Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World

Kino no Tabi is a really good choice for you if you have an overall neutral outlook on life, basically an outlook where you are willing to listen to every possible side of the story, but don't go into any extremes of any of the sides, being a kind of traveler in mindset. The anime is about a traveler and the anime itself is indeed a journey. With that said you might end up liking where you ended up, you might end up learning something from it, you might end up entertained, or you might end up bored or not really interested in the events of that particular place. You may stay in a place longer or you might stay somewhere barely. The reason I'm saying this, is that if you plan to follow through with this anime, you might end up really liking some parts or really disliking some parts, and it all depends on your perspective and personality, and nothing else, which makes it definitely an experience. This is what the story is all about, you will draw your own conclusions from them and I can't detail what impact they will have on you because the impact they may have or how they will be received will completely vary for anyone watching it. The story focuses well on its travelling aspect, making the visual aspect of the show easy on the eyes, not falling into any sort of extreme, and the sound of the show will blend in really well with the visual aspect and it feel really natural which sets up a really good atmosphere, which is the most important of a travelling experience. As far as the art and the sound goes, they serve their purpose really well. As for the characters, as you are going on a journey, they will constantly change and only Kino and Hermes will be constant, but that's not a bad thing since it really fits the theme of the show. The characters that you meet are indeed interesting and they might pique your interest through what they will do and will have to say. The fact that you won't have them involved for long is something that maybe you might dislike, but this is part of a journey. You won't stay in the same place for long. If you really enjoy seeing things from different perspectives, this is going to be a really good experience for you, from which you can draw different conclusions about the things you saw. But everyone experiences a journey differently and you might experience this anime differently than someone that enjoyed this journey or someone that really disliked it. Still, sometimes not going on a journey means that you would miss out on a really good experience, and you wouldn't want that, would you?

Kino's Journey has often been compared to Mushishi as they share many similarities, but they still differ in many, subtler ways. Kino's Journey has a large following, and it's easy to see why. Its premise is rather compelling, and it manages to accomplish quite a lot with it. Though it isn't perfect, it's certainly worth a watch. Kino's Journey is an episodic anime that has no real overarching storyline; it's something you can watch out of order and still understand what's going on. The one continuity that is ever-present are the main characters, Hermes and Kino herself. Hermes, the talking motorcycle (or in this world's terminology, a motorrad) is Kino's companion. The two travel the world, staying in various countries for no longer than three days. This anime details each individual country through the eyes of Kino. Hermes tends to ask Kino interesting questions that make for much of the show's intriguing nature. Kino is undoubtedly the most interesting character the show has to offer; with each episode, we discover a little more about her, such as what drives her and how she thinks. By the end of the show, after discovering every little nuance about Kino, we're able to see her as a person. While the two are great characters themselves (without going into too much detail), the characters that they meet in each episode don't tend to have much characterisation at all, merely being used as plot devices and not amounting to much more than that. Episode 10 is a brilliant exception to this rule, and one of my favourite episodes of the show. Even so, there are various episodes where the characters Kino and Hermes meet have actual characterisation and depth - however, there are also those episodes where they serve as caricatures, rather than actual characters. Even so, the characters that are able to overcome that are executed quite well. There are only a few characters and a few episodes when the generic characters don't feel real, so this isn't too much of a downside. This anime is all about atmosphere, and that is something that the soundtrack accomplishes very well. The soundtrack is very good, with no single track skimping on providing the atmosphere this anime strives to uphold. Whatever the situation, these tracks add to the brilliant atmosphere that the anime provides. The opening and ending are something that I can never skip, because they are brilliant, and I usually have distaste for any ED. If nothing else, this anime provides a great soundtrack that you can listen to, even without the anime playing alongside it. The soundtrack, while never released, is one of the best things about this show. The sound effects are able to sound believable, but not to the extent that they sound life-like. The voice acting tends to vary from character to character, sometimes ending up with characters who fail to read their lines with much emotion or tone in their voice. The main characters, however, do a great job with their portrayal of Hermes and Kino, though Hermes' voice can be grating sometimes. Kino's voice actor did her job brilliantly, at the very least. As I mentioned previously, there is no overarching plot line; each individual episode has its own story (with the exception of the coliseum arc, which lasts 2 episodes). Every episode deals with a country which Kino has stumbled upon, and no episode is like another. There's a great variation between each episode and its story, which is good, considering the kind of show this is. Though Kino very rarely intervenes with any country, each one has a story to tell. Each episode provides and explores an idea and has you thinking about it by the end of it, though some ideas are more thought-provoking than others. It's an interesting concept, and while the story each episode tells tends to be simplistic, it can add some complexity to it without it feeling too convoluted. Between each episode, there's bound to be something that you like, as there is a great variation between each country. The art adds to the overall atmosphere that the anime provides, even going so far as to add in scan lines (which is an odd choice, to say the least). The art has this rather dark, fairy-tale-like quality, which exemplifies the kind of place Kino's world is. Though there is a great lack of bright colours, it's fitting for Kino's world, only adding to the atmosphere. The character design for Kino is unique, however it is fairly plain for pretty much every other character; the art itself could have been better. The art shouldn't bother you too much if you don't look too closely, though (most of the time, anyway). The animation is fairly solid and remains consistent throughout the anime, even if it isn't exceptional. It shouldn't bother you at all, save for a few short moments. I enjoyed this anime a great deal. Its uniqueness is especially charming, as it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. From the simple to the complex episodes of this anime, I loved every single bit of it. Kino and Hermes were an entertaining duo to have as protagonists; watching them deal with whatever situation the creators wanted to throw at them was one of my favourite parts of watching the anime. Kino is an incredibly unique character herself, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed this anime as much as I did. This still stands today as my favourite anime out of everything else I've ever watched, and it will likely continue to do so. Kino's Journey is an experience, and it's a relaxing experience at that. This series tells the tale of one of the most unique and interesting characters anime has, which is coupled with the unique nature of the show itself. There truly isn't anything else like it - From the strange, enthralling countries to the simple, yet thought-provoking ideas Kino's Journey explores, it stands as a testament to what anime can accomplish within its medium; Kino's Journey is one anime that is most assuredly worth watching. [Score Breakdown: Story: 8, Art: 8, Sound: 9, Characters: 7.5, Enjoyment: 10, Overall: 8.5]

