Forum - View topicTwelve Kingdoms
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SuperOnizuka
 Posts: 421 Location: When I look At the World- New Jersey |
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I am sure this is the most appropriate spot for this...
I am amazed at how gripped I was reading this, as well, as seeing all my expectations to be questioned. It was just a phenomenal novel. I enjoyed how Ono pulled me into the first chapter when she introduced us to Yoko. Not very often do I get emotionally upset at a character of fiction, but I have here. I was really upset at how Yoko spoiler[totally neglected Sugimoto, ]while she herself was an outcast in the class and family. Not only for her being a redhead but also her totally passive and wanting to appease everyone mentality. I believe those are the main traits that made her an outcast of her class and family. Back to the point, the fact that she joined spoiler[her "friends" in neglecting Sugimoto was just .... upsetting]. That's probably an adolescent thing, but it is entirely disappointing. Isn't high school an important transitory period of a child's life in Japan? Where they create bonds, references, and social links? So for Yoko spoiler[to outcast Sugimoto, not out of her not liking her, but joining her so called friends, into further isolation] .... is just sad. I was also amazed aspoiler[t how many events took place in the first volume. I didn't expect what the first three DVDs covered to be covered in one volume]. And Tokyopop's site lists 7 novels thus far, as well, in a the recent interview, Ono's continued interest in furthering the story, makes me wonder how much richer the story will be. What I did miss was that, though Sugimoto wasn't part of Yoko's journey into the other world, was the scene where Sugimoto confronts Yoko for the last time. Which was in the anime. That was where Yoko finally took a transitory role from passive, pansy to a mature person set to become a great queen. That was one of the best scenes in the anime. Of which I sorely miss while reading through the novel. I can't wait to be taken into a journey observing Yoko's journey towards becoming a queen now. I really want the volumes to be published faster! |
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Not a Jellyfish
 Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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SPOILERS ABOUND. CAUTION. I didn't use tags because I'd have to tag the whole thing.
I was quite disappointed with the novel actually. I was very excited when it came out, and bought it on the first day. However, I felt like I had to trudge through 300+ pages before I started actually enjoying it. I didn't really like it until Yoko reaches En. Although, I have yet to see the anime, so I'm reading it cold. I was very upset by the fact that from the beginning, Yoko was asking everyone all these questions and such, she never asked anyone what or who a taiho was. The whole time, I kept thinking, oh, what about the Taiho. All she ever did was mention his name, and with the number of times that the word "taiho" was used in the first chapter [and when she heard Joyu say it later] she would have remembered it. I thought it was lame that the reason she never asked was because she apparently never knew or forgot. If Ono had set it up that way with one measly sentence saying "Yoko had forgotten the title by which all the demons kept calling Keiki" I wouldn't have minded. But if I could remember, I don't understand why Yoko wouldn't, too. I also felt that the first portion of the novel merely consisted of Yoko crying and killing demons. In the beginning, I didn't particularly care for Yoko as a character. She was childish and would only show people what they wanted to see. I too, didn't like the situation with Sugimoto in the beginning. I thought it strange that she was so upset for being so far from something she never really knew, understood, or was a part of. I understand that the novel is a reflection of the inner turmoil of growing up and becoming who you really are. Perhaps I really only had a problem with this because I am far beyond that point in my life and I didn't like Yoko's "approach" if you will. Once she started to mature and take matters into her own hands, however, I appreciated her effort, but still didn't feel any emotional attachment to her. Not only that, but it drove me up the wall that the old woman in Hairou told her she couldn't return home because all those who tried, never returned. Well DUH they never returned. Especially if they were trying to leave. That was just a personal pet peeve of mine. I'm sure it was supposed to imply that they died, but for all they know, they could have made it. I also didn't understand why EVERYONE betrayed her until she met Rakushun. Especially the old man Kaikyaku. His character was set up as very kind and gentle. Upset that Yoko had made it through the world easier, yes, but I in NO WAY saw him stealing everything from her. I thought that was asinine and a weak plot element to make Yoko struggle more. She could have grown just as much if he had been very kind to her. Kindness can change people, too. