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幼(いとけな)き麒麟に決断の瞬間が訪れる──神獣である麒麟が王を選び玉座に据える十二国。その一つ戴国(たいこく)麒麟の泰麒(たいき)は、天地を揺るがす＜蝕(しょく)＞で蓬莱(ほうらい)（日本）に流され、人の子として育った。十年の時を経て故国(くに)へと戻されたが、麒麟の役割を理解できずにいた。我こそはと名乗りを挙げる者たちを前に、この国の命運を担うべき「王」を選ぶことはできるのだろうか。
390 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 1993
32 people are currently reading
1352 people want to read
About the author
Fuyumi Ono
167 books331 followersKanji Name: 小野 不由美.
Fuyumi Ono (小野 不由美, Ono Fuyumi) is a Japanese novelist who is best known for writing the Twelve Kingdoms (十二国記, Juuni Kokuki) series, on which a popular anime is based. Her name after marriage is Fuyumi Uchida (内田不由美, Uchida Fuyumi), but she writes under her maiden name.
Ono was born in Nakatsu, Ōita, Kyūshū in 1960. She graduated from Ōtani University in Kyōto with a degree in Buddhist Studies, and in 1988 was employed by the publisher Kōdansha. Her debut story is titled Sleepless on Birthday Eve.
Ono is married to Naoyuki Uchida (内田直行, Uchida Naoyuki), a mystery novelist who writes under the pseudonym Yukito Ayatsuji (綾辻行人 , Ayatsuji Yukito).
Before she started work on Twelve Kingdoms, Fuyumi Ono wrote The Demonic Child (魔性の子), a horror novel about a boy from another world. She later worked certain events from this novel into the Twelve Kingdoms series. Short stories set in the various kingdoms include: Kasho, Toei, Shokan, Kizan and Jogetsu. In February, 2008, the first new Twelve Kingdoms short story, Hisho no Tori (丕緒の鳥) was published in Shinchosha's Yomyom magazine.
According to an interview at the Anime News Network, she is "currently rewriting a girls' horror series (she) wrote long ago."
- Wikipedia
Fuyumi Ono (小野 不由美, Ono Fuyumi) is a Japanese novelist who is best known for writing the Twelve Kingdoms (十二国記, Juuni Kokuki) series, on which a popular anime is based. Her name after marriage is Fuyumi Uchida (内田不由美, Uchida Fuyumi), but she writes under her maiden name.
Ono was born in Nakatsu, Ōita, Kyūshū in 1960. She graduated from Ōtani University in Kyōto with a degree in Buddhist Studies, and in 1988 was employed by the publisher Kōdansha. Her debut story is titled Sleepless on Birthday Eve.
Ono is married to Naoyuki Uchida (内田直行, Uchida Naoyuki), a mystery novelist who writes under the pseudonym Yukito Ayatsuji (綾辻行人 , Ayatsuji Yukito).
Before she started work on Twelve Kingdoms, Fuyumi Ono wrote The Demonic Child (魔性の子), a horror novel about a boy from another world. She later worked certain events from this novel into the Twelve Kingdoms series. Short stories set in the various kingdoms include: Kasho, Toei, Shokan, Kizan and Jogetsu. In February, 2008, the first new Twelve Kingdoms short story, Hisho no Tori (丕緒の鳥) was published in Shinchosha's Yomyom magazine.
According to an interview at the Anime News Network, she is "currently rewriting a girls' horror series (she) wrote long ago."
- Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 20, 2020
[9/20/20 - I've reread this at least once a year for the past five years. I'm not entirely sure why this still works as a comfort read for me. Yes, it's a nice "neglected/abused kid finds a loving home elsewhere" story, but in the broader context of the series Taiki's story is actually pretty terrible and filled with suffering. I made the mistake of reading a little further, via a fan translation, and now I desperately want the author to finally finish this series and somehow ensure that Taiki is okay. Also: please let some English-language light novel publisher out there give this series a license rescue. Yes, it's yet another isekai series, but it's so vastly different from most of the stuff currently getting licensed that I think it would receive a warm welcome from isekai fans looking for something a little different. It'd be harder to market than "reborn in a new world as a magical refrigerator" or whatever, but it'd be worth the effort.]
[1/7/18 - Just finished my most recent reread of this book. It's both one of my top favorite books in this series and one of my favorite books period. I consider it a comfort read, even though the "comfort" is a little muffled by the knowledge that the book's happy ending turns sour really quickly in the series' timeline. During this reread, I realized that I really connect with Taiki's feelings of self-doubt. I also found myself more angry at Gyoso than I was during past readings of this book. Taiki had some serious weaknesses, but I'd argue that Gyoso did too, even though they weren't as obvious.]
[4/14/17 - Just finished my most recent reread. Rather than write a new review, I figured I'd paste in the most recent one I wrote, from back in 2016. The one change between now and then: I have since read Eugene Woodbury's fan translation of The Shore in Twilight, the Sky at Daybreak, the tragic second part of Taiki and his king's story (and, unfortunately, not the end - I would love to know how things turn out for Taiki, and whether he's ever reunited with his king). That book didn't ruin Sea of Wind for me as a comfort read, but it did transform certain lines into vicious gut punches. I want Taiki to live a good and happy life with the people he loves by his side, darn it.]