I will always love being preached to about banal philosophy, especially when an atmospheric, dreamlike OST embellishes it. A story for those who love stories, this anime surrounds the rambling plethora of ideas and questions brought up as Kino travels through various hypothetical countries that act as thought experiments. It feels a little like Star Trek in a way, except the only consistent characters are Kino and her motorcycle, Hermes, making for a more laid back and meditative tone—as loneliness can often do. The storybook vibe also brings a little mix of everything: action, scifi, drama, iyashikei, mystery, the whole works! (Reminds me of something like Yamibou or Durarara.) The theme of the anime draws me in, as I love to travel and also only stay a few days at most in any place when I do. I find that feeling of being afraid to slow down or something will break inside you as if your very identity is lost to be relatable as well although in other contexts. As with any good journey, the show displays that great feeling of discovery and appreciation for collecting little experiences with all sorts of different people. I love the quiet, reflective moments between locations as well, looking out over the scenery. If only the anime offered more diversity in its settings and character designs, then I could truly appreciate these aspects. More often than not, designs are cheaply pulled from a vaguely historical European setting and it feels like the same actors changing their dress for a new episode (which would arguably be appropriate I suppose). It kind of reminds me of visiting quant little towns in Professor Layton but just completely uninspired. Luckily the OST pulls its weight, drawing out enough beauty and mystery in these places that I didn’t mind so much. The thought experiments can come across as fairly heavy handed, lacking nuance and a more human element. Due to the disconnect between stories and the short length of each episode, the worldbuilding—if you can even call it that—falls flat. The stories shouldn't be taken literally anyway, but I rarely felt as immersed in the show as I would have liked. On the other hand, I love that it doesn’t mess around and always gets right to the point in each episode. This show understands my heart! Oftentimes the stories bring out the darkness of humanity, yet Kino understands that there's nothing she can do in many cases. She is willing to fight and take action when she sees fit, but her justice isn't necessarily good, as she can live with orchestrating the deaths of those who idly benefit from the suffering of others. There's certainly some hypocrisy in her character surrounding whether you have an obligation to use your power for good, but I enjoy that it’s left up in the air. While she may not find it her place to get involved, she does believe in the importance of experiencing these different ways of life and coming to understand how people think. Thinking or more specifically not thinking for yourself is a general theme across stories. Through technology, religion, war, and whatnot, people give up their autonomy or stop feeling the desire to be curious. The show doesn't necessarily take a position on moral issues, just letting the audience ponder over them and the greyness of everything. Kino herself pays attention to details and others around her and I can feel that she has empathy for them despite her realist attitude. I find Kino's cool analysis and badassery to be pretty outstanding, like everything is a bore even when her life is seemingly in danger or when something supposedly amazing presents itself. She can be somewhat of an enigma, but that’s precisely the kind of character that shines through introspection and short glimpses of her emotions underneath the surface. There’s always something more to places and people than meets the eye. "I don't know if the world is beautiful or not, but it sure is big"

