The Twelve Kingdoms | |
![]() Cover of the first book (first volume) of the Kodansha edition, featuring Yoko Nakajima | |
十二国記 (Jūni Kokuki) | |
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Genre | |
Novel series | |
Written by | Fuyumi Ono |
Illustrated by | Akihiro Yamada |
Published by | |
English publisher | |
Imprint |
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Demographic | Female |
Original run | 1992 – present |
Volumes | 9 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by |
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Produced by | Ken Suegawa |
Written by |
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Music by | Kunihiko Ryo |
Studio | Pierrot |
Licensed by |
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Original network | NHK |
English network | |
Original run | April 9, 2002 – August 30, 2003 |
Episodes | 45 |
The Twelve Kingdoms (Japanese: 十二国記, Hepburn: Jūni Kokuki, also known as "Record of 12 Countries" or "Jūni Kokki") is a series of fantasy novels written by Japanese author Fuyumi Ono and illustrated by Akihiro Yamada. The first entry in the series called The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow was published by Kodansha in Japan in 1992; the last Kodansha volume was released in 2001. In 2012, the series was resumed under the Shinchō Bunko line from Shinchosha. Shinchosha has also begun reprinting the older volumes with new cover and interior art from Akihiro Yamada.[4] The first new publication of the series in six years was released in 2019.[5]
An English-language translation was produced and distributed by Tokyopop. The first four volumes were released between March 2007 and November 2010, before the license reverted back to Kodansha.
It was adapted into an anime television series by Pierrot in 2002, which aired on Japan's NHK from April 2002 to August 2003. The series was licensed and distributed by Media Blasters in the United States at the time of its initial Japanese broadcast. As of 2019, Discotek Media held the license to the series.
Rife with civil and political upheaval, The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow, the first volume of this epic seven-volume novel series, is set in a world reminiscent of ancient Chinese mythology, taking fans on a wild ride that will leave readers questioning the boundaries of reality and fantasy.