I loved this book when I first read it in 2010, and my recent reread of it didn't disappoint. Although I reviewed it when I first read it, I decided I'd write a brand new review for my reread because 1) my reviewing style has changed since then and 2) I had some new things to say.
My first read of Sea of Wind took place several years after reading the first book. This time around, I read it right after finishing Sea of Shadow , and this had a definite effect on my understanding of what was going on and my feelings about it all.
Sea of Wind is set several years prior to Sea of Shadow and has a tighter focus. At the start of the book, we see a little boy who has been sent outside into the snow as punishment for what his grandmother believes is a lie. When he feels a gust of warmth and sees an arm beckoning him, he goes to it, and is taken to the world of the Twelve Kingdoms. The boy is told his name is Taiki and that he is the kirin of the Kingdom of Tai. He doesn't really know what's going on, but he feels safe around Sansi, the lamia that was born to protect him until he reached adulthood.
The entire book deals with Taiki adjusting to life among the oracles at the Brush-Jar Palace. Although they tell him he's a kirin, he doesn't feel like one, and he's worried that he'll never be able to do what these nice people expect of him. He can't shift into his kirin form, he can't see kirin auras, he can't pacify even the tiniest of demons, and he's sure he'll never have the revelation that is supposed to help him choose the next king of Tai.
After Yoko's grueling journey in Sea of Shadow, Taiki's story was a breath of fresh air. He desperately wanted to be loved and to please those who cared about him. While in our own world, he couldn't do that: his grandmother found fault with everything he did and made his mother cry, his little brother didn't like him, and his father sided with his grandmother. In the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, he was adored by everyone around him. Seeing him move from the one life to the other gave me warm fuzzies, even though I felt sad about what it must have been like for his mother in our world when he suddenly disappeared.
Unfortunately, Taiki wasn't used to getting unconditional love. He fretted over his inability to do the things the oracles expected of him. The oracles, in turn, protected him from the full knowledge of the importance of his existence and duties. Taiki had no idea that, even as he spent each day enjoying the love and attention of the oracles, the people of Tai were suffering and would continue to suffer until he finally chose a king.
I don't think I realized until this reread just how sheltered Taiki was, and just how precarious his position was. As powerful as Taiki turned out to be, his will was incredibly weak. He was timid and filled with self-doubt. As a kirin, Taiki would be expected to advise his king, but I couldn't imagine him 1) finding the courage to voice his opinions or 2) being able to defend his opinions even if he did manage to voice them. While I very much enjoyed the book's ending, it didn't change how I felt about Taiki's future. Knowing that Taiki and his king were declared either dead or missing only a few years later, I couldn't help but feel a little ill despite the book's fairly happy ending.
One of the nice things about rereading this book so soon after rereading the first one was that I could see more of the connections between the two. For example, in Book 1 Enki stated that the kirin is a pitiful creature. Book 2 gave a much better sense of what he meant. Taiki was used to the idea of free will, so it took him a while to wrap his brain around the idea that he literally could not go against the mandate of Heaven. Because he was young, he didn't seem to realize the implications of that. The kings, who have no say in being declared kings, have more choices than the kirin do, even if one of those choices happens to be death.
It was nice seeing more of Keiki in this book, including a tiny bit from his perspective. In the first book, he appeared to be stiff, cold, and seriously lacking in empathy. This book allowed me to warm up to him a bit more. As it turned out, Keiki had exceptionally bad people skills, to the point that even the oracles chided him. He had no clue how to deal with his current king (the “Lady-King” who ruled just prior to Yoko) or the very sensitive Taiki. I now wish that Sea of Shadow had shown a bit from his perspective. I imagine that at least a part of him must have been worried about repeating some of the same mistakes he'd made with his first king with Yoko. It was lucky for him that Yoko turned out to be stronger and more flexible than his first king. (It feels kind of weird referring to two women as “kings.")
I'm glad this reread went so well. Although Yoko made for a stronger and more complex protagonist than Taiki, I still found myself preferring Book 2 to Book 1. The story was gentler, and the world and its rules were more clearly presented.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
[1/7/18 - Just finished my most recent reread of this book. It's both one of my top favorite books in this series and one of my favorite books period. I consider it a comfort read, even though the "comfort" is a little muffled by the knowledge that the book's happy ending turns sour really quickly in the series' timeline. During this reread, I realized that I really connect with Taiki's feelings of self-doubt. I also found myself more angry at Gyoso than I was during past readings of this book. Taiki had some serious weaknesses, but I'd argue that Gyoso did too, even though they weren't as obvious.]
[4/14/17 - Just finished my most recent reread. Rather than write a new review, I figured I'd paste in the most recent one I wrote, from back in 2016. The one change between now and then: I have since read Eugene Woodbury's fan translation of The Shore in Twilight, the Sky at Daybreak, the tragic second part of Taiki and his king's story (and, unfortunately, not the end - I would love to know how things turn out for Taiki, and whether he's ever reunited with his king). That book didn't ruin Sea of Wind for me as a comfort read, but it did transform certain lines into vicious gut punches. I want Taiki to live a good and happy life with the people he loves by his side, darn it.]