Kino no Tabi's title led to me err, that I must admit. When I first popped it in I expected to travel along some kid through a curious and at times awe inspiring world, accompanying "him" (yeah, more on that later) on his encounters with all sorts of quirky and humane characters. I honestly had an idea in mind similar to that of Violent Evergarden, but as a show on the road. Boy, how mistaken I was. The first episode started off rather melancholic, but quite beautiful indeed; more or less what I expected. And then the second episode came and I realized what I was in for. This series gets bleak. Very bleak at times. I can only think of one episode that broke away from this. Is this a point to be raised against the series? Not at all! The show is honest about its tone and it sticks to it. I cannot fault the writing for being coherent, can I? The problem I have with the writing might be tied to its adherence to that tone. It is so focused on delivering on that sense of tragic beauty, in which it often succeeds, that at points it feels very forced. I am unsure on how to judge this because I am not entirely sure on how it wants to be judged. For example, the second to last episode makes a statement about war, the loss of life to violence and revenge. Those are all fascinating themes, but in order to get across a sense of bleakness that I would not hesitate to call "misanthropic" the situation presents us with characters acting in a very strange way that, as far as I know, does not have any precedents in any actual historical conflict. It's based on a very crazy idea someone had to put an end to a war. I would be willing to accept that as somewhat plausible, but then it turns out that someone entirely unrelated to them also had the same idea. The show presents this very extreme and honestly heinous solution as the lesser evil and something that "will make sense when you are a parent". I frankly doubt that; I see what they are trying to accomplish, but the logic at play here is very contrived. Anyway, that's my judgement if we were to treat this show's storytelling as trying to be realistic, but I lean more towards a symbolic interpretation of everything that's depicted in this show, kind of like a string of fairy tales. Whether this suffices to salvage the writing for other people I ignore, but for me it it does. With those goggles (and don't interpret this as "turning your brain off"; that expression is so irritating) you may find yourself getting very invested. This is not a series to take literally, it is meant to induce a certain mood in you and most importantly, to get a theme across. Which one I will explain later, at least, my personal interpretation. Kino is a very interesting character, but for different reasons that most other characters are. She's not interesting because of her incredible backstory (I liked it alright, but it does seem to come across as excessively tragic) or because of what you ignore about her. She's an extremely honest character. What you see is what you get; she's not here to trick you. Except for her design; I am pretty sure that that was intended to confuse you. That is the only deceptive aspect of her entire persona; other than that I believe you can trust everything she says and does. It is her reaction to the world that truly makes her fascinating. Her companion, Hermes, fulfills his role quite well. I intuit that he was just added to give Kino someone to bounce off when she's not interacting with anyone out in the world, which results in a character that's highly dependent on the protagonist to stand up in the story. I ignore how much of an impact his absence would have had on the show as a whole, but I suspect that it would have detracted part of my enjoyment, so I really don't have much to say on him, either negative nor positive. The most important element of any show, in my opinion, is its theme. And Kino No Tabi has a central theme that became instantly clear in episode 5. (Spoilers for episode 5). In it we are shown three different men partaking in a job that has kept them busy for most of their lives. And unbeknownst to them, each of them has been undoing the work of the previous one. None of them seem deterred by the dullness of their task, and just keep at it because it will keep their family fed, a family that they have not seen in literal years. For all they know, all their savings could be being thrown into a bottomless hole. But they don't even consider that, as they have work to do. The pointlessness of their lives, and the questionable reality of their end goal is paralleled with Kino's own endless journey, and she seems to realize that. That is when I started noticing a similar pattern in every other episode. Every character that stars their own story are prisoners of the absurd, as Albert Camus put it, they are all trapped in a Sisyphean task that, through immense effort, leads them back where they began, or renders all their work pointless. Only upon writing these lines have I been able to draw a parallel between Kino and Meursault, the protagonist of Camus's novel "The Stranger", which does indeed revolve around the idea of the "absurd". The pointlessness of existence, and how in making our own meaning we trap ourselves in these loops that keep us fooled into believing that there will be a satisfying conclusion. Every character, save Kino and Nimya (from episode 8) fall prey to this trap. Kino, through a series of unrelated stories, reaches a bit of a realization. It is not a massive display of character progression; she remains static for most of the series. However, she reaffirms her beliefs and shows us how, in being entirely aware of the absurd motions she's a part of, she has reached contentment. Kino is not a very active character. She's a gunslinger, but not a defender of justice. This is not a series which follows the adventures of a stoic cowboy going from town to town solving problems and partaking in heroics. She's just a traveler, as the series constantly refers her to as. She comes to observe, to understand, and upon three days, regardless of the outcome of her stay, she will be gone. She's eternally wandering, making no effort to change the world, only living in it. I believe this plays into the thematic consistency that relates to the absurd. The pointlessness of these efforts that feed into nothing. The only aspect of the world she has control over, or even the desire to control, is her destination. That is what I believe makes Kino so fascinating. She's an absurdist protagonist, physically passive but emotionally responsive. She retains a pleasant stoicism for most of her journeys, and is never quick to judge others, much less condemn them. There are a few exceptions, such is the case with the episode regarding war to which I have alluded previously. But even then it is very underplayed. However, she is entirely capable of responding emotionally to what happens around her. We see her experiencing fear when she has to fight for her life, we understand her disgust at several of the most heinous acts she encounters, and we see her sadness at the death of people who were truly undeserving of it. She's emotionally respondent, but still, she never forgets her role as a simple traveler who has no other business in the countries she visits. This character archetype I have never seen before outside of The Stranger, and even then she's a far more affable and humane version of Meursault. That is why she is one of my favorite characters so far in any anime I have watched. For that reason alone Kino No Tabi will stay close to my heart. I will not deny that every other aspect of the show is nowhere near as impressive for me. The worldbuilding is, as I said, more focused on serving the show's themes than creating a plausible environment, the musical tracks are not particularly memorable and the visuals are, although really charming in their own and frankly pitch perfect for the mood of the sh…

I am hesitant to review Kino no Tabi. Not because I didn't like the anime, but because I am worried that I won't say the right things to convince you to watch it. This anime is episodic, and focuses on societies that take reasonable ideas to an extreme. The key themes are adventure, understanding others, and magical realism. The atmosphere is calm, introspective, and slow paced; there are a few action scenes, but the dialogue never becomes overbearing. Some strong points of the show are the philosophical problems posed by the different societies, and the ability of the anime to demonstrate the varieties of human experience. The female protagonist is very convincing: she embodies both a desire to see the world as well as an awareness of the dangers her adventures present. My only reservation is that some of the episodes are much better than others, so perhaps it is slightly inconsistent. I would recommend this anime to people who are interested in calm but introspective shows, or people who want something to think about and discuss after the show has ended. Of course, this anime is not for everyone. If you are interested in action or pure enjoyment, I would look elsewhere.