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the writing style and the in depth world that Ono created. Her descriptions are wonderful and detailed and use imagery very well. The world of the Twelve Kingdoms is also creative and unique. Ono not only sets up a world with physical conflict with demons, but political and idealogical conflict that create for much more mature reading than the main themes do. Also, I love the unique differences between "Over There" and "Here". It makes "Here" seem much more realistic that things do not work exactly as they do "Over There". However, I do appreciate the themes as well. There is much symbolism and growth in Yoko as a character from beginning to end. In the beginning she is such a crybaby with no personality, but as she overcomes her inner trials, represented by the demons and the blue monkey, she grows and slowly becomes someone in control of her own life. Overall, I thought the novel was mediocre. It wasn't until near the end that I began to actually want to continue to read it for the sake of the actual story, rather than for the sake of seeing if it got any better or answered my questions. I do plan to pick up the next volume as it seems that things will only improve. The style is beautiful, but the actual storytelling could use work. The next volume can only be an improvement, and if it continues in the same vein as the end of this one, it will be a very good read. |
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Kelly
Posts: 868 Location: New York City |
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Very interesting post, Not a Jellyfish. I enjoyed your perspective from a novel firster's point of view.
Just to let you know, many anime firsters share your view. I have yet to see a single person count the first stretch of the story as their favorite, and there are a certain number of people who give up on the anime because they don't empathize with Yoko quickly enough. There seems to be two big turning points for people who stick with the story. The first is when Yoko becomes friendly with Rakushun, and the second is when her mentor King En and Enki Rokuta enter the picture. Those seem to be the make-or-break events, and I would always urge anyone who thinks they might get into Twelve Kingdoms eventually to try to stick it out through En and Rokuta's backstory. At that point, you'll have a good idea of whether the story is really for you. In part because the political situation is so complicated, Twelve Kingdoms isn't an instant gratification story, but I personally felt greatly rewarded in the end for the time I invested in it, and I rewatch it fairly often. |
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SuperOnizuka
Posts: 421 Location: When I look At the World- New Jersey |
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The first volume was set out to give you background information on Yoko and how she first reacted towards events from high school to recapturing Kei. So do't worry, Not a Jellyfish, the story will be as good, if not better, than the ending portion of the first one.
Everyone who Yoko met, pre Rakushun, was made to set up the difference in perspectives from En and the people of Kou. Kou, a country in despair and tragedy, have people willing to believe the king's mantra that Kaikayou (sp?) are evil beings, especially the women, because they give birth to their children instead of children being picked from trees. While En, was a kingdom of understanding and wealth, citizens there accepted kaikayou and people like Rakushun ( I forget what the term was. ..that's kinda bad. haha!) Since Yoko landed in Kou, it would be obvious that she would encounter such obstacles and perspectives. As for that old man. I think that was kinda weak as well, for him to steal her money and other goods. But look at his situation. Not only does he not understand what the natives are saying, he hardly has anything to live on. The only way to get things is well .. money. He, sadly, opted to steal Yoko's belongings. Probably out of jealousy, anger, and bitterness. |
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Brand
 Posts: 1029 |
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I bought the book the other day, I have yet to read it, I'm finishing up the Kino no Tabi book right now. I haven't watched the anime but from what I hear this is right up my alley. I'll probably start reading it tonight or tomorrow.
I hope ANN starts covering more info on the book related titles, it seem so many are going to be coming out in the next year or so. Though were the heck was this placed in your local bookstore? I tried looking for it a few places (like the manga and sci-fantasy sections) it was in the teen reads section at my B&N, totally not where I was expecting to be. |
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blind_assassin
 Posts: 755 |
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Which explains entirely why you weren't expecting the start to be rather uninteresting. The anime does the exact same thing so I knew to expect it. I found it to be more entertaining to read though partly because I knew what to expect and it brought back my memories of the show. |
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Not a Jellyfish
Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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I'm very glad to hear that things pick up from here. It seems to be a lot more promising now, and after talking with some friends who had seen the anime, I plan to watch it as soon as possible. And this time, I'll be prepared for boredom for a while.
