lunges at Shouryuu. He is killed by Shouryuu's creature which emerges from the floor.
At the river, green-sleeved soldiers guard blue-sleeved soldiers (It looks like the Royal forces won).
On a palace terrace, a scene with Kouya, the big youma, Shouryuu, and Rokuta. Kouya flies off on the youma.

Episode #45

(summarised from raw episode).
Last episode of the animé – only 45 were made, not the projected 68 or so. There is little if any new animation in this episode (tagged as a Reminiscence Chapter)– it looks like flashbacks from the action of episodes #41-#44 overdubbed with some after-the -event- explanation.
Before the episode main titles, Youko, in full Royal regalia, appears before a vast assembly at her palace.
Flashback to Atsuyu threatening his father, the provincial governor.
Flashback to Shouryuu's last day in Japan.
Flashback to the kidnapping of Rokuta.
Scene with En royal soldiers.

The Twelve Kingdoms #4

Twelve Kingdoms Mini-Feature

Episode Synopses