I loved this book when I first read it in 2010, and my recent reread of it didn't disappoint. Although I reviewed it when I first read it, I decided I'd write a brand new review for my reread because 1) my reviewing style has changed since then and 2) I had some new things to say.
My first read of Sea of Wind took place several years after reading the first book. This time around, I read it right after finishing Sea of Shadow , and this had a definite effect on my understanding of what was going on and my feelings about it all.
Sea of Wind is set several years prior to Sea of Shadow and has a tighter focus. At the start of the book, we see a little boy who has been sent outside into the snow as punishment for what his grandmother believes is a lie. When he feels a gust of warmth and sees an arm beckoning him, he goes to it, and is taken to the world of the Twelve Kingdoms. The boy is told his name is Taiki and that he is the kirin of the Kingdom of Tai. He doesn't really know what's going on, but he feels safe around Sansi, the lamia that was born to protect him until he reached adulthood.
The entire book deals with Taiki adjusting to life among the oracles at the Brush-Jar Palace. Although they tell him he's a kirin, he doesn't feel like one, and he's worried that he'll never be able to do what these nice people expect of him. He can't shift into his kirin form, he can't see kirin auras, he can't pacify even the tiniest of demons, and he's sure he'll never have the revelation that is supposed to help him choose the next king of Tai.
After Yoko's grueling journey in Sea of Shadow, Taiki's story was a breath of fresh air. He desperately wanted to be loved and to please those who cared about him. While in our own world, he couldn't do that: his grandmother found fault with everything he did and made his mother cry, his little brother didn't like him, and his father sided with his grandmother. In the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, he was adored by everyone around him. Seeing him move from the one life to the other gave me warm fuzzies, even though I felt sad about what it must have been like for his mother in our world when he suddenly disappeared.
Unfortunately, Taiki wasn't used to getting unconditional love. He fretted over his inability to do the things the oracles expected of him. The oracles, in turn, protected him from the full knowledge of the importance of his existence and duties. Taiki had no idea that, even as he spent each day enjoying the love and attention of the oracles, the people of Tai were suffering and would continue to suffer until he finally chose a king.
I don't think I realized until this reread just how sheltered Taiki was, and just how precarious his position was. As powerful as Taiki turned out to be, his will was incredibly weak. He was timid and filled with self-doubt. As a kirin, Taiki would be expected to advise his king, but I couldn't imagine him 1) finding the courage to voice his opinions or 2) being able to defend his opinions even if he did manage to voice them. While I very much enjoyed the book's ending, it didn't change how I felt about Taiki's future. Knowing that Taiki and his king were declared either dead or missing only a few years later, I couldn't help but feel a little ill despite the book's fairly happy ending.
One of the nice things about rereading this book so soon after rereading the first one was that I could see more of the connections between the two. For example, in Book 1 Enki stated that the kirin is a pitiful creature. Book 2 gave a much better sense of what he meant. Taiki was used to the idea of free will, so it took him a while to wrap his brain around the idea that he literally could not go against the mandate of Heaven. Because he was young, he didn't seem to realize the implications of that. The kings, who have no say in being declared kings, have more choices than the kirin do, even if one of those choices happens to be death.
It was nice seeing more of Keiki in this book, including a tiny bit from his perspective. In the first book, he appeared to be stiff, cold, and seriously lacking in empathy. This book allowed me to warm up to him a bit more. As it turned out, Keiki had exceptionally bad people skills, to the point that even the oracles chided him. He had no clue how to deal with his current king (the “Lady-King” who ruled just prior to Yoko) or the very sensitive Taiki. I now wish that Sea of Shadow had shown a bit from his perspective. I imagine that at least a part of him must have been worried about repeating some of the same mistakes he'd made with his first king with Yoko. It was lucky for him that Yoko turned out to be stronger and more flexible than his first king. (It feels kind of weird referring to two women as “kings.")
I'm glad this reread went so well. Although Yoko made for a stronger and more complex protagonist than Taiki, I still found myself preferring Book 2 to Book 1. The story was gentler, and the world and its rules were more clearly presented.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 28, 2008
I like Taiki. He's a complex character, and an unusual hero. I can see how his personality isn't to the taste of some readers, but I found myself empathizing with him quite a bit.
Ono's characters overall really shine. It's easy to populate fantasy worlds with cookie-cutter characters, but Ono deftly rounds out even minor characters with sparks of individuality.
I think the way Ono handles the backstory of other characters, Keiki in particular is a nice touch. It doesn't distract from the overall story, and adds subtle texture to what we know of Kei from the first volume.
I've seen the anime, and I vaguely recall that there was more to Taiki's story presented in the anime. I'm happy with the way this volume ended, however. And now I'm eagerly awaiting the third one ...
Ono's characters overall really shine. It's easy to populate fantasy worlds with cookie-cutter characters, but Ono deftly rounds out even minor characters with sparks of individuality.
I think the way Ono handles the backstory of other characters, Keiki in particular is a nice touch. It doesn't distract from the overall story, and adds subtle texture to what we know of Kei from the first volume.