It was there at my B&N, too. It's also there at Waldenbooks, but the people at my local Walden are smart enough to know it will sell better if they put it in the manga section. Heh. |
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Naitron
 Posts: 27 |
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I'm still reading the book myself. I have a hard time when I'm reading it because i keep imagining the TV show but it's different. I kept thinking Sugimoto was there when she wasn't :p
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grimace81
Posts: 5 |
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For all intents and purposes I am a novel firster, I'm not, but I'm trying this new fangled thing they call reading. I did watch the anime first and happened upon the news release that it was being traslated and released here in the states.
I'm not really impressed with the translation. It seems like the reading level is too low. I know it's supposed to be youth oriented but I think the story line itself can still be labled as youth oriented with out sacrificing grammar and vocab for the sake of age appropriateness. If you can't tell I'm not a youth. I wasn't expecting it to be as high brow as say Stephen King (have read some but never finished) but I did expect the reading level to be geared more to teenagers in the high school....eh just what I was expecting. I do remember a few oddly structured sentences might be the meaning was lost in translation but that was only a few times. I do remember there were a few spelling errors too, not very many, like say two, maybe three. I am also comparing the tokyopop translation to the translation from Eugene Woodbury. I didn't read the Woodbury version before I got the book but comparing just the first page in the first chapter the differences are HUGE! Like I said I didn't read the Woodbury version and comparing random chosen text for alternate translation was a bit tricky since he broke the little hyphens in the book up as chapters while the chapters in the book were labled as parts. The beginning of chapters and parts respectively were good reference points between the two. Getting to the point, I think the Tokyopop version seemed a bit too dumbed down from what it should've/could've/would've been. I guess I don't know how much changing they each did from the direct word for word translation. It does need a bit so as to fit english grammar and such. And they each should get a bit of leeway for poetic license and correctly portraying the current mood of the story. I just think comparing the two texts the Tokyopop version seems a bit too dumbed down. Since the anime was based on the novel(s) not the other way around, isn't the novel supposed to have more detail??? I remember reading somewhere that the novel(s) didn't focus on Yoko as the main character as the anime did and that's why I am reading it. This particular book in the series is basically only about her, which is fine. We will get to the other characters in the series later. Hopefully with great detail. I am not posting a link to the Woodbury version but I am sure if any one really wants to find it he or she can search the web for it. Now on to the artwork...I did come from the anime then too the novel and the slip-cover artwork is horrendous. The original cover artwork, the first actual picture and page in the book is a pitiful attempt at a copy or scanning re-make of the original. AND IT'S NOT IN COLOR!!! (slowly wipes a tear) One of the draws in the anime, which makes sense, is the great detail and color. Neither comes in to play in this book. I'm saddened... It doesn't have to be in color but then make it detailed and perfect. There is nothing to say about the cover except that it smells like the southern end of a north bound cow. It is a novel not a graphic novel I understand that but the few pictures it does have should be better made. And in the posts about Fuyumi Ono's interview...
In my opinion it was a bad marketing decision. Then after that was a link to the pics of the french release cover. If that is the case with the French release, it is a shame that we couldn't get the beautiful cover design. OK that's off my chest now. I am still going to purchase the remaining books when they come out and I do hope we get some better artwork. I want to know more about the Tai taiho and the whole story behind that situation. It's just one of the many cliffhangers the anime gave to us. Keep on writing Ono. |
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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Personally, I could care less what the cover looks like, or if a novel I buy has color pictures in it or not-- it's a novel, so I'm not really interested in full color illustrations. If it's well written, I'll imagine something far more vivid and realistic anyways.
