The Twelve Kingdoms ( Juni Kokuki – 十二国記 ) is a collection of illustration work by famed manga/concept artist Yamada Akihiro ( Lodoss War : Lady Of Pharis, RahXephon ) for the anime The Twelve Kingdoms, based on a series of light novels by Ono Fuyumi.

The first volume of illustrations was published in 2014, and this 2nd volume collects new art work that the artist painted in the past 7-8 years that were used for merchandise and other marketing/promotional events.

The premise behind Twelve Kingdoms is based heavily on Chinese mythology, as evident in the costumes of the characters in the illustrations. The quasi-Chinese get-up of the characters can be a little disconcerting for those familiar with Chinese culture, for it’s a hit-and-miss with the authenticity of his designs; although no fault can be found with the superb quality of his art work.

(above & below) In some of the monochrome art pieces Yamada-san tries to emulate the style of Chinese ink paintings. For those who are interested in Chinese mythology, I also highly recommend the art books by Kimiya Masago, for the Suikoden ( The Water Margin ) and Romance Of The Three Kingdoms.

(image above right) This stunning portrait piece was painted specially for the cover of the June 2022 issue of the Japanese visual arts magazine Geijutsu Shincho (芸術新潮) profiling Yamada Akihiro’s work, and I’m glad it has been included here as well.

I’m a really big fan of Yamada Akihiro’s art work so this was a day one purchase for me, and definitely makes for a nice companion to the first volume. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the artist’s work or the anime.

Twelve Kingdoms Vol 2 – Yamada Akihiro Art Book「十二国記」画集《第二集》青陽の曲 山田章博 art book details :

– Dimensions – ‎ 23 x 1.4 x 29.7 cm
– Softcover with dust jacket, 123 pages.
– Full color / B&W, in Japanese language ( book contains mostly art work )

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