I've seen the anime, and I vaguely recall that there was more to Taiki's story presented in the anime. I'm happy with the way this volume ended, however. And now I'm eagerly awaiting the third one ...
December 20, 2016
*softly crying* Oh Taiki, you precious, precious creature!
About the book: While the first one carried more action, this one was used more as a helpful guide to further expand this world of the 12 Kingdoms. It was a quick read, so much shorter than the last, yet the character development of Taiki was remarkable. You were really rooting for the little kid, and for the friends he makes along the way. The last few chapters are, of course, the best and really build on a climactic ending and resolution that you don't exactly see coming.
A plus side: it can be read as a stand-alone. Just as with the first, while there are similarities and you may lose out on the connections between the books (like King En, Enki, and Keiki), you don't really need to carry anything further than where it already exists.
About the book: While the first one carried more action, this one was used more as a helpful guide to further expand this world of the 12 Kingdoms. It was a quick read, so much shorter than the last, yet the character development of Taiki was remarkable. You were really rooting for the little kid, and for the friends he makes along the way. The last few chapters are, of course, the best and really build on a climactic ending and resolution that you don't exactly see coming.
A plus side: it can be read as a stand-alone. Just as with the first, while there are similarities and you may lose out on the connections between the books (like King En, Enki, and Keiki), you don't really need to carry anything further than where it already exists.
June 13, 2011
A bit slow, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Taiki was adorable, but good lord, sometimes I just wanted to smack him. Not, you know, to be mean or anything - more like, JESUS CHRIST, GET A GRIP, SON.
December 12, 2009
Tiny, apologetic boy becomes godlike. Tears ensue. Then MONSTERS. Woo!
Did you like book one? Here's more info about kirin and kings. Did you not read book one? That's cool; book two is it's own story.
Not picaresque, like the first, but the geographic stationarity allows for lovely description of where the hey you are instead of "no time to look at junk! I'ma get killed" as in the first. Also, though the pace is a little slower, the book's also shorter. There aren't as many characters, but we get to know them better. This is a different story from the first, but just as good.
Did you like book one? Here's more info about kirin and kings. Did you not read book one? That's cool; book two is it's own story.
Not picaresque, like the first, but the geographic stationarity allows for lovely description of where the hey you are instead of "no time to look at junk! I'ma get killed" as in the first. Also, though the pace is a little slower, the book's also shorter. There aren't as many characters, but we get to know them better. This is a different story from the first, but just as good.
June 12, 2022
oof taiki, this poor baby boy
v interesting to get a novel about a kirin going through it after reading the yoko's story: the king going through it
i can also see fuyumi ono is drawing attention to some of the potential flaws of this system of selecting rulers; intrigued to see how that gets drawn out in later volumes
anyways; hope this child manages to build more self-esteem as he grows up!
3 stars
v interesting to get a novel about a kirin going through it after reading the yoko's story: the king going through it
i can also see fuyumi ono is drawing attention to some of the potential flaws of this system of selecting rulers; intrigued to see how that gets drawn out in later volumes
anyways; hope this child manages to build more self-esteem as he grows up!
3 stars
July 2, 2019
הרבה פחות טוב, ואכן על דמויות אחרות מהספר הראשון. ממשיכה לחלק השני של הספר השני.
סיימתי עכשיו את החצי השני שלו. מעט יותר טוב אבל עדיין בינוני.
סיימתי עכשיו את החצי השני שלו. מעט יותר טוב אבל עדיין בינוני.
June 7, 2023
小野不由美 i love u
April 9, 2009
SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN THE ANIME.
Volume 2 in the 12K series. This one tells the story of Taiki the kirin of Tai. It is quite different from the anime in some respects so it's best to just let go of the anime and approach this with an open mind.
This story is referred to in the first volume but from a future looking to the past perspective. So the events in this book occurred before Yoko came to the twelve kingdoms.
It tells the story of Taiki up to the point where he has chosen the King and ascended to Tai and is having doubts about his "revelation." As in the anime, Keiki, Enki and the Ever-King help him and that is the end of the book. So this book does not go as far as the anime although the first book references that something bad happens to Taiki and the King of Tai. The anime goes farther than this book but not far enough to explain what went wrong and why they disappeared. So you won't find an answer here either. (Hopefully we will in a later book.)
I actually found that I enjoyed the book version of this story over the anime version. In the anime, they felt obliged to have more flow early in the stories and so created them in a way that the (anime) characters from Yoko's story would cross into this story. After reading the book, that seems completely unnecessary now and I think the book has more power describing a completely separate but loosely related event.
Again, I thought this book was just as good as the first and moved on immediately to the next one.
Volume 2 in the 12K series. This one tells the story of Taiki the kirin of Tai. It is quite different from the anime in some respects so it's best to just let go of the anime and approach this with an open mind.
This story is referred to in the first volume but from a future looking to the past perspective. So the events in this book occurred before Yoko came to the twelve kingdoms.