Kino's Journey is a series of sociological thought experiments actualized in anime form. We follow a traveler named Kino's experience of such experiments. Every said experiment is very intriguing, as is Kino's reaction to them, or lack there-of. The rationalization of her encounters and decisions is very enlightening and speaks to me at a very personal level as Kino thinks in a very similar manner to myself. Having said all of that, I was still not too impressed by Kino's Journey. Perhaps my expectations were too high as it was recommended to me in the same light as Evangelion, Lain, and Texhnolyze, yet I would consider all of those anime to be considerably better. Refer to my reviews of those for more context. Kino's Journey was very interesting, and the second episode left me in awe, but it just did not ride the momentum of the second episode all the way through. I feel like it did not hit anything too complex or significant. The fact that I have so little to say is a testament as to how lackluster I found the anime. The story was non-existent. I completely disagree with the art style and art direction. The sound was meh. The two main characters were very interesting but everyone else seemed like just an accessory to the plot or subplot in this instance. Most plot twists were predictable; I did not receive most of the intended shock value. I was simply not impressed. Having said that, Kino's Journey is still an exceptional anime, just not as exceptional as I wanted it to be. I guess not every anime can break my top 10. I'd recommend Kino's Journey because it's interesting, but I would not recommend it over the greatest anime in its category.

Philosophical ideas, atmosphere, and most importantly, the feels. Usually these elements are what I personally look for in an anime, but I think this is something that everyone should chek owoooouuuut simply because it's one of those shows that demonstrates the amazyn artistic potential of the medium of animu. Kino, the main character of the series is very interesting to watch because of their stoic, confident and almost neutral personality when facing problematic situations. Very similar to Ginko of Mushishi. Anyhoo this is an intelligent and enjoyable anime that must counter that abundant ecchi and shounen shit that dominates the industry. Also, this show (along wit any other) is not flawless, but as Kino says "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is".

Kino's Journey is fairly reminiscent of Mushshi in that both protagonists travel without resting in one spot for too long. The two main characters in this anime are Kino and Hermes. Kino is your bad ass character with quite an amazing set of skills some what similar to Spike Spiegle from Cowboy Bebop, except the difference here is that she is a young female.. seem kind of strange doesn't it? I had trouble the first 3 episodes wondering whether Kino was actually male of female but episode 4 clears that up. One big gripe I have with this anime is that they never mention much about Kino, how is she so damn skilled with guns and fighting? why does she only stay in a location 3 days at a a time? how is a little girl like her probably just as formidable as Spike Spiegle? As for Hermes, he's just your typical talking motor bike, mainly just a side kick of Kino's and occasionally shares his thoughts on Kino's decisions. There is no actual plot to this anime, with respect of Kino actually being on a journey, but there are many stories that beg to ask big questions within a society such as what would happen if one could read another's mind? or what if a societies technology was so advanced that they didn't need to do any work? It's quite the philosophical thrill ride if that's what you want it to be. Kino stays consistent in that it doesn't bore you with long arcs that try to find an answer to such questions, but rather just one episode to see an example of such societies. As for an ending, there isn't anything special happening there but Kino finishing another journey. It opens the room for a second season but at the same time who knows. Overall score: 8/10. I thought Kino's Journey was quite an enjoyable anime, and only being 13 episodes, I finished it fairly quick. If you liked Mushishi and a bad ass character like Spike then by all means try this anime out and see it for yourself!

Wow. This anime, in itself, is a classic and is a must see for anyone who watches anime. It doesn't matter if you are into Mechas, Harems, Fighting, or any of the other genres; you will love this anime. Story: The anime is based off a book series that has made awards. The way it tells its story is like Galaxy Express 999 just its not linear. The events are placed to give you the feeling that you know whats going on. Each episode has a moral that has a real-life uses. Most of the events could happen in real life. You also find yourself relating to the main character Kino as she goes through her travels through the many countries she visits. Art: The designs of all the characters, main or background, are done in the style of the old classics. It felt like watching an old anime from the 80's just remastered with the new computerized shading. The technology ranges from a Wright brother's-like flying machine to motorcycles that talk to guns and fully plated armored warriors that when compared to Kino would scare a normal person s***less. Sound: The music scores bring with it the hard fact that this anime could be real. When the atmosphere is depressing the music multiplies its effect on you. But I love how the English voice cast pulled of the character's own personality in their voices. Granted Kino is rarely giving any emotion in her voice, but to have her voice actress be able to keep the emotionless voice going with out it becoming a monotone drone makes it quite the achievement. Character: There are only two main characters, and no reoccurring characters, in the anime. This is because the anime goes through maybe the first 2 or 3 volumes, so any reoccurring characters would not seem to be reoccurring. But the main characters have very distinct and opposite personalities. Kino is a realist, she sees things for how they are. She makes now real wise cracks. She does interact with the other as friends would, though. Then there is Hermes, her motorrad or talking motorcycle. He makes wise cracks about stuff that she does and seems pessimistic at times. He constantly goes on about how she doesn't take very good care of him. But anyone can see he finds Kino to be his one and only friend. Enjoyment: Just the fact that this anime will make you stop to think about how our world is and how people in the real world would react to different situations, not giving the "and they all lived happily ever after" ending when you think you will see it. It gives you a reality check and makes you realize that Love Hina, or Gurren Lagann are just fantasies that would probably be dreams not realities. Overall: It's the Brothers Grimm of anime. It is a bunch of situations in anime that instead of going right, they go wrong and show you the consequences. Again i would like to stat that any one reading this review should go see this anime. This is usually my death threat sentence but the realism is if you don't want to watch this anime, don't. The only one your hurting is yourself for not wanting to face reality.

