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Fangirl Challenge [10/10] families » The Cuthberts
“I’m afraid for her, Matthew. She’ll be gone so long. She’ll get terrible lonesome.” ”You mean, we’ll get terrible lonesome.” ”I can’t help wishing that she’d stayed a little girl.” ”Mrs. Spencer made a lucky mistake, I guess.” ”It wasn’t luck; it was Providence. He knew we needed her.” ”Even with her queer little ways.” ”I loved her for them.”](http://24.media.tumblr.com/b337f9749e1a2e86f6198eba786b1a72/tumblr_mhkht3uBaG1qbxmu2o1_500.jpg)
The Great Feminist Manga and Anime List: The Twelve Kingdoms
The Twelve Kingdoms (also called Jūni Kokuki, “Record of 12 Countries” or “Juuni Kokki”) is a story by Fuyumi Ono that is both a series of novels and an anime. It’s one of the most well constructed and positive fantasy stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
The most prominent narrative centers around Yoko Nakajima, a submissive sixteen year old girl who lives to please those around her, reared by her controlling father to believe a very narrow idea of what girls should be. Everything changed for Yoko when a strange man approached her at school and informed her she was being hunted by demons. The man bowed to her and offered her his protection and allegiance. Yoko was panicked into accepting his offer, and given a sword to fight demons with. She was chased by the demons into the fantastical world of the twelve kingdoms, separated from her mysterious protector and stranded. The world of the Twelve Kingdoms is filled with strange customs and dangerous creatures, and in some places the outsiders that blow in from Japan and China aren’t welcomed due to the calamity caused by the storms that blow them in. This meek schoolgirl who built her life around serving others now has only herself to count on, and she is going to have to find out who she is and what she’s really made of if she wants to survive.
If you’re looking for a story that has a) has ridiculously complex and thorough world building that delves into every facet of the mythology, geography, population and governance of a high-fantasy alternate word and b) massive character development, intense psychological examination and characters having to examine the effects of abuse of power and oppression and facing sticky moral conflicts with no easy answers and oh did we mention that these complex and conflicted characters are mostly excellent ladies….well, this is the right story, my friend.
