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Plot Synopsis

Kino no Tabi (Kino's Travels, Kino's Journey) follows two travelers, the human Kino and the motorrad (a type of motorcycle) Hermes. Each episode (except for the two Coliseum episodes) takes you to a different country (often more than one) where the two experience life in a different place, surrounded by different cultures and ideologies. Like the viewer, Kino is an observer and rarely passes judgement on the people or places she meets, but the situations are often compelling (or disturbing) enough to possibly change ones' world view.

Kino no Tabi originally started out as a novel series (currently 10 books) before being made into an anime (13 episode TV series, preceeded by 1 OVA short for promotional purposes) Later, based on the popularity of the novels in Japan, a movie was adapted from a chapter on Kino's past. A second movie adapted from the chapter "Byouki no Kuni" is slated for an April 2007 release.

Story & Characters

"The world is not beautiful - therefore it is".
These are the sentiments of Kino, a human traveler, and Hermes, a talking motorrad (motorcycle). Together, these two journey to different countries and experience the life, the people, and the cultures in each. After 3 days, they pack up their bags and set out on the road again, to find the next story.
Kino no Tabi is told in a series of short stories; each episode contains a story about a country (ocassionally more than one story per episode, or in the case of Coliseum, takes 2 episodes for the full story) and the pieces don't fit together except for the loose string that binds them together - the journeys of a human and motorrad. The episodic nature means each episode wraps up what it begins and does not leave you hanging, and allows the viewer to digest the series in small chunks or all at once, if they prefer.
Kino no Tabi is at times a very dark series, and unflinching in telling the stories of human nature, whether they be good or bad. It's not focused on action, or drama, or even character interactions. Instead, it uses the medium of following the two travelers to explore humanity at its best, at its worst, and the full spectrum in between. It's certainly not a show for everyone, but if you want your anime to challenge your way of thinking, this is a good show to watch.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

The art for Kino is simple and clean. It's certainly not very flashy compared to a lot of series which employ lots of 3d effects. The tone of the show is achieved with a somber set of greys and browns. The emphasis is not on the art, but the people and countries that Kino visits. The backgrounds are subdued, and just detailed enough to give you a beautiful panorama without having your attention drawn away from the main story. In effect, the art sets the stage, and that is all. Unfortunately, in the DVD release there are scanlines, which may or may not show up on your screen (I can see them if I play the DVD on my computer, but didn't notice them when I watched it on my roommate's DVD player/TV.) They're annoying, but you tend to get used to it after a while.

Rating

7 (above average)

Sound

Like the art, the sound is subdued, effective in its presentation but ultimately just another piece of the setting. There are some differences in the Japanese language compared to the English language by ADV - in several scenes in the ADV dub, dialogue is dropped. Still, they're not really important bits of dialogue (mostly involving Riku, the dog, talking to Shizu, and some inane babbling of Hermes). The dub does a good job in preserving Kino's disconnect and impassivity, although it makes her sound more feminine than the Japanese version's more androgynous voice. Hermes is presented differently in both versions; in Japanese he sounds like a naiive young boy, always questioning Kino (and getting terms mixed up) but in English, sounds more like a mature young man of the same thought patterns as Kino.
The music is penned by Ryo Sakai (Ayashi no Ceres) and carries a soft, often European-styled tone that is reminiscent of the Haibane Renmei soundtrack. The opening (All the Way by Mikumi Shimokawa) is rather peppy compared to the tone of the series, while the ending (The Beautiful World by Ai Maeda) is more somber and introspective.
Unfortunately, there is no soundtrack released for this series, apart from several songs from the disc included with the Visual Book, "Their Memories - Kioku no Kuni".

Rating

8 (good)

Presentation

Kino no Tabi is different from your average anime series, and certainly won't please everyone. The variety of stories it presents from the various countries Kino and Hermes visits are at times cliche, at times highly disturbing, or at times rather bizarre. There are a few moments of humor, but they're more in the realm of satire than "haha funny" comedy. Also, some of the concepts are mature in nature and this definately isn't a kiddie show. However, the sum of the parts is far greater than if each element was taken separately. A single episode taken alone may not be original, but if you take the series as a whole, it's certainly quite different from what's been done before. It may not be the most rewatchable show (some of the episodes can be rather draining) but the stories are sure to remain in your mind for a long time after you watch it. Kino is a show that makes you think, something few shows, animated or otherwise, is able to do.
If you want your anime to make you think, I would suggest giving this show a try. At 13 episodes, and episodic episodes at that, you can try just a few to see if its too your liking before delving into the entire series.

Rating

9 (very good)

Final Verdict

8.50 (very good)

Reviewed by Tama-Neko, 3y 47wk ago