This was my first ever meeting with anime. It aired (ofc random episodes) at a channel I rarely looked at, but whenever this was on I was glued to my chair. I didn't understand japanese or english at that point, but the feel of the anime, the artstyle, the visual storytelling, it being a cartoon but clearly NOT for kids... And Kino? Suuuuch a great representation for me as a little girl who didn't fit in with the princess stereotype. I was way too young when I watched this, but I've been talking about the anime to friends since childhood, and I finally found it and finished it. Bit of a ramble here, but point is this: I really really enjoyed this anime, both as a kid and as an adult. I really like the art, the sound design, the way the stories are told with not too much explanation, just an all around great time. Will gladly watch again and again and again. <3

Kino no Tabi or Kino's Journey is a tale about the journey of a traveler on a talking Motorrad, traveling through different sceneries and countries. Each country in the anime is shown as having unique principles about life and the interpretation of those principles is left on the audience hence making it a thought-provoking and philosophical anime. The deep thoughts presented in the anime are mesmerizing enough to make one think about the fickle nature of the world. Kino no Tabi is a fine-paced anime focused on philosophy and traveling. The anime only revolves around the traveler and the Motorrad without introducing any other important character throughout the anime which could be considered fine as it doesn't lose its focus from traveling. The art and animation are good but not the best for the year it was released. The characters are stale with little to no development but for a philosophical anime, it could be neglected as the audience plays the greater role. There is no story at all the anime is about them traveling around the world aimlessly living life on the road. The music and the theme songs were calm and nicely matched with the art. The anime is more focused on philosophical thoughts and the expression of the beauty of the world through traveling. The philosophical part is very enjoyable yet hard to understand at the same time. The pace was a bit unique as the anime is not story-driven and could be made slow and fast depending on the episode and its setting which makes it good. The art was fine with an aesthetic and nostalgic feeling but there were some minor flaws; the animation on the other hand was good and smooth throughout the anime making it a fine piece of art for its time. The characters were hollow and lacking an emotional connection with little to no development throughout the anime and this could be counted as a flaw but if keeping in mind that the main focus of the anime is philosophy, where the audience plays a greater role than the characters; it could be said the development was not that much necessary. The most important thing that the anime lacked was the story as it is the unique part that keeps the audience focused; the lacking of a story undermined some of the great philosophical thoughts in the anime and dulled its core. The rhythmic and calm music in the anime was top notch, the opening theme song is very well made and the selection of the voice actors was on point except for the Motorrad it felt like they could have done better. The anime was very enjoyable and admirable for its approach to philosophy and deep thoughts such an approach is fading away from recent times and leaving this series as a good relic for the reminiscence.

Kino's Journey can best be described as a series of complex morality plays or parables woven together elegantly by the journey of a single girl. It is a story of lamentation and praise about the reality we all inhabit, the "Beautiful World" descriptor being both ironic and sincere at once in the context of the story. It is an unspeakably powerful and compelling emotional experience that has to be seen to be believed. The titular protagonist Kino travels around with her sentient motorbike, Hermes, experiencing what is wonderful and what is terrible about the distinct lands she finds, each of which generally imparts a specific lesson about humanity and our place in the greater order of nature, of existence. It is actually a very sentimental series, but it is never naive or afraid to comment frankly on the cruelties of nature or those that lurk in the hearts of humans. And still it never fails to focus on the beautiful. The plots surrounding each land are well-constructed and, while being only loosely related, serve well to tell one of the most important stories, which is the story of Kino's personal growth and maturation. Kino is a girl protagonist completely devoid of stereotypes, right down to the traveller's garb and presentational style she inherited from a grown man who was himself a wanderer, her friend and inspiration. She is pragmatic and excels at problem-solving, she faces reality unflinchingly and without squeamishness, she is masterful with a pistol and kills for her meat and kills in self-defense. Her successful struggle for her own survival, her life torn between desire to connect with others and need to protect herself, between a desire to settle down and a need to continue wandering... Kino's is a personal arc with many nuances which utterly set her apart. The art and design in the series is magnificent and is every bit worthy to portray the marvelous story and characters. Every element from the setting design on down to the palette and lighting effectively imbues the series with the deep feeling of melancholy and longing that is necessary to highlight the similar moods so evoked by the story and character interactions. Elements like costume design (especially Kino's) and architectural design are handled adeptly and even fancifully, creating the sense that Kino is drifting through a vaguely European-styled neverland. While the series may be less than overwhelmingly popular, I truly feel that there is something significant about it. As a story that is in many ways a character study of a significantly gender-nonconforming female protagonist, who is behaviorally gender-nonconforming rather than simply presentationally gender-nonconforming as one might find in any given dumb "genderbending" anime, I feel Kino's Journey stands out, especially as a cultural product of a society stilll heavily steeped in patriarchal attitudes and practices. (Not to say that the US or the vast majority of all other nations are not also complicit in this.) And it accomplishes this didactic storytelling about the true capacities and possibilities inherent within women without preaching or compromising the art for the message. I also feel that Kino's Journey has so much more to offer beyond the unparalleled feat I just described. Its many parables are valuable in themselves. Some may bring you to tears, and some may rip you right out of reality for a spell. I've endeavored to describe and review a series that I cherish without spoiling yourself, so if you happen to read this, please do a favor and go see it with your own eyes! My gushing, however justified and appropriate, could never compare to the experience you will have watching this amazing show.