It tells the story of Taiki up to the point where he has chosen the King and ascended to Tai and is having doubts about his "revelation." As in the anime, Keiki, Enki and the Ever-King help him and that is the end of the book. So this book does not go as far as the anime although the first book references that something bad happens to Taiki and the King of Tai. The anime goes farther than this book but not far enough to explain what went wrong and why they disappeared. So you won't find an answer here either. (Hopefully we will in a later book.)
I actually found that I enjoyed the book version of this story over the anime version. In the anime, they felt obliged to have more flow early in the stories and so created them in a way that the (anime) characters from Yoko's story would cross into this story. After reading the book, that seems completely unnecessary now and I think the book has more power describing a completely separate but loosely related event.
Again, I thought this book was just as good as the first and moved on immediately to the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2020
So I reread this book to see if it made the cut as one of my favorites. i was afraid that i gave it such a high rating at first because i was coming off the high of watching the anime for the first time. but oh gez this still packs a punch. The second half carries the story and the build up can be a bit slow but it’s so worth it!
November 7, 2025
10/10 - I also cried. Surprisingly life affirming? When the monkey is telling her to kill herself and Youko is like no, if everyone wants me to die, I will live out of spite. My Queen, my Red Queen. Also I ship her with the rat. I think the rat would make a good consort, what can I say, and he is the best. I would die for that rat and so would Youko.
Summary to read before vol 3, to refresh my memory:
At the beginning, Youko is rescued and brought back to health by Rakushun, a rat hanjyuu, who is discriminated like Kankyuu. The king of Kou despises Kankyuu and Taika (ranka (children) born from the tree riboku (yaboku are trees that grow animals, trees and plants) that go to Japan (Wa) or China (Kan) because of a shoku (natural disaster, normally a storm) becuase they are better at him at ruling. They travel to Angan so they can go to the kingdom of En. Kouchos (eagle youma) attack them and Youko abandons a wounded Rakushun. They reunite at Ugou - she feels very sorry for leaving and even thinking of killing him. They are besties. They talk to a kaikyaku in En (they are treated much better) Rakujin Heki. Later, Rukushun realises that youko must be the queen of Kei as Keiki must be the Taiho of Kei and a Kirin (ending with ki, male, ending with rin, female). They meet the king of En when he saves Youko from youma. His name is Naotaka Komatsu, a taika, with his Kirin, Enkin (Rokuta) they explain to her that thr late Queen of Kei (posthumously the Prophet Queen) failed on her duties as she fell in love with Keiki which is a big no no as kirin are half of the soul's monarch. She made very unjust rulings bc of this and so keiki fell deathly ill (shitsudou). She abdicated as she didn't want keiki to die and her younger sister Jyoei took over as the false queen. Kou is funneling money to her. Kirin's youma are called shirei and will eat them when they die. After much thinking, Youko decides to be queen and rescues Keiki, becoming the Red Queen. There is a little tidbit about a black Kirin from the kingdom of Tai, Taiki, he is believed dead but no new fruit on the kirin tree.
Summary to read before vol 3, to refresh my memory:
At the beginning, Youko is rescued and brought back to health by Rakushun, a rat hanjyuu, who is discriminated like Kankyuu. The king of Kou despises Kankyuu and Taika (ranka (children) born from the tree riboku (yaboku are trees that grow animals, trees and plants) that go to Japan (Wa) or China (Kan) because of a shoku (natural disaster, normally a storm) becuase they are better at him at ruling. They travel to Angan so they can go to the kingdom of En. Kouchos (eagle youma) attack them and Youko abandons a wounded Rakushun. They reunite at Ugou - she feels very sorry for leaving and even thinking of killing him. They are besties. They talk to a kaikyaku in En (they are treated much better) Rakujin Heki. Later, Rukushun realises that youko must be the queen of Kei as Keiki must be the Taiho of Kei and a Kirin (ending with ki, male, ending with rin, female). They meet the king of En when he saves Youko from youma. His name is Naotaka Komatsu, a taika, with his Kirin, Enkin (Rokuta) they explain to her that thr late Queen of Kei (posthumously the Prophet Queen) failed on her duties as she fell in love with Keiki which is a big no no as kirin are half of the soul's monarch. She made very unjust rulings bc of this and so keiki fell deathly ill (shitsudou). She abdicated as she didn't want keiki to die and her younger sister Jyoei took over as the false queen. Kou is funneling money to her. Kirin's youma are called shirei and will eat them when they die. After much thinking, Youko decides to be queen and rescues Keiki, becoming the Red Queen. There is a little tidbit about a black Kirin from the kingdom of Tai, Taiki, he is believed dead but no new fruit on the kirin tree.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2017
It's been a long time since I finished a book in such a short time. I am really not sure the book trully deserves 5 stars since I loved the anime before reading the novel, so being able to finally read it is something I've been longing for many years.
I started reading the second book, skipping the first one. I am sure that the first one is necessary to get in context with the Twelve Kingdoms but, as I said, I already have this knowledge from watching the anime.
This season was my favourite and I wanted to read the novel to go deeper in the characters. Indeed, reading the thoughts of Taiki adds something. Taiki is an insecure kirin which tries to understand this new world and his duties. Also, when he choses the king of Tai, in the anime you get the feeling that something is wrong (since you only see Taiki's view) while, when reading it, you can forsee all the clues that Taiki doesn't get when he meets Gyoso and that he misunderstands.
