FFXII has no soul. It has the ingredients of a great game, one I should absolutely love, but I don't. That je ne sais quoi is absent. With IX, I don't grok the soul, but it certainly is there - I invoke Kishi;

FFIX is thematically charming, whimsical, fun, and doesn't always take itself completely seriously.
I might like the technical elements of XII more, but I've certainly spent a lot more time playing IX and I have a much greater desire to try to finish IX than XII.