This is a quiet thoughtful anime and, mostly, nonjudgmental. Most of the judgments are made by the viewer, not Kino, the observer/traveler. A review I read called it “quietly nihilistic” and it is - and yet hopeful as well. Each story is a short term story - only the 3 days of Kino’s visit - but usually a crucial 3 days. It touches on ideas like one culture’s impact on another, determination, misunderstandings, history, how attempts to avoid or solve one kind of problem result in other problems, revenge, killing and when or whether it is justified, war, humanity’s stubbornness, tunnel vision, and compassion - each dealt with in small vignettes where you see one aspect of the impact on individuals. It is not happy - some of it is downright tragic - but I did not find it depressing. The series does not offer solutions for the problems, but asks you to observe life carefully. I found it similar in feel to Haibane-Renmei. If you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure or a lot of action, this is not for you. In this anime, each action has consequences and is undertaken mindfully.

If I had to say one thing about Kino's Journey, it'd be its overall theme is supposedly a reversed SoL in a form of expressionism and surrealism. Every land, where Kino traveled to, portrayed the humanity and its heart -- an unusual mixtures of madness and love, cruelty and truth, government and policies, and flaws and retribution. Kino herself witnessed everything on her very own eyes from the neutral corner of the spectrum, although she used to have lived on a similar society which changed her life drastically. Most of the episodes left me an awestruck, self-reflecting impression about the twists and turns of the events happened to the actors and actresses -- whether it may be fortunately or unfortunately for them. As establishing an indirect equivalent word for "land" or "country", there's one thing I wanted to convey from the author, "Does he or she have a sheer disgust towards the humanity and blame the pre-assembled society before the observer?" It may seem that he poured his viewpoints of reality into a mere fiction, and succeeded in an artistic, fashionable way of creating a story. Given the fact that the LN art is superior to the anime design, and the fact that the overarching plot and development were a tad lacking, it is.. without a doubt, an imperfect but beautiful world.

Kino’s Journey is a 13 episode series about a young girl travelling on foot - or wheel, if you like - with her talking motorcycle end experiencing what life truly has to offer. They visit many different places together and come in contact with a large variety of people and fates during their exploration of the vast world. This is the basic premise of the show, and really all you need to know regarding the plot before watching it. Hence, I won’t focus on plot related details in this review. Instead, I’ll talk a bit about the themes and the general feeling and atmosphere of this extraordinary piece of anime. The lasting impression I received from this show is that it is a very gloomy creation. It is also very dark at times. Sometimes it’s absurd in its darkness; it takes human madness to the edge and far beyond, many times in a fashion that closest resembles black, bizarre travesty, clearly demonstrating the insanity and unreasonableness with everything. I would almost like to draw parallels to classic storytelling and fairytales. Sometimes that’s the feeling I get when watching Kino’s Journey; partly because of the slightly tale-like and mysterious atmosphere, but what I’m mostly referring to in this case is the dark humour. Unfortunately, I don’t have any concrete examples, but I have the impression that fairy tales can often be quite phantasmagoric, sometimes in dark, twisted ways (some of the brothers’ Grimm’ stories comes to mind). Characters and occurrences/phenomena in stories can be highly baroque, and the stories themselves sometimes have a dose of satire and/or irony in them, which is something that no one within the realm of the story itself normally seems to find odd or react to in other ways. Kino’s Journey feels a bit similar to this, at times. To us outsiders - the viewers - the things that happen on the screen sometimes seem blatantly, utterly absurd, but the characters in the story never cease to take themselves seriously or question what they’re doing. For the viewer, however, there’s some humour to be found in the madness and absurdity. But, this does not make the darkness and the sad aspects of it make less of an impact. It is quite a tragic show. There are few cheerful moments during Kino’s travels (at least from what little we see of it). Even when things are at their merriest, the mood is still characterized by a feeling of loneliness and quiet melancholy. I can count the moments I found genuinely warming using only one hand - with a finger to spare, even. With this in mind, the opening sequence might seem wildly misleading - and it did to me, at first - as the tone it sets doesn’t match that of the show at all. It could be that it’s just very ironic, which would go well in line with what I said about the show in the paragraphs above. What I really think though, is that it alludes to the quote we are given in the very first episode, which goes: “The world is not beautiful, therefore it is.” This would be very fitting. Kino’s Journey is a very episodic show, without any consistent thread, thematically or story wise - aside from the exploring and discovering in itself - throughout it. It is grey, black, somber, tragic, tragicomic, melancholic, strange, and at times beautiful, in a way. It satires human behavior and phenomena in society in a very exaggerated fashion, while all the same telling gripping tales of sorrow and tragedy. It presents somewhat philosophical questions, although it must be said that the messages of the show, neither the social nor philosophical, are very subtle, nor is the latter especially deep. Even so, it’s done pretty well. The show is very atmospheric, with simplistic but nice animation. The music is on occasion somewhat enchanting, and has a mysterious, almost exotic sound to it at times. The directing is overall pretty good; in a few of the episodes quite a number of events take place, and I’m impressed by the fact that the pace never feels rushed, despite this. The director makes three days (which is the amount of time spent on every location) pass rather quickly, without it ever feeling hectic or unrealistic. Kino’s Journey is awarded with 8/10. It wasn’t at all what I had expected - I thought it would be a warm, cheerful, charming little story; it was everything but that - but it was good nevertheless. What keeps me from giving it a higher score is the length of it, which prevents further and deeper exploration of the characters and themes, as well as the lack of a sense of an overall direction; I would have liked it better if the show as a whole would have been a bit better constructed.