But, generally, the anime is a really good adaptation, except for the beginning and ending. I don't get why they made up that the Taiki return to Hourai when in the novel such a thing doesn't happen (trully, I've wanted to read the novel to understand why he came back and it ended being something that never happened. Which suits the story better).
Now, I am eager to buy and read the third book, although the story of Taiki is not continued in any of the next novels, I think. It will be a difficult task since they are discontinued and I depend on the second hand market (with impossible prices, with these novels). But I'll keep my hopes on!
December 18, 2025
Being a fan of Taiki and Gyousou, I've been waiting for this volume, and it totally does not disappoint! It's amazing how much info is 'dumped' in this volume, yet it still turns out a very enjoyable reading. The information is given, mostly through conversations, in natural situations without disrupting the story flow. In fact, I understand the world better now compared to when I only had watched the anime, thanks to the fact that written words can be ruminated on better to me than spoken words. And for Taiki, which has been in Hourai for 10 years, it's just natural to ask and find out things he doesn't understand about the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, right?
Keiki, which also holds an important role in this volume, is also very cute! I chuckled to think that a lot of Taiki's troubles were caused by Keiki's inability to explain things properly. And how En-ou enjoys too much being a villain!
Keiki, which also holds an important role in this volume, is also very cute! I chuckled to think that a lot of Taiki's troubles were caused by Keiki's inability to explain things properly. And how En-ou enjoys too much being a villain!
September 13, 2017
This story conveys the mental agony people sometimes feel when they feel they do not deserve the kindness that others show them. Not worthy of kindness, and so guilty that they are receiving it. Sent back to a world he belongs to but does not know, to a destiny out of context with anything he's known.
I was recently re-watching the anime of this, and found myself wanting to know more about Taiki's story, so I searched out the novels, which are somewhat difficult to find.
The anime stays remarkably true to the novel, though it is told in retrospect, but through the book, we can feel more specifically Taiki's point of view, so there is a greater emphasis on what he feels.
I enjoyed it, and have ordered book 3 from the library.
I was recently re-watching the anime of this, and found myself wanting to know more about Taiki's story, so I searched out the novels, which are somewhat difficult to find.
The anime stays remarkably true to the novel, though it is told in retrospect, but through the book, we can feel more specifically Taiki's point of view, so there is a greater emphasis on what he feels.
I enjoyed it, and have ordered book 3 from the library.
October 12, 2021
I have been looking for the first book in this series The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow since 2011 but have been unsuccessful. I still would love to get hold of this book somehow, though as the years roll on I know my chances are getting lower!
This was a simple, cute story about a young boy who discovers he is an immortal Kirin after a spending an unhappy childhood in the mortal world. There are some very touching moments and interesting relationship dynamics. I'm interested enough to want to read more, and I'm still hoping to get hold of the 1st book in this series!
This was a simple, cute story about a young boy who discovers he is an immortal Kirin after a spending an unhappy childhood in the mortal world. There are some very touching moments and interesting relationship dynamics. I'm interested enough to want to read more, and I'm still hoping to get hold of the 1st book in this series!
May 8, 2025
Taiki is adorable and a wonderful protagonist. I loved seeing the world filtered through his tender heart. That said, this novel could be half as long and not lose anything, even be better because of it. At some points it felt more like an encyclopedia of the Twelve Kingdoms with a story attached to it, which makes it very dense at times. The world is fascinating, but I'd like if the descriptions were incorporated into the story more instead of stopping the action to make an infodump of japanese words that I'm not going to remember.
That said, I cannot wait to read the rest of Taiki's story. Now onto book 3.
That said, I cannot wait to read the rest of Taiki's story. Now onto book 3.
April 8, 2019
This book was definitely happier than the first volume-Taiki had it pretty good once he came from Japan, unlike Yoko who went through hell. While I found the previous volume pretty depressing for most of it, this one was decidedly more light-hearted in tone, which I appreciated. Otherwise it was a good expository volume by fleshing out of what the role and importance of the kirin in the world of the Twelve Kingdoms.
January 25, 2020
Still great world-building and great character development, but like the previous book, the info-dumping gets a little tedious at times. And unlike the previous book, not a whole lot happens. Most of the story takes place in a single location and consists of our protag Taiki struggling to learn how to become a kirin. Fortunately, this was a short and fairly quick read, and now it's on to book three!
