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Twelve Kingdoms - Chapter 4 - Reunion Director: Tsuneo Kobayashi Number of Items: 1 Format: Animated, Color Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 100 minutes Studio: Media Blasters, Inc Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-01-27 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 "if you haven't seen the preceding three dvd's, do so now" you don't actually need to because the story takes a turn away from nakajima toward taiki, however it's good to know exactly what keiki and nakajima are up to when they arrive at mt. hou and start hearing the story of taiki. i've started showing this anime series to people as an example of what an engaging and exciting serial anime can be. the four episodes on this dvd are all about how taiki's ranka is lost in a shoku and how he was found and raised (all of this having been alluded to numerous times in the preceding three dvd's). you finally get to see the depth of devotion that a nyokai has for her kirin. this series has a knack for leaving you at very interesting points in the story at the end of each dvd. i'm counting the days until the next dvd is out. "Interesting but flawed fantasy" This, the 4th disc of the Twelve Kingdom saga anime, gives faithful viewers a new story that only they can understand, since they've learned how the world of the Twelve Kingdoms work. The story's fascinating, but the way it's executed is slightly flawed, I think. Characters tend to explain things as if the audience is composed of children, which feels awkward considering its suggested 13-and-up rating. Some of the acting also leaves something to be desired. For that, I'll have to take off a star. I guess it can't be helped sue to the nature of the story. I feel compelled to write though because I do like it. Alongside all the melodrama and action, the show reveals a cute side as if it's from the House of Mouse or something along those lines. The animation is only minimal, but the art direction is very good; many scenes are wonderful to look at. The music, especially the folksy Japanese-like numbers, is beautiful and exotic. If only the acting weren't so stiff and occasionally cheesy, I'd give this DVD a full thumbs up--but then again, that's usually the nature of anime, isn't it? "Different.. But good" just like everyone else, i was looking forward to seeing how "queen kei" would run her new country in this new arc.. but that isnt the case here. the whole dvd is based on taiki, a kirin. which isnt a bad thing.. but kinda frusterates you a bit knowing that the real story is being put on hold. i assume the next dvd, which concludes this book, will also be on this same "past memory" story. what ever happened to asano?