An endearing story accompanied by beautifully curated visuals... unfortunately, Kino's Journey stops at that for me. While the relationship between Kino and Hermes is a very sweet one (i won't go into more detail to avoid spoilers), i didn't feel the story had that depth many watchers allude to The various themes that are tackled as Kino travels from one town to the next feel more like a taste than an exploration. Even the episode on Kino's past, personally i think the best in the series, while it does delve into some very interesting character writing such as how Kino views herself and the special bond she has with Hermes, these are never really revisited beyond that one episode, something which i think had they decided to do would've added a lot more character developement to both Kino and Hermes

🏍 Wonder as she wanders °7.3° °VG° 💯%🔍 some minor spoilers KJ is structured much like Aesop's Fables. Each episode is a simplified cautionary tale of the foibles of human nature, particularly mankind's tendency to go to extremes. Kino inhabits a sparsely populated world - most likely a post-apocalyptic world, though that information is not divulged. Staying at each place for 3 days, she is exploring various lands with her talking 🏍, Hermes. Her first stop is a country in which the inhabitants thought they could eliminate pain if they all understood eachother better. To that end, they all drank an elixir that would enable them to read eachother 's minds. Obviously, people separated, grew apart, isolated themselves, and now the population is dying out. No babies are born. Nobody can tolerate another's presence. Yes, it should have been obvious. The motif ends with non-verbal communication via expression alone that is eerily like mind reading. The show feels ancient as these "countries" are much like ancient walled off cities. Every city-state she visits has people with foolish notions. Due to isolation, each country comes up with rather extreme and mostly untenable solutions to problems. Quite often these countries are ruthless and harsh. (Like a fable, it's not entirely make-believe, it mirrors reality). We'll see a threatening inspector explain through gritted teeth that every country has its customs and it's no outsider's business. Yet a traveler does step in to save the life of a girl, leaving the residents befuddled. In one country machines do all the work. Since resources are limited, they created useless jobs as a measure to divvy out their scarce resources: Those with the highest stress (useless) jobs get the most resources. And around and around we go. In a land where books are banned because 📚 cause readers to get lost in illusions, we hear that "All people exist in the illusion that /they/ are the main character." People get trapped in irony's cruel grip because nature always denies them the ability to truly be the main. The solution? Escape by becoming an author. "All I know is that no one sane would become an author," says Kino. My favorite philosophical discussion is Kino discussing man's-obligation-to-man with Hermes. The art supports the simplicity of the show. People are drawn on a low reality scale with little detail and some exaggeration, all fitting in with the fable setting. Backgrounds are slightly more detailed with simplified, minimized and stylized realism. Though simple, the art is plenty expressive, reinforcing the sounds and verbiage that increase the sense of wonder. We wonder as she wanders 🏍〰〰 QUOTES📢 A traveler's most important asset is what helps you get back up after a struggle's left you so close to the end. The Critics: "All they do is expound their store of knowledge. They excite themselves with their ranting. Their disapproval excites them with a feeling of importance and sick victory. They thrive on spoiling the pleasure and trashing the creativity of others." 〰🖍 IMHO 📣7 📝7.5 🎭7.5 🌞6 🎨7⚡5 🎵/🔊7 😅3 😭5 😱7 😯3 😖2 🤔6.5 💤3 🔚7 Re-📺? Probably not, but once was great.

This is my very first review, so please bear with me if it gets choppy. I'm going to keep it short because nothing annoys me more than opening the "Read More" section, seeing a PhD thesis about the philosophy of the world and the ethical connotations of child murder on something like ERASED, and having to read the synopsis again. No one is here for that. --- ACTUAL REVIEW/CONTAINS SPOILERS --- I found this anime to have incredible potential with the subject matter it portrays in all of its episodes, but that potential is wasted when every scenario is only an episode long with only 7 minutes of actual screen time: - The idea of transcending spoken language and being able to add emotion to what you're trying to convey, but it ends up bringing the worst out of people and driving them all to loneliness and solitude. - The idea of helping people out on the verge of starvation only to find out they're slavers and ate their slaves for sustenance. - The idea that tradition can drive a civilization to an inevitable self collapse due to their inability for self reflection, or their overwhelming urge to develop a tradition of their own without realizing that their drive for traditions is a tradition in of itself. - The idea of living in a society where 12 years old is the pivot from when you're a child to an adult. You then go to a hospital to forcefully brainwash you into being a mindless happy member of society. - The idea that your labour in every aspect can now be automated, but your society is built on using the stress of a job as a social and economic currency, and the ethical connotations of being a slave to your work without realizing the value of anything else. - The idea of a society where your fighting capabilities determine your hierarchy in society, and that the civilians live under the whim of the winners of those who fight in a colosseum. - The idea that a society is so devoted to the repetition of tradition to where it is so hostile to innovation that it actively persecutes those who innovate. - The idea that a library's contents and its allowances are entirely dictated by an unelected group of censors that prevent anything to be read that could pose as a threat. - The idea that the creation of mechanical beings to take control of manual labour so that the majority of society could focus in on its own domestic issues: racial tension, class hierarchies, and general unrest. To which it backfires and causes the society to implode and kill itself, leaving only the mechanical beings that they had created to succeed them. - The idea that two warring nations that have been fighting each other for over 100 years, having lost hundreds of thousands of lives, agree to cease all hostilities and to compete instead on who can massacre the most amount of civilians of a third party tribe. This tribe that is massacred is not even hypothetically close to even being able to fight back and just allows themselves to be massacred due to this helplessness. - The idea that a society that is too prideful to leave an area that their forefathers founded despite knowing that they would be utterly destroyed due to a cataclysmic event they knew was coming, leaving the only trace of their existence and their memory to the one traveler known as Kino. All of these are phenomenally beautiful scenarios that could be fleshed out wonderfully, but are doomed to express themselves in that limited 7 minutes. I could not help but feel as if this entire anime was more of a slideshow, showing idea after idea for the viewer to see rather than to be told. I understand that this limiting factor is due to Kino's obsession of giving herself only three days to experience these places as she's afraid to settle down --due to her upbringing and exposure to another traveler to which she took her name from. It makes sense that these ideas couldn't be fleshed out more than they were, and that is exactly why this anime was an enormous disappointment for me. TLDR: This anime had the potential of a year but only had an hour to show it. The equivalent of killing a deer and only taking the antlers. This is an anime doomed to fail in its storytelling due to its arbitrary --yet understandable due to Kino's past-- limit of three days in any location despite the wonderful story it could have told. It truly does pain me to have rated it what I did, but I do feel as if it deserved it due to its actual product rather than what it promised. Thank you for reading my first review.