July 25, 2020
二刷這本得到了意外的驚奇(一個溫故知新的概念) 小泰麒一開始說驍宗不是王的時候，驍宗居然覺得丟不起這個臉，決定下山後就辭職出國，連好好的將軍都不做了－－這未免也太玻璃心了吧🤣小時候看了沒甚麼感覺，長大以後看超傻眼的，瞬間扣二十分XDDD 還不如李齋姊姊人家颯爽退場啊！
最好笑的是心急的泰麒問以後能否再見面，驍宗還一副「嗯應該不會了吧(OS誰叫你不選我)」大有賭氣老死不相往來之意，大哥你幾歲🤣🤣🤣欸欸欸這個王好像有點不妙www
而在泰麒認驍宗為王之後，驍宗那驕傲有如孔雀開屏一般的狀態更讓人哭笑不得(看吧看吧就是我吧)，被打擊的自信心不但瞬間滿血，大概還衝爆破表。也難怪之後國政越來越棘手，麒麟才10歲，泰王精神年齡也不高，真是可憐戴國老百姓了。其實這本我以前就沒有很喜歡，因為劇情蠻平淡的，重點應該只是介紹麒麟的特性而已，但意外的是居然重看覺得驍宗實在太好笑，這叫我怎麼認真看待白眼之墟啦🤣
看完無意間翻到後面，發現我買這本居然是第五刷了! 十二國記意外的熱銷啊，還以為沒什麼人在看呢⋯⋯
最好笑的是心急的泰麒問以後能否再見面，驍宗還一副「嗯應該不會了吧(OS誰叫你不選我)」大有賭氣老死不相往來之意，大哥你幾歲🤣🤣🤣欸欸欸這個王好像有點不妙www
而在泰麒認驍宗為王之後，驍宗那驕傲有如孔雀開屏一般的狀態更讓人哭笑不得(看吧看吧就是我吧)，被打擊的自信心不但瞬間滿血，大概還衝爆破表。也難怪之後國政越來越棘手，麒麟才10歲，泰王精神年齡也不高，真是可憐戴國老百姓了。其實這本我以前就沒有很喜歡，因為劇情蠻平淡的，重點應該只是介紹麒麟的特性而已，但意外的是居然重看覺得驍宗實在太好笑，這叫我怎麼認真看待白眼之墟啦🤣
看完無意間翻到後面，發現我買這本居然是第五刷了! 十二國記意外的熱銷啊，還以為沒什麼人在看呢⋯⋯
May 5, 2022
Das Buch behandelt sehr viele Aspekte der japanischen/asiatischen Sagenwelt. Sie werden im Anhang des Buches gut erklärt. Persönlich finde ich den Stil der Geschichte langweilig, dass kann durchaus an der Übersetzung liegen. Die Charaktere verhalten sich jedoch auch ambivalent und wiedersprechen den eigenen Worten oder vorangegangenen Vorstellungen, was es für mich schwer macht, mich auf sie einzulassen.
January 14, 2026
3.5* rounded up. The story is slow and simple, but beautiful. Taiki's story was my favorite when I've watched twelve kingdoms anime more than 10 years ago - and now after reading it, I can appreaciate how beautifully it was written. I've struggled a bit while reading, it because I am used to listening to audiobooks rather than reading, and I am used to faster paced and more action driven stories.
November 13, 2018
Same as my review from the previous book. It's a short novel. I read it because I enjoyed the anime many years ago.
Does not add anything to the anime, but nevertheless it is a good story and I enjoyed it as much as if I had watched the anime again.
Does not add anything to the anime, but nevertheless it is a good story and I enjoyed it as much as if I had watched the anime again.
December 23, 2025
Instead of continuing Youko's story, this book tells the story of Taiki as he comes to term with his power, before the events of the first book. The events are slower paced and gentler, while also spending a lot more time in world building and decent character building.
January 25, 2018
Mi historia preferida de los doce reinos. Mi kirin favorito: Taiki. Hermosa narración, fabulosa historia.
October 11, 2018
I don't find the viewpoints of other characters as compelling and youko. wish it was more of her and less of them. still a very good book
January 12, 2022
Taiki's story about how he choosed Tai kingdom King. not bad but not as good as the others
November 27, 2024
I love this arc and besides its sudden end and a bit clunky writing I have no complaints.
March 29, 2025
“They've come to mourn me - me, Kohri, the mountain of death.”
Compared to the grim atmosphere and constant life-or-death situations in Sea of Shadow, Taiki's story in Sea of Wind is perfectly tranquil. There's only one action scene in the entire novel which then also turns into a battle of wills rather than one of swords. This is largely a self-discovery journey that takes place on peaceful holy grounds. However, that in no way means that this is a dull book.
Taiki is such a precious character. His lack of confidence can be painful to watch but it's very understandable how he came to be the way he is. Being born in the wrong world, he never seemed to fit in. He never understood what he was and why things didn't work out for him. His family was largely unloving and blamed him for anything and everything. The book opens with Taiki sitting out a punishment in the freezing snow, not even understanding what he did wrong. He is only 10 years old when the story begins and by the time he finds himself among loving people, he thinks it undeserved and quickly apologises at every turn.
While Taiki remains a timid character to the end, he grows his own brand of strength. He is a dear and good-natured character and I can fully relate to how all those around him dote on him. You can't help but wish him well and feel happy whenever he accomplishes something. It's difficult for Taiki to grow into his new role as a non-human being who holds the responsibility of finding a future king. There are some unexpected events and poor Taiki works his way into a pitiful state of guilt - undeserved as usual.
While there is hardly any action and almost the entire story takes place within the same grounds, it is a beautifully told story or a loveable character. It looks quite deeply into Taiki's personality, as was already done with Yoko in the previous instalment. The other characters are equally interesting and, while with less detail, also distinct and refined. There's something very real about how Ono writes her characters and how she introduces her world.