However, I picked this up the other day, and I'd say the quality the writing is, at best, average-- like many fantasy and sci-fi novels, it's the concepts and details of the world that draw you in, not the beautiful written passages, or finely detailed characterization. Which is a shame, but somehow norm for the genres. It's been a fun mellow read this weekend though. **edit**- having just perused the Eugene Woodbury translation though, I've also got to say that the style, at the least, is remarkably different in his version-- the imagery and word choice far sharper. The writing style is obviously using a larger vocab, vocab more.... specific to each situation. It really seemed a pleasure. I don't know if the book is any better in his version in re: plot and characterization, but it flowed much better, and the imagery was more evocative. What a shame the Tokyopop translation didn't do this! My biggest gripe is that I honestly miss Asano and Sugimoto, who were both included more in the TV version. I'm all for differences between mediums of storytellign, but the show gained something in dramatic tension by having people to compare Yoko to, to have her bounce ideas off of, and for you to understand how special she is in comparison-- with the sword and the language-- through the simple actions of the show, without overly wordy explanations, which come off a bit clumsy in the novel. I've been reading the first 100-150 pages, and it is largely her, alone, which makes for not so good drama. It's very internal. Still, I'll plow on through. I was looking for something fun, relatively "light", but with some depth. Seems to be providing that so far. Just my two cents. |
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CMB
Posts: 44 Location: Lock Haven, Pa. |
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I'm about half way through and I love it. I saw the anime first and that got me hooked. A friend told me that the books sorta fallow the some story as the anime but is very different. This is very true. I hope the whole series will get out.
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m_jonis
Posts: 8 |
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Is there more than the 10 DVD disc series?
The 10th DVD seemed to be an abrupt end. Do we ever find out what happens to that missing Kieren and his King? |
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kyokun703
 Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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Nope. That's a big reason all the 12K fans are excited about the novels. We want to know what happened to Taiki! I just finished the novel, and I liked it fine. I wasn't expecting a great piece of literature. It was an easy read, very quick, and unlike some people, I like the way Yoko developed. Yes, she was a whiny indecisive selfish brat, but you can see her actually grow up as she adjusts to the new world. I'm undecided about how I feel about Sugimoto not really featuring in the novels, although I'm glad that Asano's not in there. I really didn't like his character in the anime. I also adore Rakushun just as much as I did in the anime.
Can't wait for novel 2! |
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CMB
Posts: 44 Location: Lock Haven, Pa. |
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I found that Yoko is not as whiny in the first novel as in the anime series.
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Jedi General
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I've never seen the anime, so I decided to pick up the novel. I've read three out of eight chapters and I LOVE it. I'm having a hard time putting the book down whenever I do find time to read it. I love a good fantasy story (I'm a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings), and so far Twelve Kingdoms hasn't disappointed. Once I finish the novel, I'll start watching the anime right away. If I like the novel this much after only three chapters, I'm certain I'll love the anime.
At the very beginning it felt like I was almost watching an anime, which was pretty neat. The dialogue with her mother in the morning and the scene at school before Keiki showed up was nicely done. I could picture the school scene in my head as if I were watching something subtitled, complete with high Japanese schoolgirl voices. *grin* Overall, The first couple of chapters were quite gripping, and I enjoyed reading the third chapter. That chapter goes to show that right now, Yoko can't really trust anyone. I honestly cannot wait to read more when I get the chance. I really enjoy Ono's writing style, and it seems that nothing has been lost in the translation. She's descriptive (which is something I like), but not so much so that the story doesn't get bogged down in descriptions. I like to write stories from time to time, and while my style is somewhat similar to Ono's, her style flows so much better. In fact, it's on a completely different level. My stories tend to get bogged down in descriptions, or I'll spend too long writing about a not-so-important scene and other things like those that make a story tough to read. Perhaps I can use this great reading experience to learn from her. Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. I guess once I've finished the book I'll post again with my thoughts on the novel as a whole. |
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