So most of my childhood was just me sitting around not doing a whole lot, never had too many friends, never had anywhere to go, nothing to do but go to school and come home to pass out. Now in retrospect, I believe it was a pretty shitty childhood, not because it was particularly difficult, but rather because it was so uneventful. If I didn't exist at all at the time, it wouldn't have changed much. I was directionless and bored out of mind and desperately trying to find some inspiration. So when I watched Kino's Journey it was like a big punch in the teeth, the biggest inspiration it gave me was the need to go outside and exercise and chill out. Another was the need to travel to distant lands, get the hell out of America and just...experience I guess. Adrenalin and adventure were two things I was lacking considerably. Now, as an adult, I can say my life has improved and I feel a lot better about myself. But Kino's Journey is more than just an inspiration to me, it really is a fantastic experience to watch, if you can move past the very dated visuals. Its filled with atmosphere and mystery as well as it's own unique charm. There is a lot of nuance to it. It can get you thinking and excited. I would recommend Kino's Journey to literally anyone, no matter what your tastes may be. P.s My feelings here match the remake as well.

Kino's Journey: the Beautiful World, shortened to Kino's Journey, is a Japanese light novel series written by Keiichi Sigsawa, with illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi, which is still being published. A 13-episode anime adaptation was produced by A.C.G.T and Genco aired between April and July 2003. Two manga adaptations were produced, and a new anime series aired 12 episodes between October and December 2017. As of 2017, around 8.2 million copies of the novels have been sold in Japan. Newtype USA (a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga) named Kino's Journey the Book of the Month for November 2006 and called it "inviting and addictive," while AnimeOnDVD said it ‘sucks you in,’ and ‘allows you to experience the journey’ together with the main character of the series, Kino. The series has a huge fan base, including the fact that the series is usually mentioned in Takarajimasha's light novel guide book ‘Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!.’ Kino’s Journey tells a story of Kino, who is on a never-ending journey. Kino, together with their motorcycle, travel to different places and countries that have their own customs and laws. As a general rule, Kino only stays in each place for 3 days. During these three days, the story will show you the most beautiful places you have ever experienced in your life, or perhaps even the cruelest country. The series will also make you analyze many topics, including: festivals, traditions, different activities, freedom, individuality, war, machines, and even life itself. There is always a philosophical dilemma that Kino has to solve and these dilemmas sometimes involve some serious decisions that might put Kino’s life on the line. It is worth mentioning that the series used to be very popular in 2000; it still has quite a remarkable fan base. Just like me, you might have seen the original in 2003, or even started reading the novel in 2000. In that case, you already know the whole beauty of this series. If not, Kino’s Journey is definitely a huge pearl for those who like slice of life. However, if you believe that this genre is too boring, but still want to watch the series, I would highly recommend you to watch only two episodes a day, otherwise you might find it boring. I also want to concentrate your attention on the fact that Kino’s Journey is not your usual slice of life series; as mentioned before, you will find philosophy, many life dilemmas, some really tragic scenes, and even some action scenes. Granted, if you are patient, this diamond will reward you with its rich story-line. Art wise, the character artwork tends to be more simplistic, but this simplicity helps sometimes to build a very dark atmosphere, because this anime is dark and depressive. The background is not also exquisitely detailed, but at the same time there are so many small details. That being said, the anime’s art has too many positive aspects that compensate old animation. Sound wise, there are many great soundtracks. Another thing worth mentioning is Japanese voice actors, who did an amazingly good job. What I mean is that Kino dialogues with Hermes are the main focus of this anime; you have two options watching this anime: the first being just enjoying the show and second being analyzing every aspect Kino no Tabi tries to show you. And I must say it really is a great enjoyment to think about a thing, or two listening to Kino’s voice actress. As it has already been stated before, there are two protagonists in this series. Kino is the first main protagonist in the series. They travels to different countries with their talking motorcycle Hermes, which is the second main protagonist, discovering different cultures, customs and people. I am sure that it was one hell of a task for the voice actors to voice their characters, but they managed to do it. The best part about this anime, is of course, its characters. The duo is able to keep you interested in what will happen next, providing you with the necessary character development. As a side note, as you might know, Kino no Tabi received a remake not long ago. It is always nice to see that such giants of the SoL genre receive attention; however, it is still obvious that the 2003 version of Kino no Tabi is far superior to its remake; it is just was not as dark as the original, but it still is worth watching. Overall rating: a very solid 10/10. Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World (2003) is a show that I would recommend to any person who loves SoL. However, if you are not a fan of the genre, as it has already been mentioned in my review, you should either watch this anime little by little, or you should just avoid it. Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World (2003) is, indeed, a worthy title. I hope that you will enjoy your journey with Kino and Hermes and perhaps continue it with Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World (2017), which is also a good (not the best) remake for this masterpiece.