Where to Watch The Twelve Kingdoms in the US

The Twelve Kingdoms makes every episode count, and right now it's all streaming on Crunchyroll and beyond. Exactly the kind of show the streaming era was built for.

Originally commissioned by NHK BS1, The Twelve Kingdoms quickly became exactly the kind of show that viewers rearrange their evenings for. Nakajima Youko is your average somewhat timid high school student. One day, a strange man named Keiki appears before her, swearing allegiance. Before she could properly register what was happening, demon-like creatures attack Youko and her friends, after which they are pulled into a different world. The series ran for 4 seasons (2002–2003), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find The Twelve Kingdoms genuinely rewarding — it shares something with Rounin but carves out its own territory entirely. The kind of genre television that makes you think as well as watch.