The English translation seems to have received more criticism than praise - I find myself somewhere in the middle. It is no flowery prose but I find that it is mostly very readable. There are occasional typos (which really shouldn't be in there but it doesn't get in the way of reading) and every now and again, the characters' speech would sound off - perhaps too casual and modern? But what others have described as stiff writing, I actually found it to be quite fitting for the setting of the book. So, this is by no means a perfect translation, but it's perfectly readable and does oftentimes come across as lovely (which I would like to think is thanks to the source material being great - there's only so much you can screw up when translating a story, right?)
March 18, 2015
Al igual que en el libro anterior, esta novela ligera prescinde de grandes descripciones, pero tuvo una enorme cantidad de información nueva sobre este misterioso mundo.
De la mano de Taiki nos metemos en el costado mitológico de la historia. Considero que estas dos novelas han sido más introductorias, una desde el punto de vista de una reina y la otra de un kirin, ambos siendo taikas que no han nacido en este mundo y él cual necesita ser explicado.
El protagonista, Kaname Takasato, un pequeño de diez años despreciado por su familia, es en realidad el kirin negro del reino de Tai, Taiki. En un confuso episodio en la nieve, él es extraído de Hourai y llevado a los doce reinos. Al ser solo un niño, asimila todo el cambio mejor que Youko, lo ve como algo más normal y se adapta de manera inmediata a su nueva vida. Aun así, al siempre haber sido odiado por su abuela y hermano, tiene una personalidad sumisa y solo desea agradar a todo el mundo, ya sea a las sacerdotisas que cuidan de él, como a los aspirantes a reyes de Tai.
A pesar de adaptarse muy bien a su condición, Taiki no termina de comprender qué es realmente un kirin, como transformarse y, sobretodo, qué es la voluntad del cielo de la que tanto se habla.
La mayor parte de la novela, nos relata a Taiki intentando aprender todo lo necesario para ser un buen kirin e intentando comprender como transformarse. Cuando las puertas finalmente son abiertas, Taiki debe elegir un rey, pero se dedica a socializar con los candidatos, sobretodo con la amable y maternal Risai y con el intimidarte general Gyousou.
Durante la historia también aparecen los kirines Enki y Keiki, así como el rey eterno de En, Shoryu.
Al ser, cronológicamente, anterior a la primera novela, podemos ver el comienzo del debacle del reino de Kei y la reina Joukaku. La manera en que Keiki actuaba, frío y sin sentimientos, y como esto comienza a cambiar gracias a Taiki. Lo cual, lamentablemente, va a terminar en desastre.
El anime es una adaptación muy fiel de esta novela, prácticamente no existen diferencias. Tal vez un cambio de escenas o ampliamiento de otras, pero no hay grandes cambios.
Disfruto muchísimo leyendo estas novelas ligeras y espero pronto leer la siguiente, que es la última en haber sido adaptada.
De la mano de Taiki nos metemos en el costado mitológico de la historia. Considero que estas dos novelas han sido más introductorias, una desde el punto de vista de una reina y la otra de un kirin, ambos siendo taikas que no han nacido en este mundo y él cual necesita ser explicado.
El protagonista, Kaname Takasato, un pequeño de diez años despreciado por su familia, es en realidad el kirin negro del reino de Tai, Taiki. En un confuso episodio en la nieve, él es extraído de Hourai y llevado a los doce reinos. Al ser solo un niño, asimila todo el cambio mejor que Youko, lo ve como algo más normal y se adapta de manera inmediata a su nueva vida. Aun así, al siempre haber sido odiado por su abuela y hermano, tiene una personalidad sumisa y solo desea agradar a todo el mundo, ya sea a las sacerdotisas que cuidan de él, como a los aspirantes a reyes de Tai.
A pesar de adaptarse muy bien a su condición, Taiki no termina de comprender qué es realmente un kirin, como transformarse y, sobretodo, qué es la voluntad del cielo de la que tanto se habla.
La mayor parte de la novela, nos relata a Taiki intentando aprender todo lo necesario para ser un buen kirin e intentando comprender como transformarse. Cuando las puertas finalmente son abiertas, Taiki debe elegir un rey, pero se dedica a socializar con los candidatos, sobretodo con la amable y maternal Risai y con el intimidarte general Gyousou.
Durante la historia también aparecen los kirines Enki y Keiki, así como el rey eterno de En, Shoryu.
Al ser, cronológicamente, anterior a la primera novela, podemos ver el comienzo del debacle del reino de Kei y la reina Joukaku. La manera en que Keiki actuaba, frío y sin sentimientos, y como esto comienza a cambiar gracias a Taiki. Lo cual, lamentablemente, va a terminar en desastre.
El anime es una adaptación muy fiel de esta novela, prácticamente no existen diferencias. Tal vez un cambio de escenas o ampliamiento de otras, pero no hay grandes cambios.
Disfruto muchísimo leyendo estas novelas ligeras y espero pronto leer la siguiente, que es la última en haber sido adaptada.
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